Snatcher hadn't slept a wink last night. Constantly waking up from horrible nightmares about death and dying certainly put a damper on the sleep experience. But he especially didn't like how prevalent his little Borrower friend was becoming in his dreams. Dying in a dream was bad enough. But watching a close friend die in a dream and being helpless to stop it? Torture.

So he had gotten a blanket, an entire pot of coffee, and settled in for yet another night of watching bad lawyer dramas, snickering at how badly lawyers were portrayed. Every now and then he checked the sleeping girls on the counter nearby.

When the sun began to rise, a door opened. CC quickly rushed out in her pajamas, checking on the girls before turning to Snatcher. "You're up early! You'd sleep in 'till noon if you could!" she teased, before growing sympathetic. "...More nightmares?"

"Bingo." he said in a tired tone before chugging a cup of coffee. "They're getting worse. If they keep getting worse I'm tempted to go to the doctor."

"Why not now?"

He sneered. "Doctors are expensive."

CC gave a sad smile, ruffling his hair. "I can't force you, sweetheart. Did anythin' happen durin' the night?"

"Hat Kid fell asleep shortly after you all did." Snatcher recalled. "And the new one made some noises, but whenever she did I'd comfort her."

Cookie sighed in relief, then kissed his cheek. "I can't thank you enough, Snatcher." In a childish manner, he immediately tried to wipe it away and stuck his tongue out in protest.

"You can thank me by making me more coffee." he said with a yawn. "Mix energy drinks into it. Please."

"I...don't think that's healthy."

He looked at her blankly. "Do I look like the kind of person to care about how healthy my food is?"

Cookie frowned as she went to get him some more coffee. "You may not care about your well-being, but I do."

"A terrible choice to make."

Bow wiggled her nose and sneezed as she woke up. She sighed, recalling the night before and wiggling deeper into the nice, warm blankets she was practically swaddled in.

She could hear Hat Kid snoring nearby, and someone humming. One of the Human Beans was in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled very good. Another one sat at the table; the tall one. Snatcher, was it?

Noticing that she was awake, he grinned at her. Bow cowered, not liking how wide his smile was, nor the sharp teeth he possessed. Realizing he was scaring her, his grin grew smaller, more sheepish.

Another Bean whacked Snatcher on the back of the head. "Can't ye see yer scaring her, spook?!" Conductor hissed, then turned to Bow. "Don' worry, lass. He won't hurt ye!"

Bow's immediate response was to start crying. Both of these large Beans were scary, and loud, and her teeth were much too sharp for her. Conductor's smile fell and his shoulder's slumped. Snatcher started cackling. "Looks like you're not much better in the comforting department! HA!"

Then the two started bickering. One of their favorite pastimes; the two could argue on and on for hours if left unchecked. And their fighting only scared Bow more, but it did wake up Hat Kid.

The little hatted girl yawned, stretching and rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. "Good morning!" she said, but the rest of her greeting was cut off by Bow tackling her in a hug. "Morning Bow! How are you feeling? Any better?"

"T-They're loud." Bow stuttered, trying to hide her face. "And-and-and scary."

"They're more bark than bite." Hat Kid assured. "Snatcher is super funny, and Conductor is really a big ol softie!"

"Yeah old man," Snatcher mocked. He made good of his namesake and snatched Conductor's hat off his head. "You're a big softie."

The old man growled, starting to remove his suit jacket. "I maaaay have a soft spot for the lasses," in his suit jacket pocket was a knife. He grinned. "But you? Not so much, laddie. Give. My. Hat. Back."

Snatcher was silent, signature grin quickly fading from his face. He then handed Conductor his hat back.

"Thank ye kindly, laddie. Glad to see all the caffeine ye drink hasn't completely rotten away yer brain!" the old bean set his jacket on the back of a chair, pulling out a box of cigarettes. "I'll be out for a few. Don't touch me things."

Snatcher glared at him as he walked outside. "...asshole." he muttered darkly to himself.

As that entire interaction was happening, Bow and Hat Kid had climbed off the table and had scurried into the kitchen. Like little mice, they skitter and scurry up to the counters, weaving their way behind knick knacks scattered around. "This is the kitchen!" Hat Kid explained. "CC is in here a lot! She's in here now."

"Hello dears!" CC greeted. "You can call me cookie. I'm making scrambled eggs. Would either of you two want some?"

Bow, despite having lived of meager amounts of berries, nuts and other various items in the woods for weeks, still had some distrust towards the Human Beans. "No thank you, m'am." Bow muttered, bowing slightly.

"Are you sure, sweetie? I wouldn't want anyone going hungry in my house."

Bow looked at Hat Kid for reassurance, then nodded. "Well, I wouldn't mind a little bit…"

Hat Kid smiled. This was great! Everyone was getting along! And if Bow was alive and (mostly) well, then the rest of her family had to be too, right?

"Bow, can I ask a question?" she said quietly. "What happened after I fell off the boat?"

Bow was quiet, for a moment. "...after you fell over, Thor and Timmy dove in after you. Before they could resurface, the boat hit a log, and I fell out." she fiddled with her dress. "I remember waking up on the banks of the river the next morning."

"Do you think-"

Bow started sniffling, tearing up. "I-I don't know where they are, or if they're alive. I'm sorry!" she wailed, hiding her face in her hands. "I should've grabbed you! I should've done better!"

"Bow, Bow!" Hat Kid hugged her adoptive sister tight. "It's not your fault! There's nothing you could've done! But we have each other, and that's all that matters for now."

After breakfast was over, there was a loud, sharp knock at the door. Snatcher frowned. "Alright kiddos," he said quietly, picking up the two girls as CC went to answer the door. Bow whimpered, which broke Snatcher's heart, but he had to do it. "Gotta make yourself scarce."

He put the two by one of Hat Kid's usual holes in the wall. "Don't come out until we say."

CC opened the door to a very professional looking man in a suit. "Hello M'am. I'm Agent Mark, here with CPS to check your house and residents in ordinance with your submission of paperwork."

"Ah! Yes, yes, come in!" Cookie said warmly, leading in the man with a hand wave.

Snatcher leaned closer to Grooves. "He's doing what in ordinance of what?" he whispered. A lawyer he may be, but he mostly skimmed over child laws.

"He's here to check us and our house to make sure we can take care of the little blonde darling." Grooves whispered back. "CC filled out the paperwork online and submitted them in last night."

"She really wants to take in that little blighter, don't she?" Conductor muttered. "I can nae fault her for that."

"...oh shit, I gotta clean my attic-" Snatcher hissed, darting upstairs to clean up whatever strange doings he did up there.

"...Ye know I should really check me room too…"

"I-I-I think I left something in my room, darlings, I'll be right back…"

Bow and Hat watched from the walls as CC led the strange man inside. What happened if he found them? "What if-" Bow whispered. But Hat Kid shushed her gently.

"Here, this is a golden opportunity. We can follow them! And learn more about the Beans!"

Agent Mark frowned. "You appear to have small holes in your walls." he noted with a frown. "Is there any particular reason for that?"

"The house is old. We've simply grown used to them, and forgot to patch them up." Cookie said with a smile. She meant to patch them up ages ago, but since the addition of Hat Kid, they had decided not to. "We could patch them up-"

"That would be preferred." Agent Mark said quietly. "Let's move on."

Grooves' apartment was first. Spotless, with only one hole he had cleverly hidden with a small poster. "Greetings!" he posed for Agent Mark, almost appearing to glow. "You may call me Grooves, darling."

"Yes. Ms-"

Grooves looked nervous. "Uhm, it's Mister. Mister Dwayne." he took a more relaxed pose, although his shoulders were still stiff, and offered his hand to shake.

"Ah yes, Mr. Dwayne I apologize. Your records show you don't take drugs, and you've only been charged once, for public intoxication. But that was years ago. No records of violence towards children...you seem fine to have children around."

"You can search my apartment, I have nothing to hide." Behind his glasses, Grooves glanced at the little Borrower hole on his kitchen counter. "However, I have a film set to get too soon."

Hat Kid smiled. "Dwayne is a nice name. And this 'Mark Bean' says he's perfectly nice."

Bow frowned. "I dunno…."

Agent Mark moved to Conductor's room; barren and only had the bare necessities to live. He made no effort to hide the holes in the walls, some were there naturally, and the others he had accidentally punched in due to anger.

Conductor immediately took a defensive pose as Agent Mark entered. "Ah, Connor Gleeson?"

"Aye."

Agent Mark looked down at his notes, furrowing his brow. "You have records of public intoxication, drunken disorderly conduct, assault, assault and battery...you are a very violent man, Mr. Connor."

"Aye. But I'm a good man." Conductor insisted. "Me family is good, and strong, and I'd do everything in me power to help with the wee lass."

"Well, your records also show your family considers you a good grandparent and father. We'll be keeping a close eye on you, Mr. Connor."

Bow and Hat Kid had been hiding in the walls during this entire interaction. "See? Beans can be dangerous! I don't know what assault and battery is, but it sounds bad! He attacked someone with batteries!" Bow squeaked fearfully.

"You don't know them like I do!" Hat Kid assured. "They'd never hurt us! C'mon, let's keep following them."

Snatcher was next, but Agent Mark was caught off guard. "I didn't expect him to be here today...you have quite the character in the attic, Miss Cookie."

Snatcher's attic was spotless. The desk was empty, there was a single blanket on his crappy bed, and the dollhouse was snapped shut. He sat on his bed, legs crossed and grinning like mad. "Alright Agent Know-It-All. Let's see what dirt you have on me."

"I certainly have info on you, Vincent." Agent Mark hissed. Snatcher's smile only grew. "You have a long list of petty crimes, but you've never faced a single day in jail. And somehow your last name is redacted?"

"Never doubt a lawyer." Snatcher retorted victoriously.

"Shoplifting, assault and battery, threats, jaywalking, disrupting the peace, public urination-"

"I didn't do that one. C'mon, Agent Muller! I have a touch of dignity!"

"People have reported you dumpster diving, loitering and being over-all incredibly disturbing or creepy."

Every crime and misdemeanor only caused Snatcher's twisted grin to grow, and Bow to grow more fearful. "That Bean is a bad Bean!" she insisted. "He's even worse than Conductor!"

Hat Kid shook her head. "B-But he's been nothing but nice to me! A little creepy is one thing, but he'd never, ever hurt me! Or you!"

"I don't trust him, Hat Kid. And neither should you."

Agent Mark continued; "We are going to have to keep a very, very sharp eye on you, Mister Vincent."

"Do it!" Snatcher laughed. "I dare you! You won't find anything!"

The Agent shook his head as he went down the stairs. CC paused to glare at Snatcher before following. "So...how'd we do?"

Agent Mark frowned. "We'll have to keep a close eye on you and this house. Connor and Vincent aren't doing you favors." noticing CC's wince, he added, "But not to fear. You are viable to adopt the little girl that was recently placed in our care. You have a big heart, Miss Cookie."

She smiled, extending a hand for him to shake. "Thank you, Mark!"

He returned the smile, shaking her hand. "Now, the local papers want to write a story about all of this; a house of friends saving and adopting a young girl from abuse. Would that be fine?"

"Of course! Why not?"

A few days later, far away in a large house, a woman sat at the table as she sipped her tea. "Give me the morning paper." she demanded, to no one in particular. One of her staff rushed forward to deliver what she requested.

She skimmed the first page, eyes narrowing as she read the cover. "Local Girl Saved from Abuse." As she read further and further, she started to smile.

"I found you, my Prince~"