*I did my best to describe this first scene well. I hope you enjoy!*

I was in awe of the sight. The moon was full and the stars shone as if no lights were even on the Earth, the old oak standing proud and tall at the center of the clearing. The soft light of the moon turned its green leaves into brilliant silver ones, the grass reflecting the light in the same way. The forest itself seemed more alive, as well, as if spring had just come. Nocturnal birds sung, a soft breeze blew, making the oak's leaves shake in the wind, like thousands of diamonds twinkling. The balcony itself was white, matching the outside of Slenderman's mansion. The moon's light gave it a soft glow, making me feel as if I was in an ethereal realm. I was nervous to touch the railing, afraid my black, metallic skin would taint the glowing white wooden beam. I had never seen anything so beautiful. Only a single word escaped my lips in a whisper.

"Wow…"

"You like it, I assume."

It took me a moment to regain my voice and reply to him.

"Why do you hide this!? I mean, I get it, but… why do you keep it all to yourself?"

"I don't. I leave the door unlocked and say it's a private room of mine. None of the Creepypastas dare to come in here, they are afraid of my wrath. I expected them to try to sneak in here. Alas, none of them did."

I laughed, "I would be afraid too, knowing what you can do." My mind reeled for a moment, realizing just what time it was. "Wow, I spent all day sparring with Gran? Time sure flies…"

"You must be tired."

I flinched at his comment, knowing what it meant. I had to be honest, it did scare me. I had never shared a bed, no matter the side, with anyone except my parents when I had nightmares.

"And you ruined the moment…"

"What moment?"

"Forget it… let's just go sleep."

I teleported to his room, looking at the massive bed. It seemed larger than even king-size, and I quickly went into my closet, changing into pajamas and stepping out to find Slenderman had already taken off his jacket; it laid lazily over the back of a chair. Now he was loosening his tie, which I noticed was the color of fresh blood. No longer in his jacket, I could see clearly defined muscles, which I assumed was from chasing his victims, or perhaps simply because he was supernatural. I averted my eyes, looking at the floor as I sat under the sheets, my nerves overloading at being so close to him. Normally, I would be comfortable in his company, but I was in his bed, his! Not my own! I was terrified.

"You do not need to wait for an invitation. This bed is yours as well."

"I… I'm not really tired."

"You must calm down. I have already told you, none of us would take advantage of you, myself especially."

"Is it because of our… uhm… bond?"

"Sleep."

It was more of a command than anything, but I settled down, turning toward the edge of the bed, willing my wings and tail away, remembering briefly they were there. I calmed my breathing, and let stasis engulf me. Nothing. I was numb, the night passing quickly. I woke before Slenderman, not because I wanted to, but because my nerves were shot. I had slept next to him! I slowly got out, careful not to disturb him. I could barely hear his deep breathing as I went into my closet; he was still asleep, good. I began to pull on my day clothes, a pair of navy jeans and a green shirt, and my usual gradient hoodie. I looked at myself in the mirror, seeing the green shirt contrasting well with the pale lavender on my shoulders, the navy nearly blending in with the black hem of my hoodie. I heard a soft footstep at the entrance of my closet, and noted my door was closed. I opened the door with telekinesis, turning to face my new "roommate."

"Good morning." No reply. I was staring back at him, the top button of his white dress shirt undone, barely showing his chest. "Um… are you okay?"

"Er… you look nice."

I was confused by his choice of words. He was normally more sophisticated with his language. "Okay… well, I'm going to… go."

I teleported out of his room, still freaked out by the fact I had slept beside him. I ended up landing in the living room, nobody fazed by my popping into existence next to them. Everyone looked bored, as if they had been awake for a while and had already exhausted every idea of a fun distraction they could think of.

"Hey, Brina! Where were you yesterday?"

"Hi, EJ. Outside, sparring with a golem I made."

"All day?"

"Yup, didn't even realize it."

"Wow. By the way, where were you at dinner?"

"I ate breakfast… I usually only eat once a day."

The only sound was the wind blowing outside. I remembered the light breeze that made the leaves sparkle last night on the balcony.

"Are you okay, Brina?"

I looked up, Jane was looking at me, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You were turning pale."

"W-well… I… uh…" I stammered.

"What? Did you have a scary nightmare or something last night?"

"I don't want to talk about last night," I growled.

"Sheesh, calm down. I was only asking my best friend."

"Sorry," I said, getting up and going outside.

Why was I so frustrated? Something was wrong. I felt his presence behind me, and his hands rested on my shoulders. Instantly I was back in the living room, going back to the spot I had sat in. Everyone noticed Slenderman walking to the kitchen, and turned back to me, anxious looks on their faces.

"Not. A. Word. We shared a bed last night, just for sleep."

The threat in my tone must have been very serious, because nobody said anything, but I heard a few soft laughs, besides Laughing Jack's uncontrollable laughter. The rest of the time between then and breakfast passed with them having quiet conversations amongst themselves. At some point, Ben asked me to play video games and I said I would after breakfast. Even though I had been brought back to the mansion against my will, I felt calmer. I wasn't frustrated anymore. I realized, with a light sigh, I was actually falling in love with Slenderman. I didn't know how his mind processed emotions, but he showed only signs of interest toward me so far. In the first four months we had known the other, it was filled with fights or forced "friendly" talk. Never had we thought about a relationship with each other. Even still, as the world began to fall into winter once more, he only showed mildly stronger interest, a simple hand on my shoulder keeping my emotions reigned in. A new question plagued me. What was love? I had no idea when it came to being "in love" with someone. I guessed I would find out as time went on.

Breakfast was quiet, and I felt happy sitting so close to him. No telepathic conversation went on today, letting the silence go on. Nothing felt awkward, not even when he asked me to help with the dishes. I agreed to it quietly, standing next to him as I used telekinesis to keep myself water-free. After everything was done, he invited me to bake some muffins with him.

What's with all this… activity? So suddenly?

Your nerves are frayed from the awkwardness you felt last night. Well, that was true, I had to admit it. Perhaps being around me more would help.

I don't know about that, but I'm sure everyone will like the muffins for breakfast tomorrow.

While we were making the second batch of muffins, I found a cloud of white powder thrown in my face. I was stunned for a moment, until I heard him chuckling. I rolled my eyes, smiling a little, and kept mixing the batter.

"What was that for?"

"Just to surprise you."

"You wanted to surprise me? Yeah, okay."

I had flour on my face still when the final batch of muffins went in. I took the least damp towel I could find that wasn't dry, and wiped down my face as quickly as possible. My face stung slightly afterward, so I wiped away what water I could with the dry corner, getting the flour off the rest of myself as well. I felt a cold hand take mine, and lips brushed the back of my hand. A barely defined, eyeless and mouth-less face stared back at me as he let go.

"Do you feel less nervous around me?"

"I guess, somewhat. I don't do fancy, as you saw with Sally's birthday party last year. I was extremely uncomfortable in that dress, and I made it myself!"

"You were quite stunning in it."

"You say that now, of course…"

"Of course," he echoed. "I would not have said it if you had not worn it."

"Oh, so it's my fault?"

Apparently he thought my embarrassment was funny, and actually laughed, making my cheeks turn even lighter. I did enjoy hearing him laugh, though... it was enchanting to say the least.

"I am teasing, my dear." That was new; he only ever called me by my name before. I supposed it was the relationship we were building, ever so slowly.

"Okay… so, I realized something this morning."

"What is that?"

"I… actually have feelings for you. It's confusing since I've only felt love for family, not for anyone else. I mean, I have felt love for friends before but I don't feel like it goes any deeper than best friends. It's not the same with you…"

I looked up to see he was simply gone. I looked around, and felt for his presence. Where had he gone? The timer snapped me out of my confused stupor, and I took the first batch of muffins out. They smelled wonderful, even though they were simple blueberry muffins. I set them onto a plate once they cooled some, then left them out on the dining table, at the end of the table where nobody sat during meals. Something was wrong, but I didn't know what. I sat on the counter, waiting for the other muffins to be done. Once they were, I set them on the plate with the other muffins. I felt a massive presence outside, recognizing it as Zalgo's, and teleported to the front steps of Slenderman's mansion. He wasn't threatening anyone, he seemed to be waiting.

"Hello again, newcomer."

"Hello… sir."

"It would seem you've captured Slenderman's interest."

"Uh… yes, I suppose so. May I ask why you're here?"

"I want to speak with him."

Suddenly, Slenderman was there, by my side, his arm around my shoulders. I was surprised, he had left me alone in the kitchen without a trace of ever being there. I looked back at Zalgo, his dark blue orbs clearly flicking between the two of us, deciding what to say. I was purely nervous.

"You know my rules, Slenderman."

"Yes, I do."

"No matter how I look at her, she is neither human, nor a Creepypasta. If you know her tendencies, I wish you the best. If not, then good luck. Be with her if you wish."

With that said, fire swirled at his feet and he was gone. I stood there, stunned.

"That was unexpected… but I appreciate his kind gesture."

"Kind gesture?"

"He isn't going to destroy the world if we choose to be a couple."

"D-destroy!?"

"Er… he is basically what rules the world without everyone knowing it. In a sense, he is…"

"A Creator," I interrupted. "A scary-looking one at that."

"A Creator? Where did you hear about those?"

"My previous home."

I felt dizzy, then realized we were in his room. No, our room, he called it. I sat on the edge of the bed, still amazed by the sheer size of it.

"Is everything alright?"

"I told Ben I would play video games with him but I just don't feel up to it now."

"I shall let him know." He was gone for not even a minute, returning to me and sitting beside me. "What's bothering you? I can see the worry you harbor."

"I don't want rumors about us to be spread through everyone who lives here."

"They won't."

I felt him take my hand again, making me look down at his fingers as they slowly intertwined with mine. I sighed, relaxing, and leaned onto him. The stark contrast of our skin held my gaze.

"You are not so nervous, and look where we are."

"Your muffin-baking helped, after all."

"I am sorry I left so suddenly."

"It's okay, but I couldn't feel your presence anywhere on the surface."

"That is because I went to Zalgo, confused with how I have been… feeling. He sent me away, and then appeared here after considering my worry."

"You… you've been feeling different?"

"I have been feeling attracted to you. I cannot believe I have developed human-like feelings. I feel weakened."

"You have no idea what weakened feels like."

"Ah yes, your arrival here."

"Yeah… but now, it seems like so long ago, when it was only a few years."

A long, comfortable silence drew out between us. I remembered how muscular he had been, and wondered how he always seemed so… well, slender.

"It is because, like you, I am supernatural."

"I like that you can hear my thoughts… it makes conversation easier."

"It does."

"You know… your cold reminds me of my previous home. It's comforting."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. It is."

I felt cold envelope me, realizing he had pulled me fully against him, and his tentacles were wrapping around me. I felt only comfort, not fear as I had before. Then, they drew away, and more quiet ensued. I could hardly believe what he had just done, and I hadn't been afraid. I stood up, and he followed me to the door. I hugged him firmly.

"I've changed my mind about video games with Ben. Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

I teleported into Ben's room, standing a ways back as he played game I hadn't seen before. He paused the game, and stretched, bending over backwards and seeing me standing there. He jumped, whipping around.

"You're worse than your brother, I swear. Shit, I can't believe you actually scared me."

"Sorry. I know I said no earlier, but I changed my mind."

"Well come on, then!"

I shot my fist into the air, I had won. "Yes, finally! Even with the balanced version!"

"Nice job. I'm impressed."

I looked at the console, seeing it was an old one. I remembered seeing the most recent one in the game stores.

"Hmm…"

"Why are you smirking like that?"

"Stay here… I'll be right back."

"Okay?"

Darkness was happy to help, stealing many different consoles from across the world with me, and I teleported back to Ben's room to see him playing something else.

"Hey, Ben, didn't you have other games for other consoles?"

"Yeah, like, every game in existence."

"Well, now you have one of every console in existence," I said, materializing the ones Darkness had helped me get. I grinned at Ben, seeing him practically drool at the many consoles. "I assume this is like heaven on Earth for you."

"Yeah! You are amazing."

"No, I'm just me. Come on, you made a character for me, this is the least I can do in return."

"This is going way overboard."

"No, getting you enough televisions to line this wall would be going overboard." I dematerialized the smaller, older television he had and materialized six large, flat-screen televisions in place of it. Ben just stared at the dark screens. "However, I think six will do perfectly. They're on hinges that fold down and out, for easy plugging in."

"Sweet! Come on, you gotta play with me now! I need to test this setup!"

I laughed. "Okay, okay."

I sat down, Ben plugging in the new televisions and getting everything set up. He took the newest console and turned it on, the TV's coming to life, each with a corresponding sixth of the screen.

"This is amazing. I hope word about this doesn't get out."

"Too late, Ben," Jeff said from the doorway. "I'm gonna kick your ass."

I saw Ben toss him a controller. "Let's make a deal, I win, this stays between the three of us, you win, you can tell whoever you like."

"What if Brina wins?"

"What makes you think she'd win?"

I looked at him, twirling the game remote on the tip of my finger with telekinesis. "Ben, once I know an opponent, it is highly likely I will win. Then again, it'll be between myself and Jeff if I win rather than you. Plus… I know Jeff's real-life fighting style to an extent, so there is a sixty-seven percent chance I will win this."

"Precise… okay. One of us has to be your fighting buddy for a day, and this stays between us three."

I grinned. "Five rounds to decide the winner?"

"Done."

Ben started up the game, and we played a the rounds, seeing who would win the bet. Ben and Jeff tied for second with one win, while I had three wins. I could see both of them were nervous. I got up, stretching, and went over to the door.

"Wait! How will we know who you picked for winning?"

I flashed both of them a smile. "Oh, you'll know tomorrow morning."

I walked out, feeling triumphant, and found Jane, Laughing Jack, Eyeless Jack, Sally, and Bloody Painter in the living room.

"Hey Jane!"

"Oh, Brina. How are you?"

"I'm great. How have you been, are you liking this life?"

"It's nothing like homeless city life. Somewhat quieter, but I can't complain with Slender doing all the cooking."

I dropped my voice to a whisper, getting closer to her. I made sure nobody else was listening as I whispered in her ear. "Do you mind if I take Jeff as my fighting bud for a day?"

"Not at all, as long as I can watch."

"You will know tomorrow morning."

She nodded, and I sat down in my usual seat next to Sally. I watched the news, wanting to know the weather. No rain was likely for the next two days, never mind the week, increasing my good mood even more. I was still a little nervous about sleeping in Slenderman's bed again, but less so after making the muffins. I mentally scoffed at how such a simple thing like that made me even more comfortable around him. The sun finally sank below the horizon, and everyone began dispersing. I simply teleported to my closet in my new room, getting dressed into my most comfortable pajamas and laying down in the bed, settling under the sheets. A faint noise made me look around, seeing the door open and light stream in. It was him, and he noticed me already under the sheets. I smiled, but turned on my side, closing my eyes and falling into stasis.

I made Sally's silverware dance again as we waited, eventually picking up Jeff's knife, and pointing it straight at him. I heard him grumble, and smirked.

"I didn't ask for this shit, Brina."

"You should have left us alone, yesterday."

"Well I was gonna join Ben since I thought you bailed."

"Better luck next time."

"Yeah... right."

Breakfast went by quickly, Jane following me and Jeff out to the clearing. I saw him take his knife out, but I knew he wasn't excited. I stretched, yawning.

"Whenever you're ready, Jeff," I said, pulling out a bronze sword.

Jeff bounded toward me, but I teleported out of the way a split second before he hit. I ended up a few feet away, just to anger him. "So you're gonna pull that fucking teleporting shit. Why am I not surprised?"

"Maybe because you've fought Slender too many times."

Again he lunged at me, this time I teleported behind him and poked his side with my sword. He yelped, and I moved out of his reach.

"Stop doing that!"

"No way, toying with you is fun."

"If you picked me as your 'fighting buddy,' why are you just playing games!?"

I chuckled. "Do you really want me to become serious and severely injure you?"

"Yeah, so we can get this over with."

"Oh? Well in that case…"

"I wasn't serious."

I fought back my crazed personality. "You're lucky I can control myself. Otherwise, you'd be laying on the ground right now."

"Stop trying to scare me. It's not working."

"Seemed to work just a few seconds ago… but I'm bored now. Let's fight!"

I saw purple staining the ground below me, I coughed up more blood, adding to the slowly growing pool. A hoarse laugh left my lips as the world faded around me, leaving me to the death realm. Jeff had given it his all, actually defeating me. I could see the wild look in his eyes as he stared at my corpse, so I showed myself as a ghost.

"Holy shit! Stay the fuck back!"

I stayed where I was, even backing away a little. I looked at my body, inspecting the wounds. Some were slashes, most were stab wounds, though. I saw clearly where he had literally twisted the knife in the wound, wincing at the painful memory. I had died from blood loss and my punctured heart and lungs. My bronze sword was still tightly in my body's grasp.

I am surprised you defeated me.

"So you can… talk, even though you're a ghost?"

Yes. It is similar to the way Ben can talk, however I must speak through telepathy or another living being when I wish to talk while dead.

"How long will it take for your body to heal?"

It shouldn't be long now… you can leave. I'll return in a few moments.

Sure enough, just as they went to leave, my body began healing over, the punctured organs healed and the skin closed over them. I disappeared, pulled back into my body, and woke up. I sat up slowly, a migraine pounding in my head as I ate some gems and minerals, dematerializing the sword for another time. Downing a glass of mercury, I felt infinitely better, besides my headache. I got up and followed their trail, finding them on the sofa.

"Hey, Jeff."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, I got what I wanted today. You're a worthy opponent."

"Really? You wanted defeat?"

"It just tells me I have room to grow. I don't know if you noticed, but I had used some of your own attacks and counters on you."

I felt Slenderman teleport into the room, and turned to see a surprising sight. He held a cake.

"You've been here one full year, Enderbrina. I don't know your real birthday, but I thought you might enjoy a cake in celebration."

"Oh, um… thank you… you didn't have to, Slenderman."

"I insist. This is for all of us, have some cake with us. Laughing Jack picked it out."

"Since your favorite candy is orange, I made sure it had orange flavored frosting," Laughing Jack giggled. "What do you think, tootsie pop?"

"Thank you, LJ."

"They, unfortunately, didn't get you any presents."

"You didn't need to. A cake is more than enough, even though I'll be sharing it."

Soon, we were all enjoying the cake with the orange-flavored frosting. I had received the largest slice, since it was sort of my birthday.

"We usually celebrate on Hallowe'en morning, getting presents for each other and celebrating our birthdays. We didn't know what to get you, though."

"I already said it's fine you didn't get me anything. If you really want to, get me a present next year on Hallowe'en, but I really don't need anything, I can have anything I want whenever I like."

"That's true… we forgot about that. Anyway, we decided to actually get you a present, but not a physical one."

"What is it?"

"You'll find out later."

"Um… okay…"

I began thinking of different things they could have gotten me, but was stopped by Slenderman. He told me I would never guess it. Giving up, I found a long, colorfully wrapped box in front of me once I had finished my cake, placed there by Slenderman.

"I thought—"

"I didn't say 'we,' I said, 'they,' meaning everyone besides myself."

"Wow… well… thank you…"

"Open it."

I scratched open the wrapping, finding a plain box inside. Confused, I pulled at the flaps keeping it closed. I flinched, keeping my eyes closed when it flew open and my hands slipped off the flaps. When I opened my eyes, I saw a masterfully crafted sword, made of pure platinum. I could see runes carved into the flat of the blade itself, and recognized the indestructible rune. They were carved so small, it almost looked like decoration. It laid in black velvet. When I picked it up, the leather grip also had runes carved into it. It was a regular straight sword, but was double-edged.

"Sharp enough to slice through steel."

"Wow," I breathed. "This must have cost you a fortune!"

"No, I only paid for the metal itself. I formed the rest."

"Thank you!" I laid the sword carefully in the velvet again and hugged him tightly.

"You should practice with it. You'll never know when you might need it."

I nodded and grabbed the sword, teleporting outside. The sky was slowly darkening, but I materialized Gran in front of me. I looked at the slightly blue, silver blade. I looked back at Gran, it was looking behind me, and became confused, but was instantly on guard. I sent out a quick scan for presences behind me, and realized everyone was slowly approaching me, silent. I dematerialized Gran, and noticed they picked up their pace. I grinned deviously, my crazed side rising up, taking hold on me. I giggled insanely, unable to control it. When it stopped long enough for me to talk, I looked up, taking a deep breath as I spoke.

"I know you're all there… what's taking so long to just attack me?"

When I turned around, they were in a semi-circle, everyone smiling as if they were looking at a victim. A wild grin formed on my face, and I attacked. I went for Bloody Painter first, pushing my new sword into a sheath strapped to my waist, as he had brought no weapon to fight besides his fists. He tried a right hook, but I caught it and kicked for his side. He caught my ankle and tossed me away from the circle. I rolled on the ground, sure at least one of my ribs had cracked after rolling into a tree root. Barely feeling the pain, I grew my wings and tail, heading back into the fight, drawing my sword again. Bloody Painter dodged my first few swings, but I slashed open his arm on the fourth. The smell of blood ignited my bloodlust into a raging bonfire, a laugh escaping me again, though it was more like a shriek.

"Playtime's over now! Better give it your all," I laughed.

After incapacitating the Bloody Painter, I moved onto Ben, who had talons instead of fingers now, water flooding from him. I hovered out of the stream, and swung my sword at him. My crazed state made quick work of him, and soon he was his normal self, on the ground in a slowly growing puddle of blood. A quick heal kept him alive, and then came Eyeless Jack, who had a weapon besides his own body. It was a clean scalpel, thankfully, but I had a few cuts of my own at this point. I swooped in, taking him high into the air with me, his scalpel useless as I dropped him and fell with him, slashing with my sword, making him spin. I made sure to slow his fall so whiplash wouldn't kill him, and dropped him to the ground once the slow had him stopped and he was in my arms. Jeff attacked next, with Jane at his side.

I found myself blocking two knives, one jagged and one smooth. Before I knew it, they were both on the ground, but many stab wounds were making me weaker by the second. I breathed heavily, and looked to see Laughing Jack and Slenderman were left. Sally had stayed on the steps of the mansion, watching with interest. Laughing Jack giggled as he approached me.

"Think you can defeat me, Brina," he laughed.

"Maybe," I giggled back.

I plunged my sword into his side before he could move away, making a pained look come over his face. He fell to the ground in a heap. I looked to Slenderman, who seemed to be grinning.

"You shouldn't fight me, remember?"

I knew what he meant, and my bloodlust had been sated. I went around to everyone, healing them, collapsing when I finished, my energy gone. I felt tentacles wrap around me, pulling me up off the ground and into cold yet welcoming arms. I was sure I blushed, but I didn't care at the moment. A wave of dizziness put me to sleep.

*Everything is going smoothly so far... also, no, none of them died. Enderbrina used up the last of her energy to heal all of them before needing to rest. Don't worry, they're all just fine. So don't flame me. Also, yes, they did kind of let her win. Laughing Jack would not be defeated that easily. At least, not in my mind.*