"Bobby, will you be my Valentine?"

I looked up and turned to look at Linda confused from the movie I watching.

"Huh? Aren't Valentine's supposed to be people you have a crush on?"

Linda snorted as she spooned out cookie down on a baking dish. "If we really want to be technical about it, Valentine's day was made to replace a pagan celebration for spring called Lupercalia after it was forbidden by Pope Gelasius. Valentine's Day itself is said to be named after possibly several Christian martyrs named Valentine. One gave a letter to his jailer's daughter whom he healed from blindness and befriended, signing it from Valentine. Another wed couples secretly after the emperor told him not too. Turns out that if someone was newly married they couldn't go to war for a year."

"When did you learn all this?" I looked at her shocked to hear so much information coming out of her mouth.

"You barely passed History in school." I laughed watching the look of annoyance come across her face, turning into a glare.

"I'll have you know I like History. Just because I couldn't answer those stupid confusing tests doesn't mean I didn't learn and remember things. Plus I was watching tv and they had a news special on that was connected to why I was asking you to be my Valentine" She huffed before looking back to her work, plopping another ball of uncooked dough on the baking sheet.

"I guess we won't be going to that nice dinner that's a two for one deal for Valentine's Day couples."

I gawked at her, mouth open in shock, "Why didn't you just ask that and be all cryptic about it?"

"Because what is the fun in that? The look on your face was worth asking the way I did." She chuckled, "Besides, you know I see you like a brother as much as you see me as whatever it is you see me."

"An annoyance. That's what you are." I grinned before feeling a ball of raw cookie dough hit my face.

"Jokes on you, I just didn't want to get up and get any from the bowl." He pealed the dough off my face and popped it in my mouth as I watched Linda roll her eyes.

"Well lazy, gonna say yes or no?"

"Is there steak?"

"Is there steak!" She looked insulted, placing her hand to her chest and scoffed, "Is there steak? You think me a monster? Of course there is steak! I wouldn't go somewhere that didn't have any meat to begin with. It's even the big expensive kind. They're really trying to get all of Derry to show up. I already made the reservations. So we have a table and so help me if anyone comes between us and that steak, I will discharge my gun!" She had a crazed look to her as she laughed maniacally.

"I like your spunk, but you gotta chill out there a bit Linda. We can't have the steak if you've just shot someone. They'd shut the whole place down." I chuckled, "I don't think you would want to deal with the paper work either. 'You see I had to shoot him Captain. The man was between me and my steak.'" I laughed with a bit of a wheeze at the very image of her trying to play it off so cool.

"You don't think I can get away with it do you? I can be very persuasive when I try. I'll already be all dolled up in make up and something nice. Just bat my eyes and pout. Men will eat it up."

"Okay, for one, where would you put that large gun of yours? Another, I thought you hated the whole idea of woman playing mean by acting all defenseless and pretty."

"First off, Bobby," She pointed the battered spoon at me, "I have a purse that is big enough to hide a small child inside of it. So don't you dare question how I would get a gun on my person wearing a dress. Two, in reality you know I would neither shoot a man over a steak nor would I humiliate myself by stooping that low ever acting like that."

I raised my hands in surrender, "I know, I was just teasing you Lin." I watched her for a moment before getting up and standing by her side, playing with my hands as I thought of how to say what I wanted her to hear."Lin… to me, you are the sibling I wish I could have had."

She grinned, bumping my side as she continued to place the cookies. "I know Bobby, I know." She turned and stood up on the tips of her toes, pecking me on the cheek.

"Now, want to help me put this batch in the oven so I can keep working on the next sheet?"

"Yeah yeah, as long as I get some later." I lifted the finished baking sheet and headed over to the oven door, pulling it upon to slide the sheet in before turning back towards Lin.

"Is there anything else you want me to…"

Linda was no longer there. All signs of her baking gone from the counter tops. The room darker then it had been before.

"Lin?"

"Bobby, you can't leave them in there that long. They'll burn."I turned around at hearing Linda's voice only to be met with a burnt corpse and a smoking oven. Flames licking the inside, trying to get out."Oh darn, it's already to late. You already let them burn."

"Lin…?" This couldn't be real. It couldn't.

What of was left of her lips curled into a charcoaled grin.

"You really are bad at letting things burn, aren't you Bobby?"

I shut my eyes tight, backing up, but the smell of burnt flesh mixed with burnt cookies invaded my nose. I gaged, feeling nauseated by it all.

"If you had only been faster… paid more attention… perhaps I would still be alive." She giggled as her voice grew closer to me. I couldn't open my eyes. I didn't want to see that horrible sight coming towards me.I backed into the counter behind me, no were else to escape to. Even then I wouldn't open my eyes. Her hot breath tickled my skin as I felt her hover in front of me. Flinching when I felt the coarseness of what was left of her hand touch my face. Feeling the flaking skin coat my cheek in black ash. The bone poking through what was left to scratch against my skin.

"Come on Bobby, you have to look at me at some point. See what caring about a weak little human means." Her laughter rattled and hissed as if air was being blowing through holes in dried out husk full of bones.

"You won't be able to save your little humans either."

My eyes shot open to glare at what I once perceived as Linda.

"You won't hurt them." I almost growled, pulling back as much of my venomous response as I could, "You're not Linda."

The corpse smirked, patting my cheek, "You're right, I'm not her. Oh so clever a creature you are." Enraged, I shoved the form away from me. The corpse looking offended by my actions.

"My how brave you've become after cowering so." The grin looked foreign wrong on any version of Linda. It looked wicked and lacking of any form of every caring for another. "I must admit I'm surprised to see you back already. Finding this dream… was very interesting to see. How did you get out of the prison? I heard there was a fire… did dear sweet little Bobby do that? I doubt it really… too pathetic." It scoffed and chuckled.

"You continue to be a thorn in my side and I only have so much patients left for such insignificant pest as you." It snarled, it's form wavering from that of my dear friend to something larger. The closet thing it could be described as is some sort of large moth like creature. I would have laughed if I wasn't still so enraged by the fact this thing had invaded a dear memory playing in my dreams to torment and taunt me so. I would enjoyed tearing it apart piece by piece hearing it scream.

"You humans with your 'Shine'! Nothing but trouble." It's voice coming as a deep, most likely a small male for it's species from what I saw before me. I couldn't help but laugh at that something so small thought he was so big and the fact it was putting me in with the humans as well. It wasn't very smart at all to think I was one of them.

"You had my friend killed cause you think I have something called a 'Shine'?" I need to get more from it while I still kept it's attention. Coax out it's secrets without revealing myself as the greater threat, well at least until I could enjoy it in person.

"Of course!" He snapped, his tiny fangs snapping close to my face. "I had rather have avoided having to deal with you in person…" He began to circle me slowly. Large leathery soot black wings flapped with each time I irritated it more. "So much more a hassle, but I've already killed one of you… it should be rather easy to do the rest. I think I'll start with the rest of your friends and leave you for last for being such annoying little shit!" He was quite pleased with his threat as he smirked towering over me. Even as Bobby he was not even two of me. As Pennywise, he would be like a child, if not smaller in size.

"If you touch a hair on any of their heads…" I could feel the rage building inside me, lashing to get out and form a more menacing sight. I dug my fingers into my palms, focusing on the pain as I let my claws pierce them and distract me. All I would be killing was a figment. An illusion. I needed to find the real creature and it's source. Destroy it's center. Would it have a more physical form like the humans or a more ambiguous form like myself. My dead lights were my very being, even the Losers could not destroy them alone if they tried.

"I will do as I wish mortal… though I think I may have a bit more fun before doing so. That Billy boy, hmmm, he has such yummy nightmares." The creature chuckled and fluttered it's wings with excitement. "My, if the old one that lived here before me hadn't been killed so suddenly I wouldn't be enjoying this meal it left behind. So many nightmares in the minds of those children… in you as well. Was quite fun to see what you have in there… strange, but fun. Even a bit more tasty then the children's." He purred leaning in and touching my face, grabbing holding and twisting it from side to side, "Where do you get such interesting nightmares I wonder?"

Oh how I wanted to bite into it's arm and shake it so hard I'd hear a snap along with the tearing of it's leathery flesh. "You're eyes glow with such rage." He chuckled, "So bright. Dreams are all the more fun this way. Telling of ones feelings."

'Good. Believe it is but here that they glow. They'll glow all the brighter as I take pleasure in your pain. As I pull out your antenna and tear of your wings ever so slowly before I truly begin to make you suffer.' Oh how I wished I could have said every last word out loud to it.

"I tell you what. I'll let your friends live… for now at least. They have been poking around, but they are but children." He scoffed, "I don't see how the World Destroyer could have been bested by such uselessly gifted youths…" he shrugged as he pulled away from me.

"Their nightmares and your's are worth the time to keep you all breathing. I'll even give you the curtesy to tell you when I find you all no longer amusing. Let you try and flee. How does that sound?"

Instead of answering his question, I took a deep breath, steading myself before giving my own.

"So you feed off our nightmares?"

The large moth perked up at the question and grinned as it drew closer again."Oh yes and so much more. Unlike the one before me that fed on your towns fear and flesh, I am much more civil, I feed on your nightmares and personal dreams." He grinned fluttering and puffing his chest out like he had such said the most amazing thing in the world.

"Nightmares are easy little treats. But the personal dreams, the wishes for mortals to do with their lives, oh it's so much more tasty. I don't eat human flesh, nasty nasty thing that is, no I eat what's in there." He knocked on my head vigorously. "It may make the humans brain matter shrink after… perhaps kill them… but only the really good ones are worth going that far. The rest will just be husks of what they once were. Drones." He chuckled. "That's a perfect thing to call them. For they do just what is needed to live or as I tell them to do. Some just waste away while sitting and staring into space. The others die shortly after I finish with them. All depends on the dream."

He hummed, "You have such interesting nightmares, but that is all. No dreams. No wishes. Nothing to keep you going or wanting to achieve with your tiny human life. So easy to kill your friend that had so many. Wish I could have stopped and tasted them, but she was too much trouble. She saw me coming even before I showed myself. She could tell I wasn't what I said I was. Tried to draw her nasty gun on me, but I was much too fast and strong for her. So I tried it myself on her. Noisy thing. No fun at all. Killed her too quickly." He pouted and huffed, "but it did make it look like a human killed her. Then I merely set the body on fire. I already had drones in place, so it was so very easy to blame you and have everyone believe it." This made him laugh so gleefully I wanted to rip what he called a face right off.

"Now you're back and hiding somewhere in Derry. Hmm, I should make sure the towns people know that dear little Bobby Gray some how escaped prison and is out to kill again. Wonder how long you'll be able to hide with all of Derry looking for you."

The edges of my vision seemed to blacken as his face began to disappear. A grin plastered on it as he waved, "I can't wait to see you in person again Bobby. Do try not to get killed before then."

I shot up gasping for air, snarling as I swiped the air in front of me as if he would be waiting right there. That damn bug had found me, but at the very least I found out more about him and he little of me.

I scoffed, shaking my head in a grumble as I began to settle back down. Though I felt a pair of eyes on me the entire time. I peaked to my side to find Billy sitting at his desk watching me with worry on his face. How much of Pennywise had come through just then?

"I'm glad I decided not to wake you." Was all he said, though he looked concerned as he came over slowly. "Are you alright? You were having a nightmare… but after everything that's been happening with you… I didn't think it would be a very good idea to try and wake you up."

I looked away nodding, rubbing my face with my face roughly before looking back at him.

"I… I'm sorry about that… I was having a nice dream… a memory… then…"

"It turned into a nightmare…" He looked sympathetic as he stated it.

"Yes… though it turns out… my nightmare this time wasn't my doing." I smirked at him as he gave me a confused look.

"Our killer just showed his hand."