One Big Aperture Family

The Family That Dreams Together…

A calm snow fall had descended upon the city, as it always did this time of year. The lights from the city were dulled in the flakes falling on the quiet suburb. From this neighborhood, you could see the shopping district and its many lights. Life was still going on in the city below, but the suburbs were quiet and dark. The only light piercing the snow fall was the street lights and various porch lights, alone with the moon when the clouds would allow it.

The house on the hill on Autumn Street, though not the biggest house in the neighborhood, was certainly a sight to see. The Victorian style home sat on a small hill and overlooked most of the neighborhood. From the porch, the owners could see the Shopping District and its many lights. It was a lovely sight, and one of the main selling points of the house.

Inside the house, the peace continued. The inhabitants of the house seemed to be in their own peaceful worlds. For the first time in a long time, sleep came easy to a house full of insomniacs. Maybe it was the ballet recital that tired out the children, but it wasn't what exhausted the adults.

On the ground floor, the fearless guard "dog" laid on his pillow by the television, in sleep mode. Rover the Dog-Turret made small running motions with his legs and soft growling noises. The sound of snow falling off a branch outside made his red light eye turn on. Rover got up with a jolt and growled. When he noticed there was no danger to him or his family, Rover nestled down on his pillow again. He didn't fall back asleep immediately. His humans were safe and he would rest when he was sure.

Downstairs in the den, Dr. Rattmann's room lay quiet. The early evening had been good to Dr. Rattmann and his new bedroom companion. Neither made any noise, but by the contorting motions of his face and the intricate motions hers made, they seemed to be sharing more than just a bed tonight.

Upstairs, three rooms had life in them. The first room on the right held Angie and the Androids. The room directly across from hers held Chelly, who seemed to inherit her Aunt's habit of soft snoring. The room next to Angie's was the in-progress nursery being made ready for the new baby that was certainly due soon. At the end of the hall sat the big door to the master suite, where Wheatley and Lil stayed. The door right before the master suite went to the attic, which usually housed GLaDOS.

In the room across from Angie's, Chelly struggled to find a comfortable position. Chelly whined softly, bringing her little pink stuffed bunny (a hand-me-down by the name of "Lady Puffy-Bottom" that Angie had trouble surrendering to her niece) closer. Chelly's dreams as of late had her confused in her waking life and found drawing them to be appropriate therapy, even if she was unaware of it. On the little table near her dresser, a pile of drawings sat.

Chelly dreamed of a woman, like the one in some of the pictures on the fireplace, who ran around with a weird looking toy. The lady had black hair like her mother's and the same eyes as well. Chelly did her best to draw this woman when she was awake. Before going to bed earlier, Chelly resigned herself to finishing the picture. Chelly's toddler mind could only comprehend so much, but she felt this lady was not in her dreams to harm her. Chelly now lay down in her bed, whining softly at her newest dream.

In the master suite, Wheatley tossed a bit and rolled on his side. His sleep tonight was easy, which was a welcome change to the usually sleepless nights he often suffered from. His arm stretched out to bring Lil closer, but her side of the bed was empty. For the eighth time since coming home earlier that evening, Lil had to use the bathroom. Pregnancy was something Lil enjoyed, but the constant need to use the bathroom made things difficult. Lil finished in the bathroom and went back to bed. She laid flat on her back, her big pregnant belly poking out from under her pajama top.

With a soft grunt, Lil turned on her side and fell back to sleep. Wheatley's arm fell around Lil and he scooted closer to her. His sleep was strangely peaceful tonight, though not without its turbulence. Wheatley felt himself bring his wife even closer, like a child holding a teddy bear. He grunted softly and held Lil a little tighter.

"Where are we going today, Mr. Harvey?" Wheatley asked, anxiously. Wheatley was a happy core today. Mr. Harvey had been telling Wheatley he had something very special planned for the two and now the big day had come at last. Wheatley was ecstatic. Mr. Harvey had been so secretive lately and now Mr. Harvey was opening up again. He was so happy. He followed Mr. Harvey down the hallway on the rail, though it wasn't any hallway Wheatley had been down before. "Are we going to go talk to that nice Front Desk Lady? I like her, especially when she's not crying. Why is it whenever I come around, she starts crying? I must have that effect on the ladies. My greatness and importance must make the ladies weep, wouldn't you say, Mr. Harvey?"

Mr. Harvey chuckled and took his I.D. badge off his lab coat pocket. When they came to a door, Mr. Harvey slid the card through the scanner and the door beeped before unlocking. Mr. Harvey only smiled at Wheatley, not saying anything else. Mr. Harvey kept his statements short lately. He only talked to Wheatley during his scheduled updates and any work that needed to be done, and it wasn't the usual conversations about his day or his life. This confused Wheatley a great deal. When Wheatley asked Mr. Harvey if he had anything on his mind, Mr. Harvey only smiled and talked about the "surprise" he had planned for Wheatley.

"You know, I was talking to that Gardening Core earlier, and she said that the A.I. everyone is going on about should be up and running soon. Isn't that exciting, Mr. Harvey? I wonder what he'll be like. I wonder if the A.I. will be a He or a She! I heard some call it 'Her', so a girl A.I. must be in the works! Not that I'm against gender equality, Mr. Harvey." Wheatley chuckled nervously. "I mean, if a girl wants to be a Super A.I. then by all means, let her. Equal pay for equal work, I guess."

Mr. Harvey said nothing again as they when down the hallway. Wheatley didn't recognize this hallway. He and Mr. Harvey never went down this way because the big sign on the door said not to. But if Mr. Harvey was going down this hallway, then it must be okay.

"Wheatley," Mr. Harvey said, finally. "…have you ever wondered what it would be like to see the outside again?"

Wheatley stopped and blinked his optic. "Outside? You mean that place you go to everyday after we're done?" he asked. "I do wonder about it, but the other engineers said if I go out without you, I'll die! I don't want to die, Mr. Harvey!" Wheatley started to shake softly until Mr. Harvey reached up to him. "…and what do you mean 'again'? I've never been outside."

Mr. Harvey sighed and stroked Wheatley's side. "Wheatley, do you remember me?" he asked, panicking. "This is a safe place, no cameras or anything. You can tell me what you know. I won't judge you and I won't report you to the others. Wheatley, do you remember me? It's me, Harvey. We met last year when our internship started. You became my best friend and we used to hang out outside of work."

This was unusual, even for Mr. Harvey. "What are you talking about, Mr. Harvey? I was only 'born' a few months ago. You've told me that many times."

"No!" Mr. Harvey shouted, holding back angry tears. "Your name is Wheatley Pendleton and you were born far away from here!" Mr. Harvey turned away from Wheatley and balled up his fists. "I knew it. I knew it but I had to try anyway. Wheatley, the last update I did on you worked too well. It made it so you can't regress into the man you used to be and blocked off any remaining memories you might have. But I know how to reverse it. I can't stand it anymore! I can't stand talking to my best friend everyday but not being able to tell him how sorry I am for what happened. I did this to you, Wheatley. I'm the reason you're a construct. I didn't realize it until it was too late, though. I tried to stop them but it was too late."

Wheatley blinked his optic again. "Mr. Harvey, I don't understand." He muttered, his blue eye looking down at Mr. Harvey.

"Of course you don't, they made it so you couldn't with that last update they made me install in you. Wheatley, I want you to know that I'm quitting here soon." Mr. Harvey finally said. Wheatley looked at him in shock, his eye widening and his handles flying up. "I'm quitting and I'm taking you with me. But you have to do everything I tell you and you have to know how important it is that you tell NO ONE." Mr. Harvey looked dead at the confused construct with the most serious look he had.

"You're…leaving?" Wheatley said sadly.

"No, Wheatley; WE are leaving. But not yet, in a few days, when I have everything ready. I have a lot of preparations to make but until then, you can't speak of this to anyone, alright? No matter what they ask you, no matter what they try to say, unless I tell you and you hear it from my own mouth, you do not have permission to tell anyone what I just told you. Do you understand?" Mr. Harvey had a look on his face, like he knew his warning would fall on deaf ears.

Even though Wheatley nodded, there was still an air of doubt around them. "…and to make sure you don't tell, I have a special trigger on my cell phone that will cause you to shut down if you tell anyone." Mr. Harvey's bluff seemed to shock Wheatley and Wheatley nodded eagerly.

"Yes, Mr. Harvey! Unless you say so personally and I hear it from your lips exactly, no one is to know." Wheatley recited.

Mr. Harvey smiled and shook Wheatley's handle, as if shaking hands. "Wheatley, in a few days, you'll see sunlight again. I promise I won't leave here without you."

Wheatley opened his eyes softly and sat up. He rubbed his head and looked around the bedroom. Lil was already asleep again, breathing softly next to him. Wheatley sat up and hugged his knees, wondering what the dream meant. Wheatley knew there was more, but couldn't seem to get the rest to trigger. He laid back down on his pillow and looked over at Lil again.

He was jealous of how peaceful her sleep was, but Wheatley knew that soon the peace would be interrupted nightly by a screaming baby. Lil's pregnancy was coming to an end soon, with her due date slowly creeping its way closer and closer. The nursery wasn't done yet and the family still had so much to do before the baby came. Wheatley and Lil hadn't even settled on a name for their new baby. Knowing they were having a boy made the selection process easier, but there was still much to do.

"Lil?" Wheatley whispered, shaking Lil's shoulder. "You awake, love?"

Lil moaned and opened one eye. "No." she answered, turning away from Wheatley.

"Love, I can't sleep." Wheatley murmured.

A few weeks before, Lil promised to do what she could to ease Wheatley's mind. This is the first time since then that Wheatley admitted he couldn't sleep. Usually, Lil would find him up when she got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. Lil forced herself awake and sat up. "What's wrong, Wheaters?" she asked, doing her best to sit up.

Wheatley struggled to tell her he had another dream. She knew, but decided not to force him if he wasn't ready. Wheatley rubbed his messy hair as Lil put her arms around his shoulders. "Lil, I have an idea for a name for the baby." He murmured. Lil knew this wasn't what he wanted to say, but she nodded anyway. "Harvey. I think that name was important to me once, but I'm not sure. I think he was my handler when I was a core back at the facility."

Lil had no idea what Wheatley was talking about. Wheatley rarely spoke of his time as a core before meeting her mother. "Handler? Like someone who looked after you?" Lil asked.

Wheatley nodded. "Some of the cores at Aperture had handlers. The more important ones, anyway. I was one of the more cognitive ones, I think. I had a handler named Mr. Harvey and I think he's the same Harvey from my dreams before I was a core."

Giving Wheatley a reassuring back rub, Lil smiled and leaned on Wheatley's shoulder. "Wheaters, don't force it. I know you still have trouble with your memories, but don't force them. They will reveal themselves when they are ready. You shouldn't be so occupied with the past, anyway. Think about the here and now. The future with us, your family."

Wheatley smiled and took Lil's hand, kissing her palm. They both laid back down together and cuddled close together. After a while, both fell asleep again. Lil took a little longer to fall asleep, as she was starting to wonder about Wheatley's recent resurging memories. She often gave them no thought. As far as being human went, she figured Wheatley was pretty much there. Lil had hoped he would have been used to being completely human by now, but his mannerisms still made her think.

Lil faced her nightstand and sighed softly. On her nightstand sat a picture of her parents. It had always sat on that nightstand, even after the move. Lil's mother held many secrets from her daughters and with Wheatley's (and to an extent, GLaDOS's and Dr. Rattmann's) help, Lil was able to uncover many of them.

But Lil never truly felt she understood her mother. Chell was often quiet but she always made up for her lack of words with actions. She was at every school play and recital, she always had a pack lunch waiting on the counter before school, she was always home when school let out with a snack ready for Lil on the kitchen table, and every Friday after dinner she'd have a big chocolate cake waiting for her family when dinner was done. The more Lil felt she knew her mother, the more she'd learn and discover that she barely knew the woman in the picture at all.

Then Wheatley came into her life and Lil felt the winds of change again. Change was something Lil was used to but she couldn't say she liked it. She idolized her mother, but when Wheatley came along, Lil found her view of Chell shaken very much. Then she found herself in the very place her mother spent most of her life and walking in her footsteps. Her mother had lived a pretty full life before meeting her father and it wasn't until after she died that Lil's father finally told his daughters the truth behind their meeting.

Lil closed her eyes and tried not to think about it, but felt the thoughts coming on like the snow accumulating on the window sill just above their bed. She stroked her pregnant belly softly, her thoughts still going back to her mother. How would Chell have taken to being a Grandmother, especially since Wheatley was the father? Would she be flattered that her first granddaughter was named for her? Lil remembered her father saying he didn't want any namesakes because every child should be their own, and to an extent Lil agreed with him. But when Chelly was born, Lil immediately saw how much she resembled her grandmother, and the choice was clear.

Lil finally closed her eyes drifted into an almost peaceful sleep. Her mind still muddled by thoughts of her deceased mother, but a strange peace came over her that made Lil smile. Lil turned over, finding it too painful to sleep on her back now and preferred to sleep on her side. Her legs ached constantly and she sometimes kicked Wheatley in her sleep without knowing. Wheatley remedied this by putting a pillow between his long legs and hers. It didn't stop Lil from kicking him, but it didn't hurt as much now. The subject of dreams still on everyone's mind, Lil found herself having a dream as well. Unlike Wheatley's, which seemed to remind him of bad things, this dream had Lil making soft moans.

Gripping her pillow tightly, Lil moaned longingly. "Mom…" she whispered softly.

Eighteen was a hard age for Lil. She was officially an adult by law, but still felt like a teenager. School was over but the summer was a somber one. Lil, arms crossed, waited for the tea kettle to start whistling. Her mother's sickness had progressed in a bad direction and now Lillian Jane McLain was the acting woman of the house. Lil wanted her mother to be comfortable, so she was making tea. Dr. McLain, Lil's father, had taken Angie out for the day to give his wife some peace and quiet.

Lil's time with her mother was often spent helping her in and out of bed and preparing her meals. Lil didn't mind it at all. By the doctor's orders, Lil's mother couldn't have solid foods anymore; only soup and other liquids until they could figure out what was wrong. Lil didn't like eating meat and often told her parents she was a vegetarian. Dr. McLain treated it like a phase but his wife seemed to support Lil's decision.

When she heard the door to her parent's room open, Lil bolted from her day dream and rushed over. Her mother slowly walked out, looking as tired as ever with her sweaty hair in a low ponytail and dark circles under her eyes. This woman, once a vibrant human being who enjoyed gardening and making chocolate cake on Fridays, looked like she could barely hold herself up anymore. This lady, Mrs. Chell McLain, looked like a shadow of her former self. "Lil…" a shallow voice called. Lil's mother didn't talk much, but now it was rare to hear her voice at all.

Lil often wondered what happened to her mother to make her so sick. Whenever Lil asked her parents about her mother's life before marrying their father and having her and Angie, Dr. and Mrs. McLain would rarely give a solid answer. Lil had accepted the story that Dr. McLain told her and Angie about their mother. He told them that Chell was orphaned at a young age and spent the remainder of her formative years in a boarding school. It was partially true, though Dr. McLain knew the time would come when he'd have to tell his daughters the truth.

"Mom, why are you out of bed?" Lil scolded, walking to her mother. Mrs. McLain, or just Chell, looked at her daughter like she was a child being scolded. Her eyes were sunken, but still had a soft glimmer of light still holding on. "If Dad comes home and sees you up, he'll pitch a huge fuss! Come on, let's get you back to bed and I'll bring your lunch to you when it's ready."

Chell shook her head and walked over to the couch. She coughed softly and painfully sat down on the couch. The blinds were open and the sun was shining through the sliding doors leading to the balcony. Chell looked over and smiled at the bright sunny day happening outside. "It's…a beautiful…" Chell coughed before she could finish her sentence.

"Mom, you need to be in bed." Lil argued as the tea kettle started whistling.

Watching her daughter rush to the tea kettle, Chell scooted closer to the doors and placed her fingertips on the glass. The glass was cool, but she could feel it warming up. "Lil, I want…to go out today…" Chell wheezed, taking her hand away from the door. "My garden needs…" Chell coughed loudly again, some of her odd blue mucus finding its way onto the glass door.

Lil hated the sound of her mother coughing, so she changed the subject. "The weatherman says we're in for rain this afternoon. Your garden will be fine. I'll go and check on it before Dad gets home if you'd like. I know we planted some cucumbers that should be just about ready for picking and I know Angie is dying to see how her 'hot dog tree' is fairing." Lil mumbled as her trembling hands poured the water into the cup. She added the tea bag to the cup and reached for the sugar bowl. She retracted her hand from the sugar and shuffled through the cabinet. She grabbed the seldom-used-yet-still-somehow-sticky bottle of honey from the back of the pantry and set it on the tray along with the tea set.

Lil sat the tea set on the coffee table and then made her way to her mother. "Mom, don't torture yourself like this. Come on, I made your favorite tea and I'll start on lunch. How about some chicken broth? Or maybe some tomato soup with some of that shredded cheddar cheese you like so much?" Lil was avoiding the reality of her mother's illness and Chell could tell.

Walking with Lil to the couch, Chell sat down and watched Lil prepare her tea. "Oh, did I tell you? You know my friend, May? The one you and Dad didn't want babysitting Angie anymore? She got a job at that café next door! She says she used to date the manager and she'll be working there part-time during college."

Chell nodded softly and took the tea cup when Lil finished putting the honey in. Chell looked confused at the honey. "Sugar isn't good for you, Mom. I heard honey is good in tea." Lil mentioned, getting up to start on her mother's lunch. Chell made soft giggling motions that were followed by a few soft wheezes.

Watching Lil make her lunch, Chell became sad. She knew the time would be soon that she could no longer look after her family. Soon, who knew how soon, Lil would have to be the woman of the house. There was so much Chell knew she'd miss because of Aperture, but she wasn't angry at the facility. She wanted to be, but she wasn't. The past didn't matter to her anymore. Aperture was a place that was hard to forget, but it was easy to put it behind where it belonged.

Chell struggled to get up and she walked slowly to Lil. Lil stayed focused on making lunch and didn't see her mother make her way to the kitchen. Chell knew Lil was avoiding the subject of her mother's imminent demise, but Chell knew it was time to face it. Chell had already come to terms with it, and now it was time for her family to do the same. Her family was strong, and she knew they'd be okay.

Lil was taken by surprise by a pair of arms around her shoulders. Chell didn't say anything. She didn't have to. Lil's eyes started to water and soon she found herself crying. "Shhh…" Chell's voice became the lulling sound it used to be before her illness. "I will always…be with you…" she murmured. "You will be alright…" Chell leaned her head on Lil's back, humming the lullaby she used to sing to Lil.

"Mom…" Lil murmured softly, turning to face Chell. Lil wanted to say something, but only hugged her mother back. Nothing needed to be said. Mother and Daughter had an understanding.

Lil moaned and woke up, the first thing she saw was the picture of her parents. Lil smiled when she felt Wheatley's arm on her. Her mother was smiling in the picture, happy to have her husband's arm around her shoulder. Lil's mother had very distinctive eyes and they followed Lil when she moved. She felt Wheatley shift closer to her and smiled softly. She wondered what her mother would think of her marrying the human form of the very sphere that betrayed her. Lil picked the picture off the nightstand and smiled at it.

When Lil felt Wheatley kiss the back of her neck, Lil felt much better. "Goodnight, Mom…" she whispered, placing the picture back on the night stand. Lil snuggled close to Wheatley again and a soft smile crinkled across her sleepy face.

The house was silent once again with the sound of the wind blowing outside echoing through the hallways. The sound of the heater clicking on caused Rover to awaken again and growl at the vent near the television where his bed sat. For some reason, he couldn't get used to the sounds of the heater coming on.

Rover stretched out his thin metal legs and decided to do another patrol of the house. Just to make sure no one had come in while he was in sleep mode. Making sniffing noises, Rover made his way to the kitchen and was generally surprised (as much as he was programed to be, anyway) that no one was in the kitchen. He often noticed his humans would sometimes get up in the middle of the night and get something to drink or eat. But tonight, the kitchen was bare.

The soft hum of the refrigerator lulled the dog-turret some, but he still felt confused. He decided to patrol around the basement door, just to be safe. He made sniffing noises (which were his way of scanning the area for disturbances) and noticed two heat signatures within the area of the basement door. He found it odd, as one was registering as human and one as machine. Rover recognized this heat signature well, which seemed to confuse him more.

In his den, Dr. Rattmann was as unsettled as the rest of the family. He wasn't awake and roaming around, as he had been lately. GLaDOS had been overworking him with their progress on the device, but tonight he hoped to actually get a full night's sleep. He only moved a few times, trying to get comfortable with his right arm now asleep under the weight of his Maschinenmensch next to him.

Dr. Rattmann moved his arm a little to get the feeling back into it, but found that his Maschinenmensch didn't like him straying far. In his waking state, he would have found this very curious. After the night's events, he was starting to wonder how much of GLaDOS was still, to an extent, Caroline. The dream he was having would make him question that when he woke up later, especially when GLaDOS would bring it up later in horrific detail, as if she had seen it herself.

Dr. Douglas Rattmann typed away at his computer, not noticing the figure in his office doorway. This figure had stood in that spot many times before, and usually he took the time to spin around in his chair and greet this figure. That would not be the case today. Dr. Rattmann would make excuses that he needed to get his work done or it was time for his medication, but she knew the truth. For as far back as he could recall, Dr. Rattmann would go out of his way to bump into her in the hall or look for any reason to go to her office.

But not anymore, not after what was said between them. No, Dr. Rattmann may not have always been in his right mind, be even he knew when he was being jerked around. Dr. Rattmann's shadow seemed to meet hers as he leaned back in his chair.

Caroline was a tall woman who looked younger than her actual age would suggest. She always had a tired, overworked look and she constantly smelled of coffee. Dr. Rattmann usually liked that smell, but now he found the aroma of coffee bothering his nose. Caroline held her files close and tried not to look at Dr. Rattmann directly. They each knew what the other wanted to say, but neither of them said it. It had been on the tips of both of their tongues during this entire affair, but neither could say it.

Dr. Rattmann scratched the peach fuzz accumulating on his chin. "Both alive and dead until someone opens the box." He murmured, sitting up in his chair. "Is that what it is? You choose to be both alive and dead at the same time for him? How do I open the box you've trapped yourself in, hmm?" he asked.

Fighting back tears, Caroline walked forward and placed the files on Dr. Rattmann's desk. "I can't fight it…" she murmured.

"Yes, you can." Dr. Rattmann responded, using his reflection in his computer monitor to look at Caroline. "Contest it; you make enough to afford a decent lawyer."

Caroline shook her head. "It's not as easy as contesting a will. You don't understand."

"I do, and that's what you don't get." Dr. Rattmann chuckled. "This isn't about legality or morality or even humanity. This is about the heart. Are you willing to give it up for him?" Dr. Rattmann glanced away from the reflection staring back at him. "You can leave with me tonight. I have my resignation all typed up. All I have to do is, ironically, give it to you to file away. Leave with me tonight. Get in the car, put on your seatbelt, and just enjoy the ride. Sometimes, leaving is as easy as opening a door. Or in your case, a box…"

Her weary eyes glanced at him again. When Dr. Rattmann gave her rides home, Caroline did enjoy it. Dr. Rattmann's old car was a surprisingly smooth ride, but it wasn't the ride she enjoyed. Dr. Rattmann was a good man when one ignored his need to be constantly medicated. Her eyes took on the look she had the night he found her walking home in the rain. Her car had broken down and Dr. Rattmann was the only person at the facility that late.

Dr. Rattmann was starting to regret giving Caroline that ride home, because it sparked something neither could put out. He was regretting giving her his coat when she shivered from the wet rain in his passenger seat. He was starting to regret accepting her invitation to come inside for a cup of tea as thanks when they arrived at her home, which was surprisingly not far from his home. He was also regretting not taking his coat back after he found her crying on her couch when he came back inside for said coat. He wanted to regret staying at her home and listening to her woes and then sharing more than just conversation. This began a ritual for the two and soon it became as much a need to him as it was to her.

Maybe the relationship was one-sided, but it meant a lot to Dr. Rattmann. He lived a lonely life outside of work and he saw Caroline as a kindred spirit, both intellectually and emotionally.

"Stay with me…" he whispered softly. His sad eyes glanced at her through his reflection. While Dr. Rattmann believed it was as easy as dropping everything and running for the exit, Caroline knew better. She just looked away, trying to distract herself with anything. Dr. Rattmann just glared at her through the reflection. Her eyes, the same eyes he looked into whenever she needed her tears wiped away, couldn't look at him now.

The images of the two sharing lunch, or meeting after work for "coffee", or their hellos in the hallway followed by the smiles that seemed to be a code that only these two knew flashed through Dr. Rattmann's mind. He sighed and looked down at his keyboard. He saw her ruby red lips pursed together, as if she wanted to say yes. It seemed her heart and her conscious were fighting each other, which seemed odd as the two elements were often teamed up. Her silence was his answer.

"Enjoy your box…" he murmured, pretending to get back to work.

Caroline fought back the tears. "…Mr. Pendleton, one of the programmers, will be sending you a package soon…expect it…"

Dr. Rattmann huffed, but didn't look up. He knew what Caroline was talking about. She had discussed this with him a few meetings ago. She had asked him, if it came down to it, could he free her from the box? He hoped it wouldn't come to it. He wanted her to refuse. He wanted her to choose life over a dead man's science. He wanted her to choose him.

When Dr. Rattmann looked up again, Caroline was gone. He looked at his watch absent-mindedly, noting it was time for his medication. He made a mental note to talk to his doctor about upping his dosage. At this point, he'd do anything to forget the feeling he was having right now. At least he knew he was human, or else it wouldn't have hurt so badly.

Dr. Rattmann knew this would be the last time he talked to Caroline. The next time he saw her, Caroline had a white sheet over her entire body. Dr. Rattmann couldn't stand to see her that way. Images of their time together again flashed before his eyes as he left the observation room in anger. He passed by someone familiar as he did. Dr. Rattmann stopped at the man for a moment, holding back angry tears. Dr. Rattmann knew this wouldn't end well. He gave this man the same advice he gave Caroline.

"Don't let them take away your humanity."

Dr. Rattmann woke up for a moment and looked over at his night time companion. He smiled triumphantly and brought her closer with his now free arm. Maybe it was a hollow victory, but he still felt pretty good. He didn't want to think he had been waiting over one hundred years for this one moment, but it certainly seemed that way. What had he been running from, really? Dr. Rattmann stared at the ceiling, not really sure what he was supposed to feel at the moment.

Still smiling regardless, Dr. Rattmann leaned back farther in his pillow. He often believed that if Caroline was still indeed alive somewhere in GLaDOS, she would reemerge when she was ready. But there was also the matter of GLaDOS being her own "person", if that was possible for a sentient super computer. He liked the second option better. Dr. Rattmann's ears perked up when he heard light scampering coming from the kitchen near his door.

Rover, who had been lying near the den door, sensed something off. He ran on his thin metal feet toward the stairs. Rover knew he wasn't allowed upstairs without someone with him, but he couldn't be stopped at this point. Something was wrong with one of his humans and he had to see what was wrong. Rover ran with all his might toward the master bedroom suite and scrapped his thin metal legs at the door. One of his humans wasn't well and now his sensors were going crazy.

He knew his humans would be mad if he barked and woke them up, but this was urgent! Rover barked loudly outside the master bedroom door, waking up the entire house. When his tall human opened the door to the master suite, Rover ran in and toward the side of the bed with Lil on it. Lil woke up, looking angry that this thing woke her up from the dream she was having. Rover just looked at Lil and then sulked out of the master bedroom when she pointed angrily to the door.

The master bedroom door shut loudly, leaving Rover to contemplate this false alarm. He could sense everyone going back to sleep. Rover decided to keep this alert ready when it actually was time. He went back to his pillow downstairs and made himself comfortable.

The Pendleton Household was silent once again, with its loyal "guard dog" keeping constant vigil, even in his sleepy state. Rover cuddled into his bed and initiated sleep mode, but kept his warning systems open just in case the false alarm was a real one next time.

Rover cooed when his sleep mode initiated something of a dream state. Rover's metal legs flicked softly, as he ran in his dream with his brothers and sisters from the facility like a little pack.

N'cha, you guys!

I whipped this up real quick (well, not really, I just finished it) right before work today. Which reminds me, I need to finish getting ready before I'm late again. We've been having a lot of snow where I'm at and it's put me in a funk. I've been stuck inside my house for three days straight almost and it gave me quite a bit of time to finish up this chapter. But you know what gets me out of my funks? Music! I listened to some pretty good tunes when writing this.

That reminds me, DO NOT listen to a song called "Manchild" by Eels when reading the last two dreams.

So, how did I do? I hope I didn't rush it I really don't want to rewrite anything again. Rewrites take up a horrible amount of time and I don't want to put you guys through that again.

What's happening now, hmm? Wheatley's memories are starting to come together, yes? And just out of curiosity, who wants to see more GLaDOS/Rattmann memories? I have a few in mind, though they won't be in any order. I just had some ideas I think you guys would like.

Well, here comes to best part! Write me a review and tell me how I did! I love hearing from you guys and I want to know how I did. Don't be shy! Leave me a review!

Read, review, and be merry!

GLaDOS, Wheatley, ATLAS, P-Body, and Dr. Rattmann belong to Valve.