Eyes fixed on the pale, cream ceiling of Gregs' living room, the ticking of a clock echoing around the room and reminding you that time was continuing on while you stayed static. You had been laying in the same place for so long that your bones had seized up, skin joining the cosy leather of the sofa as your arms clutched a pillow. It was the same pillow that you had clung to last time on Greg's sofa, back when you had been called over to keep an eye on Jack and ended up being taken care of by him.

If you were hydrated enough, you would have started to bawl as the memories came back. It was so unfair that everything was so raw, and that he wasn't there.

Somehow, you had found your way to Greg's place. You had driven there, though you never realised that until you shut the car door behind you, suddenly hit by the creeping cold of the rain that beat down on you as you made your way to the front door. You made no move to protect yourself.

Upon opening the door, he took one look at you before ushering you inside, asking Gabby if she could start making you a hot drink.

'Are you okay?' Greg asked. 'Do you wanna tell me what happened?'

Your voice was croaky, like the walls of your throat had been scrubbed with sandpaper. 'He isn't replying to me. They're going through, but there's no response. I-I don't know what to do. There's nowhere...I have nowhere to go.'

'Hey, don't worry, I'm not gonna kick you out. C'mon—go get a shower and I'll get you some clothes. Jesus, (Y/N), you're soaked through.'

You were guided towards the bathroom, and you watched with a faraway glare as Greg turned the shower on and handed you a pair of clothes before he left you alone, promising some food and offering a place to stay for the night so you weren't alone. You weren't entirely sure if you agreed to both, but you assumed you had, as he nodded and said he'd reheat some pasta from the night before for you. Now you had both a hot drink and hot food waiting for when you returned.

Tiny bullets of water lashed at your skin. It was close to scalding, but you still weren't sure if you could feel the warmth spreading through you. You had gone almost entirely numb, and if it wasn't for the random, electric shocks of fear that coursed along your veins, you would have become convinced that your emotions had shut down.

You used, with Gabby's permission, a small amount of both her shampoo and conditioner, and, once you decided that you'd used enough of their water, you dressed yourself in the clothes Greg had given you: a large, dark grey tee shirt with art of a monster from a horror game that you weren't familiar with, and a pair of sweatpants. Sweats usually weren't your thing, but who were you to deny their generosity? You had appeared at their house in the late hours of the night—they would have been perfectly within their rights to turn you away.

After your hair was dry (you certainly didn't want wet hair making you even colder), you emerged from the bathroom and were greeted by a bowl of tagliatelle and a hot chocolate.

'Thank you,' you murmured. 'I'm so sorry for showing up like that.'

Gabby gave you a kind smile, patting your knee. 'Don't worry about it. I'm glad that you came here instead of going off somewhere on your own. We can't deal with two missing people.'

'Didn't you say that the texts were going through?' Greg questioned. 'No more weird error message?'

'No more weird error message,' you echoed, 'but there's no response either. I tried calling him, but it just went straight to voicemail. I don't know if his phone is dead, or what.'

'Don't try and guess,' Gabby said firmly. 'You'll make yourself more and more upset. You have no idea what's really going on—none of us do until he comes home and tells us.' Her voice softened, and she scooted over and sat next to you. 'He will definitely come home, okay? He'll be fine, and he'll be safe.'

You can't cry. Not again. If you start then you won't be able to stop. 'I miss him.' It sounded pathetic. It sounded childish. It sounded like you were a young child that wanted a beloved pet to rise from the grave and be with you forever. 'I miss him so much. I'm scared that he won't come back.' Twirling the last strand of pasta around your fork, you were glad that it was only a small amount of food that you'd been given. You weren't sure if your stomach could have handled a full-sized meal.

'I know,' she whispered. 'You trust him though, don't you? You know he'd never willingly leave you?'

A nod.

'Then keep telling yourself that.'

'That's how we managed for four years,' Greg piped up. 'We knew that it wasn't his choice, and he would come back.' He checked his watch and cursed. 'It's time for me to go back out.'

'But it's late.' Gabby frowned.

'I won't be long. You two get some sleep, yeah?' He quickly kissed the top of Gabby's head before hurrying out the front door, haphazardly pulling a waterproof jacket over his clothes.

'Where's he going?' you asked.

'Out to look for Jack. He decided that every three hours he would drive around for two hours looking for him, just in case.'

You frowned. You wanted to be out there searching and beating back the despairing loneliness that you had found yourself consumed by whenever Jack wasn't around.

'It isn't a good idea for you to be out right now, (Y/N).' She was way more perceptive then she let on. 'Greg told me that you lost your memories of him...do you have them back? I know about what happened,' she added. 'With the ritual, and Chernabog.'

'I got them back earlier.'

'Oh, you poor thing, that must make everything so much worse.'

'It does. It's making me feel like huge piece of shit.'

'Why?'

'Because he got his life back, and I ruined it by not remembering anything.'

'But it wasn't anything you could control. He was grateful for the sacrifice that you made, cause he knew you did it for him,' she said gently. 'When we first saw him after he showed up at the police station, he was begging us to go check on you.'

A small, bitter laugh escaped you, and you asked, 'What did I do to deserve someone as sweet as him?'

'I could say the same about Greg, too. I think we've just got to stay close to them.'

'Sounds like a good idea. Did Greg tell you about how far back me and Jack go? My head's feeling a bit jumbled, and I want to organise it.'

'I know a little bit,' she said. 'How much do you know, specifically?'

'...I know about the stalking. And about my stuff going missing.'

Gabby winced, chewing her bottom lip. 'Does that change your opinion of him?'

'No.'

'No?'

'No,' you repeated. 'I mean, yeah, it's a bit weird, but I've seen weirder. Is there a reason he does it—a reason that you know of, that is.'

'I can make a guess,' she offered. 'Greg found the cupboard and made Jack explain himself the day before he went to your work do. Jack told you about his parents, right?'

'Yep.'

'They weren't exactly nice. He doesn't like to admit it, but they're loaded. Like, close to being in the one percent—they're super famous in the financial world. Anyway, from what he told Greg, his parents were pretty suspicious of each other all the way through their marriage, and he would hear them arguing about things the other had done to make them jealous. Then after the arguments, his mother would tell him that once he found his soulmate, he couldn't let anyone take them away. I'd imagine that hearing all that would give someone some pretty bad abandonment and attachment issues.'

'Hence the stalking and obsessiveness?'

'Yeah.'

Taking a deep, calming breath, you tried not to let your anger towards his parents cloud your senses even further. 'Shit.'

'I know.'

'They're the biggest set of arseholes. Ever. First they pressure him into not having a social life so he can focus on getting high grades now this?' Please come back. You need a hug. Biting back a yawn, you added, 'I hope I never meet them.'

'Thankfully, he doesn't have much to do with them anymore. You're tired, right? Where do you want to sleep tonight? The sofa or Jack's room?'

'The sofa is fine, thank you.' You forced a smile. If you even looked into Jack's room, you would definitely succumb to a wave of melancholic hysteria.

That's how you found yourself on the sofa. You had no idea how long you'd been awake for—it was longer then three hours, that was for sure. It felt like Greg had returned hours ago, yet he hadn't gone back out. Did he fall asleep and forget about going out to look for Jack?

You wanted to go out there and search; it was the only thing you wanted to do. The world could have been ending, yet your only thought would have been about searching. A bit more, you would tell yourself, he'll be around here somewhere.

Greg briefly spoke to you when he returned. When the front door opened, you sat bolt upright, heart hammering loudly as the same thing ran through your head. Head peering round the doorframe, your spirit sank in disappointment when you saw that Greg was alone.

He somehow saw you staring through the dimness that filled the house. 'Hey.'

'Hey. Nothing?'

'Nope.'

'Want me to go out and look for a while?'

'No. When it gets light we can go.'

Sunrise wasn't for a few more hours, that much you knew. You asked, 'Are you okay?'

'Not really. You?'

'Far from okay. I can go alone in the morning. Don't worry about it.'

'Two of us will be able to search better.'

He had a point. You sighed, frustrated that there was nothing more that you could do. The local police station didn't open until eight in the morning, but what would they do if Jack's disappearance involved one of No-Face's henchpeople?

Greg went to bed after that, leaving you alone with nothing but a blanket, a pillow, and your thoughts.

Greg went to bed after that, leaving you alone with nothing but a blanket, a pillow, and your thoughts. You curled back up on the sofa, praying that the door would open, or your phone would buzz and announce that Jack was alive and safe.

A knock on the door wasn't what you wanted. Well, it was, but the people behind it were last people you ever wanted to see. You would have been happy going your entire life without seeing their faces.