A/N: HELLO YEAH SORRY I KINDA. DIED THERE

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

You'd started traveling again.

Worse weather was looming, dark, fluffy clouds overhead, and you sighed, slumping further into your saddle and snuggling deeper into your coat. Small snowflakes occasionally fell on you, but Fructose and Chea seemed unbothered. Same for Batik and Chiffon. Red Velvet seemed at least a little bit concerned with the snow, but was holding up just fine. You envied him.

You had never really experienced cold like this before; living in the southwestern part of the kingdom meant only a little snowfall with more rain than anything. But it was different up here. You knew there would be more snow soon, so you grabbed Fructose's reins and flicked them, speeding him up. Red Velvet got the memo almost instantly, and you two started going faster down the path.

It got dark fast, and you pulled over, setting up camp in a sheltered spot. As soon as you finished setting up, you sat down cross-legged on a rock, resting your chin in your hand with boredom. Red Velvet rested on a nearby tree, watching you out of the corner of his eye. Eventually, he spoke.

"You seem to be absolutely dead set on Water's Wake. Any reason?"

You glanced down. "..I've got an old friend there. He moved there just last year to pursue his dream, and he told me that if I ever needed help I could go to Water's Wake and tell him who I am and what I need."

Red Velvet cocked an eyebrow. "What was his dream?"

"A bar. He owns one now; sent me a card with a picture of him in front of it. I'm proud of him."

It was quiet after that. It wasn't peaceful silence; it was the kind that came before an extreme and inevitable event. It sent chills up your spine, mostly because you didn't know what event was coming to make you so scared. Or maybe the fact that it was below freezing was what caused your shuddering... probably a mix. Chea jumped on the rock, scrabbling a bit as she got up, pressing against your side and laying across your lap. You pet her back idly.

Red Velvet sighed, tipping his head back with exasperated boredom. And it was silent again. Red Velvet seemed to be thinking long and hard about something, brows furrowed, and you left him to it. After a while of you both waiting there as midnight set in, and Red Velvet running a hand through his hair every now and again, he finally spoke. And it definitely wasn't a question you saw coming.

"Do you trust me, Y/N?" He blurted out. You glanced at him, eyes narrowing a bit.

"Depends. What do you mean by 'trust?'" You replied. He turned to you.

"Would you trust me to... hhhhgn. how do I put it. Would you trust me enough to put you in a life or death situation while I'm away for a bit and then go back to help you?"

That took a bit of thinking. Life or death... it's not like you had much going for you anyways. A life or death situation wouldn't change anything much. Even if he didn't keep his word and let you die. But then you thought of Pancake... why do you care about your family still? You won't be able to see them. Latte would never look at you again, Pancake would be afraid (as he was when he met criminals) and Almond was probably actively hunting you right now, enraged - no, somehow probably angrier than that - with what you'd done. The thought made you shudder. You didn't have much too left to lose...

"Why wouldn't I trust you? It's not like I have much to lose if I do. But why would you go back to help me in a life or death situation, anyways? You're a Cookie of Darkness. I'm.. well, I'm a neutral force now. Going back would, depending on whatever situation you're putting me in, risk your life too. Why do you care?"

Red Velvet let out a soft sigh. "I care for the same reason I'm traveling alongside you. I see you as a friend, even if you don't see me as one."

"...and why would you see me as a friend?"

"You're the only one I've met in a while who shows me a little respect. The other Cookies of Darkness - Pomegranate, Dark Choco, hell, even Licorice sometimes - treat me like dirt. I'm not even going to go on about Dark Enchantress. I was ori...." His voice trailed off, and he stared into the woods for a few heartbeats before gingerly grabbing your wrist.

"Can we finish talking about this inside my tent?" He whispered. Your eyes widened, but you nodded, gently shuffling Chea off your lap and following him, shaking his hand off your wrist. He zipped it closed behind him, breath shaky.

"Look. The whole reason I followed you... how do I say this without sounding horrible. The whole reason I followed you and have been traveling with you was because I was supposed to capture you. I was supposed to capture you and turn you in to Dark Enchantress in exchange for power. Respect. But I know she's going to scam me out of it. And I... can't bring myself to turn you in. I'd feel too guilty to even continue with the other Cookies of Darkness. So I plan on calling off the deal. Dark Enchantress is going to kick me out of the Cookies of Darkness. If I'd done this any earlier, she'd kill me. But she knows how much you matter to me right now."

You were taken aback by the entire situation. "So she'll try to...?"

"Yes. She's going to teleport here and go after you."

"So... what am I supposed to do? Die?"

"No. I'm calling it off tomorrow. The second she teleports here, run. Run for your life. I'll be looking for you, and then we can chase her off or incapacitate her to the point where you're not worth the effort."

You nodded slowly. It was all still sinking in; Red Velvet saw you as a friend. If you were being honest, you felt a similar way. There weren't many to trust out here, but you and Red Velvet felt very.. similar. From the brief bits of conversations you'd had on the road, you knew lots about his life. You two had similar childhoods; growing up with only one sibling - in his case it was his slightly older "brother" Licorice - and a mostly absent mother figure, only there really to make sure you were still alive. You both didn't really have father figures at all. Both of you spent lots of time outside. He was one of the most relatable cookies you knew. Being honest with yourself? He was your friend. You nodded slowly.

"Alright. What time tomorrow?"

"Early to mid-day. I'll tell you when I'm heading out. You should get some rest."

You didn't even realize how tired you were until you got to your own tent. Chea was already inside, waiting for you patiently. Her tail wagged, and she curled up on top of you as soon as you laid down. You were out like a light.

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

Almond closed the door to the hotel behind him, staggering tiredly to the desk. This was his second, basically third, day in Water's Wake. Madeleine told him to learn and remember every nook, cranny, passage, alley, everything in the city while he patrolled around the city's edges and outskirts. When Y/N showed up she'd have nowhere to run or hide. He took more notes on his map of the city, putting exits and entrances to alleys and hidden areas. After what had to have been an hour of writing notes in a notebook and on the map, he rolled it up, collected it back into the desk drawer, and collapsed onto his bed.

He rolled onto his back, trying to feel the way he felt he should. He felt like he should be angry about this. His own daughter - the one who had always spent time with him in his office, watched curiously from his lap as he filled out case files, tried her best to help out with cases - had turned into the one he was chasing. But he couldn't. He couldn't feel angry.

She'd always been a bit of a troublemaker. He knew that. But he didn't realize it could be this bad. And yet he partially felt at fault.

Maybe if he'd spent more time with her.

Maybe if he hadn't left when she was only 12.

But that's in the past. What's done is done. It's time to move forward.

Starting with finishing this job.

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

Latte was anxious again. She expected that she'd already have heard from Almond or Madeleine about Y/N. She didn't care for her daughter's criminal status anymore. She just wanted to know if she was alright.

It had been several months; several months of not seeing her daughter. Not hearing her voice. Pancake was still in minor hysterics. He just couldn't seem to get over it. He blamed himself more than anyone. Every time Latte tried to console him, or tell him it wasn't his fault, he'd start crying again. It was a hopeless battle.

She'd taken a few weeks off work, but would be back tomorrow, and Pancake would be babysat by his uncle, Espresso. The mage didn't seem too excited, but he knew he was the only option so he went on with it with as much enthusiasm he could muster. She sighed, hanging her head a little and tightening her grip on the coffee mug. She wasn't sure she was ready to face the reality of what had happened over the past four or so months. But she'd have to come to terms with it soon.

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

You woke up, arm laid over your eyes. Someone shook you awake, and you groaned, rolling on your side. You heard Red Velvet sigh.

"I'm leaving to go tell her soon. You.. probably want to start getting ready to go." He murmured. You sat up, rubbing your eyes, and Red Velvet left the tent. As soon as he left, you got yourself mentally prepared, and exited the tent. It would be a long day.

Red Velvet was in the clearing getting a few things he'd need, so you got to work getting everything you'd need. You looked over your sword, making sure your ability would work incase you needed it, before stretching. You hadn't properly ran from anything or anyone in a bit. He turned to you, an uncertain look in his eyes.

"I'm.. going now. Good luck. I won't let you die." He muttered the last part under his breath, and you barely caught it, realization setting in.

You could die.

You could really die here.

Dark Enchantress could kill you and Red Velvet wouldn't know until he found your dead body. The thought terrified you, but you swallowed it down harshly, nodding.

"Good luck to you too."

And so Red Velvet turned and set off.

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

Red Velvet picked his way through the woods, until he reached the spot he'd shown Dark Enchantress last night to meet at. There she was, standing with her arms crossed. He took a deep breath, stepping out and walking a few paces towards her.

"You're alone, right?" He asked. Dark Enchantress nodded, tapping her foot.

"...good. I'm not going to make this sappy, Dark Enchantress." He spoke, voice clear. Her expression darkened, eyes narrowing.

"...go on, Red Velvet Cookie."

His words nearly caught in his throat. Dark Enchantress using your basic name at all was a warning; using "Cookie" afterwards was a threat. But he shook his fear off, balling his free hand into a fist.

"I want to call off the deal you made with me."

Dark Enchantress stared at him for a few moments, and he thought he was certainly dead, before she started laughing. She was laughing like it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard.

"Oh, Red Velvet! That's funny. You know exactly what's going to happen now, don't you? You're kicked out of the group. You're lucky I won't kill you right here. I'm going to make someone else die for you! Do you know who?"

He tightened his grip on his sword. "I do. I know exactly who."

Dark Enchantress made a fake pout. "Awh. Ruins my fun. Tsk tsk." She raised her hand, and, as soon as she snapped and vanished, Red Velvet turned to run, but something stopped him. He looked back, and realized she had rooted his foot to the ground with thick roots.

"Fuck-nonononoNO-!" his voice cracked with panic, and he swung his sword down, sawing at the root.