REVOLVING DOORS

[ Door 1 ]

Her Fourth Year

The happiest moment in M.I. CEO James P. Sullivan's life to date – what would remain so even into the twilight of his years – was that in which he had been reunited with Boo after believing her lost to him forever.

It had been his best friend, Mike Wazowski, whom had found the way, who had spent months repairing the child's shredded door in an incomparable show of devotion.

"Hey, I missed the kid myself," he had said with a shrug when he had questioned him about it. "I'd like to see her face around here again sometimes. Sure. Plus, Sull, I'd like to see you actually happy. I mean - I've got Celia, y'know? Light of life. Center of my world. Well, protecting that little kid seems to be yours."

That had been, perhaps, the most perceptive observation Mike had ever made.

And it was wholly accurate.

Sulley, to the frustration of his parents and the curiosity of his peers, was a social but largely solitary monster complete in himself and at home in his own company. Unlike Mike, a reformed lady-killer now soon to be married, Sulley had never shown much interest in romance – of any orientation – and had few real friends outside of Mike. This worried his family, but as a professional married to the satisfaction of hard-earned success, it had always worked for him.

Watching over Boo had changed that, however. She had brought something new into his life; a sense of wonder and peace, and a powerful surge of caring and protectiveness he had never realized he possessed until he met her. He realized that nothing did content him more than acting as her guardian.

He was surprised to discover just how much she needed him to.

May 27, 2002
8:35 AM (Monster Time) / 8:35 PM (Human Time)

Mary Clough sat on the edge of her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest and swinging her tiny, sock covered feet over the edge in an unfocused rhythm of anticipation. She stared intently at her closet door.

Kitty came to visit her most nights since he had reappeared last October, usually just a short while after bedtime was called. He wanted her to grow up big and strong, and that meant she had to always get a good night of sleep, so he would say.

This also meant that Kitty came to visit less often than she wanted.

But that was okay, because he had promised to visit tonight. Tonight was very special. It was an Away Night, too, so she had hopes that he would stay a bit longer. He usually did, if he knew.

The closet door cracked open. "Boo?"

Mary loved Kitty's rumbling voice. He sounded just like Officer Haywood next door, only bigger and with more teeth. She began to giggle, fisting her little palms against her cheeks.

The door swung open wide to admit her monster into her room. He shut the door quietly behind him, eyes resting warmly on her now dancing form on the bed. A large smile spread across his face, and he let out a chuckle with a shake of his head. She loved his laughter. She loved his smile even more. Her giggles increased.

He put a huge claw to his lips. "Shhhh," he said, and she nodded, sitting still on the bed once again.

"Kitty," she whispered.

He pulled something out from behind his back, and held it out for her to see. "Happy Birthday, Boo."

It was the stuffed monster-bear from the Other Place. Mary covered her mouth with her hands to keep her squeal of delight quiet, and would have fallen off the bed in her excitement had Kitty not rushed to catch her by the scruff of her shirt. He placed her down on the floor beside him. "Whoa, there, Birthday Girl." He gave her the doll.

Mary hugged it to her tightly.

"From me and Mike," he said, ruffling her hair as she turned to hug his leg in turn. He crouched down before her. "Oh, and how old are you? Can you tell me?"

Mary rocked back and forth on her heels, hesitating, and held out three fingers. At the last minute she remembered to add one more, like Teacher had taught her. Kitty tilted his great head to the side and whistled lowly.

"Four, huh? Wow, you are a big girl." Mary offered him a shy smile. "Did you get any other presents?"

"Yes!" She placed her new doll reverently next to her bed, then darted across the room to the small pile of gifts gathered there. In her rush she forgot to tread quietly, and from the noise she was making she anticipated his worried intake of breath before he took it.

"Shh, shh, Boo. Quiet, right? We don't want to scare your parents."

She shook her head emphatically. "No parents," she said flatly, more concerned with showing him the new paint set and easel she had received. There was a slight pause, and then Kitty's tone was very different.

"Tonight is an Away Night?" he asked. "Again?"

Mary pattered back over to him, watercolor tray and paper in her arms. She dropped them before him for his appraisal. "Uh-huh."

"Same babysitter?" Kitty's face was very serious as he stared at the entry way door. Mary nodded.

Mr. and Mrs. Clough were very well off in the Business sector, both of them on the Board of Directors of the companies they worked for. Their high positions required them to travel a great deal throughout the year to secure deals and promote mergers, and their income inspired much pleasure traveling as well. The result of this was Jeffrey Ryan.

Jeff was her father's nephew; a much older boy in high school, he was the Clough's only choice in caretaker for their only child. All in all, Jeff was not a completely bad young man, and did have some qualities to recommend him by; he did not look at her with perverse intentions, as was the nightmare of all parents. He was, however, indifferent to Mary. To this day, no one had ever realized that Mary Clough had briefly disappeared from the human world – in the two days he had been charged to watch her, Jeffrey had been too preoccupied by his girlfriend to notice.

Mary did not know any of this, of course – she was still much to young to understand such layered, complicated issues as the ones that surrounded her. She did, however, realize that Kitty disliked and distrusted the young man intensely. She did not like the boy herself. He never paid her any attention at all.

"Well that's different, now, isn't it?" the monster rumbled. He seemed to listen for a minute, and shook his head in disgust. "He's not even in the house. Well. Okay, then."

He scooped Boo up in his arms and deposited her back into her bed, pulling the covers back over her and fluffing her pillow briefly. He picked the former "Little Mikey" up from the floor and tucked it underneath her arms.

"I'm going to stay until he's back," he informed her, still looking displeased. His face brightened a bit, however, when she made a delighted sound at this development. "We have to make sure you stay safe."

She nodded happily. "Kititoo" she said, playing with her doll's small horns. Kitty looked puzzled for a moment, and then comprehension dawned on his face with along with much broader smile.

"Kitty-Two?" he repeated. "That's a very good name. Mike will definitely approve." Mary giggled and hugged the doll even tighter to her.

"Story?" she asked hopefully. Kitty's face softened.

"Just one, okay? And then its bedtime."

Mary nodded and snuggled down into the covers as Kitty began to read to her from an imaginary book he pantomimed holding in front of him, laughing softly as she watched him. He was fun to watch – not funny like Mike Wazowski, but warm and animated in how he moved and smiled. Every now and then his eyes would look up to rest on her, and that great smile would come back and make her feel special. Like she was the most important thing in the whole world like her parents told her. Only he seemed to really mean it.

Dimly Mary realized she was falling asleep, despite her efforts to keep her eyes open and take in as much as she could of Kitty before he went away again. Sleep began to close around her gently, and it was all she could do to reach out to him.

"M'stay."

Kitty's giant clawed hand touched hers just as she had hoped.

"I'll always be here, Boo."

There was nothing and no one that made her feel safer.

That fact would remain true for the entirety of her life.