A/N: This story is separate from my Slice of Life stories. It's based on the ink! Henry stories and artwork done by shinyzango and themarginalartist on tumblr. Think of it as an alternate turn of events with the same characters I've been writing about.

Disclaimer: Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by TheMeatly. I only own my Ocs.

A Shadow of Things To Come

It's been three months.

It's been three months since he escaped that damned studio.

Its been three months since he escaped with a living cartoon demon called Bendy.

Truthfully, Henry thought he would have bounced back by now. At least he thought he could. One look at the pentagram branded to his right hand told him things would never be the same. The veins that ran from the brand and through his hand were too dark. So dark that his coworkers started to ask if he was alright. What could he tell them. That he had demonic ink coursing through his veins but he was perfectly fine. Yeah, that would go as well as he expected. Probably end up in a looney bin or worse, someone takes him seriously and starts poking around his insides.

Then there's Bendy. The poor toon's memories about his years spent in the studio were spotty at best. There were holes there that either he couldn't or wouldn't fill because it was all too painful. The only thing that lingered when he found Henry was a profound sense of loneliness. Loneliness and fear of the creatures that slithered through the ink filled and rotted hallways of the studio.

But all of that was behind them now. Henry kept his promise and freed them both. He was trying his best to make a new life for his toon friend. Show him the world he was denied for so long. Neither one was naïve. Things were a little rocky between the toon and the adults that lived in their little town, but things were slowly coming together.

So why hadn't he picked up the phone. Why hadn't he called the one person he knew would be worried to death about him. The demonic symbol in the palm of his hand reminded him why. He wasn't sure if he could tell her what happened in there. As soon as she sees Bendy, she would have more questions. He'd be lucky if she didn't think he joined a cult or something.

He really shouldn't have been surprised when the phone rang one day and a familiar voice could be heard on the other end. His sister had an uncanny knack for calling when he really needed someone to talk to.

"Hey there old man! Haven't heard from ya in awhile." Henry knew he had this coming. In all honesty, he was really happy to hear from her.

"Hey June-Bug. It's good to hear from you too. Sorry I haven't called in awhile." She got really quiet for a few seconds.

"Hey bro, are you feeling alright? You sound a little off." Henry ran his fingers through his hair. He may have a supernatural bond with an ink demon, but June could always sense when something was wrong and vise versa.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired is all." Again it got really quiet on the other end before she asked the one thing he hoped she wouldn't:

"Henry? Would you mind if I came over to see you? I wanna see if you're alright with my own eyes?" Oh damn. He wasn't sure if he was up for this. He could flat out refuse, but that wouldn't feel right.

"Umm, I dunno June. What about the girls?" He heard her huff over the line and he got a feeling that wasn't going to work.

"Jason is taking them to stay with their grandparents for a few weeks. So, it'll be just me." She sighed softly. "C'mon bro, I just want to make sure you're really okay. Please."

Henry was hesitant. He really wanted to see her but he wasn't sure how she would take to all the changes in his life. He didn't think he could handle it if she turned her back on him out of fear. A light tap on his arm and a wave of calmness broke him out of his negative thoughts. Bendy was staring at him. He didn't say a word, but he was letting Henry know through their bond that everything will be okay. Henry smiled at the little toon and gave him a slight nod.

"Ya know what? I'd love for you to come and spend time with me, sis. There are some things I need to tell you when you get here." He heard her release a breath she must have been holding. She probably thought he was going to say no.

"Oh good. I'll be there in a few days."

Henry chuckled, "Just don't break any traffic laws trying to get here."

"Oh come on! That only happened once or twice!" Henry could almost hear the pout in her voice. "I'll be more careful this time."

He just shook his head. "Whatever you say sis. Just get here safely. " She agreed and hung up. Bendy was looking at him expectantly.

"Well, you're gonna meet my sister in a few days." The toon's face lit up. Henry could feel his excitement. He just hoped that everything would go smoothly.

-OoOoOoOoO-

June arrived at her brother's home Saturday afternoon. She was anxious the whole drive there. Henry had a nasty habit of hiding things from her. Sometimes she wanted to shake him when he did that. She didn't know if it was a macho thing or her brother just being stubborn. If things didn't look right with him, she was getting to the bottom of it.

Henry had to tell Bendy to hide in the back room for just a moment. June didn't take surprises very well. Knowing her, she'd throw something at the poor toon before he could get her to calm down. Bendy thought that was funny and did as he was told.

Henry opened his front door when he heard a car pull up into his driveway. He smiled as he watched his sister get out and pulled a small suitcase from the back seat. As soon as she laid her green eyes on him, a huge smile spread across her face. Henry was already out the door and walking up to her when she dropped her suitcase and threw her arms around him.

She didn't say anything for quite awhile. She just hugged him tightly and buried her face into his chest. Henry smiled sadly. He must have really worried her. He let her go, picked up her suitcase and lead her into the house. He put her things near the steps before he was pulled into another hug.

"I've missed you bro. When I didn't hear from you, I got a little scared."

"I'm sorry June-Bug. I didn't mean ta make ya worry. Something came up…"

June pulled away from him and looked him over. Henry looked tired. She could see shadows under his eyes. He was slouching slightly too. She was going to ask him what happened when she noticed something strange about his hands and forearms. She reached out and took his left hand. She turned it over, twisted it, and ran her fingers over the dark lines that looked like his veins.

"Henry? What is this?" Henry winced at the concern in her voice.

"June, I-" he didn't get the chance to explain when she went to examine his right hand. Henry didn't miss the soft gasp she made when she discovered the pentagram in the palm of his hand. The veins there looked even darker as they spider webbed away from the brand. She ran shaky fingers over it before looking up at him. Her eyes were wide and fearful.

"June. I can explain or at least I can try. There are some things I still don't understand." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and was relieved when she didn't pull away.

"But first, I want you to meet someone." She gave him a confused look. "Just trust me. He's part of my explanation." Henry sighed and looked towards the back room. "Hey bud, can you come out here, please."

June turned and watched as the door slowly opened. She thought she was seeing things when a short, black and white figure walked out of the room. Said figure had a nervous smile on his face and what looked like ears or maybe horns on top of his head. White gloves and bow tie completed his almost cartoon-ish look.

"Hi Mrs. June!" The little toon waved at her.

Henry watched as his sister backed up into him. This caused the little toon to stop in his tracks. He didn't mean to scare her. Henry held her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright June-Bug. This is my friend, Bendy." June looked back at him with her brow furrowed. He could tell she was trying to remember something by the way her eyes darted around.

"Bendy?" She looked back at the little toon before her eyes lit up in recognition. "Wait! Bendy, as in the cartoon character you used to draw for Joey?!" Bendy frowned at the mention of that man's name. She heard Henry say 'yes' softly but she was having a hard time believing it.

June let go of her brother's hand and walked up to the little toon. Bendy looked up at her with a wary smile on his face. She reached out and hesitantly touched one of his horns. She was shaking her head. He felt real! She drew her hand back and turned towards her brother. Henry was running his fingers through his white patch of hair. "I think you're gonna wanna sit down for this."

They all sat at the kitchen table. Henry sighed and ran a hand down his face. "This all started when I got a letter from Joey." June sat there quietly and listened to his story. He told her about the abandoned studio, the ink machine, and his first encounter with Bendy. Her eyes would dart over to the little toon only to find him staring at her. It was as if he was trying to gauge her reaction to Henry's story.

In all honesty, she was a little angry. She couldn't believe he went back there. After that big blow up he had with Joey, she thought he would have nothing to do with him or that place. She had a very low opinion of the man after that.

She noticed Henry was getting to parts of his story that he was struggling with. She'd been through this with him before. His time in the service had left him shaken. She knew better than to push him if he wasn't ready to talk. June reached across the table and gripped his hand. "Hey, hey you don't have to tell me everything tonight. I'll be here for a few days. You just take your time, alright?"

Henry looked grateful. There were things that went on in the studio that still gave him nightmares. He decided that now was a good time to take a break. None of them had dinner yet, so he wanted to fix something.

As he got up from the table and puttered around the kitchen, he left his sister sitting at the table with the little toon. There was some tension there and June tried to break it. She cleared her throat to get his attention.

"So, are you really Bendy?" The little toon blinked in surprise before nodding.

"You know, Henry used to show me sketches of you while he was working at the studio." She gave Bendy a soft smile. "I would go to see every one of your cartoons in the theater because I knew my brother worked on them."

"Wait? Really?" Bendy couldn't believe it.

"Yup. And your cartoons never failed to make me laugh." Any tension in the room burst like an invisible bubble. The toon's smile could light up the room. It made June laugh.

Henry watched the two out of the corner of his eye. He could feel his friend's nervousness melt away as he listened to June. To her credit, she was trying to give the toon a chance, even if she didn't trust him completely.

The rest of the evening went by rather smoothly. June told stories of them when they were children and Bendy was hanging off of every word.

"And I made the mistake of falling asleep on the grass. This joker-" she thrusts her thumb in Henry's direction. "gathered up a bunch of snails and put them on my face!"

Bendy turned to Henry with amusement dancing in his eyes. "Oh no. You didn't do that!" Henry chuckled and the toon tried to hide his laughter behind gloved hands.

"Yeah he did!" June crossed her arms over her chest. "To this day, I'm still scared of snails!" The little toon fell out of his chair and rolled around on the floor laughing. The rest of the evening went by with funny stories and a good amount of chuckles.

June was starting to get tired. She wouldn't tell Henry but she might have broken a few traffic laws to get there as fast as she did. All of that driving was starting to catch up to her. She had been to her brother's home enough times to know where the guest room was, but Bendy was more than happy to show her the way. She was a little reluctant but followed him up the stairs, leaving Henry alone.

Henry was going to follow them but stopped at his large living room window. It was dark outside and a stiff breeze was causing the branches on the trees to sway. The palm of his right hand began to throb softly. This started to happen a few weeks ago. He rubbed his palm and stared out into the darkness. Maybe his time in the studio had left him paranoid, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He shook his head and dismissed the thought. He was like this after he came home from the service too. It was just his mind playing tricks on him.

Henry moved away from the window and headed up the stair. He was tired and a good night's sleep would do him some good.

-OoOoOoOoO-

Sunday morning. June was used to getting up early because of the girls. Even thought she wasn't home, her body was still on that darn schedule. She sighed and crawled out of bed. She gave up on trying to go back to sleep. She threw on a robe that she packed and left the guest room. June headed down stairs and straight for the kitchen.

June knew what she needed, coffee! She turned on the coffee maker and waited. Within ten minutes, she was sipping on the heavenly brew and finally felt awake enough to fix breakfast. June went to the fridge and pulled out a pack of bacon, a few eggs, and some milk. As she got out a loaf of bread from the breadbox, she heard someone walking into the kitchen. She looked over to see Bendy standing there. The little toon was trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He jumped a little when he noticed June standing there instead of Henry.

"Oh ah, good mornin' Mrs. June!" She chuckled and wished him the same. Bendy sat at the table and watched as cracked a few eggs in a bowl, added some milk, cinnamon, and a little sugar. He wasn't sure what she was making as she mixed it all together. She went through a few cabinets before she found two frying pans. June placed them both on the stove and added cooking oil to one before heating them both up. The ink demon really got curious when she dipped a few slices of bread in the batter.

"Um, Mrs. June? What are ya makin'?" She turned to him with a cheeky grin. She told him he'll find out when she was done. This caused the toon to whine and lay his head down on the table. He really wanted to know now!

June placed the batter soaked bread in the pan with hot oil and slices of bacon in the other pan. Soon the kitchen was filled with such delicious smells that it made the toon's mouth water. Even Henry managed to wander into the kitchen at the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

"Mmm G'mornin' everyone." Both June and Bendy wished him a good morning as he made his way over to the coffee machine. He poured some of the coffee into a mug and sipped the dark brew. He looked over his sister's shoulder to see what she was cooking and smiled.

"Huh, sticking to tradition I see." June just smiled and waved him off. Henry grabbed a few plates, silverware, and a glass of orange juice for Bendy and set them up on the table. He also dug the maple syrup out of the cabinet before taking a seat next to the toon.

"Hey Henry, do you know what she's cooking?" Henry gave his friend a lazy smile.

"Yup… but you'll find out soon. She's almost done."

"Aww c'mon! Not you too!" The toon grumbled before crossing his arms over his chest. Henry just chuckled and told his friend to be patient.

Within a few minutes June came to the table with a large plate stacked with the strange toast she was cooking on the stove and several slices of bacon. She placed a few slices of both on Bendy's plate and told him to pour a little syrup over it.

Henry and June fixed their plates but sat back and waited for the toon's reaction. Bendy poked at the food. It all smelled so good. He cut a piece off of the sweet smelling toast and bit into it. His pie cut eyes grew very wide. There were different flavors dancing on his tongue. He looked up to see the siblings staring at him with the same expression on their faces. It was almost startling.

"This is really good Mrs. June! What is it?" He took another piece and shoveled it into his mouth.

"It's called French Toast." She smiled and began eating her own food.

"Yup. Mom would make this for us every Sunday mornin'." Henry took another sip of his coffee before slicing into his own French Toast.

There were hums of appreciation from the little toon that made June smile. He was so child-like, it was almost endearing. Still, there was something about him that kept her from trusting him completely. She couldn't put her finger on it besides the obvious. A living cartoon was anything but normal. There was just something there that put her on edge. Hopefully, Henry would tell her more about his little friend.

After breakfast, the dishes were washed, and June and Henry went to their respective rooms to get dressed. It was a nice day so they all sat out on the front porch. Henry asked about June's family and she happily fished out some pictures for him and Bendy to see. The little toon seemed excited to hear that Henry had two little nieces. He asked if he could meet them some day. June shot her brother an unreadable look. He knew what she was thinking but told the toon "Maybe some day."

Later on, some neighborhood kids ran up and asked if Bendy wanted to play. The little toon jumped at the chance and ran off with the children. June looked very concerned but Henry put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright. He's actually good with children. He wouldn't do anything to hurt them." June gave him a skeptical look but trusted her brother's judgement. As she looked on, she realized the toon was a big kid at heart. The children weren't afraid of him at all. They played games and chased each other all afternoon. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he met her girls. She still wanted to know more about him.

Afternoon bled into evening. The kids head home for the night. Henry decided to throw some meat on the grill since it was such a nice evening. They all sat in the backyard and chatted while they waited for the food to be done. June couldn't believe how much the little toon loved hotdogs. She told him to slow down when he tried to stuff half the dog in his mouth. Henry just watched it all with a soft smile on his face.

Soon it was time to clean up. Henry needed to get up in the morning. He wanted to be well rested for work. Bendy helped June take some things back into the house, but Henry found himself just standing there. The pentagram in his hand began to throb again and that feeling of being watched was getting stronger. As far as he could tell, nothing was there and yet…

"Hey bro, you alright?" June walked up behind him. He didn't miss the fact that she took his left hand and not his right. She'd been trying to avoid the pentagram in his palm ever since she laid eyes on it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought…" He sighed and shook his head. There was nothing there. "Ya know what, never mind. Let's just head in. I'm just tired." June frowned but didn't want to argue. He gave her hand a soft squeeze and they headed for the back door. Neither one noticed something dark had slithered across the path and disappeared into the bushes.

-OoOoOoOoO-

During the week, Henry would leave for work in the morning. June would be left in the house with the little toon, alone. It wasn't as bad as she thought. He would ask her a bunch of questions about herself or Henry when they were young. He would help her around the house or outside with the poor neglected flowerbed in the front. She would fix them lunch and the toon would be finished just in time to play with the kids in the afternoon.

Henry would come home to find June pulling weeds or in the kitchen getting dinner ready. It was all so normal and kinda nice. He could even feel a certain calmness from Bendy when June was around. He was growing fond of her. Henry even caught his sister patting the little toon on the head as she walked by. All of this made him wish he had called her sooner.

At night he would tell her a little more about his time trapped in the studio. He told her about the first time Bendy was able to leave his page. He described the transformation and how the toon saved his life. June knew there was more to the living cartoon but she wasn't expecting that. She tried really hard not to stare at him when Henry mentioned the first time the toon lost control. A quick glance showed the toon wringing his gloved hands together. He looked very apologetic and Henry had to tell him that it wasn't his fault.

June noticed he hadn't mentioned the pentagram on his hand yet. She would see him rubbing his palm like it hurt but when she asked, he'd tell her it was nothing. She didn't believe him but she had to be patient. She had a sneaking suspicion she wasn't going to like it.

He did tell her about the strange bond he shared with the little toon. June found that very interesting. Henry told her really strong emotions can be felt easier than subtle ones. They were still trying to figure things out but that bond saved their life more than once.

More and more she was beginning to wonder what Henry had gotten himself into. He seemed so calm while she was feeling a little out of her depth.

-OoOoOoOoO-

It was a quiet Friday night. The week had gone by pleasantly well. Henry had managed to tell his sister about some of the things that went on in the studio. He actually felt lighter getting some of that stuff out in the open. Still, there was one thing he hadn't told her yet. The pentagram. He wasn't sure how he was going to describe what it does. Deep down, he was afraid she would think he was a monster. She was the only family he had left. He didn't want to loose her.

It didn't help that his hand was throbbing more and more or that that feeling of being watched was getting worse. He didn't want to say anything to Bendy or June because he didn't want to worry them over nothing.

June watched as Henry stood by the large living room window. He seemed to be staring out into the moonless night. Every once and awhile he would rub the palm of his right hand or tighten it into a fist. She wondered if he knew he was doing that. Bendy was sitting on the floor, trying to read a book. He would look over at Henry with a look of concern on his face. That's how June knew, she wasn't the only one that thought something was wrong.

June walked up to Henry and tapped him on the back. He turned to her and the look in his eyes was very distant. He sighed softly and scratched the back of his head.

"Um, sis? I need to talk to you. About this…" He pointed to the pentagram on his palm. June understood how hard this must be for him, but she was glad he was going to tell her.

"You know what? You go ahead and sit on the couch and I'll grab us a couple of beers, alright?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks sis."

As June headed for the kitchen, she noticed Bendy had put his book down. When Henry sat down on the couch, the little toon sat down next to him. He kept telling Henry that everything was going to be alright. Henry smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. She shook her head. She was doing a good job of keeping an open mind, but they were making her nervous.

She spent about a minute looking in the fridge when she realized there were no beers in there. "I'm sorry bro. We're out of beer." She grumbled.

"Um, I have another fridge in the garage. I should have some in there." He started to get up when June told him she could get it. He wanted to argue but she was already heading for the door that connected the garage to the side of the house.

June opened the door and flipped on the light switch. It blinked a few times before the dim light steadied. She looked around. There were cardboard boxes stacked in the corners. A work bench was off to the side with metal pipes laying on top of it. She found the fridge standing against the wall to her right.

She walked over to it, opened the door, and began rummaging through its contents. June was so caught up in what she was doing, she didn't notice a dark substance oozing from under the garage door. She didn't hear the soft squishing sound the puddle made as it stretched towards her. June pulled two bottles out and took a step back when her foot came into contact with something wet.

"What the hell?" She looked down at her feet. Whatever it was, it was black and very shiny. It almost looked like oil. A splashing sound caught her attention and she watched in horror as something began to rise up out of the dark pool…

"She'll understand, Henry."

"I hope so bud." Henry was trying to stamp down the panic that was threatening to make him back out. Bendy was doing his best to keep him calm and he really appreciated that.

"She's a swell lady. She won't abandon you. You're her brother and she loves you." The toon had a very serious look on his face.

"You're right bud. I just hope-"

Henry and Bendy jumped when they heard a high pitched scream and a crashing sound from the garage. Henry was already up and running towards the door with the toon hot on his heels. He pushed the door open and froze at what he saw:

The fridge was knocked over and the contents were floating in a pool of… ink?! His head shot up when he heard a soft hissing sound near the garage door.

There was a tall, skinny, ink covered figure standing there.

"J-June?!" The creature was hunched over with June's still body slung over its shoulder. It was staring at him. At least he thought it was. It didn't have eyes!

"LET HER GO!" He shouted at the unknown figure. Anger and panic began to blossom in his chest. If anything happened to her, it would be all his fault!

He managed to take a single step when clawed hands shot out of the puddle and grabbed him. Bendy yelped as he was grabbed and pulled down to the ground. Henry tried to reach his sister but more claws and strong arms wrapped around him.

He watched in horror as the unknown figure reached down and pulled the garage's sliding door upward. It took one step outside before it looked back at him.

"Please! Don't take her, please PLEASE!" Henry was practically begging the creature not to take her way. The figure seemed to shake it's featureless head. It ducked under the open door before letting it fall to the ground with a crash. Just like that, his sister was gone.

Henry stopped struggling. He stood there, frozen in place. He could barely hear Bendy calling out to him or the moans of misshapen bodies rising out of the ink. His mind was reeling. She was gone. His sister was gone! Taken by the same evil he thought he left behind when he escaped the studio.

"NO!" Henry's eyes shut tight and he gritted his teeth. He would NOT let this happen.

"NO NO NO! June!JUNE!" As he opened his eyes, the green flashed to red and he could feel his canines elongate. He would get his sister back! Heaven help anyone that got in his way!

.

To be concluded.