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Not Forgotten

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Annabeth wandered the abandoned, run-down, derelict restaurant, tears in her eyes as she ran her hand across a dust-covered, rotting booth seat. It had taken her almost fifteen years to get back to Benny Bear's Burger Barn, but it had been closed for over ten. Regardless, she didn't care; she wasn't there for the food-- she was looking for someone. It had been hard to get in, bypassing the NO TRESPASSING signs and the boarded up windows, but she would not be denied.

Visits to the Burger Barn were a regular thing for her in her youth; all of the local kids had their birthday parties there and special events were celebrated all the time since it was the neighborhood favorite place to be for everyone toddler to pre-teen. Almost all of the kids came to see Benny Bear, the lead singer of Benny Bear's Burger Band, but Annabeth wasn't one of his fan club.

Others really liked Donny Deer the guitar player, or Owen Otter the bass player, or even Patty Porcupine the keyboardist, but Annabeth was the odd-one-out among all the kids: despite him being repeatedly voted the least popular of all of the band, her favorite performer was Wally Wolverine-- he played drums. Unlike the other band members, who performed together on stage, Wally was left ignored when the curtain closed. Other band members would be represented by staff members coming out to meet the kids in costumes, but not Wally.

Annabeth eventually managed to sneak behind the curtains, which is how she learned that the majority of the band were just animatronics, but not Wally. The Wolverine had been crying the first time she met him for real; he was sad that he wasn't able to meet all of the kids like the rest of his band. She sat with him until the next set was ready to begin-- they talked, and talked, and talked, and he was fun to speak to, and he was thankful for her joining him and spending time with him, and he was glad that he had a chance to speak with even just one of his fans.

Every time she went to the Burger Barn after that she always made sure to sneak up on stage whenever she had a chance. The animatronic band members completely ignored, she was there for Wally, and Wally alone. They had several years together, meeting on the stage as often as she could convince her parents or her friends' families to taker her there. By the time her thirteenth birthday arrived, the rest of her friends had lost interest, but she hadn't. Her opportunities to visit Wally lessened until she barely saw him two times in the spring. Things came to a head when her friend Grace refused to have her party at the Burger Barn and, desperate for time with Wally, Annabeth had pulled her hair and slapped her.

It took awhile for Annabeth's parents to figure out what was going on. They had never understood her obsession with Benny Bear's drummer until she was called to task for attacking her friend. When they found out, they told her that it was time for her to give up the Burger Barn and let her know in no uncertain terms that it wasn't healthy; they would not be taking her back. Annabeth's last trip to visit Wally was when she ran away that night and managed to slip into the restaurant right before they closed.

wally, as usual, was so happy to see her that he had no reason to reproach her for the time they spent apart; he was just glad to have her there. She unburdened herself, mournful that her parents were trying to keep her from seeing him. He explained that kids often stopped coming at some point, and perhaps it was time for her; Wally understood that nothing lasted forever, and perhaps it was simply her time. She didn't want to accept that answer, and wanted to see him again, but he said that her parents probably thought it was best for her. Annabeth would have argued more, but she was discovered by the manager; things had become significantly worse after that.

Sighing, the woman moved slowly toward the run down, dilapidated stage, wincing as she saw that the curtain had long-since begun to mildew, and was barely hanging up off of just a few rings, seemingly ready to flop to the floor with the slightest assistance. Annabeth was more than happy to help, giving it a firm yank to expose the band beyond. She took in a sharp breath in surprise and dismay at what she found: they were all there, but they were little more than mechanical zombies, their fur all-but gone, and only clinging to their metal frames in a few different places.

Feeling her tears begin to well up, she rushed to the drum set, and gasped in heartbreak as she saw Wally laying on the floor. She began crying immediately, trying to speak through her sobs. "Wally... I'm so, SO sorry... they-- my parents-- we moved away. Therapy... civil commitment... they.... they kept me from you..."

Wally didn't respond, laying lifeless on the floor. Her doctor had told her that she had been an exceptionally creative child and that Wally wasn't real. She refused to listen to him, even to the point that they'd tried to medicate her. Through it all, she refused to listen to their version of reality, but, living half-way across the country meant that, even though she KNEW Wally was real, he was too far away to be a part of her life and, after a half dozen years she finally gave up... but never gave in.

She finished high school but didn't bother with college. She began dating shorter, stockier guys, especially ones who were soft spoken and smiled a lot-- the fuzzier the better. Annabeth was promiscuous, bouncing from man to man, trying to find something-- ANYTHING to give her even the slightest hint that she would be able to replace Wally in her life, but nothing worked. None of them were real enough. She left home in her mid-20s, sneaking out at night so her parents couldn't stop her. Annabeth didn't have a plan, but she had a goal: she had to get back to Wally. It had taken years.

Kneeling down, Annabeth felt more tears join the first, wetting her cheeks as she reached out for Wally. "I... I'm here now."

One of her tears landed on the remnants of some of his fur and, as her hand gently rested on his metallic shoulder, Annabeth gasped, pulling back as he stirred, his pelt drawing thickly back across his mechanical skeleton. Even though he was still being restored, Wally sat up, looking at her with his one good eye, and his smile warmed her through and through. "Abby... you're here."

He was the only one she let call her Abby. Smiling through the tears, she nodded. "I am, Wally. I am."

He raised an arm toward her and she winced, pulling back in pain as one of his servos pinched her skin, but she quickly silenced his forthcoming apology, throwing herself against him as she embraced her dearest friend, saying the words she'd never had a chance to speak, not having realized them herself until deprived of her dearest friend. "Wally... I love you. I... I did everything I could... I'm so sorry I left."

He didn't respond for many long seconds, so long in fact that she had to pull away and look to him for a reaction. Wally had a pained expression on his muzzle, fresh tears gleaming in his softly-glowing eyes. "Abby... I am so glad to see you again. You were the only little girl who ever came to see me. How could I not love you as well?"

Crying and laughing at the same time, she reveled in the feel of being enveloped by the warm fur of her favorite person in the whole world. He was no longer metal; he was whole again, just like she was. "I'm not a little girl anymore, you silly Wolverine."

He chukled back, nuzzling her neck delicately. "I know... I think you may be taller than me now, Abby."

Pulling back as far as his embrace would allow, she realized that he was right. It seemed like most women had the strange impression that the best men were taller than they were, but she had never subscribed to their strange inclinations; Wally was perfect and she wanted nobody else. In that moment, Annabeth made up her mind. "I will never leave you again, Wally. Ever."

So focused on Wally, Annabeth didn't notice that they were no longer alone. Two flashlight beams illuminated her but she ignored everything until an authoritative voice announced "Hold it right there. Police."

* * * * *

Doctor Hartford sighed, taking off his glasses as he set them aside atop the clipboard that held his patient's details. It had been more than ten years since he'd last seen Annabeth Brightman and she was functional to the point that she was able to be discharged without any extensive maintenance medication. Had he made a severe mistake? He honestly didn't understand why she would suddenly relapse, and her answers were not very helpful. Gingerly pushing further into her confusing story, Doctor Hartfort dug deeper. "So... after you broke in, you say you SAW Wally?"

She nodded, staring at him as if she were daring him to disagree. "He didn't know to expect me, and it took awhile for him to get back to right."

He cocked his head to the side, grabbing her chart and flicking the button at the end of his pen. "What do you mean 'back to right'?"

Annabeth sighed as if his questions were frustrating her; it wasn't an unexpected response. "The whole place was run down. The whole band was falling apart. It took a minute for Wally to return to me."

The Doctor didn't so much as pause. "And what do you mean by 'return to you'?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "He was crumpled on the floor. When I arrived I healed him... just like he healed me."

"He... HEALED you?"

She shot him a withering glare. "Are you just going to repeat everything I say?"

He offered her a placating gesture and spoke softly. "I'm just trying to understand, Annabeth."

Annabeth folded her arms across her chest, showing signs of disengagement rather than self-comforting. "If you weren't able to before, I don't know why you think you can now."

Doctor Hartford offered a soft sigh. "Annabeth, I would like to help you."

She didn't so much as pause. "Then let me out of here."

He tried a much more relaxed, more joking tact. "That never worked before... why would you think it'd work this time?"

The humor used to work with her, but something was different; she scowled. "Because either you can let me out, or Wally will."

It was then that Doctor Hartford realized that Annabeth had indeed gotten worse. "And... is Wally here with us now?"

She leveled her stare at him, scowling. "No. He's waiting outside in the hallway. It's called common courtesy."

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Well, I suppose that would be true, seeing as this is our private time. So he's waiting outside?"

Annabeth's foot began tapping on the floor. "That's what I said. We're leaving tonight, so finish your questions."

Doctor Hardford quirked an eyebrow. "You won't be discharged without my approval, Annabeth. I don't think that Wally being here will change anything."

She had nothing more to say during their time together and, eventually, he and an orderly led her back to her room; Wally was definitely not waiting for her in the hall. Before they closed the door, Annabeth turned back toward him. "Goodbye, Doc. Thanks for trying, anyway."

She was his last patient for the day and he went home with more questions than when he started her session. He was ready to have another session with her the following day, but was surprised to find that she had some how escaped her room that night, and made it past three more locked doors. The staff were looking for her on the grounds but there was a large hole torn into the chain link fence separating the hospital from the world beyond. The local authorities had been alerted, but Doctor Hardfort had a strange feeling that they wouldn't find her.

They didn't.