AN: For those of you that are confused, Pulled Apart takes place after New Day New Challenges. While I'm still posting stuff for NDNC, most of it is just going to be fun family fluff (especially with the holidays coming up). All the important plot stories have already been posted so you don't have to worry about missing any important details.

Ever since the ink had claimed him, Sammy has had a connection with Bendy. He didn't know how the connection came about because of how much he had exposed to the ink before he was transformed, the nature of the ritual that changed of if it was something that Joey did intentionally. But the connection was there and it was real, letting Sammy feel Bendy's emotions and even his thoughts.

When he was first transformed by the ink, the connection terrified him. He thought he was going insane when he felt emotions and heard thoughts that weren't his own. But as Sammy adapted to his new situation to survive, the connection was helpful. At that point in time, Bendy had accepted the fact that no one cared about him and had stopped trying to break free of his chains. So rather than focus on his miserable existence, the Ink Demon passed his time daydreaming of the outside world. He would imagine the sun and what it would like to be out in it, feeling a pleasant breeze, wondering what flowers looked like. Those daydreams of Bendy's kept Sammy sane, reminding the man of his own life outside of the Studio turned ink prison.

Then the Liar took complete control of the ink and the Studio.

Sammy could still remember the day the Liar forced Bendy to become a villain and the predator they all feared, though he didn't understand that was what was happening at the time. Bendy had been daydreaming about having a picnic in Boris and Alice, trying to guess what the colors would look like and how things would taste. Then suddenly, the sunny day Bendy had been imagining became dark and stormy before being torn apart completely. Bendy had been filled with fear and panic that had soon been twisted and consumed by hate, anger, and bloodlust, snapping free of the chains that held him.

Bendy hadn't been the only one to go on a killing rampage that day.

Sammy had been able to come back to his own self much faster than the Ink Demon, not that it did him much good. Between the studio becoming more deadly and Bendy's fluctuating state of mind, Sammy's sanity began to slip away. Sammy began worshiping Bendy because of his connection to the Ink Demon. He started viewing Bendy's daydreams during the Demon's more lucid moments as visions and promises as freedom. He became convinced that the Ink Demon was a god and he was his Prophet.

When they were freed from the Studio and Henry started restoring everyone's bodies and minds to the best of his ability, Sammy thought the connection had been severed. Between his own fluctuating emotions and recovering mind, Sammy didn't notice anything right away. But while the connection had been reduced significantly, it was still there.

Sammy no longer knew Bendy's thoughts and he only ever felt the demon's emotions when they very strong. At first, it was annoying and worrisome, as most of the time the demon was usually filled with fear and guilt. But as all of them adjusted and recovered, Sammy usually only felt happiness with the occasional exception. It wasn't until the incident with the church mob that Sammy realized he would know when the little Ink Demon was in serious pain. He had been playing the piano as Alice sang along when his back felt like it was full of pins and needles, followed by a feeling of fear and panic from Bendy. He had stopped playing immediately and went to the window with Alice trailing behind in confusion. It was only a moment later when Bendy came stumbling down the sidewalk.

It was obvious though that Bendy didn't know about the connection and Sammy was determined to keep it that way. Bendy had the bad habit of feeling guilty for everything that happened to the others in the studio, even though he knew Joey was the true source of all the pain and suffering, and Sammy was not going to give the little toon another reason to blame himself. Besides he had the connection long enough that he could keep it under control.

But while Sammy had his connection under control and could keep his own emotions from reacting to those that weren't his own, Henry obviously couldn't. Once Sammy was stable enough that he could start paying attention to the world around him, it became obvious to him that Henry was reacting to emotions that weren't his own. It was subtly and Sammy was sure Henry wasn't aware of it and Sammy still wasn't sure if Henry only had a connection with only Bendy or all the toons. But ever since the church incident, Henry's connection with the little Ink Demon had become a lot stronger. Henry would smile brightly whenever Bendy was happy and was always the first one there to comfort him whenever the little devil was upset. When the pool incident happened, Henry was already heading towards the back door when Sammy felt Bendy's panic.

It was time Sammy talked with Henry.

It was a few days since Natasha and her family had left and things had mostly returned to normal, at least what they considered normal. The toons were out playing with the neighborhood kids, Linda was out running errands, Norman was tinkering with an old radio he had gotten, and Henry was in his drawing-room.

"How are you doing Henry?" Sammy asked as he closed the door gently behind him.

"Pretty good," Henry replied, glancing up briefly from his work to give Sammy a welcoming smile. "Bendy seems to be over the pool incident for the most part and he's having fun with the others."

"You and I both know that he's still feeling some guilt over hurting Austin," Sammy replied, taking a seat next to the desk. "But playing with the kids is helping, you can feel his happiness increasing too."

"Yeah and I'm glad… wait…" Henry said, finally stopping his work completely to look at Sammy. "How did you know about that?"

"There was a reason I became the "Prophet" Henry," Sammy replied with a sigh. "I've had a connection with Bendy for a long time and I know you do too. Come on Henry, you've been helping us with all the changes we have gone through, it's my turn to help you."

"I didn't realize anything was different at first," Henry sighed, sitting back as he thought over everything. "I was pretty in tune with what the toons were feeling and knew when something was wrong. Whenever I thought about it, I usually wrote it off as having created the toons originally or even a father's intuition. It wasn't until the church incident that I realized the Studio had affected me far more then I had thought."

"What happened?" Sammy prompted.

"Bendy was so hurt…" Henry mumbled, eyes darkening as he thought back to that day. "He was healing, but not nearly as fast as he normally does. I just wanted him to be better. I wanted to be able to do something… and that's when this happened…"

Henry held up his hand and glowing golden liquid began to seep from his skin and pool in his palm. It was ink, because if there was anything Sammy knew it was ink. Even if the ink wasn't a glowing gold, Sammy could tell it was special. The ink in the Studio was alive and during Sammy's more lucid moments he always compared it, Joey. It was a dark and hungry thing, always taking everything from those that came into contact with it and leaving them with nothing but pain and misery. And if the ink of the Studio was like Joey, the ink in Henry's hand was like him. Even from where he was sitting, Sammy could feel warmth and safety radiating from it and maybe even love. Sammy knew that ink was full of untold potential, though what exactly Sammy wasn't sure and there was a part of him that was tempted to find out.

"This golden ink was able to heal Bendy," Henry continued, letting the ink stay there for a moment before absorbing back into his skin. "It was able to restore him and I was so relieved. But ever since then, I've been able to feel his emotions stronger than any of their others. It's confusing and can be very disorienting sometimes, but I don't regret it."

"If you want, I can help you control the connection," Sammy suggested. "I know how overwhelming it can be and the last thing you'll want if Bendy is panicking is to be panicked yourself."

"Thanks, Sammy," Henry replied in relief. "I'd appreciate it."

"No problem," Sammy replied, happy to help Henry after all he's done for him and the others.