FIVE:

THE UNMASKING

Sliding his fingers under the bed sheets, Yancy squeezed his brother's pale, limp hand. He gasped at how cold it was and peered anxiously up into Fry's face.

It was white, too white. Badges crisscrossed his neck where the bear had got him. More badges were wrapped across his chest, which rose and fell slowly. Too slowly. Yancy would've thought that he was dead if Dr. Hibbert hadn't said otherwise.

The doctor had said that Moe, an old friend of the Simpsons, had found Fry shortly after closing down his bar for the night. But, according to the story that Moe had told them earlier, there had been someone else with Fry as well, the person who had done this to Yancy's little brother: Sideshow Bob.

"He was in a freaking bear suit!" Moe had said, and Yancy shook his head as he recalled the rest of what Moe had to say, which was: "Though I obliviously thought it was a live bear at first so I smashed its face in with a beer bottle and…WHAMMM! His head fell right off and it was actually Sideshow Bob? Can you believe that?"

Yancy smiled as he remembered Lisa replying: "Yes" in her I-know-everything attitude, and ran his fingers though Fry's blood-stained hair, which was partially concealed by the bandages wrapped around his forehead.

"So, he's going to be fine?" Mr. Fry asked.

Yancy slowly pulled his hand away from Fry, clenching it tightly at his side as Dr. Hibbert spoke.

"Oh, yes, he'll be perfectly all right. He just needs some rest is all. That was one nasty concussion." The African man chuckled as he said this last and Yancy frowned at him. Dr. Hibbert had a morbid sense of humor.

"Good, maybe it'll knock some sense into the boy," Mr. Fry said. Yancy swirled to face him. His father had his arm wrapped Mrs. Fry, who hadn't said a word since before the Simpsons had left, which was hours ago. She hadn't taken her eyes off of Fry, either.

"Now, now, no need for that!" Dr. Hibbert said, producing a trio of lollipops from out of nowhere. "Here, take these. They should calm you down."

Yancy reluctantly took a sucker from Dr. Hibbert, who handed a lollipop to each of his parents before saying: "Well, I'll just be leaving you alone for now. It's my coffee break, you know?"

The doctor was laughing as he walked out the door and Yancy, without realizing it, began to suck on his lollipop. It was actually quite good.

"Heh, he was a weird nut wasn't he, Yancy?"

The voice was small, weak, but it was Fry's. Yancy stared at his brother in disbelief but, when he saw that he was smiling, Yancy went back to licking the sucker.

"I told you that it was Sideshow Bob!" Bart shouted, pointing energetically at the TV screen, which was showing an image of Sideshow Bob, still dressed in the bear suit, being carried away by a couple of cops. Moe could be seen in the background, boasting to everyone about his heroic endeavors.

"Oh, anyone could tell that that bear wasn't alive!" Lisa exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. The hospital had just released Fry hours ago, and she, like everyone else, was glad to have him back. Everyone that is, accept for Homer, who only missed the sofa, which Fry was laid back in now.

"It practically had my name written on it, boy!" Homer grumbled from where he sat on the floor with Marge and the kids. He had to strain his neck around in order to look up at Fry, who cracked a grin.

"Eat my shorts!" the delivery boy said. Bart busted into fits of laughter just as Marge tackled Homer down, saving Fry from being mauled by another bear-like creature.

The day after that, they all attended Barney's funeral, which was held outside Reverend Lovejoy's church.

The whole town had showed up for the event, including the Flanders, much to Homer's dismay.

A family of three, the Flanders were the Simpsons' neighbors. For time immemorial Homer had competed with Ned Flanders, the single father of Rod and Todd Flanders, over every little thing, driving Marge completely crazy all these years.

"Hey, Flanders, what are you doing here?" Homer asked as he took a seat next to Flanders, who was unperturbed by his neighbor's grumpiness.

"Why, hi-diddly-doh, neighbor!" Ned greeted.

Bart, from where he sat in between Marge and Lisa, groaned. Fry, who sat in a wheelchair at the end of the isle, surrounded by his family, looked over at the Simpsons in interest. He hadn't met Ned, yet.

And he never got to. As soon as the funeral was over his parents were steering him toward their vehicle. They were ready to go back home.

"Wait, I want to talk to Bart before we – OW, DAMMIT!" Fry cursed, easing his sore body back down into the chair. He had tried to move too fast, nearly stretching his wounds back open for his trouble. Moaning, he put his face in his hands.

"Easy, Fry," Yancy advised, and Fry painstakingly raised his head up to glare at him, panting. God, he was hurting all over…"Dr. Hubert said that you needed to lie low. "

Bart ran up to them just as Yancy began to maneuver his brother into the car. He was shouting: "Wait! It was nice meeting you guys! Come back again anytime!"

"I don't think that we will," Mrs. Fry said. Once her husband and sons were in the car, she drove away.

They never saw Springfield again, accept for in their dreams.