- Forgive me, old friends... I'm sorry...

He will never see them again. He won't hear Theo's reproaches, he won't see Max smile, he won't feel how Ethan hug him like a brother. Most of all he feels sorry for Beth. She spent so much effort to raise him... And he died... And what about his father? Perhaps he doesn't care. Well, the child died, well, okay. Perhaps Tord thinks so (no, those who read the my last nonsense will understand). But... But he will see his mother.

Toby recalled being shown a video where his mother, being pregnant, told him, future Toby, how much she waited and loved him. Her smile as she stroked her swollen belly that he, Toby, was in, made him think about how happy he was with her then, and it was the best period of his life. Tears welled up at the thought. Toby curled up into a ball.

- I love you, Mama...

Then he did not remember and everything was in a fog. As this phase subsided, Toby lay with his eyes closed, feeling and hearing nothing. When consciousness returned to him, he felt that someone was holding him in his arms, and shaking him like a baby. From the sensations, he realized that there were no clothes on him from the word AT ALL, as well as on the one who held him in his arms. Toby opened his eyes. It was dark all around. But he could clearly see the woman's hands holding him. Raising his head, Toby's blue-gray eyes met the blue eyes of this woman. He had never seen such a beautiful woman. Beautiful blue eyes, pink lips like rose petals, an attractive body and long red hair that stuck out in all directions. Very beautiful... Toby stared at her for a long time before realizing that it was... His mother...

- M-mama? It's you? - Toby asked sleepily. The woman chuckled.

- Finally you woke up, my little rosebud. Yes it's me. Your mother, Annya.

Toby smiled a little sadly.

- Mama ... I'm so sorry ... You probably never thought that I would die so soon and, moreover, after you, didn't you?

Annya was surprised.

- You died? Toby, don't be silly, you're not dead, and neither am I. We are with you, you know, we are in a coma now.

Now Toby was surprised.

- Are we in a coma? How long are we?

- I don't know... I've lost track of time ever since I got here...

Toby looked away.

- I see ... - but then he decided to ask one thing. - Mama... Why are you naked?

Annya was confused by this:

- Well... Toby, you're naked too, as you can see. I don’t know myself, but probably because we are in a dream (or in our case, a coma), we see ourselves as we really are. - When she said this, her eyes twitched a little.

- Ah, so that's why I don't see you in monster form! So I see you as you really are? - Toby's eyes sparkled.

- Well... Not really... You see me the way I was when you were born. But you're almost right. Personally, I see you the way you are. - Annya told him. Toby was silent for a moment, but then grew sad.

- What's wrong with you, Toby? You are very sad... - Annya asked him. Toby sighed.

- My friends... I haven't heard from them since I left. I wish I could see them again...

Annya pressed the boy to her chest:

- Don't be sad, Toby, I'm sure your friends are fine... But maybe... They miss you... - she told him, and he silently sat in her arms.

....

The door to the hospital room creaked softly, and Ethan walked in. His hair was a mess lately, and his eyes were a little tired, and one of his eyes was twitching. He was wearing a straitjacket, the kind you wear in a mental hospital. Behind him came a black cat with a bandaged back. His green eyes glowed, though it wasn't that dark. Ethan sat on Tobyas's bed.

- Well, Rufus, I'll try to contact him through a mental link. Might be able to get in touch with his mother. - he said, sitting in a meditative pose and placing his hand on Toby's chest. The black cat sat next to Ethan.

- I hope we succeed...

....

For the first time Toby felt relieved and... Happy. He couldn't remember a time when he felt as happy as he did now. Well, when he was three, then Tord treated him differently, he loved him. But... When Toby was four, Tord changed. It was then that bruises and beatings appeared in Tobyas' life. Toby constantly tried to hide them with plasters, but everyone noticed them anyway ... In those days, Toby really dreamed of his mother. He wanted to have a mother like his friends. And... He didn't know the truth then. He did not know that his mother was alive, although not a person, but she was next to him. But... What Tord said to him one day...

"You don't have a mother, and you never will. She's dead. And the dead never come back."

This left a scar in Toby's heart. Although Tord seemed small, Edd said that for Toby it was a huge emotional wound that constantly bleeds. Such a wound cannot be healed with an ordinary band-aid. And although Toby often smiled, Ethan was the only one who knew that this smile was fake. It is worn like a Maktesløse by Toby, and he wore it to hide his pain. Only under Ethan could he be real (among friends, of course). But now... He is here... With his mother... Finally, he felt real, and so happy, even in a coma... The main thing is that he is with his mother... He felt that he was under her protection.

- I... I feel like my Mama's baby...- he said softly.

- Toby, you are my baby ... And you will always be ... - Annya answered him with a smile. Toby smiled.

- I will always be my Mama's baby...

Suddenly there was a rustle of grass and looking up, Toby saw a clear starry sky in front of him.

- It's... Unexpected, but beautiful... - he said, getting to his feet.

Soon he sat down on the grass and began to look at the stars. A cool breeze blew.

- Toby, are you cold? - Annya asked.

- Not. Until it's cold. - Toby told her. Annya ruffled his hair.

- Well, if it suddenly becomes cold, tell me, okay?

Toby nodded and continued to look at the stars. Once he already looked at them with his father. It was the last night Tord was a good father. Then he said that the sparkle in Toby's eyes is very similar to the sparkle in Annya's eyes. At that moment, Toby did not think that this was the last time Tord would treat him well, and that his life would become a nightmare from now on. Perhaps his father regrets this, after he lost him.

It got cold.

- It's cold now... - Toby said to Annya. She took out a blanket that had come from nowhere, and took cover with Toby.

- Well, it won't be so cold now, Toby.

It was much warmer under the blanket than without it. Annya wrapped her arms around Toby and held her close. He smiled a little sadly.

- It's a pity that Papa is not here ... Then we would look like a family.

- Yes... I would like it to be not a dream, or a coma, I would like it to be a reality. Annya answered him. Her eyes were fixed on the stars.

Mother and son looked at the stars together. Suddenly Toby felt that he was falling asleep, and Annya began to sing him a lullaby, like a baby. He quickly fell asleep to her voice. And slept until dawn.

....

The early rays of the sun hit Toby's eyes, waking him up. The little boy sat up and stretched. Yawning, he looked into the distance. There was dawn. Toby had never seen a sunrise before and was struck by its beauty.

- How beautiful...

He looked around for his mother. He found her looking at the dawn. Her beauty was reflected in the rays of the rising sun.

- Mama ... - Toby whispered looking at her. Annya instantly snapped out of her thoughts.

- Are you awake already, my rosebud? Sorry, I was just thinking...

- What are you thinking about? - Toby asked. Annya sighed heavily.

- I'm thinking about your father, Toby... - she continued after a little silence. - He... Didn't tell you what happened between us?

Toby shook his head.

- So... You don't know... - Annya sighed. - Good. Then I will tell you. When I first got pregnant, I ran to your future father for joy, to tell about such joy, but he ... For some reason he got angry (not counting the fact that he was going to fuck another girl), and demanded an abortion. I decided that I would educate you by myself. And I left the army. Toby, you know that your uncle was wanted then, right? - Annya asked a little sharply.

- Yes... I heard about it from Ethan. He says that his father went a little crazy and wanted to commit suicide by killing himself in the past (and then, Ethan later found out that if his father had killed himself in the past, then he would not have been either).

- Oh... I didn't know about that. Edd didn't tell me anything about that. But okay. I constantly fed him so that he would not die of hunger. Nothing. I didn’t tell the plans of the Red Army, I didn’t tell him anything like that, and I didn’t know what he was going to do. And your father didn't know about it either. So he sent for me and said he wanted me to forgive him. I did it. But... A little later, I met with Edd, and he told me that something bad could happen between us, and he feels it. The night before the birth, I had a panic attack, and your father tried to calm me down. He told me that everything would be fine.

- So what happened? - Toby asked impatiently.

- Well... I gave birth to you, and me and your father were in awe of you. We were going to get married after some time and become a family, but... Then after the birth rest... Your father accused me of betraying him and the red army and that I passed secret information to Edd. And... After that, I turned into a monster... He saw my transformation, and, apparently, experienced sadistic pleasure from this...

Toby lowered his head.

- Mama... What was your transformation like?

Annya turned to him.

- It... It hurt... It hurt a lot... When your skin melts before your eyes and your bones stretch... It's a very terrible process, and very painful... - She hugged her knees, and tears appeared in her eyes. Then Toby ran away somewhere, and returned with flowers:

- Don't cry, Mama! This is for you!

Annya wiped her eyes.

- Oh thank you! - she took the flowers and wove them into two wreaths, one of which she put on her head.

- Well, how do I look? - she asked Toby.

- Very beautiful! - he smiled, and Annya put a second wreath on him too.

- I haven't said it yet, but... During my transformation, you were the only thing on my mind at that moment. I knew I could rely on Beth, but... I really wanted you to be with me. - She ruffled Toby's hair again. He chuckled.

- I remember that dad said that when I was a baby, I was often carried to you ...

- Yes, it was. The first time was for Christmas, and it was a kind of gift from your father.

- And? How did I react to you? - Toby asked.

- Well, when I approached you, you cried. They tried to calm you down, but you only began to cry louder, and I was about to leave, when you suddenly extended your hand to me. I came up and you laugh! That's how it all started. - Annya spoke about it as about the best memories.

- Mama... What's it like to be a monster? - Toby already with interest began to ask questions. Annya chuckled.

- It's... On the one hand, it's good, on the other, it's not very... You know that I can't speak in this form? Here is one of the downsides. And knowing the father of this Theo, who can return to a human form, I don’t have such an opportunity ... And I don’t really like living in a cage without leaving it. I haven't seen the world in a long time...

- Wait, Mama, but what about the pluses of the monster form? - Toby interrupted her a little.

- My dear, there are pluses too! In case you didn't know, I once tried to kill your father when he accused Edd of my transformation. I tried to protect him. It's just... I owe him... But it almost happened, he called the guards anyway, and they pacified me with sleeping pills. Well, I'm not cold in the winter. Because I have thick fur.

- Oh, yes. - Toby smiled contentedly. - It's very warm with you.

They talked a little more, and then a black cat jumped out into the meadow where they were sitting.

- Oh my god, kitty! - Annya screamed, and the cat jumped right into her hands.

- He looks like Ethan's cat... - Toby said, remembering Rufus. The cat turned its head towards Toby. For some time Toby peered at the cat, and realized:

- Mama... This is not an ordinary cat. This... This is Ethan...

Green flash, and the cat turned into Ethan. Without clothes, of course.

- Hello, Ethan Gold. - Annya greeted.

- And hello to you, aunt Annya. - he smiled.

- So you... can turn into... a cat?! - Toby asked, looking at his friend in shock.

- Nope. Only in dreams.

- Are you... Also in a coma?

Now Ethan looked seriously at Toby.

- Toby, you didn't forget that I attended meditation and mental connection sessions, did you? So I contacted you, and your mom.

- By the way, how are you? - Annya asked Ethan.

- Oh, don't ask. After that incident, I went a little crazy, and almost killed my uncle and was in a mental hospital. - Ethan was a little embarrassed.

Annya folded her arms across her chest.

- Thank you for at least not killing Uncle Tord. I'll kick his ass myself for everything he did. she told him with satisfaction.

- Ethan... One question. What are you doing here? - Toby asked in bewilderment. At this point, Ethan frowned.

- Toby... I want you back... We all miss you... Even your father... He's so bad without you as well as your mother. You must return... - Ethan opened the door to reality and out of the coma. Toby stood in a stupor.

- I...

- Go. - Annya told him. - They need you, Toby. You must go.

- Mama ... - Toby looked at her.

- Please... For my sake... - she said. - I'll get out of here myself, don't worry, go.

- Well... - Toby hugged her. - I love you, Mama...

- I love you too, my baby... - she whispered. Toby followed Ethan through the door and looked back. His mother, Annya looked at him with happiness.

- Go.

Toby entered reality, and came out of a coma.