A/N - Welcome to the latest chapter of "Heart, Soul, and Mind"! Today I get to meet the Cup Family!

So, Ashley, to answer your question of the origin of Liam, it is a coincidence! I named him Liam because I felt it was a great name. In fact it means "Guardian, Protector", which compliments Alexis meaning "Defender" (also I picked Australian because i liked the sound of Cuphead's voice actor from the Shav Media Production videos; obviously my headcanoned voice for Liam would sound older) but too funny that your pal's named Liam.

Enjoy!

(Lexie's P.O.V)

"Ughhh…what…what happened…?"

I slowly regained my vision after being conked out from inside the portal. The more I woke up, the more I realized…

"Uh…this ain't New York…" I muttered to myself.

It became apparent that I was asleep on a sofa at a cottage of some type, warm and inviting. There was a fireplace, one of those old phonograms that played music…and pictures. Pictures of very familiar characters; an elderly tea kettle and two teacups, one red and the other blue, each with black sweaters on.

"Am I…in the Cup Family's cottage…?!"

"Excuse me, Miss?"

I turned around and saw the elderly kettle. He looked concerned while he'd already made what appeared to be tea. I looked down, and realized my body was…animated.

"Wha-?!"

I jumped from the sofa to a nearby mirror and was shocked. My ponytailed blonde hair was golden in color, looking kinda like Princess Peach's curly hair and I swear…my green eyes were shining like emeralds. Even my clothes, a red blouse with a dark gray jacket, dark colored jeans and brown boots, were animated as well. It looked like something straight out of the movie Enchanted.

"What happened?!" I gasped, turning around. "And how'd you-?!"

"It's alright, my dear. You're safe," the elderly kettle assured me. "I found you out in the woods while I was running my errands. You're quite lucky, you know, it's dangerous to be out there for too long."

I breathed a sigh of relief as I replied, "O-Of course. Sorry for the outburst. It's just that I'm new here…and it's a lot to process."

Before I could say anything else, suddenly, I heard a pair of footsteps rush down the stairs shouting "Elder Kettle! Do you need help with-!" but before they could finish, they stopped and looked at me. I was in shock. It was the Cup brothers, Cuphead and Mugman. There. In the flesh.

They slowly made their way down the steps and looked at me, both confusion but in wonder too.

"Uh…hi?" I greeted with an awkward wave.

"H-hi," Mugman sheepishly smiled. "Elder Kettle, who is this…?"

"Oh, it seems that I didn't catch your name, dear." Elder Kettle replied to me.

I blushed in embarrassment. How could I have been so rude? They save my life and I haven't introduced myself.

"Sorry 'bout that. The name's Lexie Luthor. I'm…kinda from another world in case you couldn't tell."

"Wow! That's so cool!" Cuphead cheered. "Well, nice to meet ya, Lex! My name's Cuphead and this is my twin brother, Mugman."

"Hi, Miss Lexie. Nice to meet you." Mugman meekly replied.

I thought about correcting Mugman for calling me "Miss Lexie", but thought better of it. He was just being a very polite and sweet little boy.

"Nice to meet ya both," I smiled. "And Mr. Kettle, sir? I wanna thank you for lettin' me in your home. It was real kind of you."

"Oh, no worries dear. I'm always willing to help those in need. And my boys do as well. Right, boys?" he asked.

"Yes, Elder Kettle." they simultaneously replied.

Then Mugman asked "So, where do you come from? And what brings you to Inkwell?"

"Well, I'm from another planet called Earth, in New York." I replied. "As far as what brings me here…I'm not sure."

I hesitated, trying to find the right words to explain how the heck I got here without causing some type of identity crisis to the boys or Elder Kettle.

"Well, despite the circumstances, we're happy you're here. We don't see a lot of humans around here." Kettle explained.

"All I can say is that…this world is in a book where I'm from, and when we opened it, the Devil's arms shot out of it and grabbed me and all my friends, four other humans."

The boys jumped a bit. "The Devil brought you here?!" they exclaimed.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I was with my boyfriend, his kid brother, and two of my friends when we opened it and he nabbed all of us in one fell swoop, dragging us here. I have NO clue why he'd want us, but knowing the Devil of all people, it's gotta be big."

"Hmmm. That is odd. He wouldn't just kidnap people unless it was for a good reason…" Mugman trailed off, pacing a bit in the room while rubbing his head.

"Well, I gotta know; did anything happen to you before you opened the book?" Cuphead asked.

"There were these gemstones on the cover, three of 'em," I remembered. "One pink, another yellow, and another blue. My two friends, Katie and Natty, and I felt those things call out to us before they glowed while opening it."

"They glowed…?" Kettle replied.

"Yeah, I'm not exaggerating. They lit up like candles in a dark room."

"Hmmm. I'm not too familiar with these gems you speak of, but if they glowed for the three of you, that means it's leading to something very important." Kettle mentioned.

"Think it has to do with the Devil kidnapping you and your friends?" Mugman asked.

"I don't doubt it for a second." I sternly replied.

"But what do three gems and you three have to do with the Devil? I mean, he's in charge of the casino in Isle Three but…nothing's adding up."

"I agree," I started. "But here's the deal; I'm a Christian. Have been my whole life. If there's one thing I know about the Devil, it's that he won't stop until he gets what he wants. And apparently…he wants me and my friends."

Elder Kettle pondered over for a second before asking "You said you had other friends come with you?"

"Yes." I replied. "They're my boyfriend, Liam and his little brother Matt. Have you seen them?"

"Unfortunately, no, I have not. However, that does not mean they're gone. They're probably scattered around the Isle since I found you alone." He stated.

I nodded in understanding, "I see…I'm just worried about 'em, that's all."

"Elder Kettle, maybe we can look for them." Cuphead chimed in.

"I'm not sure, Cuphead. You know it can be dangerous and with the Devil involved…"

Cuphead rolled his eyes. "Please. I ain't afraid of that alleyway cat with horns or his goons."

I snickered at Cuphead's insult to the Devil. There's a good chance I've called him worse than that.

"Cuphead, as much as I love the tough act from you, I'm not sure we should-" Mugman started but his brother interrupted.

"Oh come on! Look, if we wait, the Devil is probably gonna know about 'em and pick 'em off one at a time! If we get them to safely, he'll have no clue what to do from there, since he's dealing with us!"

"I really don't wanna put you in danger, guys," I sighed. "The Devil can be pretty dangerous."

"Don't worry, Lex! With me and Mugsy helpin' ya, we'll be sure to find your friends and figure this whole gem situation." Cuphead beamed.

I smiled. That was one reason Cuphead was one of my favorite characters in the game; even when his curiosity and impulsiveness get the better of him, he always makes up for it in optimism and courage.

"Alright, but only if Mr. Kettle is okay with it. I don't wanna be responsible if y'all get hurt."

"Can we help, Elder Kettle? Please!? Please? Pleeeeeeeeease?" Cuphead begged.

Elder Kettle took a sigh. "Alright, you can help her, but promise me you'll be careful and that you come straight home if you run into any trouble."

"I'll keep 'em outta trouble, Mr. K." I vowed with a friendly smile. "Promise."

Kettle smiled gently at me. "Very well."

The boys gave a loud whoop and high fived each other.

"Cool!" Cuphead exclaimed.

I turned around and Elder Kettle held something out to me. It was the hat I was wearing earlier; a black newspaper boy hat with a red stripe. It also had a neat golden pin with an 'L' and a butterfly behind it, something I had custom made at Comic Con.

"I believe this belongs to you, Lexie." Elder Kettle smiled.

With a grateful smile, I took the hat and put it on with a beaming confidence. The hat reminds me of Mario, my childhood hero, so every time I put it on…don't ask me why, but it gives me strength.

"Soo, where should we look first?" Cuphead asked.

"Well…I guess we can look and see if anyone ended up around here and make our way to the third Isle…?" I suggested with a shrug.

"Good idea! Plus, we have tons of friends around the Isle. Someone's bound to find them." Mugman added.

"Welp, guess we better head out then." I resolved.

The boys nodded and after bidding Elder Kettle farewell, the boys and I strode out from the cottage into the first Isle of Inkwell.

Little did I know…the Devil had eyes and ears everywhere.

(Normal P.O.V)

As the three went off into Isle 1's small country town, there was a familiar figure watching the three from the shadows. He carefully watched the trio as they explored the Isle, chatting and laughing among themselves.

The figure gave a wicked smirk. "Well, well. Looks like I found one already," He muttered. "Better go tell the boss about this." But before he left, his eyes were still on Lexie.

It wasn't everyday someone from Inkwell would see more than one human, much like today. But she was definitely something. Not only that, but to the figure, she was mesmerizing. He wasn't sure what it was about her; was it her hair? The way she smiled? Her eyes? Who knows.

He couldn't stop staring at her, enchanted by her.

"And she is someone I gotta meet." He snickered. Remembering his mission, he created a black portal beneath him and hopped through it.

He knew one thing…the "boss" had BIG plans for her.

A/N: Uh oh, looks like someone's got it out for me. And where on earth are the others? Stay tuned to the next few chapters of "Heart, Soul, and Mind", starting with Liam and Matt's adventure "Reach for the Stars"!