CHAPTER 30: WOLVES AT BAY

ME: Alright, new update. It's time for drama and all that jazz.

BUTTERCUP: *sarcastically* Oh joy.

ME: Hush, you. Bandit, how's about a disclaimer?

BANDIT: Ugh, fine. Kuku only owns me and her other OC's, along with the story. Now read. And review.

ME: You need to say it with more emotion—

BANDIT: *monotone* Whatever.

ME: *rolls eyes*

Chapter 30: Wolves at Bay

Saturday morning. It was 5:30 am and Butch couldn't believe he was up so early. Boomer had dragged the remaining Ruffs (Blaster and Butch) into his plot. Now the five Ruffs were creeping through the forest as Boomer led the way.

Butch thought back to last night, when Boomer first introduced his plan and was met with violent protesting.

Flashback

"How can you be so stupid, so foolish, so careless!? Your idiocy will never cease to surprise and amaze me! I cannot believe, as in I cannot even imagine, you went back to that forbidden place or home in which Danes occupies and runs!" boomed Mojo after Boomer finished speaking.

"Mojo, listen—we need to go back for more pages. We have the ability to prove that Damon was innocent!" Boomer pleaded.

Mojo shook his head wildly. "No! I forbid it and demand as in ask you to not go! You could be killed, murdered, put out of business! If Danes were even to see you on his land—"

"Damon's land," Boomer corrected sharply.

Mojo rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes, like that changes anything!" he yelled. "Will you get it through your thick, stupid skulls that this plan or plot or whatever you to call or name it will never work out!"

"It can work! We just go in, grab the sheets, and then we're out. Danes doesn't know about Damon's study. He'll never catch us!"

A slam sounded as Mojo stood up and smashed his hands down on the kitchen table. "Boomer Jojo, I demand you to abandon this foolish idea!"

"I'm not abandoning the idea of Damon's innocence!" shouted Boomer.

Him, who had been sitting silently the whole time with his eyes closed, twitched suddenly. His black lips curled back in an annoyed hiss as his yellow-green eyes flashed open. "Will you all just SHUT UP!?" he screeched.

When Boomer and Mojo stopped squabbling, Him sighed dramatically and relaxed. "Thank you," the demon said, much more calmly as he fanned himself with a claw. "Did you forget"—he gestured at the kitchen door—"about Brick?"

Brick was standing behind the door, watching with wide, shocked eyes. He looked scared.

Boomer calmed down and coughed. "Brick, it's okay. I'm not going to scream any more, okay? So come over here," he called softly.

Mojo let out a grumble and Him kicked him with his high-heeled boot. Brick apprehensively stepped into the room and walked over to Boomer, turning from Mojo and Him to Boomer.

"You guys can take care of Brick for another day," Boomer announced, taking Brick by the arm and gently pulling him forward. "He'll be fine."

"Dad?" asked Brick, turning to Mojo. He turned to Him. "Mom?"

Him unfolded his arms as he gasped sharply. He turned to stare at Mojo. "Us? Mom and Dad?" Him looked like he was ready to faint. "Me? As a mom!?"

Brick looked confused so Boomer took him by the arm. "Brick, Mojo and Him aren't our mom and dad," the blue Ruff tried to explain.

"But aren't they our parents?" questioned Brick.

"Yes, but—"

"So why aren't they our Mom and Dad?"

"First off, Him's a male—I'm mostly 99.99% sure—demon and Mojo is an ape. Secondly, they aren't even a couple. They take care of us like guardians."

Brick still looked confused.

Boomer sighed. "Just forget it, okay? Just call them 'Mojo' and 'Him'."

"I hope you've told him not to call me Mom no matter how cute it is," Him called to Boomer.

"Yeah, yeah." Boomer rolled his eyes and looked up, turning back to his parental guardians. "So? Can we go?"

Him and Mojo shared looks. Then they nodded. "...Very well," they said.

Boomer stood up straighter and did a fist-pump. "Hell yeah!"

End Flashback

After that, Bandit and Braker had dragged Blaster and Butch into the plot respectively. So there they were; creeping along in tall grass as men swarmed the area. These men were Danes' henchmen, and were carrying guns. Most of the weapons were the kind that shot tranquilizers, but even then none of the Ruffs wanted to get shot by them. According to Boomer, the guards had practically doubled since he'd been there.

"Probably because Danes sensed you, you idiot," hissed Butch.

Boomer rolled his eyes as he ignored his brother. "Just hide yourself well and they won't be able to sniff you out," he responded lowly.

"They've never been very good guards anyway. Why would they start now?" added Braker.

Bandit motioned for his brothers to be quiet as he parted the tall grass in front of him. "Look," he whispered. He pointed at the familiar cabin that lurked nearby.

"Let's go for it." Butch smashed his fists together.

Blaster let out an animal-like snarl, almost in agreement. As sweet as he was, he had never liked Danes or his men.

"No. Guys, don't." Bandit pushed his hand gently against their chests to calm them down. "We're not running right through just to get shot at."

Boomer crept forward. "Look, we can slip through the area with the river. They patrol the sides but most are positioned by the field."

"So how do we deal with the ones by the water?" Butch asked.

"Don't forget that there are trees for coverage. And if any guards approach your hiding place, shoot something at the water and create a splash. That'll pull their attention to the water," Bandit commanded.

"Sounds like a plan," stated Braker, rolling up his sleeves. "So let's do this."

The Ruffs ducked and turned away, running toward the river. The water was the long way to the cabin, but taking the river way meant safer chances.

Butch stood up but immediately had to duck back down. A guard had just headed right past, without even noticing the green-and-black flash from behind the bushes. "That was close," hissed Butch.

"Too close," Bandit agreed.

"Hey, at least Butch camouflages," remarked Braker, "I feel like a sitting duck in my orange clothing."

Bandit shoved Braker lightly to shut him up. Then he motioned for them to hurry along the trail, running and ducking and hiding. The crystal clear river water glimmered nearby, as two men patrolled the banks.

Butch watched one of them walk away and signalled for the others to keep going. They raced forward along the path until they stopped when the guard came back. Then the Ruffs floated around the area, hidden by shadows.

Boomer stepped forward, but his shoe connected with a twig. A terrible snapping sound echoed within the forest, and Boomer froze. The guard spun around, and Boomer recognized him as the man who kissed up to Danes. "Hey, who's there?" The second man, probably the lazier one, looked up from the other side, closer to the river.

Panicking, Boomer grabbed the stick and used his power to throw it into the river away from the Ruffs. It splashed into the water and onto the second man, who let out a "hey!" in protest.

"Catch that thing!" cried the first man. "I'm going after what was in the trees!" He turned back to the forest and went to check, but there was nothing there. The man narrowed his eyes.

Meanwhile, the Ruffs were gasping as they ran behind a large hill, having disappeared as soon as the guard went to check on their hiding place. They stopped to catch their breaths, tired. Just then, voices boomed out from the hill: "Coal; report! Where did you track the scent to?"

"I tracked it to a park bench, Sir," Coal stated. "Then we lost the scent because it was a public bench and many people had sat on it afterwards. The most recent and strongest smell was the reek of a sleeping hobo—"

"Enough! I asked for a report, not excuses," snarled a familiar voice the Rowdyruff Boys knew as Danes. Coal cowered back as Danes turned away. "Get me a real report soon, understood?

"Understood," Coal managed to say before darting off to avoid any further interactions with Danes.

"I think he's got the right idea. Let's get outta h—" Butch began hissing, but he froze when Danes spun around and stormed toward them. "Oh shit!" he muttered quietly under his breath. So lowly that only his brothers heard it as they exchanged worried looks.

There was a loud smack as a hand smashed down on the alarm clock's button. The beeping stopped abruptly as the girl in the bed sighed peacefully and rolled over. She was just about to fall back asleep, when all of a sudden, her door was slammed open.

"Good morning, Buttercup! Time to wake up," called an energetic voice. The person flicked the lights on and blinded BC.

Drawing her covers over her eyes, Buttercup groaned loudly. "Ten more minutes," she managed to mutter.

"No can do, sis! We're helping the Professor figure out how to help Brick regain his memories today! So we have a long day ahead of us." A pause. "You do want to help Brick, don't you?"

All of a sudden, Buttercup was immediately up and out of bed in a green blur. She threw on her clothes as she dashed into her washroom. "I'll be down there in a few minutes!"

"Awesome!" replied her sister, clearly satisfied with the answer. She blinked her bright orange eyes before smiling and leaving.

Meanwhile, Buttercup had just finished ripping a comb through her tangled black locks. It was painful, but she was in a hurry so she ignored the amount of hurt. Then she brushed her teeth and quickly washed up, before zooming down into the kitchen downstairs.

Bliss was waiting for her there. The orange Powerpuff Girl held up a plate with scrambled eggs and a piece of toast, along with a glass of milk. "Here's your breakfast."

"Thanks," Buttercup said as she took the items. She set them down on the table and started chomping down on her food.

Bliss followed her back to the table and talked while BC ate. "I guess I'm a little worried, y'know? About Brick." Pausing from her eating, Buttercup looked up in surprise. She met gazes with Bliss, who managed to smile—sadly though. "I mean, I hope he's going to be okay. It would suck if things kept going the way they do and he never got his memories back—"

Buttercup set her fork down as she fully faced Bliss again. "He'll be fine," she replied firmly. "Brick's stronger than that. He's not going to let a little thing like amnesia get him down. So neither should you."

"...Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks." Bliss managed to smile.

Buttercup returned the facial expression. "Don't worry about it," she said softy. "Brick will be fine."

Just then, the door to the Professor's lab opened and he stuck his head out. "Girls, are you ready to come down yet? The others are already here and are waiting!"

"Okay, Professor! We're ready!" promised Buttercup. She shoved the last of her food down her throat and cleared her dishes. Then she followed Bliss and floated down the steps into the Professor's laboratory.

The tall, squarish man in a lab coat was busy scribbling notes down on a clipboard as he studied a screen. The screen had waves of some sort bouncing around; like the sound waves or heart waves you see in music or at the hospital.

"What's that?" asked Buttercup, with her mouth still full, as she pointed at the machine.

"I'm looking at brainwaves," the Professor answered, "I'm measuring those of Blossom's right now. I just need to get a feel for an example to refer to. After this we'll check Brick's old brainwaves and match it to the ones Mojo sent me late yesterday night."

"Sounds like a plan," Bliss stated, sitting down on a counter and opening a can of fizzy orange pop. She watched Blossom's brainwaves bob gently up and down on the screen.

Blossom appeared, wearing a lab coat with glasses over her pink eyes. She was ticking things off of a checklist and muttering to herself.

"Yo, Blossom," Buttercup greeted.

Blossom looked up in surprise. "Oh, hi BC. Almost didn't notice you there. What is it?"

"What is it that you are looking at?" Buttercup asked, walking over to her sister. Bliss scooted closer to them from her seat on the counter, still sipping at her soda.

"I'm just studying the way amnesia works," explained Blossom, scribbling something down beside a sentence. "How one gets amnesia, how the brain is affected, how much memory loss one may endure, how it might be cured, etc..."

"And how can it be cured?" pressed Buttercup, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, there are a few different ways. A safe but slightly tough and long way would be to try and remind Brick of how the past was like. As in, show him or tell him and hope he remembers." Blossom bit down gently on her pencil as she concentrated. "It's not going to be easy though."

"Well, that's obvious," Buttercup muttered. She sighed and raked her fingers through her dark, black hair.

"Girls, girls! Look!" called the Professor. Buttercup and her sisters joined him at the machine. He was busy waving his clipboard wildly at the screen. "What do you see?"

Bubbles, Banana, and Bunny joined the group as Buttercup squinted at the screen. "Uhh...I see waves," she answered, wondering if the Professor was feeling okay.

"Yes, yes well, that's not all that's on the screen." The Professor tapped it proudly. "Watch." As the two different brainwaves bounced up and down on the screen, they would sometimes merge and become one before splitting again.

"What does it mean?" asked Buttercup.

Blossom's pink eyes were brightening behind her glasses. "It means that there's still hope!"

"What?" Buttercup gave her sister a blank stare.

"When the brainwaves match," Blossom began, indicating the screen, "it means that Brick's memories weave together. Like, the top one is his old memories and the bottom one is his new amnesiac brain, right? So watch as they merge—this means that a small part of Brick remembers or thinks the same way as before. If we can focus on those areas specifically, then we can possibly reawaken some old memories!"

"That is like...way complicated," Buttercup said, shaking her head as she tried to follow. "Well, how are we going to find out which part of Brick's brain matches his old brain?"

The Professor was scrutinizing the brainwaves. He looked up as he tapped a pencil against his chin. "I'll send this information to Mojo; he's worked with human brains before. His former occupation as an evil genius means he's good at this sort of thing."

Buttercup shuddered slightly at the memories of an evil, cackling, annoying Mojo Jojo. "If you say so," she replied.

The Professor nodded and pressed a button. The machine started whirring, before beeping noises sounded. Soon a long slip of paper came out of the machine's slot. The Professor ripped the long strip of paper from the machine, holding it up victoriously. "Behold, the possible answers to our problems!" he announced.

Bubbles leaned forward and traced her hand along one of the brainwaves. She would smile every single time the brainwaves merged, although it didn't happen super often. "We have hope," she said cheerfully.

"...Or maybe not." Blossom's eyes were wide as her joyous expression suddenly seemed panicked.

"What's wrong, dear?" asked the Professor, looking concerned.

Blossom straightened, closing her gaping mouth as she pointed at the machine's screen. The first brainwave on top was still beeping along rather normally, but the second brainwave below it seemed a little...messy.

"Oh dear," the Professor whispered.

"What's the matter now?" demanded Buttercup, looking from Blossom to the Professor. She knew that the second brainwave didn't look good, but she didn't know what it meant.

The Professor frowned as he exchanged a look with Blossom. "Well...girls, you're probably not going to like this, but—"

"—Brick's new brain appears to be a little unstable," Blossom blurted out. When she got a lot of weird looks, she hurriedly said, "I mean, it's relatively normal. But sometimes the brainwave becomes really...well, messy. I'm sure you've all already noticed; the brainwave sometimes speeds up and becomes harsh jagged lines rather than smooth rolling peaks. He's safe for now, but if we wait too long... Then who knows what his unstable brainwaves will do?"

Buttercup's mouth fell open as Bliss spat out a spray of soda. She turned and stared at Bliss, both of them clearly shocked. Buttercup knew what Bliss was thinking. She knew that both of them were thinking back to their conversation about things being okay because of how strong Brick was. But now... Buttercup wasn't so sure.

What if Brick really doesn't recover? Then what?

What if I don't make it out of here alive? Then what?

Butch's heart was pounding as he watched Danes approach. He wanted to make a break for it, but he knew he'd be shot down by tranquilizers as soon as he would run out into the open.

Danes stopped walking, raising his head. It looked like he had sensed something wasn't quite right... But before the man could investigate further, a voice called out for him.

"Sir! Sir!" Coal's voice soared through the air as a bird flapped its wings and escaped to the sky. "These men claim they heard things!"

As Danes let out a ragged sigh, glancing back at the Ruffs' hiding place, he turned away and walked off. His body vanished from view and all the Rowdyruff Boys relaxed.

"Hey, look," breathed Braker as he tried to slow his pounding heart, "Boomer's clumsiness proved to be helpful for once."

"Oh shut up." Boomer shoved Braker.

Bandit frowned, narrowing his purple eyes as he kept his eye on the cabin. "Okay you guys; shhh. Let's go before he comes back." He crawled out first, followed by the others. Bandit signalled them to keep low, before leading the way across the field. They had to hide a few times, but soon the door was within their eyesight.

Boomer stepped forward and gently took hold of the knob. He tugged at it impatiently.

"Hurry!" hissed Butch, his eyes flashing from side-to-side as he tried to keep watch for guards.

"I'm trying! It won't open," Boomer shot back in a panicked tone.

"Pull harder!" Buch grabbed hold of the door and tugged. The others watched with worry as they prayed the door wouldn't snap off its hinges. Thankfully it didn't come to that, as apparently Butch's strength was actually a good thing. The door opened. "Told ya," Butch stated smugly.

Bandit walked inside and his eyes glowed as he surveyed the dark room. The sight of it took his breath away, but not because it was beautiful. So much of it seemed familiar, but even more had changed. The place was falling apart. "Damon," he whispered, reaching his hand out. It brushed against a broken picture frame on a little stand. The photo was faded and showed a man with seven little boys.

Boomer joined Bandit and stared at the picture. "...It's really been awhile," he murmured quietly. The seven boys looked like a rainbow of colours. It was Damon, the Ruffs, and Vix. When things had still been good.

"We didn't come here to feel nostalgic," Butch said bitterly as he looked away from the photo. "Come on, Boomer; we have journal pages to look for. And we need to be fast."

"Right," sighed Boomer. He rubbed his eyes quickly before floating to the bookshelf. He grabbed the large book that seemed a little different from the others—the one that was actually hiding a doorknob. Then he slowly pulled the creaky bookcase door open.

As they slipped inside Damon's old study, Blaster shuddered involuntarily. "It's home, and yet it's not," he commented sadly, eyeing the area. He watched as a rotting plank of wood fell to the floor. "It's horrible how this place is falling apart."

"Yes, well neither Danes nor us wanted anything to do with this place," Braker reminded Blaster. His usually cheery orange eyes were darker now as he glared at the wreckage. "Danes doesn't want to acknowledge Damon's existence, or the fact that he's the one who destroyed this place. We don't want to deal with being caught here, whether by Danes or unwanted memories."

The others were quiet after that. They started searching throughout the study, and Boomer pulled open the drawer he'd opened last time. He stuck his hand in and waved it around, but his fingertips didn't brush anything—anything that felt like paper, that is. Grimacing in disgust, Boomer drew his hand back out, hoping that nothing like bird goop from the nest had gotten on his hand. He quickly wiped his hands on his jeans.

"Anything?" asked Bandit, hurriedly searching through a stack of papers. He groaned under his breath.

"Nothing," Boomer reported, feeling a little discouraged. Perhaps they aren't here, he thought sadly. But then a firm look got into his eyes. He knew that he needed to find the pages. I want to clear Damon's name if I can. Boomer felt new determination burn within him. He started digging around through the bookshelves, trying to find any loose sheets of papers.

Braker's dark orange streak lit up the room briefly as he zipped from one end of the room to the other. He dug around in a drawer before a smile stretched out across his lips. He fished something out and let out a quiet cheer. "I think I found something!" he said proudly.

"Really? Let's see." Boomer hurried toward his brother's spot, taking the papers. He gently leafed through the three or four sheets and relief flooded his body. "You actually did find something!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Braker smirked.

"Plenty," answered Butch.

Braker ignored his brother's sarcastic remark as he continued: "How many more pages do you think there are?"

Boomer shook his head. "I don't know. Damon wrote a lot. We probably won't find all the pages, but some of them should be here."

Bandit looked up from his crouching position on the floor. "I found one sheet," he claimed, "but it's just a single sheet. And it's really washed out."

"That's okay." Boomer tried to keep his tone lightly optimistic. "Every page counts."

Butch raked through one bookshelf. "There's gotta be some pages destroyed over time," he muttered, "I'm not having much luck scavenging anything here."

Boomer turned and opened his mouth to reply, but then a slamming noise sounded. Boomer stared, wide-eyed at the door (even though he knew that Danes and his henchmen didn't know about the second door). "Quick! Hide," he hissed. Boomer ducked into a closet. The others followed his example and listened to the newcomers exchange words.

"You stupid idiots let the noisy sneak get away!" bellowed Danes as he paced heavily.

Bandit shared a look with his brothers.

"W-W-We're sorry, S-Sir," one of them stammered.

"You're all so incompetent!" exclaimed Danes angrily.

"Hey, that was offensive. I don't think it was all that necessary," Braker remarked quietly.

Bandit nudged him sharply in the ribcage. "Hush!" he hissed.

Danes' feet turned around as he paused. "Did any of you...hear that?"

"Hear what, Sir?"

"...Never mind." Danes sighed as he started pacing again, probably shaking his head. "Just go back to business." Then, recovering his toughness, he growled out, "Now. Get to work before I get through with you."

The guards with Danes scrambled upwards and scampered off. The Rowdyruff Boys waited as Danes stayed behind. He paced for three minutes. Soon the boys gave up on standing still without doing something productive, so they quietly searched for more pages. They managed to find a few. After nine minutes (Danes ended up preparing and drinking tea), the man finally left. The Ruffs emerged from their hiding places and started looking a little more thoroughly and a little more loudly.

Blaster held up a few crinkled sheets. "These were under the bed," he announced, dusting himself off.

Boomer took them and stuck the pages into his folder. He looked around at the upturned room and sighed. "There are still pages missing and I don't know if we can find them. We also need to get this place cleaned up—"

"...Whoa. I think I just found some heavy shit," Butch finally said. His jade-green eyes were wide as he looked into a wooden box of some kind.

Ross scanned the pages again, his mind trying to grasp the idea behind these entries. His eyes read every line over and over again. "This can't be real," he croaked.

"But it is." Vix slowly stepped forward and sat down beside Ross. He took the pages from the grief-stricken boy, who had begun trembling. Vix looked down and started reading out loud:

"'Everything has slowly changed for the better. I have my own home and my own family now. That Vix boy is a quick learner. He was really weak at first, but he is recovering just fine thanks to the Eye. I have been taking care of him. I do not worry so much about his health now; just more so about his heart.

It's like when someone took a whole heart and forcibly snapped it into two pieces. I know this feeling, but not to Vix's extent. I've never lost my parents in such a brutal way. Yet I do know the pain. I've lost everything.

Sylvie, Tyrone, Shamus, Danes, Ross... I'm so sorry to all of you.'"

Vix stopped reading briefly to look at Ross. The boy was shaking violently now, tears streaming down his face. "Ross..."

"Keep reading," he whispered back.

So that's what Vix did. He skipped to another entry; an older entry.

"'Underneath his tough exterior, Danes has the strongest will and sense of righteousness I have ever seen. He is qualified to be a hero. My example of this comes from today.

Today started like all days. Danes got another crazy idea, but this time it was to climb a dangerous mountain trail with no equipment. All of us went; still without Sylvie. That brilliant girl has gone to study for a few months in different countries. So as of right now, it is just us men.

To say the least, that is not always the best thing.

Why? Because as soon as we were halfway across, Shamus nearly fell to his death. I admittedly also almost fell, though I wish I hadn't. I'm most embarrassed. Danes saved two different people during the climb without counting Shamus and I. That is what I mean when I say he is such a hero. The first person was an old woman who had lost her way and was clinging to a tree branch. Beneath her were swirling waves. Danes leaped to action, jumping off the cliff. The elderly lady shrieked, but Danes reappeared beneath her, having found a hold. He then helped the woman up. The next person he saved as that of someone who was nearly half-dead. Danes gave him water and carried him until we reached a small village where they took him in.

Then we left. That is when I nearly fell off the cliff, as Shamus had done twice already. I was not watching where I was going because I was talking to Tyrone, and I tripped on a rock I believe. I tumbled downwards and nearly fell splat within the cavern below, but Tyrone caught me.

Speaking of Tyrone; he made it through without a scratch, as he is such a brilliant guy. I am always so proud of him.'"

Vix paused again. "Is this too much...?" he asked quietly. Ross was sobbing uncontrollably now.

"No... No, k-keep going—"

"But you're breaking down." Vix set the pages down and reached out for Ross. Then he hesitated and drew his hand back, since he wasn't used to the whole emotional thing.

Ross shook his head. "I'm f-fine," he blundered. "I-It's just that my father was mentioned, and my mother... A-A-And Tyrone had the same entry in his journal... I-It was about the c-climb... My dad praised him too... G-God, Damon can't sound like th-this kind man..."

"Okay, okay," sighed Vix. "I'll just change to a different entry then."

"'The Rowdyruff Boys are learning their new skills quite well and—'"

Ross froze, his tears vanishing instantly. He swallowed hard as he tried to keep focus. His gaze was still blurry from his tears. Ross clenched his teeth and tightened his fists. "...Read that again."

Vix backtracked and realized what he'd said aloud. He didn't read it again.

Ross stared at his friend impatiently, but Vix shook his head without complying. "Read the goddamn sentence again!" shouted Ross, snapping. "What the fuck did the damn thing say!?"

"...Training," Vix replied quietly.

"I know it talks about training! But does it really say that training was with who I think it said!?" Ross demanded.

Vix averted his gaze. "The Rowdyruff Boys?"

"...Yes." Ross had frozen again, but now he recovered as he grabbed the entry and scanned it over. His shoulders slumped and he looked so distraught. "Those... Those liars..."

"Ross, don't," Vix tried.

"They lied to me." Ross' eyes remained wide and trained on the floor. Then he looked up and his glare flashed violently. "They lied to me!" he screamed.

Flashback

Ross blinked back tears and looked back down at his shoes. "...Something did happen to me in the past; something I don't really like talking about." He wiped at his eyes. "There...There was this man; his name was Damon. He was like...a second uncle to me, besides Shamus. He was so nice. I didn't realize that he hid such a dark heart, though. H-He tricked us all..."

"What did he do?" Butch pressed gently.

Ross bit his lip. "He killed my father. I can't forgive him." Tears streamed down his cheeks freely now. "Maybe that's wrong, maybe it's not justified, but I don't care. It's wrong to kill someone. I won't forgive him."

"...I'm sorry," Butch murmured. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

"I-It wasn't your fault. It's not like you knew Damon." Ross pushed his hair back, sniffling.

Butch paused, suddenly stiff. His gaze seemed guarded.

"Butch...? Is something wrong?" Ross looked up, swallowing.

"No...I just...I just feel upset for you, that's all. No one should have to deal with the loss of a father."

End Flashback*

"He lied to me..." Ross whispered. "He didn't tell me the truth..."

"Ross, they didn't find out until recently about what Damon's done**. You've known for years. I've known for years. I didn't want to believe it at first, but then I met you and I...I felt awful." Vix looked up. "Based on your description of what happened, Butch seemed actually sorry."

Ross' shoulders slumped. "...I guess so."

Vix turned to another entry and read aloud quietly: "'I loved that child Ross like a second son. I was happy for Tyrone and Sylvie, even though I loved Sylvie and wanted her to be mine. But now both of them are gone. I don't have them in my lives anymore. I don't have anybody.

But Vix... Vix is like a second chance. He reminds me so much of Ross; sweet and kind and funny, but...also vulnerable. Both of them have lost their parents and are dealing with an extreme case of emotional trauma. I wish I could say sorry to Ross, but I cannot. I will try to amend my mistakes with Vix.

I want Vix to be safe. He's like a son to me. He's what Ross was to Tyrone.'"

Ross started shaking from tears again. He buried his head in his hands and let out a giant wail.

"Ross..." Vix murmured. He himself was starting to tear up.

"How is this the truth?" cried Ross. "How could Damon be so nice? He's a malicious bastard!"

Vix looked away. "Can I just admit something?" he said quietly. "It's hard for me to believe Damon killed Tyrone, even though it's so obvious he did. And part of the reason was because of his journal entries."

Ross shook his head. "That can't be true! E-Everything he did..."

"Ross; let me tell you a story." Vix gently took the boy by the shoulders and met Ross' teary eyes. "It's about the day I was taken from Damon. The day of my birthday."

"Happy birthday, you big galoot!" Damon sang as he held up a cake and set it down in front of Vix.

A young Vix grinned and rubbed his hands together, licking his lips. But then he froze. "Hey! What does 'galoot' mean?"

"An oafish, clumsy person," Damon laughed, patting Vix on the head.

"I'm not 'oafish'," Vix shot back.

Damon smiled. "I know. I'm just teasing."

Vix beamed. "And I know that." He looked back at the cake as Damon started putting in candles. It looked delicious. "Can we eat it now?"

"No, silly—we're waiting for the Ruffs and their family." Damon rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he sat down beside Vix, who was at the head of the table. Usually he sat at the head, but today he and Vix had switched since it was Vix's birthday.

"I wish they'd hurry up." Vix tapped his fork against the table. "I can smell that darn good cake and I want it."

"Thanks. Baked it myself, y'know." Damon raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Vix shoved Damon lightly. "I know that! Thank you, by the way. I would've said it even had you not reminded me," he said teasingly.

"Yeah, yeah." Damon have Vix a little nudge. "You're going to love it. I used all your favourite ingredients."

"Don't mock me with the cake," Vix groaned. "I'm hungry enough as it is! I bet I could eat a whole—" Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The two people inside froze. Moments of silence passed before Vix said cheerfully, "The Ruffs are here!" He got up and—

Damon frowned, placing his arm in front of Vix to block the boy from moving. Then he got up himself. "Vix," he said lowly, "go and hide somewhere safe, okay?"

Vix was about to argue but something about Damon's tone firmly said "don't argue with me". So Vix nodded begrudgingly and walked over to the sink. He pulled the cupboards underneath the sink open and climbed inside. Damon, satisfied, nodded and turned away. Vix watched through the crack between the two cupboard doors as Damon took a deep breath and walked to the door. He watched as Damon pulled it open and immediately fell down.

Vix's eyes widened. Damon's leg is bleeding! Vix felt his heart pound faster. He wanted to protect Damon, but at the same time he was too scared. He was frozen in shock and curiosity as he wondered what the scene going on before him was all about. Concern for his "father" was overflowing within Vix, but his fear conflicted with his bravery. So he stayed hidden, crouching in the cupboards like a coward.

A tall, square-shouldered man stood in the doorway, his eyes the silver of knives. He blocked the moonlight from outside, and shadows danced on his face. The man was holding up a gun. "Hello, Damon," he drawled slowly, "we've finally found you."

Damon bit his lip. "Danes," he greeted in a sharp gasp of pain, holding up the bleeding leg that Danes had shot.

*(A/N: Reference to chapter 24!)

**(A/N: Reference to chapter 23!)

BUTCH: What.

ME: Ooh, tense drama time! Guess what next chapter will include?

BRICK: Let me guess: Danes and Damon square off?

ME: Well...sort of. I know I said greens romance would be in this chapter, but it ended up being too long. Oops... I'll try to fit some green and green (and Ross!) love in the next chapter, since the Professor and the girls have reason to talk to Mojo and the boys.

Stay tuned! *winks*

BUBBLES: And don't forget to review! It's good for the soul.

ME: Yes please! It's the holidays for me now, so you guys get some hopefully cool surprises from me for the season. *grins* So definitely leave a review! Thanks so much. I thrive on your support~

Here's a quick preview of the next chapter~:

Damon let out a half-choked sob. "Danes, don't do this..."

"Don't do what you've done before?" Danes kept the gun trained on the boy [Vix], his hand shaking just slightly. "Tell me, Damon. Did you ever feel remorse for what you did?"