Chapter 18: Dance with the Devil Part 3

(First of all, I'm sorry about how long this took to get out. I currently have four stories in rotation and just couldn't resist writing another Alt Four story. And yes, more will be on the way. But as I said in the last one, I'll be doubling up on this story and Jigoku Files so they get to you faster.

Second, I have two pieces of news to share. The first is that, for now at least, they finally fixed the Traffic Graph! *Sounds of champagne soda popping* Okay so that might not be news to you if you've already discovered it for yourself but I just thought I should let you know in case you didn't. FF is back baby!

The second piece of news is that I have a new poll in my profile I would like for you to vote in if you have the time. That's all for now and I've taken up far too much space in this chapter already. So without any further ado, let's get started!)

Lisa Simpson was a killer. A literal hunter of men. She had shot, stabbed, strangled, and on some occasions, even poisoned her quarry all without even the smallest sense of remorse or fear. She didn't care if they were a cold-hearted gangster running a dog fighting ring, a deranged exterminator who started relieving stress by killing family pets, or even a sicko trying to graduate from their first shaky steps in sadism by torturing woodland creatures. Lisa came to them of her own volition and never felt an ounce of fear, even when they fought back.

But she wasn't hunting anyone right now. She wasn't wearing her mask and she didn't hold any weapons in her hands. She was in a quiet hallway with her face exposed and her hands holding a couple of books against her chest. The only other person standing in the hall was not some gangster or rouge exterminator but Clementine who smiled warmly at Lisa as she held books of her own.

And yet, Lisa was more terrified than ever.

"What the hell's wrong with me?" She thought. "I promised myself I'd give Clementine my answer but my lips won't stop trembling! Come on, Lisa! Get it together!" Surprisingly enough, The Beast shared none of her witty commentary as Lisa struggled to say what she needed to say. "What if she takes it badly? What if she doesn't want to be friends anymore!? Maybe I can change my mind. Maybe I can-"

Lisa looked up into Clementine's warm inviting eyes. Part of her wanted to embrace her, to hold her close and lose herself in those pools of hazel. But in her mind, the face around those eyes morphed into that of Isaac's pleading visage and Lisa shuddered. "I can't. I want to but I can't. Not with him haunting me." Why Isaac kept pestering Lisa from beyond the grave whenever she was near Clementine, Lisa figured she'd never know. Maybe it was because she was the new student like he was, the stranger that injected themselves into her life without warning and left a stain on her heart.

And now, Lisa was going to have to leave an even bigger stain on Clementine's.

"C-Clementine, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"W-Well, it's just...I've been thinking...I...

"Lisa, what's the matter?" Clementine's smile had faded somewhat as if part of her already knew what Lisa was trying to say. At this rate, it could have gone either way and Lisa hated herself for that, for possibly giving Clementine false hope of the answer she wanted to hear. Lisa wanted to gut herself for that. She inhaled sharply and blurted it out.

"Clementine, I'm sorry but I can't go to prom with you!"

What was left of Clementine's smile faded completely twisting Lisa's heart. There were no tears. No blubbering. It was about as dignified a reaction as one could have in this situation and yet, Clementine's eyes spoke volumes of the pain she was in. "A-Are you sure?"

"Y-Y-Yes I am," Lisa looked down to the floor, feeling far more ashamed than she thought she would. Her stomach felt as if it had tied itself into knots and it took all of her willpower not to buckle down and attempt to take it back.

"D-Did you find someone else?" Clementine asked.

Lisa gasped and looked back at her friend. She felt tears well up but fought them off. The only one who had a right to cry in this situation was Clementine. "What? D-Don't be stupid! I-I'm not..."

Clementine placed a hand on Lisa's shoulder, her saddened gaze becoming sterner. "I'm not stupid. That's why I can tell. It is someone else, isn't it?"

Lisa wanted to shrink. She wanted to hide away in the smallest crack of the school's walls and never come out again. "I...Yes...Yes, it is." She confessed.

"I see," Clementine looked down now, her eyes softening as they retained their defeat. Lisa felt horrible as if she had just ripped the heart out of an innocent person. The fact that she wanted to break down and cry while Clementine remained stoic in her sadness made it all the worse. "I'm such a horrible person!" She thought. "Why am I feeling like this when I'm the one doing the hurting?"

The agonizing moment seemed frozen in time, neither girl saying anything. Then, much to Lisa's surprise, Clementine suddenly smiled and lifted her head. "Oh well. Can't win them all!"

"Huh? Y-You're okay with this?"

"Of course not!" Clementine confessed. "But my Aunty Bernice always said the heart wants what it wants. My heart wants you and you want someone else. It's as simple as that."

"But-"

Clementine pressed a finger against Lisa's lips, causing her to blush. A soft "shhhhuuu" escaped her lips "There's no need to drag this out, Lisa. You deserve to be happy and I won't stand in your way. It sucks, believe me, and I really wish you had said yes but we can't help who we are."

"C-Clementine," Lisa choked out a sob.

Clementine pulled Lisa into a hug. "Just promise me that they're good people. That whoever they are, they'll treat you right."

Lisa thought back to all the moments, past and present, that she and Nelson shared. She found herself smiling. "T-They are."

"Good!" Clementine pulled away from Lisa. "Because if they aren't, then I'm just gonna have to kick their asses and steal you away for myself." She winked with the tip of her tongue sticking out. Both of the girls started laughing which was cut short by the sound of the first bell ringing.

"Whelp. That's our cue!" Clementine started fiddling with the combination of her locker. "We better get ready for class."

"Oh shit!" Lisa shouted as she realized how far away she was from her own locker. "You're right!" She attempted to run off but Clementine stopped her with a shout.

"Hey!"

"Huh?" Lisa stopped, turned, and was faced with Clementine's eyes again. This time, they radiated a peaceful, content look.

"This person...make sure they take care of you, ok?"

Lisa felt her heart sink as she could hear the hurt in Clementine's voice. "I-I will!" Lisa ran off, almost hoping to get away before Clementine could stop her again. "Clementine is really something else." Lisa thought. "She didn't even cry. I wish I could say I'd do the same if I were in her shoes." Lisa's smile faltered. "Still, I could tell that she was hurt deeply by my rejection Oh, I'm sorry Clementine! I really am! If it weren't for Isaac refusing to leave my head, who knows how things could have turned out?" Lisa vanished past the corner of the hallway just as Clementine opened her locker. Now that she was gone, the ebony girl felt free to let out a long sigh.

"Oh Lisa! Why didn't you pick me?" She said as she started taking her books out. "It would have made things so much easier. Her lips trembled as a single tear trickled down her cheek. She wiped it off with a laugh. "Ah, who am I kidding? It won't be easy either way but it doesn't matter." Once she had the last book out, she placed them all in her backpack and closed it up. "It doesn't matter whether you accept me or not. Our fates are already intertwined and our destiny is already set in stone. After all, you are the Animal Avenger. You're the one I want. The one I need." Clementine spoke in a dreamy tone as she said these things, her cheeks pink and her heart fluttering. She felt like a young schoolgirl going through her first crush and relishing every moment of it. Then she remembered she was in a public school hallway and flushed red as she looked around to make sure no one was near. Students were just pouring into the hallway, paying her no mind as they reached for their own lockers. Clementine turned to her locker and took a few seconds to admire a drawing she had taped to the back of the interior. A detailed drawing of Lisa, her face and hair doused with blood and her eyes staring down at Clementine with predatory judgment. It was enough to make Clementine blush again. "You are the only one, Lisa Simpson."

And with that, she closed the locker.

"Troll doll! Doo-do! Doo-do! Doo-do!" Bart sang quietly to himself as he tossed the troll doll he found on the ground up in the air again and again. The nude toy was covered in dirt, darkening the shine of its blue hair. A large hole rested where its left eye once did and every so often, Bart would ponder if this was the same troll doll he used to have as a boy. Considering Homer had sold all his and Lisa's old toys in a pyramid scheme when he was 13, this was unlikely. Nonetheless, he found himself growing bored with the doll and, not wanting to part with it should he decide to keep tossing it up later, he placed it in his pocket and continued to whistle the theme he was singing.

As he passed by the library window, he thought he could see a familiar shape huddled close to the edge of the Manga section. Bart stopped walking only after nearly reaching the end of the window and backed up to get a better look. Part of him couldn't believe what he was seeing and yet, part of him was convinced that he was dreaming or perhaps simply having a hallucination. And yet, part of him wasn't surprised.

Curled up at the edge of the Manga section, her face buried in her knees was Jessica Lovejoy, the former Goddess of High School.

Bart could tell even from the other side of the window that she was crying and it wasn't hard for him to figure out why. He recalled the incident at the Rattlesnake Roundup and shrugged. "How the mighty have fallen." He resumed his whistling as he walked down the hallway again...and stopped just short of the edge of the window. He didn't mean to. He wanted to keep moving but something wasn't letting him. He tried to lift his foot but it wouldn't budge. It was as if he was glued to the floor.

"What the hell's wrong with me?" Bart thought. "Come on, feet! Move!" Bart struggled for quite a bit but couldn't budge. Finally, he gave up, sighed, and walked back to the glass window. Jessica was still curled up in her spot, occasionally heaving in what Bart could tell was a choked-up sob. "Damn! She's taking this pretty bad." He thought as he tried to walk away again. This time, he stopped at the front door of the library and didn't fight it when he found he couldn't move again. Instead, he simply thought.

"What am I doing? It's not like Jessica would do the same for me or anyone else for that matter! She did this to herself and I already broke it off. I know better now! So why.."

Bart sighed again as he surrendered to his instincts, made sure no one was watching, and entered the library. He had only been in this place once before in his entire time in this high school and that was when he was researching to make the world's biggest stink bomb and unleash it at a teacher's conference. But that's a tale for another time. At this moment, Bart was more preoccupied with sneaking toward Jessica, all while wondering just why he was doing this. Was a part of him still pining for her or did he just feel responsible for her social downfall? He didn't know and as he entered the aisle where she sat weeping, he decided that at that moment at least, he didn't care. He just wanted the waterworks to stop.

"J-Jessica?" He asked, bracing himself for what was sure to be a violent reaction.

Jessica looked up in shock, her wide eyes wild and stained with wet eyeliner. Her expression of surprise turned to one of anger as she snarled at the boy standing before her. "Bart Simpson! What do you want? Here to gloat about tearing me off my throne!?"

Bart winced a little but stood his ground. "N-No! I just...I just wanted to see if you're alright."

"Alright? Alright!?" She snapped. "Oh, I'm alright! Aside from the fact that my boyfriend dumped me, my friends abandoned me, the school treats me like garbage, I had a near-death experience plus I have no date to the prom but other than that, I'm just peachy!"

Bart blinked. "Near-death experience? What the hell are you talking about?"

Jessica opened her mouth to explain to Bart how his sister very well nearly killed her but as the terror from that day gripped her, nothing would leave her mouth. She could still feel it, the unrelenting glare of a predator watching its prey, only deciding to let it go for the moment for enjoyment more than anything else. She had nightmares about Lisa last night and while she couldn't remember much of them when she awoke, she did remember that she woke up screaming. Even now, as she struggled to tell Bart, she was suddenly aware of just how tightly she was gripping the cross pendant on her necklace. She didn't want to admit it but there was no denying it.

She was afraid of Lisa Simpson and of what might happen if she told Bart about the other day.

"S-Some guy tried to mug me on my home from school," She lied. "H-He got scared off before he actually did anything but...it...it gave me a bad scare, ok?"

"Oh my god!" Bart sat down next to Jessica. "Jessica! That's a really serious thing! Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm...not, ok?" Jessica confessed as she buried her face in her knees again. "What do you care? After all, It's your fault!"

"My fault?"

"Most boys would consider themselves lucky to get so much as a glance from me! But you just couldn't handle being second banana, could you!?"

Bart grew defensive. "Hey! I am no one's second banana! That's Milhouse's job!"

"Achoo!" Milhouse took a handkerchief out of his pocket and blew his nose into it.

"Are you okay, love?" Janey asked.

"I'm fine." He said. "Just allergies."

"Besides, it wasn't just about wanting you." Bart continued. "The fact is, you don't know how to treat anyone with respect! Not me! Not Nelson! Not even your friends!"

"Who cares!?" Jessica asked. "I'm the Goddess of High School!"

"Former Goddess, remember?" Bart taunted. "And that attitude is precisely the reason why you're not anymore! You might think you're better than everyone else and sometimes, other people might agree with you but newsflash Jessica! Everyone has dignity! Everyone! Even nerds! And there's only so much abuse of that dignity someone will take before they decide they're better off without you. You have no one to blame but yourself for where you are now!" He stood up. "Goodbye!" With this, Bart marched to the end of the aisle.

"You think you can talk to me like that, you asshole!?" Jessica called back, even as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm Jessica fucking Lovejoy! I don't need you or Nelson or anyone else! I'm the Goddess of High School! I'm...I'm..." She blubbered as she fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry!"

Bart stopped with one foot outside the aisle. He was sure he heard wrong. He just had to. Jessica would never stoop to that. And yet, she sounded so-

"I...I'm sorry..." Jessica whispered. The crack in her voice made it nearly impossible to hear but hear it Bart did and upon being absolutely sure about it, he turned around and faced the crying girl at his feet.

"Jessica,"

"They're right!" She whimpered. "They're all right! I'm gonna lose it all when high school ends, oh God!"

Bart stepped closer and closer to Jessica before finally kneeling in front of her. He lifted his hands, reeled them back, and then slowly reached for her face, clasping her cheeks. Upon feeling the sensation, Jessica nearly jumped but grew still as she realized it was just Bart. "B-Bart?"

"Jessica, I meant what I said and I'm not taking it back," Bart said sternly. "But that also means you have dignity too. And it doesn't matter if you have high school popularity or not, you're still you!"

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying you don't need popularity to be happy!" Bart explained. "I mean, look at Lisa! She's never been popular in her entire life and she's as happy as a clam!"

"Achoo!" Lisa sniffed.

"Gesundheit," The Beast muttered.

"Life doesn't end after high school, Jessica. It only just begins!" Bart let go of her face and grabbed her hand. "Come on, get up!"

Jessica, still struggling to fully comprehend just what the hell was going on, let Bart bring her back to her feet. "Why is he trying to make me feel better?" She thought. "After all I did to him and Nelson? Stupid sap must still think he's got a shot with me. Well, I-"

"You'll be ok, ok?" Bart said as he dusted her off and held her head up. "Chin up, ok?" He turned to leave again and once again, he only managed to get his foot out the aisle before Jessica stopped him with her words.

"Huh? That's it?" Jessica asked.

"Um...what's it?"

"A-Aren't you gonna ask me to the prom or something?"

"No, why would I do that?"

"Why else would a guy try to comfort a crying girl he hardly knows?" Jessica shouted. To her surprise, Bart made a rather disgusted face.

"It's called being a decent human being, Jessica. Maybe you should try it sometime. Sheesh!" Bart stomped out the aisle but Jessica called out again.

"Wait! I'm sorry!" She rushed up to Bart. "I'm sorry!"

"What now?" Bart asked. "Not that I really care about being late but Mr. Brooks will be pissed if I'm late for class again."

"Well I...I just...I already bought the dress...and...I...really don't wanna miss out...and.." Jessica's eyes became glued to the floor as she tried to speak her proposal to Bart. Her cheeks started to burn and it was clear to Bart that whatever Jessica was trying to get out was requiring her to swallow all her pride.

And that's when it hit him like his father's car on his 12th birthday.

"Wait...A-Are you asking me to the prom?"

Jessica's face flushed fully as Bart made his guess. There wasn't any hint of it being a romantic kind of blush either but one born of pure shame. Her lips trembled and she looked down again, unable to face Bart. Slowly, she nodded. "I-I know I might not be the top pick right now but I really need this. I can't let my last memories of high school be me lying around at home on the night of prom! Please, Bart!" She grabbed his shirt. "I'll do anything!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down!" Bart gently grabbed her hands and pulled them off his shirt. He sighed heavily and gave it some thought. "It's not like I have any plans for that stupid night anyway and bitchy or not, Jessica's still pretty cute." Then his thoughts turned to Nelson. "Shit, but after all that we went through the other day, it would be like kicking Nelson in the balls!" As he thought this, his eyes met Jessica's tired, defeated, and teary stare. "But then, she really needs this, doesn't she?" He sighed and held up her hands. "Ok. I'll go to the prom with you."

Jessica grew excited. "R-Really?"

"But," Bart raised a finger. "You need to treat me with a little respect. I'm not your arm candy, I'm a human being! Remember that!"

Jessica's glare soured and with a huff, she pulled her hands away and crossed her arms. "Fine, then I'm not your arm candy either."

"Then it's a date! See ya then!" Bart smiled with a thumbs up.

"Wait! I-" But before Jessica could get in another word, Bart ran off, out of the aisle and out of the library. She stood there, dumbfounded, for what seemed to her like eons. Finally, the sound of the warning bell brought her back to reality, and, realizing that she too was going to be late if she did nothing, rushed to the bathroom to get herself cleaned up. There was no time to apply any makeup to replace what was lost down the drain and Jessica didn't care. It's not like anyone in class would notice, not anymore. She was as good as invisible to everyone now.

Well, everyone except Bart and Lisa Simpson.

Jessica shuddered as she fought to keep the memory of her encounter with Lisa out of her mind. The idea that she would see her at the prom, dancing with her ex, refused to leave her mind and more than anger, it filled her with terror. Then she thought how she would most likely be safe in Bart's arms during that time and found herself comforted. Her cheeks began to burn again and she lowered her head as she headed to her next class.

"Those damn Simpsons," She thought. "Damn them!"

Maggie yawned and she tried in vain to blink the fatigue from her eyes. On the chalkboard, an allegedly thrilling documentary about bird migration was projected although the only one who seemed to buy into the movie's claim was Mr. Peacock who sat at his desk and watched it with the earnestness of a small child. Maggie, however, couldn't be bothered to look at the screen for more than ten seconds at a time before boredom, tiredness, and sadness forced her head away. Every so often, a random word from the movie would enter her head. "Coast." "Terns" "David Attenborough" None of them lingered for long as what preoccupied Maggie's head forced them out soon afterward.

"Mom and Dad are gonna split! I know it!" She thought. "And it's all my fault."

"Alright, class!" Mr. Peacock spoke as the film ended and the lights went back on. "I hope you were paying attention to today's movie because I took the liberty of preparing a pop quiz on it!" He held up a stack of cheaply printed-out papers which caused all the students to moan. "Now, now! It'll be easy! You just watched the movie after all." His sky-blue eyes fell upon Maggie. "Ms. Simpson? Will you do the honors of passing these around?"

"Huh?" Maggie forced herself back to the classroom for the moment. "Oh, um. Sure." She got up from her seat and headed toward Mr. Peacock. She was so focused on that giant stack of papers that she didn't notice Gerald stick his foot out in front of her legs until she tripped, landing facedown on the floor as the rest of the class erupted in laughter.

"Hey Mags, What's wrong?" Gerald asked mockingly. "There's no need to fall apart on us!" His bad joke sent the already roaring students into a frenzy.

"Silence!" Mr. Peacock shouted in a surprisingly loud voice for a man of his stature. He only had to raise his voice to this level twice this year and as with those times, it proved to be enough to silence the unruly children. "Mr. Samson! Do you think you are funny?"

"I mean, everyone else laughed so kinda," Gerald replied sheepishly.

Mr. Peacock's eye twitched. "Move to the back of the class, now!"

"Oh man!" Gerald begrudgingly obeyed his teacher's command as Mr. Peacock walked over to Maggie. "Ms. Simpson, are you okay?"

He reached out his hands to help her up but she brushed them away. "I'm fine." She muttered as she got back to her feet. Her nose was bleeding and she was quick to notice this. Her only response was to nonchalantly wipe it off and grab the papers next to Mr. Peacock."

"Ms. Simpson, are you sure? Do you want to go to the nurse?"

Maggie shook her head as she turned around and placed the first of the pop quizzes onto Violet's desk. "No thank you. I'm fine!" She said more aggressively.

Mr. Peacock knew that Maggie wasn't fine in the least. He could tell that something was wrong. But he figured it be best to back off now and wait until he could get her alone to ask if she wanted to see a counselor. He briefly wondered if it had something to do with the whole diorama fiasco a few weeks back as he returned to his desk.

Maggie passed all of the papers in silence, a forlorn look on her face. A few of the students giggled in her presence, still reeling from the display of her fall, but most kept silent, most out of feeling sorry for her and some out of fear. All Gerald felt as Maggie passed the final paper to him was confusion. Usually, when he had tripped her in the past, she would make a big fuss and fight back, sometimes outright tackling him. But now it seemed she just wanted to ignore it and move on with her day.

With only one quiz left for herself, Maggie returned to her seat only to find a folded piece of paper on her desk. It would seem Gerald had left her a little gift on his way to the back row. She opened it up to reveal a drawing of her with stink lines and a pile of poop next to her. The words: "MAGGIE STINKSON!" were written above the drawing in neon green.

Gerald noticed that Maggie had discovered his note and snickered. Surely she would react now, maybe even toss the paper toward him. But while Maggie did crumple up the paper, she never so much as looked in Gerald's direction. She walked over to the teacher's desk, tossed the paper in the nearby trash can, and returned to her seat to begin the test.

Gerald was fuming now. He didn't like being ignored, especially by Maggie of all people. Rather than starting his test like everyone else, she tore off a corner of it, chewed it up until it was a slimy, sticky spitball, and pulled a straw from his pocket. He aimed carefully, mentally thanking the gods that no one else was sitting behind Maggie, and sent it flying right into the back of her head. He smiled as he heard her gasp and then growl but that was the extent of her reaction and the youngest Simpson child didn't even bother looking back as she continued to work on her quiz. Undaunted, Gerald prepared another spitball and then another, and another, each and every one of them hitting their mark in Maggie's hair. But no matter how many spitballs wedged themselves into her spiky locks or how many students giggled at the spectacle, Maggie would not turn around. She would only growl and press on with her work. By this time, Mr. Peacock was finally finished putting the movie back up in its case and set his eyes on the class, prompting Gerald to cease the spitballs.

Things remained peaceful right up until the lunch bell rang. Maggie got up, turned in her finished quiz, and headed silently out the door. Gerald tossed what remained of his unfinished quiz onto Mr. Peacock's desk and rushed after her.

"Hey, Starfish Head!" Gerald called out.

Maggie ignored him.

"I said hey Starfish Head!"

Still no response.

Gerald growled as he took an eraser out of his pocket and tossed it at Maggie. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" It hit her right on the top of the head and only then did she stop as Gerald came up behind her. "What's your deal, today? Think you're too cool to pay attention to me or something? Because if so-"

"Fuck off."

Gerald stopped in his tracks, unsure of what he had just heard. "Pardon? I didn't quite get that."

Maggie turned around and got into Gerald's face so fast, the poor kid couldn't help but fall on his ass. "I said fuck off!"

Gerald hurt his lower back falling as hard as he did but hardly paid any notice to it as he was too flabbergasted by Maggie's sudden vulgarity. Sure, she'd cursed before. Even called him a bitch once or twice but this was the first time he had ever heard her use the F-word and the sheer anger on her face made it that much more intense.

"I have bigger problems than you right now so just leave me alone already!" Maggie growled as she stomped away, the other students clearing a path for the enraged girl.

"W-What's her problem?" Gerald said as he finally picked himself up. "I'm just trying to have a little fun."

"She's been that way for a while now," A female voice spoke behind him. Turning around, Gerald saw Violet approaching him. True to her name, her hair was purple and her skin somewhat pale. She also wore a dark blue dress. "Word on the street is that her folks are splitting up."

Gerald's jaw dropped. "F-For real!?" He shook his head. "Nah! You're totally kidding!"

Violet shrugged. "That's just what I heard. But one thing's for sure. A happy person wouldn't have exploded like that." As the strange girl walked past Gerald, leaving him the only student in the hallway, he couldn't help but ponder her words nor connect them to Maggie's behavior in class. The more he thought about it, the more he realized what was going on and for the first time since he knew her, Gerald felt bad for his nemesis.

"Oh crap."

Homer was caught in one of his usual cycles at work. Specifically, the one where he would actually attempt to do his job and monitor the plant, only to grow bored of watching the other workers go about their business and fall asleep. He would hear something random, sometimes the calling of a crow, sometimes a funny word said by a coworker during a conversation and Homer would be brought back to the world of the awake, usually with a start. He would blink what remained of his nap out of his eyes and check the monitors, convinced that this time, something of interest did indeed happen. When it became clear this wasn't the case, he would yawn, close his eyes, and the cycle would start anew.

All morning had been spent in this cycle and Homer must have woken up from his third or fourth nap when Lenny walked in. "Heya Homer! How you doing?"

"Huh?" Homer spun around in his chair, his eyes still foggy with sleep. "Oh Hey Car- I mean Lenny! What brings you here?"

"Eh, I just wanted to check on you. Lately, you've been giving off what Christy calls a uh...what's it called...a negative aura."

"Negative aura? What are you talking about?" Homer did his best to appear happy, smiling so wide it hurt. "It's all good!" He said as he waved his hands around, hoping to impress upon Lenny that nothing was wrong.

It didn't take.

"Have things been alright at home, Homer?" Lenny asked. "Ever since you stopped coming to Moe's, you've just been...well...different.

Homer slumped in his chair. "It's nothing Lenny. Me and Marge have just been having one of our famous marital crisis episodes. It'll blow over! It always has!"

Lenny shook his head. "I don't know, Homer. "This one's been lasting for quite a while now, since before the Animal Avenger slaughtered those dog-fighting guys."

Homer raised an eyebrow. "Why use that of all things as a reference?"

Lenny shrugged. "I dunno. It just felt appropriate. Anyway, if you need anything, just let me know. Carl too."

"Well, ok." Homer agreed

"Well, I better get back to my shift." Lenny waved goodbye and walked away. "See ya Homer!"

"Yeah, see ya." Homer muttered as he started raising his hand only moments after Lenny had left. He flexed his fingers as he realized he missed his chance for a hand wave, brought his hand back down, and turned back to the monitors. There still wasn't much of anything going on but Homer didn't care right now. His mind was somewhere else at the moment, somewhere he had been avoiding for a long time.

"Maybe Lenny's right," He thought. "Me and Marge have been fighting a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. More than we ever have before. And it's not getting better." He lowered his head. "I thought things would be different after the Rattlesnake Roundup but that only made things worse and that was before that Animal Avenging nutjob screwed everything up!" He sighed as he reached for a compartment in his office and pulled out a framed photo of his family, one taken around the time of Lisa's eighth birthday. A moment from happier times frozen within the confines of a black plastic square. Homer rubbed Marge's face and with quiet horror, realized that his feelings, while there, were considerably numbed.

"Maybe it's time to face the facts, those days are history and things will only continue to change," Homer said as he put the picture back in the compartment. It gnawed on him, the reality of change in his life, his kids growing up into adults that would soon leave him and his wife, his son already on the cusp of adulthood, and his eldest daughter not far behind. His youngest was still in the bloom of her childhood but he hadn't been the kind of father she needed, not if the fiasco with the Power Plant diorama and the incident at Moe's was anything to go by. And then there was his wife. The woman he had loved for decades now and yet found himself yelling at and being yelled at in turn almost every day. He still cared for her, he knew he did and somewhere in her heart, he hoped she felt the same. But the "recovery" at the Rattlesnake Roundup was nothing but a grasp at a dream. One Homer felt he needed to wake up from for his good and the good of his loved ones.

"Maybe it's time."

Around the same time Homer was talking with Lenny, Marge was at the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for this week's meals. Much like her husband, this was but a part of her usual routine although it was spread throughout the week and a lot less sleeping was involved. Yes sir, grocery shopping on Wednesday and doing everyone's laundry over the weekend, that's how Marge Simpson did it and it served her just fine.

But today, as for the past few Wednesdays, Marge wasn't feeling quite chipper. She marched through the aisle almost like a robot, only making a move when she spotted something on her list. As she was leaving the bread and canned goods aisle, she noticed a rack near the end selling candied pacifiers. She couldn't help but stare at them and let herself drift off into better days, days when her youngest child was but a baby. She still remembered the days before Maggie went to school. It seemed like she was practically glued to Marge's side in those days, going everywhere with her, whether it was to the grocery store or the laundromat or even to a Mommy and Me class. Wherever Marge went, Maggie was sure to be right by her side. Even now, Marge could picture her little baby reaching out for the candied pacifiers while making her adorable sucking noise with her mouthpiece. Marge would get her one and once she finished it, Maggie would always return to sucking on her own pacifier.

A sudden jerk of her cart forward woke Marge up from her daydream. Semiconscious, she pulled her cart back and saw that a little boy had his tiny fingers digging through the squares of space. He couldn't have been older than three and on his black shirt was Micky Mouse dressed as Radioactive Man, the company having bought the rights to the comic book series years ago. He had tawny brown hair and buck teeth and Marge felt her heart simply melt over his smile.

"Bort! Come back here!" A woman with a tawny bob cut stepped out from the corner and scooped the boy in her arms. "How many times have I told you not to run off like that!?" She turned to Marge with an apologetic and flustered look in her eyes. "I'm sorry! He didn't mean any harm! He's just a curious kid is all."

Marge chuckled. "It's no problem at all. I have kids of my own so I know how much of a handful they can be."

"I know, right?" The woman struggled as her son squirmed in her grasp, babbling and pointing to the candied pacifiers on the rack. "No Bort!" She said. "You're going to be starting Kindergarten next year! You're a big boy now and big boys don't need pacifiers!"

Bort continued his muttering as he reached for the candied treats.

"Maybe...you should let him have one this time," Marge suggested, almost immediately regretting it as she was certain the mother would be furious with another woman trying to intrude upon her parenting. Instead, the woman, who Marge now realized was young enough to be in her early twenties, looked at her like a deer caught in headlights.

"I'm sorry?"

"Well...uh...you know what they say. Childhood is fleeting so you wanna make sure your kids enjoy it while they can." Marge walked to the rack and pulled out a candied pacifier which she handed to the boy. "Let him have one more. He won't be little forever."

The mother looked at her kid thoughtfully as he struggled to unwrap the treat. She sighed with a smile and got it out for him. "I guess you're right," She said. "Thank you!" She held out her hand. "I'm Tanya."

"Marge," The two women shook hands.

"Well Marge, I'm sure your children are grateful to have a wonderful mother like you. Have a pleasant day," With that, Tanya walked away with Bort, the youngster leaning over his mother's shoulder and sucking contently on his pacifier.

"Thanks! You too!" Marge said as she waved goodbye. She sighed as soon as Tanya was out of earshot and pushed her cart along. "If only." She continued the rest of her shopping without incident, all while pondering Tanya and her child as well as her own children. Once upon a time, they were all dependent on her in one way to another, for emotional support more than anything else. But Bart was about to graduate from High School and Lisa was right behind him. Bart might still live in Springfield but Lisa would most certainly be heading off to college in the near future. Of course, there was still Maggie would was sure to be with the family for the next few years but even she was no longer the helpless little baby she used to be. Her pacifier hadn't graced her lips since Kindergarten and to this day still sat in Marge's memory box, its existence completely forgotten by its former owner.

But as much as knowing her children were on the cusp of adulthood pained Marge, it was nothing compared to the agony of her failing marriage with her husband. Homer had been with her through thick and thin, they had been through situations other couples could only dream of for both better and worse. And no matter how many fights they had, how many hair-brained schemes her husband got up to, or how many times she herself caused problems, they always bounced back into each other's loving embrace.

But that was then and this was now. Now she could hardly so much as sleep next to her husband comfortably. It seemed every word they exchanged was a shouting match. She hated it and she knew he hated it too and yet, she knew it wouldn't be as simple as apologizing to each other. The fact was, the magic had gone out from their relationship some time ago and at this point, both were just living in denial of it. It wasn't healthy for anyone involved, not for Marge and Homer and certainly not for the kids.

"Excuse me, Ma'am!" The female clerk called out.

Marge found herself once again torn from her daydreams to realize that she was now the next person in line. "Oh! Sorry!" Marge rushed her cart in front of the clerk and began to unload the groceries onto the conveyor. As she watched the clerk mindlessly scan the items, Marge's thoughts circled back to her failing marriage. "Perhaps, it's time." She thought sadly.

Another school day at Springfield High was drawing to a close and Nelson Muntz was getting dressed in the locker room. The young man had enjoyed a relatively normal day, a little school work, a little practice with his teammates, and a little chatting with his close friends, Bart and Milhouse. He slammed his locker shut and stepped into the hallway, ready to begin his long trek home. As he walked, however, his mind was filled with the image of a certain starfish-haired girl.

"Maybe I spooked Lisa by coming on too strong," He thought sadly. "Or maybe she already has someone else in mind. I don't know but I think I really screwed up."

"Nelson,"

"I mean, what was I thinking? Lisa may be a bookworm but she has her pick of guys! Why would she want to go out with the buck-tooth bumpkin that used to shove her brother in his own locker for shits and giggles? God, I'm an idiot!"

"Nelson?"

"I was stupid to even think I had a shot. I blew that a long time ago. I'm better off just forgetting about her,"

"Nelson!"

"Gah!" Nelson zipped around and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Lisa standing before him. "L-Lisa!? H-How long have you been following me?"

"I just started." She admitted. "I was waiting for you to come out of the locker room."

"Oh...why?"

Lisa blushed a little. "W-Well, I need to talk to you about something."

"Ok, shoot."

Lisa shook her head. "Not here!" She grabbed Nelson's hand. "Come outside with me."

"Oh, uh, ok." Nelson allowed himself to be led by the starfish-haired girl to the outside, his own cheeks flushing as well. Once they were outside, Lisa led Nelson to the side of the school, away from any prying eyes or perking ears. Once she was sure she was alone, she placed both hands behind her back and sighed. "Nelson, about the other day, when you asked me to prom.."

Nelson's face lit up as he remembered that day. "Um, yeah. About that. You don't need to say anything, Lisa. I get it. You're not in-"

"Yes."

"to this kind of...huh?"

Lisa looked down, trying in vain to hide her burning face. The display alone, adorable as it was, just seemed so alien to Nelson. "I-I said yes. I will go to prom with you."

Nelson needed a few seconds to process what he had just heard. Surely, this was a dream right? Or maybe he had been hit in the head too hard at football practice? He waited to wake up, for the image of a blushing Lisa Simpson agreeing to go to prom with him to fade away back into his imagination. But she remained and upon realizing that this was really happening, he fought the urge to cheer out loud.

"Y-You mean it!? For real!?" Nelson chuckled. "Alright! This is awesome!" Without thinking, he scooped up Lisa and twirled her around, causing her to utter a surprised squeak.

"N-Nelson!"

"Huh? Oh shit!" Blushing furiously, Nelson put her down. "S-Sorry! Guess I got a little excited."

Lisa looked at him sternly, almost like she was ready to recant her offer or at least give him a lecture. But instead, she smiled and moved closer to him, close enough so that the bridge of her nose was under his chin. "I-It's ok. Just promise me you'll be more gentle at the prom." She looked up at him as she said this, her eyes glistening in the sunlight.

"I-I will," Nelson whispered as he found himself totally enraptured by her gaze. Slowly, the two moved their lips closer and closer together until at last, they met. For the first time since they were children, Nelson and Lisa shared a kiss. The haunting and painful memories of Isaac and Clementine were swept away by the nostalgia of that magical night under the stars and, for the first time since Buddha knows how long, she truly felt like herself. Even the taunting voice of the Beast and the bloody smell of the Slaughterhouse were miles away from her now.

She was Lisa Simpson, a regular bookworm and jazz enthusiast with a love for animals. Just a regular teenager and she couldn't be happier.

(Oh Lisa. Poor little Lisa. Normal has always been a fickle jerk and who knows when it'll leave her in the dark. Got about one or two more chapters before we wrap this season up. Once again, I want to apologize for all the romance stuff. I promise the next season will focus more on the kills and Lisa's mental state but I think the crux I'm planning to set up with the finale should be worth it. I wanna thank everyone so far who's read and reviewed this story and once again, I'd like to remind you of the poll I have on my account. Until next time, I'm BSC and be good people.)