I'M ALIVE! Yeah… so sorry about the long wait but my mom's computer is going haywire so she has to use my brother's and mine for all the stuff she has to do and when she isn't using he's hogging it up so yeah… not a whole lot time for writing. So finally here's a nice long chapter.

(Even more flashback!)

Ruby sat in her cell trembling next to a still unconscious Penny. She wrapped her shaking arms around her legs and buried her cartoon face in her knees trying her very hardest not to cry. The toon's mind ran wild, creating horrific scenarios for what the Mad Doctor might have in store for them, each one more terrible than the last. The teenaged rabbit perked up her ears, she thought that she had heard a soft murmur. Glancing over at Penny she saw that the young kitten was finally coming to. Ruby was thankful that the fragile toon had not been conscious for her…encounter with the Mad Doctor and almost wished that she would stay that way, at least until she had some plan of escape…if that was even possible…

"Mmmh…R-R-Ruuuby? R-RUBY!?" Penny was finally awake and, naturally, terrified at her surroundings immediately calling out for her guardian.

"It-it's ok Penny I-I'm here. Everything…Everything's going to be alright." Ruby soothed as she quickly wiped away any tears that had so unwilling managed to get past her defenses.

"Where are we?! What happened!? Where's the Mad Doctor!?" Penny shrieked her eyes darting around frantically as she tried to get closer to Ruby, hindered slightly by the chains she had just become aware of.

"D-don't worry Pen he-he's gone… for now anyway…"

"FOR NOW!? You-you mean he's c-c-coming back?!

Ruby sighed in defeat "Yeah, probably…" She said putting her hand on her forehead and looking at the ground. Noticing her sister's usually fearless spirits seeming quite hopeless made Penny realize the seriousness of their situation, and frightened her more than anything. Her voice lowered an octave as she whispered,

"Wha…what's he g-gonna do to us?"

"I don't know Penny… I honestly don't know…" Ruby replied absent-mindedly, then realizing she had let her confidence slip in front of Penny she practically kicked herself and tried to repair the damage she had done. "…But whatever it is I won't let him hurt you, I'll find a way to get us out of this I…I promise." She said wrapping a comforting arm around the trembling kitten.

"R-Ruby?" the toddler said her voice cracking.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

"I know Pen, I know. But don't worry everything's gonna be alright, I'll find a way to fix this you'll see." Ruby reassured. "Just…just rest." She continued resting the small toon's head on her lap.

"O-ok." Penny replied while rather unsuccessfully attempting to calm down. A moments silence passed between the two toons until the young kitten finally piped up again. "Ruby?"

"Yes?"

"Can you sing me something?"

Ruby hesitated, unsure of how to reply. "Of-of course I will sweetie." She cleared her throat and gently stroked Penny's velvety fur.

"Deep in the meadow under the willow a bed of grass a soft green pillow…" (OH YES! Hunger Games! XD Sorry I just couldn't pass that up!) By the third verse Ruby could already hear the exhausted kitten purring quietly in her sleep. The teenaged rabbit leaned her head back against the rough stone wall and sighed hopelessly.

"What am I gonna do?" She whispered to no one in particular. She was tired. Tired of always having to figure a way out. Tired of having to carry the burden of a young toddler's life and somehow manage on with her own. Tired of having to do it all alone. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, she thought she just might explode from the weight of it all. "I'd by nice to have some help for once." She thought quietly. But no one ever did. No one ever seemed to notice the scraggly pair of toons wandering the streets, either that or they just didn't care. Nobody ever seemed to. "Well except for that one time…" Ruby thought a sad half-smile breaking through her tears. She almost wished he were here now…

(Flashback…within a flashback? Just bear with me these should be over after the next chapter…probably)

"I'm cold." Penny shivered looking up at her big sister. The two were in a fairly dank, dingy and dimly lit room inside one of barred up old shops by the Manor at Bog Easy.

"I know, but um… let's play a game! You'll uh, feel better if you move around." Ruby replied picking up a small stone that had been lying on the floor.

"O-ok wa-what k-k-kind of g-game?" The shivering kitten inquired her teeth chattering. She watched with fascination as her sister drew a series of squares on the ground.

"Hop scotch." Ruby said as she put the finishing touches on their playing field.

"Yay!" Penny hurrahed before tilting her head to one side and scrunching up her eyebrow. "Uh, what's Hop Scotch?"

"Well," Ruby began, "You just toss the rock over like this," a resounding thud echoed throughout the room as the pebble landed squarely on the fifth space, "and then hop over to it like…this" having reached the designated square she swayed precariously on her right foot, "then just keep going," she picked up the stone, "till you get to the end!" the teenaged rabbit through the stone one last time before finally making it to the tenth square. Penny's eyes light up instantly,

"I wanna try!" Ruby placed the stone in the eager kitten's furry paw, she reached out a tentative hand, took aim, and gently tossed it to the nearest square. "Did I do it good?" she asked.

"Perfect! Now just hop over to it." Her older sister encouraged.

"O-Ok…, 1…" She landed on the first square. "2…3!" The triumphant kitten cheered regaining her balance on the second and third squares. "This is fun!" She giggled as made her way to the next space. Ruby smiled. The sounds of erratic hops, giddy squeals, and the soft clank of pebble meeting cement could be heard for almost an hour after until a bone-chilling draft snuck into the room at which point the young cat proclaimed: "This is fun but it's still freezing here!" Ruby sighed,

"I know, so uh… tell you what I'll go see if I can get the generators working," she stuck her thumb out at a worn down hunk of metal protruding from a wall at the far corner of the room, "That should warm up the place."

"Ok." Penny replied.

"Good, I'll be right back." The teenaged rabbit reassured as she made her way towards the door. Penny ran over and grabbed her hand.

"H-hurry back, ok?"

Ruby smile at the young toon, "Don't worry, I'll be as quick as I can." With that she kissed Penny atop her velvety head and was out the door. The minute she knew she was out of earshot she let out a huge breath,

"Oh boy, this is gonna be interesting." The teenaged rabbit said as she began to walk the perimeter of the building. "Where could it be?" I was getting dark and the ominous shadow being cast by the abandoned building was definitely not helping. She felt her way around the wall, searching. "It should be somewhere around…HERE!" She saw it up ahead: the central heating system. Quickening her pacing so as to reach her destination faster (and also because she was starting to lose feeling in her feet from the cold) she wrapped her slender cartoon arms around herself for warmth and ran over to it. Expecting to feel a much needed heat coming from the machine she reached out a hand to touch it and…stone cold. "Great." She sighed, "I was hoping I'd just have to reroute the power to our room not fix the whole stinkin' machine!" She cried, "Ok Ruby get it together you can do this." She told herself, "How bad could it be really?" Her numb fingers curled around the lid of the machine and she pushed with all the strength her skinny cartoon body could muster. It let out a deafening screech in protest until it finally swung open. Ruby rested the lid up against the side of the building and peered inside. "Ouch." She said letting out a low whistle. "I'm no gremlin but I think pretty it's safe to say this thing is trashed. Big time."

"You're right" A voice behind snapped unpleasantly bringing the teenaged rabbit sharply back to reality, "You're not a gremlin and this area is closed off to everyone BUT gremlins so that means your trespassing." He crossed his arms over his chest haughtily and stuck out a thumb behind him. "So out. Now."

"C'mon lay off her Prescott!"

"She is a trespasser and will be treated as such!"

"Oh PUL-ease!"

"Uh…" Ruby stared at the pair uncertainly.

"Don't you have a job you're supposed to be doing?"

"As a matter-of-fact I do…right here! And don't YOU have someone else to be annoying?"

"WHY YOU!" The newly dubbed "Prescott" bellowed as he lunged at the opposing gremlin.

"GAH! Ok, ok! Gus sent me to get you! Something's up with the projectors, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"

"Grrrrr…" Prescott grumbled under his breath as he finally released the gremlin for his choking grip.

The younger gremlin let out a soft "hehe…" while awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as Prescott receded.

"Er…" Ruby began mirroring the toon in front of her, "Thanks…uh, s-sorry for the trouble."

"Oh, uh yeah… don't mind old sour puss he's not all that bad once you get to know him…most of the time…Oh! I'm uh, Markus by way."

"Oh well uh, thanks then Markus."

"Yeah, so uh…what are you doing here, exactly?"

"Oh well I uh, just you know, sort of…like fixing things?" The teenaged rabbit tried tripping over her words.

"Right…" Markus replied not entirely convinced, "Well then let's take a look at it shall we?" He poked his head over the machine's rusted metal edge and peered inside, "Lets see here… loose valve, got it" small squeaking could be hear coming from the bolt as a sturdy wrench forced it back into place, "Gotta reconnect these two…" he muttered more to himself as he became engrossed in his work, barley aware of the anxious presence behind him, "…and it's missing a gear here… Oh! As it turns out…" Markus reached into his pocket, retrieved the small, circular metal object inside and held it out triumphantly. "I just so happen to have an extra!" With that the enthusiastic gremlin screwed the gear into place, flipped a switch and in mere seconds a roaring warmth was emanating from the machine.

"Whoa…" Ruby cut in awestruck "That was quick." Markus gave an appreciated smile,

"I do my best." The gremlin then became extremely interested in his shoes and proceeded to twiddle his thumbs anxiously. "So you uh, never really answered my—

"RUBY!" Markus was cut off as at that precise moment a rather breathless and panicked looking kitten burst forth from the obscuring curtain of shadows that surrounded them.

"P-Penny?! I told you to—

"I know but you were taking so long and I thought I heard a noise and I got nervous and, and…" The frazzled toon paused briefly as she became aware of an unfamiliar face. "Uh, who are you?" Penny asked the rather confused gremlin. He cleared his throat and took a second to regain his flabbergasted composure.

"My name's Markus and I was just uh, helping your friend here fix the central heating system."

"The central wha…?"

"Well thanks for helping Markus uh, gotta go bye!" The teenaged rabbit rushed before quickly scooping up the meddling kitten and scampering off.

"Wait! Uh, R-Ruby! RUBY!" The exasperated gremlin called out in vain but it was no use. He just barely had time to utter her name before she was enveloped in the shadow that shrouded their mist.

So… is the part where I awkwardly stare at the crowd while crickets chirp in the background? Yeah ok so I know I said this chapter would be action packed but I needed to introduce Markus which kind of needed another flashback. But don't worry the worst is behind us. NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE WAY MORE EXCITING I PROMISE!

P.S. please REVIEW so that I will get off my lazy butt and write for you guys!