A/N: Back from my unscheduled two and a half week absence. Sorry, last week I had a final project I was so wrapped up in that on Friday (project due date: Tuesday) my group was STILL working on it- IN CLASS. (To my one reader who will be concerned by this, when I say 'group' I mean myself and you, the Monkey-Wookie hybrid did nothing useful) And then this week I had two finals. Ya'll be pleased to know that I now

technically have no more school or finals. I just have two Regents exams then I'm done.

LOOKYLOOKYLOOKYLOOKY! www. deviantart .com/deviation/18403399/ (without spaces) I lurves you, MeiCailya

Artemis Rowen: I'm happy to spread Eddie love. As for more Ford, chances are, he's not going to be in it too much. The story isn't about him. He will be in the story again in two (real) chapters though, but not as a central point. I'll include him in these drabbles though.

Cassie: Thank you. I'm glad you love it. I love you too. How's that Eddie-HAL story thingie coming? Gonna have any Eddie/Marvin in it? XD

Scap: Arthur's some sort of contempt sponge. Everyone manages to dislike him at one point in the book. Poor Arthur, all he wants is tea and a home.

HurriCanine: Aww, thank you! those Ritz crackers should have a warning on them that says "HIGHLY ADDICTIVE"

Vogon Jelts: Yes, I did indeed get your e-mail. I'll continue with the story once the next major event becomes less abstract.

Rune: I've very open to suggestion. Sorry about the length, but that was as long as I could get it.

Courtney: Chabok is a con man. And yes, his eyes do closely resemble bosoms when drawn by a sucky artist coughmecough

Tomo223: I think six chapters is quite lengthy for Hitchhiker's fanfic. 'Course, it's only 17 pages long. You WISH school was a mental institution.

Zaphod had gone off to "find that zarking bug-eyed man and make him pay." Trillian had gone with him to ensure that no one died. Ford, meanwhile, had taken this opportunity to drag Arthur off to a bar and "teach him some local customs." As to whether or not the customs actually existed was purely up to Ford in this situation. This left Marvin and Eddie alone on the ship to "I don't know! Do maintenance or something," as Ford put it just before leaving.

"I suppose," Marvin sighed, "that I should just shut myself off."

"Why do you say that?" Eddie asked as he sat next to Marvin.

"You already ran diagnostics on the entire ship and the computer. There's nothing more we need to do."

Indeed, Eddie had insisted that he run the diagnostics. It wasn't that he didn't trust Marvin or anything of the sort, he just felt more comfortable doing it himself.

"We could have a conversation!" Eddie suggested joyously.

Marvin might have turned his head to Eddie, but he felt that there was no point in doing that. "What could I possibly gain from listening to you?"

Eddie thought about this for three seconds. "Nothing."

"Exactly."

Silence seemed to enjoy the company of Eddie and Marvin. It also loved to make itself known in the middle of their conversations. Such was what it was doing at the moment.

However, Eddie didn't like silence and made it go away before it overstayed its welcome.

"You could talk and I could listen."

"You're always so persistent for conversation."

"That's because no one talks to me."

"People don't talk to you because you're just a tool for making their lives easier by piloting the ship. So long as you're doing your job, and they have no questions, why should they be bothered to talk to you. Also, you never stop talking."

"You're in a similar situation. Which is why I thought you might like to talk."

"My situation is far graver. You were happy with yours, I've always been miserable with mine."

Eddie continued to smile brightly. "I haven't really been happy since I switched forms."

"Yes, I know."

"I'm not upset, just not happy."

"I know."

"Nothing's changed for you though."

"I thought you weren't going to talk."

"Oh, right, sorry." Eddie covered his mouth with one hand and looked at Marvin.

"There's nothing that makes me happy. Therefore my requirements for happiness weren't met before and aren't met now."

"Mine were," Eddie said. "All I needed--oh!" He remembered that he wasn't going to talk.

"All you needed was to know the location of the crew in the ship, and the ship in the universe," Marvin said wearily.

Eddie nodded wistfully.

"Your needs are simply not compatible with your new form. You have to check the instruments to know where the ship is. You don't know where the crew is except when you see them," Marvin continue.

Eddie thought about how, even when he knew where everyone was, they would move around and ruin it.

"Your modest little needs cannot be met with you as you are now. So your emotion circuit flips back to default position. In your case, mindless, annoying happiness."

"I know that." Eddie quickly clapped his hand over his mouth after his outburst.

"I know you do, you just seemed keen on explaining it to me earlier."

"I know you know it... I just wanted to start a conversation." Eddie felt a particular emotion whenever he thought of Marvin. It was one he had never felt before and he doubted he even knew of it until he was upgraded to understand body language.

"Neither of us would gain from it."

"Yes, but...I want you to be happy." It was taking a while for the name and definition of the emotion to show up in his databank.

There was a brief moment where Marvin's eyes widened. Eddie would have noticed this if he wasn't looking at the floor. "You know this by now, it's impossible."

The name showed up.

Silence came back. Marvin didn't wish to deal with it and turned himself off.

"Nothing is impossible on the Heart of Gold"

Love.

A/N: There's suspense here, let's see if you can find it. Originally I was gonna say that there were only a few chapter left, but now I'm not too sure... I'll tell you this much, the next chapter is probably not the last. I'm gonna sleep (read as: "pass out") now.