Disclaimer: I do not own 9.

Author's note: I live! And I bring great tiddings and a chapter! I'm makeing no promises on how long it might take me to get the next one ready, but it shouldn't take as long as this one. I'm going through all of my stories and cleaning them up, especally my poor Brace Yourself. That one might be completly redone. Just giveing everyone the heads up! As always, love you guys. Rereading all of your reviews kept me going and got me back into writeing. So lots of love!

Short by 9 Marbles

Chapter 12: Jack in the box

In the cafetera, 9 plopped down at the place that had quickly become his spot. Everyone else seemed to be running late because it was just him, 5, 7, and 8 at the table. 9 sighed, spinning the spoon in his cereal bowl around.

5 paused from eating a piece of toast and frowned at his behavior. "This sulking of yours is going to get annoying really fast. Why are you even in here?"

9 didn't look up, far too interested in the swirling Cheerios. "What'd you mean?"

"It's Saturday."

9 finely met 5's gaze and they stared at each other for a few minutes before realization hit.

"Oh shit!" 9 ran out of the room. He had once again gotten so caught up with life in the asylum that he forgot about his meeting today with Zach.

He checked himself in with the orderly that was standing by the front door. He made his way in between the tables, looking for his friend.

"Jess! Hey, Jess!" It took a few minutes for him to remember that he was Jess, and turned to find Zach waving at him. "I was starting to worry that you would be a no show!"

9 sat down with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I forgot what today was."

The twins walked by and both gave him a smack on the back the head.

Zach watched them retreat to their own table and turned back to 9. "What was that?"

"Oh, they're probably still mad at me for getting them in trouble." 9 stuck his tongue at them when they turned back around, and they smiled back. They had a new guest, a woman that had come in with their father, and she seemed to be finding their antics amusing. "See, they have a recorder thing—part of their therapy, and I really wanted to see what was on it, and we got into a fight and knocked over a bookshelf."

His old friend laughed, "Still can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

9 shrugged, not sure about how he should answer that.

Trying to keep the conversation going, Zack asked, "So what do you do for fun?"

"There's a few T.V rooms, an art room…Was I into art?"

Zach waved his hand in a kind-of-sort-of gesture. "Eh, you weren't serous about it. You just got really good from spending so much time doodling instead of taking notes."

"Oh…" 9 continued, "There is a library and a gym, but I don't spend much time in either… and there's always group therapy."

Zach made a face at the last one. "It really is more fun than it sounds. At least my group. But that might be because we're the oddballs, apparently."

Zach nodded in interest. "So who are these guys then?"

"Besides the twins, there's 1," he pointed to the old man occupied with talking to his own guest. He looked around for someone else and paused in surprise. "…6?" The wild haired man was sitting with a African man, his Caucasian wife, and the teen that was with them was a copper mix. "Huh. I didn't know that..never mind."

"There's…" 9 stopped , realizing what he was about to say. "Oh, right. He left yesterday. The rest of them are over there." 9 pointed to the window where 7 had her face pressed against the glass and making faces at him. "They're a really loveable bunch…once you get passed the mentally unstable part." Zach was laughing too hard to respond.

There was an awkward silence after that, and 9 looked around. It was pretty nice out, with the wind blowing and only a few stray clouds in the sky. Finely coming up with something, 9 turned his attention back to his guest. "What about you then? What've you been up to?"

"Eh, not much. Just the normal overload. Work, school… Mom. I'm never going to hear the end of it from her now. She wants to come visit too…the whole family actually. It's going to be a disaster in the making. Be afraid Jess. Be very afraid."

It was 9's turn to laugh. "I thought I was an honorary member of your clan!"

"Oh, you are. You're the beloved unofficial member. I'm more worried about the bloodshed that's going to come from them fighting each other for you."

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Everyone jumped and turned in surprise to see 3 and 4 screaming loudly, kicking up the chairs and table in an attempt to attack their father but an orderly was holding them back by an arm each. Moments later they were sedated and dragged inside, quiet whispers falling on the remaining crowd.

Zach was dumbfounded, stairing at the front door. "Jeez, what was that about?"

9 stood up in a hurry, bumping his knee into the table on accident. "I have no idea. The twins hardly ever make a peep. Look, I need to go. They're my friends so…"

Zach held a hand up, "No need to explain Dude. It was just nice to see ya. Next week, alright?"

"Yeah, thanks…Dude." 9 added on awkwardly and quickly rushed into the building.

7 and 5 were by the elevator sharing nervous glances when 9 ran up to them. "What happened?"

7 turned to face him, her face distorted in worry for her younger friends. "Didn't you see their new guest?"

9 shrugged. "Well, yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"9…she had a ring on her finger."

He stared at her blankly. "Okay?"

7 snarled in anoyance at 9, "They're engaged you nitwit! They're going to get married!" She took a few deep breaths to calm down, realizeing that getting mad at 9 wasn't going to help.

5 shook his head slowly. "Those poor boys…there's no telling what this is going to lead to."

9 groaned, and nodded in agreement. He wasn't quite sure exactly what kind of new issues this news was going to cause, but was sure that it couldn't be anything good.

9 stared up at the orderly that was giving him a dirty look and smiled. He was on his knees next to 5, 7 and 6, as they struggled to stick all of their ears against the office door at the same time.

"This is pointless! I can't hear a thing!" 5 gripped.

"Then move out of the way so I can hear!" 9 urged and pushed him over.

"Shhh!" 7 hit 9's head to get him to be quiet.

It didn't work. "I think they're talking about the twins!"

7 pulled away so that she could give him a pointed look. "No duh Sherlock."

"Bermuda Triangle!"

The three patients turned to stare at 6.

The door opened partly, and Dr. Robertson looked down and gave them a bemused look.

7 stood up and grabbed 5 and 9 by the back of the shirts. "We're going, we're going…"

"You see, this is why I won't take the twins out. I'm busy enough as it is without having to deal with this kind of nonsense!" The lady of the hall glared at the man talking to his fiancée.

Dr, Robertson's voice and face was devoid of emotion, but the patients could feel the rage wanting to escape. "They're not as bad as all that, Just a bit excited because of all of the commotion your announcement caused. Mr. James here will escort you out." He motioned at the orderly that stepped forward.

9 and the crew waited quietly until they had left, then turned expectantly toward their doctor. "You might as well tell us. You know we'll sit here all day bothering you until you do."

Dr. Robertson gave her an unconvinced look and closed his office door.

The short black haired woman plopped down in the hall and crossed her arms stubbornly.

5 tapped her on the head playfully. "You're not really going to sit there all day, are you?"

7 starred at the office door in attempt to burn a hole through it with her glare alone. "He's going to have to come out eventually. He always gets off early on Saturdays and Sundays."

"Uh huh. You have fun with that." 5 turned to leave, but then back tracked. 9 was considering sitting down with 7 when the one eyed brunet grabbed him by the back of the shirt and dragged him along.

6 was oblivious to everything that had occurred and was counting the tiles on the ceiling.

3 and 4 hadn't returned until it was time to line up for medication. The nine patients were in numerical order, by the entrance of their hall. That of course, put 9 at the end of the line. He leaned to the side, trying to see around the others and get the twin's attentions. "Psss, 3…4! Hey, Psss!"

4 shot him a tired glare and gave him the finger.

7 reached around 8 and swatted 9. "leave them alone, they probably had a rough day!"

9 hissed back, "But I want to know what happened!"

7's eyebrows drew together. "So do I but—"

"Quiet down!" An orderly snapped in annoyance. 7 quickly turned back around, and a silence fell over them for just a minute.

7 whispered over her shoulder, "Tonight." 9 pondered that for a moment, until the meaning hit home and he gave a small nod.

The nurse with their medication finely arrived and made quick work of going through the line. 9 bounced on the back of his heels impatiently as 6 finished up and went to his room, then 7…then 8.

The 9th patient snatched up the last cup of meds and drowned it down with its counterpart filled with water. He showed the nurse that he did swallow it, and quickly made it to his room. By the time his head made contact with pillow, his mind had become hazy.

He slipped further and further away from reality, until finely, his eyes shut.

9 looked around in excitement. "Is he here?"

No one answered. The twins shrugged, and 7 and 5 exchanged a worried look. 1 and 8 excused themselves. 6…was being 6 and muttering nonsense to himself as he snatched up his beloved ink bottle.

9's face fell.

5 stepped forward and pat him on the shoulder, trying to offer him some comfort.

7 was quick to turn on the twins in hopes that the change of topic would help. "Okay, you two have some explaining to do."

The twins exchanged blinks, then rapidly made signs.

7 had to stop them on occasion because they were going far too fast for her, and she couldn't watch both sets of hands at the same time. The message got through in the end, and she nodded in understanding. "Oh. Well…that's actually a good thing, isn't it?"

5 raised an eyebrow. "Translation?"

7 sighed and leaned against the wall. "Like we predicted, their dad opened his fat mouth and our poor boys freaked out. But the cool part is that after they calmed down and Doctor Robertson explained everything, they found out their step-mom to be, Jasmine, wants to do something about their circumstances. She wants them to come home and be a semi-normal family…apparently she's going to be coming up here often because bozo dad still won't take them out."

5 didn't know what to think of that. On one hand it could be the push that the twins needed. On the other…. He wasn't sure how the twins would adjust to having a new mother, considering how their birth mother treated them. "What do you think is going to happen first, her pulling his stick out of his ass, or her realizing that he's a basted and dumping him?"

7 shrugged with one shoulder. "It's too early to tell."

"What do you think 9? …9?" 5 looked around for the amnesia patient, to find him sitting by a window, searching the landscape for an old friendly figure. A twin stood on either side, making faces and trying to get his attention.

7 slumped down the wall and wrapped her arms around her legs. "He's taking this harder then I thought."

5 sat down next to her, "Well, he's not used to it like we are, I mean, I didn't expect it anymore then you did, not with…" 5 waved at the stone room of the cathedral, "this, but we've seen others leave and got used to it. And it can't help, not having a lot of memories."

7 hummed in thought. "I want to go out there."

5 hissed, "Are you crazy? The beasts are out there and…and what about 1?"

"Have I ever given a care about what 1 thought before? He might be out there. He really might."

5 blinked his eye in confusion. "Who, 1?"

7 rolled her eyes and groaned in frustration. She whispered, "No, you ninny, 2. I think 2 might be out there. This…whatever it is , is like a shield and…" 7 adverted her gaze, not wanting to meet 5 eyes to eye, "maybe he's moved out of its protective range?"

5's brows drew together. "What do you know that I don't?"

7 's eyes turned upward to the ceiling. "Nothing. Trust me, it's better that you don't know."

5 shook his head, trying to make sense of her cryptic response. "Whatever. You're going to do whatever you want, no matter what I say to try and stop you." He leaned closer and whispered, "Just don't tell him…" he nudged his head in 9's direction, "…because we don't need to get his hopes up and go on a wild goose chase."

"That's fine with me." The two patients shook on it.