A/N: Hey guys, welcome back. First of all, thank you for helping this story reach 200 reviews! I never thought it'd come to this, and it's all because of you. We also passed 80 followers and 70 favorites since the last chapter! I sincerely hope you keep enjoying this fic, and as always your honest comments are highly appreciated.

This was one of the quickest chapters I wrote; it introduces a key character and reveals some interesting things that I wanted to show since we started tape 3. Hope you'll enjoy it, and as always, happy reading!

Chapter 42: Jacob

Despite our enthusiasm and resolve to stay optimistic, the basic rules of business didn't change. If a place doesn't earn more than it costs, it will have to shut down eventually. And our pizzeria was no exception.

It was a Monday morning before opening time, less than a week after Dave's death, when we saw Erik hang a cardboard sign on the window next to the front door. Last week before closing! it read in cheery, fluorescent letters, 50% off in all food and drinks! The aged manager promptly used his last minutes of free time to smoke a cigarette outside the building, leaning against the doors. In a way, I think he felt relief amidst the promise of unemployment and debts. There was a silver lining for us as well: if we were abandoned here, no more guards would have to die. We were already resigned to our fates, knowing that there was no way to be freed without erasing Jack's soul.

The day passed by without any special occurrences. Clients entered and left the building sporadically: the adults stayed away from us, and let their children somewhat closer. One tiring show after another marked the passing of time.

There wasn't a single client left when closing time was near, so Erik simply stared listlessly at his watch under the ceiling's lamps, counting the seconds eagerly. Unbeknownst to him we were doing the same with the clock on the wall, impatient to be left in free roam mode. It was eight o'clock, closing time, when the man showed up. Erik stood up from his chair and walked to the door, at the same time that a dark silhouette on a skateboard rode casually to the window by the door, and knocked on the glass.

The manager groaned in irritation as he walked to the window. "We're closed!" he yelled to the figure on the other side of the window, tapping his watch for emphasis. "Come back tomorrow!"

We still couldn't see his face, but the man with the skateboard oozed confidence as he pulled out a piece of crumbled newspaper from his pocket, flatted it out and slammed it against the window. "I'm here for the job, old man!" he yelled back with a juvenile voice.

With a furrowed brow, Erik reluctantly walked to the front door and opened it. The man didn't wait for an invitation to step inside, finally allowing us to take a good look at him.

He was 19, but in that moment he seemed younger. Yawning, he held his skateboard with one hand as he walked past the manager, and pulled back his uncared, tousled black hair with the other. A glossy black leather jacket covered his athletic frame, and a pair of ripped jeans and combat boots completed his air of teenage rebellion. But the most striking feature, by far, were a pair of strangely familiar blue eyes.

"Yup, the rumors are true." he mumbled as he looked around the dining area, "This place sucks."

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Erik, clearly running out of patience.

The teen pulled back a chair from a table and sat on it as he tossed the skateboard on the floor, finally seeing the older man in the eyes. "Someone you don't like already." he answered smugly, grinning from his own joke. Erik's eyes burned with impatience as the teen snickered for a few seconds, before finally putting his hands up defensively and saying "I'm sorry old man, I'm just bad at job interviews."

Sighing, the manager crossed his arms. "You are terrible at interviews. Why should I give you a job?"

"Oh, I don't know." The young man shrugged. "It's not like you're breaking the law if there is no guard here at night."

"We are going to close this week, indefinitely." continued Erik, "It doesn't make a difference."

"I can start tonight at 12." offered the teen, taking a more serious attitude. "Just give me a uniform. That's all I need, isn't it?"

Erik shook his head. "Look, I already said no. Even if I wanted to, I don't have a uniform in this place."

"And why can't you give me the one from the last guard? Did you have to throw it away because of the bloodstains, or was it too torn up from the whole stuffed-in-a-suit thing?"

The manager's expression hardened as he glared the teen in the eyes, and hissed "How do you know that?"

"A little birdie told me about your savory secrets." replied the newcomer, "The murders of '86, the bite of '87, the disappearances in this place… it would make for a killer story in the local press, don't you think?"

Frozen in place, Erik glared daggers at the young man. The latter crossed his legs casually, and without moving another muscle, stared up expectantly at the older man. "Who are you?" asked the manager eventually.

Shrugging, the teen replied "Just another young American desperate for a job."

A tense silence filled the restaurant, until Erik turned to the door and mumbled "Fine. You'll start tomorrow night, I'll get a uniform." The manager pulled our remote control from his pocket, and with the push of a button, put us in free-roam mode. "And you're getting minimum wage."

The young man huffed as he stood up and grabbed his skateboard. "Like I was expecting more."

"Now get out of here before I call your parents." Erik held open the door for the visitor, gesturing at him to leave. With a sly smile and his skateboard under his arm, he left the building rapidly and triumphantly. It was only when he got on his skateboard and started to push himself away, that the manager realized he forgot something. "Hey, what's your name!" he yelled out hastily.

"I'll tell you when you pay me, old man!" And with that, the stranger rode away from the pizzeria.

Groaning, Erik turned off the lights, muttered something about kids nowadays, exited the building and locked the door. We only dared to speak after he drove away.

"I like that guy!" chirped Sarah suddenly.

"How did he know those things?" asked Sean, holding a hand under his chin.

"Like I know." Ferny called out from Pirate's Cove as he poked his head out the curtains, "But there are lots of rumors about this place already, like the radio show that Brandon heard."

"Still, he seemed to know just a bit too much." I replied, turning my head towards him.

"Uh, guys…" interrupted Sarah with urgency, "He's back."

Sean and I turned around simultaneously to the front door, just to see the strangers face on the other side of the window. He knocked on the glass a few times, and waved at us with a smile on his face.

"Everyone, stay silent." ordered my brother, "He's bored and wants to have a laugh at us, nothing else. Besides, the place is locked."

The stranger walked away from the glass, and Sean let out a sigh of relief. Not one minute later, however, the front door swung open slowly. We froze in place as the young man entered the building again, swinging some keys in his right hand as he threw the skateboard aside. With long strides he walked to the front of the stage, crossed his arms and eyed us with a raised eyebrow. "You can drop the act guys!" he chuckled, "I know who really are… Sean, Sarah, Brandon."

We stayed silent, not knowing what to do, feeling completely exposed and helpless. After a while, I hissed back "How do you know that?"

"Brandon!" Sean growled, "He's a stranger, what are you doing?!"

"He knows our names anyways!" I protested, looking back at my brother.

The young man smiled at us, and said "Relax Sean, I'm a friend of Jeremy. He told me everything, and I'm here to help."

Baffled, we stared down at him. "Alright, tell us who you are and we might just believe you." demanded Sean.

"My name is Michael Schmidt, but you guys can call me Mike. Now, where is my little brother?"

The kitchen's door let out a short creak as I opened it a bit, peaking inside to see a hunched golden figure assembling a puzzle on the floor. "Hey buddy, someone's here to see you." I whispered.

Without looking up at me, Jack mumbled "I said I wanted to b-be alone tonight."

"Are you sure about that?" replied Mike teasingly as I opened the door fully, a wide smile on his face.

Jack stared at the young man by my side with confusion for a moment, but then the pinpoints of light in his eyes grew and shone brightly with cheer. "Mikey?!"

The older brother shrugged casually, his smile never waning. "It's me!"

Laughing joyfully, Jack stood up from his spot and walked as fast as he could to us. Mike didn't stay put, and the two brothers met in the middle of the kitchen, practically throwing themselves into each other's arms. Mike laughed and Jack cried as they tightened their embrace; it seemed like they would never let each other go. As I looked at them from the doorway, I remembered that first night so many years ago, when Jack and me stared at the moon together. In between tragedies and helplessness, there is hope. Hope that things like this might happen.

Sean came by my side and laid a hand on my shoulder. "Private?" he whispered, staring at me.

I looked back at him. "Yes, brother?"

He smiled. "I think I'm starting to believe in miracles again."

After a minute or two, Mike finally pulled himself out of the embrace. "I'm sorry little man." he whispered, taking Jack's massive hand in his own. "I never should've left you alone." The young man smiled as small tears sprouted in the corner of his eyes. "But I promise… that I won't leave you alone again."

Sniffling back a whimper, Jack nodded slightly. "Okay. Thank you, Mikey."

Mike rubbed his eyes quickly as he turned back to us. "I wasn't crying, what are you looking at?" he grumbled jokingly, before noticing Jack's puzzle. Intrigued, he leaned down to inspect it. "Is this from Jeremy, little man?"

Jack nodded. "Yes. And he d-does them with me sometimes." He then pointed at me with a big, round finger, and Mike turned his eyes to mine. "He's my friend."

"Is he? That's interesting." said the young man seriously, "I'm sure your friend won't mind to talk with me in a moment, alone."

Trying to mask my uneasiness, I answered "Of course."

"Now, I'm sure the rest of you have a lot of questions." continued Mike, his voice taking a more friendly pitch.

Sean stepped closer to him, slowly and with determination. "We do." he replied in a serious, low tone. "How do you know of Jeremy Fitzgerald, and why hasn't he told us about you?"

The young man shrugged, never leaving Jack's side. "I'm not sure why he hasn't said anything, but I guess it's easy to forget things when you're missing a good chunk of your brain. My brother let out a low, threating growl, and Mike quickly put up his hands in a defensive gesture. "No offence by the way, he's a great guy. He really does care about you, like I care for my little brother here. That's more or less how we met."

"I never believed that the employee who got the blame actually killed you, and I never stopped researching your murders." continued Mike, "A few weeks ago, I was walking in front of this building, curious to see if something weird was going on. Then, I saw a hunched man with a backpack go to the window, knock on it with his walking cane, and open the door with his own keys. That registers as weird for me, so I waited and waited until he left the building with an empty-looking backpack. I went up to him, asked him what he was doing, all that stuff… he didn't take it well. But I insisted, and after a while I told him I lost my brother in the murders of '86. He opened up a bit after that. We met a few times and eventually he told me everything he knew. Walter, the blood seals, the red book, the Toys…"

"So, you know why we can't be freed?" I interrupted.

Mike nodded. "I see the problem, but I'm sure there must be another way." He put an arm around Jack's shoulder protectively, glaring at me. "You could've erased my little brother seven years ago and finish everything, but you didn't. Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I answered, irritated. "He's my friend! Do you really think I could hurt him?"

The young man took his eyes off me. "We'll talk later. As I was saying, Jeremy told me everything he knew. Obviously, I didn't believe him at first, but I couldn't find a better explanation for his knowledge of my brother's personality. I researched more, and found that interview on the radio. Little by little, I realized that your cousin wasn't lying to me: souls exist, and with the help of that book and those blood seals, they can take hold of a new body after their original one dies. When I saw the add in that newspaper, I didn't hesitate." He turned his blue eyes to Sean's, smirking. "Does that answer your question, Yogi Bear?"

My brother huffed in mild annoyance, before an amused smile appeared on his face. "I guess it does." he replied, "But if Jeremy told you everything, then you know that you're putting your life at risk by being here with us."

Ferny approached the young man until he was next to Sean, and added with concern "Mike, we could kill you easily. Enough people have died already. Jeremy is lucky to be alive."

"Maybe it's better if you don't take the job." suggested Sarah as she walked behind Fer, "Honestly, there isn't much you can do anyways, and…"

"I know what I'm getting myself into." interrupted Mike harshly, "He has suffered enough. And it's my life to risk. I'm not going to abandon him here. Not again." He looked back at his little brother, and held his yellow hand tightly. "I'm not going to give up now, after finally finding Jacob."

"You mean Jack." I said hastily from the doorway.

"No, I mean Jacob." Mike looked back at me with amusement. "That's my little brother's real name: Jacob Schmidt. Jack is only a nickname I came up with."

I stared at Jack with surprise and slight reproach as he lowered his head shyly and flicked down his eyes. "Mikey, you know I d-don't like that name." he muttered lowly, ears drooped.

"And that's why I came up with Jack." Mike grinned as he shoved his little brother playfully with his elbow; Jack's heavy body didn't budge and inch, but I could see some amusement in his eyes.

"So, you are definitely staying until the end of the week?" asked my brother.

Mike nodded purposefully. "Five nights, that's right." The young man then glanced quickly at his wristwatch, and whistled in awe. "Time does fly!" he called jovially, "Fellas, you seem decent enough, but I don't want to be with you on midnight. This is not new year's eve." That got a few small laughs out of everybody. "I'll leave in a moment, but I wanted to talk privately with bunny boy over here first." His blue eyes flicked up to me, giving me an oddly penetrating gaze.

"What about me, Mikey?" Jack asked meekly, looking unsurely at his brother.

Mike smiled sympathetically as he turned to him. "Wait for us. It'll only take a moment."

"Like the big p-people talks you had with mommy?"

"Exactly like that." The older brother took both of Jack's hands, squeezing them tightly as he looked into his eyes, and whispered warmly "I'm happy to be with you again, little man. No matter what you look like."

Jack smiled back. "I'm happy t-too, Mikey."

With a questioning gaze, Sean looked back at me. "Don, you can say no. We still don't know him well."

"It's okay brother, don't worry." I assured, finally walking to the middle of the kitchen.

He nodded in acceptance, and one by one my friends left the room. Jack was the last one to leave, doing so reluctantly, but after he closed the door it was only Mike and me.

He groaned slightly as he sat down with crossed legs, before knocking on the piece of floor next to him. "Come here bunny boy." he said flatly.

I walked up to him and sat by his side awkwardly, feeling slightly unnerved somehow. We stayed in silence for a few seconds, staring blankly in front of us, until Mike finally said "Brandon… thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Puzzled, I turned my head to look at him; he was still staring at the door. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled. "You are the only person in the world, besides me, that Jacob has grown attached to. He called you a friend, and he's never had friends before. He seemed comfortable around your brother and your other friends, and his speech has improved a lot. My mom and I tried to accomplish those things for years. Thank you for being there for my little brother. I'm in debt with you and your friends."

Overwhelmed, I scratched the back of my head. "Uhh… it's nothing? I mean, he's a great kid."

"No, it's a lot." said Mike almost sternly, turning to me. "He's not an easy kid. You say he's great because he's kind to you, and that must be because you are kind to him. So, once again, thank you. In between everything, I'm happy Jack found someone like you." I couldn't help but smile at his words. "Did he ever touch you, or let you touch him?"

"Well…" I looked around, thinking. "He only puts his hand on mine, and he might have hugged me once or twice."

"My little brother hugged you?!" Mike stared at me with wide, unbelieving eyes and an impressed smile. Huffing, he shook his head. "He barely hugged his own mother, and that's because I told him too."

"What about his father?" I asked, intrigued.

The young man's eyes immediately turned cold as ice. "I'm guessing Jacob didn't tell you much about his old life, did he?"

I shook my head. "No, and I never asked. He sometimes talked about you, but never his dad or mom. I liked to think he had loving parents."

Mike let out a hollow chuckle. "Loving parents, yeah right. My mother is okay. She's not perfect, but she tried, she really did. And she was crushed after the funeral. Then, there's the bastard of my father."

"What did he do?" I asked cautiously.

"It's what he didn't do." hissed back Mike, blue eyes filled with wrath. "He abandoned us when Jack was three. My little brother was showing the signs, you know? He didn't laugh when Mom cuddled him, he couldn't say a single word, he was throwing tantrums over everything. When the docs made it official, my father got sick of his own son. He simply packed his bags and left. My mother was crying, begging, and then cursing after him as he grabbed his things, and he told her it wasn't his son and that he was just a useless idiot."

Luckily, I was too shocked to be angry. I simply couldn't understand how a father could voluntarily walk away from his son. "And then the true idiot of my dad had the courage to come up to our room." resumed Mike with barely-contained rage, "He actually offered me to go live with him! To walk away from my little brother! So, I did what any nine year old boy would do: I told him to go to hell. He left after that."

"That's… tough." I whispered after a few seconds, not knowing what else to say.

The young man nodded. "It was."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, we were better off without him. And then your old friend Walther came along…" Mike shook his head, sighing. "There's no shortage of scumbags in this world."

I nodded in agreement and stared idly in front of me; Mike also remained silent for a minute. "Why are you telling me this alone?" I asked eventually.

"That wasn't the important bit." His serious, cold expression returned. "Like I said, I appreciate everything you did for Jacob, and you seem like a good person. But we both know that's not going to last. Is it true that you tried to hurt my little brother the first time you got taken over?"

I sighed, and murmured reluctantly "Yes, but Jack and I are over that."

"That's not the point." He leaned closer to me, and whispered sternly "I won't let anyone hurt him again, and that includes you. I know you can't help it, but if you try to hurt Jacob in any way whilst you're in that state, then I'll do everything I can to protect him from you. That includes hurting you."

I shrugged. "Go ahead, just don't get killed while you're at it."

Mike chuckled. "I'm harder to kill than the average young adult male. There's… another thing though." Curious, I looked down at him. He returned my gaze with sorry eyes. "I don't know if you realized it, but if Jack's seal is on the same page as your killer's, then Walther can't erase him without erasing himself. So, my little brother doesn't have to follow his rule of staying here for all eternity. Besides, the longer he stays here with you, the higher the risk of something bad happening. Do you see where I'm getting at?"

"You want to take him away from us as soon as you can." I answered flatly.

"Yes." said Mike dryly, "I'll drive him away from here after the place closes down for good, but you can't come. Not without being erased."

"And the place closes down in six days, doesn't it?"

He turned his eyes away from mine. "It does. If there was a way to get you all out and make sure nothing happened, I'd do it. I'm sorry for this."

Somehow, I wasn't too surprised with his announcement. A part of me suspected that an eventual separation from my friends was inevitable, but I wasn't prepared to say goodbye to someone again. I simply stayed in silence for a minute or two, trying to imagine our group without Jack. It was impossible.

Mike eventually stood up from his spot on the floor, stretched his back, and walked to the door. "I kinda wanted to spend some time with your friends." he murmured, trying to hide his pity for me. "Just to know you all better, you know? If you wanna come…"

"Just give me five minutes." I interrupted.

Nodding in comprehension, Mike left the kitchen without saying another word.