A/N:

This chapter did not want to be put on the page… It's another filler chapter, and I promise this will start picking up again in the next chapter.

Also, for all you people who are fans or Creepypasta, feel free to check out my fanfic based on some of the stories called 'Behind Closed Doors'.

*Talia's POV*

The 'boys' that Jack asked for, ended up being pigeons. I swear to god, pigeons. I guess the term 'carrier' or 'homing' pigeons was taken literally here. Oh what was I talking about, it's a town full of cartoons, of course words were going to be taken literally! But as it turns out these birds were pretty funny to observe, they kind of reminded me of the old-timey American mobsters that used to be in movies and such. I learnt their names pretty easily, I mean they were pretty unusual for the most part.

Jack took the laptop case from me and placed it on the table where the three ducked their heads under the strap so that they could share the weight of it, "So this goes on my desk for now and I'll uh, ask tech support to unlock it at some point."

I lowered my eyes guiltily. Sorry fangirl intern, it was for a good cause. The turquoise tinted bird, Bobby I remembered, nodded passively, "Don' worry 'bout it, it's part of the job."

"Yeah." Squit agreed, "It's no problem."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Pesto asked suddenly, mismatched eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"What, it's no problem, right?"

"Are you saying I'm something that causes stress? Something that boggles the mind? Am I some brain-tingling puzzle that is sent here to amuse you?"

"No, no, I'm just saying that the job is no problem for us."

"That's it!"

Next thing I knew Pesto had taken Squit by surprise and pounced on him, kicking up a cloud of dust and engulfing the pair as they brawled, the case strap entangling them both in the process. Bobby rolled his eyes and used his wings to smack the pair on the back of their heads, sending them falling flat on their beaks.

"Knock it off, the guy's asking a genuine favour here!" he insisted grudgingly before turning back to Jack, "Consider it done."

"Thanks, much appreciated."

They gave a brief nod of acknowledgment towards us before taking to the air, laptop suspended between them as they fluttered out of the café. I shook my head in bemusement. It was funny how even after all this time and all that's happened, not to mention the current situation, that there were still things out there that just made me pause and smile. But they weren't lasting as long as I hoped they would. The growing sense of dread eased its way back to me all too soon.

"Have you told Dr. S what's happened?" I wondered aloud, "Does he even know about the Town?"

"He knows." Jack answered. Of course he does, I thought bitterly but quickly shook it away feeling ashamed, "And I told him to up the security on the studio."

"If it gets out that he's escaped, won't it mean that people are going to start investigating and risk finding out things they shouldn't?"

"It won't get out." He confirmed, "We'll catch him on studio grounds and then deal with the publicity elsewhere as a decoy."

"R.J's not going to play along with that."

"He will. Think about it, if it's known that toons are real, then he loses because then other people are either going to love it, or try and steal his thunder. He won't let slip anymore than you or I would."

I could see his reasoning in that. I took another sip of my iced-tea before speaking again, "So we wait until he shows up. But what about in the meantime? Going home just means we'll be closer to him, and we can't very well stay in the Town if we're going to be treated like we're on the most wanted list."

"I know what it looked like but I swear that's not what I intended. But with Plotz wanting to keep things separate and then me suddenly trying to change it and -"

"Jack, you don't have to keep explaining the same thing; I get it." I assured, still annoyed with him but figuring that there were bigger things to think about other than petty judgments, "So where do we go from here?"

For a minute or two he was silent in thought before finally answering me, "I guess staying together is the best bet. So maybe if you stayed at the Water Tower it would be safer, or at Slappy's maybe."

"And you?" The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it. And the momentary look of pretence smugness forced me into a scowl.

"I'll be fine; like you said he doesn't plan on getting to us just yet."

That's not really what I wanted to hear, but what else was there for me to do? I guess it would be safer if we were all together and had studio security around, but at the same time we'd be set up for bait. "Sure…" I shifted uneasily and looked over his shoulder to where the others had exited to the play area outside, "I'd better get them ready then."

"And I'd better see if Betty can plot-hole us a shortcut back." He commented, joining me as I stood up.

"Sure." I nodded, eyes lowered to the floor.

I felt something lightly brush against my cheek, and caught Jack moving away from me, a comforting smile at his mouth, "We're going to find him, Talia, I promise everything will be okay."

*Yakko's POV*

"Ready for this?" I mused.

The sibs and sub-sibs sat in the middle of the rotating merry-go-round, linked arms to keep themselves in the centre. I however was standing to the side of it with mallet in hand. I gotta admit, Red had some pretty good ideas in her time, but this was light-bulb worthy. One solid swing and this thing was ready to give the ride of its career.

"Go for it!" Red giggled.

"Ready for launch!" Dot added, adjusting a pair of flight goggles she'd tooned up.

Wakko grinned, "Blastoff!"

Slugger however looked doubtful, "Uh, are you sure this is a good ide-"

"Fore!" I interrupted, taking swing and clanging the mallet against the metal.

Worked like a charm, the platform span like a dream, sending the group into a rainbow blur of shapes, yells and laughter. Heck I wasn't going to miss out on this one! Timing it right, naturally, I perfected the Michael Bay leap and landed dead centre, leaning back and enjoying the ride. I flashed a grin at Slugger who, in some strange twist, actually looked like he was grinning. Or was that the G-force? Either way, beggars can't be choosers!

Pretty nifty little place they got here with the beverages and the play arena for the littles. I might make this a regular, as soon as I recover from that disturbing family reunion back there. I'll be having nightmares for weeks, and who knows what effect this'll have on Wakko and his impressionable mushy mind. And we all know we're never gonna hear the end of it from anyone else in this brain-boggling bash we call a bunch. Plus Jar-Head on the sidelines. Way out on the sidelines.

Speaking of which, sure I wasn't a big fan of leaving them two back there. But I trust kiddo and that's good enough for me. She's most likely just filling him in on our little misadventure back there and him telling whatever fairy-tale he has to say. Not that I'm saying he's making things up, he looked truly shaken up and I just so happen to have a knack for telling when someone's messing with us. And he wasn't. Yet. But I had to cut the guy some slack, in the long run he was doing what he thought was right and you can't fault him for that. Oh, fault his choices and actions sure I'm not stopping ya! But morals, meh that's something different.

Oh look-see here, kiddo's coming out to join us. She looked pretty impressed with the place. But didn't look too impressed with our little pass-time. I made another leap for it and ended up swaying and, ahem, 'falling' into her arms.

"Did you know the world tilts when two strong forces collide such as this?" I offered.

"Knock it off, you twit." She smirked.

I saluted and walked back to the still rapidly turning apparatus and firmly thrust a hand out to grab one of the metal handles. The thing came to a stop faster than Macauly Culkin's career after he hit puberty and sent the four flying out onto the grass. Spirals, birds, stars, you name it was circling around their heads and dancing in their eyes. Wakko's cheeks were a weird shade of green but thankfully he didn't act on it or else we'd all be in trouble. More trouble than usual anyway.

"Never again." Slugger mumbled, "Not without seatbelts anyway…"

"And pillows." Red added.

Dot nodded, dusting herself off, "Lots of pillows."

Kiddo helped them to their feet, "So here's the plan." She sighed.

"This ought to be good." I muttered.

Not the best move apparently, she looked annoyed at something, but not at me personally, "Jack thinks it would be safer to stay either with Slappy or at the Tower. R.J knows his way around the Town without being seen and if we're on main studio grounds, then security will be our best bet."

"The waiting game?" Dot asked sarcastically.

"The waiting game." she clarified.

"Or the ever famous, use us as bait game." I muttered, quieter this time because frankly I didn't want Red getting jumpy again, she looked ill enough from the spin let alone this. But kiddo heard and frankly she seemed to be wary like she'd already thought of it.

"So are we leaving?" Slugger asked, "Is that it?"

"It's all we have so far." She admitted. Hey look at that, we're doomed and she knows it! Nah I'm kidding, jeez tough crowd, "Jack's getting us a shortcut home. So I guess we pack up a few things and… go from there."

"Summer long slumber party!" Wakko grinned.

Hey I liked the idea of the gang staying with us for a while, but this had to be said, "Uuhhhh-Let's hope this thing doesn't last that long."

"Well yeah, but even if it doesn't…?" Sister-sib asked, leaving the question hang in the air.

I gave a thumbs up, "Summer long slumber party."

Red giggled and gave sis a high-five for good measure. Kiddo rolled her eyes and put on a smile, but anyone really looking would see that she was putting it on for show. It's a good thing she's working behind the scenes in this place and not as an actress, it would pay the bills I'll say that much. We're all a little freaked, kiddo, you don't have to put on such a big act for us. You never know, we may just end up coming out of this okay!

We were herded, somewhat shakily because hey that merry-go-round took one heck of a swing, back to the café where plot-hole was at the ready to take us back to the base of the tower. Jeez this scenario is moving faster than an agent on payday, looks like the big-shot is in blank-mode; wrap it up guys we're loosing them! Okay, a little harsh there, but lets just say a montage is in need here. Normally it's not what we do here, but it's needed for the sake of sanity. For whose I'm not exactly sure…

*Talia's POV*

I sat on the edge of the bed and clutched my head, a sudden rush of pain and dizziness sweeping over me. We'd been back home and gotten some stuff before bidding Jack goodbye and heading up the ladder to the Tower. The Warner's had set up the bedroom so that there were six single beds, three on the left wall and three opposite on the right. Right now I was sitting on the middle bed on the right, trying to sooth the head-rush while also gritting my teeth through the tinged in my imprinted wrist.

"Where did that come from?" I muttered.

"Oh that'll pass." Yakko commented, slouching against the doorway.

"Huh?"

"Nothing." He shrugged knowingly, giving me the feeling that this was another of his inside jokes that I was never going to get, "So, how do you think today went?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

"Well we found our criminal records," I answered jokingly, "got a few jump-scares out of a puppy, was insulted by a computer, found out that R.J can teleport or something, and now we're either being used as bait, or put into twenty-four hour watch." I sighed, but added a wry smile, "But I've got to say it was worth it to see your little reunion with your cousin earlier."

"Like it was worth it to see that look of protectiveness to you on Jar-Heads face before he went home." He returned with a mocking floaty tone.

"Nah that was him suppressing an ego-trip at trying to play hero. Anyway, he's not wrong about staying here being a good thing. And with Rita, Slappy and the others on guard not far off, everyone's got some form of protection."

Folding his arms, a look of curiosity came over him, "Be honest, kiddo. R.J's out there doing what he likes and when he feels; you're scared, and the only reason you haven't told Jar-Head to stick his help where his ego is taking space is because you're out of your comfort zone."

"Comfort zone?"

"Think about it. In the past, it's always been pretty clear where the old nut-job was and what he planned on doing. This time, he moves around faster than a Burton musical number and is making just about as sense."

Unfortunately, he had a point. The first time we were up against R.J, we knew that he was always going to be in the studio. Second time, he was always going to be inside the prison walls and when I let him out it was inside that building. Now… Now he was a phantom. Around any turn and hiding in any shadow. And for him to let us go like that just threw me off completely. Where exactly was that lunatic going with this? I needed to know, it was driving me insane, and yet a small part of me just wanted to curl up and not hear about him again.

"We'll get through it, that's what people keep saying."

"You believe it?" Yakko asked, a genuine question this time.

"I don't know." I had to be honest, and once it started, it didn't stop, "Sometimes I just wonder if things would have been easier if I'd just kept taking the rosehip oil and made Flynn and Poppy take it too. R.J wouldn't be able to use us if the oil was in our systems so much. And… maybe you and the other toons wouldn't be in so much danger all the time…"

It was a valid point in my opinion, and it killed me saying it, but it was something that had been bugging me for a while.

"You know what, kiddo?" he asked with a paintbrush in hand and colour-stained coat, "I'm gonna paint you a picture."

"Seriously?"

"Figuratively speaking." He waved his hand passively, props abandoned, "Take a look; you get the cure and you carry on growing up, going to work, sib-sitting, work, growing up, sib-sitting till they don't need it anymore, then you work some more just for the sake of working; it's not a great image is it?" he paused for effect, "Now look at the painting you're starring in. Take your pick."

"It's not for me to choose. I'll do what Flynn and Poppy want; I'm not abandoning them for something I'm not even sure I want." I answered, "And the one we're all starring in is full of near-death experiences and danger!"

"Granted. But taking into account who's got your back, not to mention adventure;" He arched an eyebrow knowingly, reaching out a hand towards me, "Which looks better?"

When he put it like that, there really was only one answer. That's something I hated and admired about him, he could make any heartbreaking decision sound easy. I knew it wasn't that easy, I always had. But when I actually took a look; no, I didn't want things to change. The lack of R.J would be nice to say the least, but I promised that we'd be safe and enough people had told me so, so why the hell should I make it come true? Giving a weak smile, I took Yakko's hand and let him hoist me to my feet. But instead of getting up right away, I lingered and gave him a small excuse for a hug. It wasn't something I did that often with the toons, but I guess it felt needed.

"You're a skilled painter, pervert."

"You've got good taste, priss." He smirked, looping both arms around my neck.

Admittedly, it was good knowing he was there for me, but this was getting a little too lingering for my taste. I let go and straightened up, but found that he had locked his hands behind my neck, resulting in him being lifted off his feet a little where I was taller than him and his refusing to budge.

"Yakko, you can let go now." I muttered dryly.

Still staying put, he flashed me a smirk, "I'm aware." Great…

A/N:

I am really not happy with Yakko pointing out the flaws in my narrations…

I know nothing really happened here, but it's filler, next chapter the plot will pick up again and hopefully I'll redeem myself. Don't forget to review and maybe take a look at the Creepypasta fic and review that too. I may seem like I'm rambling, but it's 3am with me, lol XD Sleep time!

Thanks to Kisa Sohma Cookie for helping me through this writers block! XD