Jim Wazowski opened his eye. Everything was blurry at first, but then things started to come into focus: the white of the hospital room's walls, the shape of his mother with pink skin and green dress, the blue furry mass that was slowly coalescing into Uncle Sulley, and the voice that had to belong to Dad. Jim had to turn his eyeball to the right to see the top of his dad's head and eyeball. Behind his father was Sandy.

"Are you awake, Jim?" his father asked.

"Yes," Jim said hoarsely, only now realizing then how dry his throat was. There was a glass on the wooden table beside him with a straw in it.

Jim propped himself up slowly and took a very slow sip.

Jim looked at Sandy and said, "I guess everyone's met Sandy."

"Well, with you being who you are, it wasn't hard to find your room," Sandy moved close to Jim and held his hand. The intimacy of the moment was slightly ruined by the fact that she had to lean over his father. Mike, realizing he was in the way, moved.

"Casandra was just telling us where the two of you met," Celia said.

"On a street in Monstropolis after I'd left one of Bob's rallies. Samantha Souza was with me and," Jim looked at Sandy, "Wasn't your father with you?"

"Yes, he was," Sandy said of her father remembering the state he was in back at the apartment. He had scrubbed all of the filth off of himself, but his late close calls with the police and strange things he said about Jim's family had taken their toll on his nerves, which in turn compromised his immune system. He was lying in bed back at the apartment with chills.

"Where is your father?" Sulley asked.

"Well, he's very sick, so he doesn't get out much," Sandy said.

There was something mysterious about Sandy's caretaker. He'd known that since their moonlight meeting. Then there was that chameleon monster he had seen at the protest who'd said he was there to protect Jim. Had he admitted to being Sandy's father?...Jim couldn't remember.

Jim looked to his mother and asked, "How did I end up here?"

"Some monster covered in feces brought you to the entrance to the hospital, yelled at some staff who were nearby and the he climbed down into the sewers," Celia said.

"What happened to the other protesters?"

"There were a lot of unnecessary deaths. Your friend Bob was among them, and the Souza boy." Sulley said slowly.

"I know about Roach," Jim said with equal slowness, "he's why my last words to Bob were 'this is all your fault!'" They all knew Bob was Jim's best friend. Jim blinked for a moment, a tear swelling in his eye. "Bob's last words were 'I never meant this to happen.'"

Uncle Sulley walked close to Jim's other side. "If it makes it any easier, Bob's actions shocked the nation. The government is now requiring the refineries to hire more monsters."

"So, we won?" Jim looked at Uncle Sulley.

"We did. I'm just sorry about what it cost."

Jim was released from the hospital later that day. He was eager to pursue a relationship with Sandy, but there was still one matter that needed to be cleared up. He needed to meet her father. The next day she took him to her apartment. She led him into her father's bedroom where he saw a grayish chameleon monster lying in a bed with blue covers and pillows.

"My physical health has declined dramatically from the last time you saw me, at the front," he said. So this was the same monster who'd shown up at the demonstration to protect Jim.

"So, you're Sandy's father?" Jim asked

"I suppose I am," he looked at Sandy and smiled, "Though not in a biological sense." The chameleon asked Sandy to leave while he spoke with "Young Mr. Wazowski."

Jim, more curious now, approached the monster who seemed much older than he did mere days ago at the front.

"Sandy is a good girl. I raised her because I had inadvertently cost her mother her job. I was the mayor of a small town, you see." The chameleon noticed that Jim was uncomfortable standing there. "There's a chair directly behind you."

"Thank you, sir."

"Her mother had to do things that ended up costing her her life. It was my last promise to her that I'd see that her daughter was provided for. I've never met her real father, and doubt that I ever will. She was in the hands of the Souza family when I located her."

That made sense to Jim. Samantha had known a lot about Sandy.

"My own past has only made things more complicated for my daughter. You see, before Roach Souza brought me the letter you'd written to Sandy, I was planning to leave the country."

"Why?" Jim asked very confused about what this kindly monster was trying to tell him.

"Has your father ever told you about a co-worker named Randall Boggs?"

That struck Jim out of left field. Almost the entire Monster World had heard of Boggs who along with Waternoose had kidnapped a human girl and attempted to extract screams from her.

"Kidnap of a human girl, attempted murder of a fellow monster, unethical experimentation –guilty on all counts! He returned to the Monster World and for ten years he served his time, then he broke parole and disappeared."

The chameleon looked Jim squarely in the eye and said something that took him completely by surprise. "If he is caught, it will reflect badly on Sandy. Can you take my place and provide for her if I disappear?"

Jim thought about what the chameleon said. It could only make sense if….

"You're Randall Boggs!" Jim said.

"Forget about me and consider my daughter! She knows nothing about who I am or what I did, only that I'm ashamed of it. If you won't marry her, promise me that at least you'll provide for her!" Randall started coughing uncontrollably.

"I'll do better than that. I will marry her!" Jim correctly predicted what happened next: Randall asked him to leave while he spoke to Sandy. Jim waited outside the room until Sandy came out, a tear swelling in her eye. They embraced.

"I never even knew his name," She whispered.

"But you'll know everything about me," Jim whispered back and held her tightly.

Within two weeks Jim and Sandy were married. They had thought about living in Jim's student apartment but the place was too emotionally painful for Jim to go back to. He still had a few months to go before graduation, and being there without Bob or his other friends in polisci was taking its toll. Most of his other friends were comedy majors. Sandy planned to start MU in the fall, so that was at least four years they needed to stay in the Monstropolis area.

Like it or not, Jim and Sandy were moving in with his parents, to the mansion that made Bob hate Jim's dad so much. Jim was sitting in his mahogany chair in his mahogany study composing his term paper.

His dad unexpectedly opened the door and said, "He's here. Jim, this is Sr. Montoya de Susa…"

Jim looked up. He might be using a name from a different ethnicity, wearing the blue vest and coat of an upper-class monster, but Jim could recognize the land fish, Senhor Souza. He name was pronounced "SO-za", "SU-za" being the most common mispronunciation.

Jim got up walked to the door and then utterly shocked his father.

"Go away, Souza! You think I don't know who you are?"

"Jim!" His father said, but the young cyclops's eye was on Souza.

"Pity to disturb your personal time like dis, but I'm sure five hundred monstros wouldn't come amiss."

"Just hurry up and say what you want to say!"

Souza looked at Mike for a minute before returning his gaze to Jim.

"What I saw, clear as dawn,

When I was down in de sewers one morn…

Randall Boggs, on his back…

A kid he had slain in a brutal attack!

Don't you fear,

Saw it all,

Even found me a nice golden coil."

Jim and Mike recognized the ring that Souza was rolling in his fingers.

"That ring is mine!" Jim said. It took him a few minutes to connect all the dots, but he could clearly see them waiting to be connected. Randall was Sandy's father who knew that his capture would disgrace his daughter. He had shown up at the demonstration to protect Jim. Someone at the hospital had seen a monster covered in feces crawl out of a monster whole, make sure they saw Jim, and then disappear back inside…"Randall was the one who carried me through the sewers!"

Mike's mouth fell open.

"No!" Souza said, before Jim head-butted him to the sea-green carpet.

"Where is he?" Jim demanded.

Randall sat alone in a chair next to the fireplace in the temple staff's living area. His old friend, the yeti priest had been dead for several years. Randall knew the toll the illness he'd caught in the sewers was taking its toll on his body. He'd be joining his old friend soon. His last whispered words were a prayer for The Higher Power's favor on Jim and Sandy.

I dreamed in my head Sandy was near.

As my death approached, I felt her tears.

Alone at the end of my life,

For these young ones, Lord above,

Put your arms around them and show them love.

I count the hours 'till I sleep.

Few monsters here will weep.

God on High,

I am weak,

I am scared.

In my need, please be there.

Then Randall saw the impossible: Sandy's mother, Beth, standing in the room as real as he was.

She walked over to him and touched his shoulder and she sang to him.

May God bless your name.

You can lay aside your burden.

You've kept my child from harm,

And she shall be kept from shame.

Randall whispered, "Take me now," but an inaudible voice gave him a clear feeling: Not yet.

Randall heard footsteps approach. He blinked and Beth had disappeared. Feeling an incredible surge of energy and good health, the purple-scaled chameleon monster turned to see his daughter and son-in-law hurrying toward him.

"Daddy!" Sandy cried. Randall looked at her, and knew she would've known to look for him here. He immediately realized that if he were that near death, he should not be separated from her. He took her hand.

"Sandy, my girl, I'm glad I'm still alive right now. Tell me, am I forgiven?"

Jim didn't let Sandy answer before he said, "It's me that needs to be forgiven."

Randall, holding Sandy's hand, and Sandy herself looked Jim in the eye.

"Sandy, your father is a saint. He rescued me from the frontline, carried me on his back through the sewer to bring me home to you." Now looking at Randall, Jim asked "Can you forgive a thoughtless monster? I never thanked you."

"No thanks are necessary," Randall said and then felt weakness flood through him. He let go of Sandy 's hand, and his scales faded back to grey.

"Daddy, no!" Sandy gasped. "It's still too soon, too soon to say goodbye."

Randall smiled, "Well I'll try to hang on long enough to give this…"

Randall picked up an envelope from the small table next to his chair.

"In this envelope, I've written my last confession. Read it thoroughly when I am gone." Randall shed a few tears and said, "It's the story of a monster who only knew how to hate, and only learned how to love when he became your father."

Randall held out his hand to Sandy again…and Beth took it. Randall could see Sandy, Jim, and his own body, but they were not quite solid. The version of him walking with Beth looked as he did in his prime.

They walked to the door leading of the temple.

Beth said, "Remember, the truth that once was spoken…"

Randall looked and standing outside the door was the yeti priest.

"To love another monster is like seeing the face of God," the yeti said, and motioned for Randall to enter the monsters' hereafter.