A/N: WARNING! In this chapter there are going to be VERY BIG hints as to what Robert really has in mind. It's quite suggestive, so proceed with caution. Other than that, all I can say it's let's go!

Chapter 5

Buster knew this was bad. Actually, that was an understatement! This was extremely bad! He had listened to the whole conversation and was now more than convinced that there was something very wrong going on. Why would Robert absolutely want to leave with Elmyra? Why did he become so aggressive when she initially refused? And what was with the pathetic excuse that he needed someone to hold the dog while he drove? Actually, what was with the puppy story in the first place? Was there even a puppy or was it a lie? There were so many questions that only made Buster feel even more worried with every passing second.

The bunny knew that if he would've been in the girl's place he would have immediately refused to leave with Robert, no matter how persuasive he would've been, and would have been suspicious of the story in the first place. But of course, this was Elmyra after all! When she heard of pets, that small, fluff-filled brain of hers lost even the smallest sense of judgement it possessed. One thing was for sure though: he had to stop Elmyra from getting in the car with the man. Their mentors had always told them to NEVER do that, because then the person driving could take them wherever they pleased and it was almost impossible to escape.

Heart beating loudly in his chest, he got up and ran after the pair. But he didn't make it even three feet away from where he had been laying, when a familiar voice called his name.

"Buster, where awe you going?! And why haven't you and the others returned aweady? It's past noon."

The rabbit almost fainted with relief. Help was here! And even if Elmer Fudd wasn't the brightest nor his favorite Looney Toon, he was still an adult that would (hopefully) not panic in this type of situation and actually know what to do. He ran to the hunter, almost knocking him over.

"Whoa! What has gotten into-"

"Elmer, please, you gotta do something! This is very serious!" Buster practically clung to the hunter's shirt in a manner that would have been comical if not for his absolutely terrified expression. The older toon's scold melted away as he noticed the uncharacteristic look of horror in the kid's eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, his tone soft and worried.

"Elmyra… Robert… left… a puppy… I d-don't know what to do!" The bunny was surprised to find that he couldn't keep his voice steady nor form coherent sentences. A pang of shame crept into his racing heart. He was the leader, he was supposed to always be calm and have solutions, not feel scared…

"Would you quit the Powky Pig impwessions and teww me what's wrong?!" Elmer's impatient voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, y-yeah." Gathering his thoughts, Buster began explaining as fast as he could. "You see, we met this guy in the morning! He claimed to have worked at Warner Bros. in the sixties and said he had been good friends with you and the other Looney Tunes! And so we thought that there was no damage in getting to know him and-"

"Wait, wait, what guy?" The confused look on his teacher's face did nothing to ease the anxiety Buster felt. If anything, it made it stronger.

"S-some guy named Robert Taylor. He worked at WB in the early sixties. Do you know him?"

For a split second, Elmer couldn't remember anyone who had that name. Everything in the early sixties seemed so far away, unreachable, as if they were from another life…

Then suddenly, something clicked in the hunter's mind.

His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. A feeling of dread like he hadn't felt in a long time cruised through his body, making him weak at the knees. Robert Taylor?! Here?! Right now?! No, it couldn't be! It just wasn't possible! That man was nothing more than a ghost of what used to torture him night and day, through nightmares and flashbacks. Fortunately, as time passed, he had managed to get through it and the demon that followed him everywhere, slowly evaporated, turning into a blurred memory, a shadow anchored in the past. For Elmer, Robert Taylor had died a long time ago, and he intended to keep it that way. Yet, it seemed like all his efforts to erase what had happened were in vain. Now, the monster had returned. It had arisen from the dead and came back to haunt him, to taunt him, to awaken fears and memories he desperately wanted to forget.

Feeling as though he was going to either throw up or pass out, Elmer leaned on the sunbed next to him, unable to stand up without support.

"Elmer? Are you ok? You look very pale! ELMER!"

The older toon barely heard Buster's panicked voice near him. It sounded so far away, just like the rest of the world. He was completely unable to process what was going on, his brain just couldn't comprehend the whole situation. Everything that Robert had done to him, the harassment he had endured, all of that flooded his mind. He felt the blood drain from his face and his breathing became unhinged. All he wanted at that moment was for Bugs to be there, to hug him and tell him everything was going to be alright, to hear the tune of their song…

"Elmer, please!" Now Buster wasn't even trying to hold back his crying anymore and just let the tears run down his face. "He left with Elmyra! She's going to get in the car with him. Please, do something!"

Now THAT snapped the hunter out of his delirious state. With a loud gasp, he shot his head up and turned to Buster, disbelief spread across his face.

"Wha-what did you say?" he asked in a quivering, whispery voice.

"Uh, I-I said that R-Robert left with Elmyra..."

Elmer stayed still for a few seconds. "No…" he said slowly. "No! No, this can't be happening! Pwease, NO!" He looked around frantically, as if searching for them, but all he could see were carefree people having fun with their friends and families.

Dark thoughts invaded his head again, as he considered what Robert might want to do with Elmyra. He could thing of at least a million things, one more horrible than the other.

When he and the other Looney Tunes had officially became responsible for the Tiny Toons, Dr. Scratchansniff had organized a meeting with them where they had a serious discussion about the dangers children were exposed to. There, they were told what those… monsters did to children, what disgusting things they put them through. Of course, they knew about them before, but very little. Scratchansniff, however, had given them more… graphic descriptions and very worrying statistics, that made Elmer shudder. But, the purpose of the meeting was touched as the Looney Tunes became very cautious, if not in Toon Town, then in the human world.

Now, everything the psychiatrist had said clouded his mind. And judging by the kind of human Robert was and what things he was capable of… Elmer felt nauseous. No. He couldn't let his pupil, his beloved counterpart, go through what he had gone, or maybe worse. He just woould't let that happen! He had to save her, but for that he needed to calm down first.

Taking a deep breath, he looked down at Buster. The poor bunny, usually full of jokes, looked scared to the core, with tears in his eyes.

"Buster, how long ago did Wobert and Ewmyra weave?" he asked, trying not to sound panicked.

"A-about a g-good five minutes a-ago." He said, voice cracking.

Fighting the urge to be sick, he continued: "And in what direction did they go?"

Buster pointed to the left.

"Ok, wisten hewe. I need your hewp, got it?" Buster nodded. "You awe going to wake the othews and go back to the hotew as fastas you can. When you get thewe, teww Bugs that Ewmyra is missing and I need him hewe as soon as possible. Can you do that?"

"Y-yeah, I think so."

"Good. Huwwy up now! I'll twy to find them. Go!"

With that, Elmer ran in the direction pointed by Buster, using his toon powers to make himself faster, desperately hoping that it wasn't already too late.