Disclaimer: I do not own The Mr. Men Show or any of its characters, but I do own Emily/Little Miss Music.


When they finally arrived at Mr. Grumpy's surprise location, Emily wondered why he had brought her to the docks. But as the sun started going down, the view was breathtaking. The pinks and blues of the sky, the orange reflecting over the almost completely frozen water… It was absolutely captivating.

She was so lost in its beauty that she jumped when her Senpai began to speak. "I like coming here to get away from it all," he confessed, and she turned to him to see him staring out across the water. She knew he had a soft side from all the times on the show when he felt bad after going off on someone who didn't deserve it or when he saved or protected someone he hated. But she didn't realize he also had a romantic side.

He doesn't see this as romantic, the voice snarled at her, crushing all her hopes and dreams. The voice was right. To her, she was watching a gorgeous sunset with the Mr. Man she loved more than anything, and her hand itched to reach out and grab his hand, which was almost touching hers. But she held back, forcing herself to see this in his point of view. He was finishing the tour of Dillydale by showing her somewhere he likes to go when life gets too much for him.

They were so much alike. "I have a secret place I like to go to get away too," she told him shyly.

He looked at her. "You do?"

She nodded, ignoring the voice in her head that was saying some really mean stuff. "When I listen to music, I forget about everything around me–" Including the voice, she added to herself– "And for a short while I can actually be… happy…"

"Wow." Mr. Grumpy turned to look back at the icy water. "You really don't like it where you live, huh?"

You have no idea, Emily thought, and the voice growled at her, You have to return eventually, and when you do, you'll be just as miserable as you were before.

She sighed softly, wishing she could tell her Senpai where she was really from and everything bad that's happened to her. But she had difficulty telling Little Miss Calamity and the best friends, and they didn't believe she was from another world at first until she proved it. And you can't scare them into believing you by calling him by his name because he already told you his name, the voice reminded her nastly. Soon you'll be back home and he'll forget ever meeting you.

There was a forbidden feeling inside her, like that wasn't how it was supposed to be. God sent me here, so surely He wants me to stay… right? But she didn't want to get her hopes up, so she ignored that thought, in case staying here wasn't an option.

"Come on," Mr. Grumpy said, breaking into her thoughts, and suddenly she realized that the sun had set completely. They were surrounded by darkness, the only light source being a nearby lamppost that illuminated Mr. Grumpy's car. "I should get you back to Miss. Calamity's house before she starts to worry about you."

"Okay, Senpai." Emily froze, heart pounding in her chest. Did she really just call him that to his face?

Nice going, idiot! the voice snarled at her.

God, please help me! She prayed, and she waited for him to ask what a "Senpai" was, and then she'd have no choice, but to confess that he was part of a cartoon show which she used to watch all the time because that was the only way she could have developed strong feelings for him since they only just met in person not that long ago.

However, he didn't say anything, just gave her a weird look, but then shrugged and went back to his car.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she followed him and thought, Thank you, God, for not letting him question me about the Senpai thing!


"Thanks for showing me around," Emily said as they sat in the Mr. Man's car which was now parked in front of the house beside the cliff. "I had a really great time. This town is great." She smiled up at her Senpai, affection for him swelling in her heart, well aware that there was no voice in her head right now.

Mr. Grumpy glanced at her. "You're welcome. Glad you had a good time." He paused for a moment before adding," Will I see you around?"

Emily turned her gaze away from him. "I-I don't know," she stammered, playing with her fingers nervously. She wanted to say yes, but she wasn't sure if that'd be true and she didn't want to lie to him. She had a lot of thinking to do before she made a permanent decision.

"Okay then." Was that disappointment in his voice? She couldn't tell…

After saying goodbye to him, Emily got out of the car and walked to the house. She watched him drive away, and then turned to knock on the front door. It opened a moment later and Little Miss Calamity blinked at her. "Why did you knock?" she asked.

Emily shrugged. "It's not my house," she replied. "Habitat I guess."

"It's okay. Come in."

The former human walked inside and almost immediately the orange Little Miss jumped into questions. "Did you have fun? Where did he take you? What do you think of Dillydale? Is it everything you imagined– Well, everything you've seen on the show?" She paused to catch her breath, then asked," Do you think he likes you back?"

Emily tried to answer her questions, but she was talking too fast, and by the time she had stopped talking, she had already forgotten half of the things she had asked her. The voice returned, mocking her. She shook her head, pushing the nasty comments away. "Um… I really like it here," she stammered. "But I don't know if he likes me back," she added, frowning. "I think he had an okay time. Well, I thought we would have a problem when he took me to a restaurant, because we ran into Mr. Scatterbrain, and he remembered that Mr. Nosy and Mr. Small told him that they were going to help Mr. Scatterbrain around his house. Luckily I distracted him and he didn't bring it up again."

She also mentioned that he had taken her to the hobby shop when she saw a gorgeous guitar and then she finished up by telling her about the sunset they watched together at the docks.

"Oh, that sounds lovely!" Little Miss Calamity exclaimed, clapping her hands together and smiling at Emily, who nodded in agreement, and then yawned as exhaustion hit her. "You must be tired," the orange Little Miss commented, studying the former human. "You've had a really exciting day."

Emily smiled dreamily. "Yeah. I'll always treasure this day." Frowning, she added," Too bad I have to return to my own world."

It's where you belong, the voice growled at her. You don't deserve to be happy.

"Yeah…" Little Miss Calamity looked thoughtful for a moment. Emily opened her mouth to ask her what was going through her mind, but before she could, the Little Miss said," It's late. Why don't we go to bed?"

"Okay." Emily watched as her new friend headed to her bedroom, calling out," Goodnight!" as she went, disappearing from sight as she entered her room. The former human walked over to the couch, noticing that the pillow and blanket she used last night was still laid out for her. She climbed onto the couch and pulled the cover over her. She stared up at the ceiling until she felt her eyelids growing heavy, and suddenly she found herself in a room full of people. Looking around, she didn't understand how she got here or why there was a sorrowful atmosphere.

Then she saw something across the room that made her heart ache. She slowly walked over there and looked into the casket. She stood there in shock as she saw the lifeless body of her grandmother.

"MawMaw," she whispered, feeling her eyes start to water.

An arm wrapped around her and pulled her into a hug. Her mother was there, telling her that it was going to be okay and that she was in a better place. Emily looked up at her right as her dad and brothers joined them. They all hugged, crying over the sudden loss of a beloved family member.

The scene was snatched from her to be replaced by another moment in her life. She was in a smaller room with only her mother and dad there, but instead of seeing her grandmother, she found herself looking down at her uncle who laid in a hospital bed, wires protruding from his body. Emily was on the edge of crying as she watched him barely breathing.

This moment disappeared from her vision as a new one appeared. She was pacing in her yard, sobbing as she talked on the phone. She was trying to explain to her best friend what just happened, but she was too worked up and couldn't form a proper sentence before breaking down again.

"I'm sorry… I can't understand you," Nikki said over the phone. "What happened?"

"He… He… He…" Emily couldn't stop crying.

"He what? Who's he?"

"Jeff's… Jeff's sister… Her boyfriend… k-killed her…"

"Oh." Nikki was silent on the other line for a moment as if processing what her best friend just said. "A-Are you okay?"

"No." Emily cried even harder.

Suddenly she was in her room, staring down at her phone, tears forming in her eyes as she read the message her husband just sent her.

I still care about you, Emily, but my feelings have changed. I love her now, and I want to be a family with them. I'm sorry it turned out this way, but I have to follow my heart.

Emily strolled through their previous messages. Just an hour ago they were saying how much they loved each other and promised to always be together. Then they started talking about their future and where her husband's girlfriend fit in. Somehow that got them on the subject of them having kids and when Emily said she didn't know if she ever wanted kids, Jeff came straight out and admitted that he didn't love her anymore.

Where did it all go wrong? she asked herself.

The text messages faded away as someone shook her awake. She blinked open her eyes, realizing that she was crying. She sat up and wiped away her tears. A voice made her jump.

"Are you okay?"

Emily looked down at see Mr. Small staring at her with concern shining in his eyes. Pushing her glasses up, she cleaned her tear stained face. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she stammered, ignoring the voice mocking her as she climbed off the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to see how yesterday went," the small man answered.

We? Emily looked across the room, noticing for the first time that Mr. Nosy and Little Miss Calamity stood not far away, keeping an eye on her and Mr. Small. Then Emily realized the other thing he said. Yesterday? She glanced toward the window, seeing the sunlight coming through. It's morning! I must have been dreaming… about the year my life went to Hell. She let out a heavy sigh, praying to God to help her.

"Miss. Mus– I mean… Emily?"

Emily turned to Mr. Small. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

Emily stared down at him before lifting her gaze to Mr. Nosy and Little Miss Calamity, both looking anxious as if worried about her. She shook her head and sat down on the couch. "No, I'm not okay," she finally answered the small man.

Mr. Small was silent for a couple of heartbeats. "You were crying," he said slowly like he was making sure he didn't upset her more than she already was. "Were you dreaming?" When she nodded, he pressed gently," About your life in your world?" Again she nodded. He climbed up beside her and stretched out his hand to place it on her shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

"No, it's not," Emily snapped at him. His eyes grew huge and he pulled away from her. He was clearly hurt that she had turned on him. She frowned. "I'm sorry, Mr. Small. I just don't think anything will ever be okay again." The voice grew louder, feeding on her doubt and insecurities. "In a span of one year, I lost my uncle and my grandmother, my sister-in-law was murdered, and I'm going to be divorced at the age of twenty-four! My life now is painful and miserable. The only happiness I've felt in months was the time I've spent here in Dillydale…"

Mr. Small glanced over at Mr. Nosy and Little Miss Calamity. They shared a look before turning back to the small man, giving him a nod. Emily blinked, wondering what was happening.

"Before I woke you, we discussed something," Mr. Small told her, staring up at her.

"Discuss what?" she asked.

"The way you described your life… Well, it seemed like you were dreading going back. But the whole time you've been here, you've been really happy, only getting upset when you talk about what happened to you. So… we thought… Well, maybe you'd like to stay here?"

Emily widened her eyes in surprise. "I-I don't know…" she stammered. The voice was screaming at her to say no, yet for once she didn't want to give in to it's demands. "I mean, the thought has crossed my mind, and I know I'll be happy here. But what about my family? My parents and brothers? And I have a best friend in that world too…"

"Oh." Mr. Small looked over at Mr. Nosy before turning back to Emily. "If I was in the same situation you are in, I wouldn't want to leave my best friend either, no matter how miserable my life has become. I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

Opening her mouth, Emily was about to respond, but before she could, Mr. Nosy walked over to join them. "But if your life was miserable here," the light green Mr. Man started, talking to Mr. Small," I wouldn't want you to continue to suffer just to stay with me when you had the chance to be happy somewhere else." Mr. Nosy looked at Emily. "Maybe your best friend feels the same way?"

Emily thought about everything he said. Would Nikki want me to stay here if it meant I'd be happy again? I wish I could ask her, but even if I knew how to get home, I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to get back to Dillydale. Suddenly another thought came to her.

"But if I did want to return home, I don't know how," she pointed out. The voice growled at her to figure it out.

Little Miss Calamity stepped forward. "We can try my closet again," she suggested.

They all went to the bedroom, and Emily stood in front of Little Miss Calamity's closet. She started reaching for the doorknob, but hesitated, memories of her life in the other world flashing through her mind. "I-I can't do it," she admitted, turning back to the three cartoons. "I know my family and best friend must be worried sick about me, but I feel like there's nothing left for me there. I feel like I belong here, in Dillydale. This is my dream world, and I hope someday Senpai will notice how much I love him."

Mr. Nosy and Mr. Small exchanged a look. "Who?" the light green Mr. Man asked.

"She means Mr. Grumpy," explained Little Miss Calamity. Then she walked over to Emily and put her hand on her shoulder. "If you don't want to go back, you don't have to."

Emily sighed and nodded. "I just wish there was some way for me to tell everyone that I'm okay." Closing her eyes, she whispered," I'm sorry, Nikki. I'm not coming back, but I'm fine."

Footsteps made her look up to see the best friends joining her. "So you're staying?" Mr. Nosy asked her.

"Yes," Emily replied, pushing away her guilt about leaving her family and best friend behind. And the voice went with it. That's all in the past. I need to look forward to my new life in Dillydale. Excitement rose in her when she realized the decision she just made. I'm staying here in Dillydale! I can make friends with all the characters and maybe even someday get together with Mr. Grumpy! She knew that was a little far fetched, but she didn't expect that portal to open and that she'd be living in Dillydale. Obviously anything is possible, and she has God to thank for that.

Mr. Small's voice broke into her thoughts. "It might seem hard now, leaving your world behind, but I know you're doing the right thing. We all need to move on from what makes us unhappy. Now," he went on before Emily had time to respond," we don't we all go into town?" He glanced around at the others, who murmured in agreement.

Following the characters from her favorite show out of the house and away from the cliff and toward town, Emily found herself not thinking about her world. She was thinking about her future here in Dillydale. She thought she'd never be happy again, but that was when she was still living her old life. Now she was sure she could start a new life here with many friends and she wouldn't need to struggle to make it through another day again.

A smile on her face, she ran to catch up to the others when she noticed that she was falling behind. She walked side by side with Little Miss Calamity. The Little Miss glanced at her, smiled, and then looked ahead again as they entered the main part of town.


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