As with all the Oneshots I've done so far, I'm not sure where I got the idea for this from. Basically, I just thought 1 and 7's relationship should have been delved into more. There is, of course, tension between the two, but they had to have been something like friends before, right? I thought so.

I disclaim. Any and all characters in this story come from Tim Burton's ingeniousness. So please don't get mad at me if I'm mistaken in something. I've only seen the movie once.

She hated him. He was a sniveling coward, and she hated him. How could he have just... just left him there like that? If she hadn't jumped in and helped them, 5 would have lost more than just his eye along with 2. And 1 would've just walked away with his tail between his legs. That bastard.

He was trying to protect the group, one part of her whispered. She pushed the voice aside. So he was willing to let them die?

For the good of the group.

That doesn't justify it!

A groan from 5 shook her out of her thoughts. She gave his arm a squeeze and looked down at him worriedly. He missed the glance, his head bent towards the ground as she and 1 supported him. She could see the wires from his open socket sparking slightly. Her gaze moved onto 1 who was bearing 5's other shoulder. As if he could feel her glare, he glanced over.

His expression was just as cold and hard as ever, but... was that a flicker of doubt she saw? A twitch of regret? She shook her head slowly. She knew 1. She knew he was capable of happiness when he wanted to. She also knew that he was capable of cowardice. And sadness. But regret? No. Not regret. He was much too busy leading the group for that. He was only capable of what he allowed himself.

They arrived at the Cathedral and 2, 3, and 4 took 5 into the other room to fix him up. She watched as 6 seemed to debate as to whether he should follow them or do something else. Finally he let out a strange whine before running after them. By that time 8 had already plopped himself down in front of the door. It was his turn to guard the entryway. She hoped he didn't indulge in that magnet he had found. She had caught him with it yesterday, wearing a silly grin and giggling like an idiot. She didn't warn him about it now, she had bigger fish to fry.

She could feel her anger start to boil again and she followed 1 onto the elevator. He could tell she was angry. He met her lens straight on, glaring just as harshly back at her. Sparks flew sizzling into the silence. The lift hit the main hall with a clunk and they stumbled slightly. He banged the gate open and stormed onto the floor. She followed close behind.

"I hope you're happy."

He grunted. "Happy?" He ignored her, walking towards the large stain-glass window in front of them.

"1... 5 could have died and 2 with him."

"And you could have risked the whole group by going back for them." He said as he turned toward her, his anger shining through.

"You would have just let them die?" she asked, incredulously. "Let them become a squashed mat of rubble?"

He sighed and shook his head. "It would have been a cause for sorrow and they would have been greatly missed, by all of us," he said, answering her unspoken accusation. "but going back for them risked the whole group." He spoke louder at the end to be heard over 7's protestation.

"How... how can you be so cruel?" she hissed.

He flinched slightly at her words. Good, she thought. Let him feel bad. He stepped closer to her, glaring her in the face. "You just don't get it, do you? We stay alive by keeping safe. Not by gallivanting off for a lost cause."

She stepped closer as well, staring him in the face. "You're just a coward. A sad, little coward that won't help a friend for risk of his own hide."

His scowl deepened. "Don't speak of things you know nothing of." His glare pierced her cloth. "And you know nothing of me."

She felt her wheels whir. "It's just two less heads to count."

He looked up sharply and she stepped back. She could tell she had hit something. But that had been what she'd wanted, right? She'd wanted him to feel her betrayal, like she'd felt his when he'd left 5 and 2. So why did her workings wince when she saw him lower his head again? Seconds past as 1 glared at the ground. Finally, he turned his back on her, holding up a hand as if to wave goodbye.

She watched him slump onto a box in front of the large stain-glass window. The man in the colors seemed to weep for their condemned souls. If they even had souls. She suppressed a shiver as the moments passed in silence. Finally, 7 turned with a shake of her head and walked towards the lift. A twinge of regret egged on her next words.

"I'm sorry," she said as she paused. "for my words. And that you're such a coward." She lifted her foot to walk into the elevator.

A high pitched, whining whistle blew through the air and 1's head rose up, the noise annoying his circuitry. It wasn't until the Cathedral shifted and a loud boom shook the air around them, did he realize what it was. The elevator jostled and 7 flew forward into it. She was stumbling to her feet when another bomb rocked the floor. Her optics locked with 1's as she fell backwards into the fence around the lift, the snapping wood and her startled gasp echoing into the room. She fumbled for a holding, grasping at the broken plank and holding on with an iron grip. Her beating heart raced when she heard the crack of splintering wood and clanging of a bell. She looked above. The bombs that rained down around the building had snapped or loosened the ropes on the large bell in the tower. And it was speeding down towards her, ropes trailing behind.

She groped for a better hold so she could lift herself up, but the moment she shifted the plank she grasped creaked and dipped down into the dark hole beneath her.

"1!" she yelled, fumbling desperately for a way up. She couldn't believe he was going to just let her die. She tried to swing her legs up onto the timber, and succeeded. But she had jostled it too much. And the board snapped.

The breath oozed out of her as she began to fall, her hands out stretched and reaching up. She was dead, 1 wouldn't save her, too afraid for his own life to help her. That's why she couldn't believe it when his hand grabbed onto hers and started to pull her up. He heaved her onto the splintering elevator and they went to scramble off it. 7 reached the floor and turned to find that 1 wasn't with her. She looked back to see that 1 had gotten one of his straps caught on a nail on the floor.

He was blindly groping under his side to undo the strap. There was a loud clang and he lifted his head in fear. 7 jumped forward onto the elevator, slipping her knife out of it's holding and swiping the rope to the lift to give them more time. Hopefully, her plan would work. She fell on top of 1 as the elevator plummeted downwards. She worked her knife under him and began slicing at his strap. The lift hit something and it tilted to the side.

Startled, 7 lost her grip, sliding down the planks of wood towards the edge of the elevator. She grabbed ahold of 1's foot, clinging to it desperately. She looked up when she heard a ripping noise. Suddenly, 1's strap tore and they tumbled down and out of the lift. Expecting the end, she closed her shutters.

They lurched the side suddenly, and she opened her lens again to see that they were swinging on a broken board sticking out of the side of the tunnel by 1's broken strap. The elevator crashed down below and she realized how close they were to the bottom. That could have been them. They swung to the the left and 1's grip slipped. They hit the floor in a puff of dust. 1 let out a grunt as she landed on top of him.

The bell clanged above. She watched as 1's shutters widened. They both flinch when a loud clanging came from directly above them. And continued to ring. She froze in surprise. She looked up to see that the bell was clanging just above her head, supported by three long, strong ropes swinging with the momentum of the bell. Still connected to the top of the tower.

She rolled off of 1 and collapsed onto her back.

"Now was that so hard?" she whispered, reaching over and taking his hand in hers.

"Thank you."

He'd left the others to take care of the rubble, heading into the repair shop to fix his broken strap. Finding a needle along with some thread and a more material for his band, he set to work on sewing it together. Only to find that he had trouble reaching the spot. He cursed and muttered under his breath, wholly fed up with the day. It had gone from bad to worse, and it wasn't getting any better.

"Do you want some help?"

A voice from behind startled him and he turned to find 5 standing in the doorway. He looked away from the new patch covering his open socket.

"I can manage." he grumbled.

"Are you sure?" 5 asked, walking over, but keeping a respectful distance from his leader.

"I'm fine." he snapped. 5 flinched, but didn't walk away. He shifted uneasily on his feet as 1 tried again to sew the strap together. After several attempts and several curses from 1, he finally looked over at 5. "Alright, get over here."

5 smiled slightly as he took the needle and thread from 1. They sat in silence for a few seconds, the only noise being the needle slipping through the cloth. 1 felt the guilt as heavily as he had felt 7 land on top of him. Nonsense. There was no reason for him to feel guilty. He was only doing what was best for the group. Besides, it all had worked out well in the end. The boy and 2 were alive, weren't they? Everything was fine, he told the regretful thoughts in his mind. They didn't believe him.

"Boy," he started. "... I'm sorry about your lens."

5 looked up in surprise. "Oh, um, it's... it's OK. I mean, I don't really mind it. That is... I have to get used to it, but... it let's me focus on one thing at a time."

1 turned his head towards 5, intrigued by what he had said.

"There, good as new." 5 said as he stood up from the mat. His usual sheepishness with the leader crept in and he stood there awkwardly staring at the floor. "Um, I'll just, ah, I'll just leave then." He waited for a second to see if 1 would say anything. When he didn't, 5 backed up slowly and out the door.

1 heard him give a startled yelp. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"It's fine." he heard a feminine and very familiar voice say. His shutters narrowed. Had she been spying on them?

The boy apologized again and went off to help the others clean up. 1 watched as 7 walked into the room. She didn't pause as she sat beside him. He waited for her to speak. And waited, and waited.

"Well?" he said abruptly, turning to face her.

"Well?"

"Well, are you going to say something, or not?"

She looked at him cooly. "What would you have me say?"

"I don't know, but I assume there's a reason you came here to spy on me." he grumbled.

"You apologized."

"I'm known to do that, when the urge comes to me."

She looked over at him, one side of her mouth lifting up in a smirk. She took his hand in hers and gave it a pat. "I'm proud of you."

He snatched his hand back and crossed his arms. "I do not need your support in what I do. And even though I may feel bad the boy was injured, it doesn't mean I think I was in the wrong."

7's smile faded. She nodded. "I know."

His optics glanced over at her. He didn't like what he saw. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm wondering when this will all end." She looked sadly down at the floor.

Misunderstanding her, 1 placed a hand on her shoulder. "It won't end until they both die out. Let us just hope they don't kill us in the process." His voice sounded tired. He stood, turning away from her. "Get some rest. Tell the others as well, it'll be dark soon."

"1..." she stood up as well, reaching out and taking his shoulder. She turned him around to face her. For some strange reason, her inner wirings began to ache. "Don't give up."

He looked at her confusedly. "I don't plan on it."

"Good." she smiled, turning to go.

He stopped her. "Was there something else you wanted to tell me?" He looked inquiringly at her.

She turned to look back at him. "No, 1. Never mind.

"It can wait."

After she disappeared, 1 ignored the tear in the group that she left behind.