Chapter Text
Keefe awoke in the middle of the night. Everything was quiet and Havenfield was dark. It took a minute for Keefe to remember where he was and how he had gotten there, under the panakes tree. He said a prayer of thanks to Calla for the calming, soothing songs that had worked their way through his dreams as he slept.
Keefe felt surprisingly not terrible, at least compared to other times he had struggled and fought to control his commanding ability once it took hold. He felt a dull ache in his chest and neck, his head thrashed with a headache of epic proportions, and he was tired. But he didn’t feel drained and half-dead like he had the other times he had had that particular experience.
The aches and pains were clearly the result of the physical exertion required to maintain control of his body, his voice in particular. Keefe wondered if his rejection of his mother’s admonition to “embrace the change” was what elicited the next-to-death wiped out feeling that usually accompanied his attempts to resist a command. Leave it to his creepy mom to not only give him two super scary and powerful abilities, but to also ensure he would comply or else endure more torture. She may not be able to use him or manipulate him anymore, but even in death she could still hurt him and others around him.
Keefe shifted in his makeshift pillow bed, and as he did so he noticed Sophie sleeping peacefully next to him. She looked adorable in her alicorn pajamas. He wondered if she was here because she wanted to prove to him that she wasn’t scared of him, or because she was afraid he would run away and leave her again. Or maybe it was just because she loved him. She was pretty fiercely loyal.
Sleeping under the panakes was peaceful and calming, but the ground wasn’t the most comfortable even when supported by the fort of pillows Edaline must have conjured out there. Keefe stood up and stretched. Then he gently scooped Sophie up and carried her inside to her bed. They had had a couple of pretty tough nights. She deserved to sleep in the comfort of her bed.
Keefe had clearly not been prepared for this dinner at Havenfield, and it had certainly turned out to be a lot more eventful than most dinners. Right now he was too tired to think about or process any of it. He didn’t have any pajamas so he took off his shirt and pants and climbed into bed with Sophie. He hoped this was okay. He didn’t have the energy to do much more.
The next morning Keefe awoke to the bright sun coming in through Sophie’s bedroom windows. He had forgotten to close the blinds. He clapped to close them, and Sophie noticed the sound and movement and stirred awake.
“Good morning, love,” he said to Sophie, leaning over and giving her a gentle kiss on her temple.
“You’re still here! Thank the gods, Keefe, I’m so glad you stayed,” she said, pulling him into a tight hug.
Keefe had the distinct sensation of being strangled and wondered if Sophie had taken strangle-hugging lessons from Edaline. When she loosened her grip, Keefe cleared his throat and coughed a little bit. “Wow, Foster, you and Edaline should have a strangle hugging competition. I’m not sure who would win!”
Sophie giggled. She giggled! Maybe things would be okay. She had seen him at his absolute worst, and she was still here, and she was giggling.
Keefe was overwhelmed with gratitude for this amazing woman who he did not deserve but who, through some miracle, loved him. He wanted to lean down and kiss her lips, but he wasn’t sure what she needed or wanted right now. She must have been thinking along the same lines as him though, because after she finished giggling she met his gaze, leaned up, placed her free hand around the back of his neck and kissed him passionately.
Keefe returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm, his free hand finding its way under the blankets and under Sophie’s pajama top to caress the soft skin on her abdomen and waist. Her hand made its way up into his hair, her fingers tangling and twisting and giving it gentle tugs. He found the sensation irresistible, and he felt his body shudder a bit as a soft moan escaped his lips.
“You’re trouble,” he teased her.
“Mmm hmm,” she hummed, as she pulled him toward her so she could lay down and wrap both arms around his neck.
Keefe could feel himself getting aroused, and he really wanted to chase that feeling. He needed Sophie like he needed air, needed to feel her close to him. She seemed to need him just as desperately as he needed her. She was digging her fingers into his upper back, pulling him closer, pressing their bodies together.
It could have been awkward, making love to Sophie in her bed at her home, her parents somewhere nearby. But it wasn’t awkward at all, it felt right, and so, so good. Afterwards, they both drifted back to sleep, tangled up in each other's arms, Sophie’s head resting on Keefe’s chest.
Sometime later Keefe was awoken by a knock on the door. “Sophie, sweetie, are you awake?” Edaline asked through the closed door.
Keefe rubbed Sophie’s bare back with his hand that had been resting on her side. “Sophie, love, time to wake up,” he said.
Sophie groaned next to him. “I’m awake, thanks mom,” she called out. Then she snuggled her head further into Keefe’s neck. “Mmmmmm,” Sophie hummed. “You make a really nice pillow.”
Keefe chuckled. “Well, my pillow service is available to you, anytime, my lady,” he teased, rubbing her back some more and kissing the top of her head. “Do you think you’re heading back to Foxfire today, Sophie?” he asked.
Sophie groaned again. “I really should, but I don’t want to,” she replied. “I want to stay right here, with you.”
“That would be really nice,” Keefe replied. “Maybe a little awkward now that your parents are up and about though,” he said with a smirk making its way onto his lips.
“How are you feeling, Keefe?” she asked.
“Well, I’ve been better,” Keefe replied. “I’m still pretty tired and I kind of feel like I’ve been punched in the chest. But all in all, I’ve definitely had worse.”
“Hmm, well you don’t have to get up, so you can just go back to sleep if you want,” Sophie replied. “I can bring you some breakfast before I leap to Foxfire.”
Before Keefe could respond there was another knock on Sophie’s door. “One moment,” she called out, as she threw her pajamas back on and walked over to open her bedroom door. Keefe reached down on the floor for his clothes from the day before, throwing them back on as well.
When she opened the door Grady stood at the threshold. “Good morning. Can I come in?” he asked.
Sophie stepped aside to let Grady in. “Are you here to check in with Keefe?” she asked.
“Actually I wanted to talk to both of you, before you head back to Foxfire,” he replied.
Sophie sat back down on the bed next to Keefe, and he noticed her awkwardness and embarrassment. He supposed it wasn’t necessarily surprising for her to feel awkward with her dad finding them in her room together. But Sophie seemed to really not be looking forward to whatever conversation she thought was coming.
“I need to apologize to both of you,” Grady said.
“Really?” Sophie asked, surprised. “That’s what you’re here to talk about?”
“Yeah, kiddo,” Grady chuckled. “Why, was there something else you wanted to talk about?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Nope, not at all. I’m all set, thanks,” she replied, leaning back against her pillows.
“Good, then Sophie, I'm sorry I wasn't honest and kept things from you about Keefe,” Grady said. “I know you know why I did it, but it still was hurtful. And you shouldn't have had to deal with that. I hope you know it was never my intention to hurt you, but I was trying to keep my word to Keefe.
“Well, thanks for at least apologizing, I guess,” Sophie replied bitterly.
Keefe reached out to stroke Sophie’s arm. “Hey, please don’t hold this against Grady, Sophie. It’s much more my fault than his,” he said.
“No,” she replied firmly. “No, Keefe, none of this is your fault.” She then turned to face Grady. “You watched me cry for months, you watched me give up everything for four years to traipse all over the world looking for him when you had a way to reach him the whole time! I can’t even begin to understand why you thought that was okay!”
Keefe flinched. He was grateful but he also felt extremely guilty for the imposition his search had caused Sophie and countless others.
Sophie took a slow, deep breath. “I’m sorry, Keefe, my emotions.” She made to get up off the bed.
“No, it’s fine, stay Sophie, really,” Keefe replied. Looking up at her. “It’s not your emotions. I’m just really sorry you went through all that trouble. I didn’t realize, I thought you had all moved on and I never would have wanted you to waste all that time looking for me.”
“Oh Keefe, you can be such an idiot sometimes,” Sophie replied. “You honestly thought I’d give up on you, just let you run away and not find a way to track you down? You’ve met me before, right?”
“Yeah. Maybe I was kind of lying to myself, or hoping,” Keefe replied. “ Not that I didn’t want to see you, I just thought everything was better without me around and it would make life easier for you. And I guess I thought you’d keep an eye out for me, but I didn’t think you would put your life on hold or anything.”
“Well I did,” Sophie replied, turning to Grady. “And I would have kept putting my life on hold for however many years it took. How long would you have let me go on like that? Decades? Centuries?”
“I don’t know, Sophie. But I’m honestly not convinced that telling you about the imparter and even giving it to you would have made things any easier. In some ways, it may have made things harder,” Grady replied.
“But I could have just hailed him and talked to him!” Sophie shouted.
“But haven’t you tried, telepathically, to talk to Keefe this whole time? How would hailing him on the imparter have been any different?”
“Because I could have seen him, even if just for a moment, and known he was okay or at least that he was alive. And maybe I could have convinced him to talk to me!”
Sophie got up, now pacing in her room. Keefe took a deep breath, and then another. He was starting to notice a constricting feeling in his chest. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, getting up and walking out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen. He found a cold Bottle of Youth, opened it, and guzzled it down. Better. He grabbed another bottle and headed back up to Sophie’s room.
In the three minutes he had been out of the room something had shifted. Sophie was calmer, sitting back on her bed. Keefe sat down next to her on the bed.
“Keefe, I owe you an apology too,” Grady said.
“You do?” Keefe replied. “What on earth for? You never did anything to me, Grady.”
“I should have worked harder to keep you here with us, that day,” Grady said and Keefe shook his head. “No, listen to me,” Grady replied. “Yes you were determined and you believed you were doing the right thing, and maybe to a certain extent you were, but you should have been protected and supported, not left to fend for yourself with a powerful new ability in the forbidden cities. It wasn’t right, to let you go. And I’m not sure I could have stopped you, but I could have tried harder to keep you here,” Grady continued.
“Keefe, Sophie, I know you're both adults now and you can make your own decisions,” Grady continued, “and Keefe no one is going to pressure you to do anything that doesn't feel right to you. But we want you to come back to the lost cities now. This is where you belong. If you'd like, you can stay here at Havenfield with Edaline and I while you're figuring things out, or as long as you want. We’ve already converted Jolie’s old room into a guest room and it could be yours, if you want. We would like to have you here, and I would like to help you with your ability.”
Keefe was surprised. Grady had actually been really helpful when Keefe was struggling to control his commanding ability the previous day, and Keefe knew that Grady was not mistrustful of him any more. But still, to invite him to live at Havenfield, to train him in his ability?
“I’ll let you two talk things over,” Grady said as he got up to leave. “Sophie you have an hour til orientation.”
“Thanks, dad.”
After Grady left, Sophie leaned over and wrapped her arms around Keefe, resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her gently on the head.
“I’m not sure what to think or what to do,” Keefe said.
“You’ll figure it out, Keefe. We’re all here for you. Just take your time, and know that whatever you choose, you can always change your mind if it doesn’t feel right.”
“Thanks, Foster.”
“I should probably start getting ready. I have inflicting with Bronte and he won’t be happy if I’m late.”
“Is Bronte ever happy?” Keefe asked.
Sophie giggled. “Fair point. Still, I don’t want to face a grumpy Bronte.”
“Okay Foster, hail me later?”
“As long as you promi
se to pick up.”
“I promise, Foster. No more avoiding you. I’m here.”
