After Haley and the others collected into the house next door, the disagreement was dropped. Haley was confused by how easily they shrugged away the fact that she killed one of their teammates and felt almost uneasy by the fact that death affected them so little − it was almost like they knew something she didn't. Of course, they did share a secret: the fact that they knew Caesar's assassination, or attempt thereof, wasn't as clean as it seemed. But that wasn't this. Ellie and Malcolm had a silent agreement, which they had no control of: now was't the time. But in fact, they, too, felt uneasy by how little they cared about what Haley did. Only seeing Foster's face deep in thought told them that they were not alone and that he had the same turmoil riddling his thoughts. For some unwilling reason, the group of humans felt an understanding towards her actions; they wanted to be furious with her and disgusted, but they just couldn't bring themselves to.

Looking around, Haley was calmed by the fact that Caesar's home looked even more familiar than the neighborhood, her lips twitching with a light smile at that fact. It made sense, because it was there that she didn't just ghost her way through time - she truly lived. However, there were things that were out of place, she noted. Every single drawer was open and in disarray, and so was the cupboards and smaller containers. It didn't take a genius to see that the home had been searched, and Haley supposed that it was to be expected. When the Simian Flu spread, people were desperate to stock up − people broke into stores and storage units − so other houses weren't a big leap to take. So that was where her trail of thought ended. Haley didn't know that the building wasn't searched by hungry people, not even Gen-Sys, but was actually ransacked by a reporter ten year ago, who also released the truth about the Simian Flu a few days later. Maybe Haley didn't care, because, despite everything, it was the same place. Giggling echoed in Haley's reminiscing ears before shadows of the past sped pass her in the forms of a young girl and an ape, making her flinch back until she saw their opacity was low and their voices hallow − they weren't real. Oblivious to the future watching them, both of the figures sneaked up the stairs with a bunch of candy stacked in their arms. Haley missed those days to the extent that it hurt − back then, stealing candy from Will's secret supply was the biggest strife she and Caesar had to deal with. Today, her friend was shot, she was hiding the fact that his other friend had taken advantage of her, and they were all being dragged into a war.

Looking around the living room, Haley saw that Foster was sprawled across one of the couches, seeming in pure bliss after he had to lay on solid dirt a while ago. He didn't even move when Ash, an ape, sat down by his feet at the end of a couch and studied him; in fact, Foster gave Ash a welcoming look instead. But on the other end, Caesar's couch was empty, and he wasn't anywhere close by, by the looks of it. "Where's Caesar?" She asked. She wasn't worried, knowing that Caesar wouldn't run off completely in his condition and Foster definitely didn't have the strength to drag her friend away either. But Foster didn't realize she was talking to him while he watched everyone else making themselves comfortable on tables, chairs, and one last couch − not until his eyes wandered towards her annoyed face.

"Oh!" Foster said quickly, "He went upstairs." And then he went back to trying to decipher whatever Ash was signing to him, "Need to use arms to move around now?" but only for Ash to gibber in amusement at the sight of his bemused, contorted face. Blue Eyes gibbered at the entertaining sight, too. They were all just trying their best to distract themselves,

Nodding to no one in particular, Haley turned around to go look for her friend, but then paused. "They know, by the way," She revealed and waited until she had stolen Foster's attention again before she motioned towards Ellie and Malcolm. She thought that Foster knowing he wasn't alone with the truth would be a gift, especially with all the hell going around. Still, it made sense that his face fell in dismay. Haley couldn't help but think to herself that that expression was the most comical one, with his mouth agape and his eyes giant. "What!?" She heard him yell while she ascended the staircase − slowly. When she reached the top and the voices in the living room grew muffled by distance, something else unexpectedly reached her ears. For a moment, she thought the past was once again playing tricks on her, but no ghosts showed themselves this time. Haley grew a puzzled frown when the only option left was the reality of the giggling voices being real. Ahead, Haley saw the ladder to the attic playroom already pulled down and worried about how that might've hurt Caesar to do in his condition. But she was thankfully distracted by the fact that the voices got more distinct the farther she followed Caesar's path.

"Look what I have!" She heard a young girl laugh and hesitated at the bottom of the steps. "That's great." A man responded and was echoed by gibbering seconds later, "You think so, too, huh?"

Just then, Haley realized where and from what the voices must be coming from, recognizing the conversation, and when she climbed the ladder, her conclusion was confirmed. Just like all the other rooms, the attic was turned upside down, but, with Caesar's older and more messy appearance, it seemed to fit. It was as if he had been alone and living in that room for the last decade. She could almost see an image overlay her vision − an image of Caesar sitting exactly as he was now, but with the room still neat and clean. The only difference was the camera in his hands and the voices still playing from it.

Caesar didn't react to Haley's arrival, but as the floorboards creaked under her bare feet, she knew he knew she was there. So, he didn't flinch when she sat down next to him on the old bed, a cloud of dust wafting out around her bum. For a while, she watched the recording with him − a recording of her, him, his grandfather… and Will. Haley almost felt uncomfortable sitting next to Caesar, not knowing what to tell him - not knowing if she should say anything at all. Breaking her gaze from the tiny screen, she chose to watch Caesar's reactions in place of their past, and she froze when she saw his face. He actually didn't look sad at all. He looked happy. His eyes were glossy from hinting tears, but his thin lips were pulled into a tired smile. Though it was brief, she could see his shoulders shaking every few minutes with a silent chuckle. Unlike her, he wasn't focusing on what he had lost in the recording at all, but rather looked happy he was able to see their young faces again. But inevitably, that chance ran out in three heart-crushing beeps and the only source of light in the house was extinguished by a low battery. Haley wondered what Caesar was seeing when his gaze stayed glued to the black square for a few more minutes.

For whatever reason, this made Haley remember what she had seen only a while ago: the skeletons of her babysitter and her twin sister. Haley could remember the phrase "skeletons of the past," and she prayed that Caesar wasn't dealing with what she had to face, too. Promptly, she remembered one important fact. "Don't go into Will's room." She announced suddenly and Caesar was about to ask her why, but when he saw the significant look she gave, he just knew he should just listen. Haley still had the sight of Will and Caroline's corpses burned into her brain from when she saw them holding each other in their bed − dead and rotting. But she didn't want to think about that now; she went looking for Caesar for a reason.

After waiting a few more minutes for the comfortable silence to pass, she decided it was time. "Caesar…" She drew out, watching her fingers trace each other on their own, "What happened to you? I know you kept Malcolm from telling me, but what could it be if that was the case? I saw Carver shoot you, so..." Silence followed, but Haley didn't allowed her impatience to push Caesar's response. As an alternative, she kept perfectly still and allowed her fingers to work more diligently.

If Caesar was honest, he knew why she was there. That's probably why he dragged the quiet as long as he could, to keep her from knowing what her mate had done. Though, he didn't know this with certainty. He also didn't want to leave his old play room and face the crumbling world outside, and he was willing to drag his time in this illusion for as long as possible − he didn't want to know how many of his apes were lost, in every sense of the word. But he knew it was mostly because he didn't want his friend to face the reality he was living with: Koba had betrayed them all. His face tightened as he carefully placed the camera on the bed beside him. "Not Carver." He grunted slowly, wondering how he should say it. What was the best way to keep Haley's reality from being shattered and the love she feels for her mate to be twisted and torn? If he had know the truth about their relationship, it might have been easier for him to tell her. "Was ape − was," He said, the human speech harder than usual, and paused. It was as if he was waiting for the truth to change, or as if he expected his mind to tell him it was okay − that she didn't need to know. But in the end, he knew neither was probable, if even possible.

"Was Koba."

Haley wasn't sure what compelled her, but she laughed. It was a faint laugh, a strained laugh, and it sounded as if she was just trying to humor Caesar for the crude joke he was surely trying to make, but it was a laugh nonetheless. It came from her lips, it was her voice, and it made her heart clench, because, deep down, she knew that she was fooling herself. Then that moment came: the moment she truly took in Caesar's appearance and that moment she saw the sincere and pained sympathy painted across his noseless and foreheadless face. It was as if she was suddenly punched in her stomach; she could almost feel the knuckles dig into her abdomen. Haley paled, her eyes growing wide, and felt that familiar nausea sway her with a nonexistent breeze. She could feel something familiar bubbling back up her mouth − something at least a decade old. Stay down, her unconscious screamed, stay down, but she stayed oblivious.

"It… it was dark." Haley breathed, fighting the trembling of her hands by clutching them together with a merciless strength, "you can't know that."

Caesar frowned - even though it made sense, something about her reaction seemed off. She looked afraid of what he said, not crushed. Somehow, this made him more anxious. "Moon there - and fire." He grunted again, steadfast, "Saw Koba."

That was it − the last push it needed. Whatever was clawing in Haley's throat sprang forward and tore pass her lips. "You're lying." She mouthed breathlessly. She didn't even know what she was saying − something was controlling her, leading her, and she couldn't figure out what it was. But, whatever it was, it made her body heavy and cold, it left her mind blank and foggy, and it made her heart thunder loudly. For some reason, she didn't want to believe Caesar − she couldn't. The idea made her skin crawl. The idea of just accepting the truth for what it was made her sweat and her muscles stiff. She now knew where she recognized the feeling from: it was from when she stood between Caesar and her father.

Caesar's eyes widened at her words. He wanted to ask her if he heard right, but his lips wouldn't move. And neither would his hands. She had told him that he was lying to her - but what would ever give her that idea? His expression, it seemed, was enough to convey his concerns.

"You're lying!" She repeated again and jumped up from the bed, signing her words at the same time. For whatever reason, she backed as far away from him as possible. It was like he was fire, trying to nip at her skin. As a result, she tripped over a few toys, jumping in alarm each time, before she pressed herself back against the wall. "It can't be true!" She yelled again, eyes moving with a new alertness.

Just then, watching her back away and her eyes jump around, Caesar saw something. Even if Haley might not have realized it, he could see it: she was scared. No, it was more than that - she was absolutely terrified. He kept staring in dismay, not knowing what he was supposed to do. The only words that finally snapped him out of it was, "I'll prove it!" Before Caesar had a say, he already heard the ladder creak harshly under her rushing feet. "Haley!" He barked after her - it felt the loudest he's ever spoken in the human tongue - but when he tried standing up to chase after her, his body just froze with a painful jolt. He was quickly reminded of his wound by the pounding in his shoulder. But he tried standing quickly again, and again, and again - panicked. What would Koba do if she suddenly shows up and demands answers - let alone accuse him of killing his leader?

Haley didn't stop at the sound of her name and stormed the way she came, nearly tripping a few times down the staircase. Her breathing was already rapid and her mouth was growing painfully dry, but she kept going. Downstairs, her noisy movements sounded like a stampede, so it was no surprise that everyone saw her figure blur from the staircase towards the front door. "Haley! Where are you going!?" Ellie screamed after her. Somehow, everyone, even those who weren't told about Koba, knew what had happened.

"I'm going back to my mate!" Came Haley's worrying words, growing father down the street with every second that passed, "I should have done so the moment I had the chance!"

Painful to write as always! I'm just glad I could finally move on from this heart-wrenching chapter! I've been dreading it for months!

Remember, if you guys want, go take a look at my YouTube Channel: Geeky Fanatic. I recommend it if you're a Transformers fan! XD