Hello again everyone~! Happy Martin Luther King Day! (If you guys are in the states and stuff, not sure if it's only in the USA.) ANYWAY, sorry my updates have been slow. Been busy with my first week back at school, super overwhelming w ;;;

Anyway, this is somewhat of a filler chapter, but it's also not, mostly fluffy filler however. FLUFFY. (I'm a little hyper, can you tell?)

...I WAS going somewhere with this (and no that wasn't meant to be a joke) and I did want to say something else, but right now I can't think of it, and I'd rather write this chapter before I forget what I wanted to write. :D

ENJOY CHAPTER 5: THE LADY AND THE RAIN

Jeremy sat at the small cafe alone today, his friends both busy with their projects for class. He was fine with it, as he needed a quiet space. With all of the stress he had endured the past couple of weeks, he needed some peace and quiet to clear his head. He was finished with his first project. Bonnie loved his new face, and he was given a free day to relax. His boss had given him a day off, saying that he understood that classes were important and he hopes he passes his test (Which Jeremy had no idea what the old man had been talking about, since he hadn't requested time off at all, but he had a funny feeling he knew who was responsible). None the less, he was grateful. Sipping his the tea he ordered, he looked out the window to see the dark storm clouds rolling in. It was going to pour, and it was going to start soon. Realizing it was probably a good idea to get home before the rain began, Jeremy quietly stood up and began to gather his belongings. He was about to head to the counter when she walked in, and Jeremy nearly tripped over himself. Why, why was she even here? Didn't she say that he'd been given a day to himself?

"I was hoping you'd be here" The Marionette said, holding her cloak over her shoulders. (Actually, it was more of a tarp, and Jeremy wondered how she managed to make it look decently fashionable.)

"I was just leaving, it's going to rain and I'd rather be warm at home and not get caught in this weather." Jeremy said, and placed his money on the counter.

"Oh...is that so?" The Marionette said, and turned to look outside. A worried look crossed her features, and she bit her lip.

"What's the matter? You didn't know it was going to rain?" Jeremy asked, and The Marionette shook her head.

"It was originally much lighter when I left, but I had my hood up, so I didn't see the clouds come in."

"Why can't you go back to the pizzeria, it isn't that far." Jeremy said, trying to get her to return back, as he really didn't wish to talk about the pizzeria at all. However, a loud clap of thunder had sounded, and the rain then began to fall. The two looked out the window to see people pulling out their umbrellas, some using their bags as shields from the rain, and others running for a dry spot. A soft whine escaped the Marionette, Jeremy looked over to see her recoiling in on herself. She couldn't touch the water, she'd probably electrocute herself.

"Uhm..."

"Please don't leave me alone here..." Marionette turned to Jeremy, a look of desperation in her eyes. Jeremy sighed, and looked out to the street. He really wanted to get home, but it was probably a bad idea to leave his "friend" alone.

"My apartment is two blocks away. It's kinda small, but you can use my umbrella and we'll wait out the storm there, alright?" Jeremy said, seeing no other option. The Marionette said nothing as she debated her options, and a few moments later she nodded her head, soon the two were running down the street together towards Jeremy's apartment.

() () () () () ()

Small had been an understatement. Jeremy's apartment had one decent sized living room with a small loveseat couch and an old clonky television that barely worked, a small throw rug was underneath a wooden coffee table. A tiny kitchenette was attached to the living room, with old black and white linoleum tiles, a small bar counter to eat on, a refrigerator which was barely full, and a tiny stove top. Their was one tiny bathroom with a toilet, sink, and tiny square shower all in a row, and finally the bedroom, which contained various items sprawled about, including textbooks, clothes, and lots of papers.

Jeremy immediately went into the bathroom to grab some towels, as his unexpected house guest ventured into the living room, curious about everything. The Marionette looked over towards a small table next to the couch, and gently picked up a photo that had been sitting there. A happy family smiled brightly, a mother, father, and a little boy whom the Marionette assumed was Jeremy as a child. In the background was a lake, and a boat was driving by, and a large forest surrounded it. The Marionette studied it closely; the parents seemed quite happy where they were, but Jeremy didn't look as ecstatic as his parents.

"We were camping out in the mountains for a weekend." The Marionette straightened up at the sudden voice, and turned to look at Jeremy. He was smiling, but it was bittersweet, the sadness shone in his eyes. "It was supposed to be fun, and everything was going to be better. It was a last attempt at my parents trying to get along. But the camp trip was ruined because of unexpected rain, and we had to leave later that evening." Jeremy looked out the window, watching the rain fall heavily. "It was raining just as hard as this, and my parents were arguing the entire time we were packing up, and even on the ride home. It was so dark, and my dad hadn't been paying attention..." Jeremy paused, and the Marionette didn't need to hear anymore. She already knew.

"I apologize for your loss." She said, her voice uncertain. She knew this was the right thing to say, at least, in this situation, but she felt something else, a feeling she couldn't really identify. It hurt, and she wanted to put a hand on her chest. Something was making her chest hurt.

"It's fine, I mean, it's not fine, but... things got...better...after my dad passed away. My mom wasn't as sad as she had been, and she was able to get herself back on her feet." Jeremy said, his eyes still downcast.

"What about you?" Marionette asked. Jeremy remained silent, but he shook his head.

"It doesn't matter, he's gone, and that's that." Jeremy stated, anger lacing his tone. Marionette didn't say anything, but tensed as Jeremy suddenly lifted his arms. When she felt the fluffy warmth on her head, she realized that he had just given her a towel. "Use that to dry off, and then you can relax on the couch or something until the weather lets up. If you want you can watch TV, but there isn't anything good on at this time." Jeremy told her, and began to walk towards the bedroom.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to finish some last minute work, now that I have a chance."

"You can do it out here if you want. I won't bother you."

"It'll be better if I did it at my desk, besides all my stuff is in there." Jeremy said, and as he was about to walk into his room, a hand grasped his. Turning around, Jeremy had to take a slight step back. The Marionette stood right behind him, a bit closer than he expected, and she had a sad, nervous look on her face.

"Please?" came the quiet request, and Jeremy found it hard to find a way to say no. For a animatronic puppet, she really knew how to pull at his emotions. Sighing in defeat, Jeremy assured her that he would do his work in the living room, and the Marionette physically brightened up, and quickly went back to the couch to make room for him while Jeremy went to grab his things. After snagging what he needed, he went into the living room and set up his books on the coffee table, sat down, and was immediately wrapped in a blanket. Looking over, the Marionette smiled at him, and Jeremy stared at her for a minute before he went and buried himself in his work. The rest of the day was quiet as Jeremy went over his work, and the Marionette relaxed quietly next to him, feeling content where she was.