After his relapse, Bendy was doing everything to avoid the kids, especially Emily. Bendy still felt guilty about attacking and nearly killing Emily and possibly the others. And no matter how much the others encouraged him and assured him it was not his fault, nothing could completely drive away the fear and worry that it would happen again. And next time… he might not be stopped in time. But Bendy underestimated how much the kids cared about him and they were determined to show that they still wanted to be with him.

"Is everyone one ready for Operation: Get Bendy Back?" Kevin whispered to the others as they approached the Stein's front door. The others nodded in determination so Kevin turned to the door and rang the doorbell. A minute later Henry opened the door.

"Hi Henry," Kevin greeted, doing his best to act normal. "Can Bendy come out to play?"

"I'm sorry, but he's still not up for it today," Henry told them with a smile, giving them a wink. "Why don't you come back in a few days to see if he's better."

"Okay Henry," Kevin replied, forcing himself to sound sad will the others hid their smiles. They made a show of leaving the house and going down the street, suspecting that Bendy would be watching from the window. Once they were out of sight, they began sneaking back to the Stein's house and into their back yard. They pressed themselves against the walls by the back door, making sure to stay out of sight as they waited for Bendy to come out.

"You know those kids really do care about you…" Henry's voice was muffled through the door, but the kids could still make out what he was saying.

"I know…" they heard Bendy quietly reply. "And that's why it's better they stay away from me… I don't want them to get hurt because I'm a monster…"

"You're not a monster Bendy…" Henry comforted. "And I know those kids don't see you as one. Just give them a chance…"

There was a long stretch of silence before the kids heard Henry sigh. "Alright… I won't force you, but you've been copped in this house too long. Why don't you go into the backyard with Ink Blot for a while? I know being out in the sun will help cheer you up."

"…fine…"

The kids grinned at each other, their plan to have Henry lure Bendy outside was working. They held their breath as the back door opened and watched as Ink Blot came running out, soon followed by a subdued Bendy. The little Ink Demon didn't notice them as he moved from the door and once the toon was far enough from the door, the kids jumped on top of him. Bendy let out a surprised whistle followed by a warning growl, his ink bubbling slightly in preparation to transform before he realized exactly who had ambushed him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Bendy asked, torn between surprise and fear.

"You've been avoiding us, dummy," Beth teased, poking Bendy in the stomach. "We had to do something to get you to talk to us."

"Bendy… what happened wasn't your fault," Emily assured quietly, making sure Bendy was looking at her. "It was an accident and I forgive you…"

"But… I hurt you…" Bendy whispered, doing his best to avoid looking at anyone. "And I could have killed you… I'm too dangerous to be around… I'm a monster… you should stay away from me…"

"You are not a monster…" Emily said firmly, hugging Bendy.

"You're our friend," Chris agreed, giving Bendy a comforting smile. "We care about you. Besides, accidents happen between friends all the time. We've gotten all sorts of scrapes and bruises all the time from playing."

"One time I even broke my arm when I was playing with my brother," Kevin added, showing off a scar. "He felt really guilty about it, but I don't blame him. "

"And that's our point Bendy," Matt concluded. "Accidents happen between friends and you feel guilty about what happened. And you feeling guilty is how we know you're aren't a monster, so stop calling yourself one."

"Now come on," Emily said, pulling Bendy to his feet. "Let's go play. We already have some clothes for you to disguises yourself."

Bendy couldn't bring himself to argue and let himself get dragged along. Bendy was awkward at first but began to relax as he played. Before long he was laughing and smiling genuinely for the first time in days. Unfortunately, their fun came to an end when a group of older kids came to the park.

"Get lost losers," the leader of the group said. "You're not welcome here anymore, it's our park now."

The others glared at the older kids but started to head out. Bendy looked between the two groups in confusion, not really understanding what was going on.

"Come on Bendy," Kevin said quietly, starting to pull the toon with him. "Let's go play somewhere else."

"But it's not their park…" Bendy stated. "And we were playing here first."

"A smart guy huh," the leader said, grabbing Bendy and staring him in the face. "You're obviously new kid, so I just let you off with a warning. Don't get in my way or I'm going to have to teach you a lesson…"

"You mean like when Henry teaches me how to read."

"That's it you twerp!"

"Bendy!" the others shouted in worry as the older kid punched him knocking the toon to the ground. Bendy curled in on himself, not because he was hurt but because he was trying to keep himself from transforming into the Ink Demon.

"Stay away from him!" Beth shouted, running forward only to get pushed down by the older kids.

"Just be happy I don't beat up girls," the leader mocked as Matt and Kevin held Chris back. Bendy felt something snap within him at hearing Beth cry out in pain. It was bad enough that someone would hurt him again… but no one hurt his friends! With a growl, Bendy's body began to grow. The other kids shouted in fear as they say the Ink Demon tower over them.

"Don't hurt them!" the Ink Demon roared, making the kids pale and run off in a panic. Once the kids had run away, his friends hugged him even though he was still in Ink Demon form.

"That was awesome!" Kevin cheered. "Did you see the looks on their faces!"

"Thank you, Bendy," Emily smiled. "You protected us!"

"See," Matt smirked, playfully punching the Ink Demon. "You're not a monster, you're our friend and you did all you could to keep us safe."

"We have the park to ourselves now," Beth grinned. "Let's keep playing."

The Ink Demon chuckled as he shrunk back down into his toon form. As they went back to their games, Bendy couldn't help but feel lighter. His friends really weren't afraid of him and maybe… being able to turn into the Ink Demon isn't so bad… not when he can protect the people he cares about…