*I'm not quite sure what to put here, this Author's Note doesn't really need to be here... so, enjoy, I guess. See you at the end of the chapter.*

Wake up, my dear. You have been asleep through the night.

I knew it was Slenderman. My senses began to come back to me, numbness fleeing my body. Finally, my eyes forced themselves open. I became aware of a soft surface beneath me. A gentle hand on my back helped me into a sitting position.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel great. Thank you for such a wonderful sword, it means a lot more to me than you might realize."

"I know just how much it means to you. Perhaps you forgot I can look into your mind."

I laughed softly. "It must have slipped my mind," I said, mimicking him from Hallowe'en night.

"Darkness is still waiting to give you a present. I kept the lights off for that reason."

I saw the silky, fog-like being form a humanoid, and it held out a wrapped box. It wasn't very big, but it was rectangular. It was shaped almost like the box Sally had received from Laughing Jack with her giant gummy bear. Scratching open the wrapping paper, I found myself becoming excited. I saw white faux fur as I pulled off the top of the box, and a bear was in the box. It was… strange; it vaguely reminded me of the faceless being sitting next to me. It had no face, though it had a snout with a little white nose. It wore the cutest tuxedo, with a blood-red tie. It had white gloves on as well, and shiny black dress shoes. I couldn't help giggling.

"Thank you, Darkness. I love it, even if its a little odd for a gift."

"A stuffed animal is a companion you can tell anything, and trust not to tell a secret."

I laughed. "Just like you, and Slender."

I hugged the bear tightly, and leaned against Slenderman. "This has been the best year of my life, ever… I spent the last of my time in my previous home without happiness. Now… I have more friends than ever, and someone who means a lot to me."

He put his arm around me. I felt warmth blossom in my heart, and knew instantly what it was. Then, what he said made my heart stop for a moment. "The strange feeling I had before has changed, Enderbrina."

Wait, what? I verbalized my confusion, looking up at him with fear pricking my heart. "What do you mean?"

"Not to worry, I know what it was. It was a deep sort of interest. Your thoughts helped me realize, that I have indeed found love."

My jaw went slack. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Darkness disperse, leaving me alone with the open box, the bear, and Slenderman. Fear gripped my heart as Slenderman took the bear from my hands and placed it on the bed beside us. His hands closed around one of mine.

"Who do you love?"

"That should be obvious, Enderbrina. It is you, my dear. I love you."

My head whirled. Yes, I knew we had a relationship, but I had never expected to hear him say those words, and to me of all people. I took a deep breath, and I heard a soft chuckle from him. I looked up at him again. I smiled, and hugged him, my face buried in his tuxedo. As his arms encircled me, I took note of a pleasant smell, finding the source to be him. I could smell his scent, he smelled of pine trees with a hint of something sweet I couldn't quite name. As we moved away, I slipped my hand into his, still amazed at the sharp contrast of his pale white skin to my black metallic skin.

"You have a childish mind at times."

"I can't help it…"

"How so?"

"Take a look," I replied, inviting him to link our minds. "You'll find answers in my childhood."

I felt the connection, slow and gentle. Memories I knew all too well were brought up, shown to me again. It brought tears to my eyes, seeing my mother and father again, feeling the gnawing, painful hunger. Then, I saw the one time we had been invited to a neighbor's house, and had eaten well for once. Then, the stalking began, and my house was kept away from. Once the memories subsided, I found myself crying, his hand on my arm. I took a deep breath, pushing his comforting hand away.

"I'm fine, really. Thank you for trying to comfort me, but its just that those memories make me miss my first century and everything that happened."

"It does not seem that you are fine."

"I am, I promise."

Silence drew out, and he went to wipe away my tears, but I stopped him.

"What are you doing?"

"Drying your tears, like any gentleman would do for his lady."

"Okay, first off," I giggled, "They're not normal tears made of saltwater. They're made mercury, and I know you're supernatural but mercury is poisonous. Second, when should you ever call yourself a gentleman? You're not a man, you should be calling yourself a gentlemonster."

I saw him stiffen, and fell back, giggling. I heard a ripping sound. His mouth had torn open, his tentacles swayed behind him. A dark aura made my head spin, but fear kept me awake.

"Well then… I can see you can't take a joke. I didn't mean to offend you… its just a joke, not meant to be taken seriously, ever."

I heard the skin stretching back together, and looked at him; he was still slightly upset.

"You know, it amazes me just how fast you can change, but I should have expected that, I suppose… we were in a more serious state of mind." I looked over at my new teddy bear. "I wonder if I'm too old for stuffed animals," I said, picking up the bear and placing it my lap. "After all, I'm almost three-hundred-fifty years old."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I don't know, this looks so much like you, if you were a harmless stuffed bear, that is."

"You should know most of all I am not harmless. Far from it."

"I know."

I looked up at him, tossing the bear to my pillow, and leaned into him again. I looked at the clock, it was nearly time for breakfast.

"I woke in the middle of the night… you said I had been resting for most of the night."

"Yes, the sun sets earlier now. It was only a few minutes after dark when you collapsed."

"Oh. Well, look at the time. Shouldn't you be making breakfast?"

"I will be momentarily. Are you joining us this morning?"

"No, I'm not hungry. Thank you, though."

He teleported away, to the kitchen. I picked up my bear again and sat against the wall on his side of the bed. The faceless bear stared back emotionless, not even a knitted mouth to show its ever-happy or ever-sad expression. Just a nose. The lights were on now, making the faux fur shine in spots. I was still in shock that a monster like Slenderman had actually said those three words, and not as if I were family. He wanted me, not Jane, or any of the human women. Nobody had ever wanted me for… a girlfriend, except for that one time back in Minecraft. I drew my knees to my chest, holding the bear still, unsure about what to do in this sort of situation. I loved him too, but it was all so new to me.

I do love him… he said we should take this one step at a time, didn't he? Or… one day at a time? Whatever he said… I agree.

"I wonder, what's it like when you screen-jump?"

"It's almost like how you teleport."

"In what way?"

"Well, once I go into the computer, I have to go out, whether it be through the same screen, or another screen."

"Any screen?"

"Even on those fancy phones the humans invented. Well, they call them phones, but they're really just pocket-sized computers that can take and receive calls, text, and do almost anything. They even play games on the damn things."

"Huh… I remember Garry and Jane offering me one at some point but I never accepted. With my skin being metallic, I didn't know if I had any magnetic metals in me, and didn't want to ruin it the second I touched it."

"Yeah, but with Slender, he can't even be near those things or it causes interference. That's usually how they know he's around, even though they believe he's just a myth or legend, like the rest of us."

"They've seen me in person…"

"Yeah, I know. That was some pretty cool stuff that first couple nights, where you disappeared in the distance with black fog around you."

"Darkness, the living being."

"Wait… what?"

No need to be afraid, Benjamin. I won't hurt you.

"What else do you have for surprises?"

Darkness formed a humanoid so it could speak aloud, and sat on one of the pillows near me.

"Darkness can transport living beings if it consumes them. No alteration to mind or soul will be made, but the body will disintegrate into it for the time it transports the living thing. It is also the one that controls whether I get power or not."

"Can't Slendy speak to it, too?"

"I believe so…"

"He can," Darkness confirmed. "All beings in this forest are able to speak with me, and any that live outside must be well in-tune with evil to know of me. That being said, when Enderbrina landed here, I was quite surprised, I did not know the powerful being in her original home could do such a thing."

"It must suck to be just taken away from your home."

"I ended up in a better place, in all honesty. Being here, I have more friends than I had before, and someone who actually cares about me."

"So you don't want to see your brother ever again?"

I looked away from the screen, I had been watching him play, not really wanting to join. "It's not that I don't want to, but I know I can't. I really would like to see him again, but…" I shook my head. "Apparently my life has different ideas."

I stood up from the beanbag chair, not interested in talking any further. When I opened the door, I wasn't surprised to see Jeff, and let him in. I went out into the hallway and went to Shadow's room. He purred and nuzzled my hand. He had grown to be the size of a bobcat. The tufts on his ears were adorable.

"Hey, Shadow. How are you doing?"

He purred and meowed, and I scratched his chin.

"Good to know."

Where have you been?

In the forest. I know we're supposed to be companions but I find I like living in the forest better.

Well, then you can live in the forest, but know that you always have a home here.

Okay. Thanks.

After teleporting us outside, I watched Shadow go, his tail disappearing into the dark underbrush. I saw his reflective eyes flash, and then he was gone. I sighed as I turned to go to the living room, but was stopped by Slenderman.

"Oh! Hi, didn't realize you were there."

"Was that your companion?"

"The cat? Yeah, that was him. He likes living in the forest. Why?"

"Interesting. He was a large cat."

"He's special. I told him he'd always have a home here if he needed one."

"Very well."

I stepped back, and teleported to the kitchen, him following. "I don't suppose you heard me thinking earlier?"

"I did, in fact."

"Oh…"

"There is nothing to be afraid of. You must realize even I can feel. I do have human emotions, even though I am not one."

"I know you have human emotions, I've seen it. I have them too."

"Then why are you afraid?"

"Because, as strange as it sounds, I love you. I've never loved or have been loved by anybody other than family or animal companions. Loving someone who wasn't family was never a part of my life before."

"You are overthinking this."

"Right, one day at a time…"

I managed to feel less afraid, it had never been fear of him since I realized our mutual attraction, it was fear of becoming attached, as had happened with my brother. A deep sigh was all I heard from him as he took a step closer to me, his height at its lowest. I felt a little dizzy as he teleported us to our room, not knowing he had even made contact with me. Once my vision cleared again, I found his hands were on my shoulders; I felt as if he was inspecting me for some reason.

"Are you okay, Slender?"

"I am fine. Apparently, you did not notice the time. It is night."

"Don't you want to go into town with me, though? We'll catch some humans and play with them."

"Play with them?" I could hear amusement in his tone.

"Like we used to when I first arrived, capture one and chase them around in the forest."

"I do believe you've reached perfection," he purred in my ear. "You have convinced me. Lead the way, my dear."

I giggled and grew my wings and tail, a spring in my step as I walked toward the stairs, gliding on my wings down to the ground floor. I turned to see Slenderman following me, but the only problem was, I couldn't see him. I could feel his presence following close behind me, and he moved up beside me, or at least, his presence did. I felt a hand take mine, and instantly knew what he was doing. He was invisible to the world around him. I smirked and he walked beside me, still invisible, until we were in the forest.

"It's so quiet. Is it because of you?"

"Normally I do not scare off the wildlife, however, tonight I am feeling somewhat excited. It has been a while since I have chased a human, and could smell their fear strongly."

"Why has it been so long?"

"I have been busy."

"Oh. I hope I wasn't hindering you in any way."

"Of course not."

We reached the edge of the forest. I knew he turned invisible again, and his contact with my hand disappeared. I nearly trembled with excitement, my tail probably swaying wildly because of my thrill.

Where shall we go?

I believe I said you should lead the way.

Alright, then I suppose you should follow.

I walked out of the thicket, Darkness clinging to my feet as I continued down the road, directly into the city. I was known as a killer here, but I could walk where I liked. I felt gang members cowering as I walked past "their" alleyways, and glanced around for the largest building.

Good or bad, they are scared of me.

It is because they are weak little humans. Pay no mind to their cowering, we shall have our fun nonetheless.

Would you like to pick which ones we take?

Very much so.

Go ahead, then.

I felt his presence move away from me as I stopped right in front of an alley. I fixed the gang approaching me with a glare, a smirk on my face. I folded my wings to my back, watching them approach and surround me. I looked around, six guns pointed at me, the leader with a knife. He also wore a smirk, eyeing me in a sick way.

"Don't move, Night Hunter."

"But my wings will get stiff. Surely I can stretch them if I need to?"

"What part of don't move do you not get? Fine. Unfold them, but not enough to get away."

I played along with their little act, letting my wings hang open slightly, and watching the leader's expression. I heard his intentions, they were mostly unsavory.

"We heard you were a pretty thing. We wanna see how deep that beauty goes."

"And here I was, worrying nobody was interested in me. You do realize you'd be committing taboo, though, don't you?"

"You can't take all of us on at once in a fight, girly."

"You know, you're right." I saw Slenderman appear behind the leader, drawing the attention of the thugs behind me. "I can't, but he can."

The leader turned around, the six thugs around me training their weapons on him. I heard the rounds fire, but apparently he just teleported back and forth out of the way, it looked like his image was wavering while the rounds went off. I saw some thugs look out of the other alleyways, but apparently only myself and the current attacking gang could see Slenderman, because they all looked at the gang like they were crazy. I heard faint static and ringing, but it didn't hurt, as it was directed at the circle of thugs. They all crumbled to their knees, and I walked up to the two he had specified. I placed one hand on the back of their necks, and brought them to the forest, separated from the other. They were unconscious. My stomach rumbled, and I looked up at Slenderman, wondering how long it would take for them to wake up.

Not long, they will wake within five minutes.

Good, I'm quite hungry.

I heard.

We split up, waiting for the thugs to wake up.

They're on the move. The hunt is on!

One for each of us.

I grinned, materializing my platinum and bronze swords, and a belt with two sheathes, one for each weapon. The platinum glinted softly in the dim moonlight, as well as the bronze. I laid the bronze sword on the ground, where the soft reflected light would be seen. Dimming the glow of my eyes to nothing, I hopped up into a tree and watched for a beam of light from a flashlight to hit the sword. I waited, and sure enough, there was the beam of light. I felt Slenderman was also prolonging his chase, and smiled wider at the thought. The darkness in this forest was unnatural, making the hunt more fun. I followed the human on foot after he picked up my sword and moved on, hiding my sword behind my back. He seemed more confident with the sword, but still looked behind himself every now and then. He would always stop before doing so. I was closing in, and when he looked behind him for what seemed like the hundredth time, I took the time to run around in front of him, brandishing my sword. He cried out when he saw me standing in front of him, my glowing eyes being the one thing he saw as he dropped his flashlight, stumbling into a sitting position against the nearest tree.

"I believe you have something of mine," I giggled, bloodlust getting the better of me. "Give it back, and I might let you live for a little longer."

He held out the sword with trembling hands to me, and I took it, careful not to maim him. Sliding it back into its sheath, I sat down on his legs, not too close to his waist, and smiled down at him.

"Now, tell me. What were you doing working for such a nasty man? Did he threaten you?"

"Y-y-yes! He threatened to kill my family!"

"No need to be so afraid," I cooed. "I know the thought of being eaten isn't pleasant, but I'll make your death quick, and as painless as possible. Isn't that at least a little comforting?"

His breathing slowed, and I moved us closer to the tree, making him sit up as I moved a little closer, and he blushed. "Y-yeah… it is…"

"Goodbye, human."

"Goodbye, Enderbrina…"

I plunged the sword through his neck, killing him quickly. I was finishing eating when Slenderman teleported to me. Not one drop of blood was on me, and I felt accomplished with this realization.

"It seems you played with your food. Didn't your parents ever tell you not to do that?"

"Of course, and I listened at the time. Now, who's going to stop me?"

He chuckled, holding out a bloodstained hand to me. I took it and we were instantly back at the mansion. I wasn't as dizzy as usual.

"I think I'm getting used to that," I said as we walked up the stairs. "I'm less dizzy, and we teleported farther than usual."

"That is good. I had fun tonight, we should do that again."

"I had fun, too. Did you hear what those thugs' leader was saying? I couldn't take all of them in a fight, how funny! Obviously they didn't really know how powerful I am."

"However, you are not as powerful as I am."

"Yeah, I know. Can we go to the balcony tonight, before the moon sets?"

"Of course."

We were there instantly, but the moon was only showing half tonight. It was waning, meaning the new moon was coming. I wondered what the view would look like on the new moon night, but enjoyed the scenery while it lasted. The leaves were a silvery green, and the grass seemed to have a light glow about it. I rested my hands on the railing, knowing Slenderman was watching; I could feel his unseen eyes on me.

"I don't know why, but this view always seems so… as strange as it sounds, magical."

"I remember the first night I saw it. I had never imagined the world would be so beautiful, but the moon is what really makes everything beautiful."

I turned and looked at him. "Did you ever wonder what it's like to live there?"

"Live where?"

"The moon."

"Why would I want to?"

Turning back, I looked up at the half-moon. "I used to live there. It's quite desolate… very little plant life grows, but it was food. Nobody but the poor would eat it, though, everyone else always relied on food that the humans would send to us. I understand why, it wasn't very filling."

"It seems as if your family was poor."

"Didn't you see that in my memories?"

"It was not apparent with what I saw."

"Oh…"

"You have your abilities now. You do not need money anymore."

He hugged me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder, his hands placed on my stomach.

"Slender…"

"Yes, my dear?"

"I love you."

"The feeling is mutual."

"I'm tired."

"The sun will be rising soon. You will miss breakfast again."

"That's okay, I had dinner."

I knew he was disappointed, but he teleported us to our bedroom anyhow. I went into my closet, taking a fresh pair of pajamas, and getting them on. I noticed these had spots in the back for my wings. The bottoms had an opening for my tail as well, so I kept my wings and tail while I slept. I did not dream, but I was not in stasis either. All I dreamt of was an endless black abyss.

Then a voice sounded, "You made it."

"Who's there?"

"You remember me, Enderbrina."

I saw Zalgo appear in front of me. I stared, afraid.

"Don't worry. I just want to know how you and Slenderman are doing."

"We are well right now."

"Good. I also came to warn you. His three brothers are coming. He does not know yet."

"Can't you tell him!?"

"I intend to visit later for that."

"Okay…"

"He is waiting for you. Wake up."

I saw the wall in front of me, but it looked different. It was dark gray, and when I reached out to feel it, something that felt like a hand stopped me. I blinked, trying to clear away the fog of sleep. Once I could see clearly again, I saw Slenderman was laying on his side, probably waiting for me.

"What's wrong, Enderbrina?"

"Zalgo visited me in my sleep… he said something about brothers…"

"What!?"

Then he was gone, out on the steps of his mansion. I rubbed my eyes and got ready, willing away my tail and wings. I went outside to stand beside him, until a blast of heat hit me, signaling Zalgo's arrival.

"Why did you not tell me my brothers were coming, Zalgo? That is crucial information!"

"They are coming within the next hour. I already informed Enderbrina and everyone else."

"She is staying with me," he growled, pulling me to his side. "But thank you for informing everyone in advance."

"Why is this such a big deal, Slender?"

He sighed. "My brothers could not be more different from me. You will know when you meet them, I assure you."

Zalgo left. Slenderman's tone scared me. I simply nodded and he brought me over to the sofa, having me sit down. He sat down in the larger armchair that was likely meant for him.

"Can I sit with you," I asked nervously.

"I suppose, come over here."

As soon as I was next to the chair, he picked me up, and sat me down on his lap, facing sideways so I could watch the fire flicker in the fireplace. His arm stayed around my back, keeping me close.

"Why are you so worried? Even if they aren't like you, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"I'm only worried about one of them. I'm sure you'll be great friends with the other two."

"You know I can take care of myself," I assured him, leaning forward and holding onto his far shoulder.

"That does not mean you should trifle with my brothers. They may not be as powerful as I am, but they are still well above you."

"Okay, I'll be careful, then. Happy?"

"Alright. Stay behind me, they will be here in a few moments."

I did, staying in the chair behind him and waiting. I felt for the presences of the others, and found they were all in Ben's room. I was surprised I hadn't heard a sound, but they might have been playing on mute.

They made arrangements so his room is soundproof. We won't hear anything.

Oh, good…

In all honesty, I was nervous. Questions ran through my head, none of them sounding very pleasant. Were they killing machines instead of only killing when they needed to? Did they torture innocents instead of those who got too close to the forest? What did they live in? Old cabins like he had before, or mansions of their own? When had he seen them last? Did they all have their own unique personalities? Well, yes, of course to that last one. What would they think of me? And my abilities?

"Stop worrying," you tell me. Now you are the one worrying. Perhaps you should take your own advice.

Sorry…

An uncomfortable silence continued. Seconds seemed like hours, until I felt three presences enter the room, accompanied by three very similar men to the one whose hand I was holding. A joy-filled voice shattered the deafeningly quiet atmosphere.

"Brother!"

*Well, we know who that is, unless you know nothing of the Creepypastas. Follow, Fave and Review! Seriously, it actually helps a lot. Anyway, I'll see you in the next chapter!*