Dot sat at the kitchen table gingerly sipping a glass of water. In all honesty she didn't really remember what had happened at the party. She did have a sinking feeling, however, that things did not go well. Dot had woken up that morning in a state of complete disrepair. The intensity of her hangover was strong and her body weak. She hadn't even bothered to change before going to bed the night before. She had initially woken up in a mangled dress. Her face was coated in a thick layer of smudged makeup; which had turned to an inky mess against green skin. After changing and getting cleaned up she had groggily ventured into the kitchen.

Bob didn't say a word to her. All morning he had been shooting her wicket glances from across the table as she nursed her drink. He sat in silence sipping his morning coffee. Piece by piece Dot's memories slowly came back to her, but she still didn't quite remember everything. Looking around she noticed that the place was spotless; even the plants and decorations had all been taken down. No garbage in sight.

"Thanks for cleaning up." Dot muttered.

"That wasn't me." Bob said as she looked down at his organizer, "Matrix and AndrAIa stayed late so you wouldn't have to do it."

"AndrAIa?"

"Matrix's girlfriend."

"Since when does Matrix have a girlfriend?" She was genuinely shocked. Matrix was usually too busy sulking to have a social life. As far as she knew he had never even gone on a date before.

"I don't know Dot, maybe you could have asked him if you weren't drunk last night."

She glared at him, but he didn't look up to see.

"I don't need this right now." She said, getting up to walk away.

"Then what do you need? Because I'm at my wit's end."

Dot wanted to start a fight. He had lit a fire with his words and her anger was dying to go ablaze. She turned with a short remark on the tip of her tongue, but hesitated after looking into his eyes. Bob never gave up, even when the odds were against him. She stopped and stared. He looked so broken… In her chaos had she completely defeated his spirit?

"I'm sorry."

"... For what?" He finally shut off the organizer, giving her his full attention.

"Just… Everything. I don't even remember what happened at the open house, but I know I should apologize for that too. I'm a mess."

She sat back down, this time in the seat closest to him.

"Dot, you don't have to apologize to me… I guess you don't even realize what you've done."

"What do you mean?"

"Phong was there, Megabyte, and everyone else in Mainframe who matters. They saw you at your worst and some are bound to take advantage of that. It's gonna be a long time before any sprite forgets about this."

She looked down at her hands, crumpling them into a ball.

"What should I do?"

"I don't know." Bob sighed.

He cursed himself for not putting his foot down. If there had been no alcohol maybe she would have been able to have a normal night. He placed a hand comfortingly on her shoulder. They both had to live with the consequences of their actions.

# #

Matrix stood in the doorway of the bathroom. It was a narrow space, barely big enough for him to stand in. He had to angle his body slightly, entering sideways. AndrAIa leaned towards the mirror, carefully applying her lipstick. Her breath fogged the glass with each exhale. Matrix smiled, watching her.

"Good morning, Sparkie." She said once she was done.

"Morning."

AndrAIa grabbed a brush, gently working out the tangles in her wavy hair.

"You're staring."

"How do you know? You haven't looked over once."

AndrAIa smiled and looked over at him.

"You're staring."

"All right, so I was." He squeezed further into the small bathroom and they stood shoulder to shoulder.

"I'm still getting ready, wait your turn." AndrAIa turned back to the mirror.

"I have to apologize again for last night."

"Last night was… Something. I don't think I've been so scared in my entire life. I wasn't expecting all those people and there was a pianist- and waiters." She glanced over briefly before continuing to brush.

"Yeah, Dot goes all out."

"And so many flowers. Why were there so many flowers?"

"Too many flowers."

They both laughed.

"Is it rude to say it was a disaster?"

"Not at all." Matrix said, "She started screaming at her husband and left her own party. It was the definition of a complete disaster."

Once AndrAIa suppressed her giggling she made a serious face.

"I hope she's doing okay. You'll check on her, right?" She asked.

"It's Dot, she'll be fine."

"Please?"

"All right, I'll check in."

"Thank you." She finished brushing and started searching through drawers for a hair tie.

Matrix sighed, relieved that she wasn't upset. He wouldn't have blamed her if she was. AndrAIa didn't even want to go and he had talked her into it.

"So you had a good time?" He asked nervously.

"In the moment I didn't know what to think, but looking back it was an interesting night. I was created by the user, so I'm new to the concept of family drama."

"What was that like?" He sat on the counter as she braided her hair. "Being all alone in a game."

"Well game sprites have heightened instincts and senses, so we don't necessarily need parental guidance to survive. That said, it was scary sometimes being on my own. Everything around me was a potential threat. I always had to be aware of my surroundings."

"Is that why you left?"

"It was all that I knew; at the time that was just normal life. It took a while before sprites in my game even knew that there was a war going on. Once I found out it didn't feel right to stay. It wasn't fair that the whole net was out there suffering and systems were being destroyed."

"But you'll never be able to go home."

"It was a one way trip, I knew that. We all did."

Matrix was hearing this for the first time. She spoke so casually about everything, like it wasn't a big deal. He had his dad and sister to support him his whole life; he had no idea where he would be without them. If he had a choice, Matrix would never choose to leave Mainframe, especially if he could never come back. Matrix hated the fact that AndrAIa had to go it alone for so long. He wanted better for her.

"That's not fair," He said aloud, more to himself than to AndrAIa.

"That's just life."

"... Do you ever regret leaving?"

"If I stayed I never would have met you. And for the first time, I'm actually happy." She said, turning to face him. Her eyes locked with his and Matrix couldn't help but smile.

"I'm glad to hear that."

Matrix kissed the top of her head. He was instantly hit with the sweet smells of her perfume. His arms wrapped around her in a gentle embrace. AndrAIa enjoyed the moment and the warmth that enveloped her. She wasn't just happy, it was the first time she had ever felt safe. After a moment she wiggled her way out of the hug, looking him in the eyes before speaking.

"Do you want to move in with me?" She asked apprehensively.

"Yeah, I do."

# #

Maxine wasn't used to rejection. She was average in school, not particularly clever or smart. She didn't have to be, because she was beautiful. At least that's what her parents always told her. Her looks made up for everything else she lacked. The older she got the more she thought what her parents said was true. Despite having no specific talent she never found it hard to get a job. She was just like every other search engine out on the net, yet she always fell into promotions and just recently a consulting position. Maxine never had to try hard for any of her accomplishments.

Finding companionship was also easy for her. Everywhere she went sprites rolled out the red carpet and gave her special treatment. She couldn't remember the last time she had to pay for a drink herself. Naturally, she was at a loss. She didn't know why she liked Matrix so much, she just did.

Maxine sat on her couch, staring at the TV mounted on the wall. She had been watching the weather channel for quite some time, just thinking. She hadn't been in Mainframe long, but she doubted anyone could compete with Matrix. Even compared to sprites from the Supercomputer he was quite the catch. She furrowed her brow. For the first time something wasn't easy for her. It was pretty obvious that he had a girlfriend. She wondered how long they had been together. It couldn't have been long, Welman clearly had no idea.

"Uhhh!" She groaned, slouching.

The whole ordeal almost made her not want to go back to work on Monday. She hoped Welman wouldn't bring any of it up. Rejection in itself was embarrassing, but it was even worse when there was an audience.

She stood, stomping over to the kitchen. After pouring herself a bowl of cereal she returned to her place on the couch and ate. She thought long and hard about what to do next. It was her first time out on her own, if she went home she'd feel like a complete failure. She had to at least last a cycle by herself before quitting. And maybe in that time Matrix would break up with his girlfriend. It was possible. Their conversation last night had been amazing, not awkward at all. He was such an interesting sprite, and it actually felt like he listened to her when she spoke. If Matrix just gave her a chance she knew that they'd be great together.

"I can do this." She encouraged herself.

Before long, Matrix would be hers. She just had to wait it out.

# #

Dot squirmed in her chair. She thought it was too firm, and the leather squeaked with each movement. Her eyes took in everything around her. She had been in Phong's office before, but had never taken a good look around. There were several framed certificates and degrees on the wall. She was impressed. Her eyes then went over to a framed portrait of her and Matrix when they were kids. She was taking a large bite out of an ice cream cone and Matrix stuck his tongue out. Dot vaguely remembered that day and was surprised that Phong still had that photo.

The wall was crowded with lots of pictures; all candid moments of various sprites in Mainframe. Looking at his office there was an overwhelming sense of community. Somehow that thought made her a little less nervous. She had to believe that of all sprites Phong wouldn't judge her.

"I- I know how this must look." Dot turned back to face him.

"We all have moments of weakness. No one's code is without errors."

Phong smiled and Dot was put at ease. He sat behind a large desk looking down at her, fingers interlaced. Upon Dot becoming the command..com, Phong had fallen into a more behind the scenes type of role. She covered all of his duties and then some. This gave him time to mentor sprites during troubled times. Helping sprites was truly what he loved doing.

"I'd still like to apologize for my behaviour the other night. I wasn't myself."

"Then who were you?"

Dot paused.

"Sorry, I don't understand the question."

"If you weren't Dot, then who were you last night?"

She thought for a moment, seriously considering his words before answering.

"Someone else, someone fun."

"Is Dot not fun?"

"No, she's the opposite of fun; she's bossy, and a control freak, tightly wound." Dot sighed. Saying it out loud it was no wonder she had been so miserable lately. Despite everything she achieved she didn't like herself very much.

"Why is that?"

"Because she has to be." Dot leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. "Dot's the responsible one. The one who solves everyone's problems."

"And who solves Dot's problems?"

"Dot, if she has the time… so no one."

"That doesn't sound fair."

"It's not!" She sat back up, relieved that he understood. "So if I need to have a drink to let loose, why not?"

"Does drinking solve problems or create more of them?"

He had her there. She sat stumped for a moment.

"I guess it causes a lot more problems than it solves… But I don't really drink that much anyway."

"Dot," Phong chuckled, "you can't pull the wool over my eyes."

She figured as much. Phong knew almost everything. There was no point trying to keep a secret from him.

"I'm just so tired, Phong. I feel burnt out, but I don't want to let anyone down. Sprites depend on me."

"If you are tired then you should rest. Why must you look out for every sprite?"

"Because everything will fall apart if I don't."

"And why is that?"

Dot flinched, trying hard to push certain memories from her past out of her mind. Things she didn't want to deal with.

"Because I have to," She rationalized, "I'm the only one they can rely on."

"Who can rely on?"

"Mainframe, my family, just everyone."

"You're family? You mean Bob?"

"Well," She smiled, "he's such a scatterbrain. He'd lose his own keytool if they didn't exchange code. He's a guardian so you'd think he'd be more organized. But, he's not the one I'm worried about."

"He's not?"

"No." She cleared her throat, realizing where the conversation was going. There was a moment of silence between them. Phong waited patiently as she collected her thoughts, "I want everything to be okay Phong, because I know I can rely on myself. I won't let anyone down… I'd never do that to anyone."

"Someone has let you down in the past?" He asked, already aware of her family situation. Phong knew very well where her anxieties stemmed from, but needed her to figure it out on her own. Dot took a deep breath before answering.

"My mother," She crossed her legs and adjusted her skirt nervously.

"I see…" Phong had some idea of what had happened, but never got the full story. Despite being friends with Welman for so long he never thought it was in his place to ask, and Welman never talked about it.

"She just woke up one day and decided she didn't want to be a wife or a mom anymore; and then she left. You know she didn't even tell us to our faces, she wrote a letter." Tears welled in Dot's eyes as rage built up inside of her, "Matrix and I didn't deserve that- dad didn't deserve that. He tried so hard to hide how sad he was after she left. I remember sitting by his bedroom door just listening to him cry himself to sleep night after night. He was heartbroken, and Matrix needed someone to take care of him."

"So you took care of him."

"I had to. I've seen first hand what happens when the one sprite everyone relies on lets them down. I have to be better than her."

For the first time Phong got up, coming around from his desk. He took her hand and she smiled, tears spilling over. She took a deep breath, heart pounding in her chest. It was so long ago, but the pain was still fresh. Dot felt silly for not realizing how upset she still was over it. She had been so focused on making sure her dad and brother were okay, she never took care of her own wounds.

"Phong, please don't tell anyone I came here. If anyone knew-"

"Your secret is safe with me. But what are you going to do?"

"About?" she asked as she wiped away the tears.

"The things that have hurt you. How can Dot feel better and accept what has happened in the past?"

"I don't know… But how I've been handling things isn't working." She sighed. "Maybe I need to take a break."

She hated to admit it, but the responsibilities of being the command..com were just too much to deal with at that point in time. Her job performance was slipping because she was completely burnt out. She needed some time to heal.

"There's nothing wrong with that." Phong smiled.

# #

Welman sat at his desk, deep in thought. There were a lot of things on his mind that day. He should have been at home relaxing, but came in to work just to keep busy. He was trying to mind his own business, but there was clearly something wrong with Dot. Despite telling himself to stay out of it, he vidwindowed Bob.

"Dad… Hi." Bob smiled nervously. He was standing in the bathroom, floss in hand.

"Sorry to bother you. Is Dot home?"

"No, she has an appointment."

"Ah okay… I just wanted to talk to you about the other night. I know I shouldn't pry, but I love both of you and want to make sure everything is okay."

"Everything's fine." Bob assured him.

"It's just that she seemed a little out of control. It's not like her."

"I know…"

"I'm worried, Bob."

"I know you are, but there's nothing to worry about."

"If there's anything I can do at all let me know."

Bob desperately wanted out of the conversation. He knew Dot would delete him if he said anything. The last thing she needed was her dad breathing down her neck.

"I'll let you know, thanks." Bob said dismissively.

Welman paused. Bob wasn't acting like himself either. He was usually much friendlier towards him.

"All right, well I guess I should get back to work then… Talk to you later?"

"Yeah."

The vidwindow disappeared. Welman sighed, frustrated. Dot was the one who usually didn't need looking after, she practically raised herself. Welman shook his head as if he could dispel all the worry from his mind. She would be fine, Dot was always okay.

He cleared his throat before calling his son. In a nano a new vidwindow appeared. Matrix looked up at him, he had a pile of folded shirts in his hand and an open suitcase sitting on his bed. Welman's eyes darted around the room behind his son. Shelves were bare and empty hangers hung in the closet.

"Matrix, what are you doing?" He asked with a smile, even though it was obvious what was going on.

"Dad. I was going to talk to you when you got home. Can we talk later?"

"Now's as good as any time." He gave a nervous laugh, "What did you want to talk about, son?"

"I'm moving out, dad." Matrix held his breath, not sure how he would react. Despite his coarse exterior, Matrix didn't want to upset his dad. He had hoped to have told him face to face, not over a call.

"Where are you moving to?"

"I'm moving in with AndrAIa." Matrix said as he continued to pack.

"... The girl from the open house?"

"Yeah, you got a chance to meet her."

"We didn't speak very long. I was too worried about your sister… Matrix-"

"I know things are moving fast, but it just feels right."

"Matrix, do you really know this girl? I just found out she existed yesterday and now you're going to live with her. It doesn't seem like a good idea."

"I've made up my mind." Matrix said, not looking up. He attempted to force all of his things in one suitcase, which was proving to be difficult.

"Just listen to me for a minute, please." Welman begged, "she sells sushi at the mall. What are her plans for the future? Don't you want someone successful, ambitious?"

Welman wished he had known Maxine sooner. He felt she was a much better match for his son than AndrAIa.

"Dad, stop."

"But, what kind of life can she give you?" Welman pleaded.

Matrix stopped packing and looked at him, anger burning in his eyes. He thought back to everything AndrAIa had said at the beach; all the reason she pulled away even though she loved him. It would have broken her heart hearing his father say that. Matrix scoffed. AndrAIa always put him and his family first. He wished they would show her some respect. As angry as he was, yelling and screaming wouldn't accomplish anything. Matrix took a deep breath.

"One full of love, dad. That's the kind of life she'll give me." He said before ending the call.

Welman sat for a moment in complete disbelief. He was completely stunned. Matrix was always the sort of sprite who marched to the beat of his own drum, but he had never done anything that drastic before. He was young and foolish. AndrAIa was very pretty and just a flight of fancy; not the kind of girl you would marry. Maxine would provide everything Matrix needed. She was a young woman of class, and they would date according to an unspoken schedule; maybe a year. Then they would get engaged and marry several months later. It wouldn't be until then that he would move out. Matrix dating Maxine would give Welman the appropriate time to adjust to the fact that his son didn't need him anymore. His little Enzo was all grown up.

Welman reached for a picture sitting on his desk. In the center he stood, being pulled in either direction by his children. Dot had his one hand, and Matrix the other. All three of them ran towards a tall sprite in a red dress. His wife.

Welman took his glasses off, tears spilling over. He would have done anything to go back in time; to properly cherish those earlier years. Things were so much simpler back then.

End Log