"Tom!"

Allison let rage overcome her as she charged straight for The Projectionist – whom she and Tom have unfortunately been fighting with on the eleventh floor. Tom was doing the best he could to take on the creature alone, but it seems Allison was needed to help on this one. For if she didn't, they'd surely both meet a gruesome end.

Allison wasn't going to lose her partner to such an abomination, so she knew she had to take action. With an enraged cry, she lunged with her sword and sliced at one of its arms, causing the monster to screech in pain. Before it could react, Allison lifted her foot and sent him a powerful kick to the head. The monster screeched and fell back, giving Tom enough time to escape. The wolf wasted no second and grabbed Allison's arm before they ran away.

So, how did an angel and a wolf end up in this kind of trouble? In short, Tom could let his reckless behavior get the best of him, and that's what usually causes the pair to be in such situations like these. Though Allison usually lectured him, she was sometimes the one that ended up doing the saving.

Typical Tom. Stubborn as always.

"There!" Allison shouted as she pointed to one of the miracle stations ahead. The pair jumped inside as soon as The Projectionist had turned the corner. When they shut the door, the creature became confused when he no longer saw his victims. The projectionist was no longer interested in pursuing them, so he felt at ease and turned back the way he came.

Allison and Tom watched until he was out of sight, but just before the wolf could even step out, Allison grabbed hold of his ear and jerked him towards her. Tom winced at the pressure, but he quickly frowned when he realized this was going to be another lecture time.

And unsurprisingly, this wasn't new in their relationship.

"That was really stupid Tom! Really wise of you!" Allison scolded him, releasing hold of his ear, "You know better than to go and attack without precaution! You could've been killed!"

Tom said nothing and she sighed with defeat before continuing.

"You know that one day I won't be able to save you, so what's going to happen when you end up in that situation and I'm not there?"

Tom looked down and avoided eye contact. He didn't like when she brought up claims like these. For every time she made one, it made him worry that he'll one day lose her. Nobody here knows when their fate will come, but sometimes, it could be right around the corner.

Allison smiled and cupped his cheek. "You know that I will always trust you. But if you really want to protect me, don't force yourself in situations you can't handle. I want you to look out for yourself just as much as you do for me, alright?"

Tom nodded as he softened in her touch, immediately regretting his actions. He needed to stop making such foolish mistakes like these! Even if most of the decisions he makes were to protect her, what more could he do when that day comes and he needs to protect himself? Allison couldn't always be there to save his rear end every time!

Rumors had begun to spread that several Lost Ones and Searchers, including the former cartoonist himself, had unexpectedly managed to escape the cycle. How? Well, the answer wasn't clear, and it was part of the reason why Tom and Allison were out of their sanctuary. They've been searching for days on end, looking for any clues as to why souls were moving on.

Allison was a bit upset that Henry had left without notice, but she was still happy for him nonetheless. However, what allowed him to leave if she and Tom continued being victims of the darkness? Was it the Ink Demon? Allison didn't know, but with no evidence, she had no choice but to have that assumption.

They returned home and figured to try again another day, especially when The Projectionist wasn't around. Tom was still displaying some annoyance, so he figured he needed rest while Allison tried to remain optimistic about these lingering thoughts. Shutting the door behind them, the angel sighed with defeat. Knowing what she needed to do next, Allison headed over to the nearby table and went for her bucket of ink. Then, she walked over to the painted wall and continued marking her pattern of tallies.

"And that makes forty." Allison said to herself.

Taking a step back, the angel frowned as she overviewed the wall. She secretly hated these lines, but if it's truly been forty years since Henry had left, and other souls were getting their chance of freedom, why didn't her and Tom seem to have that chance?

Surely there had to be a reason, right? There's always a reason!

Allison was desperate to remember her former life. Though she didn't remember anything about herself, that didn't mean she wasn't willing to find out. This "otherworld" of a place filled with darkness, sin, and monsters, was beginning to prove too much. All this isolation and fear she has to endure living in was something she just couldn't handle anymore.

She didn't believe there was a chance, but if she could find the truth as to why she was here, then like hell she was going to go for it!

And all she needed to do next was to talk with a certain music director.

Henry sat on the foot of his bed, sketching another image of the Boris he befriended during his first adventure at the studio. It didn't take him long to remember that familiar smile, which was what still kept him sane. No longer a prisoner of the endless loop he could call Hell, Henry still felt like he was trapped. It was almost as if his purpose wasn't finished, but he didn't know what that could be.

After escaping, Henry learned much about the ink world and the role the machine had in it. Writing on the walls usually helped him remember if things weren't clear, but upon learning from the ink did he realize that there were more "unworldly" things at play.

Henry had been thinking about Ben lately, considering that he offered a tour of the world the next time he returned. However, the cartoonist was a little reluctant, but only because he was still trying to decipher the child's existence. How did Alice manage to have a child in the studio if she was technically dead? From what he knows, the ink only brings those who are dead back to life.

Wait…

Henry's eyes widened and he became tense. The pen immediately dropped from his hand as he began tying the pieces together. He needed to return to the studio at once, and unfortunately become the bearer of bad news. As soon as he got some rest, and consulted with Linda about expressing death to children, he'd set foot back into the studio to find Tom and Ben...

And explain the dark truth.

It was peace and quiet in the safehouse, and Tom couldn't be more than pleased upon its tranquility, especially with a two-year-old minding his own business with plush dolls. Though the child was still incapable of proper speech, that didn't mean he wasn't smart. In fact, Ben was very inquisitive when it came to learning something new. The toddler was smart enough to even help Tom fix his arm sometimes. Of course, he was only responsible for providing the right tools, but he was still very intelligent to identify which ones.

However, blessings usually brought curses, and Tom knew that at some point Ben was going to wonder about his mother. Should he even tell the boy about her? They still have to deal with the Ink Demon from time to time, so what more stress could he enforce on his son if he was only two? He didn't want to bring such a burden on him at such a young age.

Tom continued working on some mechanics before he felt something tug his pants. Looking down, the wolf softened when he saw his son gazing at him with those innocent eyes, pleading for Tom to spend some time with him. As much as Tom really needed to focus on this task, he knew he couldn't say no.

Ben grinned when Tom accepted his request, and the wolf took a step back before playfully wiggling his fingers as a sign of play. Ben squealed with delight when the wolf began chasing after him. Knowing they couldn't step foot outside, Tom made sure to be very careful while playing with his son indoors. The toddler may be adorable, but he sure was a fast little rascal!

Tom managed to capture Ben and instantly got to his knees, tickling the toddler. Ben chortled with glee, and that's when Tom grabbed the baby and rolled onto his back, holding Ben high above his head. He even began tossing and catching the toddler in his hands each time.

Seeing his son laugh made all the darkness Tom was suffering from disappear. Children were indeed little miracles, and their positive energy was something that uplifts evil. Though Ben may be some kind of monster underneath, that didn't mean it couldn't forever be kept at bay. After all, Ben inherited everything from Allison…for the most part.

Eventually, Tom figured that he was going to need to tell Ben the truth, but even then did he truly not understand what kinds of secrets were being kept from him…

Tom regained consciousness as soon as Alice stopped shocking him. He'd been tied up for several days, shocked over three-hundred times, and received several slaps across the snout from Alice whenever he gave dirty looks. Overall, he was currently enduring a great deal of Hell being strapped like this. Yet so far, thinking about his memories with Ben helped him continue strong.

Boris sat before the torture room, quietly satisfying his craving of dead Butcher clones his master murdered. He crunched at their bodies greedily, and tossed whatever wasn't edible into the pile behind him. He also kept occasionally jerking his head at the door for any trespassers. When the coast was clear, he continued back to filling his monstrous appetite.

Tom grimaced upon watching the brute, but he was interrupted again when he was shocked by Alice. Though he no longer was the man he was, that didn't mean the pain under such cruelty was there. He didn't know why, but this was far more painful than he realized.

He couldn't even fathom how Bendy felt.

"Interesting. You haven't died yet." Alice joked with a deep chuckle before releasing him, "Either you're stronger than I realized...or...I'm just not trying hard enough. Hmmm, no matter. I have you right where you belong."

Tom was too weak at this point to stay awake. He knew he couldn't keep fighting forever, so he was clinging to life as best he could. He knew he needed a miracle, but with Allison no longer around, it became apparent there was no hope left for the Gent worker.

Well, at least he'll reunite with his wife now…

And their son would finally have that freedom he deserves.

Ben released an angry war cry as he charged for the wall of the stomach, nearly knocking himself unconscious while Allison watched tirelessly. It's been about four hours since they've been eaten alive, but at this point, the angel didn't know how they could escape. They only have less than an hour before they become digested.

With a frown, Allison watched the boy continue kicking and punching the wall. Children always seemed to have a strong tendency for determination, and Ben seemed to be one of those youngsters.

"Spit us out you brute!" Ben shouted.

"Ben."

"You think you can digest me?! Me?! The king of fun!?"

"Ben..."

Ben formed both of his hands into fists, determined to send the monster a really good punch. Releasing another enraged cry, the child charged straight for the stomach again, but he accidentally slipped on slime and crashed face-first into the juicy organ lining. Allison winced and jerked her head away, but she looked back to see that Ben was now covered in the stomach's goo.

"UGH, gross!" Ben whined.

Allison watched him clean himself down and smiled. There was just something about this child that made him seem different. Almost...familiar. After comforting him prior, there was some kind of light, almost motherly, that she couldn't quite put her finger Ben finished, he turned to notice Allison staring at him. This was a little odd, but he didn't mind.

Ben awkwardly bit his lip and looked away, feeling his cheeks flush. He then looked again from the corner of his eyes to check and see if she was still looking.

Yep.

His pupils turned away, then several seconds later, he looked again.

Yep.

Ben now started to get slightly uncomfortable with her continuous staring and laughed anxiously. "Uhm, Alice? Why do you keep staring at me like that?"

Alice maintained her smile, not seeming to notice she was making him uneasy. "Staring how?"

"I dunno, like you wanna eat me or something?"

Allison's eyes widened. Eat him? Why made him think she'd wanna eat him?

"Guess Tom's taught you of the dangers you should be aware of?" she asked, hoping to break the tension.

Ben scoffed in response. "I wouldn't say there's many dangers that I should be worried about."

"Besides the Ink Demon." she remarked.

"Pssh, well yeah, he's everybody's problem." Ben snickered, tossing a piece of a pencil into the juice river. The monster released a growl that vibrated their surroundings, and it was enough to make Ben and Allison freeze with fear. Believing he was upsetting the beast, Ben gulped and held his hands out before him. "Sorry big guy!"

Allison's eyes glanced at the stomach juice as she saw it was beginning to bubble. "We need to find a way out of here. Won't be long until this beast empties its stomach down to the next step."

"And what's that?" Ben asked.

"Digestion."

"You mean – ?"

"Yes."

Ben gagged in response to the idea of becoming waste. Now, he and the angel needed to find a way out, but how were they going to accomplish such a task when they were in a stomach?

Wait…

Ben sat at the table as he was presented with his first bowl of soup. After spending the first seven years of his life with no necessity to eat, the boy's hunger finally emerged, and that meant he needed to eat something for the first time.

Despite the intimidating demeanor, Tom was absolutely on edge to see how Ben was going to take this. He didn't know if the boy would take the spoon beside the bowl, or he'd release the monster and devour it like an animal. Either way, Tom didn't need to worry about feeding his son for seven years, so this was indeed a huge step to see which genes he inherited more.

Ben smiled at his father, unfazed by the wolf's pounding heartbeat, before turning back to the steaming bowl. Tom was slowly backing away just as a precaution, but his fears came true when Ben ignored the spoon and devoured the bowl instead. Tom froze in absolute fear upon what he just witnessed. The precious little boy he was used to seeing just grew a mouth of sharp teeth! How could he not unsee that!

Ben released a soft belch and rubbed his stomach. He looked up at his father and grinned as if nothing happened. However, he felt his stomach weaken and it made him too sick to move. Then, Ben felt the soup quickly rise back up into his throat.

Tom saw the boy retching and immediately panicked. Running around the room for a bucket, he presented Ben with a small trash can, and the boy vomited everything back up.

Needless to say, Tom had to empty out the bucket ten times again that night…

Ben shuddered upon reminiscing that day, but he gasped when he realized something. If he was a creature of ink, capable of having a stomach like the monster he and Allison were in, then that meant it can vomit too.

"What is it?" Allison asked, having noticed his expression.

"I know what we gotta do." Ben addressed before explaining, "When I was younger, I ate something that didn't agree with my stomach. So what if... the monster didn't realize that eating us was a bad idea...and we make him throw us back up!"

Allison pondered the idea, even if it sounded gross. "I suppose that's a good plan. Problem is...how are we going to make that happen?"

"Easy." Ben stated before reaching for Allison's crucifix behind her belt buckle. The angel gasped and tried to take back her collectible, but she remained silent as he gestured to the item now burning in his hand.

"This is our ticket outta here!" Ben winked, slightly wincing as his hand was nearly on fire. Then without hesitation, he threw the charm as far as he could into the contents of the beast's stomach.

"Ben!" Allison gasped, "That was sacred! If this is really going to work, why didn't it happen earlier?"

"Alice...Alice...Alice." Ben tsked, folding his arms before sending her a sly smile, "That's easy. You didn't let him finish digesting."

Allison said nothing as she and Ben stared at the crucifix floating in the murk. Smoke then began emerging from the cross, and the juice began boiling as the crucifix began dissolving into the ink acid.

Ben smirked and knew this was going to work. No monster created in this studio could resist the power of the holy cross.

Allison gasped when the beast suddenly unleashed forceful retching, nearly knocking the two angels off their feet. The walls of the stomach were quickly contracting upon each gag, and the contents of the stomach were bubbling and forming waves.

Ben was unfazed by this chaos around them. He was so ready to get out of here!

"Ben!" Allison shouted as she reached for the child's arm, anxiously gazing around.

"Yeah, you might wanna hold on to something!" Ben exclaimed.

Henry had been silently strolling along the ink river, cautious for the ink monster that'll sense and hear the movement of his boat. Luckily for him, it didn't seem to be anywhere near today. It was most likely resting or hunting another section that Henry was nowhere near. After having the advice given by his wife, Henry was here to discuss with Tom and Ben about the unfortunate theory he pieced together. Hopefully, Tom won't kill him for this and Ben won't hate him.

Almost reaching the main dock, Henry's boat decided it no longer wanted to operate, and died. After hearing the engine fade, Henry knew that definitely wasn't a good sign.

"That doesn't sound good," he said to himself.

He took a look to see if ink had gotten stuck in the paddlewheel, but when it was clear, that's when he realized he was in trouble.

Great.

Stuck in the middle of an inky river inside a dark tunnel. What an easy way to die.

Just before he could check inside the throttle, Henry was taken aback when the entire tunnel began to shake, trembling his boat side to side.

What in the-

And that's when Ben and Allison were shot straight out of the river like cannonballs.

Unfortunately, they were aimed straight for Henry's boat.

The older man didn't even get the chance to react as Ben plummeted straight into him, with Allison luckily collapsing near the end of the boat. Upon the immense discomfort it was in, the monster took no interest in messing with them and swam away.

The trio groaned upon the harsh landings as they slowly regained themselves. Before Henry could even get back up, he was pinned back down by the ecstatic child now sitting on his chest.

"Henry!" Ben beamed, "You're back!"

Upon hearing that name she never believed to hear again, Allison focused her attention onto the man Ben was fascinating over. Could it be? No, it couldn't! How could he be here if-

Allison watched as Henry found the strength to lift Ben off him and stand back to his feet. Her expression only changed into more shock when she noticed that this was indeed the man she met long ago.

After dusting himself off from any debris, Henry's eyes locked straight into Allison's. Could it be? No, it couldn't! How could she be here if...

Before Henry could speak, he was caught off-guard when Allison quickly ran and embraced him. Immediately, he hugged her back and knew that this was indeed the Alice he remembered. How she was alive, he didn't know, but that didn't matter. What truly mattered was that he was ultimately pleased to see her again.

Ben had stepped out of the way and smiled at their tender moment. He felt a little stray for not being well-known, but he remained optimistic. Seeing them so happy and full of joy was absolutely touching.

Henry was surprised to suddenly hear Allison sniffle, but he knew this was purely out of joy. Comforting her, Henry stroked her back and quietly counseled her. She then pulled away and began wiping the ink tears under her eyes.

"You came back."

Henry nodded in response.

"But...how? Why?" She exclaimed, "H-How can you come back if you were free? Why would you want to come back here?!"

"You said it yourself Alice. We're here for a reason when there's always a reason. Even when we don't understand the meanings behind them."

Ben's eyes widened with reverence upon those words. He'd never heard a statement as bold as that before. Allison wiped away her remaining tears, laughing anxiously.

"I've been searching for an answer for so long! I never knew why Tom and I never got our second chances, but I suppose you're right. Maybe it's right in front of me, and I just haven't been looking hard enough!"

"Wait..." Ben jumped in, giving his full attention as soon as he heard his father's name, "You and Tom were human?!"

Allison chuckled with a nod. "Yes. We all are."

Henry immediately shifted his eyes to the ground, silently returning his attention to the throttle to see if he could fix the problem. He wanted to avoid this conversation.

"Wow! So that means I'm human too?" the child asked, excitedly.

"You have to be...otherwise… how else would you be here?" Allison replied. However, she grew concerned when Ben seemed to be hyperventilating, "Ben? Are you alright?"

Ben placed a hand to his chest, feeling his heart beat faster and faster. He was human! He was a human! Not a monster like Bendy, and not another creature of the ink!

He was Ben!

"I-I think I need to sit down for a second." Ben exhaled nervously, slightly shivering in both shock and excitement.

"Here." Allison gestured to her lap, beginning to cross her legs and sit down. Ben slowly walked over and sat in the angel's lap, too stiff to move. He was absolutely overjoyed on hearing this news. Allison noticed that his hair was slightly mangled and began to stroke it back to its original form. Shivering to maintain his composure, Ben swallowed hard and just blankly stared ahead. This was absolutely the greatest day he's ever had in his life!

"Ben...you sure you're alright?" Allison asked, finally taking notice of his peculiar behavior, "You look like you've seen an Ink Demon."

Before Ben could respond, he and Allison turned to see Henry shout in alarm. Wincing, the older man shook his hand to relieve the pain, and that's when Ben grew suspicious and got back on his feet.

"Henry, what happened? You okay?"

"I'm alright buddy." Henry grinned.

"What'd you do?"

"Just a little shock. Nothing too bad."

Ben frowned before taking a look at the mechanics inside the throttle of the barge. It seems Henry was having trouble restarting the boat, and since it wasn't complying, Ben figured he needed to step in. Lowering to his knees, the kid peered inside and immediately found the source of the problem. Ben smirked and began to mess with the tangled mess of wires.

"Ben, what are you doing? Don't mess with those. I don't want you getting hurt." Henry implored.

Ben didn't reply as he continued adjusting wires to their ports, careful not to shock himself in the process. Allison and Henry watched with both interest and awe as Ben continued his work. Never before have they seen a child so skilled in repairing!

Ben could feel that the silence behind him was the two adults watching, but he didn't mind. He's been doing this for years, and sometimes it was a relaxing exercise. Biting his tongue as he placed the final wire into a port lodged deep inside, Ben finally managed to get it in and slid out.

"And that's a wrap!"

"You fixed it that fast?" Henry asked as Ben shut the door to the throttle.

"Henry, I don't know if you knew what you were doing, but you switched out the power wire for the one that powers on this." Ben stated as he pointed up to the stage light above their heads, "That's why you hurt yourself."

Allison giggled while Henry remained silent, feeling slightly embarrassed. He thought he knew what he was doing, but it seems that a child knew more about mechanics than he did. Not that he was complaining of course!

With a slight chuckle, Henry looked down and shook his head with a smile. Allison began laughing upon seeing Henry succumb to the humor, and this made Ben smile. He didn't know what was so funny, but it indeed felt good to see them giving in to the absurdity.

"You got me." Henry replied with a warm smile, "Guess that means I should be learning from you instead."

Ben scoffed and waved Henry off. "Pfft, nah! It's nothing! I just happened to learn from the best wolf in town."

"I can see that." Henry grinned as Allison got back to her feet to take control of the barge. When it powered on without any more issues, they set sail and drifted further down the tunnel.

"Now, let's get outta this Hell-hole." Ben winked.

Alice finally grew weary of torturing Tom and knew she needed a break. Knowing she was going to be stepping away, she glowered at her unconscious prisoner and shifted her focus on Boris, who was waiting for any orders she may have.

"Boris..." she chuckled, "Be a good boy will you? Watch over our guest."

Boris immediately complied by turning his attention on Tom. Smirking, Alice said nothing more and stepped out from the torture room. Hell, even a foul creature like herself needed a break after committing endless torture.

In fact, indulging in some hearts sounded like that would be the best thing right now.

The Projectionist wasn't the only one in this studio who had a thing for the intriguing organs. Unlike him, Alice had a ferocious appetite in satisfying her perfection with the life force of others. Keeping the hearts locked away in her personal sanctuary, the twisted angel would always come and devour the lives of those that were far less superior than her.

And unlike Norman, she has something far more valuable than just any other typical organ.

Stepping inside her inky haven of dismantled bodies and cages, she slowly strolled over to her personal bureau. Summoning the key from the palm of her hand, the angel took no hesitation to unlock the drawer and slowly pull it open. With a smug expression crossed over her lips, Alice grabbed her substantial worth and delicately held it up close to her lips.

However, instead of feeling hungry for life, she was more hungry for power.

After all...this wasn't just your average heart.

Holding the organ close, she knew that her time to become powerful and perfect was far closer than she could imagine...

And she cannot wait to meet him.

"Mother will see you soon." she whispered demonically, planting a tender kiss to the pumping organ. Pulling away, she grinned and knew that much work needed to be done in order to welcome such a thing like Ben...

For a mother's love was unconditional.