Author's Note:

Hello! Me again. :)

After about five months of working on this nearly every evening, I'm back with a much longer Kaeloo fic than the last time. In fact, it's the second-longest story I've ever written. And the only story of mine that's longer than this one was written nearly a decade ago, back before I had neither a spouse nor children nor a full-time job, so I'd say that the writing of this one was even more impressive. ;)

This particular story ended up dividing into a prologue (here), fifteen chapters, and an epilogue. I plan on posting a new chapter every couple of days, serial style. I'll rate this T for now, but the rating will definitely be raised to M in a few chapters. There is plenty of swearing and sex to follow. Giggity. ;)

I'll also take the time to make my standard promise to respond to all signed-in reviews, but I am fairly busy and it might take a few days. Please do know that even if it takes me awhile to respond (or if I unfortunately neglect to entirely) I appreciate each and every review I receive!

Also, on that note, and while I'm here, I'd like to thank everyone for leaving me such nice reviews on my first Kaeloo fic, "Let's Play Hot Potato". Many were anonymous and I wasn't able to respond, but I just wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciated your kind words about my story, and how happy I was that it got such a great reception. :)

I think that's enough blabbing for now... let's get on with the show! I hope you enjoy this fic. I've been working very hard on it these past few months and I'm excited to finally be able to share it. :)

…

It was an early morning like any other in Samesville. The fog had settled in thick and hazy, as it always did, blanketing the area.

But if you stopped and looked carefully through the fog, you'd see her… a small frog, standing at a crossroads, her posture assured but her face betraying her true conflicted feelings.

Kaeloo knew what she had to do. That didn't mean that she wanted to do it.

"What's the matter, Kae? Did you forget which way to go?"

Kaeloo turned around, surprised but not startled. Her father's voice could never startle her. He stood close to her, smiling encouragingly, and despite the situation, Kaeloo managed a smile back.

"I know what way I'm going, Dad."

"It's pretty well-ingrained in your head by now, isn't it?" the older frog said with a good-natured grin. He pointed to their right. "Smileyland's always been that way."

Kaeloo flinched, her eyes darting down to the ground in shame… and despair. Yes, indeed, there it was, the door that served as a portal to Smileyland, just where it had always been, ever since Kaeloo had discovered it… years ago? Had it been years? Had it been that long since the angry, desperate, broken-hearted young frog had discovered this portal to an unknown dimension and shaped it into a world of her own, one where no one would ever be upset or hurt?

Yeah… the best laid plans had a way of spectacularly imploding in on themselves, didn't they?

"I can't go back to Smileyland," Kaeloo choked out, not wanting to look at the door anymore. "Not after what I did yesterday."

Her father's smile faded into contemplation, but he still placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder encouragingly. "You think running away will help you?"

"It'll help them. My friends. Yesterday made it very clear to me that the only way I can keep them safe from me is to stay away from them. They'll be okay." She lifted her head up with determination, although pointedly still looking away from her portal. "In fact, they'll be better off."

Her father sighed lightly. One of the hardest things about being a parent, he mused, was having to step back and let your children figure things out for themselves—no matter how many bad decisions it took. "Well, you're old enough to decide what's best for you."

Kaeloo winced again at that, although she didn't rebuff the remark. Because he was right, she most certainly was old enough… and had been for awhile, if she was honest with herself. It was time to finally start acting her age.

"This is best for everyone. To find a place where I can't hurt anyone ever again, or where I won't ever get hurt again either." She gave her father a look of single-minded determination. "And that place is not Smileyland."

"Well then, where will you be going?" her father asked amiably. "Will you be staying here a little longer? You know your mother and I would love to have you."

Kaeloo shook her head. "It's not here either. I have to find someplace new."

Her father sighed again, but held his tongue. "Well, if that's your decision."

"Oh, don't worry, Dad, I'll come back to visit all the time!" Kaeloo insisted, slightly misinterpreting her father's disappointment. "No matter where I go, you and Mom will always be my parents and that will never change!"

Her father chuckled. "No, it sure won't." He pulled his daughter into a quick hug. "If you're sure this is what you want to do, then I won't keep you. Just… take care of yourself, will you? You worry so much about hurting other people and not enough about yourself."

Kaeloo returned the hug. "I'll be fine," she said, hoping that it wasn't a lie.

After one more pat on the back, her father let go of her. "Don't be a stranger," he said with a wink, and with that turned and left her to her crossroads.

Kaeloo looked to the right again, relieved that her father had departed. Because it was taking everything in her to not break down in tears.

She couldn't do this. No, no, no, forget this whole stupid idea, she couldn't abandon Smileyland! That was her home of her own design after all! She hated change; what made her think she could force this one? No, she would go back through the portal to Smileyland, same as always, back to her friends, and things would be just like they were before.

Just like they were yesterday.

And Kaeloo wailed in horror and shame, sinking to her knees.

Yesterday hadn't even been that different from any other day. Kaeloo had wanted to play scouts. She and her friends would go camping and sell imaginary cookies and sew little potholders and earn badges for their achievements, and whoever earned the most badges at the end of the day won! There were so many ways to earn badges that there had to be something enjoyable for everyone to do.

But then Stumpy refused to surrender his electronics for his camping trip and Quack Quack tried to obtain a nutrition studies badge by assembling a food guide pyramid comprised entirely out of yogurt and Mr. Cat had done nothing but made cracks about earning a "dismemberment badge" leering at Quack Quack all the while and Pretty made her sister do all the work for the cookie selling and gave her none of the credit and Olaf just stole all the badges when Kaeloo wasn't looking.

In short... her friends acted like their usual selves.

And Kaeloo, too, acted like her usual self—she got angry. Very angry. She barely bothered to try to hold back her fury at them, and when she transformed into Bad Kaeloo she let loose, indiscriminately pulverizing whoever got in her way.

It was only when she de-transformed and was met with a pained silence that the reality of what made this time different get through to her.

She let loose alright. On all of them.

True, there'd been multiple targets of a single outburst before now. But usually, at the very least, Quack Quack and Eugly were spared and gave Kaeloo someone to converse with afterwards, to help her talk herself down. But even her kindest and gentlest friends were not lucky enough to escape her wrath this time.

Her six friends writhed on the ground, slowly, pained, barely moving at all, and the silence underscored the trauma that everyone had suffered. All because of her.

Tears sprung to Kaeloo's eyes.

"This… this isn't right," she murmured, her voice so low that her friends probably didn't even hear her—which was fine, she didn't deserve to be heard. "You're my friends and I love you and—and I can't keep doing this."

She turned and ran away, tears blurring her vision, until she reached the familiar door to her childhood home, the door that led to Samesville. She opened it and slammed the door behind her and she hadn't been back to Smileyland since.

And never would again.

Sniffling and wiping her eyes, Kaeloo stood up again with grim determination. They were her friends, her only friends, the only real friends she'd ever had. And that was why she had to do whatever it took to keep them safe.

Even if that meant keeping them safe from herself.

"No, I can't keep doing this," she said softly.

And with one last longing, forlorn look towards the entrance to her beloved Smileyland, she turned to the left, swinging open the door to the unknown dimension and stepping into it before she could change her mind.