A/N: First off, I want to thank UntoldStories113 for her advice on some parts, so I went back and changed things up a bit (Panic and Contempt both going with them, more reluctance from Aggravation and Delight having to convince him, more name choices for Ri, etc.), so I really appreciate the advice and constructive criticism. Advice just helps make the story better. :) Anyway, a bit of trouble for Riley occurring in this chapter...

Disclaimer: I own the main five emotions' parents and the setting. And sadly, that is all.

The large doors of the building opened, and Contempt led the two younger ones through without a word, Panic following anxiously behind. The lights in the lobby and hallways were dimmed somewhat, only seeming to accentuate Joy's brightness. There was also the added factor of Riley being less visible in the faded light. At least any others around might not notice her.

They named her, Panic internally muttered. They named her. Oh man, if Aggravation finds out—no, when he finds out...

An elevator ride and some more hallways later, they finally reached the doors of the lab that Riley was so familiar with. Contempt just walked right in without a word.

Riley flinched a little as she and Joy entered. Panic instantly ran over and started chatting to Delight in hopes to avoid Aggravation, Grief was seated nearby going over some of the documents from earlier that day, and Aggravation... he was standing close to the containment chamber where Riley had spent her life before she woke into the world.

The talk between the others stopped immediately.

"Good," Aggravation said in his normal stern voice. "You actually listened and brought Ri back. Seems I didn't even have to force you into it much by storming there myself."

Riley swallowed. She had a feeling that she'd always dislike that voice.

Contempt yawned. "Eh, I heard that one," here he pointed at Joy, "call her 'Riley' on the way over here."

Panic instantly cringed, glancing at the two girls uncertainly. He had been dreading this the entire walk back and hoped Contempt wouldn't tell. No dice.

Joy and Riley both suddenly felt mortified. Joy did her best to hide it, but the fear that pounded through Riley's mind was written all over her face. It only grew worse as she saw Aggravation staring directly at her.

"Really." His voice was almost flat.

"I-it was just a nickname," Joy quickly invented, hoping that Aggravation would listen. "Just to help her feel more welcome when she was with my friends!" She forced as much of a smile as she could muster.

Aggravation's mouth was set in a thin line.

Before any more conversation could be initiated, Delight bounded over almost immediately.

"Hi Joy, hi Ri!" Delight exclaimed with a grin just as broad as her daughter's normal demeanor. "Did you guys have fun? How was the movie?"

Joy blinked, the issue with Aggravation still nagging at her mind. She quickly recovered and shook herself out of her thoughts—she had to, with Aggravation standing nearby. "Well, we didn't get to watch a movie, but we went over and I introduced Ri to my friends!"

"And? How'd it go?"

Joy frowned slightly at the sullen expression on Riley's face before quickly trying to come to her friend's rescue. "It didn't go quite like I hoped, but it was just a first time thing, they'll warm up to her!"

Delight pulled the two of them into a light hug. "I'm sure you'll all be friends soon enough!"

Riley flinched a little at the sudden hug, not used to the physical contact. She was a bit unused to feeling much of anything aside from the energy field she had been suspended in for so long. A chill went down her back as she noticed Aggravation scowl in irritation. Things weren't looking too good. And she wasn't feeling so good either.

Delight pulled back a bit, noticing her shiver. "Ri? Are you okay?"

Before Riley even had time to answer, Panic practically barreled into them and held Ri's arm, checking out the band once more in case things had changed in the past 30 seconds.

"Stability's at 97%, pretty good!" He looked a little more at ease, trying to force out a smile, but noticing her tired look. "Now tell me, is anything else wrong?" He pulled out a list from the pocket of his coat. "Do you happen to feel fuzzy, or like you're fading, or—"

"I... I feel a little worn out, actually," Riley admitted, really hoping that it wasn't anything serious.

"'Worn out' how?"

"Just really tired..."

Panic double-checked the armband. Carefully squinted. Put a hand on her forehead just in case, then took her hand, looking carefully at it for a moment before meeting her gaze. "I think your body just might feel a bit overwhelmed from all the excitement today since you just started moving," he said kindly. "If you go to sleep tonight everything should be fine in the morning."

Joy and Riley returned the smiles, though Riley's was a little more lopsided, and not just due to her physical weariness. Would she be able to sleep, after what had happened and the fact that she had spent nearly her entire semiconscious life "sleeping", however long that was? And where was she going to sleep anyway? In the container? She felt a little weak at the thought.

Before Riley could ask the question, a voice suddenly spoke up.

"Joy? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Both Joy and Riley looked up at the voice, and Riley felt like she had stepped into cold water. It was Aggravation. And Contempt was standing near him like they had been talking while Joy and Riley had been preoccupied with the others.

Joy had a bad feeling about this. But she knew that refusing to listen to Aggravation would just anger him more, and that wasn't something she wanted. For Riley's sake as well as her own.

"S-Sure." Joy couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness prick at her mind. Whenever the leader used that too-calm voice, it never was a good thing. But she followed alongside him all the same. If she had to defend her decision to give Ri a new name, she would.

She glanced backward just as they exited through the lab door. Grief had come over and was assuring them that Riley's readings from earlier in the day looked fine, and Panic was wondering if there were any other symptoms that Riley could think of.

But Riley herself only focused in those moments on worriedly meeting Joy's eyes. Guilt struck her heart again. 'First her friends saw me as different and I ruined their movie night. Now I've ruined things for her too.'

She didn't notice her armband drop a few more percentage points, but she did notice a slight feeling of dizziness that she desperately tried to fight against.

Joy and Aggravation walked away from the lab a bit, down the various hallways and back to the main Council room. A quick glance showed that the speaker wasn't on between there and the lab.

For a moment, there was a tense silence as Aggravation stepped forward, placing one hand on the desk and resting his hand on the wood. He didn't look at Joy.

Had it been anyone else, Joy might have assumed that this would be the time when they'd have a heart-to-heart talk about Riley and what to do concerning her. But any chance of that—a very slim chance in any case when it came to Aggravation—was completely shattered when Joy noticed the top of his head beginning to glow bright.

He slammed his fist down, leaving an imprint on the desk, and whirled around sharply, glaring down at Joy with a furious expression in his eyes and the top of his head being set alight like a flamethrower.

"YOU NAMED HER?!"

Although Joy had expected this sort of reaction from him, her flesh nearly jumped off of her bones the moment he shouted. The flames got more violent, as if the entire lab could be destroyed in one giant inferno. She had dealt this many times when it came to her friend Anger, but his father was like the bigger deal. Frightened as she was, she didn't regret what she had done for Ri...Riley.

"I don't see what the problem is," she remarked politely, trying to sound brave in her tone.

Aggravation growled, wondering how in the name of all things imaginative this girl could not understand what she was messing with. It was annoying enough he had to deal with her mother's constant "positivity" on a daily basis, but since Ri had come into the world, her daughter was doing a better job of souring everything for him.

"Ri does not need a name while she is here," he barked. "She needs to be stable and that's all that matters for her."

This time it was Joy's turn to feel like flames were flickering atop her blue hair. Anger's father had some nerve to say that about her friend. She may have been some "experiment" that had been worked on for a very long time, but her rights were as obvious as any other emotion and individual.

"I'm just making her feel more good about herself!" the yellow emotion argued. "And what trouble can having a new name cause?"

Aggravation peered at her bitterly, fighting the urge to just sprout flames along his back and go into a fit of rage. His son already did that on a weekly basis, but he himself needed to remain steady as a requirement in his job. It had gotten a lot harder since his wife became a Mind Guide and had to leave.

"A new name," he began hoarsely, "will make her more attached to the outside sources following it. She'll begin to become more independent, and suffer from any dangers she might possibly commit because she will believe she can perform anything. This... new name will make her assume her stability levels are to be ignored while she heads off doing the same things you do and assume she's meant to be as you are."

Joy just blinked at him, half confused and half offended that he could think such a way. He was speaking about Riley as if she were a caged animal that needed no name, just needed to be alive! While she fully respected Anger's father as she did with the other adults, Aggravation was not playing a fair game.

"Riley deserves this!" she responded, trying to keep her voice at a certain level. "She woke up and was brought into this world. She was born even though it was in a different way than us! You can't say that Ri will be called that forever just because it was the name you gave her when she was first being created!"

Aggravation groaned under his breath, rubbing his large palm against his forehead. This girl was not only overly sweet on a regular basis, but to the extent obsessed with their project. It had only been the first day with the introduction of Ri being awake, and there was still so much that needed to be done about her. And Joy here was throwing a wrench into the plans.

"I mean, what exactly do you even plan on doing to her?"

He blinked before looking at the yellow emotion. Her glowing skin had faded off, her expression almost frightened.

"You're not actually going to just keep her cooped up in this lab, are you?" she asked. "She doesn't want that. She needs a life just like me and your son do!"

"Don't bring up Anger into this," Aggravation grunted. "I'm not surprised even my own son doesn't like her."

"Who said he doesn't like her?" Joy demanded, fuming. "This is Riley's first day. She's still getting used to our world, so the others need time to get used to her."

"You know, friendship wasn't exactly part of the idea when we first worked on her," he said monotonously.

"Well, it is now!" Joy fought back. "Everyone needs friends! And experiment or not, she needs them too. Which is why I'm here for her. I'll stay with her all night, or for an entire week, whatever it takes if it means taking care of her in case YOU try anything."

Aggravation was taken aback a little by the supposed threat. "Joy, I do not intend to harm Ri."

"Then let her be!" the yellow emotion bit back. "And her name is Riley."

"That name sounds almost too unfitting for someone like her to possess," he stated. He recalled his own studies on more human names when he had studied more of Earth's going-ons. "It means 'courageous'."

"Well, I think it's perfect," Joy huffed, almost wanting to scoff the way Disgust always did. "And Riley is perfect. She's my friend, and nothing you can say will change that!"

Aggravation stared Joy down, surprised that someone so bubbly could be so forceful when she got mad. She certainly had spunk—even if it was threatening to throw a wrench in the plans for Ri.

He sighed, the frown not leaving his face. "Even if you insist on calling her by such a name, to us she shall remain Ri for the time being". He huffed. "But as far as your offer to stay with her a week goes, you'd be better off just visiting. She shouldn't leave the lab for a while and she'll have to sleep in the container again."

"What?!". Just as Joy had thought she was finally getting an upper hand on Aggravation's views, he was trying to squash Riley's freedom. "But that was for when she was developing!"

"And you're forgetting that she's NOT like us!" Aggravation roared. "She needs to be kept in there at night to ensure she remains stable."

"But she deserves a proper place to stay!" Joy insisted, her own voice rising. "She can't just stay cramped in a test tube like she's some sort of thing that has no soul!"

Aggravation put his foot down, the fire returning. "Ri wasn't—"

"It's Riley!"

"She wasn't created to be your friend, or playmate, or anything like that!". Aggravation ignored Joy's correction, focused only on his argument. "She was created for one purpose, and that's why—"

The speaker flicking on suddenly cut their argument short, and a voice came over the speaker.

It was Panic. And he didn't sound at all calm. "Aggravation, Joy, get back here!"

"What's wrong?" Aggravation snapped.

"It's Ri!"

Adrenaline fueled through Joy's system, and she sped off before she could even hear Panic say any more. What mattered was that Riley was in trouble, by the sound of it. And she intended to help her friend in any way she could.

Back in the lab, Panic was desperately hooking wires and electrodes up to Riley, looking worriedly at the steadily decreasing stability level. Grief and Delight were hard at work at charging up the containment chamber, making sure it would be safe to put her in it.

He turned just in time to see Joy rush toward them. Panic knew she would respond this way, having cared about Riley even before she had been finalized. He shuddered as Aggravation came into view, looking as if he had just crashed his car into a tree. But Panic directed his attention to Joy, who gawked in horror at the sight of Riley.

"What happened to her?" she cried, racing to her friend's side.

Panic sighed nervously. "Her stability suddenly began to drop. She's going into a deep slumber."

"Slumber?" Joy repeated as she cradled Riley's head close to her chest. "You mean she's dying?"

Delight came in to place an assuring hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Sweetheart, he means Ri's tired."

"But why is she like this?" Joy demanded, horrified.

"Because she's still very weak."

The yellow emotion looked over her shoulder and she held Riley tighter, almost protectively as Aggravation neared the table where she laid. He didn't appear too surprised, observing the condition the part-emotion was in. He turned back to Panic who was already working on the charges that would aid her.

Aggravation looked sharply at Panic. "Is the chamber almost ready?"

Joy's eyes widened as she looked back down at Riley. The other girl's expression appeared almost too lifeless, as if she was still in the process of being created. She was pale and limp, as if she were more like a doll than a living being. Worse, she appeared fuzzy on some small parts of her body, less so in the way an emotion was and more of a way like she was breaking apart. Like her structure wasn't holding.

Joy's color fizzed out, her yellow skin becoming more of a dull shade as she held Riley close. She refused to move even an inch away from her friend, and she didn't care whether or not the adults said it was a bad idea.

This just wasn't fair! Riley had finally come into the world and now she was being blocked from it! Experiment or not, she was a living, breathing person. She was not Ri, she was Riley, and darn it all what her friends thought, or what anyone else said. Once Riley was able to wake up, Joy would take her away from this place for a longer amount of time. Once it was safe, she'd make sure Riley got to live as any emotion should.

What was life if someone couldn't live it?

Joy laid her head against Riley's, tears pricking her eyes. She just couldn't lose Riley, not after all these months. True, Riley had never been able to respond to her idle chatter, but since her structure was being finalized and she had been allowed to see Riley for the first time, she would visit the growing girl when she got the chance, becoming near as attached to her as her mother. It was almost like having a new best friend, and that was exactly the kind of relationship she had hoped to have when Riley did wake up.

And now so soon after doing so, she might not at all.

"Riley, please wake up!" she murmured, holding her even tighter. Riley had so much to live for... it couldn't be taken from her now!

The sight broke Delight's heart as she and Panic worked to bring the girl back to a stable percentage. She had high hopes that she would fit in immediately into this world. She never thought her own daughter's friends would turn a blind eye and pretend as if she was thin air. This was one of the things she loved about Joy; her ability to accept anyone and find the positive in that person.

Although she doubted there was much to be thought about Aggravation as he worked tediously yet dully. She only wondered what he and her daughter had just discussed about. Maybe it had something to do with the new name thing. Honestly, she liked Riley a lot better than Ri. It sounded more... well, natural.

"Panic, what do we got?" she called to her fellow scientist.

The other emotion adjusted his glasses as he flipped a switch that connected to a good portion of the links on Riley. He gritted his teeth, becoming even more nervous but alert.

"Processing is still at a major low. But we're slowly getting there! I don't think this power will be enough though, we've gotta get her back to where she was before!"

Panic gently placed his hands on Ri's form, causing Joy to look up sharply.

"Joy," Panic said, attempting to stay calm for all their sakes. "I'm going to have to put Ri in the container again now. It's the only way we can save her, and we have to do it now."

Joy took a deep breath and nodded, watching as the wires from the the table were unhooked, causing her stability to drop, and a switch was turned on which caused the container to light up slightly. Contempt pressed the button to open the chamber, and Panic, Delight, and Joy carefully held onto Riley.

"Why does she look like this?" Joy asked, stroking Riley's hair. "When an emotion starts to die, they—"

"She's part human too, remember?" Delight said gently, noticing their hands trembling as the three of them gently positioned Riley into the chamber. "The two parts of her nature are conflicting, so her... weaker state is more human now.". She was careful not to say "dying".

With a nod, the containment chamber was shut, the inside lighting up as energy flow from the connected wires flowed through, causing Riley to be suspended slightly just as she had been doing as she was being formed.

The group watch tensely, the next few seconds completely silent as they stared at her armband.

Then...

65... 67... 71...

Her stability was rising. She would be okay.

Everyone (except Aggravation) collapsed in relief, though even the leader was thankful. The project was alright. Their endeavors could succeed.

Joy watched as Riley resumed her original position, remaining in that container as she had before. Although she was pained that her friend couldn't have received a better way of slumbering, she was just grateful she was okay now.

That had been scary, and Joy nearly did a Fear on herself when she saw Riley so lifeless. But she was sure the blonde would be more than recharged by tomorrow, and hopefully Joy would have another chance to get her out of here. Aggravation's words still infuriated her, and it made her more determined to prove to him that she was no Ri of his but meant to be Riley to everyone. She'd show him he was wrong as soon as tomorrow came.

She gazed at the container once more, Riley's eyes closed as she laid in a state of tranquility. Joy reached up and placed a hand on the container, wishing she could hold Riley's hand through all this. She hoped Riley could feel her attempts to assure her she was safe now. The yellow emotion glanced over to see it was already reaching 85. That was good.

It just wasn't fair that Riley had to suffer this sort of thing. But then again, she had just been brought up from her completed form. She was just so tired after suddenly being brought out from her containment. Joy made a mental note that she would be more careful with her friend. While Joy wanted to show RIley the entire city itself, she needed to take it one step at a time. That meaning she needed to calm down, take things slow, and just be careful with Riley.

She felt a gentle grasp on her shoulder and turned to see her mom give her a sympathetic look.

"Sweetie, let's leave her be," she told her. "Riley will be fine by tomorrow morning."

Joy gazed back at the container, which possessed neither a blanket nor a pillow for the way Riley was "sleeping".

"Does she really need to be like this?" Joy asked her mom miserably. "Doesn't she have a real bed or something?"

"Well, uh..." her mom bit her lip before turning to Panic.

"It's...much too soon to think about those sort of things," he told the younger emotion. "For right now we should be more cautious of her state. A few more tests ought to do it before we can conclude her as stable again."

"And then I can hang out with her again?" Joy asked hopefully.

"Hang out?"

All turned to see Aggravation glare at them from where he was. Contempt stood by him, merely unaffected by his trademark mood at this moment.

"She does not need 'hanging out'," he said sternly. "She needs to avoid extensive contact with outside sources."

"Outside sources?" Joy cried. "You're practically cutting life itself from her!"

Aggravation frowned. "Her life is not centered like yours is."

At this point, Joy was feeling very ticked off. She had felt terrified by having Riley nearly die in front of her, but Aggravation was only concerned with cutting Riley off from everything that was good about life. "Then how is her life centered?" She was unable to stop worry from creeping into her voice.

"Her life is to be centered around being stable and not contaminated by more of the outside world than necessary." Aggravation put his hand on Riley's containment chamber, watching as her percentage was rising and color returning to her body. "She can learn and experience some things, but not so much to the point she gets too attached to things out there. Or you get too attached to her."

Joy flinched, as if thinking that Aggravation, despite his earlier words, did intend to harm Riley. "She deserves to have a life!"

"A limited one!"

"That isn't fair!"

"Joy," Delight said, trying to keep things positive and soothe her daughter's worries. "We'll make sure no harm comes to her." She glanced at Aggravation before looking down at her daughter once more. "We all want her to be safe."

"But she can't just—"

The red-orange emotion stepped toward Joy. "It was your foolishness that nearly got her killed!" Aggravation shouted. "She stayed away from where she could be looked after! If we hadn't send Contempt and Panic to go with you and regulate how long she could stay..." Fire started to sprout from his head again. "Do you want her to—"

"Everyone, CALM DOWN!"

The others turned to look at Panic, who looked just as tired as the rest of them. "We've... we've all had a long day," he panted. "Let's just wrap things up and let Riley get some rest."

Aggravation huffed at the use of the name.

Joy looked firm. "I'll stay with her tonight."

The others glanced at her, seeing the determination in her eyes. Joy wasn't going to back down.

"I'll get a sleeping bag," Delight offered, hurrying off but giving Joy a proud smile. She had known that allowing her to get to know Ri would be a good idea in the long run.

Grief looked uncertain. "You sure you'll be okay here?"

Joy's gaze was set as she moved to Riley's container. She placed her hand on the glass that separated them. "I'm sure. Riley needs me."

It was obvious that Aggravation didn't agree with this, but he didn't say a word as Delight returned with the sleeping bag and pillow.

After a few more minutes of check-ups and goodnights, the lights in the lab were turned off. The only lights present were the equipment, Joy's glow and the container that served as Riley's sleeping quarter.

Joy snuggled into her sleeping bag, glancing up at her silent friend. No matter what the others said, she'd make this work somehow. As Riley's best friend, she figured it was her duty. Riley being "born" that day was the start of a new life, and Joy was going to make sure that Riley would experience it.

"Good night... Riley."

A/N: So, next chapter will involve a bit more shenanigans with Riley and Joy, including Riley learning the basics of the world, and a bit of a heartwarming moment near the end! Remember to review! ;)