My Life As A Maid

A/N: Last chapter... sort of! This will be the ending most of you wanted. I'm sorry if it sucks. I wanted to make the story end sadly. But lots of you wanted to see a happy ending. I'll try and make this as good as possible. As always, enjoy!

I froze as soon as I saw that smile, felt it. Flippy gave me a low chuckle, his eyes gleaming with delight. The look passing between us sent shivers up and down my spine, rooting me to the spot, paralyzed with fear. I waited for Flippy to do or say something. The silence seemed to stretch on for hours.

"Well, well, well," he said, sweeping his arms in a broad gesture. I watched the knife warily as it glinted under the light-bulb hanging over us. My eyes flickered to the window, and I saw it was already quite dark outside. I frowned. I'd been sure it was only around noon.

As if reading my mind, Flippy explained. "You were out for a while, dear. I don't know how you didn't wake up with all the shuffling about that had to be done. Jumping from two floors carrying you was risky enough." After a dark chuckle, he grinned and said, "I'm surprised you made it this far at all."

I didn't say anything, just puzzled it all out in my head. Flippy had knocked me out to keep me from waking, and jumped from the bedroom window with me. So it seemed I'd been out for longer than I'd thought.

Flippy's eyes wandered about and came to a stop, fixating on a loose strand of hair. He stared for a few seconds, his expression unreadable and I tried not to squirm under his gaze. Even when he wasn't staring directly at me I was still petrified.

"You've obviously found all the notes, then," he said softly. His eyes flickered to mine for some sort of response, and I managed a jerky nod in return.

"It was a real pain killing them," Flippy remarked, half to himself. He grinned slyly. "Madame Talbot wasn't too difficult. A woman of her size, she's not the fastest. Though carrying her was a whole other story."

I winced at that, imagining the scene playing out in my head. Madame Talbot would have been defenceless against Flippy. She'd never liked me, and the feeling had been generally mutual, but I couldn't help feeling a pang of pity for her.

"I'll admit that Jerome put up quite a fight for an old man," Flippy said with a smirk. "But I shut him up pretty quickly. Carrying him was a little awkward, but as you saw, I got the job done."

He gave me a cold laugh, looking like a misbehaving child who was not sorry for what he'd done.

"My father barely saw me coming. The fat lump was sitting in his chair like always, not giving a damn about anyone," Flippy scowled. Then he smiled and said, "It was easy work though, really. So long as you're not squeamish."

He took a step forward as if to reach for me, and I had to stop myself from taking one backward. The staircase was right behind me. If I took one step I was done for. Though, maybe that was a better way to go, rather than what was coming for me. What was better: wait for Flippy to slice me up or just end it now? Before I knew what I was doing, I was already moving back to push myself off.

I almost started crying out of desperation when I realized Flippy had caught my right wrist and was holding me up effortlessly. I stood with one foot still on the floor and one on its way down; trapped. His eyes bored into mine for what felt like hours, simply staring. I did my best to keep eye contact, however hard it was. Dehydration and hunger were tough enough without Flippy's presence. He never seemed to blink, and it was an effort for me to keep my eyes open.

Just when I thought my eyes were going to fall out of their sockets, he pulled me forward and pushed me to the side. I stumbled out of his reach and gave a frustrated sigh when my back hit the wall. Flippy turned to me, smiling again.

"And now, dear, you're all that's left," he noted. I said nothing, but did my best to keep my head up, if warily so. My eyes kept drifting to the knife he twirled casually, almost gracefully, between his thin fingers.

"You want to know why you're last?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer he continued on. "I like saving the best for last. That, and you've caused me the most trouble."

I stared at him, almost disbelieving. How could I have gotten him into trouble? Everything he'd done was his own decisions, not mine. As if reading my mind, he smirked and continued.

"Because of you and your whining, and your complaining, and moaning and crying, I was almost sent to a 'home', their way of sugar-coating 'mental asylum for the criminally insane'. Can you believe it?"

I could happily believe it. It was quite a lovely thought, actually. Having Flippy guarded, unable to harm anyone, was a comforting thought. Never again seeing him able to torment anyone else, not being able to leave the confines of an asylum. So long as he was watched at all times, Flippy would never be a problem for anyone again.

However, it was also a very unsettling thought. For some odd reason I couldn't quite make out, I didn't like the thought of him locked up. I mean, Flippy wasn't always bad, right? Just sometimes... When he wasn't gone completely psycho, Flippy was friendly and quite sociable. He wasn't just the sadistic weirdo, not always...

One look at him changed my mind again.

"And so, in order to prevent further... delay, I took care of them. The only problem now is for me to find a place to go before others start getting suspicious about my father's absence."

Despite myself, I asked, "Wh-What about Jerome a-and Madame Talbot?"

Flippy smirked, closing his eyes briefly. "Haven't you realized, dear, that everyone who works in this house is a nobody?"

I hadn't. I thought it had just been me. Poor Flaky from the desolate countryside outside of Happy Tree Town who had nowhere to go. I was definitely nobody; I doubted I even had any sort of files or records for medication or anything else. I was invisible.

"Jerome and Madame Talbot are gone from the world now," said Flippy. "But Madame Talbot used to be quite well known. She once was the owner of several successful restaurants around Happy Tree Town and became very wealthy for a brief amount of time. However when three of her establishments were broken into within the space of five days, she lost a lot of her precious money. She couldn't get money from insurance since they thought she was faking the break-ins. And so she ended up coming here to redeem herself after her company descended steadily into bankruptcy."

My eyes widened in surprise. I'd never have thought that about Madame Talbot. It didn't seem right after spending so long thinking she was 'just another person'.

"As for Jerome, he was like my father, a businessman with no room for other people. But after a while, his company became less productive. Their ideas grew more and more unoriginal as time went on and no money was being made. He did consider firing a few workers but was quick to realize he couldn't run a business by himself alone. So, miserable and depressed, my father offered him a job here. And now, thirty years later, he's finished.

"But no files remain, there's no information about the two anymore. If you ever asked someone about either of them, that person wouldn't have a clue as to who you were talking about. Someone might recall a chef in the middle of town, but all they would really be able to describe would be the shutting down of the restaurant. Some might remember a successful business man responsible for the creation of many wonderful companies, but no more than that."

I stared at him with raised eyebrows, my lips parted. He gave me a cold smirk.

"Even you, Flaky. Besides your precious friend Petunia and myself nobody actually knows who you are. Your childhood friends, maybe, but when will you see them again? So even if you survive this, which I seriously doubt is going to happen, I'll just have to find Petunia and you'll be alone. No one can help you anymore."

He lifted the knife, inspecting it, before turning to me with a sickening grin. "Time to say goodbye, sweetheart. It's been fun."

I instinctively moved back but panicked when I realized I couldn't. Frantic, I dived to the side and rolled away from Flippy. He twisted, following my movements with an amused smirk. Terrified, I scrambled to my feet. Halfway up, I was grabbed and pinned to the nearest wall. Flippy pressed his forearm lightly to my neck, millimetres away from cutting off my oxygen. The knife was held at a distance, pointing towards my left eye.

I waited for a sudden movement, a sneaky comment, but none came. I braced myself and looked Flippy straight in the eye. I saw he was debating with himself. His better half was trying to gain control. His gold eyes seemed dimmer, less menacing. My eyes flickered to a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. He was drained emotionally, and now physical effects were taking hold. The hand holding the knife was raised, but wavered in the act of being thrust forward.

"Agh... I..."

Flippy's voice was strained, his breathing ragged. He took a shuddering breath and seemed to reach a conclusion. He lifted the knife and the brightness returned to his eyes. As it came toward me I screamed, completely unashamed, and so loudly I shocked myself.

Tormented, I urged the knife to come down swiftly, to be quick in ending my life. But it never came down to meet me. My eyes were squeezed shut, my lips pressed firmly together, but I heard Flippy's low moans of distress. I felt him loosen his grip. I'd only realized how numb my shoulder felt after being held so tightly.

But my attention was focused on the distraught creature before me. The sight of Flippy fighting this war with himself was like nothing I'd ever seen. He was hunched over with his thin fingers tangled in his hair, the knife cast aside. His eyes were like saucers, his lip curled back into a sort of snarl. Watching him, I almost pitied him. I felt sorry for the man who had been just about to kill me.

Why?!

What on earth was my problem? What had I done to be linked to this wretch of a teen?

"I..." Flippy was struggling to speak now, and tears openly streamed down the sides of his face. Unsure of what I should do, I took a hesitant step forward, but stopped immediately when Flippy flung his arm out to stop me from advancing.

"Don't," he choked out. He glared up at me from under the hair plastered to his forehead. "I... don't want your pity. You... You are responsible for me weakening. You and your goodness and your fucking kindness. And now I'll vanish and you'll save the day, hm? Just the way it should be. Typical, typical. The good guys win and the bad ones lose. Always, always, ALWAYS!"

He stood up shakily but swiftly and I backed away, horrified. For a moment the murderous look in his eyes almost paralyzed me. But, to my relief, I saw a change slowly taking place. As he tried to step forward, Flippy's sharp teeth had returned to normal. When he attempted to move in the direction of his knife, his eyes no longer shone with malice, only with the tears he had shed. He was back to his normal self.

"Flippy, are you-?"

I was cut off by Flippy's startled yelp. He sounded as if he'd been hit by something. But he was just staring at me, with a look of desperation and confusion. His eyes drifted to the knife and he stiffened.

"Oh God..." he breathed, then looked frantically back to me. I opened my mouth to say something, but he was faster. He covered the distance between us in a split second and grabbed my shoulders, unable to contain himself.

Looking me over, he found the slight indentation where the knife had been pressed to my neck.

"Flippy, it's not-"

"Oh my God," he interrupted, his voice panicky. "Oh God, oh I'm so sorry. Oh please don't hate me, I-!"

"Flippy!" I cut him off. "I..."

I don't know what it was, whatever I'd been about to say. I just needed him to calm down so I could think. I looked him square in the eyes. My once-frightened eyes, now confident, met his wide ones, no longer shining. All the light was gone from them.

"F-Flaky?" he whispered. I shook my head, silencing him. I was still trying to think of something I could say to stop his hopeless thinking. I couldn't say, 'It's okay, I'm fine.' I wasn't fine. I don't think I would ever be fine again after all I'd been through recently.

And Flippy would never be alright again. His split personality was a huge problem for himself and everyone around him. After all he'd done as of late, all the killing and troublemaking, nothing would ever be completely fine for him. He would always have those memories, he would still have to see the corpses of those he had killed.

But I could comfort him. It might not work but it was my only hope, now. The two of us were past the point of sanity, past the point of thinking things through before doing them. It was much too late for anything like that. There had to be something I could say, though. Anything.

Because, despite everything, I was slowly coming to terms with the fact that I was a little bit in love with him. That's when I realized it wasn't a matter of saying something. There were other ways of communicating without speaking.

I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around Flippy's thin waist, resting my chin on his shoulder. I heard a shocked gasp from Flippy but I didn't let go. Eventually, just when I thought I'd really done something awful, I felt a pair of arms cross around my back, shaky but holding on tight.

We stood in silence for an infinity. Time seemed still and at the same time it flew past. I closed my eyes and inhaled. Flippy smelled like a mixture of mint, greenery and some sort of spice all at once. It was quite pleasant.

At the same time, he ran his hand along the length of my hair while holding on to me with the other, still numb. His fingers got tangled in the long strands but he didn't move to take his hand away.

"Flaky," he breathed. I lifted my head to look at him. No longer frozen, he was looking at me with an odd combination of admiration and puzzlement.

"Flaky, I... I can't hear him."

I raised my eyebrows and took my arms away from him, giving him a bit of space. "What do you mean?"

Flippy lifted a hand to his forehead and pushed his hair back, then left his hand there, closing his eyes. After a while he shook his head and opened his eyes.

"Flaky. I think he's... gone. I think it's finally all over."

I gasped, and then smiled. Flippy, stunned, managed a breathy laugh that sounded odd at first.

"I can't believe it," he said, still shaking. He looked at me with the utmost happiness and I couldn't help laughing.

"It was you," he said, delighted. "You were the cure all along, Flaky. Oh, thank you!"

And in one swift motion, he moved forward and pressed his lips to mine. Shocked, I watched a tear make its way down his jaw line. I kissed him back just as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the window. We looked towards the light, both smiling.

"I think," said Flippy. "... I think I can try to start again. And be a better person. I... I'll try. But I don't know where to start."

"I think I do."

The first thing we did was go to the body of Flippy's mother. I watched from the doorway as he knelt down with a forlorn expression and took her hand.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for everything. For being disobedient, and for... for ending you."

Just when I thought he would cry, I took him by the hand and led him out of the room. We moved downstairs to the kitchen, where Madame Talbot was seated. Flippy didn't take her hand, he bent down and looked solemnly at the large woman.

"I'm very sorry, Madame."

Next was Jerome. Flippy brushed past all the dishes laid out on the table, which were beginning to give of a smell, and took Jerome by the shoulders. This time I saw tears in his eyes.

"Jerome," he breathed. "I'm sorry. You were so good to me, and I was ungrateful in return. I'm so, so very sorry."

I took him to where his father sat at his desk. Flippy, a hand over his mouth, moved towards the large desk.

"Oh my God," he whispered, no longer trying to hold back tears. "I'm sorry, father. I'm sorry. I've destroyed you."

He left the room with his head down and I shut the door quietly. Flippy turned to me with devastated eyes.

"And you, Flaky," he said. "I don't know what I can say that will make you forgive me. You deserve much more than this. For that, I want you to have a fresh start and a new life. You can leave here and it will be like you never set foot in this goddamned house."

I shook my head. "I don't want that. I don't want to pretend I never met you. I like you, Flippy. It wasn't you that hurt me. You've never said anything cruel to me. My life wouldn't be the same without you in it. So, come with me."

He raised his eyebrows. "A-Are you serious?"

I smiled. "Of course I'm sure. We can leave the town and no-one will know. We won't tell anyone where we go. And we'll live together and be happy from now on. No one will stop us."

Flippy, happier now than ever before, took me in his arms and held me close. "I promise I will never let anything hurt you ever again. I promise."

I laid my chin on his shoulder again, tears springing to my eyes. I didn't stop them from coming. I clutched him tightly, unwilling to let go.

"I believe you," I whispered.

A/N: And in that moment, I swear we were infinite! But yes. This is the end my dear friends. So, imagine whatever you want for the porcupine and her bear. Do they live happily together? If that's what you want. Do they get gunned down in the desert? If you like it, then sure.

I'm going to sound totally soppy here, and if the story wasn't soppy enough this will more than make up for it.

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to every single person who has reviewed, favourited and subscribed to this story. I don't even think i had a solid plot for it, honestly, and yet you still claimed to love it. But thank you for anyone who suggested ideas and gave me encouragement and inspiration to finish the story. I feel like I received undeserved appreciation for writing this, when any of you could have done an even better job with it. Honestly. I do think I've improved somewhat while writing the story, though. So thank you for inspiring me!

Also, some people messaged me about writing a fanfic of this one?! Is that even possible? Fanception. But if any of you crazy people are that devoted (if you are, I would recommend a hospital...) then go ahead and send them to me! It'll give me a reason to love you guys even more.

But this is not the end! If you are interested I will be posting an alternate ending to the story at some point! Hopefully you'll like it? If not you can be content with this one, I guess.

So, this is ButterflyBabyBlue signing off!