Have you seen the Sheriff?

Chapter 4 - There's the Sheriff!

It was the end of the day and the sun was setting over Tumble Town. A group of people stood in the middle of the mesa, discussing their next move. They had been unable to find the Sheriff and they didn't know what to do now. "What if he actually found a way to fall into the void?" Sausage asked, panic rising once more. Gem tightened her grip on the man's hand, to help ground him.

"No," Scar said curtly," Is there anywhere we haven't looked yet?" Grian sighed, clearly frustrated. "There's all the other empires, but I trust the Emperors when they say he isn't there," fWhip said, sounding slightly accusing. Scar opened his mouth to protest, but decided not to when Scott stepped away from the group.

Tango joined the other in looking out over Tumble Town. "He's got to be somewhere," Scott muttered. Tango only nodded in agreement. The silence that formed got interrupted by a ping on all communicators, indicating a message in the general chat. They all grabbed their comms, desperate for news about Jimmy's whereabouts.

<Pixlriffs> You guess never guess what I found in my Catacombs

Grian let out a frustrated noise, making some others wince. "Nobody cares about some stupid artefact!" he shouted, as if Pix could hear him from all the way over there. Another ping.

<Pixlriffs> You really want to see this. Trust me ;)

"Okay, the winky face is really suspicious," Scar said. Sausage agreed. "For a guy with a Crypt, he normally isn't as... well, cryptic," fWhip mused. "Should we head over and see?" Gem asked curious. Most shrugged. Tango and Scott shared a look, hope blossoming in their chests. "It couldn't hurt," Scar said, looking at Grian who shrugged once again. "Well," Gem said, tapping her foot," Let's go!"

So, they made their way over to the massive bridge and towards the Catacombs that lay in Pix's realm. Once there, they found Pixlriffs sitting beneath the frog light tees in his Orchard. He was talking to somebody, who was wrapped in a blanket and nursing a cup of tea. Scott let out an audible gasp, making Pix and the other man look over.

Jimmy stood abruptly, losing the blanket in the process, as he took in the search party. "Uh...hi." As soon as he spoke, Scott and Tango raced towards him, both wrapping their arms around the blonde. Pix had quickly taken the cup from Jimmy's hand, chuckling softly. The sheriff tried to speak, but was interrupted by both men apologizing. Scott started to choke up, so he decided to let Tango speak up first.

"I am so sorry, Jim," he said," I promise to make more time for you." He buried his face in the other's chest. "I'm sorry I didn't visit, I didn't realise how lonely you'd get," he said, voice muffled," I promise to hang out more. We can even stay in the Ranch and have a calm evening with a movie or something." He dared look up, straight into Jimmy's eyes, as he saw his words register in the other's head. A warm smile appeared on Jimmy's face. "I would like that very much, my Rancher," he said softly. Tango smiled back as he felt Jimmy's hold on him tighten. He hugged back just as tight, before letting go.

Jimmy then concentrated on the other man in his arms. Scott stared silently at him, an almost afraid look on his face. "I'm sorry," he hiccupped," I should've made time for you." Jimmy's smile faltered, as his heart broke at the thought of their last encounter. "Oh, Scott," he muttered as he took the other's face in his hands," It's okay. You were busy."

Scott shook his head, as best as he could. "No," he said, taking a breath," I could never be to busy to spend time with you." A thumb over his cheek wiped the fallen tears away. "I would love for you to show me some more of the Crystal Caves," the Sheriff said, a small smile on his face. The cyanette nodded, placing a hand on Jimmy's. They shared a hug, before Scott let go and stepped away, making room for the next person.