luckyrocks74, cheeseisawesome SpotlessLadybug and S-A- Thank you so much for your reviews!

azuretears - (don't be scared by the length of this response, it's not bad or anything.) Thank you very much for the criticism! You do bring up a good point about that though, that particular plot twist looked kinda tossed in at the spur of the moment. However, despite how it looks, this isn't a random attempt to keep the story going a little longer. To be quite honest, although the whole thing looks kinda thrown together and doesn't exactly fit with the rest of the story, this whole little scenario was what got me to even finish the sequel in the first place. What I mean by that is I had reached a point where I wasn't too sure where the story was going where I wanted it to, senior year was getting harder fast, and I had basically lost a lot of the passion I had when I first started writing this in the first place. Finally though, out of the blue (no particular place where it came from) I just got this idea. And simply put, it's these type of action-packed, drama filled scenes that I really enjoy writing the most, and when I came up with this particular twist, that was when my spark was rekindled and I was able to finish the story. So yeah, this particular twist does seem a little contrived-at-the-last-second, but to be perfectly honest before I came up with this I had only written up to chapter 3 and I had serious doubts about finishing this. In conclusion, basically, despite what it looks like, my whole "twist" was really planned out before I even knew what the rest of the story was going to go (Mr. Herriman's struggle, Wilt's adoption fiasco, that all was thought up and planned up later when my passion for the story came back.)

I'm sorry about the long explanation, but that's truthfully how it all happened. It's a bit confusing I know, but that's just how I write. Either I have the passion for a story, in which I need to write most of it at once or in big splurges of writing over a few days, or they never get finished. I will admit though, that's really not an efficient way to write (I was already 20 pages into the first version of the sequel before I realized that entire idea was a train wreck waiting to happen).

Anyway, thanks for your support everyone! And now...

Disclaimer: I don't own Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

"Oh God, oh God, oh God…" Frankie whispered frantically to herself as she skidded to a halt in front of the park entrance. A few moments later, Wilt and Bloo arrived hot on her heels, their breath coming in ragged gasps as they came to a much-needed stop.

"Frankie, what are we going to do?" Bloo squealed in terror as he clung on to her skirt. "They said that Mac-"

"I don't believe it!" Wilt cried, shaking his head furiously. "They kept an extreme-o-saur at that place? But why on earth-"

"Th-they said it only goes after who he sees on the other side of the fence!" Bloo involuntarily yelped. "When it spotted Mac, they said he had already made it to the other side! That…that thing thinks that Mac's-"

"And now he's-" Wilt gasped.

"H-he's gonna-" Bloo sputtered.

"Guys, please!" Frankie screamed furiously as she quickly took charge. "Just calm down!"

"Frankie, what are we even doing here?" Bloo yelled frantically, pointing to the orphanage, only a hundred or so yards away, and crawling with panicking nuns. "Shouldn't we be looking over there-"

"Bloo, please!" the girl cried exasperatedly. "Look, we all know Mac's a smart kid. I don't know what all those other nimrods are doing still looking around back there, but if he's got half the brains I think he has, then he probably headed straight for the park-"

"But why-"

"Think about it!" she hurriedly explained her reasoning. "He'd have to pass by here if he was headed towards Foster's, and if he's really being chased by…b-by…"

The very thought was so terrifying she couldn't help but pause as a violent shudder wracked her body. "Look, this would also be the perfect place to try and lose any rampaging extr-"

"So what do we-"

"Wilt" Frankie cried, not skipping a beat and pointing down one sidewalk. "You go left! Bloo! You go right!" she ordered flatly, jabbing her finger down another path. "I'll go take the center! If you find Mac, and if that…that thing is still after him, just scream and we'll try and get to you as soon as possible! GO!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs. Immediately the three shot off their separate ways, running as fast as their legs would carry them.

"Please be okay please be okay please be okay…" Frankie repeated frantically to herself over and over as she sprinted through the dimly lighted park. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest as she glanced about wildly and listened intently for the faintest signs of a frightened little boy; maybe a flash of brown hair, maybe the sound of a faint whimper nearby…

Anything but the spine-chilling howl of an extreme-o-saur on the hunt.

With a gasp Frankie lowered her head and put on an extra burst of speed. She had come too far for this. She did not have Mac brutally wretched from her arms, nearly lose her sanity over the whole tragedy, practically die of a broken heart, just so she could lose him again. Not while she was here, not while she had any say in the matter. There was absolutely no way in hell she was going to let some imaginary reject take him away from her permanently. She just had to find him first, before-

Frankie came to a dead halt as a high-pitched noise reached her ears. For a few agonizing moments, she stood frozen in place, praying desperately that it had just been a mind trick of her frazzled brain.

"No, no it can't be!" the girl whispered to herself nervously. "Mac's gonna be just fine! He hasn't been caught yet! He-"

Her blood ran cold. There it was again.

The unmistakable cry of an extreme-o-saur, howling in triumph.

Without thinking twice, Frankie whirled about in the direction of the horrid cries and sprinted off, heart pounding madly in her chest as she put every ounce of energy she had into a wild sprint.

"NO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "HOLD ON, MAC! I'M COMING! I'M COMING! MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC!"

Mac squealed in horror as he pressed his back to the large oak tree. His little heart beating wildly, the child gave a hard gulp as he trembled violently in fright, while his doom literally stared at him straight in the eyes.

The beast growled threateningly as he slowly drew his ugly, reptilian face closer to that of the boy's, his razor-sharp fangs twisted menacingly into a fiendish smile. With a quick bark he snapped his twin whip-like tails and slashed the air with his claws, causing Mac to yelp hoarsely in fear.

"Please, p-please Rex, don't!" he pleaded desperately as tears of fright began to pour down his face. "Rex, it's me! Mac! Mac! Don't you remember? I-I've been at the orphanage f-for two weeks! Please, I'm not a burglar or anything! I-I'm not…I'm not…"

With a harsh sob Mac broke down completely, bawling unashamedly in pure fright. Warm, salty tears poured unchecked down his face as the boy trembled violently in fright. With a small grunt of approval, the ravenous creature smiled maliciously as he viewed his handiwork with his one, blood-red eyeball.

Oh, how he loved the thrill of toying with his prey. Their miserable wails, their tears of fright, the way they trembled violently with every movement he made. Nothing gave him more pleasure then playing with their already shattered emotions, dragging out their agony for as long as possible until their inevitable demise. He closed his eye briefly for a second as he savored the moment, sighing blissfully in content. It had been so long since he had experienced the thrill of the chase. He could barely remember the last time he had such a magnificent hunt. Was it that punk teen he spotted sneaking around a few months ago? That sneaky-looking hobo he saw edging too close to the fence?

It didn't matter. All he knew was that ten minutes ago, while out on a regular patrol of the perimeter, he spotted this pathetic waste of tears scrambling about on the other side. The instant he had seen him, the hunt had been joined immediately. So what that he looked too much like one of the orphans? The nightmarish excuse for a guard dog couldn't care less about that. He spotted the boy on the other side, and as his training had taught him, all those on the other side of the fence were intruders.

Intruders had to be dealt with severely.

As Mac sobbed uncontrollably, a wave of fresh tours began to pour down his cheeks. With a harsh noise resembling that of a snigger, the beast's disgustingly long, forked tongue snaked out to run briefly up and down the boy's face. To the beast, there was nothing better than the taste of fresh, salty tears of fright. Next to the taste of fresh meat, that it.

Mac flinched uncontrollably as he felt the slimy tongue slobber about under his eyes. Still whimpering softly, he didn't know whether he wanted to faint in horror or puke in disgust as the creature's awful breath assailed his nostrils. Swiftly the boy suppressed the violent urge to gag; the beast's breath carried the sickening smell of death. Mac wondered, was that the scent of his own demise he sensed?

With a soft moan he shut his eyes tightly and covered his face. Oh God, when would the nightmare that became his life end? Couldn't his tormentor get it over with? He knew very well the atrocious fate that was coming his way. He had tried to escape, and he failed miserably. Now it was time to pay the fatal price.

Mac wanted nothing more than to be back at his cramped little apartment, to be back in his mother's arms. Hell, even a wedgie from Terrence would be a thousand times better than this.

But Mac knew all of that wishing was completely useless. His mom and brother were dead, his world as he knew it had officially ended a while ago. The frantic escape attempt had been nothing more than a futile last-ditch attempt to flee a new life as an abandoned orphan doomed to be passed about from family to family, a life that he wanted absolutely part of. Now, all that was left was for him to be finished off, to be ripped to shreds by this reptilian nightmare.

Maybe it's for the best. He thought to himself. At least I'll be with Mom and Terrence again. I've got nothing left here…

Little did Mac know, he had never been more dead wrong in his life than he was at that very moment.

"LEAVE HIM ALOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!" a heart-wrenching shriek suddenly filled the night.

Rex howled in shock as some nearby bushes parted and a redheaded blur slammed into his side head on with the force of a small freight train, sending the creature sprawling a few yards away. After hitting the grass with a dull thud, he shot back to his feet, yowling with rage as his eyestalk wiggled about wildly, taking full stock of this new opponent.

Frankie growled fiercely as she took her place in front of Mac, staring down the extreme-o-saur unblinkingly with a burning glare. Trembling uncontrollably in unbridled rage, the young woman seemed to radiate with an aura of righteous fury. Matched with the halo of frazzled fiery-red hair adorning her head, Frankie looked nearly resembled an avenging angel, facing down a demon from the deepest depths of Hell in preparation for a battle of otherworldly proportions. The beast hissed threateningly as he furiously pawed the ground, snapping his tails like twin whips in a gesture that he hoped would intimidate the girl.

Frankie however was not to be swayed by his bullying techniques. She stared back boldly into the extreme-o-saur's single bulging eyeball, matching him move for move with a vicious snarl as she cracked her knuckles.

"Leave him alone. Now." She growled flatly as she took a fighter's stance. Rex snapped his fangs as he reared up on his haunches in preparation to attack.

"You heard me!" Frankie snarled. "Fuck off! You leave him alone, you dirty piece of-"

"ROWWWR!" her foe let loose a ferocious battle cry before springing into action.

He was only in midair for about a second before he felt like a cannonball had struck him. The second he became airborne, Frankie boldly tackled him head-on. As soon as the chaotic muddle of girl and extreme-o-saur hit the ground, Frankie was on top of him in an instant. The imaginary friend howled in pain as the girl immediately let loose with everything that she had, kicking madly with her long legs, assailing his upturned belly with a barrage of punches, even taking the opportunity to savagely jerk his eye stalk. All the while, she supplemented her blows with an endless rain of angry swears and screams.

Mac now curled up into a protective little ball, watched the epic battle before him through his fingers. He had thought he had seen Frankie so angry before. No, angry didn't even begin to describe the furious young woman before him who bravely attacked the nightmarish beast with everything that she had. It looked more like Frankie had been possessed by a myriad of demons that had seemed to quadruple her fury and strength.

"Leave him alone! Leave him alone, you scaly son of a bitch! Dirty, no good, one-eyed scumbag! I ougtha beat you to death, you filthy-"

Rex's eye bulged in an unmatched rage. How dare this puny human get the better of him! Never in all his life had he ever been bested in a fight, and he wasn't going to start now. His blood now racing furiously though his veins, he let out an ear-splitting roar of anger as he suddenly kicked out squarely with all four legs, sending Frankie flying.

"AAAAAAAA!" she screamed as she sailed through the air and hit the ground hard. Before Frankie even had so much as a split second to get to her feet, Rex bounded over to her and grabbed hold tightly to the back of the girl's baggy green sweater with his razor-sharp fangs.

Frankie shrieked in panic, clawing furiously at the soil as she felt the enraged beast lift her off the ground. Rex may have only been the size of a large dog, but not doubt about it, when his blood was boiling he possessed the strength of a small bear. With a couple swift jerking motions of his neck, he tossed about the young woman as if she was nothing more than a rag doll, her terrified shrieks only energizing him more to continue lashing out with his brutal punishment.

"AAA! AAA! AAA! AAA!" Frankie wailed as she was helplessly wrenched about. The sight of seeing her in such torture was just too much to bear, and immediately Mac uncoiled from his little ball and sprung into action.

"Leave her alone!" he cried angrily, tears pouring down his cheeks. "You leave-"

CRACK!

With a savage snapping noise, Rex snapped his tails like duel whips, and immediately the small boy was send flying, with twin whip-marks now marring his arms. As Mac crashed into the ground a few yards away, the beast finally gave one more violent jerk as he slammed Frankie onto the hard cement sidewalk.

CRUNCH!

The sickening sound of snapping bone rang out for all to hear. Frankie let out an agonized scream as excruciating pain lanced through her left arm As she struggled furiously to get back up, now only one arm was raised defiantly with a clenched fist; the other flopped uselessly at her side.

However, she had barely gotten to her feet when the monster catapulted forward, flying into her stomach as he lashed out with a massive head-butt. Frankie gasped as the wind was knocked out of her, and she was immediately set stumbling backwards, falling over into a heap. As she grabbed her broken arm and sobbed in pain, the extreme-o-saur gave her a snarl before he turned and bounded over to where Mac lay, desperately trying to get his senses together.

Rex would deal with the girl later. For him, it was a policy of first come, first served. He would only need less than a minute to deal with the child-

"NO!" Frankie screamed as she scrambled to her feet and leapt onto the beast's back. Rex roared in pain as the girl grabbed hold of his twisted eyestalk, holding onto it tightly as the creature bucked about wildly as if they were a bizarre rodeo act. Frankie gritted her teeth as she tried to ignore the agonizing waves of pain shot through her broken arm, which flopped about wildly as she herself was tossed about. With a grim look of determination, she hung on tightly to the thrashing extreme-o-saur for dear life, holding on with whatever strength she had.

However, as the beast gave one final violent shake she flew off his back, crashing into the ground with a grunt of pain. Frankie only had a chance to roll onto her back before Rex was on top of her, pinning her easily to the ground with a heavily clawed foot. He snarled at her only briefly, before,

"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" Frankie's agonized shrieks rent the chilly night air. Her tormentor grinned fiendishly in triumph as he dug his claws deep into her right side, letting out a low howl as he savored the moment of victory.

Frankie screamed as she thrashed about uncontrollably under his weight in intense pain. Never before in her entire life had she even thought such physical agony was even possible. But now, it felt as if she was being brutally stabbed by three red-hot knives as the claws gouged deeply into her flesh. Panic took hold of the tortured girl as she could feel the blood begin to ooze at an alarming rate from her horrific wound, dripping down her side and soaking her skirt.

"Oh God!" she managed to squeal as she writhed about helplessly. Whether it had been a gut reaction or a quick prayer to the Almighty for mercy she didn't know. All she knew that her world now suddenly consisted only and entirely of harsh, unbearable agony that ripped through her body.

The creature growled in delight at Frankie's torment. Yes, that was it. She could struggle as much as she wanted to, only more malicious pleasure for him. She had put up a good fight, but no one could best him in combat. With a hiss he bared his fangs as he slowly lowered his head. As much as he loved this, it was time to finish the job, once and for all.

Unfortunately, the bloodthirsty extreme-o-saur had already savored the sick pleasure far too long for his own good.

"NOOO!"

With a hoarse cry Mac leaped forward and latched onto the front leg that pinned Frankie to the ground. As soon as he gripped the scaly appendage, Mac didn't think twice and immediately bit deeply into the scaly skin.

Rex roared in pain and almost immediately withdrew his claws from Frankie's side as he leapt away from the girl, limping about madly as he tried to shake off the sharp-toothed little boy. Mac growled as he hung on like a leech, tightening his hold around the leg and sinking his little teeth in deeper with every passing moment. As he began to bite into the muscle, the beast yowled furiously in torment as he did a mad dance of pain, leaping about and shaking his leg frantically to loosen Mac's tenacious hold.

Finally, with an extra burst of energy, the extreme-o-saur gave his leg a particularly violent shake. Mac squealed as his hold suddenly became undone, and the little fellow flew off like a rocket, soaring through the air until-

THUD!

The boy flew face first into a nearby tree, hitting it with the momentum of a small cannonball. Without even so much as a whimper, Mac silently tumbled to the ground, landing in a limp, unmoving little bundle.

Rex snarled at the motionless body before he hastily began to lick at the deep bite wound that marred his leg. He never thought he'd be able to loose the kid. However though, not only did he manage to shake him off, but he managed to knock him out and subdue the sharp-toothed little devil in the process. Thank God that was all over with. Now with the kid out of the way, there was nothing stopping him from-

He suddenly stopped in mid-lick as a horrifying thought crossed his mind.

Wait, where was the girl?

His answer came quite swiftly as a hand suddenly shot out of nowhere and grabbed his outstretched serpentine tongue in a crushing iron grip. The beast tried to squeal in a combination of pain and shock as he came face-to-face with the angriest young woman he had seen in his entire life.

Her frazzled red hair in a mess, blood dripping from half-a-dozen small cuts covering her face, and an unmistakable fire raging in her eyes, Frankie snarled fiercely as she gave a fierce yank to the slimy purple tongue, clenched tightly in her right hand. As her captor's sole eye widened in horror at the sight before him, the girl spat into his face and shrieked in a tone that a dozen banshees wouldn't be able to match.

"WHEN I TELL YOU TO LEAVE MAC ALONE, THEN DAMMIT, YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

THWACK!

Frankie give one violent tug to the beast's tongue and brought her skull crashing down with the force of a sledgehammer, smashing it directly into her foe's forehead. When she withdrew her hold and backed off, the extreme-o-saur stared at her dumbly for a few seconds, as if he was unsure of what to do next. He suddenly began to wobble about drunkenly, lumbering about wildly until his eye finally closed as he toppled over like a sack of bricks in an unconscious heap.

Frankie groaned as she felt the fresh cut adorning her forehead. Her aching body felt like it was on fire. Cuts and bruises of all shapes and sizes covered her skin from head to toe, as blood trickled out of a dozen small wounds to stain her normally pale peach toned skin with vibrant splotches of red. However, all of those wounds combined paled in comparison to the horrendous claw wound on her right side, where warm, sticky blood continued to pour out at an alarming rate as it soaked her skirt and began to trickle down her leg. Of course, to top it all off, her left arm now flopped about uselessly at her side, unable to move but still more than capable to continue to jolt her body with agony.

Most people in such a pathetic state would have already fainted from the excruciating pain. But not Frankie, for she still had one thing left to take care of.

"Mac?" she moaned weakly. Through badly blurring vision, she slowly scanned the scene of the terrific battle. "M-Mac? Pal? You okay?"

"F-Frankie…" a pathetic whimper replied. Clutching her side in a feeble attempt to stem the flow of blood, Frankie hurriedly limped over to where the little boy lay in a pathetic bundle. Squinting up through half-closed eyes, the semiconscious Mac moaned as he made a pitiful attempt to lift himself off the ground.

"Pal, don't…" Frankie managed to gasp out. Her strength failing her rapidly, the badly-wounded girl managed to settle herself on the ground into a clumsy sitting position. Drawing deep from depleted energy reserves, she managed to reach out with her unbroken arm and draw Mac to her chest, cradling the boy closely to herself in a weak grip.

"Frankie…I…" Mac tried to groan as his eyelids flittered dangerously. A large gash adorning his forehead allowed blood to drip freely down his face.

"Shhhh, it's okay, pal." Frankie whispered soothingly as she awkwardly cradled him. "It's okay, I'm here. Everything's gonna be okay."

Mac struggled to look up and flash her a weak smile, oblivious to the blood that oozed from his cut to mingle with a few stray tears. The boy somehow managed to let out a contented sigh as he rested against Frankie's chest. For all he cared, they could've been back at Foster's snuggled up in front of the fireplace rather than the bloody little huddle they were in now. It didn't really matter, now that she was there he felt oddly at ease.

"H-here." He said softly, reaching into his pocket with a badly shaking hand to withdraw the old silver necklace. "I think it's time to give y-you this back." He mumbled as he let it fall from his weak grip into her lap.

"M-Mac..." Frankie groaned as she struggled to hold him close.

"You c-came back…I knew you w-w-wouldn't leave me…" Mac murmured happily as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

Despite the excruciating agony that still raged through her body, Frankie suddenly felt strangely happy and at peace as Mac settled down calmly in her bloody embrace. She grinned weakly as she gave him a gentle nuzzle.

"Of course, pal." She whispered softly. "What are big sisters for, anyway?

It was then that everything quickly went black.

Before anyone says anything, I'm gonna admit it right now, yes I probably could've finished the story without any of this particular plot twist. But, as stated above, it was basically the thought of writing this whole dramatic scene that really sparked my interest in completing the sequel in the first place. I could've taken this out...but it didn't seem right to me to do so, because this was what really resurrected the whole project from being a candidate for the Recycle Bin.

Just felt like saying so...

Thanks anyway, guys! Please, read and review!