Learning to Be Happy Again

A/N: I'm back! Terribly sorry for such a long hiatus. I was going to write sooner, but writers' block and school and... well, you get the picture. So sorry, I hope this somewhat makes up for that. I will also try my very best to keep up a weekly schedule, but knowing me and my procrastination tendencies, I might move updates to be biweekly. We'll see what happens, I suppose. Anyway, enjoy! (Also apologies for the length, but we can't give away everything at once, now can we.)

Tam rushes outside, and I get up to follow him, but Ro glares at me. I sit back down abruptly. But then I get up again. What if something bad happens?

Even though the voices are muffled through the door, I manage to get most of the conversation.

"I had a nightmare, Linh, I needed to talk to Keefe!"

"You're hopeless. And you can talk to me, you know. I just got so worried when you weren't here this morning," Linh's voice is strained. Was she crying?

"I'm not and I can't. You wouldn't understand. And I'm sorry! I just. I wasn't really thinking straight when I woke up."

Linh says something I don't hear.

"Linh, c'mon, I don't. Just stop."

"Okay, okay, whatever. But please, try to remember if it happens again, okay? Please? You had me really scared."

"I know, I know. I'm really sorry." Tam says this quietly enough that I have to strain my ears. "I just. You know."

"Yeah, well, come home soon, okay?" Linh sighs.

"Okay, I will, love you."

"Love you too."

I scramble away and into a bean bag right as Tam opens the door. He looks right at me.

"Were you listening?"

"Totally not." Even without the empath thing, I'm not the best liar when it's not my parents, and so the look Tam gives me only makes me smile uncomfortably. "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"And it was," Tam answers, seeming slightly annoyed. He looks over at Huz and Elwin. "I've got to go, my sister is worried. But thank you for breakfast." He turns to me and clears his throat. "And thanks for the help last night." With that, he waves, walks out of the front door, and light leaps away.

I do not follow him. Instead I go sit back down at the table, sigh loudly, and put my head in my arms.

"You okay, kiddo," Elwin asks. He puts a hand on my arm.

"Mhmm," I mumble.

Elwin sighs and picks up the empty dishes, bringing them to the sink to be cleaned.

My imparter rings, and I pick it up. Maybe it's Tam?

"Where have you been?" It's Fitz, and his voice sounds worried in an impatient sort of way. It's just me pulling another silly stunt at everyone's expense, I guess.

"Um, why? Also, hey! I haven't seen you in months! How's life going?"

"Oh, right. Hello. And don't deflect! I know your tactics too well now, they won't work."

I sigh playfully. "It was worth a try I guess?"

"Where have you been." Fitz isn't taking any of my nonsense today, it seems.

"Oh, come on Fitzy, it's not like I'm missing or anything. I haven't been kidnapped!"

"Actually, Keefe. You are missing. Your dad showed up at Everglen today demanding to know where you were. Almost didn't take, 'We don't know,' for an answer. Made us to that Empath thing and everything. So, where are you? And I won't tell your dad, if that's what you're worried about. I figured you left the Shores of Solace because of him." He looks away from the camera and mumbles, "Seems like the kind of thing you would do anyway."

"First, ouch, and second, I'm fine! Sort of surprised that Daddy Dearest looked for me at all to be honest, but fine. I'm happy where I am." I see Elwin smile and beckon Huz away.

"And where is it that you're so happy? Keefe, come on, please tell me? I promise I won't tell anyone. Well, maybe the rest of our friends, but it's not like I'm on the greatest terms with Alden anyway, so it's not like I would tell him. Or your dad." He looks down.

"What happened with your dad?" This seems like the perfect subject change, yes, but I'm also genuinely worried. I care about my friends!

"Oh, well, when I told him that Sophie and I were broken up he got kind of distant. After a few weeks, I got fed up with his aloofness and confronted him. He said that I had ruined a completely good opportunity to carry on the Vacker legacy. That Sophie was a nice girl, and pretty too, so why couldn't I just date her? So I explained that we jumped into things too quickly, and there's a lot going on right now anyway, so we decided it would be best if we were just friends. And that's fine! I'm totally okay with it! But he didn't take it very well. I'm pretty sure he doesn't really view me as his son anymore. Just holding out for Biana to continue the Vacker legacy now, I suppose. Can't wait 'till he finds out that—oh, wait, never mind." He stops abruptly there.

"Oh, Fitz, I'm so sorry. I know that must be hard. You know, if you ever need me, I'm here, yeah?" I choose to ignore the part about Biana, figuring she'll tell me when she's ready.

"Well, I would ask, but as I don't know where you are...." Fitz shrugs. "You can't really help me out."

"Fitz, I'll tell you when I'm ready. And it's not that I don't trust you with the information, but, well, I know our dads are chummy and your dad's a Telepath, so, yeah. I'm sorry, I just can't see my dad right now."

"That's fine. I understand." I can tell he doesn't, because his words are reserved.

"I'm really sorry Fitz. Actually, do you wanna meet up somewhere? I would go to Everlgen, but that seems sort of risky, and you could probably use some space from Alden too! How's that sound?"

Fitz nods. "Okay. I guess we haven't had any," his fingers make quotes in the air, "bro time recently. Where should we go?"

"Is Atlantis good? We could walk around and get lunch or something."

"Perfect, see you soon!"