The Park - Sunday, January 2nd, 1994

"Havin' trouble there?" Fritz teased playfully.

"I've got it, I've got it!" he protested as he fiddled with the heel of the boot.

Fritz had already strapped his skates on without a hitch, whilst Mike continued to untie, adjust, then retie his repeatedly. He had been struggling with making sure his skates were tied tight enough for a few minutes, but was determined to put them on without assistance.

Eventually, Fritz got down on one knee and started adjusting his boyfriend's skates for him, despite him continuing to insist on being able to do it himself.

"Ya don't have to do everything by yourself, Mike." He grinned and added warmly, "That's what I'm here for." After finishing with his skates, Fritz helped Mike to his feet, balancing him as he wobbled on the blades.

He held his hand as they made their way to the rink, for both balance and to show their love for one another. Mike was nervous to step onto the ice, but trusted that Fritz knew what he was doing and would coach him well. Mike squeezed his hand as they got to the edge, feeling anxious as the moment arrived. He'd only been skating once when he was a child, and it hadn't gone too well. He hoped it'd go smoothly this time.

"Are ya ready?"

He nodded and stepped onto the rink, teetering and almost falling over immediately.

Fritz hadn't left his side, and reacted quickly to steady him. He let go of his hand and caught Mike by the waist as he nearly fell backwards. "Be careful there," he chuckled.

"I-I don't know if I can do this…" Mike lamented. He continued to totter as he attempted to keep himself upright.

"I've got ya, Mike. Relax and you'll be fine." He glided onto the ice, coming to face Mike without letting go of him for so much as a second.

Their eyes met for a few moments before he almost fell again. Fritz couldn't help but chuckle this time as he stabilized him once more.

"I can't do this!" Mike shrieked as he flailed.

"Aw, come on, I know ya can. I won't let ya fall," Fritz assured him. He grasped Mike's hands and said, "We'll take this one step at a time." Despite his encouragement, Mike stayed still, shaking as he tried to remain on his feet.

"Could you move?" a woman half-demanded. She was at the door to the rink, standing impatiently. "You're blocking the entrance, so hurry up."

"Give us a moment, please. He's new to skatin'," Fritz explained.

She snorted. "Well go to the beginner's area, then. Some of us actually want to skate."

"Give us a moment," he repeated, disgruntled. "We'll be out of your way in a bit." Fritz sighed and returned his attention to Mike. "I'm sorry about that. Let's give this a try, alright? Just stay standing, I'll lead you."

"O-Okay…" Mike mumbled, holding onto Fritz's hands tightly. His boyfriend skated backwards with ease, as if it were second-nature. He struggled to simply stand on the ice, but managed to keep himself upright as Fritz led him to the edge of the rink. He smiled at Mike and assured him he was doing well the entire way.

"Ya did great!" he applauded. "How do ya feel?"

"A bit better, I guess…" Mike answered as he managed to balance himself.

"I'm glad. So, are ya ready to try skatin' yourself?" Fritz inquired.

His worry returned. "I don't know…"

"I'll be helpin', don't worry."

Mike took a shaky breath and held onto the edge and attempted to skate forward. At first, he moved very slowly, but it was better than falling. Before he knew it, he was rapidly gaining speed. "Fritz, look at me!" he laughed. "I'm skating! A-And I'm not falling!"

"See? I knew ya could do it!" Fritz glided up beside Mike and taught him how to turn on the skates to ensure he wouldn't crash.

The two of them almost made it a full lap of the rink before Mike roughly fell on his butt. "Ow…" he muttered before attempting to stand back up, but not before slipping and landing on his stomach like a seal.

Fritz stifled a laugh and helped him to his feet. "Are ya alright?"

"I'm fine," Mike groaned. "Can we try again?"

"Of course we can. It's why we're here."

He laughed and got back up to his feet with Fritz's help. They held hands as they glided along the ice together.

"How are you so good at skating?" Mike asked him.

He smiled at him and explained, "Well when I was a kid, my parents signed me up for hockey, so I played for a good few years. I wasn't too bad at it, really, but I found I enjoyed droppin' my gloves more than hittin' the puck. So I got into boxing."

"What did they think of that?"

Fritz shrugged. "They were okay with it, but my mom was worried about me gettin' hurt." He chuckled. "I just hope she won't panic too much to see my face now with the scar formin' and the missin' tooth. It's just an injury, and it's healin'. I knew what I was gettin' myself into."

"I guess so…" Mike replied uncomfortably. He knew Fritz was prepared to deal with any injuries that came with his sport, but still didn't like hearing about them. He reasoned it was his care for Fritz that made him feel so protective over him, never wanting him to get hurt.

He became distracted and began to speed up without control. "Mikey, watch out!" he heard Fritz call to him as he rushed too far ahead, feeling his hand get yanked free. Mike rapidly gained speed, tumbling forward alone. He felt his heart race in his chest as he spiralled out of control. Right as he was about to crash, he screamed and covered his face with his hands.

He didn't feel himself hit the wall as he expected. Instead, he hit a bump in the ice and pitched forward, feeling someone grab hold of him as he began to fly through the air. Mike and the other person tumbled to the ice together, his knee connecting with the icy floor and the rest of his fall cushioned by his rescuer. He moved his hands and saw that it had been Fritz who had saved him.

"F-Fritz!" Mike hugged him tightly.

"Are ya okay?" he asked with concern.

"I'm fine," he assured Fritz, wincing as he felt his knee throb.

Fritz frowned. "Where are ya hurtin'?"

"My knee…" he mumbled.

He loosened his hold on Mike and stood, helping him to his feet. Mike made a pained sound as he put weight on his leg. Fritz supported him and asked, "Ya can't skate like that… Here, let me help." He lead Mike off of the ice despite his protests as he insisted he was fine to continue on.

Fritz helped Mike to get seated on the bench and helped him untie his skates.

"I'm sorry I ruined our date," Mike mumbled, feeling guilty.

He grinned. "Ruined it? Hardly! We still have hot chocolate and a warm blanket waitin' for us," Fritz encouraged.

His expression brightened. "How could I forget about that?!"

Fritz wiggled the skate off of Mike's foot, mindful of his injured knee. "I thought you'd be lookin' forward to that part the most."

"Well, what's not to look forward to about hot chocolate and cuddles?"

He smiled and said, "It'll be nice." Fritz got both of his boyfriend's skates off and then dealt with his own. "Now, let's see what happened to your leg." He carefully rolled up Mike's pant leg to examine his knee, where it had smacked against the ice. His knee had a fresh bruise, not far below the cap.

"Is it bad?" Mike inquired.

"Nah, you're fine." It appeared as though it would have been quite painful, but by no means a serious injury. He would heal quickly.

"That's good, I guess…" Mike tried to stand up to walk but was stopped before he could put his weight on his injured leg.

"Ya think I'm gonna let ya walk to the car like that?"

"I'm not sure how else I'd be getting to-" He squealed as Fritz lifted him into his arms.

"Like this," he finished for him with a grin. Fritz gathered their bags and carried Mike to the car. He set him down in the passenger seat, kissed his cheek, and shut the door. A moment later, after putting their stuff in the trunk, Fritz took his place at the steering wheel and drove them to his house.

Fritz carried Mike inside his house and plopped down on the couch with him, smiling widely and holding him close. "Here we are, home sweet home. What's mine is yours."

Mike looked around the living-room with intrigue, noticing his simple but thoughtful choice of decor. The walls were a warm beige tone, and the chocolate brown hardwood floor complimented it perfectly. Other than the couch they were seated on, there was a sleek coffee table with matching side tables, each with a lamp situated on it, a televison opposite to them, a shelf with some movies, and a small collection of workout gear, including a black punching bag and a pair of red boxing gloves, in the corner. He also noticed that the only decorations he had in the room were a few family photos hanging on the wall of himself with some people Mike didn't recognize, along with a few of Fritz with Anthony and Jeremy, clearly enjoying each other's company.

"You have a nice house," Mike complimented.

"Thanks," he replied. Fritz slid him off of his lap and stood. "I'll be back." He left the room for a short while before returning with an ice pack, which he wrapped around Mike's bruised knee. "This should help a little."

At first, he flinched from the cold, but quickly found that it brought relief as well. "Thank you," Mike winced.

"No problem. Now, for that hot chocolate to warm us up."

He clapped excitedly and beamed, suddenly not concerned with the burning of the ice against his leg. "Yay~! Oh, make mine extra creamy please! And lots of marshmallows!"

Fritz couldn't help but chuckle quietly at his requests. "Someone's high maintenance," he jested. He kissed Mike's forehead and added, "But how could I possibly say no to you?" He disappeared into the kitchen for several minutes and came back with two sweet, steamy mugs of chocolatey goodness. Fritz sat down beside Mike and handed him one of the mugs with several marshmallows stuffed into it, as requested.

"Thank you!" He cheered, taking the mug into his hands. Mike blew over his beverage to cool it faster. Fritz set his down on the coffee table and made his way to the shelf holding his movies.

"What would ya like to watch?" he asked. He listed several options of various genres, unsure of exactly what Mike would be interested in seeing.

Eventually, after several options had been listed, Mike settled on one: Terminator, of all movies. Fritz would have assumed that he would have shied away from a 'scary' movie with a murderous robot, but was proven wrong. After affirming that the movie wouldn't be too much for him to handle, he started it and returned to his spot on the couch and wrapped the wool blanket around them both. Fritz took the opportunity to give Mike a proper kiss on the lips once they had gotten comfortable, which he certainly didn't object to.

He snuggled up to Fritz and sipped his hot chocolate, feeling warm both inside and out. The two of them enjoyed the film together as well as the excuse to cuddle with a cozy blanket. It had been a lovely evening, one that neither of them would forget any time soon.

Fritz's House - Monday, January 3rd, 1994

Fritz cracked his eyes open, annoyed with the bright light shining straight into his eyes. He had no bearing on what time it was, or when he had gone to bed. That's when he noticed that he hadn't actually gone up to bed the night before. Instead, he found himself on the couch, with Mike curled up at his side with most of their blanket pulled tightly around himself in a cocoon.

He didn't want to disturb Mike, seeing how peaceful he looked; how comfortable and happy he appeared to be, but Fritz needed to get up. Fritz gently shook his shoulder and softly said, "Mikey… Time to get up."

Mike groaned and pulled the blanket closer, hiding his face in the fabric. He poked the fabric lump at his side and tried once more to coax him awake. "C'mon, please? I was thinkin' we'd have some breakfast."

The blanket shifted, and soon after, Mike's head emerged from under the mess. He looked as if he were still half-asleep. He wrapped his arms around Fritz and muttered, "Five more minutes…"

He chuckled and replied, "Alright, alright. Only because you're cute."

"I'm not that cute," Mike mumbled back.

"Yeah, ya are," Fritz insisted playfully. After a few minutes, he got up and headed to the kitchen, with Mike following shortly behind him. They'd both agreed on a simple bowl of cereal each, making for some easy preparations. Right as he was about to add the milk to his cereal, he heard his doorbell ring. A pang of anxiety shot through him as he sprang to his feet, swearing several times under his breath.

"Fritz? What's going on…?"

"Stay there," Fritz commanded quickly, racing to the door and running his hand through his hair a few times to neaten it up in a hurry.

He pulled the door open slowly, his heart sinking as he saw who was on the other side: Greg Altman, his least favourite person. Greg's face twisted into a mocking grin as he coolly said "Good morning, Fritz. Or should I say 'afternoon'? Oh, don't tell me, did you just wake up?"

Fritz scoffed. "Nice to see ya, too," he replied sarcastically, intentionally not answering his question.

"No need to be so harsh," Greg admonished, taken aback. "What took you so long? Did you forget what day it was?"

"No," Fritz lied. In all honesty, it had slipped his mind last night. If he and Mike hadn't had such a grand time the night before, he would have put himself to bed on time and would have ensured he was prepared for the morning to come. Not that Greg had any respect for the fact he worked the night shift as it was.

"Well, you didn't show up as you agreed to."

As he spoke, Mike creeped into the hall behind Fritz, favouring his leg. Although he had been asked to remain where he was, curiosity had gotten the better of him.

Greg laughed cruelly and added, "Ah, now it makes sense." He snorted. "You got a boyfriend, so now he clearly takes priority. I see how it is. I'm sure Tristan and Rosemary would love to know that."

"Don't you dare drag 'em into this," Fritz snapped. He pivoted and said to Mike in a hushed voice, "I thought I told you to stay." He saw Mike's confusion and his expression softened some. "I'll explain later, just go get ready. Grab yourself a change of clothes and comb your hair." A slight hint of a smile appeared on his face when he said, "Your hair got pretty messy under that blanket, sleepy head."

Seeing Fritz so uptight and aggressive almost scared Mike. He nodded quickly and retreated upstairs to do as he was told.

Fritz returned his attention to his undesired visitor with distaste. "So, are we done here or what? The faster you're gone, the better."

"Why so soon? Quite frankly, I was just beginning to enjoy myself," Greg argued. "Oh, I'm sure you just want more time with, oh what was his name? Mike?"

"Leave us alone," Fritz growled.

"You moved on so quickly. I'm surprised, Fritz," he taunted.

"As if you're in any position to talk," he retorted. "At least I waited until my marriage was over to move on."

Greg chuckled and commented indifferently, "Ah, but it was already over. You failed her, so she moved on. You lost the battle years ago. Three, to be exact."

He grimaced and replied with venom dripping from his voice, "Yeah, to trash like ya."

Greg whistled. "Someone's bitter."

He brushed off his dig and grit his teeth. "Just drop them off and leave."

He half-raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, I will. Don't forget to bring them back on time. It'd be a real shame if you lost them altogether," he threatened.

"Yeah. I will," Fritz spat. "But it doesn't matter what a judge says; you'll never be their father."

"And neither will Mike, should things last, unlike they did with Charlene," Greg countered coolly.

Fritz, about to raise his voice at him, cut himself off immediately. Scum like him wasn't worth his time. He tightened his hand dangling at his side into a fist, digging his fingernails into his palm. "Get out of here."

Greg chuckled and strolled back down the pathway to his car, letting two children out of the back seat.

"Dad!" the little boy shouted with glee, taking hold of the younger girl's wrist and leading her over to the door quickly. "Smell ya later, Greg!" he called over his shoulder, obviously much more interested in leaving the car than staying to say a proper farewell. He put some emphasis on his name that made it quite clear about how he felt about Greg: not fond of him at all.

Fritz got down on one knee and embraced the two of them, holding them close and grinning widely. "There ya are! Ya have no idea how much I've missed ya both!" he said with cheer. "How've ya been?"

"Much better now that I get to see you!" the boy enthused.

He laughed and ruffled his son's hair. "You're sweet. C'mon inside, we don't want to let all the heat out." He brought the children in and shut the door gently. "I've gotta go upstairs for a moment. I'll be back soon."

"Okay!" The little boy took off his coat and shoes, then helped the girl to do the same. Fritz smiled softly at them and sped up the staircase, heading straight for his bedroom.

"Mike?"

He poked his head out of the bathroom doorway with his hair half styled and wearing one of Fritz's shirts. Fritz couldn't help but smirk as he saw how it fit on him; it was one of his more fitted shirts, yet it hung rather loosely on Mike.

"Oh, hey!" Mike gave him a slightly uneasy smile and returned to attempting to tame his rebellious hair.

Fritz noticed his discomfort and headed to his side, wrapping an arm around his waist and said, "I'm sorry… I didn't want ya to have to see that."

"Who was that?" Mike asked timidly.

"Someone I wish ya didn't ever, ever have to meet." He sighed and continued. "That was Greg, some of the lowest of low-lifes out there." Fritz held him a little closer. "He and I… Don't care for one another, to put it lightly."

"Okay… But what did he want from you? I mean, why would he want to come if he didn't like you?"

"He doesn't, he only came because he had to, to drop off my kids. Of course, he also took the opportunity to rub my failures in my face."

"You have kids?" Mike questioned. "I had no idea… And what do you mean by 'failures'?"

"I… made some mistakes, a few years ago. Awful, awful mistakes that cost me everythin' I had…"

He looked up at Fritz and met his eyes. "Fritz… What happened?"

"Since I was a young guy, I'd been workin' my ass off to actually make some money in the ring. I figured that if I entered enough competitions, one day, some talent scout would discover me an' help me go pro. But, that never happened… Instead, all it did was destroy my family." He held him closer. "Mike, I lost everythin'... I got blinded by my pursuit of fame and fortune, and my ex wife got fed up with me. Things weren't great between us, they never were. But when I got too focused on my career…" His voice wavered as he continued. "S-She cheated on me; cast me aside for that bastard, Greg, and took my kids…"

Mike's eyes widened and his mouth hung open in surprise. "Fritz, I…"

"S-She remarried to him two years ago…" He took a shaky breath. "A-At least I get to have my kids with me every other week…" Tears came to his eyes but refused to fall. "Mike, I'm so, so sorry… I meant to t-tell ya about it later, I just didn't want to scare ya off… I didn't know how you'd take it. There's my son, Tristan, and he's six, and my little girl, Rosemary, who's four. She's got this condition she was born with, so she's got trouble seein'... But, she can see some things, just not very clearly. That's another reason why I was goin' to hold off on tellin' ya; I didn't want ya to worry. I kn-know it's a lot to take in, and it's a lot of responsibility…"

He hugged Fritz tightly, resting his head against his chest. "It's okay… You didn't scare me off."

Fritz returned the embrace and said, "Thank you…" He cheered up a little and added, "I love ya."

"I love you too!" he replied. Mike happily kissed him and smiled up at him. "Can I meet them?"

Fritz was shocked by his reaction. He'd at least expected a bit of discontentment at finding out he had a family he had told Mike nothing about, but instead he welcomed the new information.

"Of course ya can, they're downstairs right now. Uh, ya do know what you're gettin' yourself into, don't ya?" he clarified. "They'll be lookin' up to ya, much like a parent. It's a lot of work, and-"

"I know, but I'm okay with that," Mike explained. "They're your kids, so I want to do what I can to help."

He grinned at him, feeling a weight lifted off of his shoulders. "You're wonderful."

"Not as wonderful as you are." Mike finished neatening up his hair and took Fritz's hand. "I want to meet them!"

Fritz chuckled. "Come along, then." He lead Mike downstairs to the living-room, where a little boy sat on the couch waiting eagerly with a little girl beside him who was brushing the hair of an unnaturally coloured pony doll.

"Tristan? Rosemary?"

The boy looked up quickly and raced over. "There you are!" he exclaimed, smiling up at Fritz.

He laughed and replied, "I told ya I'd be back." He put an arm around Mike's shoulders and said "Tristan, this is someone very special I'd like ya to meet. This is my boyfriend, Mike."

He stared up at him and said, "Hi Mike!"

He noticed Tristan bared quite the resemblance to Fritz, with the way his nose and mouth were shaped and his light brown hair. He had a rounder face than Fritz, bright blue eyes, and a light spray of freckles across his nose and cheeks.

"Oh, hey! Um, nice to meet you!" Mike smiled at him, not sure of what else to say or do. He felt overwhelmed but oddly happy at the same time.

Fritz then sat down on the couch beside the little girl and gently touched her shoulder to get her attention. She looked up at him, a soft smile coming to her lips. "Hi!"

"How are you?" He gestured for Mike to come over, which he did, standing beside him. Rosemary had light blonde hair, worn in braided pigtails, and beautiful golden brown eyes. Her face shape was much more like Fritz's, but she otherwise looked nothing like him.

"I'm good!" she cheered. Holding up her pony, she proudly stated, "Look! I brushed her hair!"

Fritz smiled and stroked the pony's mane. "Ya did a great job," he complimented. "Sweetheart, I'd like ya to meet someone." He guided her to look up at Mike and said, "This is my boyfriend, Mike. I'm not sure how well ya can see him right now..."

"I can see him, daddy," she explained. He has blond hair and is wearing a black shirt, right?"

"He sure is!"

Rosemary grinned proudly and stood up, going over and giving Mike a hug. "Nice to meet you!"

He awkwardly touched her back near her shoulders, unsure of how to hug someone so short who was currently wrapped around his legs. "Nice to meet you, too."

"We should do somethin' together," Fritz suggested.

"Like what?" he inquired.

He shrugged. "We could go tobogganin'."

"Really?! Can we?" Tristan piped up from across the room.

"Ya know it!" Fritz exclaimed. He picked Rosemary up and hugged her close. "What are we waitin' for? Let's go!"

"Okay!" Mike raced to the door, as fast as he could with a bruised knee. Tristan rushed past him and skidded to a halt by the door, where he quickly grabbed his winter gear and threw it on in a hurry. Mike put on his own winter clothes, noticing that Fritz helped Rosemary to bundle up before dressing himself. He found it sweet to see how much he loved and cared for his children.

"Last one out's a rotten egg!" Tristan called out, speeding out the front door. Fritz laughed and followed him out with Rosemary. Mike was left as the 'rotten egg', at least by Tristan's standards. Fritz went to the garage and grabbed two toboggans propped up against the wall, passing one to Mike. He kept the other one tucked under his arm after he set Rosemary down, still holding her hand in his to guide her.

The four of them walked down the quiet neighbourhood street to the local park. Snowflakes gracefully tumbled down from the sky above and nestled themselves among the others that coated the ground. Near the middle of the park, there was a hill, the perfect size for riding down on a wooden sled.

"Hurry up! I want to go down!" Tristan complained.

Mike caught up to him with the sled, bringing it over for him to use.

"Could you go down with me?" he asked.

"Uh, I don't know…"

"Pleeeease~?" he begged. "Come on, Mike, it'll be fun!"

Mike glanced over at Fritz, who only grinned and nodded for him to go. He looked back at Tristan and barely managed to say "Alright, I guess so," before being pulled toward the hill by the eager little boy. He stumbled after him and eventually made it up to the top, his leg protesting the impact of running and climbing.

Tristan set the toboggan at the top of the hill and beamed, getting settled at the front. Mike gulped and nervously took a seat behind him, holding on tightly to the thin rope handles at either side of him. Immediately after, Tristan took off down the slope, laughing and enjoying himself while Mike shrieked and partially regretted his decision. He almost felt himself fall off, but managed to stay on until they slowed down to a stop at the bottom.

He spun around and looked up at Mike, grinning from ear to ear. "Did you like it?"

"Uh, y-yeah, I did…" He did enjoy himself, but wished he had something better to hold onto. In his opinion, the ropes were much too small. He quickly got off the toboggan and steadied himself on solid ground.

Tristan giggled and dismounted the sled, dragging it up the hill right away to go down once more, by himself this time.

Mike watched as Fritz went down on his knees shortly after, with Rosemary sitting in front of him. He had reached around her to steer the toboggan and protect her in case she may have let go. Rosemary giggled and held on to the side ropes tightly, her braids whipping behind her in the wind, which her father had to dodge.

The four of them went down the hill several times more, sometimes with just the children or just the adults together. Once they had been down over a dozen times, they started their trek through the snow back to the house.

On their way home, Mike asked, "Hey, Fritz?"

"Yeah?"

"I should probably be going home now."

Fritz seemed mildly disappointed, but before he could comment, Tristan cut in. "Aw, already?"

"I'm sorry, I'd love to stay, but I have to get back!" He hoped he wouldn't have to explain to a kid that his mom was coming over, yet again. Mike wanted a fighting chance of at least appearing to be completely independent, even if only for a short period of time.

Luckily, he didn't push for details. He frowned and said, "I wish you could stay longer; you're way cooler than Greg."

Fritz grinned when he heard this. "Don't worry, you'll see him again soon," he met Mike's eyes, "right?"

His face lit up in delight. "Uh, sure!" Mike stopped for a moment and gasped out of excitement.

"What?" Fritz inquired.

"I just had a great idea! What if we brought the kids to the restaurant? We could invite the Fitzgeralds too!"

His smile faded immediately, that same serious expression he noticed on Christmas Eve returning. "No way. Mike, come on, it's dangerous there and you know that. No offense to Thomas, but I'd never bring my kids there. And after that... Jeremy won't go near the animatronics, let alone let Taryn or Adeline."

"But what about-"

"Too much has happened there before. I don't want to take that risk."

"Dad, please?" Tristan asked. "You've been working at a place 'where fantasy and fun come to life' for years, and you haven't taken me once! What could be so dangerous about some arcade games and pizza?"

"The tv said it was so much fun!" Rosemary added. "I want to hear the music!"

Fritz sighed wearily. Without revealing any troubling information to his children, he didn't have a valid reason to not bring his kids to his work. "Alright, we'll go," he grunted, almost begrudgingly. "If we go, it's going to be at night when Mike and I are working, so no one gets lost."

"That's fine!" Mike exclaimed. "It'll be like a sleep over!" Both kids began to enthusiastically discuss what they were looking forward to the most about going to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Fritz, however, didn't share their joy. He could only hold onto the hope that, as long as he took care of them, they wouldn't meet the same fate that the Fazbear brothers had, along with their friends. He couldn't be too sure if that monster responsible was still on the loose or not.