Okay, just a quick run-through time scale-wise, just in case anyone's getting a little confused: The first chapter, of course, was set when Randall was nineteen, six years before the film. The second chapter is set three years later, with the third chapter two years after that, which makes that one year before the film. The fifth chapter's only a few weeks after that, and, finally, this chapter set some months after that, a couple of months before the film. I'm sorry about all the time gaps, but I wanted to write about all the important, relevant events. Thanks for any reviews, and enjoy!

Chapter 6- The Battle

Another year.

Another year of working on the Scream Extractor, day in, day out, missing weekends and holidays.

Another year of never seeing Fliss.

Things weren't so bad now though, with Fungus helping out on the machine, and this gave Randall just that little bit more time to spend with his 'daughter'. He might get an evening a week with her, or maybe even half a Saturday, if they were lucky. It wasn't much, but it was something.

But Fliss had changed. All those years ago, when Randall had met her for the first time, she had been a sweet, inquisitive young child, not caring about object values, (except for her beloved Juddy, of course- without this little guy, she wouldn't even try to go to sleep at night, and making her eat supper would be hard work) but worrying about her home and her father more than anything. She had been a good girl, though an endless string of complaints would erupt from the teachers. Fliss had always been just a little too inquisitive, unfortunately- bored with the usual schoolwork, gazing out the window in an almost constant daydream, and when a teacher would send her off somewhere, to another classroom, say, to get something, she would make several detours along the way.

But this never worried Randall. Actually, it was more of the contrary; he would chuckle at her antics, not wanting to scold her. Randall just figured that she was more of a free spirit. Anyway, he was more concerned about what the teachers had said concerning Fliss's social life. Fliss was never popular in the classroom, always finding herself to be an outsider, and the teachers noticed it. They would encourage her to mingle with the other children more, but Fliss would always point out that if she did this, they would poke fun at her and will her to go away, so there was never any point in trying. And she still had Randall, her father. He loved her, and that was enough.

Randall, on the other hand, didn't think this. He had been quite friendless himself as a child, and knew all too well how strenuous and depressing not having anyone to relate to could be. But he couldn't just storm into the school halfway through a recess and tell all the other children to be nice to Fliss, could he? All he could do was encourage her to try her best, and never be able to guarantee anything, sadly.

All of those years of being alone had affected Fliss. She was very different now- Randall found that he couldn't talk to her anymore, that she would spend hours in her room by herself. (Or, at least, that's what her babysitter would say.) And whenever her father WAS around, she would act as though he was a stranger. Well, it was either that or she DID acknowledge him by saying how much she hated him. Randall understood that, yes, she was almost a teenager at the age of twelve, and he appreciated the fact that, at that age children were beginning to change into adults, becoming more moody, etc. He remembered being like that himself, as a kid. Constantly loosing his temper, feeling sad and depressed, then suddenly cheering up. And Fliss was a girl, which made matters even worse. But still...Fliss had gone to the extreme of the meaning 'mood swing', except for a slight exception- her mood was continuously bad.

And this evening was to prove how bad.

Randall had managed to convince Fungus that they had earned an early evening, (if you could call leaving at nine o' clock early) and as they slowly trudged home, not bothering to talk, Randall couldn't help but be pleased with himself. That day, a Tuesday, had been quite productive- he and Fungus had managed to fit the scream canisters they had ordered onto the machine for the first time, and had been able to fit the entire warning system AND backup system in just several hours of pure hard work. And now he was leaving work early to see his beloved Fliss; a fitting end to an almost perfect day.

A weird but comforting warm feeling pulsated through Randall as he said a goodbye to his friend, going up the dodgy staircase in almost pitch black surroundings. He found himself chuckling at a stray memory- when Fliss had gone up the stairs in the dark for the first time she had been so afraid, holding onto Randall's tail as though it was Prince Charming and she was a beautiful Princess, wanting to be rescued from the tallest tower of the castle, or staircase, as it was. The funny thing was, was that when the two of them had finally reached the top, Fliss had seen a spider in the corner of the hallway ceiling and had screamed, dropping her precious Jud Green down the stairs. Randall had been stern, wanting the young girl to learn things on her own, and had sent her back down the stairs to get her toy.

The happiness faded away as Randall remembered what had happened afterwards. Fliss had been extremely upset with Randall, refusing to talk to him for days on end. But it was worth it, the lizard-monster tried to convince himself. She hasn't been afraid of the stairs OR spiders since...has she...?

He had reached the front door of his apartment without knowing it. Scooping down to pick up the key, (hidden under the doormat, as all cheesy stories state) Randall began to really relish this warm feeling that he was experiencing. He now understood why he was experiencing it too- because, for the first time in such a long while, he had arrived home before midnight. He found himself to be quite tired, though nothing compared to the usual fatigue that he would suffer on arrival, but was strangely excited. Maybe he and Fliss were going to have a proper talk tonight. Maybe she was back to normal again. Maybe everything was going to be alright.

And maybe Waternoose was going to ring him up this fine evening, tell him that the whole Scream Extractor thing was off and that he'd be coming to work tomorrow morning dressed in a clown outfit, complete with red honky nose and a flower that squirts water. The CEO would also have a pink fluffy toilet seat permanently glued to his butt.

Chuckling at these thoughts and wishing for one part, if not all of it, to come true at one point, (preferably BEFORE the completion of the SE) Randall shoved the key in a rusty lock and slowly opened the door. He immediately spotted Fliss on the settee, watching some wildlife program. She looked very...sad, resentful. Lonely. Sprawled across the length of the sofa, Randall didn't realise that she was asleep until he had actually come into their apartment and went round the other side of the sofa, next to the television. But she didn't seem to be resting peacefully. No...instead, there seemed to be a pained expression on her face, like a scowl. She looked mentally in pain, and it was very heartbreaking for Randall to see her in this state.

Fliss stirred, sensing someone there. Opening her eyes blearily and stretching, she actually smiled when she first saw Randall, but her smile soon disappeared.

"Hey, Fliss. Budge up." Having to move made Fliss a bit grumpy, but she soon got settled.

"Dad..."

"Yeah, honey?" Randall was trying to be as warm as possible, and as his eyes flickered up to the clock on the mantelpiece, reading the time, (9:29) he knew that he wouldn't have long with his daughter that evening.

"You know I hate being called Fliss. It's such a baby name, really geekish and uncool."

"And since when did you care about being 'cool' or not?" Feeling as though he should be a little harsh, Randall narrowed his eyes, sighing.

"Since everyone else did." There was slight resentment in Felicity's voice, and she and Randall both knew why.

"Like Morgan."

"Yeah." She folded her arms. "Like Morgan."

"You know you can talk to me about anything, Felicity."

"Where did THAT come from?" Randall was relentless.

"Anything." There was an eerie silence for a few seconds, and then everything seemed to come to life once again. "You want a drink?"

"Um, yeah, a Weeler?"

"Sure. Oh, and could ya switch a few lamps on- it's pretty dark in here." Wandering into the kitchen, Randall felt quite satisfied- he had managed to have a conversation of sorts with his daughter, and now that she had warmed up to him, so to speak, surely she would begin to reveal her problems and qualms? The image of Waternoose plus the pink fluffy toilet seat suddenly flashed before Randall's eyes. Well, really, he thought of it purposefully. With a sigh, he realised that getting Felicity to talk would be as likely as Monsters, Inc.'s CEO and every single employee of his, including Randall, dressing up as he imagined. It just wasn't going to happen.

"Uhh, Dad?" called the very person Randall was talking about from the other room. Peeping his head round the wall, Randall smiled.

"Yeah, Felicity?" Felicity pointed to an unmoving spider which was quite happy on the wall, but soon wouldn't be. Visibly afraid, Fliss had gone round to the other side of the sofa, trying to build up her own confidence. Randall grinned.

"And I thought you didn't want to be treated like a baby, Fliss."

"I don't!" Picking the spider up and keeping an eye on it, he made his way over to a now terrified Fliss.

"Awww...is ickle Flissy afraid of da spider?"

"Shut up! Argh!" Fliss screamed as Randall got closer, and went around to the other side of the sofa hurriedly, eyeing her father's cupped purple hands. "Dad!" She began to laugh, as did Randall, as he chased her around the sofa again and again. In the end, Randall thought of a crafty idea and turned invisible, so that all Felicity could see was a floating spider. "DAD!" And though there had been a touch of annoyance in her voice, Fliss and Randall both knew that she was enjoying this. In a second, the spider was out of sight and Fliss was panicking excitedly. She hadn't had much fun with her father like this for such a long time, and was prepared to make the most of this occasion.

"BOOO!" Randall leapt up behind the anxious half lizard-monster, making her yelp and fall onto the settee, laughing hard.

"Nice knowing ya, spider." He let the spider out a half open window, which was letting in a cool, refreshing breeze. There had been a heat wave over the past week or so in Monstropolis, and this gentle wind was the first sign of it letting up.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Felicity sat up, taking a few deep breaths.

"I know that was 'babyish', Fliss," Randall began softly, "but you can't tell me you didn't enjoy that just a little?"

"Dad," Fliss groaned, chuckling, not wanting a lecture, though it was exactly what she was going to get.

"Well? Did you enjoy it or not? Or would you have preferred slapping on a bit of makeup and having a night out with your mates?" The second he had said this, Randall regretted it. Fliss got up and went into the kitchen, suddenly infuriated, to get her drink. She didn't come out for a while, leaving Randall to think. He looked about himself, catching sight of an old photo placed in the prime position of a shelf. This was because it was one of Randall's favourites, and no wonder- it was a beautiful picture of him and Fliss at the park. Randall remembered that day- it had been a Saturday, before everything with the Scream Extractor, (Fliss was then about seven years old) and what a beautiful day it had been. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the plants were dieing as summer stamped its very existence in Monstropolis. Randall had suggested going to the park, and he and Felicity had spent the day playing games, going on those funny paddle boats across the lake...They had had a picnic for lunch, grabbing a couple of ice-creams afterwards, and had stayed at the park until the evening.

But it hadn't been all perfect. In the photo, Fliss seemed happier than ever, but Randall...There was a slight expression of worry on his face, and he had had it for a good reason, or at least that's what HE liked to think- going to the park had been very risky; Randall didn't want a single monster that he knew to find out about his 'daughter', and yet he knew that a lot of people would have the same idea as he and Fliss, about going to the park on such a lovely day. He didn't relax until they had gotten home, and Fliss had noticed. But he had brushed it aside, saying that there was nothing wrong.

And it wasn't as though he was ashamed of Fliss- never! But letting the secret get out...There would be so many questions- who's the mother, where is she now, etc., and Randall just wouldn't be able to bear that.

There was the crack of glass falling onto a hard floor from the other room, and Randall jumped to his feet, snapping out of his deep thoughts. The remains of the Weeler was now trickling into the gaps between the floorboards in the kitchen, and a shaking Felicity was trying desperately to mop it all up.

"Here, let me help." Randall grabbed a cloth from a sideboard and started to dab the blue fizzy liquid up, but most had gone right through the floor by this time, so his efforts were in vain. He looked up at Fliss, wanting to tell her not to worry about it, but found her to be crying. Still she tried to wipe the Weeler away, even rubbing the dry spots, obviously not thinking about what she was doing. "Hey, Fliss..." He held a hand out, just about to clutch her arm supportively, but the pre-teen was in a bad mood by the point and shook his touch away.

"Leave me alone!" She stormed out the kitchen, throwing down her dirty cloth and slammed the door of her bedroom as she went inside. Randall, of course, followed her, more concerned than ever. Slowly opening the door which had just been closed with such force, he peeked into Fliss's room, finding her on the bed as he had done many times before. But this evening was to be different. "I told you to leave me alone..."

"Oh, Fliss..."He sat down on the bed, wrapping an arm around her. And, for the first time in a long while, she did not flinch or tear away or even move. She just accepted the embrace. They stayed as they were for a little while, father and daughter, enjoying a peaceful moment.

"Dad...?"

"Yeah, Fliss?"

"My necklace..." Fliss began, fingering the little charm she had around her neck. It was old and rusty, but held great value- it was the only object she had been able to keep that her mother, Marie, had given her. She remembered never wearing it as a very young child, but when she had been 'dumped' at Randall's, it was all she had to remind her of her. She then began to wear it as she got older, finding it to suit her, and though the children at school would torment her by saying that she was wearing junk around her neck, she refused to take it off- it was far too precious. Now, she was literally never seen without it. "My necklace, it's stuck...I tried to take it off, but I think the catch has rusted..."

"You tried to take it off?" Fliss nodded.

"Yeah, I...I wanted to clean it..." Getting suspicious, Randall eyed the necklace, then looked back up at Fliss, scrutinizing her facial expression.

"It's pretty dirty, I have to admit."

"So can you fix it some time? Tomorrow?"

"Well, I'll fix it soon..." Even Fliss could feel the 'but' coming. "But I'm really busy tomorrow..."

"But it won't come off at all! Can't you just free up five minutes to do my necklace? Just five minutes?" There was such hope in her voice, but Randall just didn't have the time. What hurt him most though, was that he couldn't tell her why.

"I'm sorry, Fliss...Maybe another day? Look, what's the matter? You've seemed so...tearful lately. Can't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Oh my GOD!" Fliss suddenly blew a casket, outraged. "You tell me that you can't bother to spend FIVE MINUTES with me, just to fix something, and then you ask me 'WHAT'S THE MATTER'?! Well, I'll tell you what the matter is, Dad- YOU CAN'T MAKE AN EFFORT TO SPEND TIME WITH ME- THE ONLY FAMILY YOU HAVE LEFT!"

"Fliss-" Randall started, taken back.

"It's no wonder YOU haven't got any friends, SINCE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO TREAT YOUR OWN FAMILY PROPERLY! NO WONDER THE PEOPLE AT WORK CALL YOU A FREAK!" The words had come out before she had even noticed them, but once she understood what she had just said, Fliss found that she liked it. "You're not a freak in the way they think it though, no. Instead, you're a freak in the sense that you live in your own little stupid world, and when it comes to OTHER people, YOU DON'T GIVE A DAMN! NOW GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Randall knew when he was not wanted, and this was one of those times. He got up slowly, dejectedly, and made sure to close the door behind himself, leaving Fliss in the dark, alone, so she could cry in peace.