A/N:

Sorry for the wait guys, I've been a bit distracted moving house! But it's all sorted out now XD Anywho, you've waited long enough for this, lets continue! XD

The way Jeff's teeth were gritted he was sure that they were going to shatter if he actually gave a damn. First of all, he was angry because he looked ridiculous. He had been forced to tie his mass of black hair up in a high pony-tail to avoid it tangling in the wound at the back of his neck. A dense gauze had been wrapped around his throat to keep the bandage in place, stopping the blood from dripping down his back again. He held an icepack over the top of his, starting to shiver from the cold pressing against the top of his spine. But at least the pain had subsided a little. Not by much though. And the second reason he was angry, was because he was now standing in Slenderman's office and hearing the biggest bullshit lecture of his life.

The demon's voice flowered through his aching head like water, harsh and strong, The risks were made completely clear...! If a job is not authorised by me then it goes ignored...! What possessed you to disobey and not only put your own soul at risk but risk the souls of your fellow proxies...? If Alice hadn't-

Jeff cut him off with a yell, "Yeah where the hell is she anyway? Last I checked she was running around without permission!"

And I plan on giving her the same treatment as I give you... At the moment she is informing the others of what happened while I find out the same from you... I would be more grateful to her if I were you since she saved you before I could arrive...

"I didn't need saving! I was doing just fine without that bitch or you!"

I'm sure many would disagree by the way this stranger was feeding on your soul from your proxy brand...

"I could handle it!" he hissed, the back of his neck throbbing.

No you couldn't, Jeffery...! A minute longer and this stranger could have devoured your soul completely and-

"Yeah you've been through all this! Yet here I am still standing!"

That is not the p-

"Then what is the point?" Jeff yelled.

Slender straightened to his full height and was about to deliver just what the point was, when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Jeff stayed with one hand clenched at his side and the other threatening to pierce the ice pack at his neck. The silence seemed to grant whoever was calling permission to enter. The door opened slowly. And Jeff felt instant rage when he saw that it was not only Alice, but the rest of the group too, looking in with great curiosity.

The demon sighed, resting a finger on his temple tiredly, Alice, I thought I asked you to inform the others and then wait for further instructions...

"You did," she replied coolly, "But I don't really have the full story to inform them either."

"Yeah come on, Jeff," Ben urged, "Story time. Just how did you get cornered by a prostitute?"

Jeff snapped his head, wincing at the pain it brought in his neck, "She was not a prostitute, she only dressed like one!"

"My mistake..."

Slender's tone turned impatient, Jeffery I think you should start explaining what happened sooner rather than later because frankly I would like some answers...

Jeff growled. He did not want to talk. He just wanted to go back out there and kill who put him in this position. He wanted to take away all those images that she had forced into his head, to take away what he saw of his brother. No one should be able to make him see that again. He saw it enough himself without help. But most of all, he wanted to kill her. To kill Jane.

He huffed, wanting to get this over with, "The kill was normal, and I was heading back here when this freaky chick shows up."

"Freaky how?" Toby asked.

"Freaky as in she was touching up the body and had those all black eyes. She said... Fucks sake... She said her name was Jane. And she wanted to kill."

Trixie furrowed her brow. She didn't know much about the stories that were posted online for fun, but she had heard that name before, "Jane the killer? I thought that one was just a made up fiction. You all said so yourself."

"No shit, newbie, we say it because it's true!" Jeff snapped, "She even said so herself that it used to be a story until her old man did something to make her real. I know how it sounds alright, but I'm just telling you what happened."

"Are you sure you didn't meet some extreme cosplayer or something?" Ben asked.

"Definitely wasn't. She wasn't human." Alice commented, suddenly looking uneasy, "I only saw her for a second but she definitely wasn't a fake."

"Are... Are you alright, Alice?" Trixie asked, not sure if she was overstepping a line, but Alice looked just plain disturbed for some reason.

"I'm fine, newbie." She snapped in return, mentally shaking herself to get a grip, "Jeff's the one that was having his neck ravished when I got there to save his ass."

"Kinky..." Ben sniggered.

"Oh piss off." Jeff growled, "I didn't need saving. Especially from some rogue proxy. And before you ask, I don't know who she was working for. She just called him her Dad or some shit."

"Dad?" Ben questioned sardonically, "You got a killer hicky and et the father in one night? You move quick."

Enough of this...! Slender interrupted, his tone irritated and clearly pushed to the limit of tiredness, Jeffery, let me see if I've got this right... While you were out there disobeying my orders, you were approached and attacked by a girl who claimed to be a character from a fictional story and she mentioned that she was working for her father...?Yet there was no mention to who her father was...?

"Good to see you keeping up, Slendy." Jeff scowled.

Trixie chewed her bottom lip, "But that entire job was a Zalgo trick. If anything I expected Zalgo to be there or... or Jack."

I think that Zalgo was definitely acting there tonight... And he has clearly abducted more than just our own... And his influence is far more powerful than expected...

Toby looked confused, blinking up at his mentor, "You mean he's brain washing people into thinking they're his kids! That's just gross, he'd make a terrible dad!"

"Missing the point, Tobes..." Ben sighed.

Actually... Slender said, Toby has grasped the point completely... If Zalgo is indeed behind his young woman's actions, then his strength is returning at a much faster rate...

"So what does that mean for us, what even is this?" Alice demanded, pointing to the wound on the back of Jeff's neck, "She nearly tore his brand right off!"

She was feeding from the energy it gives off, the demon blood from my marking you is what she was trying to get to... Feeding from what makes you a proxy, and your life source...

Jeff looked outraged all over again, "But it's still there right? I'm still a proxy, right? I'm not going to start aging again am I?"

Calm down, Jeffery, yes you are still a proxy and are not in any way different to what you were before you left... But a few minutes longer and you might not have been so lucky...

The group took a moment to let that piece of information sink in. Feeding on a proxy for demon energy, that was a new one even for them. They'd never heard of a proxy doing that before. Hell they'd never even heard of a demon doing that! All they'd ever known was eating as normal for themselves, and that demons absorbed souls of the people they kill. That was the end of it. No questions asked. But to have knowledge of a proxy seeking out and attempting to feed from another proxy like that, it was unnerving to say the least. For others it was purely terrifying.

"So if this is Zalgo causing all this," Trixie muttered, "Does that mean Jack could be out there doing the same thing?"

Slender sighed, Honestly, Beatrix, I hope he is not... But if that is indeed the case then we need to take more precautions... From now on, all work is put on hold and no proxy leaves the hideout unless on patrol with another proxy or demon... Do you understand...?

The group exchanged looks, not knowing how to respond to that. Finally Toby was the one to speak, "But, Slendy, if we stop collecting souls, then you won't get any food."

Again, there was silence. Still and cold. And when Slender spoke, his tone was likewise, I will get by... In the meantime I want the Passive proxies to stay together and work off one anothers skills to find any other trace of Zalgo's work or our missing proxies... Benjamin and Beatrix, this means you...

Trixie grimaced as Ben slid his cold arm around her shoulders. His eyebrows quirked, "Looks like we're going to be spending a lot more time together, huh Trix?"

She didn't like the sound of that. But she had to follow orders, "Um, yay...?"

Needless to say, there were mixed results in opinion after the exchange in Slender's office. Some were angry, sceptical, others were worried or confused. But although no one would admit it, everyone was scared in some form or other. They all agreed that they needed Slender strong and on the alert. That wasn't going to happen if he stopped them all from killing for him. Less souls for him to feed from, ultimately meant less of a life force for him. How was he meant to protect them if he was willingly weakening himself? They just hoped he had a plan.

Jeff didn't like this one bit, not surprisingly. But it wasn't about Slender's decision that annoyed him. It was the fact that he had been treated like a child. Forced to stay inside as if he'd been the one in the wrong. Sure, the healing wound at the back of his neck was a sure sign that maybe going out against Slender's orders wasn't the best idea. But still, it wasn't like he was trying to get in trouble. He just wanted to do his damn job and find out how the hell to get back at who did this to him.

He pulled a soda can out of the fridge and pressed the chilled metal to the back of his neck. Instantly he hissed from the pain it brought, "Son of a bitch..."

"Well what do you expect?"

He turned out with an accusing look in his eyes, only to see Alice walking into the kitchen coldly. He didn't want to see her. Or anyone for that matter, "Look if you're expecting a thanks or something then you can shove it up your-"

"Articulate as always, Jeffy-boy, but I'm not expecting gratitude." She rolled her eyes, collecting a soda can for herself before leaning against the counter. Her expression looked a mixture of annoyance and confliction, like she didn't want to have this conversation but couldn't bring herself not to start it, "Look, I'm sick of all the bullshitting around here so I'm going to ask you something and I want a straight answer."

Instantly, Jeff turned defensive from his stance to his tone, "I'm not answering anything I don't want to."

"Well lately no one is getting what they want so tough," She looked serious, stern as if all joking and wry banter were pushed aside. And there was a slight shake to her tone, like she really didn't want to know the answer, "You saw your brother when you blacked out, didn't you?"

As far as he remembered, he hadn't told anyone what he had seen after he blacked out. How it had felt like the Sickness had sunk into his head, forcing him into a sense of insanity that he didn't want to return to. His brother screaming for help, begging to live... Jeff had no idea why he had been forced to relive those moments when Jane had been near him. But one thing was for sure. He wanted to make her pay. But first things first, how the hell did Alice find out that Jane had made him see anything?

"You don't talk about him..." he snarled warningly, "Ever."

"It's just a question, Jeff. You see him when Sickness is around, it's common knowledge. I just need to know if you saw him tonight."

"It's none of your fucking business!"

"For christs sake, Jeff, take a hint, I'm asking if you felt like Sickness was there when she was!"

"Just leave it alone alright! What the fuck does it matter to you anyway?" he yelled, getting in her face.

She put a hand on his chest to keep him a distance from her, eyes hard, "Because I felt it and I need to know that it wasn't just me!"

Jeff stared at her. For a split second he could have sworn he heard her voice break. Not that it stopped his anger. He pushed her hand away roughly, but didn't advance on her any further, "What the hell do you mean by you felt it too? You didn't see-"

"No. No, I didn't see him. I saw my own Sickness." She looked as though she was deliberately holding herself still, so she didn't give away what was going on in her head, "I just needed to know it wasn't just me being affected."

He didn't like feeling weak. And whenever Sickness was involved, that's what it made him feel. Weakness and it put him back to being fifteen again. Lost, insane, and alone. He hated it. But something that he hated just a fraction more, was admitting to it, "Well you weren't the only one effected..." He growled, "Happy now?"

"No I'm not happy. What kind of question is that?"

"For fucks sake, Alice, what do you want from me here?"

She exhaled slowly, trying to get her thoughts together. In truth all she wanted to know was that she wasn't going crazy. That the Sickness really had been there. Now she had that information, she wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or just as concerned, "I don't want anything from you. Goodnight."

He sidestepped to block her path, shaking his head, "Don't give me that crap, you came in here demanding answers so now it's my turn. How come you didn't mention this to Slendy?"

"Same reason as you. No point." She shrugged, "He's already cutting off his own energy source, he knows what's going on around here."

"Well it'd be fucking appreciated if he filled us in once in a while..."

She tilted her head, "As in...?"

"As in everything that's been going on here has been this big need to know bases, but he's ignoring that we need to know! Since Jack ran for it and stabbed us in the back, all Slendy talks about is going out to look for him, keeping an eye out for others, Passive proxies make sure you look for Jack and maybe others... Well what about us? What about the ones who fucking stayed and are doing are job? We get taken for granted and left in the dark. Why the fuck are we worrying about Jack when he chose to piss off on his own?"

"Sickness took him, Jeff, you know that."

"Oh you're standing up for him now?" he snapped, "Last I heard you didn't like this anymore than I do!"

"For gods sake, Jeff..." she sighed, tired and not in the mood for this, "I don't like that Slender is hiding something from us. I'm on your side there. But Jack never stood a chance and I don't blame him."

"Whatever. Christ, everyone is just so concerned for little Jackie aren't they..." he hissed dryly, "What about the people risking their asses like tonight. Actually getting the job done!"

"Is that what this is all about? You want praise? Is that it, Jeffy-boy, you want old Slendy to pat you on the back and say good job?"

"Fuck off! I'm just saying shit is hitting the fan big time and at the end of the day we don't know why! We do the work, we stuck around, the least he could do is give us a fucking reason to keep going!"

His fist collided hard with a cupboard door, making an echoing bang across the room. Alice didn't flinch, she was used to his anger by now. However she did close her eyes, half expecting that he was going to hit her instead. There wasn't a reason to. He had never hit her before and she doubted he would. Honestly, the thought had never even crossed his mind to strike her. But when he saw her reaction, he looked sceptical.

"What was that?"

"Nothing..." she muttered, wanting to change the subject, "Listen, you're right. Slender is hiding something, and I'm not happy. But I don't blame Jack and I believe that Slender will fill us in with a little push. Just, for gods sake just let tonight blow over before we bring it up again, okay?"

He huffed, too tired and in too much pain to keep up this fight when he already had so many going on already, "Whatever..."

"Alright then..."

There was an uncomfortable silence. One that didn't happen often between them. Where banter and wry comments were replaced by uncomfortable remains of worry and adrenaline, neither really knew what to do. It seemed without the mood to insult one another, they didn't know what remained. But at least they had come to some sense of understanding. Not an agreement, but it was a start. A rocky one at that... They stood there like that for what seemed like forever. Not making eye contact that glaring off into their own middle distance.

Jeff was the one to break the silence for once, looking down at his hand, knuckle grazed from where he had hit the cupboard. That look she gave when he did so, he didn't like it, "You didn't think I was going to hit you did you?"

Alice scoffed, but her sombre tone didn't change, "You wouldn't have the guts..."

"Don't push your luck." It wasn't a threat, more of old cruel banter returning, "Still shaken up over Sickness then?"

"Take your own advice and don't push your luck." She snapped harshly.

He narrowed his eyes, "Just asking."

"Well don't."

"Christ, what do you see that puts out in such a bitchy mood?"

"Same as everyone else. Something I don't like, lets just leave it at that." She made eye contact, and said something she hadn't said to him in a long time, "Please?"

He had to make a double take on that. Politeness and genuine looks were not something that passed between them often. And it took him by surprise, "You're scared..." It wasn't mockery, he was truly surprised.

"I don't get scared." She insisted, sidestepping him and getting closer to the exit, "I don't get scared and you didn't get beat up by a girl, deal?"

There was not only an escape offer from the conversation in there, but also a trace of old familiarity. Jeff chose to jump on it while he could, "Fine..."

"Fine. Anyway you owe me one."

"What makes you say that?" he demanded, watching her leave.

"Well I did save your ass tonight."

"I told all of you before, I didn't need fucking saving!"

She simply smirked, pausing in the doorway before taking her leave. A trace of her usual sly banter returning, "Keep telling yourself that, Jeffy-boy."

A/N:

So a bit of a bonding moment in there, lol, but what will happen now that Slender is taking such big precautions to keep everyone safe? Will Ben and Trixie make a good team tracking down Jack and the others? Lets see! New chapter will be up soon!