Next chapter will be really Craig centered, let's see if we can't further the plot.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy, like always, and if you do, don't be afraid to comment. I'm not that scary, I promise. (Just a little scary:)


Soft sunshine reached down and touched Tweek's hair and face. It reflected off all the puddles from last night's storm and gave the snow a heavenly aura. The sun couldn't keep away the slight chill that rode on the breeze, but it did allow Tweek to warm up a bit.

A few feet away, Kenny leaned against the short brick wall that seperated the high school from the free world and blew puffs of air that condensed and hung in the air for a split second.

"Remind me again what we're doing here?" Kenny leaned his head back and gazed up at the fluffy clouds that dotted the brilliant sky.

Tweek had come up with some completely fake lie to get Kenny to follow him outside during lunch, it may have involved something about the cheerleaders rehearsing in bathing suits. Kenny seemed to believe the lie despite the fact that it was late October and very chilly.

"We're w-waiting." Tweek responded and walked over to the wall. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

"For fake cheerleaders? Why'd you really ask me to come out here?" Kenny swiveled his head to look at Tweek. He pulled a red lollipop out of his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

Tweek pulled at the edges of his wild hair, in a manner that he hoped didn't look guilty. "You knew I w-was lying?"

"You twitch when you lie." Kenny went back to looking at the sky.

"I t-twitch all the time!" Tweek argued, his shoulder twitched as if to back him up.

"But it's different when you lie." Kenny pointed out.

Tweek huffed and peered around the empty lot. The dumpsters were pushed up against the side of the school, a door beside them that led into the kitchen of the cafeteria had a rusted metal awning over it. That's where the goths seemed to always be, yet today that spot was empty. The lack of cigarette smoke allowed the putrid smell of rotting food and milk to carry over from the dumpsters.

Craig was supposed to be here by now. Tweek's job was to trick Kenny into coming, Craig's job was to just show up.

Tweek thumped his fingers against the straps of his backpack and clicked his tongue. Two more minutes and he was done.

The cafeteria door slid open and Craig tumbled out follow by loud shouts of lunch ladies. "You pretend to be one roach and everyone freaks out." His short black hair was tousled, his blue hoodie sloping at one shoulder like someone was grabbing him.

Kenny's eyes flew to the dark haired boy. They widened in anger as he straightened his spine and spit out his lollipop.

"Tweek, what the shit?" Kenny crossed his arms and eyed the alleyway. He looked ready to dart away. Tweek wanted to explain how this was all for the greater good, but he couldn't bring himself to give such a speech when he didn't exactly want to be here either. Sure, saving the world was a good thing (maybe), but if Tweek was given the decision to take a nap or to trek through some strange world to commit a murder he would definitely be going with the nap.

"Don't b-be mad." He decided to tell Kenny instead. Kenny definitely looked mad, disregarding Tweek's wish.

"Wow, you actually came." Craig said in his flat voice as he hunkered his shoulders and crossed over to the brick wall.

Tweek scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Don't sound so surprised." Tweek wasn't actually sure why he kept doing what Craig asked him to. As much as he boasted about not wanting to be involved, he actually somehow enjoyed being around Craig. Craig, despite being an otherworldly creature, was not all that bad. So far he hadn't attempted to murder Tweek; Tweek was only sure of this because he felt any attempt on his life would be successful, and yet he was still breathing.

"Look, you can't prove anything." Kenny pointed an accusing finger at Craig. Tweek had no clue what all the antipathy was about; Kenny hadn't spoken two words to Craig before deciding to hate him. "Tweek I told you to stay away from this guy."

"He's n-not that bad." Tweek admitted begrudgingly. Craig gave him a smug look to which Tweek stuck out his tongue. "Maybe just very annoying… and kinda short."

"I'm not short."

"I'm out of here." Kenny pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the courtyard. "You can keep your excuses."

"Kenny p-please!" Tweek ran forward and grabbed Kenny's shoulder. "He was in the forest that night." Tweek whispered, hoping that would grab his attention. If Kenny still felt guilty Tweek could use that to his advantage, although Tweek's gut twisted at the thought of guilt tripping his friend.

Kenny's feet stopped in their tracks as he considered Tweek's words. "So?" He grunted. Not the best sign, but he had stopped walking.

"I'll buy you guys a meal." Craig suggested, he knew the one true way to any teens heart. Food. "If you'll listen to me."

Kenny glanced over his shoulder, his eyebrows set flat in agitation. He turned back around and glared at the ground. Tweek waited in anticipation.

"I get to pick the place, and after I eat you'll have ten minutes." Kenny finally spoke. He flipped up his neon orange hood and began walking towards the forest.

Craig watched Kenny stomp off to the treeline. He ran a hand through his hair in a small attempt to straighten it; despite how messy he looked, Tweek couldn't help but feel he looked more handsome than any of the guys in their class, in a divine, kingly sort of way. The way his sharp, cerulean eyes complemented his pale skin and dark hair. Tweek wouldn't be surprised if Craig got popular fast, after all the girls were always gossiping about who the cutest boy in their class was.

"Come on, Tweek." Craig mumbled as he followed, snapping Tweek out of his brief contemplation.

"I'm c-coming! Gah!" Tweek flustered and pulled at his sleeves before barging past a confused Craig.

Kenny walked briskly through the dense pine trees. The only indication of humanity was the old footprints that littered the drying mud. Kenny knew the narrow path well. Tweek assumed there was a path; he couldn't actually make out a clear way, but some plants had gaps in-between them or were trampled down. The heavy foliage blotted out the majority of the sun's beams and gave the forest an ethereal filter. Tweek sighed out of his nose as he batted a branch out of his way. One of the few days there was actually sunshine in South Park and he was spending it inside a shadowy forest. Kenny switched directions, heading left and deeper into the forest. Tweek didn't see how this would get them to a restaurant, but Tweek did see boogies hanging out behind thick tree once in Tweek's life they weren't staring at him, they were all staring at Craig with a kind of curious awe. As if that wasn't disturbing enough, Tweek wondered how he could actually tell what the boogies were feeling. He assumed they were just always angry and malicious.

Tweek decided to keep his attention focused ahead. Craig walked in front of him, seemingly unbothered by all the vines and wildly growing vegetation. In the darker shadows he seemed to flicker; his pale skin nearly greyish, his black hair a wispy mist. Tweek shuddered and tugged on his backpack.

At the very least it was warmed inside of the forest, the dense trees trapped the dense air inside and forbade strong winds from entering.

Craig snapped a few leaves from a tree, the branch swung back as he passed and thwapped Tweek in the chest.

"What are y-you doing?" Tweek asked as Craig slid the leaves into his pockets. Tweek had noticed him pick up other random forest paraphernalia for a while now; a pinecone, a branch of berries, a feather.

Craig patted his pocket with his icy fingers and gave Tweek a smile. "Coinage."

Kenny slid down a short rocky shale and hopped onto gravel.

Craig stumbled after him followed by Tweek.

Somehow they had ended up in the parking lot of a McDonald's. A few cars were parked, two in the driveway. It was lunchtime after all. Kenny waved for them to follow and walked up to the door.

Tweek had expected Kenny to pick a fancier place, somewhere more expensive.

Craig grimaced at the faded red and yellow building.

"Is i-it the hideous color scheme or the greasy smell?" Tweek asked as he forced Craig into the building.

"Is there anything organic in this place?" He asked with an upturned nose.

"Are you one of 'em fancy vegans?" An old man in plaid and overalls sneered at them on his way out. He snorted and shook his head. "What has 'Merica come to?" He muttered just a pinch to loud as the door shut behind him.

Kenny was already ordering, the cashier looked like a very bored contemporary art student. Tweek could image she was one of the goths aged up, but with double the anger after learning about student loans and politics.

She had a red nose ring that she occasionally twisted while ringing up Kenny's massive order. Her name tag read Charlotte.

"Wow, are you guys like high?" Charlotte's flat, honeyed voice asked as Tweek began to order.

"N-no," Tweek rubbed his arm. Many, many people have asked him if he's a junkie over the course of his 17 year long life, and frankly he was tired of it. He couldn't help his nervous tendencies or the wild look that haunts his eyes. "I just want a ten piece chicken nugget meal."

Charlotte absentmindedly banged the order into the register. "Will that be all?"

"Yes." Craig stepped forward and digged around his pockets.

"Your total will be $28.57. Will that be cash or credit?" She listed off as if reading from a workers manual. She took out two cups and slid them across the counter to Kenny.

"Cash." Craig slammed his palm onto the counter and released a handful of various leaves and a large pinecone. A small beetle crawled off one of the leaves and made a beeline (beetleline?) for the cash register.

The cashier sneered at mess on her counter for a moment as if thinking, "I don't get paid enough for this." before her eyes glazed over and she blinked rapidly.

"Out of a fifty?" She collected all the debris into her manicured hands, even taking the stray dirt. "Your change will be $21.43." She muttered as she scrapped the junk into the drawer.

"Keep the change." Craig stuffed the receipt into his pocket and went to find the most reclusive table available.

"I'll take the change." Tweek heard Kenny tell the woman as he chased after Craig.

While most McDonald's had been redone, this old one in a vague corner of South Park still housed its retro, plastic booths from the 90's.

Craig choose one in a corner; the red padding was cracked and yellow stuffing poked through at certain places. Tweek slid into the booth across from Craig, the crusty padding catching on his shirt.

"This really isn't how I expected to tell you my big plan. Inside of a run down, greasy building." Craig sighed and shook his head in disappointment. His flair for theatrics was being severely let down.

"That's l-life." Tweek muttered and tapped his fingers against the hard plastic table. Lunch would end soon, they had spent a while hiking through the forest. If the principle called Tweek's parents he would definitely be in trouble. He somehow just kept digging himself into deeper and deeper into a hole of misbehavior and disrespect.

"Why are you so worried? Is it about school, because I won't let you get in trouble." Craig scoffed and held his hand up to his chest in offense. "Unfortunately you're my comrade, and I take care of my comrades. That's why my men trust me."

"If they trust you so much why don't you e-enlist them for this mission?" Tweek crossed his arms; he didn't expect that to stop Craig from being able to read his emotions, but he felt a little less uncomfortable with the small barrier up.

"My soldiers respect me, but they are loyal to the King." Craig admitted with distaste.

Kenny appeared and set down his large soda. He set an empty cup in front of Tweek and sat down. Tweek didn't see how he was supposed to get a drink with Kenny right there, but Kenny's passive aggressiveness was in vain because Tweek wasn't even thirsty.

Craig clamped his mouth shut and looked out the smudged glass. Kenny rolled his eyes and stared over at the counter to keep a look out for their order. This could definitely be going better. The animosity was so thick in the air that Tweek could practically feel it rubbing against his skin like a mangy animal.

"Don't everyone start talking at once." Tweek scowled at both of them. "I c-can't believe that I'm the one trying to be social."

"Number 112!" Charlotte called out from across the restaurant.

Kenny practically jumped out of the booth and across the hard, linoleum floor to the counter.

"You h-have to try. Be friendly." Tweek hissed to Craig. He could feel himself aging from the stress of being the middleman in this operation. He felt like a parent caught between two bickering children. "Or I'm leaving." He added for good measure.

Craig breathed out heavily and turned his body to face the table instead of secluding himself like an angsty teen.

"Bon appetit." Kenny set down two trays. For some reason he'd ordered more than one adult meal and, for some reason, a kids meal that he shoved into his backpack.

Tweek let his food sit in front of him while Kenny started on a Big Mac.

"You should eat." Craig pulled Tweek's Mcnuggets towards him and popped open the small box.

"Don't parent him." Kenny grabbed the nuggets and set them back in front of Tweek. "What are you, a stalker? You've been weirdly interested in Tweek since your first day."

"If I'm a stalker what does that make you?" Craig shot back with an irritated scowl. "I know your secret."

Kenny chewed on his burger slowly, a sour look on his face.

"What secret?" Tweek fiddled with his fries, he wasn't hungry and couldn't think about focusing on his food.

"How?" Kenny muttered, his dark blue eyes flickering. "No one has ever noticed."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not a normal person. I can help you learn about your powers." Craig scooted so he was directly in front of Kenny.

Tweek growled with irritation. He didn't come here to be ignored.

Kenny looked down at his food. "Not here."

It was silent for a long time as they ate. Tweek reluctantly played around with his chicken nuggets.

"Eat." Craig whispered to him.

Tweek shot him a glare.

"I paid for that." Craig added with a glare of his own.

"You used leaves! You basically stole this food." Tweek picked up a lukewarm nugget and bit into it to appease Craig. He could feel Craig watching him until he'd eaten at least five.

"If you're finished, can we leave? I think my arteries are clogging just by breathing in here." Craig had little to no patience, his legs were jiggling under the table and distracting Tweek.

The cashier was definitely not sad to see them leave, she was still battling beetles away from her workspace. Kenny sulked in silence, his demeanor was so sullen and serious that it scared Tweek. Kenny had always been quite laid back and easy going.

Craig led them back into the woods this time. The branches practically weaved a path for them, bending this and that way to make way for the Prince.

He stopped them at a small meadow. Icy tree branches hung from blacked trunks, the grass was a sea of frosted blades. Small, iridescent flowers curled at the base of trees; their petals a galley of blown glass. It was freezing, as if they'd stepped into a walk in freezer. Tweek's breath hung in the air with every puff. Tweek turned in a circle and took the scenery in. The soft blues of the sky extended onward and faded into indigo and purple. They all set their backpacks down against a large tree.

"Where a-are we?" Tweek gasped as a pack of deer bounded through the forest nearby. A fawn stopped and turned it's large eyes towards him. Tweek shouldn't have been surprised to see they weren't normal deer. The fawn pawed at the ground with a hoof and shook it's back; a pair of umber wings extended and stretched towards the sky before the deer bounded after it's family.

"This is the edge of Algrid." Craig stared after the strange deer with sadness in his eyes. "It used to all be this beautiful. Those were perytons. I haven't seen a herd for years."

"I'll be damned." Kenny had moved to stand beside Tweek. "I'm high as balls. I'm tripping, right?"

"You can see them?" Tweek wheeled on Kenny. "Have you always b-been able to?" Tweek was excited and extremely angered by the idea. Finally, someone to believe him! But if Kenny had been keeping it a secret all these years Tweek might just punch him.

"Is this what you see all the time?" Kenny leaned back, his eyes slightly wide. "I hope I'm high." He muttered under his breath.

"You're not high. At least not that I know of." Craig hesitated, his pale eyes searching for words. "Tweek, want to explain. You know, human to human. It might be easier that way."

Kenny gawked at Craig, as if he was noticing his pointed ears and frosted fingers for the first time. "Soooo… You aren't human? Maybe I accidentally got into my dad's cocaine... again."

Even Tweek could sense how nervous Kenny was getting. His hands were shoved into his pockets, his eyes rapidly moving from one absurd thing to another.

"Arg! Just l-listen, okay? Basically the world is a l-lot more fucked up than either of us know." Tweek nervously brushed his hair back. "There's all this magic, Craig isn't even f-from this world. He's some faery Prince and needs our help to kill h-his father." Tweek griped to himself about how ridiculous his explanation sounded; of anyone came up to him and spouted that out he would've been overjoyed to find someone crazier than himself.

Kenny had bursted out into laughter as soon as Tweek had called Craig a Prince. Craig straightened his jaw and took a deep breath.

When Kenny finally straightened up and wiped a tear from his eye he looked straight into Tweek's eyes. "That sounds like a bad fantasy rip off of a rip off Star Wars movie. A rip off of a rip off, that's how bad."

"Star Wars?" Craig quirked an eyebrow. "I've never been in a war that involved stars."

Tweek ignored Craig's concerning statement and decided to focus on one problem at a time; first up, Kenny.

"O-oh yeah, how do y-you explain whatever power you have? Is t-that just fake?" Tweek retorted and shifted his feet. The grass crunched beneath his Converse. Kenny winced, like Tweek's words physically stung him. "This isn't a joke." Tweek added, forcing his voice to sound softer.

"Fine. Say this is all real, what does it have to do with me? I don't care about some faery world."

"Our worlds are connected. My father plans to invade South Park, which would lead to the death of everyone here." Craig balled his fists, his sculpted face twisting in a frown. "I need you and Tweek, you're the only ones who'll be able to stop him."

Kenny raised an eyebrow. "Tweek can I talk to you for a sec?"

Tweek shrugged, "Yeah, s-sure."

Kenny wrapped an arm around Tweek's shoulders and pulled him over to the side of the meadow. Glancing back to make sure Craig was out of ear shot, he leaned his head in.

"How do you know this isn't a double bluff? Like, what if he's just saying this to lure us somewhere and kill us?" Kenny muttered. Tweek could smell the hint of cherry on his breath from the lollipop. "We're the only ones who can stop his dad? How convenient would it be if we both were captured or killed?"

"What? N-no. Craig wouldn't." Tweek licked his lips, his neck ached from it's craned position. Craig wouldn't do that, although Tweek doesn't know him well at all. He could just as easily be lying as telling the truth; so why did Tweek feel so inclined to believe him? The thought made his gut ache. "No way."

"You know I'm making sense. You can't trust anyone in this world, you hear me?" Kenny rushed out. "Or in any world for that matter."

The hairs on the back of Tweek's neck stood up. This felt wrong. Kenny clasped onto Tweek's shoulders, his whole body tensed next to Tweek's. "Move!" He shoved Tweek away, causing him to hit the ground in a painful tumble for the third time that week. Tweek rolled up and groaned, he had a feeling this bruise would never heal.

Something exploded into the ice where he and Kenny had stood. Tweek yelped and scrambled away, fighting the pain in his side. His first thought was Craig, he'd tried to kill them. Kenny was right.

Kenny, Tweek couldn't see Kenny. The spot where he'd stood was a mess of black icicles that jutted up at spastic angles. The light glinted off of them showing off how sharp they were, sharp enough to impale someone.

"K-Kenny!" Tweek shakily forced himself to his knees. His eyes flew over the meadow; once beautiful and serene, it now looked like a horror film. The ice only reflected the black and red sky, the grass wilted at odd angles.

Tweek spotted Kenny by his bright orange jacket. He was struggling to get to his feets, red splotches stained the sleeve and right side of his clothes. He'd been hit because he took the time to push Tweek out of the way.

Tweek stepped forward, attempting to reach Kenny. A powerful thud hit him, turning his legs to jelly and forcing him to the ground. Tweek recognized that force, he'd felt it in his kitchen last night. It tore at his insides like needle toothed rats, and rushed through his blood like searing fire.

"C-Craig! Please!" Tweek wept through his teeth, his eyes were screwed shut in agony. Fight it, fight it. He ground his teeth and concentrated, but the force double at his resistance.

"Disgusting." The voice didn't speak, it resonated through Tweek's mind, an intrusive thought.

Tweeks eyes flew open, his chest heaving. A dark figure stood in the center of the clearing, his form flickered as if just a hologram. It towered at well over seven feet. It's blood red eyes churned with unwarranted malevolence as it exaimed the two teen-agers. It's inky skin was eerily familiar. Tweek could have mistaken him for an aged up Craig, the only distinguishing factors were his flaming red hair and the pure malice that radiated from him.

Kenny had caught his footing with the help of a tree trunk, his labored breathing reached Tweek's ears.

"Fuck you." Kenny hissed out between breaths.

"I thought I sensed humans in my world. Pathetic creatures, you will suffer for trespassing."

Kenny's hand moved to his pocket, something metal glinted in his hand. A small switchblade. A grin spread over his face. "I haven't had a good fight in a while. Bring it, old man."

"Kenny don't!" Tweek screamed, he forced himself to his feet.

Kenny did. He charged at the figure, took an impressive jump and brought the switchblade down onto the holograms neck. Of course his knife didn't land a hit, Kenny went straight through the project and landed on the icy ground. The image of the King exploded into a puff of pine needles and ice shards before twirling down to the snow in a heap.

Kenny rolled over looking dazed. Tweek rushed over to him and fell to his knees, sharp stones dug into his skin as he skidded to a stop.

"We h-have to get out o-of here!" Tweek pulled at Kenny's arm. Warm, sticky liquid coated his palms causing him to cringe. Kenny had obviously been hit a few times by those icicles, and the wounds were bleeding an awful lot despite their small size.

"Dying fucking hurts!" Kenny raged as he examined his injuries.

"Get u-up!" Tweek could hear branches snapping and ice crushing under heavy feet all around them. "You're not going to d-die!"

Kenny's eyes were sharp, he scoped out the forest as Tweek helped him up. "Fifteen. I'll take them, you run."

"Like hell!" Tweek forced Kenny's arm over his shoulder and desperately looked for the clearest route. Boogies were surrounding them. Unlike in South Park, these boogies had fleshier bodies, mangy fur hung off them in patches. Their claws were not so much branch like as they were knife like. "This way!" Tweek shot them down a path clear of monsters. With Kenny limping along side him they went twice as slow. The boogies didn't bother hurrying, after all Kenny and Tweek were wounded animals in their territory. It was a hunt for sport.

Kenny struggled against Tweek causing them to bang into a tree.

"Stop being stupid!" Tweek jerked him to the left. The trees shot up in strange places and seemed to appear out of a fog just in time to make Tweek slam his heels into the ground. The whole world was messing with them.

Kenny threw off Tweek, with his injuries Tweek should've been able to easily drag him along. Tweek felt helpless as Kenny effectively shook him off.

"Run," Kenny held up his knife, "And when you find that bastard Craig, punch him for me."

Claws reached out of the trees and grabbed at Kenny causing him to fly into action. He slashed at the arm, the boogie howled in pain as dark blood splashed the snow. Several boogies howled in response. Growls emanated from the trees and heavy figures stepped out. Kenny had a wild look in his eyes as they circled him; he held up his small knife, but in comparison to the boogie's claws it was miniscule. Tweek felt like he'd scream, this was everyone of his nightmares mashed into one bad dream.

"Kenny, for the love o-of god please come on!" Tweek stood paralyzed, the boogies were herding to the immediate threat. Tweek could not force himself to move. Fear shredded his veins. Any courage he once had was gone.

Kenny glared at him, "Run, dumbass!" A boogie lunged and sliced Kenny across the chest. He screamed out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush.

Tweek grabbed the closest thing he could find, a broken tree branch, and began to swing at one of the lumbering beasts. The branch twacked it on the shoulder and broke in two. Tweek gulped and looked at the remains of his weapon. The beast merely grunted and swung it's arm in turn. It hit Tweek smack in the chest and sent him flying backwards. Sharp pain cut across his torso. All the oxygen in his lungs was forced out in one long heave. Tweek rolled across the ground and hit the base of a dark tree. Ice and pine needles rained down and littered his hair. His vision spun as he forced air into his throbbing chest.

Ice touched his skin. His face, his hands and forearms. It seeped into his shirt and socks and got tangled in his hair. His whole body felt cold and numb; he was just a corpse in a freezer.

His green eyes blinked, small snowflakes caught in his lashes. Tweek couldn't actually hear the scream due to the loud ringing that deafened him, but he saw Kenny's torso contort in pain. His mouth opened wide, the claws impaled through his stomach dripped blood onto the white floor. Tweek felt himself retch. Every single chicken nugget made a reappearance as his stomach heaved itself onto the ground. His whole body shuddered, his arms and legs felt detached. The boogies were beginning to notice him.

Kenny's body fell to the ground in a pile of his own blood, limp and unmoving. His small knife was gone, thrown askew into the trees, his eyes stared off into the distance. Tweek screamed.

The smell of ozone filled his nostrils and threatened to make him gag again. Somehow he was on his feet, somehow he was running away. Leaving his best friend behind, leaving the corpse of his best friend behind.

Tweek was deaf and blind to the world, his legs guided him through the frigid world. He could've been running for seconds or hours when he hit South Park. The change was so sudden he fell to the ground. He rolled over with a grunt. The trees looked the same, there was snow everywhere. But it was different. Ozone was gone, the fragrance of earthy soil and shrubbery flooded his nose. The sky was a darkening blue, it must be around five. Tweek was in so much trouble, but he couldn't force himself to stand up and find his way home. He refused to move as the sky turned from blue to purple to black, and when the stars started shining and the moon stared down at him, he closed his eyes.

Tweek didn't remember falling asleep. Blood soaked walls assaulted him from all sides, dead eyes stared at him from the walls. Dark thickets dove in on Tweek, contorting his body and digging thorns into his flesh. Tweek didn't remember waking up, one nightmare just faded into another.

A full moon was high in the sky now, but provided little light. The night was well underway, so quiet and peaceful. Crickets chirped and the wind rustled through the trees. So why had Tweek woken up?

Tweek turned his head to the left, and then the right. He couldn't see anything but the pale illumination of tall trees. To say he felt cold was an understatement; the cold seeped into his bones and replaced his blood. He was made of cold.

Twigs snapped, something pushed branches. That's why he'd awoken, something was coming towards him. His heart speed up for a brief moment before he closed his eyes and laid perfectly still. Tweek wasn't going to run, he resigned himself to whatever gruesome fate was inching closer; he'd earned it after all. The edge of his eyes stung.

Ten feet away… five… One.

Tweek let out one last sigh.

A foot kicked him in the side, a heavy mass fell over him.

"Ow, what the fuck?" Craig's nasally voice assaulted Tweek's ears. Tweek's eyes flew open. "Shit, Tweek? Is that you?" Craig pushed himself up. Around his head a soft halo of blue light glowed, allowing Tweek to see him. "I've been looking for hours! What are you doing!"

Unbridled rage burned in Tweeks chest, he screamed and lunged at Craig. Craig wasn't expecting such an assault, especially not from someone who'd been lying in the snow for hours on end.

Craig hissed when Tweek's cold hands burned into his shoulders. He stumbled back and fell to the ground, with Tweek on top of him.

"God d-damn it! You bastard!" Tweek screamed and pulled back his fist. He had never been in a fight before, and he had never punched someone. Or at least not until now. He heard a sharp crack as his fist made contact. "You killed Kenny!"

Craig's head snapped back, the metallic taste of blood flooded his mouth. "Get off!" Craig grabbed at Tweek's shoulders.

Tweek was sobbing now, his arms too weak to fight. He fell to the side allowing Craig to sit up.

Tweek couldn't see a thing, the tears stung his eyes and obscured his vision. "You l-lied! You betrayed me!" He allowed himself to fall back into the snow. His shirt was warming up with blood.

Craig stood up and wiped at his nose. Red burned in his eyes, the bright blue irises were nowhere to be found.

"I didn't lie." He hissed and stomped around Tweek. He held his nose shut to avoid bleeding all over himself.

Tweek's body was racking with sobs. His mouth coughed out a cry every time he attempted to speak. Blood was on him, Kenny's blood. He wiped at his chest, but that only spread the blood.

Craig kneeled besides Tweek's convulsing form. The soft light formed into an orb and hung over Tweek's chest.

"You're hurting yourself." Craig grabbed his wrists and forced them to his sides. Three long cuts were slowly reopening. Dried blood made Tweek's green shirt rust colored.

"It's Kenny's blood." Tweek managed to force out through his mucus covered throat. Craig barely managed to understand the muddled words.

"No, it's not. Tweek look, it's yours. You're cut." Craig sighed, Tweek wasn't paying attention. He was breaking down.

Craig closed his eyes and set his hands on Tweek's chest. Before he'd used this power on fatally injured soldiers so they'd be asleep when they died instead of suffering through hours of slow death. Now he used it to calm down Tweek, just to the point of sleep. At first it didn't work. The jumbled mess of negative emotions radiating off Tweek caused Craig to shudder.

"Come on, Tweek." Craig lifted a hand up to Tweek's head. He hesitated when Tweek flinched so violently he could hear his neck crack. Craig chastised himself, he was a leader for God's sake. Why was he getting so scared over this?

He pushed back Tweek's hair, he brushed twigs and leaves out of it in flowing motions. Tweek fidgeted under him, Craig commanded him to lay still.

Craig set his hand on the side of Tweek's head when he was done. One more try, he flooded Tweek's mind with feel good emotions. Craig didn't have a clue what had happened in the forest, he had blacked out and awoken in his South Park home. Something was definitely wrong, right now he just needed to get Tweek out of the forest. Tweek closed his eyes and leaned back, his body stopped shaking.

"Tweek? I'm gonna use something on your wounds. It's going to hurt, so don't punch me again." Craig's nose had stopped bleeding, but it still throbbed painfully. He would heal faster than a human, but it would hurt like hell for a couple of hours.

Tweek nodded hazily. Dark bags were under his eyes, his pupils so dilated that Craig could barely see a small ring of green. Tweek probably needed a trip to the hospital, and several to a therapist, but he didn't have time for that. Craig pulled a small jar out of his pocket, this would have to do for now. Craig had brought the elixir just in case of injures.

Clear, sticky material that smelled sharply of herbs was lathered onto Tweek's wounds. He hissed in pain, yes it did hurt. The pain popped over his skin like fireworks before fading away and leaving his wounds numb.

"We're going to stand up, okay?" Craig pulled Tweek into a sitting position. Tweek allowed himself to be moved around like a doll. Craig supported him with his shoulder and lifted him up.

Tweek laid his head against Craig's, his hair brushed against Tweek's cheek and tickled him. Craig was oddly warm and comforting in a way that made Tweek sick. He abandoned us, he got Kenny killed. Despite Tweek hating himself for it, he couldn't pull away. He sighed and abandoned himself to Craig's care.

Craig walked him into town, the forest was rather easy to exit when you had a powerful relationship with the old trees. The streets were deserted. Every now and then a lamp post illuminated two boys stumbling down the abandoned streets. Dogs barked occasionally from the unseen darkness. Tweek wondered what his parents would say when he turned up bloody at their doorstep. Maybe his mom would break down crying at the sight.

Craig walked him up the concrete path. All the houses on the street were pitchblack. Had his parents really gone to sleep, maybe Tweek should be glad they weren't worried. Mr. & Mrs. McCormick would stay up worried for days and never see their son again. Tweek felt better if people weren't worried for him.

Craig didn't knock, instead he took out a key and opened the door. Tweek thought that was a tad strange, but his dazed mind couldn't process what that implied as he was dragged inside. He expected for lights to fly on, his parents would run down stairs expecting intruders. Tweek was allowed to sit down on the couch. The leather crinkled beneath him as he sunk down, dirt and snow fell wherever he touched. The curtains were drawn shut and a small lamp lit up the room in yellow light.

"This i-isn't my house." Tweek noted and laid down on the yielding couch.

"It's mine. Sit up, I'll be right back." Craig ran off into another area of the house.

Tweek repeated that in his mind: sit up, sit up… Instead he nuzzled his head into the arm rest and closed his eyes.

"Damn it, I said to sit up." Craig complained in a soft voice as he set down an armful of stuff onto the coffee table; a towel, bandages, clean clothes. He ran into the kitchen for a bowl of warm water.

"Tweek, come on." Craig lifted the boy's arm once he had everything laid out.

Tweek opened his eyes and noticed Craig. He flinched at the glowing blue eyes and sat up. Ever worse he cringed at how happy he was to see Craig.

Craig spent the better part of the next twenty minutes cleaning Tweek's wounds and getting him to change into clean clothes, all while trying to coax answers out of him. Tweek wouldn't meet his eyes or say a word.

"Can I g-go home now?" Tweek pulled at the neck of the soft, blue hoodie he wore. It smelled like pine needles and frost. His fingers trembled.

"You're staying here tonight. When I woke up I convinced your parents to let you stay over with me." Craig tossed the bloody rag onto the table. "They seemed really happy about it, actually.'

"I don't w-want to be here, I want t-to go home." Tweek rattled out.

"I need to know what happened." Craig pleaded in desperation. He knew from experience not to push soldiers, but he couldn't help it.

"I don't want to t-talk about it!" Tweek curled his shoulders inwards and stared at the floor.

Craig sighed. The clock ticked loudly from the hall, it was nearly five am.

"Tomorrow, then. After a good night's sleep." Craig led Tweek upstairs to the master bedroom with a little difficulty. The walls were painted a dark maroon, a few empty picture frames hung on the wall. The lay out of the house was eerily similar, nearly every house in South Park had the same structure. The bedroom door was already ajar, allowing Tweek to peek in. Carpeted floors, a nice big comforter, bed side tables, lamps. The room was a stereotypical, middle class, master bedroom.

Tweek refused to go to the bed, despite how inviting it looked. After his nightmare in the forest he didn't expect this attempt at sleep to go any better. He'd stay awake for the rest of his life if that's what it took to avoid the horrors his mind inflicted on him.

"I'm not tired." Tweek said flatly. His head pounded with exhaustion, but his body refused to move forwards.

"Don't worry about dreams." Craig shoved Tweek into the room. Tweek glared at him as his legs struggled to hold him upright.

"He'll be there." Tweek said, the thought immediately sent him into a panic. He pushed himself against the wall.

"Trust me." Craig muttered and held out a hand.

Tweek's mind flashed back to that horrid forest in Algrid, Kenny had said not to trust anyone. The smell of Craig's clothes was imbedded onto Tweek's skin now, it infiltrated his nose. He wanted to rip them off, but that would leave him naked.

"I don't t-trust you." Tweek breathed out. Once again Craig looked hurt, or maybe angry, and Tweek couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. It's just faery tricks, Craig is just making him feel this way. Tweek held his head in his hands and shook it; was it possible that Craig was really controlling his feelings, after all it was extremely plausible.

Craig held his head up, his eyes betrayed no emotion. "I can make you sleep, if that's what you want."

"Are y-you making me feel t-this way right now? Are you manipulating me r-right now?" Tweek ground out through his teeth, the woozy sedation he'd felt walking to the house was wearing off. Tears peaked at the corners of his eyes and he wiped them away, embarrassed.

Craig's eyes darted around Tweek, taking in every single emotion. "N-no… I'm not." Craig stuttered. The jarring clutter of pent up rage, fear, and exhaustion, among other things, made Craig reel.

Tweek moved his unfixed eyes to the ground. "I don't w-want to feel like this, it hurts." he whispered in small chokes.

Craig took small, apprehensive steps forward until he was toe to toe with Tweek. Tweek looked so small in spite of his height. Craig set a hand on his shoulder and slowly moved him towards the bed. His other hand rubbed Tweek's back in slow, dulcet motions.

"Don't worry, you're not alone. I'm here, you're safe." Craig hummed softly, his voice drowning out the frantic thoughts that were plaguing Tweek. Tweek took a trembling breath as he climbed into the bed. Craig's voice had strayed from words and was singing some soft melody that drifted through the back of his mind. The blanket was pulled up to his chin, the bleakness in his hands and feet was cast away as warmth immediately spread throughout his body.

"Now, go to sleep." Craig whispered when his song trickled to a luscious stop.

Tweek didn't respond, his mind already thrown into a twilight abyss for the next twelve hours.

Craig sat on the edge of the bed and held his eyes shut for a long moment. The sun would be peeking up over the horizon any moment now, sleep was strongly desired, yet his work was far from over. The body beside him shifted silently in it's restful state. Craig opened his eyes with steely determination, it was time to pay his father a visit.


Oh man, what's going to happen? Do you guys think we'll see Kenny again?