Chapter 2: Apology

"Chell, open the door. I'm sorry!" he said, holding his nose, "I'm not going to hurt you again, I promise!" Chell glared at the door. How in the world did he find her, but more importantly, how did he get out of space? Wheatley put a hand on the door.
"I-I understand, love. You hate me for what I tried to do. I would hate me too… but just know that I'm so sorry for what I did. I never meant to try to hurt you." She looked at the door. She didn't hear anything that would tell her that he was lying and for her to stay away from him.
"If you don't want to see me again, that's fine too. I-I'll just go back and let… Her punish me." Chell blinked, remembering what GLaDoS had planned for him when he returned. She moved to the door and unlocked it before cracking it open slightly. Wheatley looked at her, looking as if he would break down crying at any moment. She opened the door more, still being careful. Wheatley blinked at her, "…"
"Hey, Chell! Are you ok?" Wheatley jumped as a young man ran up to the door and stood in front of Chell. His dark brown hair was combed back and his hazel eyes glared at Wheatley. Wheatley blinked at the man as Chell patted his shoulder. The man turned to her as she started moving her hands. Wheatley watched her hands. His glasses flashed bits of information to explain what she was doing. The guy nodded, "Okay. If he gives you any trouble, just let me know." He looked at Wheatley and walked away, bumping his shoulder. Chell sighed and grabbed Wheatley's wrist. He jumped a bit, "Oh god… Don't hurt me." She pulled him into her apartment and closed the door.

Wheatley trembled and watched her, "Don't hurt me, Chell… well, you can if you want. Just don't kill me." She sat him in a chair and made him look at her. He looked up at her, shaking as her hands started moving again. The android blinked as his glasses flashed the information.
"Oh! You learned signed language! Brilliant. Now you can communicate," he said, smiling, "Hold on… I'm translating what you're saying…." She frowned and kept signing to him.
"Alright…. Um… 'how did you find me?' Oh. How did I find you?" he asked, "Well, when I returned from space, She told me where to find you." Chell froze up a bit. "I know, right? I didn't know or understand why She had been keeping tabs on you, but She uploaded the location to me and that's how I found you… Chell? Are you okay?" She nodded and signed again.
"Um… 'why are you here?' Why am I here? I wanted to apologize and possibly gain your forgiveness for being stupid and monstrous. I didn't mean to try to kill you. It was Her chassis that made me want to kill you. It was like I was frozen, watching a terrible, terrible movie." Chell glared at him a bit.
"So… do you forgive me?" Chell gave a soundless sigh and shook her head before signing again.
"… 'You have to earn it.' Earn your forgiveness? How do I do that?" Chell thought for a moment. It wasn't going to be easy. She smiled a bit and answered him. " 'You will stay here and I will watch you. One slip-up and you're out of here.' Alright. That's understandable, love," he said, "I'll be on my best behavior, promise." She nodded and went to get herself something to drink. Wheatley looked around a bit, "Wow. This place has a lot of stuff in it. You even have loads of books. Have you read them yet?" Chell walked back over to him with a glass of water and nodded, sitting on the loveseat. He got up and went to the bookshelf, looking over the books carefully.
"You have a great collection, love. You even have Machiavelli. It's my personal favorite. Do you mind if I read it?" Chell waved her hand dismissively, letting him know it was okay. He smiled and picked up the book before sitting down in his seat again. She looked over slightly and saw he held the book upside down.
"... Odd. Is this in Italian? I can't understand it at all." She smiled softly and leaned over, turning the book right side up for him. "Oh. That's much better. Thanks," he said, starting to read to himself. Maybe he would be true to his word and behave. Chell would just have to keep an eye on him and see.