Mike followed the note he found in his lockers. The bleachers. Lunch. Just a talk. Short and sweet. He did not recognize the handwriting. It wasn't the uneven scrawling Paulo wrote in, nor the neat, organized lettering Daisy or Sue would. Who would be at the bleachers was anyone's guess, but Mike wished it had been anyone than who it was.

Augustus was lounging on one of the benches, reading a book. He looked up when he heard the sound of snow crunching underneath footsteps. He gazed at the korat, unamused, but secretly surprised he even showed up. Gently closing his book, he set it aside to prepare to get up.

Mike was a little frightened by him, as he had right to be. He knew he'd messed up bad, and no doubt Augustus was going to chew him out for it. "What…" He said in a wavy voice, then looked away angrily. "What do you want from me?"

Augustus silently walked over, all the while keeping his eyes on Mike, and said. "I want to show you something."

Mike blinked in confusion. "What? Show me what?" There was nothing there but them, a book, and snow.

"You'll see." Augustus said. In a flash of light, the two were standing in the warmth of Mike's room. It was empty.

"How did you..?" Mike gawked, looking around. "This is my room! What is going on?"

He took two steps forward but walked into a wall… that wasn't there. At the impact site there was a strange distortion before the spot went clear. "I-I don't understand." He turned to Augustus. "How are you doing this?"

"There is nothing I can tell you that you don't already know." The black and white cat said plainly. "This is your room. You cannot proceed any further. We are going to be observers today, green eyes."

"Observing what? This is just my empty-" Mike began, but some footsteps and his door opening up stopped him. In came him - but he was wearing the yellow and orange scarf Tess gave him - and Lucy. Mike stumbled backwards and hit another invisible wall.

Augustus didn't break his eye contact with the duo as they got settled into the room. "They cannot see us." He said in response to Mike's reaction. "Nor can they hear us. We are just here to watch."

"Watch what? Me? Lucy? This is…" Mike realized what night this was. It was the night Sandy texted him that she was coming to Roseville. The night he and Lucy were supposed to be working on the World War 2 essay. The night he yelled at her. "Don't make me watch this." Mike whispered, looking at Augustus. "I've tried so hard to forget… I've spent so many nights awake, thinking about this… regretting it…"

"It is clear you need a reminder." Augustus nodded to the younger Mike and Lucy, who was currently trying to convince him to play Super Boxer Champions with her.

"I know I messed up!" Mike said. "But I never meant to hurt Lucy!"

"Never?" Augustus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Then what happens tonight?"

Mike looked at him and Lucy settling down for a few rounds of videogames. "A mistake."

"It sure seems purposeful to me." Augustus said. "It must be who you truly are, if you keep doing this to her."

"I… I don't mean too…" Mike said, looking longingly at the girl on his bed. "It just…" He trailed off.

"Just what?" Augustus asked, expectantly. He wasn't going to let Mike off the hook for this. "Explain yourself."

"I was frustrated with Lucy." Mike sighed. "The years of yelling, hitting me, I had enough of it. And Sandy… Sandy made me believe Lucy was bad. That she was an awful person."

"You're either shifting the blame." Augustus said, annoyed. "Or you're spineless and are letting this girl control your life. In either case, grow up."

"I know." Mike fidgeted with his jacket as him and Lucy went back and forth in Super Boxer Champions. "I'm an idiot. I just didn't want to do the wrong thing…"

"Yelling at Lucy wasn't the wrong thing?" Augustus asked. "You know, she tried changing for you. She wanted to be nicer. And what did you do to her?" Mike stayed silent. Augustus did not. "That wasn't a rhetorical question. What did you do to her?"

Mike swallowed. "I… I hurt her. Maybe at the time I wanted to. I felt justified after years of her abuse."

"That might be the first real thing you've said so far." Augustus said. The two watched the cats finish another round in their game. A smile slid onto the younger Mike's face as him and Lucy bantered back and forth after the match.

"Looks like you're really happy here." Augustus observed.

Current Mike smiled a little, thinking back to the one thing that night that held any warmth. He so desperately wished he could force his younger self to reach out and hug Lucy. "I was."

The cell phone on Mike's bed buzzed as Lucy got up to get them something to drink, and the whole tone changed. As Mike read the text, there was a sickness that crept into his smile, something about it made current Mike's stomach churn. "I get it, okay? I fucked up! But Sandy was so upset, she was beside herself with grief!"

"And you didn't think Lucy would be?" Augustus asked coldly. "After she gave you another chance you didn't deserve? After that tender kiss beneath the tree?" Mike jerked around to look at him in surprise. "Oh yeah, green eyes. She told me everything."

"She was the one who kissed me…" Mike said quietly.

"You sure as hell were asking for it." The black and white cat replied.

"What was I supposed to do?" Mike said. "No matter what I did, I was going to hurt someone…"

"You just chose to hurt the girl who was right in front of you." Augustus pointed out. "The girl who's risked her life for you, who trusted you more than anyone, who literally lived and died by your word."

"Did Sandy deserve to be hurt too, then?" Mike asked.

"Let's think…" Augustus tapped his chin and looked up thoughtfully, though it was all in a mocking manner. "Should you have told the girl who lives a hundred miles away, who ignored you for months, cheated on you, and turned you against your best friend, to kick rocks?"

Mike frowned and looked away, ears pinned back. "But she was at least nicer to me."

"You need to learn the difference between nice and good." The older cat frowned. "Lucy was trying her best to be better for you, really putting herself out there to be the girl she thought you wanted, and what did you do to her?"

"You already said that." Mike could feel Augustus's eyes burning into the back of his head.

"It's because I want to make the message clear."

Younger Mike had begun yelling at full tilt at Lucy, who was cowering beneath him. Current Mike turned away, but felt a hand on his shoulder. "You are going to watch this." The other cat said sternly.

Mike reluctantly moved his head to see the terror his past self was intilling on Lucy. From screaming in her face about how he hated her, to how nobody loved her and she was a parasite. Current Mike's knees grew weak, but Augustus's hand seemed to have power over him, forcing him to watch.

Mike was killing her. He was ripping her heart out and stabbing it repeatedly. Every foul thing he spewed at her tore into her deeper and deeper. Years of deseated trust being obliterated in a matter of minutes. This boy she longed for, who showed her much love and affection even when she denied him, was now her worst nightmare.

"Stop!" Current Mike yelled at his past self, unable to contain his emotions any longer. He slammed his fists on the invisible barrier, but it did not give. "YOU IDIOT, STOP!"

"They cannot hear nor see us, Michael." Augustus reminded him. "You can't stop this. This is your doing. I wonder, if you want him to stop so badly, why didn't you?"

Current Mike stopped his screaming, and had to stand in misery. It only came to an end when Mike's mother got home. His ear twitched and immediately his anger turned to delight. He disregarded the ailing Lucy and left her alone to drown in his hate.

There was a dreadful silence in the room. Mike almost felt the same sickness in his stomach that Lucy did. His mouth was dry, and he was beyond horrified at his past words and actions. It seemed like such the right thing to say at the time. Lashing out for years of her abuse. What he did to her just now, it was cruel. Lucy never really wanted to hurt him, even if she hid that. Him, on the other hand, wanted to make her suffer. To hit every insecurity she confided in him over the years.

Mike dropped to his knees and began to shake as a chill went up his spine. His heart raced as Augustus looked down at his nose at him, arms crossed. "Please…" Mike croaked out. "You have to let me talk to her… I'm begging you… please…"

"What's going to change, green eyes?" Augustus asked simply. "What will you do differently?"

"I'll… I don't know!" Mike cried, tears forming in his emerald eyes. "I just need to comfort her..!"

Augustus stood vigilant, and did not speak. He only looked down on the sobbing korat. "Did you hear me?" Mike asked, looking up at him. "Please! Look at her!"

Lucy was currently heaving into his trash bin. Each wretch crushed Mike's heart. "I'll do anything!" Mike stood up and grabbed Augustus by his shoulders. "I'll give you anything! Anything you want! Please! I'm begging you!" He lowered his head. "I can't… can't leave her this way.. I have to talk to her.."

There was a long pause as he watched Mike hang his head and cry, whispering "Please." Over and over again. "Would you give up your soul?" Augustus eventually asked quietly. "For her?"

Mike let go of Augustus and took a step back. His soul, his everything, for Lucy? He looked at the girl, quivering on her knees over the bin, and nodded. He had ripped her soul out in his arrogance. It was time he gave it back. "Yes." He breathed. "For her."

There was a sharp pain across Mike's hand and he yelped. He looked down at it and saw a thin line of blood began to form on it, as his palm was sliced open. He looked at Augustus who had his hand outstretched for Mike to shake. His, too, was bleeding. "So be it."

Mike hesitated for a moment, but took the black and red hand in his. The moment their palms touched, Augustus vanished in a flash, and Mike was standing in his room alone with Lucy. He looked at his hand again. The cut was gone. His hand was clean.

Not a moment too soon he whipped around and ran to Lucy. "Lucy!" He cried.

The girl turned around in surprise, just in time to see the korat drop to his knees and throw his arms around her. Lucy held her arms out in surprise, but did slowly hug the shivering gray cat. "M-Mike?" She whispered

He looked different than how he just had. This Mike was slightly bigger, he was wearing his blue scarf again, and more than that… he was crying. "I'm so, s-so sorry, Lucy.." Mike squeaked. "I d-d-didn't mean any-" He coughed through his tears. "Any of it!"

Lucy was in total shock at the 180 he was doing. Just moments ago he'd skipped through his door after ripping her apart. "I..

I don't understand…"

"It's okay!" Mike let go of her and sat up, but still made sure she was in his arms. "N-none of this will make sense… but I promise you..." He looked directly into her beautiful blue eyes as he spoke. "I didn't mean any of it! Whatever I just said!"

"Wha..?" Lucy blinked, reeling.

"I just want you to know that you are the most important person in my life! I just didn't know it.. I took you for granted, and I never should have!" He smiled warmly at her, basking in her glow. "I won't be nice to you for some time… and there won't be any excuse for it, none at all… but I never truly stopped caring about you."

"Michael, I…" Lucy was preparing to ask him more questions about what was going on, why he looked different, why his scarf was different, but held back. Instead, she gave a teary smile back to him and said, "Thank you."

There were footsteps coming toward the room. Mike looked behind him to the door and then back to Lucy. "I have to go now, but…" He pulled his blue scarf from around his neck and draped it around hers, hugging her pink bow. "I want you to have this, Lucy. Whenever I'm being stupid and frustrating, or mean and callous, hold onto it and remember what I said here. And not him." He jerked his head to the door. "Me."

"I-I will…" Lucy said. "Thank you, Mike."

He finally let go of her and stood up, and could see that he was fading away. "I love you, Lucy." Was the last thing he said before he disappeared fully.

The door flew open and the orange and yellow scarf Mike walked in, frowning. "Where did you get that?"

It didn't take Lucy any time to know what he was referring to, but what was she supposed to say? He gave it to her? That would just make him angrier. Instead, she pulled the scarf off and stuffed it in her backpack. "It's mine. I brought it from home. I was cold so I put it on."

"Really? This isn't some attempt to mock me?" Mike asked with vitriol.

Lucy ignored him and gathered up her bag of sick. "What are you taking that for?"

"No reason." She said as she passed.

Mike's face fell a little to concern, but didn't break his stern look over her. "Where are you going?"

"Home." Lucy said flatly.

"We still need to work out which parts of the essay we're doing.." Mike said to her back.

"I'll leave the whole thing in your locker." Lucy responded.

"What?" Mike asked, confused.

"Don't worry." Lucy said, smiling a little to herself now that she was far enough away.