Bob hung up the conversation with what showed up on his phone as simply "Barista". He found the nickname quite amusing, given how it looked so much like Bart's name, but he mainly concealed it in case someone else came across his phone. That was also the reason why he kept calling him as a hidden number, who knew where Bart's phone was at any given moment? Perhaps his old rival was right, he might be a control freak, but he certainly wanted to be safe.

The young man just turned twenty-two. That was about a twenty-year difference between the two of them, yet Bart was somehow keen on sharing special intimacy with a much older man. How odd for a young adult, he thought, especially given their peculiar relationship. But what about him? What made Bob so fascinated with a boy and now a man? Years of obsession had to be unhealthy, but Bob had learned to overcome it a long time ago. Of course the brat had to make a comeback, bringing with him their mutual fixation.

Sitting on his hotel bed, still holding onto his phone, he began pondering his new life. As soon as he had been released from prison for the last time, he'd moved to the neighboring town, hoping Springfield's notoriety would no longer influence his lifestyle. How foolish of him, he realized in hindsight. Francesca and he had agreed to a divorce and he went to visit his son in Italy at least once a year. He'd found a new job, one that suited him so well no one could imagine how different his past was. He had arranged everything perfectly and for once in his life his plans had succeeded. What other twist of fate could have been cruel enough to him but to put Bart back in his path? Was it all his life had to come back to, no matter how hard he worked to avoid it?

Of course Bob had always been obsessed with him, but he wondered what had changed. Bart could play all his high-jinks on him and all Bob would do was to walk right into them, if only to torment him back. Wasn't that the very basis of their relationship, after all? Now the boy had grown up into an assertive man, yet there was an innocence to him that he had retained as an adult, one that was so insidious Bob felt he was the only one privileged enough to see. Everytime Bart was looking at him with those round blue eyes of his, Bob wished he could pull him close to him and have him squirm gleefully in his grasp. Their relationship had derailed dangerously, they both knew it, and for some reason they both accepted it.

Setting his phone down and sighing, Bob decided to stop the futile overthinking. He'd made up his mind. He went to sleep early that night, knowing he had quite the journey back the next day.

.

"Lisa, I fucked up."

"What do you mean, you fucked up?" Lisa had just got a call from Milhouse and was listening to him tell her about the birthday party of the previous night. "What happened? Did Bart get drunk last night? He seems badly hungover."

"Oh, man... To tell you the truth, I asked Angela to come to the party, and Bart got really mad at me," he whined.

"You invited Angela? What were you thinking?"

"I thought it'd be a good idea, like, they could get back together..."

Lisa sighed irritably. "Milhouse, Bart has a girlfriend!"

He took some time to answer. "No, he doesn't?"

"Yeah, he does, he told me yesterday."

"Wha- no, he insisted that he didn't. He was also mad because she found someone and he didn't. It made it even more embarrassing..."

"What the hell is going on, then?" She murmured to herself. "He told me... Or rather, I guessed he had someone... Then where has he been going if he lied about being with you?"

"I don't know, Lisa, he told me he was at the library last time."

"That's a bad lie, even for him." She laughed bitterly.

.

Lisa had to know. She knew she wouldn't get any answers from Bart. So while her brother was half-asleep in front of the television, still recovering from his heavy drinking, she took it upon herself to go to Shelbyville, right where he'd been working. She couldn't help but worry about her brother, he started acting strange at about the same time he started working at the café, so she figured it was as good a place to start. The lady she had met the last time the family was there was working, and a part of her wondered if she had anything to do with Bart's situation. She was nice once again, and happily brought her a cup of decaffeinated coffee. She sat down at a table and was watching the place for a while, wondering what could possibly be wrong or different, when a customer walked in. She gasped, recognizing Sideshow Bob's unusual silhouette instantly, and swiftly turned around so that he wouldn't notice her. She heard him walk directly towards her and she held her breath in, not moving an inch, but the footsteps stopped before he reached her.

"Good afternoon, Sarah. Is Bart not working today?" she heard the sophisticated criminal say at the counter.

"No, it's his day off!" the lady replied heartily." But he'll be in tomorrow, I'll tell him you're back."

"Oh, please do not tell him yet. Shame, really. I have too much work to catch up on, I won't be back for the rest of the week."

"Aw, too bad for him. He's been wondering where you've been."

"Did he now? Ah, worry not. I'll take my usual, please."

Still cowering over her cup, she listened on as Bob casually walked to the very end of the café. So, Sideshow Bob had been here before and was in touch with Bart, for some reason. She risked a peek as his drink was brought to him. He seemed so relaxed, albeit somewhat tired, Lisa felt anger mix with her confusion inside of her. How dare he, an attempted murderer, come to his victim's workplace and even ask for him? Was he the cause of Bart's strange behavior? Had he been doing something to him? Knowing they were in a public space, so nothing dangerous could happen to her, she got to her feet and mustered up the courage to walk over to him.

"Alright, Bob, what are you up to?" She snapped sharply, taking the other chair around his table and sitting across him.

Bob blinked, looking at her bewildered. "Greetings, as civilized people say." After an moment of recognition, a smile formed on the criminal's lips. "Ah, Lisa, I take it? My, you've grown up."

"Cut the small talk. What are you doing here, exactly?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He replied, setting his spoon down and taking a sip from his cup. But Lisa wasn't buying his act one bit.

"Don't insult me, you know what I mean. You know Bart works here, you shouldn't be here."

"And what business is it of yours?" He continued in a dangerous tone. "I will not change my habits because of Bart."

"It is my business, he's my brother," she pressed on in a quiet voice so as not to be heard. "And all you ever want is to kill him! What are you planning?"

Bob stared off thoughtfully for a moment. "I'm planning to come back several times a week for a nice break, as I have been doing for longer than Bart has worked here. This is a good place to relax, outside of rush hours."

"I know you're plotting against him, Bob. I don't know what you've said to Bart or what you've been doing, but I'm onto you, and I'll make sure you never get your way."

"I'm a customer, he brings me my coffee, I pay him. Where is the harm in that?" He asked innocently.

"You're telling me you just so happen to be a regular in the café he just found a new job in? You expect me to believe that?" She said, disbelief more than obvious in her sarcasm.

"Why, yes. If anything, I should be the one wondering if Bart was the one stalking me," he snorted with disdain.

"You-"

"Listen, Lisa," Bob went on coldly. "Your brother has changed much, as have I. I've made a new life for myself here in Shelbyville, as a humble servant of the people's culture. No one here knows about my past and I intend to keep things that way. If you believe I'll throw it all away to fall back into a life of crime, you should revise your investigation skills."

Lisa was flabbergasted. If she were to listen to him, she would agree that she was crossing the line by interrogating him like that. But if she knew anything about Bob, beside his arrogance and his hatred for Bart, it was that the man always used his charisma to get his way. There was no way she'd believe anything that came out of his mouth. The man got up from his chair and glared right at her.

"Thank you for ruining my time off work. Do not come back to me."