(Whoo, this chapter turned out...differently than I thought it would. Originally it was half focused on Emma and Randall, but I got to adding a lot more other stuff, and I realized if I wanted to add Emma in it'd be at least seven more pages, so. XD This chapter delves slightly into Randall's past, and brings in my friend Faith's OC, Silvester Boggs. There's a few OCs in this fic, but so far Emma is the only one that makes it to a main. Eventually.

This chapter doesn't have as much plot, but the next one certainly does.

Next chapter summary: Sulley and Mike tutor Randall on how to be a fun entertainer for children, and encourage a reluctant Randall to try again with Emma.)

The power was still off and the generator had run out of energy. It was a small generator anyway, only enough to power three or four doors, and certainly not an entire floor. Therefore, the employees at Monster's Inc had an entire day off thanks to him. He couldn't see many monsters very mad about that.

The reptile gazed down at the cuff on his ankle. It wasn't blinking anymore, most likely connected to the power supply of the factory. Randall was grateful he didn't have to listen to the quiet repetitive beeping or watch the constant red blink. Although it would have been his only source of light in the basement with the rest of the power out.

Randall lay there in the darkness, curled in on his serpentine body to try and keep the warmth. It was freezing down here without any power. He was farther away from the boiler room, having made the mistake in choosing the room with the wood shaving bed, and thus, Sullivan had locked up all the other areas. Sawdust only provided so much warmth.

The lizard cracked open an eye to gaze up at a far window near the ceiling, spilling in a few rays of sunlight. He glanced curiously down at his deactivated cuff and smirked as a plan hatched in mind.

The power was out, his tracking cuff was dead, the security camera were dead, and there was a shovel for the wood shavings that was probably capable of snapping open a few hinges. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what to do.

He grabbed the wooden handle of the shovel and slithered with ease up to the windowsill, wedging the metal underneath the hinges. With a few harsh twists he pried them off, and the window screen clattered as it hit the pavement.

Randall slithered along the pavement and winced at the sudden sunlight. He'd been under nothing but artificial lighting for a week now, and moderate temperatures. The sudden blast of heat and a gentle breeze felt almost new.

Randall poked his head around the corner to check for any sign of workers—sometimes there were gardeners, and many times there were janitors outside to keep the influx of trash low. When he was satisfied the coast was clear he stepped out further into the light.

The monster made sure to clear off any flecks of remaining paint from the incident a few days ago, before vanishing completely, and heading into town.

"What do you wanna do today? Well I mean, until the power comes back on. I thought maybe we could watch TV, or listen to the radio, or..." Mike blinked when he noticed the other, larger monster raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Mike, everything you just listed involves power."

"Fine, fine, you caught me!" the one eyed monster sighed. "I've turned into one of those techy-monsters that can't live a day without their TV, or the computer, or heck, even the radio! It's just so quiet without the power. Who'd ever think Lizard Boy could cause a surge so severe it wipes out most of the town's power for a day?"

"Mm, well he did break several canisters of laughter. We've seen if Boo so much as giggles the lights flicker." Sulley chuckled. "I remember that one time I tickled her... Three light bulbs exploded." He shrugged. "The power is supposed to come on by five, and it better. Or else I will use the emergency generator to open her door."

Mike chuckled fondly. "And just like I can't live for a day without TV, you big guy can't go a day without Boo."

Sulley's smile fell. "I did, for a year. I never want to lose her again."

Mike slowly shut his mouth. "...Well, I think I'll go switch on the generator."

"I don't think so. You're not turning on our emergency power supply just so you can watch your soaps."

"But—but-! This is the episode where Jane has to choose between Harry the Horrible and-"

"I don't care."

"Sulley, I can't afford to miss that!"

"Well, you're gonna." Thankfully, Mike's future protests and blubbering were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Sulley turned and opened it, muttering about how it better not be anyone to take the generator. Every time the power was out (which was thankfully rare) there was always a swarm here to ask to borrow the generator. Few buildings had them; it was something only the CEO really had access to, and Sulley wasn't just going to offer them up for free.

"George!" He smiled at his old co-worker and slapped him a high-five. "What brings you here? Not our generator, I hope."

"Nah. I was just passing by the neighborhood and I thought I'd drop in. Actually, I wanted your opinion on something. I meant to get it earlier today, but with Randall blowing everything up and all the commotion, eh, it kind of slipped my mind." That's when Sulley realized he was holding a plastic bag. He pulled something out of it; a small pink jumper that said 'I love my monsters' on it.

"Oh George, that is adorable," Mike couldn't help but fawn. "That for your niece?"

"Well...not exactly." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and Sulley gave a knowing smirk.

"It's for Jessie, isn't it?" Jessie was George's assigned child, and one, Sulley knew, George had formed quite a bond with. In fact it was George that came asking for all the advice on how to interact with human kids. George was the first besides him that attempted to bond with them at all. That just started a trend through the factory.

"Giving them stuff is against the rules, you know," Sulley pointed out. Mike snorted.

"Because we're all about protocol. The human toddler we bring home every night says enough for that. But then you have bought stuff for Boo, haven't you big guy?"

"I have," Sulley admitted. "I keep it here though for her to play with. Look I'm not saying we follow the rules, I'm just saying..." He shrugged sheepishly at George. "Don't follow our example?" He knew he should be embarrassed about being the CEO and breaking every rule in the book, but if he didn't, he'd never get to see Boo.

George flushed as well and shoved the jumpsuit back into its bag. "On another note, hey as I was leaving the factory I saw you both with Randall at a door. Don't tell me he's joining the team."

Sulley hesitated. "He...might. Not for a while—he's got a long way to go."

"Long way?" Mike scoffed. "That's putting it mildly. Sull', the guy is not funny. Trust me, I'd know. I went to college with him. Not to mention the fact we still need to teach the guy to not kill the children."

Sulley shifted awkwardly on his feet and crossed his arms behind his back. "Like I said, long way."

"Do you really think he has a chance?" George asked. "I mean, it's Randall. You know, the mean purple monster that tried murdering children. He's not really...kid friendly."

Sulley sighed. "Well that I'll give ya. We don't know yet—heck, he didn't seem to hit it off with his practice kid. But apparently she did give him a hard time." He cringed. "And we didn't really prepare him for anything." No, they literally just shoved him into a door without any prior warning. Not his best choice maybe, but gods, they had to get him away from, well, destroying anything else.

"It's worth a shot," Mike shrugged. "All else fails, hey there's a door shredder, prison—many ways that could go."

Sulley rolled his eyes as he and George went into the kitchen. "Want a sandwich George? I just picked up new bread yesterday."

"Sure, Sulley. Hey, Mike, apparently Veronica's power wasn't knocked out and she managed to catch your show."

"Oh don't get him started on that—you'll never hear the end of it!"

The prison air was...colder than Randall remembered it to be. But then, he had only visited this place once in the past, and a high-security prison wasn't supposed to be some kind of tropical paradise. It was called a discipline facility for a reason.

Randall froze under the guard's stare. Initially he feared he saw through his ruse, which wouldn't be terribly hard to do—an old table cloth was hardly the best disguise, but there wasn't much else he found in the old alley. And it wasn't as if he could waltz into a store and buy a disguise. That would go over really well.

"I'm here to see Silvester Boggs." The guard raised an eyebrow, which was hardly a surprise. He didn't imagine his older brother had many visitors.

"Right this way," the guard instructed. The lizard released a breath of relief he hoped the security guard hadn't heard and trekked deeper down the prison halls. Cold, cruel eyes pierced him from every cell, making the reptile sweat and shudder. He wondered if the convicts realized who he was.

"Up the hall," the guard told him, leading him to the final corridor. "They'll be a desk where you can sit, and a phone to use. Don't worry about anything, there's a sheet of glass to protect you."

Randall's frills lowered. He wanted to think protection was unnecessary, but it had been years since he had seen his older brother, and if the horror stories of what prison could do to a person's mindset were true, then perhaps it was better safe than sorry.

The moments passed as Randall sat at the desk, waiting for someone to appear on the other side. His frills perked when he heard a subtle noise from behind the screen. He leaned forward to stare intently, and quickly realized how bad of an idea that had been.

"RAAGH!" the monster shrieked, practically pouncing on the glass. Randall would forever be grateful no one but his brother recognized him as he gave an abrupt scream and nearly fell off the chair. Silver just howled with laughter that Randall had not missed.

"Still the same after all these years, little bro," the older reptile snorted. "At least you ditched those nerdy glasses though."

It had been years. Too many in fact, Randall realized as he gazed at the network of scars covering the silver skin. There was only a few Silver had before, that Randall remembered. The older reptile was the epitome of toughness though; he wouldn't be surprised if all those came from fights while still in prison.

"Trust me," Randall began, his frills twitching in irritation at what his brother was implying. "I'm not as weak as I was. I have changed."

"You're still pretty scrawny though. Cupcake."

The younger reptile groaned. He didn't come here for this. Nor to hear the return of that terribly degrading nickname.

Silver shifted on the chair, folding a pair of his arms to look at Randall with admiration. "Oh the things I heard about you, Randy. When everything went down, I was half expecting my baby brother to join me here in this cell."

Randall snorted. "Had there been a trial I probably would have ended up here. But no, they just fling me through a freaking door. Apparently humans don't like monsters that look like gators, and use shovels to deal with them." His frills flattened against his skull when Silver merely laughed.

"How did you manage to escape that then?"

"I..." The reptile bit down on his tongue. This is where he'd need to be careful of what he said. Silver was always notorious for his teasing and bullying when they were growing up, and used every opportunity he could find.

But really, there was no way to say you were rescued by a three year old without throwing all dignity out the window in the process.

"I...had help. From the same twerp I went after actually."

The amused smile on his brother's face fell in an instant, his eyes instead narrowing in utter disgust and disbelief. "You had to get help...from a baby. Are you kidding me?"

"I was in a cage and she was the only one bringing me food!" Randall snapped back, changing his colors so his brother wouldn't see his face heating. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Figure out some way out yourself?" Silver snapped. He had the urge to shake his brother or slap him, and cursed the glass that prevented him from doing so. "What did I always tell you when you were pathetic? Or pathetic-er, I guess if you had to rely on a baby for survival."

That struck a nerve. Growing up Randall was always easily annoyed but it took a lot to truly anger him. Hearing that same insult resonating through his skull from many voices of the years—one from a certain spider-like creature—was enough to easily set him off. His teeth gnashed together in rage.

"I am not pathetic!" he shouted, as if he was trying to make everyone that ever knew him hear. "I'm the one that invented the scream extractor! And it would have ended the energy shortage if Sullivan hadn't busted it! I survived in the wilderness out in a filthy swamp for a year! I lived through that savage attack by those psychotic hillbillies!"

Silver was unwavering from his perspective and didn't seem remorseful, but he did raise an eyebrow at seeing the younger reptile explode like that. "So...what are you here for now, little brother?"

Randall's frills lowered and if anything he looked more like the insecure, vulnerable little brother Silver grew up with than the vindictive, ruthless villain his reputation said he was now. "I'm here because I don't know what to do. And I guess I wanted to come to you, just like old times.

"I wanted to use this time to find Waternoose and figure out how to return the company to the way it was, but..." He shook his head. "Everything's changed. Laughter is what our power is based off now." He shuddered, repulsed by the images of monsters in funny clothes and throwing pies.

Silver leaned back against his chair. The metal creaked. "What about the labyrinth? Your machine?"

Randall felt a twinge of pain, and tried in vain to hide it. Years of work. Years... "It's destroyed, and probably ended up in the trash compactor. Gone forever, the blueprints probably as well." That's right, he had nothing to work off of. And even if he did, what was the point of that machine now?

"Well..." Silver smirked. "Maybe I can help." Before Randall could open his mouth to question, Silver's pattern changed, and took on a purple similar to his brother's, and the same spots.

"You're...gonna pose as me," Randall said slowly, already suspicious. "And do what?"

"Oh I can think of a few things... Our family was...'gifted' shall we say, in the art of deception, Randy. We're close enough in looks to easily pull it off." He smirked. "It'd be the best heist in history."

Instantly, Randall scowled. "You mean you want to wreak havoc and frame me like you did the last time?"

His older brother had the gall to chuckle. "You're still upset about that? Force of habit, Cupcake, what can I say."

"You screwed me over!" Randall snarled, even as there was the pain of betrayal clear in his eyes. "Why? After all I did for you! I covered you—for years! And you turned on me, your own brother!"

Silver's amused smirk dropped. "Who betrayed who? I gave you a chance, twerp. And you're the one that barged in on me, swooping to save the day like a super hero; you chose her over me-"

"She was our MOTHER!" Randall finally yelled, flaring at the remembrance of that late night, when he broke a window just to get in, and protect her from him. Silver had been a ticking time bomb in the mommy issue department, and it had only been a matter of time before he...

"Yeah, I know," Silver hissed. "And you always sided with her."

"I didn't come here for this," Randall hissed in impatience, shaking his head to knock away the haunting memories. "I'm not here to fight you, I'm here for help."

"Fine," Silver snapped, his form relaxing in the chair once again. "Well, my schemes aside, what is your plan in all this?"

"They're giving me a chance to—I don't know, show I can be better," he mocked snidely. "To show I don't need to hurt the children, even though I've freaking told them at least three times by now I'm not interested in any of the brats, especially her. I just want things back the way they were." He shook his head. "But Sullivan is CEO, and I'm pretty sure Wazowski is second in command. And I...can't find Waternoose anywhere." And if he was honest with himself, that was a relief.

"Oh, I see him around now and again. He's not really much of a conversationalist though..."

Randall felt his blood freeze in his veins—and that was something for a warm blooded creature. "He's...here?"

"Oh yeah. The CDA brought their van here after that big uproar at the factory. I was half expecting them to pull you out, but instead I get Mr. Windbag."

Randall felt his frills flare, teeth baring. "It should have been him in that wretched world, getting beaten with shovels."

"Gotta agree with you there. So what are you gonna do now?"

"I don't know. Rest first of all, I have a splitting headache. I gotta get back there before Sullivan does and finds me gone. That won't go over well, I probably would end up in this dump with you."

Silver snorted in amusement, before his face fell more serious. "Well, whatever you choose, just remember we both ended up where we are because we trusted someone we never should have. Misfits like you and me don't need anyone else..."

Randall paused in his step, his eyes widening for a moment as he stood there, hands gripping the chair. He didn't look back as he pushed the chair back into the desk, forgetting to flip his tablecloth hood back up.

"It was good to see ya again little brother. It's been too long.." Silver's expression had turned surprisingly gentle, a far cry from what it usually was. It was the kind of look only Randall was able to get from him. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"But I...I thought you hated me. I mean, you blame me for so much."

"Eh..." The older reptile shrugged his shoulders. "I kinda do, but I kinda don't a the same time. You may have ruined all my plans and been an annoying twerp over the years, but you're the only one that ever cared about me."

Randall gave a slight, embarrassed shrug. "What are brothers for?"

The older reptile gave the closest resemblance to a smile, but it dropped when he felt prison guards grab him from behind and escort him back to his cell. Randall watched as he was pulled away, sighing as he started walking toward the exit.. He'd need to get back to the factory before the generators were switched back on—the power was supposed to be fixed tonight...

"Randall?"

And everything fell utterly silent. The monster's eyes widened, his stomach lurching the way it always did when he heard that voice in the past.

James! How's my top scarer?

You're going to catch the child. I didn't sink all this time and money into this project just to have you fail on me!

"How nice to see you."

His breathing quickened and he knew to not turn around and just keep walking, but he found himself spinning to the cage against his own accord. And the form of the creature he hoped he'd never see again came toward the bars, his multiple legs tapping against the pavement.

"You..." There had never been so much venom in his voice, not even when he saw the twerp again. Waternoose didn't look at all perturbed by the threatening look. "You...you caused all this..." He didn't even bother to acknowledge his own wrong doings in this mess.

"Oh don't give me that," Waternoose hissed back. "You wanted to be in on it."

Of course he did. He had lived in everyone else's shadows all his life! His brother, the spineless, furry brute... Bending over backwards for approval he never got. It was his one opportunity to prove his worth.

"All the time and effort I wasted on you, all for nothing. You couldn't even handle a two year old. You let them get away."

"I didn't let them get away, they threw me through a DOOR."

"When did you become incompetent enough that a brat managed to subdue you?!"

He sneered. "Oh I'm still scary. The brat may be immune to me, but I can easily give any human a heart attack." He hissed in resentfulness. "But apparently we don't even do that anymore. They changed it without us, and they're doing well."

Waternoose sneered in contempt, obviously sharing his distaste for the situation. "And how did you escape banishment? Why aren't you here rotting alongside me and your no-good brother?"

And for some reason, despite the many betrayals, insults, and abusive treatment he received from his older brother, that irked Randall to the high heavens. "Don't. Call him. That."

"And why shouldn't I?" the old windbag had the audacity to shoot back. "If I had chosen anyone but you, the plan may have worked. Everyone in your family is nothing but bad blood—you, your brother, even your mother."

Oh that did it.

Waternoose hardly had the time to prepare for the way the monster savagely lunged at him, the only thing stopping Randall from snapping his face clean off being the silver bars. He had never seen him get so uncontrollably savage, not even to Sullivan or Mike.

"How dare you insult my mother, you worthless piece of-"

Even as he looked taken aback and blindsided by the attack, Waternoose sneered. "She must be, if she raised failures like the two of you."

"She did the best she could with what she had!" If anyone knew him well enough (and most were too afraid to try) they'd know even he the vindictive, malicious lizard still had one soft spot in his heart, and for one person only. His mother. And you could insult him, berate him, harass him, but if you went after his mother you had a death wish.

"Well it certainly doesn't prove anything in her favor."

"How about I get in that cage and strangle you?" he threatened venomously. "Would that prove anything?"

"Careful my boy, you're already on thin enough ice as it is. Wouldn't want to do draw attention to a prison of all places."

Bile rose at the condescending address, his frills flaring with ferocity."And as far as I'm concerned, that's the only thing that's saving your life right now."

He didn't wait for an answer, pulling his tablecloth hood back over his face to prevent anymore eyes from spotting him, and rushing toward the exit. He looked at the clock. Four in the afternoon. He had an hour to get back.