That's right, I'm not gone and neither is this story. So sorry about the wait, though. Hopefully this chapter and the next will make up for it (though I still haven't started to write that one yet... I'll get on that real soon, don't worry).


"Tie them up tighter! I don't want to have to put mouse traps out just because your sorry asses can't tie a knot."

Three rats were struggling to sit on top of Tango to keep him from moving. A sweaty hippo clumsily tried to secure the ropes now adorning the rat with slippery, sausage-sized fingers and a trail of sweat trickling down his cheek. The boy was probably only 14 or 15, and had stayed firmly glued to the wall during the day's events. A weary look of trepidation hadn't left his face since Dot saw him come in earlier, but he was the only toon in the room whose size- and hopefully strength- could match Tango's if he managed to break free.

Dot looked up at the catwalk with a shudder as several toons tried to collect more ink from the nearly overflowing vat. Bugs must have felt her crane her neck to see as she leaned against his body, since he pulled her tighter against him.

She didn't like the idea of any toons getting inked, even if they were bad guys. But she had been outvoted when Bugs, a still somewhat hysterical Daffy, and the toons who had split off from Smokey decided what to to with Tango and Pete ten minutes ago. It would keep them from trying to hurt anymore toons or take control after Smokey, she agreed, but it didn't seem humane to condemn a toon to being a shadow. Maybe a toon was still aware of their surroundings when they were inked, or maybe not. Regardless, they would still have to sit there and watch the world turn without them.

Bugs had been against it too, at first, but after taking one look at Dot and Wakko, and then at Foghorn and Yakko, he had grimly voted in favor of the ink.

"I don't want them going after you kids anymore. We've had a rough enough day already." he relented mournfully. Seeing a rat move Yakko into a less hunched over position against the wall, she couldn't find the words to argue.

That felt like hours ago. Bugs shifted her on his lap. She hadn't spoken about what happened on the catwalk, and he hadn't asked. Other than their brief conversation about the ink, neither of them had said anything, really. Whether that be because they were slightly shell shocked or just downright exhausted, she couldn't tell.

She supposed it was a bit of both.

Dot glanced over at a half-asleep Daffy leaning against a wall, clearly worn down from all that had happened. Bugs had tried to talk to him after their discussion about the ink, but the duck had dismissed any questions the rabbit asked and quietly asked for some space. No one had disturbed him since.

She then shifted her gaze to Wakko, who had moved to leaning against Bugs's side. He was quiet- which was not an uncharacteristic state for him- but far from looking like his usually content self.

Dot slowly turned her neck to the opposite side of the room when she heard the doors loudly creek open. Gonzo sauntered in with a bored looking Oswald next to him. Both of them stopped short when they saw the scene in front of them.

"Quick, grab 'em!" a pudgy human toon called out. Half a dozen of the toons in the room quic

kly descended upon Gonzo and Oswald, grabbing their arms so they couldn't open their hammerspaces or fight back.

"What the hell is going on? Where's Smokey?" Gonzo demanded as he jerked against the bodies restraining him.

"Shut it, fox, or you'll end up like your buddy over there." a toon jerked his head toward Tango, who was cringing away from a vile of ink a small rat was holding over him. Gonzo's eyes opened wide as the growing crowd of toons in the room started to shout.

"Ink them!"

"It's all his fault, he helped make this shit!"

"Do it already!"

"I didn't make this stuff- that nutjob professor did!" Gonzo cried, eyes frantically searching for some solution to his confusion.

"You made him do it!" another toon called out. The rat next to him handed him a vile of ink and he waved it in the fox's face.

"Where's Smokey!" Gonzo sputtered again and inched as far back as he could away from the ink.

"Boiling in that vat over there, just like you should be!" the human toon yelled back. The toons around him cheered in agreement. One of them shoved Oswald to his knees and threatened to pour a vile of ink on him.

"Wait, stop!" Dot yelled and rushed forward before Bugs could stop her. She stopped in front of Oswald and looked at his clearly confused features. "You're Bosko's friend, right?"

"Yeah, why?" he quickly scanned the room, his look of confusion shifting to one of concern. "Where is he?"

"He's- he's with Smokey." she said slowly as Bugs and Wakko approached them.

Oswald furrowed his eyebrows together. Unable to find the words to explain what had happened, she simply looked over at the vat of ink. Oswald stared at her and then at the vat, his features knitting into a shocked state of sadness.

"You mean..." he trailed off, still staring at the vat with his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Bosko saved us, me and my brother. He pushed Smokey into the vat before he could ink us," Dot said and looked around. "He saved all of us."

Oswald still stared at the vat through sagging eyes, the corners of his mouth pulled up into an expression of bittersweet pride and sadness.

"I never thought I'd feel grateful for something he did, but he deserves more credit than what I gave him." Bugs put a hand on Wakko and Dot's shoulders.

"He was never completely bad. It just took him a while to see it." Oswald said softly. Bugs nodded, flashing him a look of understanding. One of the toons who tried to restrain him moments earlier cleared his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt, but what do you want us to do with him?" he nodded towards Oswald.

"Don't hurt him, I have some questions for him." Bugs replied. The toon nodded and tied his hands. Dot's ears perked up when she heard the door open again.

"Mr. Smokey, I have more of the in-GAHH!" Professor Von Drake shrieked, legs cartwheeling over his body as an alligator tackled him from the side.

"Stop! He's not a bad guy, guys!" Wakko rushed forward and tried to pull off the alligator. He quickly let go of him and back peddled into Bugs when the alligator snapped at him.

"Get off of me! You know I'm just the help, Hector!" the duck yelped at the alligator, who let go of him with a snarl, and reached down to pick up a box he had dropped.

"A toon's gotta keep his guard up with you birds," the alligator snarled. "I've been pooped on by seagulls more times than I can count."

"Don't assume I fall from the same tree as those flying garbage cans! There are more than 10,000 species of birds, and I am not-"

"Alright, professor. Message received," Wakko started, glaring at the alligator as he started to stomp away. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am fine. Now, where is Mr. Smokey?" Von Drake asked, still looking at Wakko.

"Uh, he's dead," Wakko answered. "He's up on that vat- er, in that vat. All of his supporters are being locked up." Von Drake regarded him with a raised eyebrow, then looked over at the vat. He quickly moved in next to Wakko's face.

"Do you know what this means?" Von Drake grinned.

"We get to leave now?" Wakko sighed with a small smile.

"No, but good guess," the duck said quickly. "We are free! I just need to find the key to these bracelets, but I believe they keep them on the second floor- come, we must go see the sun!" Von Drake boomed, grabbing Wakko by the hand and trying to drag him forward toward the door.

"Wait, we can't forget the others!" Wakko started, looking back at Bugs, Daffy, and Dot. "And we have to help my brother!"

"What do you mean? He looks fine to me!" Von Drake stopped and pointed at Dot, who raised her eyebrow.

"No, that's my sister!" Wakko sighed.

"Oh good! You found her! More reason for us to leave and savor the sweetness of sunlight pouring over the streets above." Von Drake replied quickly, again trying to drag Wakko away.

"No! Yakko got inked," Wakko yanked his wrist out of the duck's grip. "Him, Foghorn, and a bunch of other toons need help." He turned and looked at Yakko, who was still slumped over even when other toons were trying to support him, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

The hissing and gurgling of the boiling ink echoed throughout the room, still sounding like a stomach discontent with its empty state. The ink will never sound satisfied, Dot thought. Even if it consumed every toon living and dead, she was sure it would still hiss and yearn for more. But for right now, the ink wasn't a threat to her. Being physically separated from her brothers and Bugs- her family- wasn't a threat to her. Fear didn't loom over her, and danger wasn't approaching.

The bad guys were gone. But not everything was alright.

"Please, there has to be something you can do to help them," Dot said, stepping toward the duck. He looked down at her and sighed, stealing a quick glance at Yakko and the others who had been inked.

"I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do- at least for now," Von Drake started. "I spent months concocting an antidote to the ink, but I lost all of my notes in a lab accident several weeks ago. I had a few viles that contained the prototype, but they shattered when I ran into your sister-" he pointed at Wakko.

"You mean my brother?" Dot cocked an eyebrow at the duck.

"Either or." Von Drake shrugged.

"Can you remake the antidote?" Bugs stepped forward.

"It would take months to retrace my steps and rediscover the process. I may be the smartest duck west of the Danube, but even a genius needs time to develop a formula as difficult as this one, especially since has never been tested. It may not even work for all I know."

Dot looked at the ground with a sigh. If Von Drake could do it once he could do it again. But how long until they knew it worked? She looked back up and caught Wakko's eye, who was wearing a defeated expression that was probably very similar to her own at the moment.

He quickly glanced away, digging his hands deeper into his sweatshirt's pockets. She could see him nervously rolling something against his palm in the pocket. At first he moved it slowly; his mind clearly far away. Then, slowly but surely, one of his hands began to move faster as it fiddled with the object. Wakko's head suddenly snapped forward and he shoved one of his hands toward Von Drake.

"Wait! I have the anecdote!" Wakko cried out and yanked a small vile from his sweatshirt.

"I'd say this is hardly the time for a humorous short narrative, but if you must share one, go ahead." Von Drake said. "Just avoid the one about the Prime Minister- I've heard it a thousand times."

"No, doc. He means the antidote," Bugs sighed. "Let me see it, Wak."

Wakko gave the vile to the rabbit as he bounced on his heels with anticipation. Dot craned her neck to see the pale liquid slosh inside the glass.

"Should we try it on them?" Bugs asked, hesitantly. Dot could tell he was afraid of Von Drake's antidote not working. Or even worse, it making her brother and the others suffer even more. What if there was a worst state of living limbo than this?

She shuddered at the dread viciously churning inside of her.

"I don't know how it affects toons in any way yet," said Von Drake. "It may stunt them even more."

"But it didn't hurt me!" Wakko tugged on the duck's sleeve. "Nothing happened to me when I stepped in it after you accidentally smashed a bunch of them on the ground-"

"-when you smashed them-" Von Drake huffed.

"-so what's the worst that can happen? They stay like this until we find a new cure in a few months?" Wakko reasoned. Dot looked at her brother and felt a relieved breath escape her lips. There was an ounce of hope left, after all.

"I think we should try it." Dot said and turned to Bugs for his input. The rabbit stayed silent for a few moments. Putting an arm around Dot and Wakko, Bugs nodded.

"It may not be that simple, but it is a good sign if it had no adverse effect on you," said Von Drake.

"And if it doesn't work?" Dot asked.

"I'll start new research first thing in the morning, and work as hard as I can to find the cure," the duck shook his head mournfully. "Anything to stop this suffering."

Bugs handed Von Drake the vile and walked over to Yakko and Foghorn. Dot, Wakko, and Bugs followed him, watching him intently as he knelled down and stared at the two toons with the vile grasped firmly in his hand. The liquid sloshed against the glass in a calming, surprisingly quiet rhythm.

Dot leaned into Bugs's side and closed her eyes for a brief moment. She didn't want to open them until Von Drake had tested the cure to Smokey's madness.