Book Two: KOTLC One-shots and More

All in Good Time

A/N: This is a "Flashback" bonus chapter, depicting the afternoon Sophie and Keefe spent in the Healing Center while he was trying to teach her appetite suppression.

Sophie felt like this might end up being the longest afternoon of her life.

Keefe—and Ro—and Elwin, too, the traitor—had thoroughly enjoyed eating their way through the ridiculous number of treats Keefe had brought with him to the Healing Center.

She understood, in theory, that working on appetite suppression would be more effective if there was food readily available that she had to deny.

But Keefe clearly had a sadistic streak in him, because he was having way too much fun eating it all in front of her.

But he did finally set aside that last bit of the butterblast he'd first teased her with, promising again that he'd let her eat it once she went one hour without her stomach growling.

"Okay," Keefe told her, licking the last of the crumbs off his fingers with apparent relish. "Since clearly you're desperately hungry now, maybe it's time to work on distracting you. So what'll it be? Do you want to talk about how you'll thrash us all at combat training once you're out of here? Or maybe you could help me decide what elixirs I should slip Fitz while he's sedated?"

"You realize that means you'd have to hold his mouth open and force it down his throat, since he's not exactly where he can know he's supposed to swallow it?"

Keefe smirked. "Totally worth it."

"Only if he then wakes up in enough time to see it before it wears off."

"Foster, where's your sense of adventure?"

She shrugged. "I guess it's slowly being tortured out of me." She scowled at her bandaged hand.

"Uh-uh, no downward mood shifts. That's why I'm here."

"To keep me from feeling sorry for myself?"

"Sort of. I'd prefer to call it keeping you happy." His smile turned warmer. "Something I'm usually pretty good at, and you know it."

"Only because you somehow manage to be just annoying enough that it's endearing instead of frustrating. Most of the time, anyway."

He smirked again. "I'll take it. Especially since you basically just admitted that I'm dear to you. Did you hear that, Ro?"

Sophie blushed as Ro said, "yeah, now how about you tell her how--"

"Anyway," Keefe said loudly, cutting her off. "I think I'm hungry again."

And to Sophie's immense frustration, he pulled a box of Prattles out of his pocket and ripped it open. Sophie's stomach growled as he tossed a handful in his mouth.

"You're enjoying this," she grumbled when he laughed.

"Maybe a little," he admitted as he checked the time so he could reset her one-hour goal. "But can you blame me? You've been getting lots of good food with Edaline, meanwhile my dad's cooking..." he shuddered. "I don't know why he won't let the gnomes help with it. And before that, the food with the Neverseen was even worse. I feel like I'm still having to make up for how hungry I always was."

"I remember you mentioning that." She decided not to point out that he could've come home much sooner than he did. Or maybe even not gone at all.

She knew he already punished himself for that, and she'd long since forgive him for it.

"And you promised to start carrying snacks around with you so you could give them to me anytime I showed up."

"I remember that too."