A/N: Hello, hello! If you saw my last post, you'll know this chapter is the second half of a double-feature drop. Enjoy!

Chapter Nine: SING A HAPPY SONG, WHISTLE A MERRY TUNE

TOM

Tom felt his lip twist up, a small snarl rumbling. Allison's eyes were wide, and she looked up from the thing on the floor to him. He could tell she was overwhelmed, as was he.

Sammy Lawrence. The name left a bitter taste in his mouth. The man was awful, a terror to all employees. He'd told Tom early on that, as per Joey's orders, a room needed to be fitted with a specific mechanized door only unlockable with a certain code. Tom had known Joey- this would not be unlike him- and had finished the job, reporting to Joey when it was done. And was promptly cussed out for the next fifty minutes. Apparently, Joey had issued no such order, and Tom had just been a scapegoat. He'd never trusted either man again.

Sammy hadn't liked Allison, either. Understatement. The man had held a long grudge against her for supplanting Susie Campbell, the first voice actress for Alice Angel, and though Allison had nothing to do with the fiasco, Sammy had blamed her and Joey in equal measure.

Tom felt his lip curl again and fought it down. He gave Allison a tiny nod- go on. I've got your back.

Allison nodded and slowly knelt. "Are you Sammy Lawrence?"

"Ruin, pain," groaned the torn figure on the floor. "The sheep are scattered, even the demon afraid. The dark angel wails."

"Sammy," Henry said, gently, lowering himself to his knees opposite Allison. He glanced up, and Tom tipped his head at the hope he saw in Henry's face. "It's Henry Stein. Do you remember… anything?"

The figure stilled for a moment, then began to twitch. "Nothing, nothing, darkness and nothing," he chanted. "Words and names mean nothing in the dark."

Henry dropped his head, dragging a hand down his face. A track of black left from his palm melted into his skin.

"Prophet," Tom said shortly, to give Henry space. He disliked Lawrence, and the Prophet even more, but this broken thing bleeding ink over the floor was nothing like either of them.

"Another," the Prophet whispered. "Who speaks?"

"A man named Thomas Connor," Allison said, her eyes- still black with ink- flashing at Tom. Shush.

Tom smiled inwardly. They'd become near-perfect at nonverbal communication in the studio, to survive and escape. Those skills still ran strong.

I miss Allison's green eyes, he thought. And then, But we're here. Alive.

"What happened to you, Prophet?" Allison asked, gesturing at Henry to stay silent when he opened his mouth.

"The dark angel wandered to my sanctuary," he wailed. "None enter my sanctuary, none!"

Allison nodded slowly. "She… attacked you?"

"Claws tearing, ripping, slashing," the ink man moaned.

Allison sat back and looked at Tom again. "Prophet… How did you know to come here?"

"Gold glitters in the halls," he intoned. "Arrows light the way. A tug, a pull, a feeling. Healing promised."

Tom caught movement in the corner of his eye, and he looked up to see Audrey peek out from around the door. Henry saw her too, hesitated, and motioned her to his side. Audrey ducked out from under the door and slipped behind her dad.

Allison's voice held a note of steel this time around, matching the Prophet's lyrical words. "Answer me truly. Do you mean harm to me or mine?"

The ink creature shook its torn head. "Dark, dark, alone and wanting. No sheep to lead, no lord to serve, nothing left but ink. No longer." His voice shook. "Help me, angel. I swear obedience."

Tom narrowed his eyes at the Prophet. Sammy had never asked for help. He hadn't even shown kindness to anyone. Except maybe Susie.

But this man sounded different. Broken. How long had Henry said they'd been in here? Decades? Living in the dark… I'd have gone mad without Allie. Could Lawrence- the Prophet- be genuine? Maybe.

"Maybe I can help," a small voice said.

"Audrey," Henry groaned.

"He said gold ink showed him here, Dad," Audrey whispered. "That sounds like…"

She didn't have to finish. Tom still felt the warmth in his bones, his skin. He'd forgotten what it'd been like not to be cold. He glanced down at himself- the golden light was fading, but he could feel it just below the surface, waiting.

The Prophet had stilled at Audrey's voice. He spoke now, to himself as much as to the others. "A child…"

"Audrey," Henry said, though his face twisted with an inward struggle.

"She helped us, Henry," Allison said quietly. "She could help him. And Audrey's right, if gold ink lead him here, then there must be a reason."

"He was your friend once, Daddy," Audrey said quietly. "I wanna help."

Emotions warred on Henry's face. He knelt next to Audrey and laid a hand on each side of her head, looking deep into her eyes. Tom blinked in surprise at the gold twisting its way up Henry's arm from contact with his daughter.

Audrey put a hand on her dad's face, returning the gesture. "I'm okay."

Henry gently let go of Audrey and glanced over at the Prophet on the floor, still twitching a little, mumbling nonsense to himself.

He straightened and sighed, deep and long. "'Kay, then, Bright Eyes. Tell me if anything is different and get back if he even twitches. Tom, help me hold him."

Tom grinned. Together, he and Henry seized one arm each of a struggling Prophet and held him fast. Allison hefted her wrench and stood over the Prophet, ready to swing.

Henry nodded to Audrey, and Tom braced, ready for anything. Audrey slid forward, dropping to her knees in front of the Prophet. "Um, Mister Lawrence? Sir?"

The Prophet stilled and turned his shredded face toward Audrey. She paused, a ragged breath the only sound she made for a moment, before shifting closer.

Tom nodded to himself. She's got what it takes.

"I'm gonna try and help," Audrey said carefully. "It might hurt?" She looked at Tom. He shook his head and shrugged. "Or maybe not. Can I?"

The Prophet hesitated, then- "Do what you may, my lamb."

Audrey stretched out her right hand, toward the ink creature's chest. As ink neared ink, a swirl of golden light flared in her hand, racing toward her fingertips, and she paused.

Tom tried to give her an encouraging smile, though he was sure it came off as a grimace. You can do it.

Audrey took a deep breath and pressed her hand to the Prophet's chest.

Brilliant light immediately exploded out from the point of contact, shooting out in tiny spears of gold. The Prophet spasmed, and Tom hung on grimly, shutting his eyes and his ears both against the onslaught of light and the scream tearing from the Prophet's mouth.

The arm in Tom's grip convulsed once, twice, three times and went limp.

Tom slowly opened his eyes.

Audrey lay crumpled on her side, and Henry dropped his half of the crumpled figure between him and Tom, leaping to her just as Allison dropped to her knees beside her as well.

That left Tom with the Prophet. He gritted his teeth- don't lose your cool, Tom. Even if this man is the second-worst on the planet- before looking down, and nearly choked in surprise.

The Prophet was… no longer the Prophet. Though he was still covered head to toe in black ink, streaked here and there with gold, clear features were marked on his face. A nose, a mouth, even ripples on his head that might be hair.

As Tom watched, the once-Prophet slowly opened his eyes. Like a Lost One, his eyes glowed faintly, but unlike the hopeless figures, they glittered a soft gold.

Henry straightened from Audrey, a small smile on his face. He turned toward Tom, who pointed down, and Henry turned to face the still-glowing figure. Their eyes met.

Cautiously, guardedly, Henry said, "Sammy…"

"Henry," breathed Sammy Lawrence.

Henry's face brightened. "You remember now?"

Tom carefully released Lawrence's arm and slid back. He caught Allison's eye and raised an eyebrow- Audrey? She nodded and shut her eyes briefly- She's all right. Asleep.

When Tom turned back to the two men, Lawrence had both hands on his forehead, and Henry's hand on his shoulder. The former monster mumbled, "How long?"

"About forty-five years," Henry said gently.

Lawrence moaned. "Oh, no, no. I just…" He looked up, eyes on Henry. "Susie?"

Henry dropped his head. "I don't know. Yet."

Lawrence sighed. "I expect Joey got away, too."

Henry's mouth quirked up. "Got it in one. Next time I see my old friend…"

"I suppose you have a right to the first punch," Lawrence muttered, "but I swear I'll be right behind you."

"Not before me," Tom growled.

Lawrence started and turned. He surveyed Tom with a frown. "I can't believe this… Connor?"

"Yup," Tom said tersely.

"You killed me once, I think," Lawrence said, without emotion.

"I did," Tom agreed. "Saved his life." He jerked his chin toward Henry.

Lawrence looked between the two of them. And then, impossibly, he smiled. "Well. I believe I deserved it." He sighed. "Nothing like forty-five years of insanity to put things in a bit of perspective… Connor, I know we've had differences."

"And how," Tom said dryly.

"But we seem to be in the same boat here."

"Not a bad boat."

"True. So, I suppose…" Lawrence extended one hand. "Pax?"

Tom stared at him for a long moment. He glanced sideways at Allison, who gave him a quick smile, and felt a grin of his own stretch his mouth wide. He put his own gloved hand into Lawrence's- Sammy's- inky one. "Pax."

Allison laughed, and both men turned to look at her. She took a long breath and smiled. "Good to have you back, finally, Sammy. I think you're more human now than you were before the ink."

Sammy squinted at her. "Good God. Pendle?"

"Connor, now," Tom's wife corrected, still smiling. "And yes, it's me, Allison. I've had to fight you off a few times as well."

Sammy shook his head. "Well, indeed. Can I say Thank Heaven without blaspheming?"

"Go right ahead," Henry said wryly. "We walk with angels down here."

Sammy actually chuckled. "Now. Can someone explain what just happened, why I'm glowing, and who that little girl crumpled on the floor is?"

"That's my daughter," Henry told him, grinning.

Tom enjoyed the shock on Sammy's face almost as much as Allison's laughter.

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Aaaaaand welcome back. Sammy joins the cast! [insert Smash graphic]

I hope everyone's been enjoying the rotating POVs. Planning to expand to 2 new ones eventually... but that would be spoilers.

I wonder if anyone outside the Studio is interested in what's going on inside? Surely someone has a vested interest in keeping the land intact, keeping the Studio hidden. It'd be weird for it not to be repurposed in 40+ years. Ah well. Secrets.

Hope everyone enjoys the New Year's parties, or has a nice calm quiet night at home preparing to write '2024' incorrectly on every important form for the next month! Stay safe (ish) and have a grand old time. See y'all in the New Year!

Godspeed!

-Sam ^_^