[A/N] Chapter 3 is here, along with a surprise visitor.

Over the next few days, Tori and Jake settled into a routine; Jake would get up before Tori and start cooking breakfast for her, and soon after she would wake up. He would leave to check on the entrance to Octo Valley, and buy some lunch, while Tori read books and listened to music. When they finished eating, they'd play some video games for a while. A few hours later, Jake would cook dinner, and then they'd dance until their legs gave out before going to bed.

Jake was confident that it wouldn't be long before the police gave up on searching for her. Every day that the police were still guarding the grate, he'd reassure her that it would only be a few more days.

In truth, Tori didn't mind much. She really liked living with Jake, even if she still wanted to go back home.

Then, about a week after Tori first arrived in Inkopolis, they had a wake-up call.

Jake had just finished cooking some salmon for supper, and they were about to sit down and eat when there was a knock at the door. They both jumped.

"Who is it?" Jake called. He leapt out of his seat, grabbed Tori's hand, and started to drag her towards his room.

"Police!" said a voice. "Open up!"

Jake lightly pushed Tori into the closet, and shut the door before returning to the kitchen.

Opening the door, he revealed the same policeman that was guarding the entrance to the valley on the first day of Tori's stay.

"What can I do for you, officer?" he asked.

"Out of the way," said the policeman, pushing past Jake into the apartment. He started opening cupboards and drawers and emptying them out.

"Don't you need a warrant for that?" Jake asked calmly.

The officer silently shoved a piece of paper in Jake's face and continued tearing the apartment open.

"Great. Now why are you here?"

"Don't play dumb with me, kid," the officer replied, jabbing a threatening finger into Jake's face. "I've got reason to believe that Octoling is hiding out here. And I'm gonna find her if it takes all day."

Jake silently gulped. How did he know?

"You can look all you want, but you're not going to find anything," he stated.

"Still not giving her up, eh? You're making a big mistake."

"The only one mistaken here is you, sir. I'm the only one living here."

"Then why are there two plates on this table?" he asked.

"There was too much salmon for one plate."

The officer shook his head, and continued his search. Jake was getting more and more worried; the cop was very thorough. Jake's room was the last room he entered.

"She's gotta be in here…" he muttered to himself. He began pulling open drawers again.

For a moment, Jake considered giving her up. The policeman was going to find her; better she gets turned in, and he doesn't get arrested for hiding her.

He pushed the thought out of his mind. He made a promise and he was going to keep it.

The officer had reached Jake's closet. His hand reached for the handle, and Jake braced himself for what was coming. The door flew open.

But instead of a cowering Octoling, there was nothing. The closet was empty, except for Jake's clothes. Jake couldn't believe his eyes, and tried to keep the amusement from his face. The policeman only got angrier, and started violently pushing around Jake's clothes. Finding nothing, he finally conceded defeat.

"You got me this time, kid," he said. "But I know you're hiding something, and I'll get it out of you. Mark my words."

The officer finally left, slamming the door behind him. Jake breathed a sigh of relief, and returned to his room.

"Tori?" he called. "Where'd you go?"

She emerged from the closet as if nothing happened.

"Where were you hiding?"

"You've got an air vent in your closet," she said, pointing at the offending vent. "So I turned into an octopus and slipped through the grating."

Jake was speechless. "That's some quick thinking."

She grinned. "It's one of my many talents."

They started laughing. When it stopped, Jake actually thought about what happened.

"…You know," he said. "I don't think he was kidding. He's probably going to come back tomorrow. I'm not sure if you'll be safe here anymore. That guy's smarter than he looks."

The smile melted from Tori's face. "What am I gonna do, then?"

Jake pondered that for a while. Then it came to him. "I have an idea. Hold on and let me make some calls. Just sit tight in here."

Tori nodded, and Jake moved to the living room, taking out his phone. He dialed a number, and waited.

"Hey," he said into the receiver. "It's me, Jake. I've got a favour I need from you…"

{asterisks}

Before too long, there was another knock at the door. Jake pulled it open to reveal his three best friends; Cole, Adam, and Grace.

"Hey, man," said Cole. "What's up?"

"You guys didn't bring any weapons, right?" Jake asked.

"Just like you said," Grace replied.

"Great. Now, give me your bombs."

"What are you talking about?" asked Cole. "I don't have any bombs."

"Dude, you know you can't lie to me. Now hand 'em over." Cole reluctantly gave Jake the three Ink Mines hidden in his pockets.

"Now you, Adam."

Adam started to protest, but handed over his Burst Bombs.

"Alright, we're clean," he grumbled. "Now why couldn't we bring any weapons?"

"I'm getting to that," said Jake. "I need to show you something, but you guys have to promise me you're not gonna freak out."

"Don't you trust us?" Grace asked. "We're not going to freak out. I swear."

"Good," Jake replied. He looked over his shoulder. "Tori! You can come out now!"

"Tori?" Cole asked teasingly. "Ooh, looks like our sweet, innocent little Jake finally got himself a girl-"

His voice trailed off as Tori walked out of the hallway. The three Inklings looked at her with shocked expressions.

"This is Tori," Jake said, gesturing to her. "Tori, this is Cole, Adam, and Grace."

"H-hello," Tori said timidly.

For a moment, no one said a word. Then Adam spoke up.

"Jake. What is that doing in your apartment?" he asked, disgusted.

"She is hiding out here. She's the reason I called you guys over," he said with a glare.

"And why isn't it an ink stain on the ground right now?" Cole asked. Tori flinched at his harsh words.

"Because she's not here to hurt anyone-"

"Not here to hurt anyone?" Grace cried. "It's an Octoling! Why else would it be here?"

"She got lost."

"And ended up in Inkopolis?!"

"Tell them, please, Tori," Jake said.

She told the three of them what had happened since Agent 3's mission. They listened with skeptical looks on their faces.

"And why are we supposed to believe that?" Cole asked.

"Because I believe her," Jake said calmly. "You guys oughta know how I can spot liars by now."

"I don't believe one word of it!" Grace said. "It's obviously a huge lie! It's just trying to splat you when you least expect it!"

"If that were true," Jake countered. "Don't you think she would've done it by now? She's been here a week now."

"A WEEK?" Adam yelled. "You've been hiding this… this… thing from us for a week?"

"Yes, I have, because I am trying to help her get home."

"You idiot!" Grace said. "If you help it get home, the rest of them will think they can just waltz in here whenever they want! You'll start another war!"

"You guys aren't going to convince me not to," he replied. "I already promised her I'd get her home. And I need your help."

"We are NOT helping you with this," Cole said coldly. "I oughta splat you right now-" He took a threatening step towards Tori.

Quick as lightning, Jake tripped him and shoved him back to the door. Cole sat on the ground, dazed.

"As I was saying…" Jake said. "I can't get her back to Octo Valley alone. We already had a policeman in here looking for her. I need your help."

All three glared at him. "…Fine," Adam spat out. "What do you need?"

"That's better," said Jake. "Now, that cop was persistent. He is not going to stop coming back here, and eventually he'll learn to check in all of the hiding spots. That's where you guys come in. I need you guys to help me hide her."

"How about a trash can?" Cole asked mockingly. "It's perfect for something like that-"

Jake cut him off with a glare. "As I was saying! I need you guys to hide her in your apartments."

They looked at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious," Grace asked.

"Dead serious," Jake replied.

"Jake, man," Adam said. "Friend or no, I'm not letting that thing into my house."

"I'm with him," Cole said. "There's just no way."

As the four of them argued, Tori stared at the floor. Just when she thought Inklings could be nice, this happened. She knew that Jake was right. That policeman was going to be back. He wouldn't be able to protect her. She'd never be able to get back home. Tears started dripping down her face. Eventually someone was going to find her. She was going to get splatted. Maybe it was going to be one of these three that did it. It was hopeless. She buried her head in her hands and started to cry louder.

Her crying silenced everyone in the room. Four heads turned towards her, and Jake quickly ran over and put his arms around her. "Tori, don't cry. It's going to be okay, I promise-"

"Let it cry!" Cole shouted. "What do you care? Come on, Jake! Just splat it and get this over with!"

"SHUT UP!" Jake yelled. Everyone jumped.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?!" he exploded. "Can't you see how scared she is? She's absolutely terrified, and for good reason! She's totally helpless! If anyone else found her when she came here, they would've splatted her on sight! I've given her a place to stay and promised her a way back home, and you guys are just treating her like trash! How would you feel, huh? How would any of you guys feel if it was you? Imagine if you got stuck in Octo Valley, and she was the one taking you in! And then she asks for a bit of help, and suddenly gets surrounded by demands to splat you! She's no different from the rest of us, so what the hell is your problem?!" The three Inklings stared at the floor as Tori continued to cry.

"You guys have never acted like this before," he said, a bit more calmly. "I get that I'm dropping a bomb here, but that was completely unnecessary. If you aren't going to help me, then fine. But when the police find her, I'll be blaming you." He glared at them again, and returned to comforting Tori.

There was a long silence, broken only by Tori's sniffling, which soon stopped as Jake held her.

"…You're right."

Jake looked around in surprise to see who spoke. It was Cole.

"Of course you're right. We had no excuse. Right, guys?" Adam and Grace nodded in response.

"You bet we'll help you." Jake grinned.

"Great!" he said. "Like I said, I need you guys to help me hide her until I can come up with a plan to get her home. The idea was to bring her to your apartments, and you'd be taking turns taking care of her for a day at a time. Are you OK with that?" Everyone nodded, including Tori.

"Good," he said. "Now, who wants her first?"

Silence.

"C'mon, guys. I need a volunteer."

The three other Inklings had a short, heated discussion, before pointing to Grace.

"Fantastic," said Jake. "Before we do anything, I need to lay down a few ground rules. First of all, I will be escorting Tori to her next destination every day. I can bribe anyone who sees her to keep quiet. Second," he said, turning toward Tori. "I want you to tell me everything that goes on in there. I'll be dropping by once a day to check up, and if anything…" he said, turning back to the other Inklings. "If anything happens, and I hear one word of you guys mistreating her, you'll have me to deal with. I don't expect her to be royalty, but just act as though it were me. Is that clear?" They nodded.

He turned on Adam and Cole. "And you creeps aren't touching her, you hear me? I don't want you guys doing anything weird."

Adam started to protest, but Cole just slapped him on the back of the head and said "Shut up, he's right."

"Alright, I think that covers everything," Jake finished. "I'll move her into Grace's apartment tomorrow. You should probably get a room ready."

"Aye aye!" Grace replied, with a salute.

"Dismissed!" Jake cried. The other Inklings left, shutting the door behind them.

"Sorry about that," Jake said. "They don't like Octarians much."

"No, it's okay," Tori replied.

"Once you get past that, though, they're pretty nice. I think you'll be okay until I can get you home."

"You're sure you can get me home?"

"Tactical genius is another of my talents," he replied.

They shared a smile, and went to bed.

[A/N] This is probably gonna be another really tough part, the whole friend thing. God knows how I'll get that done. I plan to devote a chapter to each one, and then another one or two about the grand escape, after which it'll be done, probably.

I know the names could be punnier but shut up these are my actual friends here.

Chapter 4 is following!