Demon feels like an uninvited guest at June’s, though June quietly cares for him, taking the kids to places he loves and noticing his small needs. At night, Emmy slips over to talk, and they share fears and dreams—Demon selling country life, Emmy dreading the move. Their late talks become nightly, with Maggot asleep nearby.

Emmy recounts her past: her father Humvee died in a drunken hunting mishap; his girlfriend, Emmy’s mother, spiraled, so the Peggots took Emmy. After Mariah’s imprisonment, Maggot joined the household. June effectively raised Emmy, keeping her Tennessee residence secret from Emmy’s unstable mother, who is now agreeing to sign Emmy over to June.

Christmas brings comic relief in the form of the morose neighbor Mrs. Gummidge. The family includes her and Demon in presents, and June gives Demon professional markers and a comics book, rekindling his desire to draw. Demon and Emmy also grow physically closer in private, and Demon dreams of a future together after the move.

On the last night before leaving, Emmy breaks down over the months-long wait until May and asks Demon to stay faithful; he agrees, and they joke about Mrs. Gummidge, revealing Maggot was awake all along. The tenderness heightens Demon’s hope that the Peggots might adopt him.

Back in Lee County, Demon asks Mrs. Peggot if they can keep him. She explains DSS (via Miss Barks) already discussed it with them; due to age, health, and Maggot’s likely reunification with his mother, they won’t take Demon as foster or guardian. Miss Barks will seek a permanent younger placement. Demon, devastated, cries and abandons the hope of being saved by exceptions.