Bugs moved down the stairs as silently as he could, being careful to not wake up the others. It was still early- the damn birds outside of his bedroom window each morning made sure he knew that. Had it not been for the nightly fits of insomnia and much too frequent nightmares, he wouldn't be as keen on leaving his warm covers and comfortable mattress to escape their shrilly chirping.

He was relieved when he saw the sun rise each morning. Although he had been starting to sleep a bit more in the month since Smokey died- especially after he was discharged from the hospital he and Dot had briefly stayed at in the days after the police raided Smokey's hideout- he still hated having to retreat to his room each night and usually relive in his nightmares the abuse and constant fear he'd endured over the past few months. And as much as he hated to admit it, these feelings had yet to stop plaguing his thoughts.

It didn't help that his anxiety had returned full force, either.

He probably checked on the kids, Daffy, and Foghorn at least three times a night since they moved back into his home. It's not like he had much else to do when he could't sleep, even though he did make the effort to catch at least a few hours each night. The brand new security system he had had installed seemed sufficient and he knew that they were no longer a target by Smokey or anyone else. But there was still a constantly nagging fear that he just couldn't shake.

In some ways, it felt like he was back in the same state he was in after Bosko tried to kill him all those years ago. But in most ways, it didn't feel that way at all. He had more people supporting him, and doing so because they generally cared for him rather than just wanting him back in the studio shooting again. And this time he didn't have to worry about his would-be killer coming back to finish the job.

Bugs pulled the ties around his bathrobe tighter as he approached the front door to get the paper. He hadn't realized how much weight he had lost while he was Smokey's prisoner until the doctors had actually told him. His ribs were practically visible, his figure was much more gaunt than lean, and his cheeks were much too hollow. But he was starting to look like himself again after a short stay at the hospital and countless supplement pills later.

Dot was, too, though she was definitely worse off than him at first. While he was always trim, he had still had a good amount of muscle mass and fat for his body to pull nutrients from. But she was still tiny for her age even before they were captured. Like him, she was feeling and looking better now but she still fatigued easier than he'd like.

He knew Dot had trouble at night like him. He often heard her pad across the hall into her brothers' room, or sometimes she would come into his room in the middle of the night and quietly curl up next to him. Those nights were easier for him, whether he slept or not.

Like him, she had her moments of panic and fear throughout the day. They had become fewer and farther in between in the past few weeks, but she would still sometimes slip into his or Yakko's lap without a word and bury her head against their chest, or she would withdraw from conversations at dinner or in the living room with little indication of her suffering other than her hands nervously clutching at each other. Even her brothers occasionally seemed like they weren't quite present in a room; like their minds were adrift someplace darker.

On top of that, Yakko and Foghorn still had trouble moving up the stairs or walking for long periods of time. While the antidote had almost instantly brought their color and minds back to normal, their bodies were still slowly recovering. Bugs brought them to physical therapy three times a week and he was glad to see it was starting to pay off.

Even though things were still hard, they were all pulling through their struggles together. When he wasn't speaking to the authorities and studio heads, or visiting Porky and his other friends who had been inked or hurt in this entire ordeal, he tried to spend as much time with the kids as possible. So had Foghorn and Daffy.

Foghorn had taken the boys fishing a few times over the last month, though Yakko had only gone the first time. Bugs never did get the whole story as to why Yakko walked in drenched after they got home from their first trip, but he gathered from Wakko's muted chuckles and a hook hanging from Yakko's pants that it must have been interesting. Bugs had also noticed that Wakko was spending more time away from the Playstation and instead with Foghorn, either playing poker with him and Dot, looking at the different tools in the garage, or simply just talking to the rooster in the living room.

Daffy loved telling the kids his stories of one famous person or another, and Yakko seemed to always genuinely enjoy them. Bugs and Daffy had even started showing him some more advanced tricks and toon theory, and the rabbit often saw some of his own determination and talent in Yakko, who picked up the lessons faster than any kid he'd seen before. Even Dot and Wakko were learning new tricks Bugs was sure would be too advanced for their age. He knew they were good from watching their show, but he had to admit that the kids were downright impressive after seeing them in action firsthand.

Bugs pulled the newspaper from the mailbox and walked back into the house, putting on a pot of coffee after he'd entered the kitchen. He sat down in one of the kitchen chairs and unfolded the front page of the Toontown Times, quickly scanning the day's headlines.

Ink antidote deemed effective, will be administered to victims Tuesday

Von Drake had already called and told Bugs this several days ago. He was relieved to hear that they hadn't found any side effects to the antidote, and having Foghorn and Yakko already successfully cured allowed the duck to replicate the original antidote almost seamlessly. There was concern that their weak state was a result of the antidote, but after a few tests Von Drake determined that this came from the ink itself. Bugs, happy to hear that these toons would finally get better, moved onto the next headline.

Trial begins Friday for top leaders in the Toontown Takeover

"'Toontown Takeover'... ugh." Bugs muttered and rolled his eyes. Of all the names they could have picked to describe the pocket of hell they'd been stuck in the for the past few months that was really the best they could do? He shook his head and continued reading.

Acclaimed Disney star Peter Pete Jr. will be tried for seven counts of theft, five counts of aggravated assault and three counts of conspiracy, among other charges, Friday afternoon at the Fletcher Court House in Toontown. The trials of Thomas "Tango" Rattigan and Thibidore "Gonzo" Fluttergue, who were allegedly the right hand men of the Takeover's late leader Smokey, will begin early next week after they are administered the newly refined antidote to the ink that poisoned dozens of toons in the past several months.

Although he, Foghorn, and Daffy had agreed to testify against them in court, he'd convinced the prosecutors to gather the kids' statements beforehand. Yakko and Wakko had both been questioned yesterday and it only took them a few hours each to recount everything they had experienced concerning Smokey's gang. The studio had also granted him temporary guardianship so that he could sit in the interviews with them, though he hoped to make that a permanent role in the near future.

He was sure Dot's interview would take a lot longer and he wasn't looking forward to bringing her into the station in just a few hours. She relived everything they had been through enough as it was, and having to share her trauma with people she didn't know wasn't the therapy he was sure she needed. After getting up to grab his cup of coffee, Bugs sat back down and read the paper until the house's other occupants started to trickle downstairs.

"When they say I have to tell them everything, how much of everything do I actually tell them?" Dot asked Bugs as they walked down one of the hallways at the Toontown police headquarters later that morning. "Like do I tell them every little thing that happened, or just the big picture stuff?"

She looked completely calm and collected, and had since they had left the house that morning. But by the way her hand clung to his and the closer she moved to him every time an officer walked by, he could tell her nerves weren't really at ease.

"Well, they're going to ask you specific questions," he said. "Answer them the best you can, and if they ask you to go more into more detail, go into detail as much as you can."

She nodded and looked up to find a woman in a pantsuit and a large lion with a brief case standing in a doorway chatting.

"That's our stop, doc." Bugs said as he walked over to them.

"Good morning, Mr. Bunny," said the woman with a warm smile. He felt Dot draw closer to him when they approached them. "This is Leo Landon and I'm Grace Atkins. We're the investigators from the District Attorney's office. We talked on the phone yesterday."

"Nice to meet you," Bugs smiled and shook each of their hands.

"Good morning Dot, how are you?" said the Lion. He wasn't as cheery as the woman, but he wasn't unwelcoming, either.

"Good." she said quietly, squeezing Bugs's hand even harder.

"Glad to hear. Come in and sit down whenever you're ready. I know it's a bit early, but I brought some cookies we can have for a snack," the woman smiled before going into the room with the lion. Bugs went to follow them but stopped when he felt Dot tug on his pants.

"Wait Bugs, one more question," she said with a deep breath. "What if they ask me about things I don't want to talk about."

"What are you worried about having to say?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I... I don't want have to talk about when Bosko was... when he hurt you in the cell that day," she said, dropping her head. "I don't like thinking about it."

Bugs kneeled down in front of her, ignored the pain in his leg as he did so, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sometimes we have to confront the things that really bother us, and it takes a lot of bravery to do that," he said, lifting her chin up to face him. "But you've been brave this whole time, Dot. I've seen grown men wet their pants at situations that weren't anywhere close what to you faced- believe me, Daffy should just wear a diaper, at this point," he chuckled. "You've gotten this far. Now you just have to go a little bit further."

Dot gave him a half-hearted smile and looked in at the investigators, who were unpacking piles of paper and tape recorders from their briefcases.

"I guess, but what if they ask me about Bosko?" she asked. Bugs raised an eyebrow at this.

"What do you mean?"

"Bosko tried to kill you twice. He probably would have killed you the second time if I hadn't been there, or if Foghorn and Daffy didn't find you the first time," she started. "But then he saved me and Wakko from Smokey, and when he pushed Smokey into the vat, he seemed like a different person... I just don't know how to think of him, is all."

Bugs looked at the ground for several long, silent moments before finally responding. Even he wasn't really sure what to think about Bosko at this point.

"You don't have to decide if he was a good person or bad person, doc," he said, slowly. "Everyone has good and bad in them, even if one side shows a lot more than the other. A person with a lot of good parts in them can still be guilty of bad crimes, and just because a toon has a lot of bad parts in them doesn't mean they still aren't able to do good things."

"But Smokey never did anything good." Dot said.

"Not true, actually. Back when he was at Warner Brothers and still had a job, every week he would bring groceries to an old woman who was a seamstress on the lot. She had a cane and couldn't get around too well. I found out when we were doing a short together and she came up to us at rehearsal and tried to pay him, but he wouldn't take the money."

"Wait, you worked with him?" she said with wide eyes.

"Not often. Though he was a lot more pleasant to be around back then, I have to say." he said.

"I'm sure." she smiled meekly.

"Don't get me wrong, though. Just because Smokey was nice to an old lady 50 years ago doesn't justify all the horrible things he's done." Bugs said and shook his head.

"No, definitely not." Dot agreed. She glanced in at the investigators before looking back at him.

"You ready to go in yet, doc?" he said after a moment.

"Yeah. And I'll tell them everything," she finally said, taking a deep breath. "They need to hear the whole story."

Bugs was beyond exhausted when he walked into his front hall later that night carrying a sleeping Dot. He was careful not to wake her- lord knew she barely slept at night. They had questioned her for eight hours with a half-an-hour lunch break in between, and expected her back at the precinct for further questioning tomorrow morning.

Some parts were easier to listen to than others. He had to keep himself from laughing when she listed off her comments and insults that annoyed the guards the most when they had been held captive, but he had to step in and help clarify exactly what the investigators meant when they asked her if anyone had "touched her inappropriately." He was relived when she answered no, even though he had already figured so. He especially didn't like hearing about her bruises from when Tango had handled her, or when she described how terrified she was whenever Smokey was near her or threatened Bugs.

He was proud of her, to say the least. She was honest and had already given enough detailed evidence to lock the bastards up, even if they were only half-way done with the questioning. He was sure Tango and Gonzo would be found guilty and even Pete was pretty much a goner. Mickey had told him over the phone last week that the Disney lawyers refused to take his case and none of his co-stars had come forward to defend his character. Dozens of toons other than Bugs and the kids had also come forward with stories condemning those in charge of the "Takeover," as the Times called it. The case-load was so large that the Toontown legal department even had to call in help from the state.

"How did it go?" Foghorn asked from the table when Bugs came into the kitchen after laying Dot down upstairs. From the sound of a blaring TV, loud clicking noises, Daffy and Wakko's yells and Yakko's hysterical laughter coming in from the living room, Bugs could safely assume the Playstation only had hours left to live at best.

"As good as it could go, I guess." Bugs said with a sigh as he sunk into the seat across from Foghorn. "She kept calm the whole time and gave them a solid testimony so far, though we have to go back tomorrow for most of the day."

"That's good. I want to- I say- want to see those cowards hang for what they've done," Foghorn shook his head. "It's a damn shame Smokey isn't here. I wanted to see him get the noose first."

"They're not up for the death penalty, doc," Bugs scoffed.

"You know what I mean! What they put those kids through was unforgivable." Foghorn muttered. Bugs nodded in agreement and looked down at the tablecloth, staring sullenly at a pull in the fabric.

"It was beyond unforgivable," Bugs eventually said, his voice suddenly hoarse.

"At least we get to help to lock 'em up," Foghorn sighed and paused before continuing. "Do you think Plotz will give you custody?"

"He owes me big time for giving one of my house keys to Smokey. He's not in a position to say no," Bugs shook his head. "But I'm more concerned with what Yakko will say. He's taken care of Wakko and Dot for years, and I don't want him to think that I think he's doing a bad job."

"Well, the boy did say he wasn't too keen on returning to that water tower any time soon. Can't blame him either- the thing's more rickety than a flamingo in stilettos."

Yakko had voiced his concern about returning back to tower a few days ago, which didn't surprise Bugs. They all knew climbing that ladder was still too much for Yakko and Dot at this point, and Yakko wondered aloud how to deal with their housing situation if he or his "sibs" were too injured or sick to climb up and down the tower in the future. The fact that another earthquake could damage the structure again, and that it still wasn't repaired from the last earthquake, didn't make matters any easier for them.

"I'll bring up the idea with him after dinner." Bugs said. His ears perked up when he heard a mix of distressed and victorious sounding shouts come from the living room.

"It's been like that for hours. I think Wakko's beaten down Daffy's ego beyond repair- I say- beyond repair," Foghorn chuckled. "We should take the boy to Vegas; wins every almost game he plays. Poker, video games- you name it."

"You mean he beat you at poker? Again?" Bugs said with his mouth hanging open in shock. Foghorn shrugged.

"Nine times out of ten. Though I should take some credit; showed him a trick or two," he chuckled when Bugs shook his head and got up to get a glass of water. "Oh, forgot to mention Plotz called while you were out."

"What does the maroon want now?" Bugs said, slamming the water jug down on the counter.

"Boy said the studio is putting on some gala Saturday night to help raise money for the earthquake victims. The kids are invited, too."

"Ehh... I don't know if they're ready for that sort of thing yet," Bugs shrugged. "The press has been trying to get to them enough as it is. Daffy lost it on that elephant from the Telescope when he bothered Yakko for an interview at the supermarket last weekend. If Daff didn't break his camera and yell to the other people in the store about how 'a middle-aged man had just grabbed a minor," as he put it, I'm sure Yakko would have been on their front page."

"Nothing like that would happen on Saturday- the Telescope isn't even allowed inside of studio events and all the other papers are respectful- I say- respectful during them," said Foghorn as Bugs sat back down at the table. "Besides, Goofy said he's bringing his boy and some of them Tiny Toons are gonna be there. Wakko said they're friends of his and Dot's, and it might do them some good to see them."

Bugs had to admit Foghorn had a point. The kids hadn't socialized with anyone else other than himself, Foghorn, and Daffy since Smokey went down and they had been in a constant state of upheaval, danger, and even a degree of isolation for months before that. They could use some time to relax with kids their own age.

"I have an appointment that afternoon but I should be back in time," said Bugs. "I'll go if the kids want to."

"Saturday afternoon? Why do you have an appointment then?" Foghorn cocked an eyebrow.

"It's nothing major," Bugs shrugged, taking a sip of water. "Just some business I have to take care of."

That's right, this story isn't abandoned. I am so, so sorry this took so long to update. I went back and edited the whole story several times not only to bring it up to my standards (I did start this story as an underclassman in high school... not sure why some of you stuck with me after seeing some of the horrendous writing and grammar mistakes I made back then, but I thank you for putting up with them!), but also to remind myself exactly where I wanted to take this story. I had a bit of a George R.R. Martin spell, since I knew how I wanted this to end, but didn't know how to get there.

Thank you for sticking with me this long. I made a promise in the first chapter to never abandon this story and I don't intend to break that promise or take nearly as long with the next chapter as I did with the last chapter.

Also, special thank you to those who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. The reviews I've received have been constructive, motivational, and have often made my day!