A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Never had she thought that she would be in this situation. Currently, she was putting the boxes back. Granted, she had checked the last box, but it only contained dishware. So, she was done with her search in the garage. Still, having monkey arms wrapped around her neck, as Drem clung to her was irritating. At least she wasn't freezing anymore.

If anything, she needed to remind him to let up on his grip some. She didn't wish to be choked to death. So, as she placed the next box on one of the shelves, she nudged his right arm with the right side of her face. He understood the message and loosened his hold.

When she finished with putting the boxes back, she turned off the garage light and headed out of the area. She closed the door behind her and locked it. There was still the kitchen and living room to search, but she felt somewhat drained after inspecting the boxes. Maybe, it was just the fact that she had possibly given up her last opportunity of early escape or escape entirely.

The decision to calm Drem down may have cost her everything. Still, it was hard to see him like that. Picturing him bringing the hammer down on the ring over and over again was difficult to remove from her mind. Would she have lost it if she was in his shoes? She didn't know because she had never experienced such a seemingly crushing slap to the face.

Sympathizing with him was bizarre to her, though. It wasn't like she could just remove the memories of what had occurred last week from her mind. When it came down to the facts, Drem was a violent obsessive individual if he didn't get his ways. Then again, her own advice to Drem was popping back up in her head. It happened in the past, and you need to learn to accept that. Whatever occurred back then is over. Those words wouldn't stop pestering her.

They could be applied to her situation so easily, and it was infuriating. Those words were essentially screaming at her to forgive him, but the marks on her body told her otherwise. Not to mention that every time she looked in a mirror, she would see his name written under her left eye.

Inwardly groaning at her contrasting thoughts, she found herself already in the living room when she broke out of them. While she had been thinking, she had been investigating the room for any evidence. She blinked a few times; slightly taken aback that she hadn't noticed her actions.

Scanning over her work, she saw nothing of interest to her quest for answers. She continued to move things around and look for anything of use to her mission. During this time, Drem was still clinging onto her. He had been silent the entire time, but he could very well be recovering from his mental meltdown. The benefit of this present state of his was that he wasn't causing her any trouble, with the exception of him occasionally choking her on, hopefully, accident.

Turning up empty handed, she rearranged everything back to how it was before. She moved onto the kitchen, and once again she didn't discover any new information. There was the backyard to check, but it was getting late. It was already eight in the evening after all, and she was tired from moving things around all day.

Maybe, she would just check the backyard for a few minutes. She had no intention of digging, though. Already, she had some decent information, and she could form various theories in her head from that. They might not be a hundred percent accurate until Drem was willing to confirm one, but they would be better than any assumption she would form without the new knowledge.

Dragging her feet down the hallway, she decided that she would look around the backyard. She reached the door, unlocked it and headed outside. The night sky shone above and was reflected in the water of the water fountain. It was gorgeous outside to say the least.

Shutting the door behind her, she began to crawl around on the ground to see beneath the buttercups. After checking there, she stood up and climbed some of the trees. She knew better than to jump over the backyard fence, especially since Drem was so close to her. His grip had tightened on her, which easily signaled that he was warning her not to attempt such a thing.

After examining the apple trees, she learned nothing of value to her investigation. She sighed lightly before she plopped herself down on the soft grass. Drem finally climbed down from her and seated himself close to her. Her gaze turned to him for a moment, and she was almost caught off guard to find him staring directly up and at her.

Cold air soon greeted her before it lessened. She presumed that he was getting paper and a pen. When the backdoor opened, unveiling a notepad and pencil, she waited for him to write. Both items landed in front of the monkey.

Thank you for before, my little doe. I probably would have remained like that for awhile if you hadn't done something. You could've escaped, but you stayed.

"Yeah, don't rub my mistake in my face," she huffed out, crossing her legs and resting her chin in the palm of her right hand, while her right elbow rested on her right knee. She stared blankly ahead, so she wouldn't have to look at the monkey or notepad for a few moments. "You're welcome, though. Hopefully, you'll treat me with a little more respect from now on." Her (e/c) eyes turned to the page, as she heard the pencil move across it.

Well, I won't make any promises, but I'll try to improve my behavior some more. You really did bring me some much needed comfort. If you had left, well ... I probably would be in horrible state of mind at the moment. Constant hate would most likely have consumed me entirely. You saved me from only feeling hate; you really are my second chance.

"Don't read into it so much, Drem. For me to be your second chance, I have to agree to it. Presently, I don't. Right now, I just need to think and put the pieces together as well as I can."

You're considering it, then?

"Tch, don't get cocky. Behind this more emotional side of you, you're still a pervert, who needs to learn about personal space. At the present I need to learn what happened in the past, even if it is over. Even if it can't be fixed, I feel that I should know about it. You already have that knowledge, since whatever happened had occurred to you. I lack it, and I need it to better understand the situation that I'm in."

Isn't that a little unfair? You wish to know so much about what happened in my past, yet you haven't offered to tell me anything about your past. You should at least give me some more facts about yourself, my little doe. What's your passion in life? What drives you?

"Like I would answer any of those questions," she grumbled out. "Besides, you haven't told me really anything about yourself, except when it concerns Nathan and you."

Well, you didn't seem interested in those details. After all, you usually push me aside and insult me, which I don't mind too much. I do like the challenge that you present me. I would be happy to answer some of your inquiries if they do just concern me and not Nathan or the distraction for that matter.

"Maybe, another time," she responded, looking away from him. She turned her gaze upwards and proceeded to ignore him. That was the case until she felt the cold disappear, and the monkey crawl up onto her legs. (F/n) glanced down to him and raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to now?"

Receiving no answer, he made his way up her left arm and caused her to tense somewhat. Her gaze watched him carefully in case he tried something harmful to her. Instead, he perched himself up on her left shoulder before he lowered his face to hers.

Before she could react, he pressed his plush lips to hers. A light feeling of heat hit her cheeks, as he jumped down from her and back over to the notepad. When he looked back up to her, she turned her head away and attempted to make the subtle heat go away.

Soon, however, she peered back over to him. The monkey was still, and the cold was back. On the piece of paper was written I'm going to make dinner. As the cold grew less intense around her, she brought her hands back up to her cheeks. She rubbed them in annoyance.

That jerk had caught her off guard, and he was using that monkey form to his blasted advantage. It was like having a pet dog or cat lick her on the face. Granted, she didn't consider Drem to be a pet, since he was a perverted entity that had been previously human. Due to her comparison, though, a picture did form in her mind, and her blush came back.

Instantly, she whacked herself on the head and cursed the male out silently. It didn't help when she told herself that he had been human at one point. That reminder just made her imagine his human self kissing her on the cheek.

Moaning out in absolute exasperation, she fell onto her back and outstretched her arms. This didn't last long, as she draped her right arm across her eyes. She didn't even know what Drem had looked like as a human, yet an image of an attractive male popped up in her head. It wasn't like there were distinct characteristics present in the mental picture, but her mind just assumed him to be physically attractive to her tastes. This vexing realization caused her to mutter out, "I'm supposed to be repulsed by him. Something's seriously wrong with me."