Toby was sitting out in the hallway, bouncing his leg against the carpeted ground in a sign of anxious impatience. He had brought (Y/N) here hours ago, and Dr. Smiley had even ordered for Eyeless Jack to help him. That was never a good sign. The boy was nervous, he knew the girl had still been alive when he arrived at Slender's mansion, but he wasn't sure what state she was in. The long wait time told him this was a bad sign.

He was holding his arm, tapping a finger against it as he waited, when the door opened. His head shot up and he jumped from his spot on the floor. Dr. Smiley and EJ both stepped out into the hall, EJ's jacket was covered in blood, and Smiley was removing bloody gloves.

"That would have been a lot easier had you not try to eat the patient..." Smiley grumbled, sending a glare towards the other monster.

"Whatever." EJ shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. They then turned to Toby, both seeming surprised he was even standing there.

"I-I-Is sheee okay?" Toby asked, "C-Can I see her?"

Dr. Smiley nodded his head, closing his eyes as he stepped aside, "We had to do an emergency surgery, she had internal bleeding and a few broken bones. But she's stable now, and extremely lucky to be alive. Had you gotten here any later, she'd definitely be dead."

Toby couldn't help but sigh in relief, slumping against the wall, "Th-Thank you..."

"If you wanna go see her you can." EJ said next, "She's not conscious though so it might be a tad boring."

The male gave the other two a nod, before walking back and pushing the door open slowly. The room was dimly lit, the two having clearly turned the light off to let (Y/N) rest. Wishing to respect that, Toby kept the main lights off and made his way to the bedside in the middle of the room. Pulling up a chair, he took a seat next to the bed, eyes on the girl who slept peacefully.

The room itself seemed murky, the light giving it a dull green glow. Covering walls were shelves covered in jars, jars full of many different and strange things. From organs to body pieces, random things Toby couldn't recognise and so on. The liquid was a gross green or yellow depending on the jar, and some labels had been half-hazardly slapped on some. There were boxes stacked in one corner, and along the wall on the other side, sharp utensils, weapons, and tools. It was both Dr. Smiley's and Eyeless Jack's spare room, a place they could use for their victims and storage, and that was all Toby wanted to know about it. The items around him gave him the creeps as it was.

He let out a sigh, turning his attention back to (Y/N) and slowly taking a hold of her hand, hoping to not disturb her. She was definitely lucky to have her here right now, with everything that had happened; his original goal to stop her from proving their identity, his job to kill her, Slenderman trying to kill her, and now she was here, in his boss' mansion, recovering from being hit by a car.

The thud rang in his ears, and he flinched at the memory. It wasn't anything like the crash with his sister, but it was still as sickening as hearing her cry for help... He was just glad she was okay, alive and breathing, not living him as suddenly as his sister had. A small smile spread out under his mask.

"Sh-Sh-She would have... Lo-oved you..." He mumbled to her, thinking about his sister now.

A shiver went down his spine and he let out a sigh. Laying the girl's hand back down he reached over and gently placed his hand on her head, his shoulder twitching as he leant over. A slight dizziness took over and he let out a groan, getting to his feet.

"Alr-right..." He grumbled, "I'm co-oming..."

The male left the room, glancing back at the sleeping girl, before closing the door and walking away. He made his way down the long hallway of the mansion, finding a set of stairs and walking down to the main floor. It was like muscle memory to him, swinging around the base pole of the staircase and straight through the large wooden doors. Within minutes he was in Slenderman's office.

"Tobias." Slenderman nodded to one of the chairs in front of his desk, "How is (Y/N)?"

"Y-Y-You know..." Toby said with a huff towards his proper name. He slumped in the chair, the cushion relaxing under his weight, "Yo-ou wa-a-anted to ssssee me?"

"Yes. And I figured it would be easier to talk in person." Slenderman said, leaning back in his chair and tapping his long white fingers on the armrest. Toby nodded, immediately going silent. Slender talking in person meant Toby wouldn't at all, his stutter would be too disruptive. His boss then clears his throat, and the boy's gaze snaps to his boss.

"I've done a lot in the past few hours." He continued, "A lot going against my better judgement. But I put my full trust into you Toby, I hope you understand that."

"Y-Yes sir."

"When (Y/N) wakes up, she will have to prove her worth to become my Proxy." The tall figure stated, "Assuming she heals quickly, this will be no problem for her."

"Y-Yes sir... Tha-ank you..." Toby bowed his head. Though a question stirred in his mind.

"I've been asking myself the same thing." Slenderman said, letting out a sigh and shifting forward, resting his arms on the desk,

"I don't want to admit it, especially as you're only my Proxy... But when you first arrived at her house, I could sense something changed that very night. I knew your loyalty was immediately altered to not just me, as it should be. I felt threatened at first, thinking I'm losing control of my Proxy. And you know how I feel about my control."

Toby nodded silently, scratching his head awkwardly. He hadn't known about those feelings that long, but he had figured Slender's strange mood was because of that. Turns out he was right, and that meant his boss was also prone to emotions like jealousy and such. He couldn't help but chuckle. A chill went down his spine as Slenderman's pale face stared blankly at him. He could sense the glare that would sit there, slinking back in the seat.

"Anyway. I was sick of your betrayal and constant disobedience, so I decided to take matters into my own hands." His boss continued, his shoulders relaxing, "And then you convinced me not to kill (Y/N), and for multiple reasons. It didn't take long for me to weigh the pros and cons of that decision. You took a hit from me to protect her, and I realised that if she were to die, you just wouldn't cope. It made me think of Laughing Jack and how he reacted when his girl disappeared."

"Plus, you also said I could use (Y/N) as another Proxy, and that in itself was a worthy promise, assuming she can prove herself." Slenderman finished, resting his hands on his lap.

Toby was taken back by all this information. To hear his boss' thoughts on the matter really helped him understand how he got here to start with. To know that Slenderman instantly understood him as he did Laughing Jack's situation. To know he thought about it, weighed the options, and made the right on in his mind. Toby's mind as well of course.

The human's fingers started tapping lightly on the chair, a small spasm of energy. He nodded his head, even bowed a little in Slenderman's direction.

"Th-Than-ank you boss..." He stuttered, before getting to his feet.

"Tobias." Slenderman said and he froze, mentally flinching again.

"Y-Yes...?"

"I hope you understand the situation you're in right now." His boss said, leaning his pale head on his hand, "If (Y/N) does not succeed, if she is not able to prove her worth to me... I will kill her."

"B-B-But sssir-" Toby turned to him, frowning behind the mask, "I-I thought you jusst said yo-ou understo-o-ood?"

"I do." Slenderman said, "But I cannot spare anyone. She would not be able to stay here otherwise. It's bad enough another normal person is roaming around, but she is Laughing Jack's problem. In this case, (Y/N) will be your problem, which means you will need to put a lot of time into looking after her and protecting her from the others. If she is not successful it means she won't be able to do any work for me, and you will still have the same workload. Do you see the issue?"

"I-I... Ca-an't be in two p-places at once..." Toby said, clenching his fists at his sides, "B-But you u-understand I-I wouldn't cope...?"

"That's a bridge we can cross if the problem arises. I trust you've made the right decision though Toby, don't make that minor possibility a reality."

The male nodded, once again understanding his boss again. Slenderman didn't think it would come to that, he has great trust in Toby's words. But if this does manage to fail in the end, it will result in a lot of pain and drama. For the first time since his claim of (Y/N)'s possibilities, Toby felt a pang of doubt.

He thanked his boss again, before leaving the room. He could feel his head spinning at the thought, he could feel Slenderman watching him still, as if studying him to see what he thinks or does. He sighed, shaking his head as he walked back through the mansion. It was a huge gamble, but one he had felt confident in, and even Slenderman felt confident, so surely this won't be a problem...

Right...?

Eyeless Jack and Dr. Smiley had both left the room now, the hallway empty as Toby arrived back at the large storage space. He took his seat by (Y/N)'s side, studying her face as she rested. Slowly, he took her hand, squeezing it lightly as he went over the information. Knowing this information could put a lot of pressure on the girl, it could make her hesitate in whatever task Slenderman gave her. It will probably scare her, but it would be best if she knew.

Perhaps knowing could be her saving grace in the end.

"I-I-It will be... Ok-kay..." Toby said, stroking his hand with her thumb, "Y-You'll be ok-kay..."

She didn't stir, and he wished she would. He found himself missing her voice, wishing she would wake up and talk, to tell him herself that it would be okay. He let out a sigh, leaning his head on the bed next to her body.

A soft groan came from her, and he sat up almost instantly. The girl shifted, her head rolling to the side, flinching in pain. Her eyes started to open, blinking as she adjusted to the dim light. She held a hand to her head, letting out another groan,

"Ugh... What...? Where am I...?" (Y/N) asked, looking around.

"Sh-Shh.." Toby said, taking her hand again, "I-It's okay."

"Toby...?" She looked at him, "What... Happened...?"

The boy closed his eyes, lowering his head slightly, "A-A lot..."

"Mind... Elaborating...?"

And he did. Toby filled (Y/N) in on the recent events. How they had been on the run from Slenderman, how Toby did his best to fight him off. He explained to her how she got hit by a car and Toby had to protect her until he could convince Slender to not kill her.

In fact, he pulled his hoodie off, showing her the wrappings around the wound he received from Slender. After telling her that it was meant to be her final blow, her eyes widened, and she reached forward, gently touching the wound. Toby didn't react, looking at her hand silently.

"I-I'm... Glad yo-ou're okay..." He said, taking her hand, "I-I waited u-until they were do-o-one fixing you up... I couuuldn't do anythi-ing else."

(Y/N) gave him a small smile, tilting her head at him. But she yelped when Toby lurched forward, wrapping his arms around her tightly as his body shook, his shoulder ticking as he buried his head into her neck. The girl's cheeks turned red, but she hugged him back, gritting her teeth in pain. Toby closed his eyes tightly, indulging in the embrace, grateful to be able to feel her hugging him again.

"So... Where am I then...?" (Y/N) sounded pained, and Toby let go of her sheepishly. He made her lay back down, and she did, before looking around the room, taking in the... Creepy... Interior, a smile cracked on her lips in a joking manner, "This isn't your place is it?"

Toby shook his head, "N-No, this rroom be-belongs to E-EJ and Dr. SSSmiley."

"I... Don't know those guys."

"Y-You're in... Slender's ma-a-a-ansion." He sat back now, looking at her. He brushed her hair from her face, seeing the awe fill her eyes.

"I'm... In the Slenderman Mansion...?"

"Y-Yep."

"What does the old boss man think of that?" She asked, cracking a smile.

Toby stared at her a moment longer, before letting out a sigh. He leant back in the chair, fiddling with his thumbs. The girl noticed his immediate change in attitude and tilted her head, now concerned for him. She wanted to reach over and touch him, but her body was still hurting from whatever accident happened, and the unexpected hug.

"I-I... Spoke to Slender..." Toby said slowly, "Co-o-o-onvinccced him n-n-no-ot to ki-ill you... W-With a bargain..."

"What kind of bargain?" (Y/N) asked, raising a brow.

"I-I told him that h-h-he could usssse you a-as a Proxy..." His stuttering got worse, he couldn't look her in the eyes, "S-S-Sooo now you nee-ed to prove yourssself..."

She blinked, before letting out a sigh and laying her head back, "Oh... I see... What does that mean?"

"I-I'm not... Entirely... S-Sure..."

"You had to go through the Proxy process."

"I-It's diffffferent for everyone."

She closed her eyes now, taking a deep breath in. Toby kept watching her, feeling terrible for putting her in this situation. He once again took her hand, giving it a squeeze,

"Slenderman w-will most likely t-t-tell us when it'sss time." He said, rubbing her hand with his thumb. She shifted her hand, holding his in return and turning her head to face him.

"What if I can't do it...?"

Toby shook his head, insuring her that he's confident in her. He lifted her hand, pulling his mask down and held her hand to his good cheek, leaning into it. She caressed his cheek lightly, though she still looked worried. He hated that she looked so worried. He knew she was only worried because of him. But it was the only way to save her. Of course Slenderman would spare her if he could use her.

He reassured her some more, telling her through his stuttering that she'll be okay, and that he'll help as much as he can. The girl nodded and threw on another smile. She caressed his cheek more, rubbing her thumb under his eye, and although he couldn't feel it, he leant into her hold anyway. He still couldn't help but feel bad though.

"I-I'm sorry... F-For putting you throu-ough this..." He mumbled, and the girl tilted her head at him.

"Are you kidding?" She giggled, turning her gaze to the roof, "Toby I was trying to prove your existence... How long ago? I'm surprised and worried, yes, but boy am I glad to even have this opportunity."

The boy's lips spread out into a smile, catching her eyes. They swam with something warm, and she ran her thumb over his lips. He wished he could feel it.

"I love it when you smile..." She said. Toby nodded, feeling a lump form in his throat.

"(Y-Y/N)..." He started, but she spoke above him.

"What's gonna happen to me anyway if I fail to prove myself?"

He gulped, not wanting to tell her. Wouldn't it be best if she didn't know? Wouldn't the lack of knowledge, the ignorance, keep her safe? He knew he was going to tell her, but he really didn't want to. Even still, the twitching male took a deep breath,

"B-Because if you do-on't... Slenderman w-wiiillll kill you."