Hello there! Sorry for not updating for a while- been very busy with exams and such. Thanks for the reviews, and I'd appreciate it if anyone has any critism of my writing; I'm looking to improve, y'know? Anyhow, onto the next chapter!

Chapter 11- Housewarming

Even the wafting smell of pre-cooked eyeballs couldn't deter the intrigued monsters. They clung on to Randall's every word, gasping at shocking moments, 'aah'ing at sweet pauses. Randall, when he got the chance, had quite a knack when it came to storytelling- he could hold an audience in the palm of his hand. There was something about his accent, too, that made listening to the soft vibrations of his voice thoroughly relaxing.

So, when he stopped (again), there were certainly going to be protests.

"That's it? That's all you're gonna tell us- that you went to some explosives place?" one member of the enriched audience cried out.

"Sorry guys, but I can't risk Zephyr catching me telling you this, this epic tale. I know you're all enjoying it, but, y'know, I've really got to get going."

"Spoilsport," another muttered.

"Yep, I'm a professional in that line of work. Now, if you ain't gonna order anything, I'd like you to leave, thanks." Several chairs scraped against the hard floors, and a low, distinct hum ensued.

"But," one called out- a tall, blue fellow that had only just started coming in to hear Randall's 'epic tale', "you are going to tell us the rest of the story, aren't you? Coz, I'd hate to miss out, and I want to know how you manage to get back into the Monster World!" Several others nodded, looking at Randall and agreeing with their friend.

"Hmm," Randall replied in mock deep thought. He grinned slyly. "You'll have to wait and see." Light but defining feet were to be heard coming down the stairs in the room behind, so Randall began to steer the Monsters, Inc. workers out of the door. "Come back soon, but next time, it'd be really great if you ordered something, y'know? I mean, this IS a shop/café, and there's no point coming in and out of a shop/café if you aren't gonna buy anything." He was blabbering now, and he knew it, but the single thought of Zephyr finding out this little cover operation was enough to make him cringe. "So, have a nice day and try not to kill anything on your way to work!" He shut the door firmly behind him, sighing.

"Randall! RANDALL!" The lizard-monster rolled his eyes to himself, chuckling at the thought that just passed through his mind- If only I weren't so irresistible.

Zephyr stormed in the room.

"Where the HELL have you been?!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up. "I've been worried about you! I don't BELIEVE you just stormed out like that, leaving me to pick up the pieces-"

"Pieces?" Randall said incredulously, quirking an eye-ridge. "What 'pieces'?"

"Well, I…I…You…scared me Randall. I thought you were gonna…"

"What?"

"Nothing…I'm just pleased you're here now." Zephyr stepped forwards, arms outstretched, hoping to embrace Randall, but he retreated.

"I only went out for a walk, y'know. I wasn't planning on doing much else. Bumped into Sullivan and Wazowski along the way- they weren't too happy to see me, could say the same for myself, really- and had a gawp at Monsters, Inc., or rather, what's left of the place. Something's been going on, hasn't it? And you know all about it, don't you?"

"You want me dead, Randall? Huh? Coz if you do, I'll be happy to tell you everything."

"The amount of times you've stabbed me in the back, I wouldn't be surprised if I found I didn't care any more."

"Oh, believe me Randall, you care. You care because…" Zephyr's voice became an emotional whisper. "…I'm all you've got left. No-one else cares about you, and you know it." Randall scoffed.

"Amazing, isn't it- how a relatively sane conversation can be turned, by a woman, into complete mush."

"What do you wanna talk about, then, hmm? You got anything interesting to say?"

"You thought I was gonna commit suicide, didn't you?" Zephyr stared at Randall in shock, not daring to mutter a word. "Here I am, beneath the roof of a shop that I own half of, standing next to someone who means more to me than anything else in the world, satisfied, content, with food on the table every day, friends coming each lunchtime to talk to me, and you think I'm gonna commit suicide. I nearly did, once, y'know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But I'm not like that any more; I'm too darned stubborn just to give up like that. Hey, if I was gonna commit suicide, I would've done it in the Human World, not here. Not next to the monster that I would hope, one day, to have a real secure…relationship with." Zephyr's face burst out into a smile.

"Oooh, you said the 'r' word! I'm so impressed! And, what was that about WOMEN turning conversations into mush?"

"Zephyr," Randall continued seriously, "you know I'd never do anything stupid, don't you? Because…I know what it's like for everyone around you to die without considering the effect it might have on you, and, I, I couldn't do that to you. Ever."

"I know."

He would stare it every day, for at least ten minutes. He felt he had to, in a way. It started out as a sort of ritual, and ended up being a bit of an obsession.

Sullivan missed Boo- a lot. He couldn't help that, either; he'd see her every day, if he could, but when the CDA found out what Mike had done, building Boo's door again, they were given an ultimatum, which was simply get rid of the door right away or be prosecuted. They chose the first option- it would be terribly bad publicity for a brand-new CEO to be thrown in prison in his first year- but Sulley lived to regret it. The gap in his armchair where he had cut out the fabric for a costume for Boo to sneak into Monsters, Inc. lived as a reminder as to what had happened, and even when Mike had brought up the opportunity of buying a new chair (the two of them were practically rolling in it at that point), Sulley refused. The memories meant too much.

And so he would stare at it every day, for at least ten minutes. He felt he had to, in a way. It started out as a sort of ritual, and ended up being a bit of an obsession.

A sharp knock came at the door of Mike and Sulley's apartment. Sulley went to answer it, as Mike was currently out, enjoying an evening out with his lovely fiancée. Few lights were on in their apartment, which made the whole place all the more creepy- there were dozens of boxes around the place, because the two best friends had only just moved in and hadn't had the time to unpack. The new apartment was only slightly larger than the last, but much more modern, with a shiny, silver kitchen and stainless steel where-ever it wasn't needed. Everything glimmered and shined, everything looked empty and bare and new, and everything smelled of metal. Sulley didn't really like the place- never had- but Mike did, and what Mike Wazowski wants, Mike Wazowski gets.

Carefully stepping over some more half-empty boxes, Sulley walked down the little hallway towards their new front-door. Along the way, he spotted a bag of Celia's. This acted as a reminder to the almost fatal argument (well, at least, almost fatal for Mike and Sulley's friendship) that the two of them had had several weeks before, about whether or not the pair should buy a large house and invite Celia to join them. This whole plan would've worked out spectacularly for Mike, having his best friend and fiancée under the same roof, but Sulley was afraid of being the spare tyre, and for the first time in a while, truly voiced his opinion. Mike could be the greatest friend in the world sometimes, but at other times, he could act as though he didn't care about anyone but himself, and this was one of those occasions. He threatened to buy a new place, but rather than have Celia and Sulley live with him, he would instead just invite Celia to join him, leaving Sulley to find a place on his own.

Their friendship had had their ups and downs, but this was something Sulley had never experienced before. There was a real bitterness in Mike's voice; a real hatred in his eye. It was as though he was revealing an entirely new side of his psyche to Sulley, and the furry simply did not like it. But, eventually, they managed to sit down and have reasonable talk about it all. Mike soon revealed what had been bothering him; Sulley's aloofness. They hadn't been talking since all of that had happened with Boo. They hadn't been connecting. And, for the first time, Sulley admitted something he never thought he would admit. He sat down and said that although Boo meant the world to him, and he couldn't feel any worse about not being able to see her again, there was something else bothering him, and the fact that this something else was bothering him, bothered him.

He began to talk about Randall. He said that throwing Randall through the door was wrong. And he told Mike that he hated the Cyclops for even presenting the idea in the first place.

"You were the one who threw him threw that door, not me!" Mike had exclaimed.

"I wasn't thinking straight- so much had happened, we got Boo, I was caught up in the moment!"

"Oh, sure, yeah, fine, blame it on me then!"

"I'm not!"

"Since when did you care about ol' Lizard-Boy anyway? You hated him as much as I did!"

"Now THAT, Mike, is where you're wrong." Mike then stopped in his tracks. "I never, I repeat, NEVER hated Randall. He never did any thing worthy of hate. Sure, he wasn't the nicest or chattiest or kindest of monsters, but he wasn't evil."

"Wasn't…Sul, what's WRONG with you! He tried to harm BOO!"

"I know."

"So isn't that as good an excuse as any for him to be called 'evil'? C'mon, Sul, you've GOT to be with me on this one!"

"I just…I know he was horrible, but…maybe we should've just handed him over to the CDA."

"No- the CDA would've treated him too well. He deserved banishment, Sul, and you know it!"

"And that's why we handed Waternoose over to the CDA, is it? Because they would treat him well?"

"Stop being stupid, Sulley, of course not!"

"So why did we?"

"Because, because when we caught Randall, well, we were in the door vault already, weren't we? It was just…more convenient. And we needed to be in the simulator room to catch Waternoose, so…that's the way it worked out."

"And you've never felt not even a little bit of guilt for opening that door and letting me throw him through it?" Mike had then gritted his teeth, but finally relaxed.

"No, Sul, I haven't."

"Then I believe you."

The conversation then went on to Mike and Sulley arranging an agreement- that the two of them would live together, without Celia, until either the two were to be wed, or Sulley managed to find his own soul mate. But the origins of their conversation- Sulley's worries- still lingered in his mind. What if Randall could never be able to return to the Monster World, or worse- what if he were dead? But Sulley had to admit that the whole point of banishing Randall was so that he wouldn't be able to return, so worrying about him not being able to return was pretty ridiculous.

Unfortunately, no matter how many times he thought that same logic through, over and over, he still worried. The only good thing that he could think of that came out of all of this worrying, in fact, was the security of knowing that he did indeed have a conscience.

The knocking was getting louder by the second.

Sulley muttered, "I'm coming, I'm coming," under his breath, shaking his head and wondering what the world had got to. He twisted the doorknob unsurely, checking that the lock-chain was done up just in case, and opened the door. He gasped.

Cy spotted the chain immediately and stepped back a bit, preparing to charge. The confident, menacing grin on his face was all Sulley cared to notice before quickly slamming the door shut, but it only closed a few inches more, stopping just before it could manage to close properly with a dull thud. The furry looked down and saw that a bundle of magazines had been wedged between the door and the door-frame, and was scooping down to push them out of his way when Cy rushed forwards, flinging his body at Sulley. The chain snapped, and Sulley, strong as he was, had been caught by surprise and was knocked down onto the floor. He sat there looking incredibly dazed and frightened as Cy glared at him, his yellow eyes flashing.

"Why hello, Mr Sullivan. I must say…" The lizard-monster shut the door and locked it with his tail. "…that it is almost a pleasure to meet you." He chuckled. "Almost, mind." Passing the furry, Cy looked about himself, raising his eye-ridges as he stepped into the main living room. "Nice digs. Never liked wooden floorboards, though- always preferred the feeling of carpet between my toes." By this point, Sulley had got up and was advancing towards Cy slowly, standing as tall as he could. It was obvious that this monster was a relative of Randall, but the reason behind Cy's visit was rather the opposite of what Sulley was expecting.

"This is about Randall, isn't it?" he said softly, already having forgiven Cy for his dramatic entrance. Cy turned around to face Sulley, shrugged half-heartedly, and took a seat, stretching his lengthy, reptilian body across the sofa. He gazed around the room nonchalantly, his eyes finally settling on Sulley. "I understand if you're upset, but he needed to be punished-"

"Oh, right, yeah," Cy said, understanding why Sulley was acting so apologetic. "You banished Randall, right?" Sulley nodded slowly, confused, as Cy waved a hand in the air calmly. "Hey, no problem. Matter of fact, you did me a favour- my little bro was getting in the way. And can you believe he went and built the Scream Extractor? I mean, come ON- the guy hates me, yet he uses MY designs to make it big in the world! Tch." An expression of glee came over his face. "And he has the nerve to fail. You just gotta love the guy- he's got a brain as big as…as…well, it's a helluva big brain, and he manages to fall for Waternoose's 'work for me, build the machine and I'll get you all the fame and glory you ever wanted' offer. For a while, I was jealous. I was jealous of his intelligence. But you gotta hand it to the guy- he can screw up anything." He added in a sour undertone, "like he screwed up my life," before standing up and confronting Sulley. "I don't give a damn about you banishing Randall- as I said, you did me a favour- but what I DO give a damn about, is you ignoring us."

"I don't know what you-"

"Oh, yes you do." Cy got closer, narrowing his eyes. "The threats? The phone calls? Sullivan," he continued, his charismatic personality shining through, "you ever wondered how the press seem to know every little thing that happens at Monsters? Huh? That's us. And you've probably been scratching your noggin trying to figure out what EVERYONE wants to figure out- why? Why does the apple fall to the ground, why does that shelf slope at a fifteen degree angle, why the HELL am I living with such a cold, heartless, big-mouthed GIT!" His voice softened. "Why do I feel as though someone's stalking me? The obvious answer to that is, 'because someone's stalking me', but that isn't exactly an answer that you wanna hear, now, is it? It's the truth, though. I'm gonna tell you why- because there's a, um, company who happen to be interested in the future of Monsters."

"No!" Sulley interrupted, panicking. "No-one's going to buy me out! Not yet!"

"Anyone talk about buying you out? Relax- we just wanna use Monsters for a more exciting purpose." Cy pleasantly put an arm around Sulley, looking out in front of him as though there were a glamorous scene before his eyes. "All the Monsters, Inc.'s in the world- how many of 'em, thousands?- give us all the energy we need. Well, really, it's the human kids, isn't it? Their screams. And that's what we monsters call a 'satisfying revenge'; they kick us out of their world, we make their kids scared for all eternity. But for some people, this isn't enough. Not at all. I mean, seriously, giving their kids a bit of scare? That's IT! Christ…" He sighed forcefully. "That's what a lot of monsters out there thought- privately, of course- 'is that it?' And it was. For a while. And now, thanks to Mr Perfect Sullivan here, and his sidekick, BlabberEye, we haven't even got THAT! Actually, scratch that- we're not punishing them any more- we're REWARDING them! Rewarding them for years of pain and suffering and, and EMBARRASSMENT! And when they tried to invade us, after all of that…! It's ludicrous!" Cy calmed, his little rant over. "We don't want them to invade. Of course we don't. No-one does. And that's why the SoHH was formed- the Society of Human Haters. And we…" He leaned in even closer to Sulley, who had been listening in awe. "…we are gonna do something about them- the humans. We're gonna sort them out- once and for all."