This Heavy Heart

A Sinking Feeling (Edited)

This fanfic is dedicated to the best online friend I have in the world: Annoyingsister2004, a great author and one of the best people I know.

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You are more powerful than your circumstances. They don't define you. You do.

Jon Gordon

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Ox watched as the crowd of dolls around him all cheered at the fixing of the portal. But he, alone, wasn't truly happy. The green bunny then turned back to look with regret at Lou, who was still being tossed around and around in the washing machine, a look of panic and fear on the prototype's face.

It secretly tore at Ox's heart to see Lou like this. It caused long-hidden feelings of brotherly love and care to rise to the surface of his mind. Why was he just standing there? Lou had helped a frightened and confused Ox when he'd first arrived at the Institute, so why wasn't Ox doing anything to help his BROTHER?

Just as this thought entered his mind, the washer stopped suddenly, sending Lou into the washer door very hard. 'THUD!' Ox winced. That had to hurt, he thought as Lou slowly slid down the door. The loud thud had caught every doll's attention and they all turned to look at the washer. Ox walked over to the washer and opened the door. Lou fell out and landed on the floor with a 'splat!', a total mess from head to foot. What really unnerved Ox, was the look in Lou's eyes.

His calm composure had completely shattered, revealing a scared and insecure soul who suddenly looked very vulnerable in every sense. The green bunny reached out a hand to try to help Lou up, but the prototype just flinched away from Ox's hand as if it belonged to a monster. Ox's heart broke, there and then. He'd lost the last bit of trust that Lou had in him.

"Recycle him!" "Let the dog rip him to pieces!" "Give him back to the baby!" The green bunny's eye opened wide as he turned to see all the other dolls advancing on Lou with hateful looks and angry voices. Woah! Hey, hey, hey now! This was getting out of hand. Ox had to stop this before it got any worse. "SHUT UP!" The mayor's voice carried over the hubbub, quietening all of the mad dolls. Lou remained on the ground, still scared. Ox cleared his throat, asserting his authority.

"Thank you. We are NOT going to do anything like that, thank you very much! We are civilised dolls, not savages! I know that Lou did some very bad things, but he's not to be recycled or torn to pieces. Shame on you guys, are YOU the villains now?!" Nobody spoke up, everyone was staring at the ground in an embarrassed fashion. The green bunny sighed.

"Putting him in the washer and turning it up to a higher level than normal was more than punishing." Nolan, who was standing nearby, gulped nervously. "Yes, Nolan. I do know about that." All the dolls turned to look at Nolan curiously. "Don't think that I didn't see you fiddling with the washer controls in the background, or the evil grin on your face as you suggested the washer!"

Nolan hung his head and just mumbled quietly. "He deserved it." Tuesday patted him on the back. Murmurs of agreement trickled through the crowd. Ox knew that he had to act fast before their mood turned ugly again.

"I have a special punishment in mind, one that is not savage and cruel, and it will hopefully teach him a lesson." All the dolls then perked up and listened intently. "I expect you all to not bully or mock him as he undergoes it." Ox could be very intimidating when he wanted to be.

Everybody nodded very slowly. The green bunny then heard a little gulp from Lou, and turned to see the prototype shaking like an autumn leaf in a wind. Lou was terrified of the words 'special punishment'. Ox smiled reassuringly down at his brother. He hoped that Lou would be able to cope with it.

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Lou scowled as he mopped the floor for what seemed like the umpteenth hundred time. At the time of the incident, he'd hoped that Ox would persuade the other dolls to be merciful to him. This was merciful?! Okay, Lou had to admit that it was better than be recycled or ripped to pieces by the robot dog. Speaking of the dog ... Lou turned his head and looked up at the robot dog standing over him.

The prototype felt that it was always threatening to tear him to pieces. The robot dog, on the other hand, continued to follow the duty that Ox had given it: to make sure that Lou completed the month of community service that he'd been allocated ... AND make sure that none of the other dolls tried to hurt Lou. The last objective was secret, and no one else, apart from Ox, knew.

Lou heard some giggling and looked up to see the Spy Girls looking at him and tittering in a sort of cruel way. Kitty looked smug. Lydia looked rather condescending. Tuesday just looked blank. The blonde doll just sighed and looked down, mopping the floor again. Over time, he'd got used to the bullying, all of it verbal. None of it was physical for some strange reason. Maybe they were afraid of the dog? Lou shrugged. He didn't really care.

Lou moved the mop further right, which is where it happened. The blonde prototype's right foot slipped on a patch of water and down he went. He hit his head on the ground and groaned, his eyes closing. Oww. Lou heard the robot dog whine and felt a cold metal nose gently nudge his body. He pushed it away. "Go away." A growl. "I feel like rubbish. I AM rubbish!" Another whine. "You can rip me to pieces if you want. I no longer care. I've got nothing left to lose, no friends, no purpose, no empire. They should throw me out with the trash, they don't want me around anyway." More whines.

Lou ignored them and just continued lying there. It felt peaceful, aside from the whines. "Lou?" Lou frowned and opened his eyes. "Ox?"

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