Mabel sat perched on the dining room chair, face buried in her arms. Her hair pooled around her in messy waves. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. It was bad enough that she snapped at whoever was unlucky to have passed her by.

Unfortunately, Mabel had woken up from an awful nightmare that morning. She still remembered the vivid sensations of hands, pushing, yelling, crying, and the overwhelming dread that followed suit. She woke up and came very close to breaking down.

After she had gotten up (thankfully not waking her slumbering boyfriend), the day had felt like it dragged on for hours. The struggle to keep everything in, paired with the growing concern for her demeanor, had bubbled up and Mabel had unfortunately snapped at a very enthusiastic Retch Sniff.

The studio was bustling more than it had in the past week. Raw Deal had finally released its long-awaited special, and it was an absolute hit on the Monster Channel. The special was released side-by-side with HorrorLand's newest episode of 'HorrorLand Hidden Camera' and it had only made viewing rates rise.

The Horror crew were celebrating another job well done, enthusiastically high-fiving and bumping scaly fists together. Holly Tosis and Retch Sniff were given the most attention, of course. They smiled and laughed cheerily amongst the others as they were both congratulated.

However, Mabel had decided it was best to sit the celebration out; opting to silently watch on in a dark corner (well, dark er corner). She was seated in one of the old, tattered Director's chairs and pretending to scribble down notes. She needed to be busy or at least look busy. Anything to keep her mind off of her very loud thoughts.

That was until large hands roughly grasped Mabel's shoulders, causing her to cringe and wriggle out of the hold. She whipped her head around to find a chuckling Retch.

"Haha, thought I smelled something over here!" He flashed her a toothy smile, reaching over to give her a noogie.

Mabel tensed at the contact. "Ah, heh, yeah. I was, um…" She paused, glancing down at her thoughtless notes and doodles. "Jotting down very important notes."

Retch snorted. "Yes, yes, how could I possibly forget about the importance of…" His sentence trailed off as he got a good look at her sketches. "Woah, gettin' in the spirit of HorrorLand, eh? Those look absolutely frightful! You never cease to impress me, kid!" He lightly bumped his fist against her, looking at her with an appraised look.

Mabel winced. She appreciated his praise, she really did. But it just didn't land in the way she thought he wanted it to. Not today.

"Um, well, thanks? It's just– You know what? It's not important." Mabel quickly turned over the clipboard she was drawing on.

Retch furrowed his brow, but accepted it with a shrug. "Well, suit yourself."

An uncomfortable silence followed. The Horror showman seemed to pick up on Mabel's obvious discomfort, which brought him to ask,

"Are you feelin' alright, Mabel? You look as pale as a poltergeist."

Retch brought his hand up to her forehead, but Mabel quickly slapped it away and launched herself out of the seat. It successfully startled the Horror, making him stumble back.

"Woah, woah, easy there. I wasn't trying to pull anything–"

"I know, Retch." Mabel interrupted, her tone a bit more steely than she intended. She clenched her fist tight and attempted to control her breathing. "I just need some space."

Retch hesitated, but nodded with a quiet chuckle. He rubbed the back of his head. "Heheh, yeah. No worries. Didn't mean to startle you."

Mabel swallowed hard, nodded in acknowledgement, and silently exited the studio. Guilt instantly clawed at her belly.

'That was uncalled for. He was just excited.'

Her breath hitched and her eyes began to sting. She reached up and roughly wiped away any oncoming tears.

'I overreacted and hurt his feelings.'

Mabel felt a lump forming in her throat and she quietly chastised herself. Another rough wipe cleared her eyes, but more tears came. She needed to get home. Nobody could see her like this.

The memory and the nightmare played over and over again in her head, which sent her spiraling into a self destructive thought process.

'What if he hates me? What if he told Holly, and now she hates me? What if all of HorrorLand found out about Mabel slapping their beloved showman, and they all hate her?'

A choked sob wracked through her body. The thoughts were most certainly not true, but it didn't stop them from tormenting her.

'I just ruined a good moment for them, and it's all my fault.'

Another pang of guilt shot through Mabel's chest. Her thoughts were dragging her further and further down the rabbit hole.

'I didn't even properly hug Madison today.'

That thought, no matter how small it had been, made her burst into tears. Madison and her had made it somewhat customary to communicate with one another if either of them were bothered, and they showered each other with hugs and kisses throughout the day. The nightmare, however, had paralyzed Mabel into a state of discomfort and she didn't want to somehow rub that off on Madison (which seemed like a ridiculous thought to her, now).

As Mabel cried, she missed the sounds of footsteps approaching her. A voice called out to her from her thoughts, hands gently being placed on her shoulders.

She whipped her head up. Her vision was blurred with tears, but Madison's concerned face was instantly recognizable. A moment passed by, just them staring at each other, before Mabel leaned forward and collapsed into his arms.

"Woah, woah, hey," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. "What's wrong?"

Mabel didn't respond. She didn't have the energy to try. She just cried into Madison's chest, gripping him tightly; as if she was afraid he'd vanish if she let go.

They both stood there for what felt like an eternity, Madison stroking her back and resting his face against her head, and Mabel soaking the front of his coveralls with her snot and tears.

Mabel's cries had reduced to whining, to hiccups, and then to soft breathing. When she had no more tears to cry, she simply stood there with her face smushed into Madison's chest; giving the occasional cough. It was silent for a beat.

"You wanna talk about it?" Madison asked, his voice a gentle murmur.

Mabel nodded, slowly detaching herself from his soaked chest. Her eyes glanced at the spot and she cringed.

"Sorry…" She mumbled, using her sleeve to try and wipe some of it off.

Madison interrupted her futile attempts at a clean up by taking hold of her wrists. "There's nothing to apologize for, my love." A devilish smirk ghosted the corners of his mouth. "Besides, I think it does wonders for my looks, don't you?" He slicked his already messy hair back, pulling a goofy face with kissy lips.

Mabel gave a breathy laugh. "You're a dork."

Madison waggled his eyebrows and pulled at the lapels of his long coat. "Only the best, my dear." He offered her an exaggerated wink.

Without missing a beat, Madison leaned in and kissed Mabel's forehead.

She, too, leaned forward, grinning at the attention wandering from her forehead to her cheeks. She giggled at Madison's insistence to kiss her tears away.

His kisses traveled to her nose and mouth, clearly not giving a care that snot and salty tears were still dripping down her face. Mabel squealed, trying to lean away.

"Noooo! Maddy, I'm gross." She whined, pushing at his chest.

Madison leaned back, pulling a face. "Gross? Lovebug." He bent forward, a smile spreading across his face. "I'm looking at the most beautifully enchanting face I've ever laid my eyes upon." He narrowed his eyes. "So, I better not hear anymore lip about your appearance." He playfully scolded, wagging his finger at her.

Mabel's face grew warm and butterflies fluttered in her belly. "Madison…" She murmured.

"Besides," Madison cupped her face in his hands. "This look is very becoming of you." He purred.

Mabel rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to protest, but Madison silenced it with a soft kiss.

It was quick, but she instantly melted. Mabel had felt icky all day, but Madison still managed to swoop in and kiss it better. He was frustratingly good at that.

Madison separated from her mouth and, this time, a soft smile took residence on his lips.

"I'm going to carry you to bed, now. And you're going to tell me everything that's on your mind."

Mabel grinned. "Okay."

He nodded and quickly swept her up in his arms. She straddled his waist and he supported her with one hand on her back and another under her butt. With quick steps, Madison maneuvered his way up the creaky stairs and into their shared room. He kicked the door close with his foot, before turning his back to the bed and placing both of them down on the mattress.

"Now," Madison breathed out, adjusting his position. "What in the world is rattling in that little noggin of yours?"

Mabel, with hesitance, began to open up about what was causing such anxiety; her nightmare, the interaction with Retch, and then the spiral of thoughts that had sent her into a borderline panic attack.

Madison listened intently, staying uncharacteristically silent the entire time. He knew what this was about. He knew and it killed him that Mabel was plagued by the memories of something that had transpired long ago, and he could do virtually nothing to save the little child that endured it. However, what he could do was listen. To hold her and let her speak.

When Mabel was finished, she looked up at him, worry evident on her face.

"Do you think Retch hates me?"

The notion, alone, made him breath out a disbelieved huff. Did she really think such a thing would make Retch hate her? Make HorrorLand hate her?

"Lovebug," Madison began, taking her hands in his own. "Do you honestly believe for one, singular nanosecond that any of us would have the capacity to condemn you?"

Mabel lowered her head.

"Ah bap bap. Look at me." He gently squished her face in between his gloved hands, making her lips comically pucker. "Do you?"

Mabel stayed silent, simply staring into Madison's eyes. She sniffled.

"I didn't wanna ruin anybody's day…" She finally murmured.

Madison's heart could have shattered into a million pieces, right then and there. Her mind was dragging her through hell, and yet she was more concerned with someone else's feelings.

He rested his forehead against hers. "Mabel, my sweet," he whispered. "Ruining days is my job. Not yours."

Mabel giggled loudly, almost choking on her saliva. Madison joined in on her laughter with his own, looking on with a mixture of relief and adoration.

"A thousand apologies, sir. I won't make that mistake again." She quipped through her breathy giggles.

Madison playfully rolled his eyes, sighing. "Well, when you put it like that, I suppose I can let this one slide."

They both beamed at each other, satisfied with simply gazing into each other's eyes. The silence was comforting. Paired with the safety of their room, their little corner, it was perfect.

"Mabel."

"Yes, Madison?"

Madison was quiet, for a moment, before leaning in and capturing her lips in a chaste kiss. Mabel reciprocated, softly cupping Madison's face with her hands. It was soft, gentle, and it was filled with reverence and love. Mabel's heart thudded in her chest and she felt like she was in bliss. Much to her chagrin, though, Madison pulled away.

He met her with a focused gaze. His eyes searched hers, as if he was peering into a window that revealed every secret, every promise, and every emotion that made Mabel Cunningham. It caused her face to warm.

"Despite my less-than-stellar behavior, I hope you understand, with absolute certainty, that you can tell me anything and everything," he said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "I will always listen, no matter the contents."

Mabel's breath had caught in her throat. His touch and words caused wonderful tingles down her neck and her arms.

"I believe you." Mabel smiled, kissing his palm next to her cheek.

Madison's face visibly flushed. He offered her a goofy grin. "Good." He pecked her nose with an accentuated 'mwah' .

Mabel snickered and snuggled her face into the crook of his neck. She inhaled deeply, breathing in Madison's scent. It was metallic with a hint of cocoa and popcorn. In her mind, this smell was ingrained as Madison's. It belonged solely to him. Mabel couldn't quite place why, but it was so unique to his person. She could recognize it amongst a million others. It comforted her immensely, and she finally relaxed as the sensation of her mad scientist cuddling her filled her thoughts.

Madison wrapped the lapels of his coat around her form, followed by his arms. Satisfied that he now completely encompassed her, he rested his face against her cheek and exhaled a deep sigh.

"Mabel," he whispered.

"Yes, Doc?" She whispered back.

He grinned against her skin, his heart melting at the pet name. "I think I like you."

She let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well," She murmured, "I think I like you, too."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm."

Madison chuckled, nuzzling his nose against her face. "Well, that's certainly good to hear."

Silence.

"Hey, Doc?"

"Yes, Mabel?"

A pause.

"Thank you." She gave him a squeeze. "You know, for listening."

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

Madison giggled childishly as his joke earned him a light smack to the shoulder.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" He pleaded.

After a moment, Madison closed his eyes and softly pressed his mouth to Mabel's temple.

"You don't need to thank me, sweetheart," he murmured, stroking her hair. "That's what I'm here for."