A/N. Get ready to have your heart ripped out... just in time for Valentine's Day! This chapter was named after the Paloma Faith song. Just listen to it. Pure perfection.

Life was good. NNY was in love, and he was painting something other than an anaemic stick figure for once.

Maybe one day he could give the creatures of his mind a home on an empty canvas again, just like he used to back in the old days.

His memory was blurred at best, but in those days, NNY could paint for hours on end, pouring every bit of himself into the task.

Time had no meaning when he was lost in the zone.

Hopefully, he could return to that state of being again. For now, he would see where the dark creatures of his mind would take him.

NNY would reconnect with his old demons.

Damn, he really was in love with Jenny, and now he couldn't even picture his life without her. How had NNY ever drawn breath without her?

Okay, that was a bit melodramatic, but on a serious note; how could NNY have ever contemplated becoming cold?

He had sworn to never be a slave to any external thing ever again after the whole wall monster fiasco, but NNY would gladly become a slave for Jenny... He would let her shackle him to the floor, dragging around a ball chain if it so much as made her happy.

She was his everything, and his heart beat only for her now.

NNY was a loved-up fool, and he may sound like a gushy, sappy, Twitterpated idiot, but that's what happens when you fall in love with the right person. You lose all sense.

With Jenny, the beauty of the start would never fade. They only met several weeks ago, but it felt like a whole lifetime. She was his soulmate, and he would never dream of hurting her.

It was a miracle she even returned NNY's love, considering what a complete monster he was, and he truly had lucked out with her.

What did he do to deserve her? That fat lawn gnome God obviously hadn't sent her his way. So who did? It made no sense.

NNY was a bad person, and he never should have won the heart of someone as pure as Jenny.

Loving her brought its own set of fears. What if he lost her due to some terrible tragedy? NNY would fall to pieces... or chop someone to pieces.

That was how his world usually worked. Any beauty he did manage to find was always cruelly ripped away, until the tired-old misery sets in.

Thank the Devil he was on the right track with his art again; it gave him a creative outlet to vent his frustrations and fears.

The Homeless Insane would just have to do without their favourite stick figure for a while.

Happy Noodle Boy had gone on an official hiatus.

Nailbunny would be proud...

A knock sounded at the door. NNY lowered his paintbrush, turning away from his canvas. Who the hell could that be?

He knew it couldn't be Jenny; she was working at the florist today. NNY would be dropping by at around lunchtime.

Visiting her at her shop was his favourite part of the day.

The knocking started again, rather incessantly this time, and NNY just knew it was some salesperson, or maybe someone was doing another neighbourbood crime survey.

Neat. NNY loved answering questions...

He opened his door, finding a pair of men in white coats on the other side. He did a double-take.

Shit. White coats? Well, it was only a matter of time until the doctors came for him.

NNY closed the door slightly, leaving a small gap. "Who are you...?"

One of the men in white coats arched a perfectly tweezed eyebrow, and he looked like a vampire. They both did, and maybe they had come to suck his blood.

NNY hated vampires.

"Is this the address of Johnny C.?"

NNY shut the door further, reaching around his back pocket for his knife. "Who's asking?"

The two vampires peered at one another. Then they nodded, pushing their way into his home.

Fuck! Home invaders? NNY had to act, fast! He yanked out his knives, holding them out at arm's length.

"Who are you, and what the fuck do you want?!"

One of the vampires spoke. "We mean no harm, Mr. C. We are just here to take away your memories."

NNY widened his stance, readying his blades as he scraped them together. "My memories?"

The vampires nodded, hardly perturbed by his knife display. "That's right."

NNY's vision reddened and this must be some kind of sick joke. Who did they think they were, barging into his house to take away his memories?

He held his knives in the form of a cross shape, creating a protective barrier. "Then you'll have to pry them from my cold, dead brain meats! You won't get your hands on my precious memories. I control me, now. Me!"

One of the white coats smirked, and NNY swore his face stretched like a rubber mask. "That's where you're wrong, Mr. C. We've been aware of you for a while, keeping tabs on your whereabouts these last several years. Yet we decided to let you be... You're of more use to us in your natural habitat, so to speak... After all, you are a former wastelock, and we need to study you for any lingering fluctuations in a less.. controlled environment..."

NNY staggered, almost tripping on his own two feet. "Did... did you say wastelock?"

The other white coat spoke. "That is correct. Allowing you to live freely was much preferred to locking you away in a white, sterile environment. Consider yourself lucky. Not all former wastelocks get to be, past or present. Take your pretty little infatuation, for example. My, she was a tremendous wastelock. We learned a great deal from her..."

Infatuation? Who were they...?

A cold shiver rushed through NNY's spine. Were they talking about Jenny? No, they couldn't be... She wasn't a wastelock... right?

His vision darkened, and once again, he went to that private place inside his head. The abyss called to him like an old friend, and this time, he was more than happy to relent.

Those pieces of shit were the ones who hurt Jenny...

NNY was going to kill them.

"You made a big mistake coming here..." he whispered darkly, his voice cold and monotonous.

One of the men disregarded his threat. "We're here to offer you a deal, Johnny C. You leave Ms. Jenny B. alone, and we'll look the other way, allowing you to continue with your miserable little life. We wish to take her into our custody again. We've been keeping tabs on her for months, watching how she... rehabilitates herself. But the boss wants her back. After all, she was his favourite..."

The men sniggered evilly. Meanwhile, NNY breathed faster, his breaths becoming ragged as their words sank in.

They wanted to take Jenny's freedom. His body trembled as he imagined those assholes hurting her. Then his heart thumped inside his ears, drowning out all other sounds.

Like hell NNY would let them take her...

"If you resist, well... we will inform the authorities of your existence. The wall monster wasn't the only thing protecting you all those months ago. We know what you're all about, Mr. C. Nothing but a cold-blooded murderer. Just like Ms. B..."

Something snapped inside of NNY. He raised his knife, lunging for the first man. He was going to stain his perfect white coat with blood.

"Don't you call her a murderer!"

NNY stabbed the man in the chest, yet he barely flinched. He didn't even moan or scream. His knife, however, wasn't looking so great. It was blunt at the tip, and what the hell? Was he wearing protective armour beneath that lab coat?

Still, he would stab again and again.

Before he could swoop in, the other man apprehended him, sticking a syringe deep into his neck. NNY acted on pure adrenaline. He stuck out his knife aimlessly, lopping off the offending hand that carried the syringe.

The man didn't even scream. He just laughed as NNY staggered on his feet. The drug was taking effect.

NNY fell back against the wall, feeling his way until he found the door to the basement. His best bet was to get to Jenny before these jerks did.

Unfortunately, he was about to lose consciousness as he fell to the ground. The men hovered above him.

His world turned dark at the edges, and it was too late for him. But hopefully, Jenny could get out of town before these men could find her.

One of men lowered toward the ground, sneering down at his face, and the last thing NNY heard before the blackness took over were the words: "You will forget all about meeting Ms. Jenny B., Mr. C. You will return to the way you were before she entered your life: cold, unfeeling, and wretched. She belongs to us now, and this time, she will not escape..."

Finally, NNY passed out, and the last thing he saw before the abyss consumed him was a bright pair of blue eyes, framed by locks of pink.

Jenny. I'm sorry...

Jenny

Jenny glanced up at the clock.

That was strange. It was already twelve-thirty; NNY would normally be meeting her for lunch by now. She hoped he was okay.

She will go and visit him during her lunch break. He didn't live too far from the shop.

Just as she finished serving the last customer, she closed up, heading towards his house. As she walked up the street, she passed a little boy riding his bike.

"Hello. You must be Squee! NNY has told me all about you. You're even cuter than I imagined!"

The boy stopped and stared at her. His mouth hung open, and then he made a strange squeaking sound.

"So precious!" she peeped, searching inside her bag for a lollipop. She passed it to him, patting his head, then left him on the sidewalk as she walked the rest of the way to NNY's house.

She knocked on the door. No one answered at first, but then she heard movement from inside the house, and Jenny sighed in relief.

Thank goodness. She'd thought something bad had happened to him.

The door creaked, and a shadowy figure appeared with glowing eyes. Jenny narrowed her eyes, trying to look into the house, but it was too dark.

"Johnny? Is that you..?"

The figure sharpened its eyes, and her heart clenched when she heard a cold, ominous voice. "Who are you...?"

Jenny's heart pounded, and she blinked, thinking of something to say. Well, it was the last response she expected, but she supposed he was just having an off day.

His voice sounded different. It was grittier, edgier, and not friendly at all. In fact, he appeared guarded, as if everything outside the door to his house was a great threat to him.

She giggled nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Don't be silly. It's me, Jenny. You're girlfriend..."

NNY's glowing eyes bulged. Then he opened the door, stepping out onto the front stoop. "Girlfriend!"

Jenny stepped back, alarmed by the expression on his face. He looked manic, deranged, like he was about to murder her at a moment's notice.

Oh, my. It was worse than she imagined...

She tried to calm her beating heart, taking several deep breaths. "Th-that's right. I'm... your girlfriend. We've... been dating for several weeks..."

NNY visibly flinched, and he looked as if he was going to throw up. "Dating? But I don't have a girlfriend..."

Jenny stammered, and she wasn't sure how to answer. He really wasn't himself.

He trembled, reaching his hand around for his back pocket, and Jenny knew that gesture; he was going to withdraw his knife.

She just never expected that NNY would ever draw a knife on her.

"I don't know what kind of sick game you're playing here, lady, but I want you off my property. I don't take kindly to random strangers coming to my door, claiming to be my girlfriend..."

Jenny gasped as reality sunk in. "Wait... you... really don't know who I am... do you? H-how? I... I was here just last night. We... m-made love—"

NNY dragged her into the house, slamming the door behind him, and now she had nowhere to run now.

But it was okay; NNY would never hurt her...

He brandished his knife, backing her to the wall. "You speak nothing but lies! I would never do something so repugnant! The very thought sickens me!"

Jenny's heart shattered to pieces. She sickened him...

Her lip wobbled. "It's not a lie... NNY, please, you have to remember me. I don't know what happened to you—"

NNY plunged his knife toward her. Jenny acted on instinct, withdrawing her own knife as she parried his attack, and the startled look on his face said it all...

He never expected her to pull that move.

Now they stood at a complete stalemate. Sweat dripped down Jenny's face as she warded off his attack, but she wouldn't be able to hold him off for long.

NNY was much stronger after all. Much deadlier...

NNY bared his teeth, snarling down into her face. They were inches away from a kiss, but it was hardly the time for kissing...

By some miracle, she managed to shake off NNY, the sounds of their knives scraping together as she sent his blade flying across the room.

NNY yelped, grabbing his finger as she cut him by accident, and without thinking, Jenny stepped closer to see if he was okay.

"Oh no, NNY, I'm so sorry..."

The deadly look in his eyes made her stop in her tracks, and it was at that moment when she finally realised...

NNY was gone. Or at least the one she knew...

"Leave... while you've still got legs to leave with... Your presence is sickening me..."

Jenny flinched, suppressing a small whimper. Did he have to be so cruel?

NNY noticed her small cry, staring at her as if she was an alien with two heads. For a moment, he almost looked... guilty... But then he threw on his hateful mask again, covering his bleeding hand.

"Did you not hear me? I said, leave! Now!"

Jenny jumped, rushing out of the house before he pulled out another knife. NNY slammed it shut behind her, and now she could hear him muttering on the other side about how unpleasant people were and how he should just kill everyone on the planet.

She walked up the path absentmindedly, and it was like she was having an out-of-body experience. It wasn't until she got to the streetlamp at the end of the street when she finally broke down into tears.

What was going on? Why didn't NNY know who she was anymore?

He was like a whole different person, one who absolutely hated her now and found her appalling.

That was not the NNY she knew. The NNY she knew had always been nice to her, and he'd never threatened to kill her. Not once.

Had something happened to him?

It didn't matter. Jenny was all alone again, and she only had herself to look out for now.

The way it always had been...

...

NNY wrapped several bandages around his bleeding hand, flinching when he applied too much pressure.

"Fuck!"

His hand still hurt, and if he ever saw that Jenny person again, then he would kill them. She really was a sly one and the nerve of some people...

Seriously? Why was everyone so obsessed with him lately? If it wasn't Jimmy or Darkness, then it was crazy, pink-haired girls accusing him of making love to them...

NNY shivered. The audacity! He ought to find her and kill her just to make himself feel better.

She was definitely a confused woman, and maybe in her head, NNY was her boyfriend. He once spoke to the head of a floating bunny after all.

So why couldn't that Jenny person believe that she and NNY had once had romantic relations?

Ugh, even the insinuation was enough to make him sick. Stupid romance. Those days were long over for NNY. He cast off all his emotions, as he no longer felt love or a desire to love.

Look at what it had done to Jenny. He bet she was once a smart girl who had everything going for her, but now she was absolutely insane, dreaming up imaginary relationships with men she didn't know.

She must have seen him once on the street and then developed some unhealthy crush on him. Hell knows why. NNY was hardly the catch.

He was fucking hideous.

She, on the other hand... well... she was rather beautiful. Objectively speaking, of course.

And who taught her how to use a knife? That was some pretty impressive knife work. The way she warded off his attack...

No, what was he saying? NNY didn't care for pretty faces anymore since he was a cold and unfeeling machine now. Yet despite how insane and gifted with a knife Jenny clearly was, she did seem like a genuinely sweet person.

She had got upset when NNY shouted at her, and her little whimpering sound had done something strange to his aortic pump.

Was that thing even still beating?

Ugh, this was exactly why NNY cast off his humanity, giving up on people and friends altogether.

People just complicated his life, and he would much rather devote his energy to simplistic endeavours such as breathing and drawing Happy Noodle Boy...

Just... why couldn't he get her off his mind?

There was a deep, niggling sensation clawing away at his brain meats, and he had no idea what was coming over him.

Jenny was a stranger; he should be indifferent to her. But why did he have an anxious knot in his gut? There seemed to be a void living inside of him, one that he couldn't quite explain. All he knew was that it had something to do with Jenny.

In fact, he'd felt that way ever since he woke up on his floor to find a canvas in his living room, and it appeared NNY was painting in his sleep now.

Fuck.

He had to go out. Maybe he could go and find a cheerleader and saw her legs off.

That would take his mind off things.