KOTLC Sokeefe One-Shots, Alternate Endings, etc

AU/AE: Stellarlune 37 (Keefe POV) Part 2

The moment the door closed, Keefe stepped closer to Sophie. "What's wrong, Foster?"

She just shook her head, not quite meeting his eyes. But she looked like she was fighting tears and her emotionally distraught state seemed to be escalating.

"Things felt...nice, earlier," He prodded cautiously. He was afraid of what was coming but he knew he needed to find out. "But now you feel...sad and angry. I'm sorry if I crossed a line before, I just missed you, and maybe I misunderstood--"

"No." She shook her head again. "That's the problem. You understood perfectly."

That was a relief.

But it wasn't much of one, because she was still very obviously upset and he had no idea why.

He could usually guess at what was bothering her, and was nearly always right.

He was also nearly always the one who could make her feel better about it.

Hopefully that would still be the case.

"Why is that a problem?" He asked her in confusion.

"I needed you," she finally told him in a rush. "I needed you and you weren't there. And now here you are but I'm about to leave again and everything is so messed up. Do you have any idea what the last few weeks have been like for me?"

Oh, was that what this was all about? Now that she'd found him, she was finally allowing herself to acknowledge how hard his leaving had been for her?

He couldn't undo the last few weeks, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. It had been hard and lonely, but he'd also figured some things out and it had been helpful to get some distance from the trauma he'd endured.

But he also knew, now, that planning to stay away indefinitely was never going to work long term. He had to face all of this head on.

He looked her directly in the eye, trying to convey how sorry he was for the pain he'd caused her. "I'm so sorry," he said. "But I'm here now," he added, holding out his arms and hoping she'd sink into them.

Instead, she backed up a step, shaking her head again.

Okay...looked like they were going to have to talk through some things.

"Besides," he added, dropping his hands. "It's not been an easy few weeks for me either."

"But it could've been better for both of us if you hadn't left. Or if you'd at least left a way for me to contact you so we could talk. I'd still have missed you but it would've been better than nothing."

"I couldn't have. You don't know how hard it was, ignoring you, leaving that note, thinking I'd never see you again." Just remembering it made him feel anguished even though she was standing right in front of him now.

That was probably what was causing her trouble, too.

He owed her an explanation.

And she was standing there, listening expectantly, taking deep breaths like she was trying to calm herself down.

"But I knew if I told you I was going, or if I answered you when you reached out, I wouldn't be strong enough to stay away. It was hard enough not hailing Grady with the Imparter he gave me just to ask him how you were doing—"

She hurled a flash of anger—maybe even betrayal—his way as she cut him off.

"Grady had a way to reach you?!"

"I asked him not to tell you," Keefe whispered, inwardly cringing. This was all true and he couldn't keep it from her, but it was clearly making things worse instead of better.