Hey guys! Sorry for the wait! Work has been really intense and my schedule is all over the place. Trying to enjoy my summer as much as I can and still thinking of ideas! ALSO...that trailer for the Bendy sequel! Oh my gosh! I was screaming with excitement! Bendy and the Dark Revival will be sooooo awesome! I can't wait for this fall!

By the way...THIS STORY IS OFFICIALLY ONE YEAR OLD (well a little over the date, but still lol)! I can't believe it's already been a year since I got this idea at work and I was scrambling for every scrap of paper I could get my hands on to write down every detail. Seriously! That's how this happened! I can't believe that this story has made it this far! 9 chapters in a year! Holy crap! And I'm shocked to see how many of you have read it! Seriously! I never imagined how popular this would get! I love writing this story and I'm thrilled that I'm bringing a different side of Bendy and the Ink Machine to life! I hope that you all continue to keep reading as this story unfolds. Thank you so much!

I'll be honest, this chapter was a challenge for me. But in the end, I hope it's all worth it. I wanted to make sure that Jane's story could be told and I was able to capture Bendy and the others as best as I could. I hope you all enjoy this long chapter! Don't forget to leave a review for me! I seriously love getting these whenever I post a new chapter. I don't mind if they're long or short. I just want to know how I'm doing as a writer. I hope you enjoy this!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bendy and the Ink Machine! That belongs to the Meatly/Kindly Beast. I only own Jane.

Review Responses: Thank you to all of you who sent reviews and for throwing out your theories! I loved hearing it! You guys are amazing! You make my dull days better with your kind words and excitement!

PrincessEmag- Indeed he does. His reasoning might be different from what she thinks, but I like where you went with that. I guess I never looked at it in that way. But there will be more to that reasoning later on down the road. You'll have to see what will happen for them in the next chapter! ;)

TheAmazingAuthoress- Yeah, that's a good way of putting it. His emotions are all over the place. After all, he hasn't really had a conversation with someone in so long since he was trapped in the machine. I'm glad to hear that I made things clear! Thanks! hahaha dude I love the theories! Plus comedic ways are the best! And please don't stop haha I don't mind them at all! XD

JOHNHAMMOND1993- Indeed he does love calling her Toots! Oh man...that's a great question! I love it! Uhh...wow. Sadly I don't have an answer at this time, but I'll try to have another one next time. But very good question! Adventure is out there!

Guest- Wow! Really? Thank you so much! Ohhhh that's a big story. I'm truly honored to hear this. Five Nights at Freddy's is a great game too. I hope I'm doing good!

Princess Dash- Awww thank you! I felt that we should've seen the monster side! Plus...this is a whole different side to Bendy.

GordonFreeman72- haha it's fine! It's fine. Reading is always great and distracting. I love reading fanfics. Thank you so much! I hope it's coming off well. That's the one thing I've been worried about. I hope the growing relationship is conveying the message I'm trying to say.

TinyCookies123- Indeed it does! Awww I will keep being me! You keep being you! Ohhh I'll have to look it up! Thank you for that!

Jane stood at the back of the massive crowd that covered most of the back yard of one of the dorms. Her eyes stayed on the lukewarm brown liquid that sloshed around the sides of the red cup in her hand. One of the girls had handed her a cup and told her to have fun.

Fun? Getting drunk on some strange liquid was fun? Maybe for some people it would, but not her.

The stuff stunk like expired motor oil or cough syrup. Just smelling it reminded her of this old friend of her parents that would come over to visit. His clothes, breath, and skin smelt of it. Anytime she smelled that sort of beer, she always thought of that friend. Not her favorite person in the world. Definitely not, that's for sure.

Why was she even here again? Oh right...because her fellow roommates begged her to drive them all to the party. Then her duty was to drive them all back home when they were too drunk to do anything. Or as they said...'until we forget who we are and we'll wake up with no memory of that week of school or the test we have next Wednesday'. What a bunch of oddballs.

Honestly, why didn't she say no? Right now she could be in her dorm, studying for her finals. It was almost the end of the first semester and she had to focus all of her time on studying. But how could she study when her three roommates kept gossiping about who pranked the people in the dorm down the hall. And when it wasn't that, it was about who was the girl who had sneaked a boy into her dorm two days ago and was caught by security when the boy tried jumping off the balcony into the bushes. Needless to say, that guy ended up with fifteen stitches and a broken ankle.

Maybe she should just ask for a single dorm next semester. Less noise and more time to herself. Especially more privacy!

She definitely felt out of place here. Heck, she never even attended parties in high school.

"Come on, Jane! Come dance with us!" one of her roommates called from the crowd of dancers.

Was her name Clarissa? Jane could never remember her name. She did when they introduced themselves on the first day, now all she could remember was the fact that this roommate took over the whole bathroom with her hair supplies.

Jane shook her head, holding the cup of nasty smelling liquid close. "That's okay. I'll just stay here and watch. I'm not much of a dancer."

"Awww come on! Just take a sip of that and you won't have to worry about looking silly!" she pressured Jane into drinking while twirling one of her dark red curls around her finger.

But Jane was much stronger when it came to peer pressure.

"I'm okay." she called back, glancing down at her cup.

"Nissa! Come on!" one of the other girls yelled, tugging the redhead further into the crowd.

'Nissa! That was her name!' Jane exclaimed to herself in triumph.

Suddenly someone crashed into her, making the gross liquid spill all over her jacket.

"H-hey! Watch it!" she yelled at a hopelessly drunk guy who stumbled by her.

The drunk stopped, his whole body sloshing around his body like it was made of rubber, his eyes glazed over. "Whaaat? Oh heeeeey Baby." he slurred with a sloppy grin.

Her eyes widened as he moved closer to her, the cup falling to the ground only to be crushed by his foot.

"What's a sexy...little thing like you...doin' hereeee?"

"I'm sorry, but I need to get to my friends." Jane politely told the drunk, trying to move past him, only to have the man grab her arm.

"Awww come on...stay here with me." he burped, making her groan in disgust, trying to pull her arm out of his grip.

"L-let go of me. Please." she tried to tell him, jerking back.

"Come on don't be so-"

"Hey! She said to let her go." another voice spoke, making the drunk and Jane turn towards the voice.

Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Travis standing there, hands clenched at his sides.

"Back off, Man." the drunk barked, moving closer to Jane to slide an arm around her waist. "Mm...she's mine..."

Jane pressed her hands against his sweaty chest, trying to get away from him. "Please s-stop..."

"I think you should let her go."

"And I think you should go...eat a cheeseburger." he slurred, making them both stare at him in confusion.

Wow, this guy was wasted.

Travis stood there for a moment until he held up his hands. "Okay okay, I'll back off. But...I think I should tell you that they started doing keg stands in the dorm." he spoke calmly and carefully. "And there are lots of girls wanting to see who can hold out the longest."

The glazed over eyes widened in shock before the drunken stranger pushed Jane away. "Sorry Babe, but I've gotta show those ladies how it done." He stared at them for another moment before he stumbled back inside, tripping over the stairs.

Jane sighed heavily in relief when he finally left. "Thanks for that." she told Travis as she tried wiping the sweat and booze off of her jacket that the drunk left behind.

Travis sighed as well, smoothing a hand through his messy hair. "Hey, it's no problem. Sorry I didn't come sooner. Probably could've stolen you away before he soaked you."

Jane let out a giggle as her cheeks grew warm. "Well...I didn't like this jacket anyways. It actually belongs to my roommate."

"Well tell them that you lost it in the laundry or something. I'll even help you out and make up some story that some girl stole it. Oh! Maybe even tell her that someone needed it for an intense dance battle."

She giggled again, stopping herself abruptly so she didn't sound weird. "Oh...well thanks." she replied before an awkward silence filled the air between them along with the sounds of some random song.

It had been several weeks since Jane had seen Travis. After their strange meeting in the library, they only saw one another about two more times. There had been a change in his schedule due to a lab being moved to the middle of the day when she had a studying break. Of course they texted back and forth a little, but of course, homework and studying would get in the way of all of that.

So it was a surprise for Jane to to see the young man again.

"Sooo...what brings you here?" he asked, glancing around at the various people. "This...uh...doesn't seem like your sort of place to hang out."

Jane's eyes darted around, resting on her roommates, who were laughing with a few guys. "Yeah...it's not. My roommates begged me to come with them."

"Did they, huh?" he mused, glancing over at them.

She wet her lips quickly. "Sooo...why are you here?"

His head turned back, blonde curls bouncing as he went. "Oh...got bored with studying and wanted to come outside. Mostly because the racket was distracting me from memorizing the latest formula."

"Which one is that?"

He shot a smirk at her. "Well...would I sound lame or charming if I said it was your phone number?"

Her cheeks grew warm before a laugh burst through her lips. Before she knew it, she was giggling like a school girl who was given a box of chocolates by a boy.

Travis smiled widely at the sound of her laughter.

Realizing that other students were glancing their way, she quickly covered her mouth, trying to conceal her giggles. "S-sorry. I don't laugh like this at all."

He shrugged, chuckling at her. "Oh I have that affect on women."

"I'm sure you do."

Jane almost couldn't believe herself? Was he flirting with her? Was she flirting with him?

"Well...what do you say that we go for a walk around. Seems that neither of us want to go dance like the others or getting drunk." he suggested, offering her hand. "Don't worry, we won't go far. I know you have to stick around here."

She glanced down at his hand and then at her roommates. "Uh...well..."

"Come on, let's live a little." he urged with a bright grin that had her nearly swooning.

Anxiously, she tried to fight against the voice that told her to go back to her dorm and hide from the public so she didn't screw up, but in the end, the other voice that told her to live for once won the argument.

Her hand touched Travis' palm gently allowing his fingers to curl around it. "Okay, let's go."

After that, things really seemed to calm down throughout the night. For Jane, the party around her seemed to disappear...literally. Travis had led her away from the crowd and up to the rooftop that overlooked the whole party.

It seemed romantic; sitting on the roof where they were able to watch the stars while drinking cons of soda that they picked up from a local 7/11 store down the block. They talked for several hours about their lives, their dreams and aspirations, about her art, about his love for working on old cars. They could barely keep track of how many topics to discuss as well as the time that passed.

Jane couldn't remember the last time she had felt so happy. Her head was now resting on his shoulder while his fingers played with hers, talking about how she loved watching cartoons when she was little and helped her come up with ideas she loved to draw.

Then sometime later, when the sun was beginning to rise, they found themselves silent, staring into each other's eyes before he made the first move, kissing her gently. It was a sweet kiss, slightly awkward, but regardless, she couldn't stop smiling. Her first kiss and it was definitely memorable.

More kisses would follow over the next several months and years.

Quick ones were given between classes. Sweet ones when they studied or cuddled in their dorms together. Intimate ones when they said their first 'I love you's'.

But then...kisses were then used as a weapon. To persuade her, trick her, and even...divert her attention to the real problems that she couldn't see. The ones that blinded her...like a curtain, shielding her from the world.

If only she knew...

The brunette jolted awake as the familiar and loud sounds of her cellphone rang through the room. The ringtone was the beginning bars of a heavy blues intro on the piano. For the past year, Jane questioned herself why she kept it this way. All it did was nearly give her a heart attack every time she heard it; whether if she was waking up to it or sitting in a quiet classroom only to have it go off in the middle of a test.

As she picked up the mobile, she heard a loud crash off to the side, followed by a deep groan. "Owwww...what the heck, Toots?"

Bendy, who was originally sleeping in the makeshift chair, was now on the floor and the crates were scattered throughout the corner. He rubbed his head a few times before shooting a glare her way. "Whatever that is...make it stop."

"I...I'm sorry." she apologized quickly before she glanced down at her phone. Her heart leaped in her chest when the word Henry flashed across the screen. "Oh my gosh! It's my uncle!" While Bendy grumbled a complaint across the room, Jane quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey! There you are! What happened to you, Kid? I've been worried sick about you." Henry's voice panted on the other side as if he had run a marathon.

"Oh my gosh, am I glad to hear your voice." Jane sighed in relief, grabbing at her chest, her heart thudding wildly. "I didn't think you would get this."

"I just heard your voicemail a minute ago. Sorry about that, I just back from work a few minutes ago. Got stuck on the late night shift at the store." he panted before letting out a loud sigh. "Now back to the important stuff. What exactly is going on here? You sounded really worried on the phone earlier and you said something about lying to me about where you went. I mean, if you didn't go to the beach, where did you go?"

"Who is that?" Bendy winched as he slowly got up, crawling onto one of the crates. The ink on the top of his head began sliding down the side of his left cheek. "Who are ya talking to, Toots?"

"It's my uncle." she told him before Henry spoke up.

"Wait...is someone there with you? Who is that?"

Jane met Bendy's gaze. "Uh it's...it's not important right now." she tried to tell Henry, not wanting to deal with the idea of having to explain who Bendy was. "Look...I...I need to tell you I..." she trailed off, feeling her nerves getting the best of her.

"Tell me what? Where are you, Kid?"

Her mouth opened, but no words were coming out. The fear at the back of her mind was beginning to cloud her thoughts. Would Henry be mad? Disappointed? She could practically hear what sorts of things her parents would say to her.

'What were you thinking?'

'Are you completely insane? We didn't raise our daughter to be so foolish!'

Her stomach churned at the thought.

"Jane? Are you still there?" Henry spoke gently into her ear, breaking Jane's thoughts.

Bendy tilted his head to the side, watching Jane freeze up for a moment. What was wrong with her? She was just fine earlier once she calmed down from the showdown with Sammy.

"Hey Kid, if you think I'm going to be mad at you, I'm not. You just sounded really...scared earlier."

She licked her lips before leaning down, resting her arm on her legs. "Yeah, I...I just don't know what to say..."

"Just tell me the truth, Kid. I won't get too mad at you, depending on where you really are." he began before trailing off. "You uh...you didn't do something stupid did you?"

"Well...in a way..." she winced, waiting for the angry blow that she was used to hearing from people.

"What does 'in a way' mean?"

"I...um..."

There was a long pause on Henry's end, making her heart sink.

But he let her know that he was still there by letting out a cough. "Uh...look, Kid. I'm not sure what's going on over there or why you're so hesitant on telling me, but you know it's me you're talking to. I'm not going to be the bad guy here and yell at you like you broke a vase or something. Remember when you broke the bird bath in the front yard with your bike all those years ago?"

"Yeah..."

"And do you remember what happened?"

She scratched the back of her head, pacing in front of Bendy, who was still remained standing by her. "Yeah...you saw what I did and you told me that it was an improvement."

"Yep." he responded, popping the 'p' at the end. "And did I yell at you?"

"No..."

"No, I did not. It was an accident." Then he sighed. "Jane, I know you're used to having your mom and dad get mad over the dumbest stuff, but you know that I'm not like them. That's what made your dad and I different growing up. I'm the more rational brother and I'm always willing to listen to you. Okay?"

"O-okay..." Jane mumbled, taking a deep breath before she sat down on a nearby crate.

Henry was right. She knew him better than anyone else. Henry was always by her side no matter what. He wasn't her parents nor was Henry like...him. Henry would understand...hopefully.

"Good, now just take a deep breath and tell me what's going on. Tell me where you are and I'll come get you."

"What's he sayin'?" Bendy asked, limping over to the crate that was sitting near her.

Jane lifted her head to look at her new inky friend. "I...he..."

"Jane, is someone there with you? I can hear someone else's voice."

"Well...I uh..." Biting her lower lip, she shook her head. "Okay, I...I did something pretty stupid."

On the other side, Henry let out a short laugh. "What? Did you drive off to casino and bet all you had on those slot machine things?"

That made a short laugh escape her lips at the preposterous idea. She barely even gambled when she was in college and everyone went through that poker phase. "Well...honestly that wouldn't be so terrible at the moment."

Much better than her current situation.

Then Henry groaned over the phone. "Don't tell me you got arrested for something. Punching a cop or got caught stealing?"

"Seriously?" Jane scoffed, rubbing her knee. "You honestly think that I punched a cop instead of obeying? And when have I ever stolen anything?"

"Well...you did steal my remote and took it home with you that one time."

She rolled her eyes. "It was one time! And I was five! I was just a baby!"

Henry chuckled. "What about my tuna sandwich?"

"Your tuna-" she started before letting out a laugh. "Hey, why would I steal that? I hate tuna."

Bendy watched Jane with fascination. Watching her smile and laugh at whatever the person on the phone was telling her. He wondered what they were discussing, but whatever it was, it made Jane happy. She wasn't crying anymore nor was the look of fear on her face. Whoever this guy was on the phone, he was making her feel better.

"I thought you hated liverwurst."

"Everyone hates liverwurst!" she replied with a crinkle of her nose. "Just like nobody likes bologna sandwiches."

"Well I guess we can agree on that one, Kid." he chuckled softly on the other side. It felt good to hear a friendly and familiar voice.

Bendy's eyebrows furrowed. "What's liverwurst? Never heard of the stuff."

Her eyes shifted to Bendy's onyx orbs filled with curiosity. "It's the worst kind of meat you could ever put on a sandwich."

"Huh, well that's one thing I won't try in life." he replied while Jane shot a quick smile his way.

"Who is that in the background, Jane? Oh wait, I've got it! Did you run off and get married on me and not invite your favorite uncle?" Henry asked, breaking the small moment between them.

Bendy's eyes widened comically before a a slightly grayed color tinted his white cheeks. "M-married?! What did we get hitched, Toots?" Bendy exclaimed, making Jane blush. "I mean, I know we just met and all-"

"N-no! No we didn't!" Jane stuttered embarrassingly, her cheeks turning pink. Did Henry seriously just assume that she got married?! And Bendy thought it meant them?! Marriage? To an ink demon? The idea sounded crazier than this whole place in general, and Joey Drew Studios was full of ludicrous ideas!

The ink demon seemed just as embarrassed as she did at the moment.

"'We'? Who's 'we'? Who is that with you?" Then Henry paused for a second or two. "I mean, if you got back with your ex..." he trailed off before his tone became serious. "I think we should discuss why that doesn't-"

"No! Never! I would never get back with him." she hissed, her heart aching for a moment at the thought of his face. "He's dead to me, alright?"

She could still see him now. Sandy blonde locks that needed a desperate haircut, icy blue eyes that could see into her soul...filled with hate and disgust, soft lips that could either render her speechless or...tell the most horrible lies and manipulate anyone into believing him. The things he could say...such vile things.

Swallowing the lump in the back of her throat, she quickly shook her head. She couldn't think about him right now.

"Anyways, I just...I don't know how to tell you this. I just...I'm stuck and I...I can't get out."

"You're stuck? Stuck where?"

"I'm at-"

Suddenly room began to shake around them, causing a few knickknacks and cans to fall off the shelves above. The floor rumbled beneath Jane's feet, making her stumble a little while dust from the walls and the ceiling began clouding the room.

Jane's eyes widened in horror as she looked to her inky friend. "B-Bendy...what's happ-"

Suddenly a board in the ceiling collapsed at Jane's feet and a dark blob of ink began to drip down towards her. The blob became a hand, making the woman shriek in fear. As it reached for her, Bendy threw a chair at the hand, making the whatever it was attached to pull back up into the hole.

"Jane?!" Henry yelled through the phone. "What's happening?! Are you okay?"

Jane moved back, trembling as another board crashed at her feet, making her yelp. "I...I don't know what's happening!"

A low growl rumbled through Bendy's chest as he picked up the glass that Jane had been using and threw it at the hand that tried to reach in again. "They found us, Toots!"

Something began beating at the metal shutter, making Jane scream, backing away as far as she could. "What do you mean? How?!"

"That darn contraption of yours let them know where we were!"

She gaped at him. "What?! I-I didn't know they would-" she began before letting out another scream as something grabbed her from behind, yanking her against the wall. The phone fell to the floor while Henry continued to yell frantically.

"Bendy!" Jane screeched as an inky hand pulled at her neck, trying to yank her through the wall as it choked her.

Bendy growled, charging towards her to grab onto the fingers. "Hang on, Toots. I've gotcha!" He managed to pry the fingers off her neck, allowing fresh air to fill Jane's lungs once again.

When she was free, she darted away from the wall to pick up the fallen cellphone. "Are you still there?!"

"Jane! What the heck is going on there?! Where are you?!" Henry's panicked voice yelled back.

Biting her lower lip, Jane let out a short whimper. "Henry, I'm at the studio!" Jane cried into the phone, feeling her stomach drop. There it was, out in the open for Henry to judge.

"Studio? What studio, Jane?"

Another board crashed to her left while Bendy threw a forgotten boot at the hand that was trying to grab her by the hair. Where did he find all these weird items?!

"I'm at Joey Drew Studios!"

There was a short pause as the information soaked in for a moment.

"You're what?"

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry, Uncle Henry." she wailed, trembling as she shrunk into a corner. "And I'm sorry for not listening to you. I just...I didn't mean to disobey you or anything. I just-"

"Jane? You're gonna have to repeat that. I didn't hear you. You're where?" Henry yelled into the phone.

Did he not hear her? No...was she losing service?! No! This couldn't happen! Not now!

"Henry! I'm at Joey Drew Studios! I tried to go see Joey and talk but I'm trapped! And I can't get out and there are...things trying to hurt me and-"

"Jane? Hey! Hello?"

Suddenly the phone cut off, causing Jane's stomach to plummet when the sound of the dial tone rang in her ear. Her body tensed up, her fingers curling around the mobile. No...no this...this wasn't happening right now. It just can't!

"Toots! Toots! Hey! Wake up!" Bendy yelled, breaking her out of her numb spell for a moment. Her head turned to see Bendy fighting off the shutter that shielded them off from the halls, which now had ink seeping through the sides and bottom of the door. Were they going to drown in the ink?!

"Help me out here, Toots! Don't just stand there!"

Jane cursed under her breath, pocketing the cell phone before rushing to his aide. She quickly pressed herself against the metal, trying to assist the demon.

"What do we do?! Did your uncle say somethin'?!" Bendy asked frantically as he tried to keep the door from opening, fists clenched and teeth gritting together.

She shook her head quickly. "My phone died."

His face fell as he stared down at her worriedly. Bendy could see the hurt and devastation in her eyes. Something that he feared to see once again after everything she had been through. "So what now?"

Jane opened and closed her mouth a few times. "I...I don't know. I don't think he heard me when I told him where I was." Then she met his gaze. "What are we going to do?"

Bendy frowned before gritting his teeth hard. His glassy eyes searched the room until they landed on the storage closet. "Plan B, Toots." Then he quickly rushed from the shutter, limping towards the back room. "Come on."

Jane followed behind the demon, snatching up her backpack on the way. She did one quick glance around to make sure that she had everything. Nothing surrounded her except for dark ink that could swallow her up in one gulp.

Suddenly Bendy grabbed Jane's arm, yanking her inside with him, making her yelp. When they were both inside, Bendy pulled the door shut, locking it tightly before moving a box or two to hold the door up.

"How is this going to help us?" she exclaimed, looking at the rather foolish attempt at keeping them safe.

"It'll buy us some time." he responded as he knelt on the floor.

"And then what?" she squeaked, hugging herself tightly as her eyes shifted from the door and the inky demon who was now pulling on the vent. "What are you doing?"

"There's only...one way out..." he grunted as he pulled on it as hard as he could. "Of this gosh darn...closet." There was a loud creak before the vent gave away and feel to the floor with a loud clatter. "Phew. Haven't used this in some time." Bendy managed a toothy grin as he lifted his head. "This is the best way to travel in this place."

Jane bent her knees to get a good look at what he was showing off. "Wait...what?"

"Everyone around here travel in various ways, but when you've hit a dead end, the best way to travel is through these here vents. And right now, you're gonna have to crawl through here to escape."

"What?!" she exclaimed in panic, moving backwards into the wall of the closet, the backpack on her shoulders sliding to the floor behind her. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Oh come on, it's easier than it looks. These vents lead all through the studio. They'll get you far away from this place and hopefully somewhere safe."

"I escape?" she stuttered, crouching down to examine the duct. "Through here? Now I really think I'm going insane..." Jane ran a hand through her hair as she stood back up, nearly tripping over the large backpack, sending her back against the wall.

It seemed rather big than the ones she had seen around campus, but on the other hand, she knew she wasn't the smallest person. Bendy was much skinnier than she was.

'Maybe you should forget about the chips. You know, you're looking a little...chubby right now.'

Jane shut her eyes tightly at the sound of a familiar voice echoing through her head again. "No...shut up." A weight began pressing against her chest as her breathing became shallow.

'Clearly you really need to lose some weight. I mean, I want you to be beautiful because I love you. But seriously, you have to do better.'

She could feel the anxiety creeping through her chest just like those days in college. No, she wasn't chubby. She wasn't.

Something grabbed her shoulders, gently shaking her. "Toots!"

Her eyes shot open to stare back into the glassy dark orbs.

"What's goin' on with ya? Ya keep zonin' out and at the worst possible time." he asked, his eyes searching through hers. What was wrong with her? She panicked when she saw him the first time and when Sammy cornered her, but this time...he wasn't sure what scared her like this. No...this was different.

Jane felt fear render her motionless and her mouth quivering. "I...I can't do this..."

Worry crossed his features. "What? What do ya mean there, Toots? What do ya mean ya can't do it?"

Tears began filling her eyes. "I can't..."

"Why?"

Her arms shook along with her legs as if they could barely support her. "I...I can't..." she whimpered, making him frown.

"Toots, ya have to get outta here." Bendy told her sternly, but calmly as he gently took her hands in his. "Those things out there are gonna hurt ya."

Shaking her head frantically, Jane tried to find her voice. "I can't crawl through there. I won't fit." Warm tears were rolling down her cheeks as she stood there, the ink demon staring her right in the eyes. "I'm too chubby..."

Bendy blinked a few times, his head tilting to the side. "What? Of course you'll fit. I mean, it's the only way you're gonna make it outta here alive."

Her stomach churned at the thought of never making it out of here alive. A loud crash and the sound of metal scraping made both of them jump. The blobs must have broken through the shutter.

"Look..." Bendy began as his eyes went to the vent for a moment. "It's not that far of a crawl. I've seen bigger blobs out there fit through these things. Not sure if it's a compliment or not humans, but you're much smaller than most folks around here."

The pressure on her chest eased for a few moments as she tried to calm her nerves. She couldn't fall apart like this. Her life was on the line and she needed to survive.

"I'll hold them off and ya can crawl through the vents. It'll be a piece of cake."

Jane let out a shaky breath. "But what about you? Aren't you coming with me?"

Gritting his teeth, he glanced back at the door, which was now surrounded by ink. "I've gotta stay and hold them off so you can escape to the other side. I'll come find you later."

"What?!"

"Just crawl through the tunnels and it should be far away from here. I can handle them alone."

"No!" she blurted out, making Bendy turn to face her. "I...I can't leave you to get hurt."

Bendy let out a snort. "Don't worry about me, Toots! They're a couple of little ones. I can handle them. Heck, I've survived in that machine for long enough. But Toots, I don't think ya can grow limbs back or anythin'."

Her face paled at that. "Oh...great."

He began ushering her to the vent. "Just get outta here. Find a place to hide and stay there until I find you."

"But-"

"No buts, Doll. It'll be okay. Don't worry so much." he chuckled shortly, trying to keep some humor alive between them.

She blinked a few times. "I...I'm not that worried." she mumbled, a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

Bendy rolled his eyes. "Whatever ya say, Toots."

She opened her mouth to retort, but the sound of something crashing made them both jump.

"How many times have I gotta say it, Dollface?" he exclaimed, pushing her towards the vent opening. "Get outta here!"

"But-"

"I told ya before, no buts! Now crawl fast until ya find your way out!" he informed, pushing her backpack at her. "I'll find ya!"

Trembling slightly, she gripped her pack like a lifeline. "But how? I mean...I don't know where I'll end up."

"It should let ya out in one of the hallways. It won't be near the music department so ya don't have to worry about Sammy's goons comin' after ya." he informed her, frowning at the look of fear on her face. "Don't worry, it'll be okay. I'll come find you, Jane."

Jane chewed on her lower lip at the sound of her name coming off his lips. "O-okay..."

Bendy reached into the vent, placing a hand on her trembling shoulder. "I'll see you soon. Trust me."

Trust? Trust him?

Even if Jane still wasn't sure what Bendy's intentions were, she had nobody else in this. Henry still wasn't aware where she was and everyone else was out to get her. But Bendy...even if he was slightly possessive over keeping her, he was still trying to help her escape the threat that was bursting through the doors.

She managed a nod, before putting the backpack over her shoulders. "Okay, I'll see you soon."

He smiled down at her, his lips pulling back to reveal a big toothy grin.

But the moment was destroyed when a piece of the door shattered, making them both gasp in shock as a hand reached through the door.

Bendy met her gaze again. "Go!"

Quickly, he placed the vent cover back over, leaving Jane in the darkness. She almost wanted to call out to Bendy, but the sound of something roaring on the other side had Jane scrambling backwards, away from the vent door as quick as possible. Her stomach churned nervously and her blood ran cold at the familiar sound of Bendy probably transforming into that beast like before.

When something smashed into the vent, that was her cue to turn over onto her hands and knees to begin crawling down the vent. It was so dark that she couldn't see the vent ahead or even her own fingers. How was she supposed to find her way out of here?!

Either way, she had to try and get as far away as she could.

I originally planned on this chapter being longer, but I decided to cut it in half and save the rest for the next chapter! I can't believe we're almost ten chapters in! YAY! I can't tell you how difficult this chapter was to write. Honestly, I struggled with this chapter so much over the last few months, but I'm proud to say that it's finally done and I'm excited to work on the next portion. I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter and that you're all enjoying this!

Please let me know what you think of the story and how I'm portraying the characters! I hope I'm doing a good job out there. Thank you everyone! ^_^

(Also don't forget...DARK REVIVAL IS COMING! ;)