AN: Just a heads up, I'm going on vacation so I won't be posting any stories until I get back. Have this early chapter to help tide you over!

Henry had the dreadful feeling that something was wrong, one that had been growing exponentially the last few minutes. Henry put down his pens and brushes, determined to check on his toons.

"OH MY GOSH! BENDY!"

Alice's shout immediately sent Henry running, following the others as they hurried out the front door. Henry felt his heart stop for a moment when he caught sight of his little ink demon. Bendy's form was half-melted, one of his horns was practically gone and the ink was dripping down over his face. His fingers were starting to melt together and his feet were halfway gone, leaving splattering footprints as he staggered towards them. His backside seemed to be in the worse condition as there deep holes being formed as ink bubbled and melted away.

Henry and the others were immediately at Bendy's side. Sammy got to him first, reaching out to help the toon only to yelp when he touched Bendy. Pulling his hands away with a hiss, Sammy and the others stared in shock and horror as parts of his hands started to bubble and melt slightly too.

"Everyone stay back," Henry instructed as he scooped up Bendy in his arms. Whatever was causing Bendy so much damage made Henry's skin uncomfortably hot but didn't seem in danger of hurting him like it did the other ink creatures. Henry easily pushed past the heat as he held his toon son close. The little demon curled up into him with a pained whimper as Henry headed back for the house.

"I've got you, Bendy," Henry comforted is he and the others hurried inside. "I've got you… You're safe…"

Bendy clutched Henry's shirt briefly before falling limp.

"Get all the ink we have!" Henry ordered the others as he carefully laid the demon on the couch. The others didn't need to be told twice, scrabbling to gather all the special ink they kept safely stored. After Henry had finished restoring everyone's bodies to the best of his ability, he had thought it was a good idea to have a few ink wells stocked up in case someone got hurt and needed some to help heal up. Never though, did he think one of his toons would be hurt this severely. Whoever was behind this… Henry would make sure they paid…

Henry snapped out of his dark thoughts as the others returned. Taking an ink well from Alice, Henry carefully tilted back Bendy's head and poured the ink inside. The effect was immediate though not nearly as strong as Henry would have liked as the melting began to slow. Henry poured ink well after ink well into Bendy and it was only when they were on their last one did the melting stop completely and there were signs of healing, though it was still painfully slow. The ink well was still half full so Henry used it to heal Sammy's hands. The ink man protested at first, insisting that Bendy clearly needed it more than he did, but eventually he gave in.

"What happened to him?" Linda asked quietly, sitting on the other end of the couch. She wanted to help, but she was afraid of hurting Bendy or making things worse. Ink Blot was pacing around the couch anxiously, letting out worried meows.

"I don't know," Henry replied, carefully rubbing between Bendy's horns in an attempt to comfort the unconscious demon. Studying the demon, it looked like someone had doused him in acetone, but there wasn't the distinct smell that usually came with the chemical. Something on Bendy's hand caught Henry's eye, making him carefully turn Bendy's hand over to discover an outline of a cross burnt into his palm.

"I think, people tried to exorcise him," Henry said with deadly seriousness as he showed the others the burn, making the others gasp. "And they must have poured holy water on him to do this kind of damage to him.

"But why?" Alice wondered, covering her mouth in shock. "Bendy's a good demon! He never hurt anyone, at least not on purpose, and he's been doing so well…"

"He is a demon and that's enough of an excuse for some people," Sammy replied bluntly, grimacing as he thought back to when Bendy had first been made and the many violent reactions there had been.

The group was distracted from their conversation by the sounds of a lot of angry people gathering in front of the house. The toons immediately went around and started pulling all the curtains closed while Sammy and Norman stood by the door, ready to defend the others if the mob attempted to break in. Henry carefully placed the unconscious Bendy in Linda's arms and had her and all the other toons hide upstairs. Giving a Sammy and Norman a nod, Henry went out the front door.

The crowd had gotten quite large and clearly divided. The ones that must have attacked Bendy were to one side, covered with ink and several sporting bruises, cuts, and a few hastily bandaged wounds that were still bleeding. The other side consisted of friends and neighbors who had seen Bendy's melting form and had figured out something terrible had happened. There was a lot of noise and Henry couldn't do much to calm things down. Eventually, the police arrived, breaking up the crowd, taking down information, and eventually getting people to go home.

Henry and Detective Lancer, a good friend of Henry's who helped keep information about Bendy and the other ink creatures under wraps, went into the Stein household. Henry lead Detective Lancer to his study and told him everything he knew and figured out.

"This is a tricky situation," Detective Lancer sighed as he absorbed all the information. "From what you've said, the others basically attempted to murder Bendy and they're claiming he attacked them and they were just defending themselves."

"Bendy would never hurt someone on purpose," Henry replied firmly. "And he can't be blamed for defending himself."

"I know," Lancer agreed. "And if I could, I would charge them all for it, but there's another issue. Attempted murder is a very serious crime and news would not stay quiet. If we did that, the toons would become public knowledge."

"Which cannot be an option, especially after this incident," Henry grimaced. If knowledge of the toons become public, there would all sorts of debate, most likely involving major religious organizations and the government. Any hope the toons had for a peaceful life would be shattered and Henry would never do that to them.

"I'll find some way to charge them that doesn't drag you and the others into the spotlight," Detective Lancer promised, getting ready to leave. "My little Beth adores Bendy and the other toons and I'll make sure those that did this to him will not get away with it."

"Thank you," Henry replied sincerely, getting a nod from Detective Lancer as he left. With a sigh, Henry shut the door and headed upstairs.

"How's Bendy doing?" Henry asked, joining the others crowded around Bendy's bed.

"He hasn't moved at all," Linda replied, looking sadly at the little demon. Henry gently sat down on the bed next to Bendy, carefully looking him over. They stayed like that for a while, watching and fretting over Bendy. Eventually, Linda herded all the others out of the room to have dinner. Henry stayed by Bendy's side, watching over him and stocking Bendy's head. Ink Blot was curled against the Bendy's other side, occasionally nudging the unconscious toon in hopes of a response. Henry hated how helpless he felt right now. His son was unconscious and there was nothing he could do to help. The other's always referred to him as their Creator and he had been able to restore their bodies before. Surely there must be something…

In response to Henry's desperate thoughts, he felt a strange pulse through his hand stroking Bendy and was surprised to see a fresh smear of golden ink on Bendy before it was absorbed into the toon's skin. Startled, Henry pulled his hand up and was a little alarmed to see glowing yellow veins under the skin of his palm, golden ink slowly dripping through. A shift from Bendy drew Henry's attention before he could panic and he could see where the ink had been spread had healed significantly. Spurred by this discovery, Henry began gently smearing ink over Bendy's wounds, multiple times on the more severe ones. Henry watched in relief as Bendy's form became whole and as the devil started to stir, the veins in Henry's hand faded away.

"Hey my little ink demon," Henry smiled, rubbing Bendy between the horns as the toon began to wake up. "You're home and your safe…"

Bendy blinked up at Henry before letting out a scared and relived whine, immediately clinging onto Henry. Henry easily held the toon close, comforting him as Bendy sobbed into Henry's chest. Ink Blot jumped onto Bendy, purring to show her relief that the demon was okay. Henry didn't know what those veins or the strange power he seemed to have meant, but since it let him help Bendy, he didn't care. All that mattered to Henry was his family and he would always do all he could to keep them safe.

Once Bendy had calmed down, Henry carried the toon down the others so they could all see and celebrate the fact he was going to be alright.