Doug was eager to shut himself in the bathroom for a while as they arrived back at the apartment. So many thoughts were buzzing around in his head and he didn't want to become curt with anyone out of frustration.

"That was brilliant!" Wheatley said, getting into the apartment before everyone else. "I can't believe the luck I've been having! I get my human body back, I'm sent down to Earth, and I find two humans that I know! What are the odds! And that food was fantastic! I had no idea eating could be so pleasant! No wonder some humans over-eat!"

Doug started to head straight for the bathroom.

"The only thing that would make it better would be if Doug hadn't left Nora in Aperture."

Doug stopped dead in his tracks and turned around. "For the last god damn time, I didn't leave her!" he shouted at Wheatley. "Stop accusing me of doing something so terrible! Why would I leave my best friend?!"

"I don't know!" Wheatley shouted back. "Maybe you went completely mental again and thought she was a monster or something! I can't begin to try and understand your messed-up brain!"

Doug stepped briskly toward Wheatley and pulled his fist back. He didn't get very far with this violent intention, though. Valentine put her leg behind Doug and pulled him so that he tripped backwards and fell onto his butt. Doug looked up at her with a mixture of anger and shock.

"I don't condone fighting in my home," she said darkly. "Now both of you sit your asses on the couch so we can calmly discuss what's on our minds."

"I'm not sitting next to him!" Wheatley insisted. "Not after how he's treated me!"

Doug scoffed. "How I have treated you? Are you kidding?"

"Both of you sit down on the couch and shut the hell up!" Valentine commanded.

Doug and Wheatley shuffled over to the couch and reluctantly sat next to each other.

"Okay," Valentine said, sitting down in her chair. "You both have something to say, but neither of you will get anywhere when you're yelling at each other at the same time. First, I want you both to say something nice about the other."

Neither of them wanted to be the first to go. Wheatley thought it would show weakness and Doug just couldn't think of anything good to say about Wheatley at the moment.

"Come on," Valentine urged. "We can't move on unless somebody starts."

"Okay, fine," Doug said. "Wheatley, you're a good friend when you're not trying to kill anyone or put anyone in harm."

"Hey!" Valentine snapped. "No back-handed compliments! Try again."

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Wheatley muttered. "There's nothing nice to say about him."

"If you two can't get along then I'm going to kick Wheatley out," Valentine declared.

"What?! How is that fair?!" Wheatley exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. "You can't do that! Why should I be the one to go?!"

"Well, Doug was here first."

"Wheatley can't be left on his own," Doug said. "I may get annoyed with him at times but I don't want to throw him out onto the street."

"That's good enough to count as a compliment," Valentine said. "Now your turn, Wheatley."

"I agree with Doug," Wheatley said, sitting back down. "I wouldn't want to be rid of him."

"You can't steal Doug's compliment," Valentine said. "You can do better than that."

"Alright then. Doug, even though you're completely bonkers, Nora likes you and she has a good judgment of friends."

"That was more of a compliment to Nora, but it's a good start," Valentine said. She also didn't think she'd be getting anything better out of him anyway. "Now Doug, go ahead and speak your mind."

"Wheatley, I'm sick of you accusing me of leaving Nora back in Aperture," Doug said. "You know I have nothing but respect for her, and I would never intentionally leave her in danger. I always come to her rescue."

The room was quiet for a minute. During this silence, there was an uncomfortable tension that bothered them all. Yet for some odd reason, no one wanted to be the first to break it.

"Is that all?" Valentine asked.

"Yes."

"Okay. Wheatley, now it's your turn."

"I'm just scared for Nora," Wheatley said. "I don't want GLaDOS to crush her the way she did with me. I can't stop picturing her lying on the floor of her lair with her optic ripped out and her hard drive in shattered pieces strewn all over her chamber. And the worst part about that is knowing that Doug wouldn't be there to fix her."

Doug wanted to cut in, but he respectfully kept his mouth shut.

"If she ever saw me again," Wheatley continued. "I know deep down inside that she wouldn't forgive me. She would be seething with anger to see me. That's the correct phrase, right? 'Seething with anger'?"

Doug tried not to roll his eyes at how melodramatic Wheatley was being. He knew that Wheatley was serious but the ex-bot could also be such a drama-queen.

"I'm sorry, Doug," Wheatley suddenly said. "I just want to find her. I want to bring her to safety, even if she ends up hating me forever. Can we go back together to find her? I'll help you. I promise I won't get in the way. Or at least I'll try not to. You know I'm a bit of a klutz."

"Of all people, you'd probably be the best candidate for the task," Doug said. "You know your way around the facility just as well as I do and you have more motivation."

"But I think for now, you two should be separated," Spencer cut in. "Just for a night. You both need some time to process what's going on in your lives. It seems that you're both facing huge changes that neither of you know how to handle. I propose that Wheatley comes with me this afternoon on a goodwill excursion. I could use a road trip buddy while Ben is sick. I might even be able to get Chell to come along with us."

"It won't be dangerous, will it?" Wheatley asked. "I mean, it's not life-threatening, right?"

"It's not too dangerous," Spencer said. "I assure you that we'll be in the safety of another town by sunset."

"If it's not too dangerous and you're taking Chell with you then I guess I see no harm in going, too," Wheatley said.