◌ Forty ◌

"You guys can't be here right now!" Ray shouted at the people who just emerged from the helicopter.

They ignored him, coming over to the group and smiling.

"Miss us?" Tyler Joseph asked.

"It's been a while." Josh Dun said. "Last time we saw you guys it was the twenty-first chapter! You made it all the way to forty! Don't you feel proud?"

"Twenty-first chapter of what?" Dallon hissed. "Nobody knows what you mean when you talk like that."

"Never mind that. You guys need help, right?" Tyler said, motioning toward little Helena.

"Yes." Joe sighed, knowing where this was going.

"Well, we're here to help." Tyler said.

"You know, we're still really mad at you but we love Helena so we're willing to let you help us," Mikey said, pouting.

"Cute." Josh said before walking to the baby.

He and Tyler took turns picking her up in the air, saying some chants, and finally, dripping some liquid from a bottle labeled, "HOLY WATER" on her head. After the holy water was poured, Tyler and Josh both held Helena up to the sun (which was covered in storm clouds) and started chanting again.

"Here I come again to you." Tyler said.

"Just to show the blood soaked through, through my bones and all I owe." Josh said.

"Is there a way for me to grow?"

"I walk to you, rain falls from you."

"Can you wash me, can you drown me... NOT?" Tyler finished, screaming the last part.

As soon as he said the word not, Helena perked up. They lowered her and she smiled and babbled as if nothing even happened. The twelve band members froze in shock, unable to move.

"Bingo!" Helena said.

That got them started. They all screamed and yelled, some cried. They were so happy that Helena was alive. Not only did it mean they didn't lose the challenge but they really cared about Helena. They didn't want a single bad thing to happen to her. During Cook For A Day, nobody really cared that Tony got food poisoning or when whatever-his-name-was cut his tongue on the glass shards. They were strictly in it for the challenge and nothing else. But for this challenge, the guys had fallen for Helena and loved her to death. They loved the way she hurt them, baby.

Josh and Tyler stood awkwardly a few feet away from the crowd, waiting for their cue to leave. Finally, somebody noticed them.

"Hey thanks, guys. We really hated you before but this just made up for the crappy stunt you pulled earlier." Frank said to them.

Way back when Tyler and Josh's cruise ship sank, Tyler and Josh were unprepared to save everybody. They only had one life raft with seats for just three people. Ray jumped on and he, Tyler and Josh swam away to safety while everybody else was left to drown on a sinking ship.

"We're very sorry we did that. We were going to sail to shore and then come back with more boats to save you guys." Tyler said.

"No we weren't. Don't lie." Josh said.

"Okay fine. We weren't. But we felt so so, horrible about it after. Josh cried."

"I thought we weren't going to mention that." Josh said, embarrassed and slightly mad at Tyler for just announcing that.

"How can we repay you for saving Helena?" Mikey asked.

"No need. This is us repaying you for what we did earlier." Tyler said.

"Well we have to give you something. You saved her life." Mikey said.

"How about we invite them over for a big lunch. A feast!" Pete yelled.

At that moment, everybody forgot that they had no food in the house. They all cheered and yelled. It looked like it was going to be lunch for fourteen. Somehow.

~~~~~~~

Later

~~~~~~~

"NOOOO! YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE HER!" Mikey sobbed.

"Mikey, please! Calm down. You knew this moment would come eventually." Gerard said, trying to get his brother to shut up.

"DON'T TAKE HELENA AWAY!" Mikey yelled at Billie Joe.

Billie Joe had come to pick up Helena. It was devastating for everybody. Not only did he come to steal their baby but he came with some bad news too. They would have to keep Bob for the rest of their time at the house. And if they lost the challenge and had to find their own way back home off the island, Bob would get a free ride back home while the others suffered on the island alone together.

The process of taking Helena was long and drawn out. Each member (including Bob who had grown quite attached to her too) gave her three hugs and ten kisses (five on the head, three on the nose, and one on each cheek) and then said something quick. That whole process time 13 people took about twenty five minutes. Billie Joe promise they could visit Helena soon and that stopped everyone from crying for a bit.

After they said their goodbyes everyone headed inside, tired and sad. Joe, Andy, Dallon, and Ray were playing hide and seek throughout the house. Ray was seeking.

"TEN."

"NINE."

"EIGHT."

"SEVENSIXFIVEFOURTHREETWOONE READY OR NOT HERE I COME!" he screamed, rushing through the last few numbers.

"Hey Ray could you keep it down please? Book club is trying to read in peace here." Frank said.

"SORRY NOT SORRY!" Ray screamed while racing into the kitchen, giggling like a child.

He looked around the kitchen for two seconds before spotting the first loser.

"Oh, Daaaallon... I see you!" he said in a sing-songy voice.

"Awww is it because I'm wearing a bright yellow hoodie?" Dallon asked, frowning as he came out from behind the counter.

"No it's your height. I could see the back of your entire head from here.

"But I was sitting!" Dallon whined.

"Come on, let's find the others."

Little did they know, Andy was going to be impossible to find. He was hiding in a bedroom closet. Joe, however, was easier. Dallon and Joe searched the living room entirely and couldn't find them anywhere. They moved on to the bathroom. Dallon, forgetting his manners, forgot to knock on the door.

"HEY! I'M PEEING HERE, DO YOU MIND?" Gerard screamed, covering his... stuff.

"Damn it, Gerard!" Dallon yelled, startled, before slamming the door shut.

He and Joe looked at each other, their eyes wide.

"D-did you s-see it?" Joe choked out.

"Y-yeah. Did you?"

Joe nodded.

They sat on the floor outside the bathroom in silence for a good minute.

"I-I can't get that out of my head." Dallon whispered, shivering.

"I know... I can... still see it." Joe said, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Dallon said, gagging.

"Me too."

"Do you think he... he..." Dallon tried to speak but was cut off by Gerard exiting the bathroom. He just walked past them and rolled his eyes a bit, clearly not angry with them.

They both shuddered in response.

"I think we should go find Andy and Ray. Then maybe... take a long break."

"Good idea."

They entered the bathroom after knocking on the door. They knew nobody was inside (after all, Gerard had just left ten seconds ago) but they just didn't want to repeat what happened. They checked behind the side of the counter, behind the door, and in the shower curtain. Joe even peeked in the toilet. Just as they were about to leave, they checked the cabinet below the sink. There sat Ray, shivering, his knees clutched to his chest.

"You okay there my fro bro?" Joe asked.

Ray shook his head, still in a trance.

"What happened?" Dallon asked as he knelt down on the cold tile floor.

"Fro buddy, what's wrong?"

"Didn't think anyone would need to use the bathroom... G-G-Gerard... came to pee... doesn't zip his pants until... until after he washed his hands... was right here... saw everything..." Ray said choppily while rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Oh Ray! We're so sorry!" Dallon said, taking Ray's hands in his own.

Poor Ray had also seen everything. Since Ray was in the cabinet below the sink, he looked through the crack and was at the perfect angle to see EVERYTHING, just an inch away from his face. Gerard had not known Ray was in the bathroom because Ray hid before Gerard came in. He did not pull up his pants until after he washed his hands, resulting in quite a show for Ray. Now Ray was even more scarred than Joe and Dallon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in the living room

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Pete you can't take stones from my side." Patrick said.

After Patrick learned that Pete was hopeless at all kinds of games (board games, card games, classic games, you name it) he was even more determined to teach Pete a game. He resorted to Mancala, a classic game from around the 17th century. Pete was once again, failing. Patrick did not know which was more frustrating, teaching Pete how to play or trying to put up with Pete's endless jokes about being stoned.

"No, that one's on my side." Pete whined.

"It's not. Look, these are all yours and these are all mine." Patrick said, pointing to the spots on the board.

"No, you said these are mine and those are yours." Pete said.

"No, I definitely did not say that." Patrick said, laughing. "Here, let me help you. Take the stones from this spot. They'll score you a stone if you keep going."

Pete grabbed the pieces from the pit Patrick pointed at. Sure enough, he made it around the board and earned two stones. He smiled.

"I'm getting good at this."

"Uh, yeah.... You totally are..." Patrick said.

"I guess you could say I'm pretty stoned right now." Pete said, laughing hysterically.

"Pete... just no."

"Guys please be quiet!" Frank said, angry.

"Yeah!" Bob said, putting his book down.

"We're trying to read here!" Frank said.

"Yeah!" Bob said again. "I'm dying to know who hurt Scout! My money is on Mayella. Either him or Boo Radley. Or maybe it's Atticus! Maybe Atticus attacked his own daughter! Plot twist!" Bob excitedly buried his face back into To Kill A Mockingbird.

"Go someplace else." Frank said.

"Fine. Come on Patrick let's go to my room." he mumbled, folding the Mancala board to carry it upstairs. The stones spilled everywhere.

"No Pete! Why do you do that! Now we have to start all over!" Patrick said.

"Huh? I- Oh..." Pete frowned when he realized he just ruined their game. "Uh oh..."

"It's fine. We can start over." Patrick said.

Pete threw one more angry glare at the book club members. "We have no time for their pathetic high-school-required-reading-book-loser-club anyway."

"The heck did you just say?" Frank said, getting up to Pete's level (which wasn't that hard).

"Let's go Pete!" Patrick said before grabbing the game and Pete's hand and running upstairs.

Pete smirked as they ran up the stairs knowing Patrick thought he folded the game board by accident. In reality, Pete just wanted to start over because there was no way he could have won the last round. So what does he do when he realizes he can't win a game? He finds a way to start over. When they entered the room, they collapsed on the floor laughing and unfolded the board, setting it back up. Patrick couldn't help but notice Pete watching him closely as he placed the stones into the holes of the board.

Patrick looked up and into Pete's eyes. Pete was smiling slightly. Patrick's heart sped up when he met Pete's eyes. He stopped setting up the board and watched in excitement and horror as Pete moved closer to him. Patrick's hands were frozen in midair with a few stones in it. He dropped the stones, not caring where they landed. Soon enough, Pete was just inches away. Patrick could hear Pete's quick breathing.

"Patrick I-" Pete was stopped mid-sentence by Patrick's lips. He closed his eyes in surprise and kissed back slowly.

"AW, COME ON GUYS, REALLY?" a begging voice said from inside Pete's closet, scaring the crap out of the two of them.

"Who... who's there?" Pete said, confused and still dazed from the kiss.

"Who do you think?" the voice said.

"Andy?" Patrick groaned.

"Yep. Don't mind me I'm watching you two from the closet. Wishing I hid somewhere else for hide and seek."

Andy got up and left the room. As soon as he opened the door Pete and Patrick heard a high pitched scream followed by an, "I FOUND YOU!"

Andy was severely annoyed as he closed the door. He explained to whoever he was playing with them that he had a great spot until he had to leave for... reasons. His voice faded away as Pete and Patrick laughed.

"Could we... Try that again?" Patrick whispered.

"I would love to." Pete said as he leaned in slowly.

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