November 7th 2022:

"For goodness sakes Michael," Allyson walks into the clean white room to see Michael trying to rip out his IV, "That's there to keep you alive." She grabs his hand and takes the tube out of his grasp.

Michael looks up at her with a glare and pulls his hand away.

"I know it's uncomfortable..." she presses a button and the help alarm stops, "But you have to stay here for a little while longer while you heal. Okay?"

Michael looks off to the side and grumbles to himself.

"I'm sorry Crystal can't come in often but we have limited visiting hours due to Covid-19."

That word again.

"What is that?"

"Covid-19?"

Michael nods.

"It's a virus that's killed lots of people around the world. And it's not exactly gone yet so we're just taking precautions for the betterment for our patients and our staff's health."

Michael rolls his eyes.

"It's serious Michael. It could kill you easily because your body's immune system is compromised."

"I've survived worse," Michael raises an eyebrow, "Doesn't worry me."

"It should worry you. The evil that lived within you probably kept you alive through all the stuff you've survived."

Michael crosses his arms and slumps in his hospital bed with a huff.

"I'll be back to check your vitals."

Michael watches her leave his room from the corner of his eye.

The past week has been a hell of a ride for Michael. He was due in court to pay for his crimes despite being stuck in Smith's Grove for the majority of his life. At the same time the town was having a hard time comprehending that he saved Laurie Strode and tried to stop 'Corey the Copycat'.

After the evil was killed all his wounds returned and made him collapse before he could take a step into Crystal's car.

Michael looks at the multiple bags feeding into his veins and growls at the bag labelled: 'Potassium'. Crystal had explained that the only reason Potassium hurt so much was that it didn't like water. She had experienced the same pain a few times in hospital with Diabetic Ketoacidosis... Whatever that was. He had missed her talking his head off. But now it was for an even shorter amount of time than in Smith's Grove as Doctors and Nurses would come in and ruin it.

Michael looks over to his bedside table at the get well soon cards he had gotten from Crystal and Laurie. He couldn't wait to leave hospital.

"I'm back," Allyson walks in with the blood pressure monitor and the Oxygen meter.

Michael holds out his arm and Allyson puts the blood pressure band on his arm, she then puts the Oxygen meter on his finger.

Allyson takes note of the vitals on her hand and then she takes the band and the meter off. "Thank you, Michael."

Michael nods as she leaves again.

Michael reaches over and grabs the remote to change his bed into a comfortable sleeping position. An alarm goes off and he drops the remote. He growls and looks at the many bags to see that the iron ran out.

A different nurse comes in and unplugs the iron. "That one's done now Michael." She then takes the tube out of the three-way needle in his arm. "How you feeling?"

Michael simply gives her a thumbs up.

"Okay. Just press the button if you need anything, okay. Bye-bye!" she leaves the room.

Michael didn't really enjoy her overly enthusiastic nature but at least she was nice to him.

He picks up the remote and inspects it to make sure it wasn't broken. He strokes his beard and presses a button. The bed starts to flatten out and he panics as his backrest falls away. He grits his teeth and readjusts himself. Stop it.

He hated how fearful and weak he had become. He hated how exposed he was without his mask and he hated how everyone was so eager to hear him speak. He felt insecure, he was no longer a force of evil, he was just some old man now. An old man who now has to somehow speak in front of court in a week. He could speak better now but that wasn't the problem.

Michael sighs and smacks his head with the remote. I hate this.

Michael had been feeling like killing himself for a while. Death seemed a better option than somehow becoming a domesticated member of a society that hated him. He never completed his childhood and never got educated past pre-school. He felt dumb. At least Crystal was there to help him. She was the only reason he wasn't dead.

Michael turns off the lights, sets the remote back in its place and settles down for sleep. He closes his eyes. An alarm goes off again and he sits up with a whine.

November 8th 2022:

Crystal walks up to the front desk to see Allyson there. "I've come for Ol' Mikey."

"He'll be happy to get out of here," Allyson starts to lead the way.

"I think he hates it here because it reminds him of Smith's Grove," Crystal says.

"I can believe that... He's actually not that bad when you get to know him." Allyson scans her card in a slot on a door and opens it for Crystal. "He's actually quite... I don't know. Sassy?"

"Sassy?" Crystal flashes her a look of disbelief.

"Yeah. He's also got a strange sense of humour."

"What? Boomer humour?"

"Worse probably..." Allyson stops at a door and knocks, "Hey Michael you ready?"

The two hear footsteps and a doctor opens the door. "You're just in time. I've cleared him to leave." He lets the girls inside and they see Michael sitting on his bed looking out the window.

"Hey Mikey," Crystal walks over and in front of the man.

He looks up at her and stands up, towering over her.

"Ready to go?"

He nods, he then tugs on the hospital clothes he was wearing.

"Looks like the first item on the agenda is getting your wardrobe sorted," Crystal says.

"Have fun with that Crystal," Allyson walks out of the room.

Crystal holds out her hand and Michael takes it. Crystal starts to lead Michael out of the Hospital.

«†»

"You're not much of a bright colours person, are you?" Crystal asks as Michael stood in front of her wearing a sky-blue shirt. He shakes his head and walks back into the change room.

"Maybe he'd be more into dark colours?" the store employee asks, "I get that kind of vibe from him." They walk off to the men's section to find different shirts.

Michael was one hard guy to please. He wasn't a fan of shorts even if Crystal insisted that he get some for summer. He took about half an hour to find some jeans he liked. He'd picked a denim jacket and one hoodie; he even found a pair of black sweatpants he liked. Now it was taking way longer than expected to find him some decent shirts.

The employee comes back with some shirts of varying colours that were dark. Michael's three fingered hand pokes over the stall with the pile of shirts he tried on previously. Crystal grabs the pile and hands over the other one. "Thank you so much for this," she hands the employee the shirts.

"It's cool. It gives me something to do to other than deal with bad customers and worser co-workers," the employee shrugs and walks off to put the items back in their places.

Michael steps out of the stall wearing a black shirt and he tilts his head.

"You like that one?" Crystal asks. Michael nods and hands over all the other shirts. "You can't just wear black all the time Mike." Michael motions to Crystal who was wearing nothing but black clothes. Crystal rolls her eyes and huffs, "Allyson was right about your sass." Michael goes back into the stall again.

"Has he found anything?" the employee asks.

"He only wants black shirts."

The employee nods and looks at Michael as he exits the stall again. "Okay what size was he?" Michael hands them the shirt and they nod, "Alright I'll get more of these then. Is that all for today?"

"Yeah. Thank goodness," Crystal sighs in relief. She had already gotten Michael some shoes from a different store that suited his fancy.

Michael follows behind Crystal and the employee and catches people giving him stares. He spots the woman who he had stabbed four years ago, she was in a wheelchair. Michael hurries up and grabs Crystal's hand.

"You okay Mikey?" Crystal asks. Her response is a head shake from Michael. "You'll be alright..." she gives his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Michael calms down slightly as they approach the cash register and Crystal pays for the clothing items. "You'll be out of those Hospital clothes soon Michael." He picks up the bags and carries them to her car. "Just in here." She opens a side door and Michael puts the bags of clothes inside.

"Oh, so you're buying him clothes now?"

Crystal turns around to see an African American woman pushing along the old cemetery groundskeeper in a wheelchair.

"Yeah..." Crystal replies.

"That man has done so much damage to this community. He needs to pay for his crimes against this town," the woman gives the two a glare.

"He's going to court next week," Crystal says, "You're free to watch."

"You're just as bad as he is."

"I only killed my father in self-defence. Be grateful for what you have and have a nice day," Crystal hops into her car and leaves the parking lot.

She drives over the bridge in silence and Michael looks at her with worry. "You okay?"

Crystal peeks at him from the corner of her eye, "I'm fine. What about you?"

Michael gives her a sigh.

"That was full on huh?" Crystal chuckles, "The audacity. I also remember she gave Laurie a hard time."

Michael grumbles at the mention of Laurie's name.

"You two need to resolve."

Michael groans.

"Don't be so salty Michael. Do you want to die with this dumb rivalry?"

Michael lifts his head up and raises his eyebrows, "I killed her daughter."

"You also killed her friends and her son-in-law."

"What's your point kid?"

"You've killed a lot of people. But what's important is that the emotional wounds get healed. That will only start to happen when you and Laurie resolve."

Michael rolls his eyes.

"I won't get you to do it today. You have to settle in first. And I have to explain myself..." Crystal stops the car just before her house and hits her head on the steering wheel, "How do I tell everyone that you and I are friends since fifteen years ago?" she looks over at Michael and he shrugs.

"You're the organised one."

"Yeah... Thanks for the help old man."

"How about you ask your mother why she made you forget me."

Crystal looks over at her house and sighs, "That's a start I guess..." she pulls into her driveway and parks her car. Michael gets out of the car and grabs the bags of clothes that had fallen on the floor.

"Hi honey," Crystal's stepfather calls from the porch. Michael hits his head on the door frame and growls. "Tall people problems huh?" he approaches Michael, "I'll help with these."

Crystal's stepfather lets the two into the house and Michael refamiliarizes himself with the layout. He never made it inside on Halloween because all the lights were off and Crystal's car was missing.

Michael notices a picture of Crystal's stepfather and a young man.

"Oh. That's my son Lou," Crystal's stepfather says, "Want to see your new room?"

Michael looks down at Crystal's stepfather and shrugs.

"So up here is the spare room which you'll living in for a bit," he leads Michael upstairs to a room that was across from Crystal's. There was music playing in Crystal's room, he could hear her singing. "Oh yeah... She does that. If you ever want her to turn it down just ask her. She's not like other kids where they disrespect their parents and leave for stupid amounts of time."

Michael surveys his new room. It was bland... He turns around and looks at Crystal's stepfather who was staring at him with a stern expression.

"How do you know my stepdaughter?"

"Ask your wife," Michael narrows his eyes, "She wanted her to forget me."

Crystal's stepfather steps back, "You can talk."

"Why is that such a surprise to everyone?" Michael shakes his head, "Anyway... your stepdaughter saved your wife by shooting the abusive man posing as a loving husband and father."

"She then went to Smith's Grove and met ol' Mikey one night and became the best of friends," Crystal adds from her room.

"Honey! I didn't know you were listening!" Crystal's stepfather turns around.

Crystal laughs and leans on the doorframe to her room. "I'm not deaf. I don't understand why mom wanted me to forget. Those memories saved me."

"I'll ask her. I know you find it hard to bring up that part of your childhood," Crystal's stepfather says.

"Can I get into my new clothes now?"

"Yes. I'll just close the door Michael."

«†»

Michael sits on his new bed wearing his new clothes, he stares out the window at the world outside. Everything was colourful and there were people walking and talking outside like the events that transpired on Halloween never happened.

"Hey Mikey can I come in?" Crystal asks from outside.

Michael stands up and opens the door to see Crystal in a crop top and sweatpants. "You okay Michael?"

He nods.

"Wanna come outside to the backyard with me?"

Michael nods again and leaves his room. The two walk downstairs and pass behind Crystal's father sitting on the couch watching some nature documentary. Crystal opens the backdoor and leads Michael outside to the porch. Michael squints his eyes at the sudden brightness of the sunshine.

Michael didn't have the time or the light to see Crystal's backyard four years ago. There was a shed in the far back corner and a tree with a swing in the other back corner, the rest of the backyard was grass and a washing line stuck in the ground in the middle.

Michael hears a meow and looks over at Crystal who was sitting on a bench with a black cat sitting on her lap. Michael tilts his head.

"This is Jet," Crystal gives the cat a pat and he purrs.

Michael walks over and sits next to Crystal. Jet sniffs Michael's hand with the three fingers and rubs his face on it. Michael gives Crystal a confused expression.

"He likes you."

Michael looks back at the cat who was staring up at him.

"He's a stray that kind of just adopted me... I don't know but he's been roaming around the neighbourhood a while. He decided to stay with me about six years ago."

Michael carefully pats Jet and the cat starts to purr loudly.

"I'm surprised he likes you. He's got major trust issues. He still doesn't like my parents."

Jet decides to climb up Michael's arm and he sits on his shoulder. Michael turns to look at the cat who rubs his face on his nose. Michael grumbles.

"Aww that's really cute," Crystal says.

Michael feels his face heat up and he turns away from Crystal.

"You embarrassed Mikey?" Crystal smirks and giggles.

Michael turns back around and huffs at her with a glare, "Shut up."

«†»

"Where's my lovely husband and daughter at?" Crystal's mother walks in the door and spots Michael and Crystal in the kitchen. She drops her bag and pales.

"Mom! Don't freak out!" Crystal races to her mother with flour on her hands and clasps them together in a pleading gesture.

"W-What's he doing here?!" Crystal's mother exclaims. Crystal's stepfather comes running out from upstairs and curses at himself. "Steven what is he doing here?!"

"Hey calm down!" Crystal's stepfather grabs his wife and stares into her eyes, "He's under Crystal's care. He isn't going to hurt anyone!"

Crystal's mother peeks past her husband to see Michael covered in flour from making pizza bases. "If he does then he's out," she narrows her eyes then walks upstairs.

Crystal's stepfather races up after her.

"Oh boy..." Crystal sighs and facepalms, getting flour on her face.

Michael blinks and shakes his head, "She doesn't like me."

Crystal walks back into the kitchen and sees Michael strangling the pizza dough, "You're being too rough Michael."

Michael looks down and drops the dough on the bench. He motions for Crystal to do something with the dough. "You have to make sure it's fluffy. Like a cloud."

Michael raises an eyebrow and looks between Crystal and the dough, "And how do I do that?"

Crystal sighs and cuts the dough in half. She rolls her half into a ball then starts to knead it, "Just follow my lead."

Michael copies her actions, but more... rough.

At the end the dough was the same. Crystal simply just slapped the two pieces together and let them rise on the windowsill.

"Looks like we have to clean this up and cut the toppings," Crystal grabs a towel and starts to clean away the flour on the bench. Michael stares over at the knives then looks away. "You have experience with knives don't you Mikey?"

"Not with cooking."

Crystal giggles and flicks some flour at Michael. He coughs and swats the powder away from his face. He growls and grabs Crystal by the shirt. "Hey calm down! I'm just playing!" He rolls his eyes then grabs some flour and puts it in her hair. Crystal squeals and Michael lets her go with a chuckle.

Crystal shakes her head and brushes away the flour. "Having fun old man?"

Michael nods, there was a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Can you two please leave my kitchen in one piece?" Crystal's stepfather asks.

"Yes chef!" Crystal exclaims with a salute.

Crystal's stepfather looks up at Michael.

"Got it," Michael half-heartedly does a salute of his own.

"What's up with mom?" Crystal asks as she starts to get out the ingredients from the fridge.

"Well..." Crystal's stepfather rubs his neck, "Get this. The only reason she wanted you to forget Michael was because she was scared for you. You had already suffered at the hands of her ex and killed him. She didn't want another violent man in your life."

Crystal glances up at Michael and he stifles a chuckle.

"He protected me. If it weren't for him, I would have been more traumatised," Crystal says, "Also Michael, don't laugh..." she elbows him.

Michael stops holding in his chuckle and coughs instead. He goes back to his neutral expression.

"Starting the toppings now?" Crystal's stepfather asks.

"Yeah," Crystal grabs a knife and then awkwardly looks over at Michael. "You gonna be okay?"

He gives her a stare in response.

Crystal looks away from Michael and starts to cut up some onion.

«†»

Crystal wakes up with a jolt to the sound of her low glucose alarm. She grabs her pillow and screams into it. Michael storms in the door and turns the light on.

"I'm fine Michael go back to bed!" Crystal exclaims as she throws her pillow back into position. Michael refuses to leave and instead sits on the end of her bed. Crystal rolls her eyes and scoffs down some jellybeans.

Michael spots the white circular patch on Crystal's arm and shuffles closer to her. He touches it to find it's hard plastic. "That thing sticks a probe into my arm and sends information about my diabetes to my phone," Crystal says.

"Does it hurt?" Michael asks.

"When you put it on. But not usually after that."

Michael awkwardly looks around Crystal's room to see a wall covered in posters of bands, movies and videogames. He then spots a television and a collection of game consoles in the space below it. Crystal shifts next to him and he watches as she presses her phone to the white patch. The screen displays a green colour and she smiles.

"I'm all good now," Crystal looks up at Michael, "You can go now." Michael stares down at her. Crystal rolls her eyes, "Having trouble sleeping?"

Michael nods.

"Alright. Wanna crash in my room then?"

Michael flashes her a look of confusion.

"I mean do you want to stay here in my room?"

Michael nods.

Crystal shuffles over and makes room for Michael to lay next to her. She slides into a sleeping position and waits for him to join her under the covers. Michael stands up and turns the light off. He walks back to the bed and climbs under the covers.

"Night night."

"Night kid."

November 9th 2022:

Crystal cringes as she peels off her old sensor. Michael watches with concern.

"She does this every two weeks," Crystal's stepfather says, "It's still painful to watch."

Crystal eventually gives up peeling it off slow and rips it out of her arm with a yelp. She holds the sticky sensor in front of her face and inspects the blood on it. Michael leans over and inspects the red mark left on Crystal's arm.

Crystal walks over to Michael and shows him the sensor. "This is what was in my arm," she points to a weird tube of plastic poking out from the sensor. Michael grabs the sensor and starts to inspect it.

"If only these things lasted longer and were waterproof." Crystal moves her arm around and touches the red raw skin.

"And they should be less hurty," Crystal's stepfather says.

Michael hands the sensor back to Crystal and she shoves it into a medical waste bin.

"What are you two going to do today?"

Crystal shrugs.

"You better figure something out or I'll subject you to chopping wood."

Crystal hisses and hides behind Michael.

"Oh come on honey. You fought off Corey Cunningham for Pete's sake. A little wood ain't that bad."

"It's boring and it makes me tired," Crystal groans.

"Maybe Michael could do it for me," Crystal's stepfather looks up at Michael.

"No." Michael walks off to the pantry to steal some food.

"Mikey! You're going to eat us out of house and home!" Crystal exclaims.

Michael chucks Crystal a packet of salt and vinegar chips and she shuts up.

"You two are so weird," Crystal's stepfather rolls his eyes, "I guess I have to chop wood then."

"Have fun dad!" Crystal calls as he walks out the backdoor. "Wait what are we doing?"

Michael inspects the television remote and looks up at Crystal.

"You wanna watch a movie?" Crystal asks.

Michael nods.

Crystal goes over to the DVD cabinet and opens it, "Do you wanna pick the movie?" She steps to the side for Michael to pick a movie.

Michael admires her organisation skills. She had organised the movies by genre and series.

"You don't have VHS?"

"Those went out of fashion yonks ago," Crystal replies.

Michael looks back at the films and spots Scooby-Doo.

"Scooby-Doo is still around?" he grabs a film and shows it to her.

"Scooby-Doo came out in 1969. Six years after you killed your sister. Did they let you watch TV or something while in Smith's Grove?"

Michael nods.

"So something that you watched as a kid is still around fifty years later? Funny." She grabs the movie to see he'd picked out Scooby-Doo: Stage Fright. "This movie's pretty cool."

"Don't spoil it."

"Aww I won't, don't worry Mikey."

November 10th 2022:

Crystal knocks on the door and waits patiently for someone to answer. Michael fiddles with the bandages on his hand.

The door opens and Laurie smiles at Crystal, "Hi Crystal how are you..." her eyes trail over to Michael. He simply waves at her. "What are you doing here?"

"You two need to resolve," Crystal says.

Laurie leans on her doorframe, "Why?"

"It's part of the healing process."

Laurie looks back at Michael who gives her a shrug.

Laurie sighs in defeat, "Come in." She opens the door wider and lets the two inside.

The house was free of bloodstains but there were still holes in the walls. Laurie enters the living room and sits down on the couch. Crystal and Michael sit on the couch across from her.

"So... He's all better now?" Laurie asks.

"Yeah. He just needs to keep his hand bandaged up for a while longer," Crystal replies.

"I still don't understand why he didn't kill you when he got the chance back at Smith's Grove."

"Neither. Maybe I'm unkillable."

"Your goodness outweighs the bad," Michael says casually.

Crystal blinks up at Michael and Laurie stares at him.

"Is that some sort of fact?" Crystal asks.

Michael nods.

"You're pure then Crystal," Laurie says.

"So Allyson's gone and the evil of Haddonfield has been defeated. What now?" Crystal asks.

"I guess we just start anew," Laurie leans back in her chair, "I've started dating Frank Hawkins."

"Spill the tea," Crystal says.

Michael gives her a confused look.

"Spill the details..."

Michael nods.

"You have to translate everything for him?" Laurie asks.

"Yeah. Sometimes he just picks it up though," Crystal says with a shrug.

Laurie sighs and puts on leg on top of theother, she then looks over at Michael, "Okay... So, it all started on thatdreaded Halloween Night in 1978 and I was stuck in the closet as The Boogeymantried to break in and kill me..."