She'll come back. I know it.
But she won't stay for long, so we have to be ready.
Shh.
Listen. Do you hear that?
Up there.
She's trying to give us a message.
Will you come with me, Scarlet?
But we must be quiet or else we'll scare her away.
I swear, you know,
I have people who talk to me about that.
Are you kidding me? That's insane.
Well, I mean…
I'm in love with these characters. There's just details.
You know, Samantha, inspiration comes from the strangest places, you know?
Sometimes, it's, you know, a Chaucer poem. Sometimes it's Dr. Seuss.
Seriously.
No, well, these clearly took so much work.
Like, I could never create something like this.
I just don't have the imagination, I guess.
I got to be honest, I don't even remember drawing half of these.
- I must have been baked. - That's insane.
I think this stuff holds up, you know.
No, it totally does. It's awesome.
Where did you go? Where did she go, Scarlet?
Jen?
I think she's fine.
- I mean, usually… - She'd be crying.
Yeah. If something's wrong, she's screaming.
Honestly, it was a complete nightmare.
The contracts were nonsense,
and we were at the office until just now.
No, I know.
Sorry, hang on. Just…
Jeff, why does it say "final notice" on the electric bill?
I thought you were handling that.
I'm just going to let Legal handle it.
Yeah, I'm just getting home.
- Mommy! - Jenny!
Jesus Christ.
She should be getting ready for bed by now.
What the hell was she doing in the attic?
She likes it up there. You want to grab a…
That's irrelevant. I'm going to try and stop the bleeding of our daughter's head.
- I'll get the… - You make a wet one, I'll just…
- Here. - Do you want to… I'll, um…
Here's the first-aid kit.
Thanks, Samantha.
Brave, brave, brave, brave.
I got it. I got it.
Maggie, I'm sorry, this is my fault.
Yeah, it is, actually.
You know, Jeff is supposedly working,
but I pay you to watch Jenny, so…
Guys, let's just be cool, please, for… Thank you.
Why are there no Band-Aids in the first-aid kit?
What is it exactly that you do all day?
- We're not doing this again, Maggie. - No. I would like to know
because I know that you're meant to be working, but I don't see the work.
- Do you even draw anymore? - What I do all day?
- I spend time with our daughter. - Really?
Who stays up late every night in the vain hopes that her mother will be home
one night this week before 10:00 p.m. and will actually speak to her.
You think it didn't kill me to have to start working for my dad?
I would love to be home with you, you know, making up stories, but I can't.
That's a sacrifice I make every day.
But you know what? It's fine. I've made peace with it.
You're not special, okay? You're just unemployed.
Um, I think I'm just… I'm gonna go home.
I'll just see you guys tomorrow, unless you need me to stay.
No. We're going to go to the hospital, okay? Come on.
Maggie.
You almost forgot this.
You're not coming.
What are you talking about? We're taking Jenny to the hospital.
Jeff, I am taking her.
What do you mean?
Goodbye, Jeff.
Divorce papers were filed without contest from either party.
Maggie, all financial holdings are in your name.
You're not requesting alimony or child support,
but you are petitioning for full custody.
Could you explain why you feel that's necessary?
Because he's incapable of being an adult, that's why.
Let's keep it friendly. We're all here for the same reason.
We want what's best for the child.
Which, by any unit of conceivable measure,
is getting her as far away from him as possible.
Shouldn't you object or something?
This isn't a courtroom, Mr. Vahn. It's a conversation.
Then I would just like to say that I don't think it's fair
she gets a fancy, mean negotiator just because it's her dad.
And I don't think it's fair
that I have to worry about my granddaughter
having her head split open every time her mother's at work.
Mrs. Vahn believes her ex-husband
is putting the physical well-being of their child in jeopardy.
Reckless endangerment, plain and simple.
It was an accident. I don't jeopardize the safety of our daughter.
Maggie, come on.
Maggie claims you haven't been gainfully employed
since working at a puppet show nearly three years ago.
Not a puppet show. It was actually a big deal.
Was a big deal. You're biting on old candy there, Jeffrey.
Have been for two years.
It was a pretty successful comic book series.
Which he created with my daughter while living in her brownstone.
And we were making it into a pilot.
We were going to have a range of toys.
Yeah, and he blew the deal because…
Because they wanted to take our world
and put it in a computer in CGI, and I wasn't going to agree to that,
so we had creative differences.
He isn't capable of paying his own mortgage,
let alone setting up a proper home for a child.
Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to ruin my life?
I'm not ruining your life. Jeff, I'm…
Fuck.
I know that you love Jenny. That's not what this is about.
It's just practical.
I can afford to take care of her, you can't.
End of story.
What is this?
Your "get out of jail free" card.
You can use it to start a new life. That's what you want.
That's not what I want.
- It was in the middle of a crazy day. - Which crazy?
Right.
You know, this settlement is more than fair.
No, I get that, but what are my chances with…
Well, how unfair was their characterization of you?
I mean, I… You know, I can't work in an office.
- I tried this, it's just… - Well, then, maybe this is for the best.
Daddy!
What are you doing, you little monster? Come here.
Are you having fun with Grandpa in his big house
and all the Westchester idiots?
There are no playgrounds anywhere, just golf.
Well, who needs golf when you got puppets?
- Is this all going to be over soon? - Come on, baby.
Yeah, of course it is. It's no big deal.
Here you go.
Let's go.
You want to hang this weekend?
You got a visit scheduled for tomorrow.
Tomorrow's Wednesday,
so that's two days closer than the weekend, so that's great news.
Hey, look, let's just go back to our house and make dinner,
and you and me can just figure out this whole custody thing ourselves.
It's not our house.
It's my house that you're living in… for now.
I need to get that angle here
so you can see your beautiful mama
and your slightly less beautiful papa
and sleeping baby.
Baby sleep from… sleep for many hours.
- Sleeping for many hours. - All in a row.
Yeah.
That's awesome.
Yeah. What a good girl.
Oh.
What do we do here?
Look at that.
So we are going to do a social experiment.
Jenny.
Ha-ha-ha-ha!
This is God.
Please get back in your crib.
Look, she's doing… She's doing it.
Well done.
And here we are outside Jenny's room…
Door opens and what is that? Ah!
Can you read that? That says, "Grisly Kin."
She's out.
You got that juggler out. She's got it.
Look at her shoes.
- She's got cool shoes. - Yeah.
- Does Baby love Scarlet? - Yeah.
- Baby love Mommy? - Yeah.
Yeah. Baby love Daddy?
- Yes. - Yes.
Baby loves Daddy.
Baby loves Mommy.
Baby loves Scarlet.
At best, you're looking at a long, expensive legal battle…
I have a hot chocolate for Princess Butt Kicker.
…painful for you, painful for your daughter.
Princess Butt Kicker.
- Sorry. Hey, Jen. What do you say? - Thank you.
- Listen to me. - Yeah. Yeah.
I'm nearly certain she'll still get full custody,
but if you fight this, you stand to lose everything,
even visitation with your daughter.
Sign the contract and take the settlement.
Yeah, yeah, I get it. Okay.
Call me if you need to talk this through…
- I'm drawing a bird. - …all right?
Marion, Jenny's drawing a bird. I gotta go.
I'm drawing Princess Butt Kicker.
Why did you stop?
You know when you make a picture,
and you kind of see it in your mind how it's going to be
and sometimes you make a mistake, but it doesn't matter?
You just fix it.
And then, sometimes, you make a whole bunch of mistakes,
when you look at it, the whole thing is just totally ruined,
and you realize it's kind of just a waste of ink.
- Jeff Vahn. - Yeah.
Holy shit. Sorry.
It's Connor, man, from college.
Oh, wow.
Uh, I didn't recognize you with the mustache.
I know. I look like a Doobie Brother.
How are you?
Fucking fantastic, man.
Yo, I started my own comic book company last year,
- and Stun Gun bought it. - No way.
Yeah, I'm like a fucking mogul now.
What about you, man? What's going on?
Um, well, my wife walked out on me last week,
and I'm here in a neutral location
trying to persuade her not to take sole custody
of our daughter, so…
- Oh, fuck. - Like that.
Yeah, well, I'm glad I didn't bitch about not winning an Eisner Award this year.
Yeah, I know everybody's got their stuff. It's…
- Right? - Yeah, but not like…
Hey, Jenny, come meet your long lost Uncle Connor.
What's up, Dracula?
Oh, man, she's cute.
Yo, what are you working on, man?
You've been MIA for a little bit, yeah?
Yeah, you know, I'm actually thinking of resurrecting the Grisly Kin.
Remember these guys?
Dude, no offense, but that ship's sailed, hasn't it?
Wow, you sound like my wife.
Hey, hey. You should come in to my offices.
We're in Midtown. We're looking to expand. It could be good for you.
I could introduce you to some people, get you back in front of them.
- You know what I'm saying? - Really?
- It could be interesting. - Yeah?
Yeah, I mean, uh…
Oh, sorry, that is my wife.
Dun-dun-dun!
- No, no. Could I just… - All right, yeah.
Okay, thank you. Thank you.
Hey, uh, so are you coming?
What… What are you talking about? Where are you?
I'm in the café in Williamsburg.
For Christ's sake, Jeff,
I said the Golden Grind in Dumbo, not Williamsburg.
I... I texted you.
Yeah, you…
I'm sure you… I'm sorry.
It's fine. My dad, he signed Jenny up for these tennis lessons,
and now it's… Whatever.
Can you just put her on, please,
so she knows that I'm not the asshole here?
I…
Hey, Jen, you want to talk to your mama?
- Mommy. - Hi, baby.
Hi. Listen, I'm sorry, um, Daddy got a little mixed up.
I'm all full of chocolate.
- You're what? - Uh, organic or Fair Trade.
Probably both.
You want to tell Mama what we did today?
- We watched Terminator. - You watched what?
Daddy watched Terminator. You watched Snow White.
You know, it was kind of a classic Jenny/Jeff sitting on the couch,
drawing, watching cartoons kind of a situation. Right?
"I'll be back."
Oh, my God, Jeff, I can't…
So, anyway, I just ran into Connor.
He has his own label now,
and, uh, we were just talking about working together.
He wants to get me back in the game,
and I'm going to take him up on the offer.
We're resurrecting the Grisly Kin.
Whoa, what are you… What are you talking about, man?
I can't just relaunch an old series of yours.
You haven't made anything in, like, multiple years.
You just said…
Yeah, but I was talking about doing key frames
or inking or something, man.
Inking?
Sorry, I…
Oh, that's my cue to go. Uh…
It was really good seeing you. Be well, dude, all right?
Jeff…
It's not so easy, is it?
What?
Getting a job.
- I can get a job anytime I want. - Christ's sake, Jeff…
Daddy, look! I can move it with my mind.
I've been trying for years
to catch you up to reality…
…but you just insist on this idea that you are a misunderstood artist
who doesn't need to work…
…like the rest of us.
You know, that the normal rules just don't apply.
What are these normal rules? What are you talking about?
You won't grow up.
Grow up? What did you grow up into?
An adult.
Someone who's dependable,
who can be relied upon by an employer or a child.
All right, I'm signing it. I'm about to sign it.
Good. You made the right decision.
So, okay, now that's settled. Can we talk about visitation, please?
Jeff, did you actually read the contract?
I have sole custody.
My dad's asking me to oversee a job in Seattle.
- Seattle? - Yeah.
You can't just…
That's not fair. I'd never see her.
Yeah, that's kind of the point.
Fuck.
You don't get it, do you?
We're not just getting the fuck out of New York.
We're getting the fuck away from you.
Maybe I'll just reconsider and see you in court.
Jeff, if you try anything like that,
I will make sure that you never, ever see her again.
Do you hear me?
When do you even see Jenny?
I see her all the time.
Why do you even want custody? Why are you doing this?
Because she is mine!
I know you painted that…
but I must tell you, I don't appreciate it up at my daughter's wake.
That was one of Maggie's favorite paintings.
I respectfully disagree.
Well, Jenny loves it. I know that.
Jen?
Jenny, what are you doing?
Baby is painting.
Painting like Daddy.
Why are you talking like that?
Baby painter.
Baby play.
I said stop it!
I hate you. I want Mommy back.
Uh, what am I supposed to do?
I don't know. Maybe you should say something
to kind of un-weird the situation.
I'm going to go get her.
Uh, so, everybody, um,
just wanted to thank you all for coming,
and, um, you know, if Maggie were here,
she'd just tell you all to make yourselves at home.
I was going to write down some things to say,
but, well, she's the one who would've reminded me to do that, so…
You know, she was great at all that.
Even with work, she somehow managed to find the time to still be a great mom.
And she was a great mom. She was a great mom.
Like, I knew Jenny's puppets' birthdays,
but Maggie was the one
who remembered all the doctor's appointments
and, you know, got Jenny to brush her teeth, take baths. And, um…
And, uh, the greatest thing about Maggie was that…
this deep love that she had for Jenny.
And now I've got to do that. I gotta do all of that.
I gotta be great. I've got to be. For Jenny.
She remembered all the doctor's appointments.
I said, I'm sorry.
Sorry…
Those were… kind words.
I…
Doesn't seem real. I can't believe she's gone.
It doesn't seem fair somehow.
Except, uh, things have worked out rather well for you.
What's that supposed to mean?
It means that 48 hours ago, you had nothing,
and now, here you are.
I'll also tell you something else that's unfair.
The fact that the police haven't found a single lead to the car
or the driver that hit Margaret.
Do you even care about that?
Of course I care.
Look, it's frustrating,
but we have to let the police do their jobs.
And what are you gonna do about Jenny?
I intend to take care of her.
We are what we do, Jeffrey, not what we intend to do.
Look, Paul, I don't have it all figured out, okay?
Well, I think it's important we consider what's best for Jenny.
That's what Margaret would have wanted.
And I'd like you to think about her…
coming to spend some time with me.
I could take her for a day, a week…
even longer.
Baby loves Mommy. Scarlet.
She's got it. Check her out. She's got it.
Look at her shoes.
Damn it!
Sorry.
Damn it!
Sorry. Sorry. No.
Still figuring out this stove here.
Hey, you wanna get some pens and draw?
Well, here's a recipe that I always ace.
Hey, can I get an order for delivery, please?
Yeah, that's me.
Can I get two kung pao chickens, one with no water chestnuts
because my lovely daughter thinks they're gross,
and, uh, no peanuts because she's allergic. Thank you.
Boom, right?
What are you doing here?
We need to talk.
Petition for custody? What is this?
I gave you a chance to do this the easy way.
Now, we'll just let family court make the decision for us, again.
So, what, you want to take Jenny now?
Margaret wanted to take Jenny away from you.
Did you forget that?
It was the last thing she wanted before she died.
Come on, man.
Now, I'm going to make sure she gets her wish.
You can't do this, Paul.
Watch me.
You've got 72 hours.
Food's here, Jenny.
I'm just going to leave it out here so you can grab it whenever you like.
I'm sorry if you heard any of that.
- Oh, thanks for coming. - Sure.
Where is, uh… Where's the little mutant?
Upstairs. She's locked herself in her room.
- Okay. - She shouldn't be too much trouble.
What's… What's up? Where are you going?
I don't know. I got too much. I got to clear my head.
Jenny?
I'm sorry, Dad. I screwed up.
Hey, it's one test. You're okay.
Trigonometry's dumb, anyway.
Call me when you get home.
- Is it Jeff? - Yes.
- Hi. Cori, nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
- You want to follow me? - Yeah.
- Would you like something to drink? - Uh, sure.
Yeah? I have VEEN Classic mineral, or Effervescent spring.
I'll just get a water, thanks.
Crushing his brain will not work because the only way to kill him
is with the gamma rays that gave him his powers in the first place.
We'll talk about it later. All right, I love you. Bye.
Sorry, it's my mom.
Good to see you. I thought I made things weird at the coffee shop,
but I'm glad you're here. Welcome.
Mi nerd factory is su nerd factory.
Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that because the…
You know you're always talking about taking comics to the next level?
Yeah, trying to revolutionize the way eyes explode.
- You ever done ayahuasca? - Maybe, why?
So, the other night I was deep in session traversing time and space
in the ever deepening layers of consciousness when it hit me.
- Darkness. - Dig it.
Yeah, now I was able to see, but to really see a whole world
that's actually right here full of spirits and Draculas and fucking chupacabras, man.
It was the most intense shit I've ever seen in my life.
It blew my mind.
Now, I want to make a comic about that.
- About darkness. - Good.
Hey. I know you, brother.
- You wrote Grisly Kin, yeah? - Yes, I... Yeah.
Well, it's been a while. Thought you'd gone full J.D. Salinger.
There's a dark energy about you. Does that make any sense?
Well, his wife was just killed in a hit-and-run.
Or ex-wife.
Oh. That might be it then.
- So this darkness… - Yeah.
…it's moving around, right?
And, so, imagine this door to a dimension where terror envelopes you.
Now imagine this door is just cracked wide open and it's like,
"Well, I'm going to start killing people.
Who's going to stop me from super mass murder?"
Now that is darkness. That's reality.
Write it.
Dude, I love you. Have I told you that I fucking love you?
Now, how are you holding up, brother? How's the little one?
Um… Well, she's… It's, you know, strange.
She's doing a baby-talking thing.
Well, I'm sure she'll be fine eventually, right?
Yeah. I hope so, yeah.
Yeah, me too.
So what'd you want to talk about?
I want to talk about a job.
Jeff, man, I told you,
I'm not interested in relaunching your old stuff. It doesn't…
No, no, no. An inking job.
Are you sure?
I really need a job. Anything.
Okay. Well, when can you start?
Thank you.
You were gone a while.
Sorry.
Sorry. You got me.
How is she doing?
Oh, she's good. She's been asleep for a while.
Now, how are you doing?
Good. Yeah, I'm great, actually. I, uh…
I got a job today, um, working with the label with Connor.
Are you serious?
That's fucking rad.
Well, I mean, they're starting me off small.
What, like a miniseries?
Um, inking, but, you know, I can do it from home, so it's great.
I can be with Jenny, you know?
You are so much better than inking someone else's work.
Well, thank you,
but I'm… I'm just trying to do what's right for her.
Will you… Have you ever thought that maybe Rivers was right?
Maybe Jenny should go stay with him just for a little while, and you can…
What? No. No, that's never going to happen.
Okay. No, good, I just…
I'm sure you're doing the right thing.
I'm gonna go, um, but there is pasta in the fridge if you're hungry.
Daddy?
Hey.
What's up? Can't you sleep?
I heard something in my room.
Want me to come check on it for you?
All clear.
Come on.
Come on, I checked everywhere.
So your old man got a job today.
Does that mean Daddy's giving Baby away to Grandpa?
No. No, Jenny, I'm never giving you away.
Kiddo, why have you been talking like that, huh?
You're a big girl. You don't need to use the baby words.
I'm sad, Daddy.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm sad, too.
But you know what, it's okay to be sad, honey.
And I didn't mean what I said before.
I don't hate you.
I know you don't.
Good night, sweetie.
No, tell me why Jerry can't get his pages in by deadline.
I mean, is the anime porn convention already in town or what?
He…
Sorry, man, uh, Jerry broke his drawing hand playing softball.
Jerry's bones are a reflection of his soul... Easily broken.
It's better we found out now.
Jeff, I'm on a schedule here.
Be that as it may, we're running out of options.
- Who do you want to use? - Oh.
The children you have working for you haven't experienced enough tragedy.
I need someone with a deep understanding of misery.
These your pages? Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme.
If it isn't the man with the haunted eyes.
Good. Good. It's really good, man.
What's that? What that?
Oh, that… Sorry.
That's not supposed to be in there. That's just a sketch.
No, no, no. This is it.
This is pain. This is darkness.
It's really good, man. It's like your old stuff, but better even.
Well, like I say, it's not finished. It's just a dream. It's not…
Oh, dreams are but a pierce in the veil, brother.
It's never just nothing.
He gets the job.
Congratulations, dude. You're a comic book artist again.
Wait. What about the…
Go talk to Alan before that weirdo changes his mind.
Right.
Welcome, brother.
Uh, Alan, I just wanted to say…
Shh.
So who were you in your dream?
Oh, I don't think it's me.
Oh, come on, brother.
We're everyone in our own dreams and all that Joseph Campbell stuff.
I, um, brought some more sketches if you want to…
Mm, show me, now.
Yes. Yeah.
Now this is darkness.
Yeah. Yeah, I need more of this.
Find the conflict. Mine the darkness.
Draw me the stuff of nightmares.
What are you watching, kiddo?
- Jeff, this is Janet. - Hey.
The new preliminary custody hearing has been set for next week.
I was hoping you could tell me the old man dropped dead of a stroke
so he can stop chasing after my daughter.
Well, try to look at it as one step closer to putting this all behind you.
Yeah, okay.
- Get back to you tomorrow. Bye-bye. - Thank you.
What are you drawing there?
Something good? Can I see?
No. I can't show you yet.
It's all good.
You show me whenever you're ready.
Daddy!
Don't let it get me! Don't let it get me!
Don't let it get me!
Daddy?
Rise and shine, Princess Jenny!
For today, I decree,
shall be filled with adventure and glee.
What is our quest?
Our quest…
It's not a quest, you stupid boy.
Our mission…
Thank you.
Our mission is to turn this sad, old house
into an adventure house.
Now, has anybody seen a beautiful young woman
by the name of Nah?
Who's this old bag?
Oh! Oh, she's so beautiful, she's making me feel all weak and sick.
It's only right that I come in again.
I'm so sorry I was using the wrong name.
- Are you hungry? - Yes.
Jenny? Miss Jenny,
I'm so sorry I was using the wrong name.
Could you…
You know, me and your mom planted tomatoes down there,
but the squirrels kept eating them.
So you loved Mommy?
Yeah, of course I did.
Then why did you fight so much over me?
Well…
we both wanted different things, but we both wanted you.
And we both loved you so much, neither one of us wanted to give you up.
But I know that being your mommy was her favorite thing in the whole world.
Wish it wouldn't get dark, Daddy.
This was the best day.
- What are you doing? - Hey.
Well, I was just thinking about, you know, how things are kind of weird,
life-changing and everything, and I…
Do you remember when you were very little and you didn't like to sleep by yourself,
so we got one of those? You remember that?
You know, and then if you were scared, or sad,
or just needed a hug or something,
and you knew that Mommy and I were close and one of us could come check on you.
Mommy would check.
Usually, Mommy would check, but sometimes I would check.
Anyway, I just figured we'd give another go
and try to make you feel extra, extra safe.
But I still saw something in here.
Hmm. Sounds like we need to have a meeting.
Right.
All right, meeting begins.
So, tell me,
if there is a monster in here sometimes, why is it scary?
It's a monster. Monsters are scary.
Are they though?
Look at the Grisly Kin.
They're pretty scary.
You know, they don't scare you.
Because they're my friends.
But they weren't always your friends.
So can I make friends with it?
It? Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, of course you can.
Yeah, sure, I mean, you can't have too many friends, right?
Besides, this is your room.
If you want the monster to leave, you just tell it to scram.
Now you want to bounce on the bed or the table?
- On the table. - All right.
Now say it, "This is my room."
This is my room.
"And this is my wobbly chair that Dad never fixed."
This is my wobbly chair that Dad never fixed.
Yes. And what else do we have?
"This is Grandpa's stupid puppet that he gave me
that I don't like and nobody likes
but I can't throw it away because Grandpa would be mad."
I'm not going to keep saying everything you say.
All right. Then we'll just say, "This is my room."
This is my room!
- This is my room! - This is my room!
- Cool? - Okay, I'm cool.
You're super cool. I'm getting rid of this.
- Hey, can you run your bath? - Daddy, what's your favorite vegetable?
- Cauliflower. - Mine's yellow.
Bath. Get on it, seriously.
I want to take baths at night now.
Well, it's not your decision to make.
I'm your dad and I say when it's bath time, and it's bath time.
Mommy said I don't have to take baths in the mornings anymore.
Mommy said?
Jenny, you can have it back after bath.
Hey, that's my property.
What is this?
That's my property.
You been in my studio?
Where'd you see this?
In my room.
How you doing, man?
Just getting some research done?
Yeah. Just getting a bit of research done.
Nice.
- May I? - Yeah.
Yeah.
So, um…
So you really believe in all the ghost stuff, right?
Like, you really believe in it?
I… I do. I absolutely do.
You know, um, a few years ago, I spent a month in the woods.
I'd have tea with my granny in the morning,
and then it was just me and the wolves.
Oh. Right. But what does that have to do with ghosts?
Well, my granny died when I was six.
Okay. So… So, that's kind of like our story, right?
There's a ghost?
Right. An angry soul who's trapped in this world who can't move through.
And what does it want?
To inflict pain.
To make people suffer the way that it suffers.
It's about the utter rage of being trapped in the middle.
So I guess my question is,
does this entity, uh, only want to inflict pain,
or does it also have good in it?
Well, there's no rule book, brother,
but I mean, if a spirit gets trapped in the middle long enough,
it can get angry, even dangerous.
When it doesn't get what it wants.
You know…
life might lend us the opportunity sometimes
to… peer behind the veil.
To see things that we can't quite explain.
I've seen things, my brother, more than just my granny in the woods.
You've seen things, too, haven't you?
Hey, Jeff, uh, sorry.
Um, there's a guy that just came by
asking all these different questions about you,
like, if you really work here and all this stuff.
Who is it?
I don't know 'cause he wouldn't give me a name.
But he was definitely, like, old and rich.
Hey!
Hey.
Who the hell do you think you are?
I make no apologies when it pertains to the well-being of my granddaughter.
Don't come into my job.
I'm not sure a glorified coloring book maker qualifies as a job.
I am a working artist.
We'll see how long that lasts, son.
I'm not your son, Paul.
You know, we've got some lovely schools in Westchester.
Jenny will love it.
Fuck you!
See? How do you expect to control a child when you can't even control yourself?
I'm taking my granddaughter.
You can't have her.
Did you know there were no signs the car that hit Maggie slowed down,
no signs of braking?
What's that supposed to mean?
It means I don't think my daughter's death was an accident.
I've been looking into the matter,
and I'm going to find the son of a bitch who killed her.
And, uh…
I'd watch what you do from now on.
I certainly will.
See you at the hearing.
Stay away from me and my daughter.
Yeah, when Rivers called, I just hung up.
He's just trying to rattle you. He wants to make you give up.
Well, it's working.
Now, I'm sorry, I…
You didn't need to get dragged into all of this.
Mad Hatter.
Sometimes I think we're making some progress
and then I feel the hurt
that all this is causing her and I…
It's not fair, right?
Maybe I was wrong.
Maybe she would be happier in the suburbs with him.
Wait, are you seriously considering that?
I mean, that's what you thought at first, that's what you thought was best for her,
so maybe you were right.
Oh, hey, check it out.
These guys are doing some really amazing stuff.
They're like Maus meets Frank Frazetta.
Oh, cool.
Hey, Jenny, be careful.
Come on, Jenny, let's go.
The puppets! I want to stay.
Jenny, come on.
Anyway, honestly, you are way better than any of their artists.
They would probably give you your own comic.
And I could ink for you.
Just go over there, kick the door down, show them how it's done?
Yeah. They'd be lucky to have you.
You can do anything, Jeff.
Not really. I mean, I'm not 25 anymore.
But no, you're better.
Come on, you're twice the artist that you used to be.
You know, everybody knows, men just get better with age.
Jenny?
I want a story.
Well, girls who brush their teeth get stories.
Up you go.
I need a drink.
I wonder about this place, you know? A lot of memories for Jen.
Maybe that's not great.
Have you thought about, like, leaving New York?
If I get custody, you mean.
I don't know where I'd even go.
Oh, dude, there's so many places, like LA. Nope.
Oh, Portland is amazing.
Um, Berlin.
I don't really have anything going on.
I could just come with and help out with Jen.
Well, I don't know. I feel like a change that big
might be a little drastic for her.
Oh. Honestly, I moved, like, five times before I was even her age.
I have to admit, we'd make kind of the perfect couple.
- Oh. - Uh…
Uh… I think you got the wrong idea.
- Jeff, I'm sorry, I… - That's not…
- No, it's okay. No, it's okay. - Oh, my God. Um…
Story time, Daddy!
Okay, just coming.
- It's okay. - No, it's not.
God, I'm sorry. I gotta go. I'll… I'll see you later.
You know what, I feel like you're becoming my best friend.
So what do you want to do?
Do you like to draw?
So do you know the puppets' names?
No?
So the first one's Loretta, second one's Scarlet
and then we have Elizabeth and Butch and Max.
We have his brother Keepers and Javier.
You know what, I missed you.
Come over here.
Let's just draw.
Now, where you hiding, kiddo?
Boo!
All right. You got me.
I missed you today.
I missed you too.
Come on, bedtime for real now.
Auntie Sam said that you were in the attic today,
which I thought we agreed was out of bounds.
Plus, it was locked, so how did you get up there?
She let me in.
- Samantha did? - No.
Not Samantha.
My new friend.
Does your new friend have a name?
Where do you think Mommy is now?
Well, she was raised Catholic, so she's in heaven.
No. You know, where is Mommy?
Well, that's kind of tricky.
Is she up there?
Uh…
Yeah, I mean, you know, way up there.
I mean, is she here?
Yeah, sweetie, she's here, and she's watching over you.
Every day and every night.
All right? Sleep well.
Good morning.
There's no way a job is worth waking up this early.
Hey, about last night, I'm really sorry.
No, no, no, no, it was nothing.
- So, about Jen… - How's she holding up?
Better, you know. She's still doing the talking-to-herself thing. So…
Well, at least she's talking to somebody, right?
Right.
I think it would be weirder if she was acting normal.
Yeah. Totally.
It's absolutely diabolical.
I love it.
I mean, is that a friendly presence, or is it there to destroy her?
And why?
What is that thing?
No, I want to see it more, bring it out of the shadows.
When do I get my pages?
Uh, I'm actually ahead of schedule,
but I just want you to have everything at the same time
so I can show you the whole work.
Another comic book diva's born.
This man is mining the cavernous depths of his soul.
Two days. New pages. My desk.
What?
Reminds me of a tale I once heard around the campfire
about aboriginal spirits that, like, hang around, you know?
No, I don't know.
Well, these spirits, they, like, hop into a doll,
or a house, or an aging Brooklynite.
And they won't leave.
Why not?
Well, maybe they got killed hunting an emu or whatever
and they get stuck reliving the same moment, you know?
Got to find the emu. Got to kill the emu.
Got to burn down the whole village.
That's why they can't let go or move on.
You okay?
Yeah…
That! Yeah, that's what I want.
Whatever you're thinking or feeling right now,
that's what I want on the page.
Hey.
What are you doing down here?
Jenny?
Jenny. You know you're not supposed to be up there.
- Your dad specifically said... - She won't stay for long.
She'll come back so we have to be ready.
Shh. Listen.
Jenny?
Shh.
My mom takes care of all that.
Jenny, come on.
Come on, open up. This isn't funny.
Come up and play.
Jenny, I don't like it up there. Come on down.
Just come up, Samantha.
You know you're not supposed to be up there. Come on.
Hey.
What's, uh… What's going on?
I just…
Your daughter officially hates me.
- Hates you? What… - Well, she…
Well, she was, um…
She was, you know… She was playing in the attic without telling me…
Man, I told her not to go, so…
And it's just…
It's like she'd rather hang out with her imaginary friend
than hang out with me.
- No, it's not you, it's just… - Yeah.
Do you ever think that maybe this house…
isn't good for her, I mean…
It's just, there's a lot of memories.
Did something happen?
I just... I felt something up there with her
and it was… it was strange.
It was really strange, and she was strange.
It was…
It was probably nothing. I don't know.
It was… Just forget it.
I just… Hey, I got, um…
I got the first season of Bionic Six online.
Do you wanna get high and watch cartoons?
Um… I better not, you know?
Are you sure?
Yeah.
All right.
Man, you used to be fun.
I know.
Oh, no.
I know what I want you to read.
Why? Huh? Why did you do it?
Baby didn't do it.
- Stop it! Stop talking like that. - I didn't do it.
You have to understand I could lose my job over this,
which would mean I would lose you.
You didn't want me anyway.
What? Jenny, you…
Why did you sign me over to Mommy?
You were going to let Mommy take me away and never see me.
Jenny, who told you that?
I'm not supposed to tell.
Who told you that?
Mommy did.
Alan, I'm sorry, I'll catch up the work.
Right.
So the little one, she your suspect?
Yeah.
Bless her.
Fucking hell, brother.
I'll show you something.
Things at home have been strange.
I don't show her my work, not that stuff.
She said she saw something in her room.
So, uh, you and your ex, you fought a lot when she was alive.
Held onto grudges.
Your little girl caught between the two of you.
I think you know what's happening.
PTSD, imaginary friend…
I mean, call it what you want, brother,
but this isn't just part of some bloody coping mechanism.
- It's your ex-wife. She's still here. - Come on.
- And she's here for a reason. - This is crazy.
Is it?
Now, don't you see? She's in your head. Your little girl too.
And she's trying to drive a wedge between you two.
She still wants her child.
She wants your daughter, and she is dangerous.
- She's still her mother. - Not anymore, she's not.
She's a restless soul gone sour, all twisted because of how she died.
- And she's not going to stop. - Christ.
What am I supposed to do?
You need to talk to her. You need to speak to your wife
before something very bad happens.
How?
You ever taken, uh, ayahuasca?
You have to be mindful of this
and you need to do this in a safe space.
You need to punch a hole through reality and meet her where she is.
Somewhere in the middle.
I don't know.
You need to make peace with her.
Thanks for coming over.
Yeah, I mean, free dinner. Why wouldn't I?
So I spoke to a school today.
It's upstate a little,
but they said if Jenny wants to start next week,
she can join in with the new semester.
- Really? - Yeah.
I mean, you know, I can work remotely
and just come to the city whenever I'm needed.
Hmm. Out of the city?
- I think it's time, you know? - Yeah.
And I guess we're not going to need you so much.
Oh. Believe it or not, I do have a life outside of this job, so I will be fine.
You need to eat something. You look kind of anxious.
Um…
You remember when you said you saw something in the attic?
Yeah.
What I'm kind of saying is,
- I felt it, too, you know? - Right.
I don't know, but if there is something going on with this house…
And if there is something, I…
Jen? You okay?
Jenny? You choking?
Come on, just spit it out. Spit it out, baby.
- Is she all right? - She's choking, hold on.
All right. Okay, all right, here we go.
No, no, no, she's having an allergic reaction.
- Get the EpiPen for me. In the drawer. - Okay.
- Okay? - Yeah.
All right, you're okay. Come on, breathe, baby.
Come on, right there. It's in the drawer.
I don't… I just don't see it.
Okay, just call 911, I have another one in my bag. Hold on.
I got one in my bag.
- You calling? - I can't find my phone.
Breathe, breathe, breathe. Come on, Jenny, breathe.
You got this, baby. Come on, look at me.
Jenny, come on, breathe, goddamn it!
You're the father?
Yeah, that's my daughter, Jenny. It's my house.
I understand there was an accident, she was injured.
Can you tell me about that?
We ordered Chinese food. She can't eat peanuts. She's allergic.
I don't know what happened. I looked around, she's blue in the face.
Hi, Jenny, I'm Officer Rossi. You feeling a little better?
- Hold your hand here. - Yeah?
- That's very good. - Ouch!
Ooh. Does that hurt a little?
Okay. So my friend is going to talk to your dad, okay?
Pitt.
I'm taking her upstairs. Something ain't right.
You want to show me your favorite toy?
She's fine. They're just talking for a moment. Just take a seat.
I don't need to sit down. I'll be right there, babe.
What... What is going on?
- Nothing. Just protocol. - What do you mean, protocol?
Sir, if you can stay calm, I'll explain what's happening.
I'm completely calm. There was an accident.
When there is suspicion of abuse in a home,
we are required by law to check it out, that's all.
Abuse? What are you talking about, abuse?
We saw some marks on your daughter,
so my partner's just going to ask her a few questions.
She was choking. I gave her the Heimlich maneuver. Maybe she…
Then there's nothing to worry about.
Sure you don't want to go to the hospital?
Yeah, I'm sure. I was just freaked out.
All right. Just take it easy.
Thank you.
Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?
So, we're almost done here, sweetie, okay?
You shouldn't touch that.
Oops, sorry.
Are you afraid something's going to happen if I touch it?
Will your dad get mad?
No, not Daddy.
Okay, well, I'm going to go down and talk to your father.
Are you all right?
Okay.
- Where's my granddaughter? - As far as allergies, your daughter…
Where's my granddaughter?
What have you done now?
What is he doing here?
'Cause we needed to speak to another family member,
and we couldn't find her mother.
Well, you can speak to me.
Her mother was killed in a car accident.
Oh.
'Cause your daughter said that she was murdered.
She said that?
Then I felt sick.
But I feel better now.
I miss you.
Please don't do anything bad, Mommy.
Jeff!
We have the custody hearing tomorrow.
Well, then, I'm going to recommend that the child stay elsewhere tonight,
and then you can straighten all this out tomorrow.
We need to make a decision, Jeffrey.
I want you to take her.
I'd like Jenny to stay with you tonight.
I think it would be good for her to get out of this house.
Wow. Yes, of course.
Ma'am? Please wait!
Jeff, we need to get out of here right now. We need to go…
Sam, just take a minute.
All right? Can we talk, please?
Excuse us.
What we talked about earlier, you know?
It's real. There's something here.
I can feel it, Jeff. It's bad.
I think it's something evil. I think it's her.
It's Maggie. She's still here. She's doing all of this.
And just now in your bedroom, she was there.
- And she tried to kill me. - Just calm down.
She's jealous of me or something. And she's never going to let you win.
And I know I sound crazy, but I'm not crazy.
You don't… I don't think you're crazy.
I just think you need to go home.
Jeff, you can't… you can't stay here alone. It's not safe.
You've had a rough night, okay?
And I need you to go home and get some sleep.
- Can you get her home? - Jeff…
- We can take her. - Please, Jeff, it's not safe.
Get some rest now.
Okay.
Jenny, are you okay?
Yeah, I just ate some bad food.
Come here, baby.
You're going to stay with Grandpa tonight, okay?
Why?
'Cause I got to clear everything up in here. It's a mess. All right?
Anyway, I'm going to see him tomorrow, so I'll see you right after.
You really talked to Mom, huh?
Yeah.
She's really in this house?
Yeah.
All right. I'll see you tomorrow.
I love you, kiddo.
Maggie?
Are you there?
I'm not trying to start a fight.
I just don't want anyone else to get hurt.
Can… Can you…
Can you give me a sign?
Maggie, you were always a better parent than I.
And… I don't know what to do.
This is not you, okay?
You hurt Samantha and I'm scared that you're going to hurt Jenny too.
Maggie?
Is that you?
I know you love her, but this isn't you.
You aren't yourself.
Why are you still here?
Fuck.
Why are you still here?
You don't get it, do you? Because she is mine!
You have to let her go. Maggie, please.
Hello?
It's time to hear from you, Mr. Vahn.
I'm not perfect.
In fact, I'm mostly a failure.
If I'm honest, my life didn't turn out the way that I thought it would.
My one success is Jenny.
And yes, I could have been a better father
while Maggie was still alive, I realize that.
But my little girl has been through so much
since her mama died,
and it's more than she deserves.
Jenny and I are working through it together
and I'm trying harder at that
than I've ever tried at anything in my life,
but I will not give her up.
Paul, I know that you want the best for her too.
And that is why we are moving upstate
so she can be nearer her grandfather.
I've made all the arrangements with the school,
but, Paul, I just need your blessing to sell the brownstone.
I can't bring Maggie back.
I can't bring your daughter back,
but that is not a good enough reason to take mine.
Jenny already lost one parent.
Don't put her through that again.
The mediator made his assessment. I won't challenge.
I just hope we can put all this behind us.
Oh, we will.
Well, I, uh… I may have some more good news.
We may have found the car that hit Maggie.
Well, that's great.
Well, until it's confirmed, it's only a matter of time
before the registration leads us to the driver.
We're very close.
Paul, just please tell me if you hear anything.
I'll bring Jenny to your door within the hour.
We can discuss a strategy
for selling the property.
Thanks, Paul. Hey.
- Congratulations. - Yeah, we did it.
Oh, my… It's so amazing. I'm so happy for you.
- Yeah, thank you, thank you so much. - I'm… I'm sorry.
Don't worry, don't worry about it. I'm just glad everyone's okay.
Listen, can you meet my father-in-law at the house
with Jenny in an hour? I can't make it.
- Yeah. Sure. - Great. Okay, thanks.
Well, I have to pack.
I want to thank you for doing this.
Oh, it's no problem. I have to return my key, anyway.
Jenny, you want some help?
This is why I don't work with college grads, man.
Exactly. And I told him I don't give a goddamn what the characters are saying
as long as they're saying it jumping out of an airplane, right?
Exactly. Make it happen.
Congrats, buddy.
- Thanks, man. - Yeah.
Only one tiny piece of bad news is we're moving upstate,
but I still want to work for you, just from home.
Oh, you're going to work from home, cool.
I don't know why I pay for offices anymore
'cause everybody just wants to work with their pants off.
Yes?
I'll look at it now. Send.
We're moving to a new house.
What am I going to pack?
Alan. Alan, come here. Announcement time.
This tall drink of water is leaving us.
Moving to hipsturbia.
Ah, I'm happy to hear that, man.
Sounds like you got all your affairs in order at home, huh?
Yeah.
Well, gentlemen and, uh, gentlewoman.
Glad you're all here.
Um, drumroll, please.
And there she is.
Oh, awesome.
- Looks great, huh? - That's fantastic.
My God.
- Love it, guys. - Yep.
Ah, it's such a shame
we only got one book out of it though.
Jeffrey, call me.
I'm forwarding an email to you.
You know what? I think I want to change the ending.
Ending? They confronted the evil.
They locked it in the tower. It's done, brother.
Come on, guys. You know this.
A malevolent spirit like this is not just going to go away 'cause you asked nicely.
It might pretend to,
but only till it can get another chance to get what it wants.
She'll be back in the second issue, only stronger.
Where's your daughter?
Jenny?
Paul. Paul, listen to me.
Paul, I need you to get Jenny and get out of the house.
Listen to me. It is not safe in the house.
Did you get the email I sent you? The driver...
Oh, come on.
Jenny? Open the door.
What was that sound?
Can you go around, buddy?
- What's happening? - I don't know.
What's happening?
I'm scared.
Jenny?
Jenny!
Oh, shit. Paul?
Jenny!
Please hurry.
Just hold…
- Hey, Samantha! - Oh, no.
You want to… You want to see? You want me to… You're sending me.
- Sam. - Let me see.
Jeff? Jeff, we need to get out of here.
Jeff, Jeff…
- Jeff, what are you doing? - Jane Silvermore?
- We need to go. Jenny? - Jane Silvermore?
I don't know where Jenny is. I can't find her.
- Jane Silvermore? - What? We got to go!
The woman who hit Maggie with her car.
What are you… What are you talking about?
- It's you. - Oh.
Jeff, I did you a favor.
Maggie was going to take everything from you. Remember?
Jeff…
don't look at me like that.
You tried to poison Jenny. You tried to kill my daughter?
Don't look at me like that!
You have any idea how long I had to watch her wear you down?
Stuck-up trust-fund bitch!
You're so brilliant, Jeff.
You're so full of fire.
I brought that out of you.
Maggie just wanted to suck the life out of you.
You and her and that little brat.
I thought maybe Jenny should go be with her mommy.
But I know, Jeff. Jeff, I was wrong.
She should be with us.
We can be a family.
A better family.
After everything I've done for you, the least you can do is say something!
Goodbye, Samantha.
Jeff?
No.
Please, Jeff.
Help!
Mommy, no!
Jenny?
Jenny, honey, I need you to come down from there, okay, sweetie?
Maggie? Jenny was our child, but she's my child now!
You don't get to take her.
Stop!
I don't like it when you fight.
It's all you do.
You don't know how to take care of me.
Neither of you.
You're right. I'm sorry.
I just want my mommy and daddy.
Just… Just hold on tight, okay?
Hold on real tight. I'm coming.
I'm coming. Stay where you are.
Hold on.
Here you go.
Easy. Okay?
Daddy!
I'm sorry.
Mommy.
We fell.
Yeah. Yeah, honey, we did.
Are you hurt?
I'm fine.
Ah.
Did Mommy save us?
Is it over?
Yeah, it's over.
Is Grandpa okay?
Well, he will be.
Is Mommy gone now?
Yeah, honey, she's gone.
I'm sorry.
I'm here.
Sorry, honey, I didn't mean to wake you.
You go back to sleep.