Healing Sophie

26

Finn stared blankly down at the large packet in front of him.

A.S.V.A.B.

He could ace the exam in his sleep. He had always excelled in math and science, and wasn't too horrible with English. He could easily get solid scores.

But did he really want to? Who was he really doing it for? He wanted to say he was doing it for his dad, but if he was being honest, his dad would push him to go for his passion. Finn couldn't stomach going back to that school though. They had kicked him out of his dorm and he had been staying with Sophie. Everyone had been so welcoming there. They were having their own issues though with Chase's parents threatening to kick them out.

He wished there was a way he could just magically spawn a safe space for all of them. Somewhere they could all live happily and do what they were passionate about.

Finn didn't really want to be there at the testing place, but what else was there for him? All he really cared about were photography and Sophie. Maybe even the other guys. Enlisting didn't give him either.

He gave one last glance at the papers before throwing them to the floor, grabbing his belongings, and storming out. The fresh air against his face as he stepped outside felt energizing, like he was doing the right thing. Now if only it could tell him where to go next. He felt so lost and out of control.

As if in either answer or yet another 'screw you', Finn's phone rang.

"Mom?"

Sophie's phone rang loudly throughout her bedroom, interrupting her practice for the tenth time. She groaned and turned it off completely before tossing her phone to the floor. Her mother had been trying to reach her for days and Sophie just couldn't find it in her to care. Victor and her had tried everything they could to get Connor out of there and nothing worked. She felt utterly hopeless. The showcase was in a week and Sophie was determined to channel all of her emotions and energy into that. She couldn't afford to give her energy to anything else at the moment. She still wasn't quite where she wanted to be for it and she wouldn't stop until it was perfect.

She tried to flow through her showcase routine again, but couldn't get out of her head enough to sing. After the third time of failing to sing the right note while playing, she let out a sigh of frustration and left her room. She kept walking and walking until her legs carried her all the way to a familiar wooden structure. Sophie climbed up the rope ladder and locked herself into the small, cozy treehouse. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She slowly inhaled and exhaled, willing every stressful thought into that mental well one by one until it was overflowing.

With one last breath, Sophie let the first note flow through her.

When Sophie retuned to the house hours later after finally feeling good about her song, she felt her anxiety spike.

Chase, Victor, Theo and Finn were all sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for her.

"Who died?" She tried to joke, but she couldn't help her thoughts from racing. She mentally could not handle another bad thing. She was completely exhausted.

Finn gestured to the empty chair next to him. She hesitantly took a seat and looked at all of them. She couldn't get a read on any of their faces. She tried to study the one she had known for twelve years and found nothing. "Finn?"

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. For her comfort or his, she didn't know.

"Sophie. My..." Her heart was drumming against her chest. She squeezed Finn's hand back. "My dad is dead." She looked at him with wide eyes.

"Finn, I-I'm so sorry." He only nodded grimly. "What happened?"

He gave a sad smile. "Went in to save his friend, didn't come back." His normally confident, playful honey eyes were a tired oak brown. Sophie said nothing and crawled into Finn's lap. She embraced him in the biggest hug she could muster. She felt him shaking beneath her.

He pulled back. "There's more." Sophie met his gaze and Finn looked around at the guys. "This might actually help all of us."

"What is it?", Chase asked.

"After the funeral, my mom wants to sell her house and go travel. She said me being out of the house and my dad being... gone seems like as good of a time as any for her to go find what makes her happy." He smiled as he spoke. "She offered to actually buy us all a place to live. It's not nearly this big, but it'll be a home. That no one can take from us. She's going to get it all set up for us."

Mixed emotions made their way onto everyone's face. Pride, shock, love. Chase's voice was choked up as he spoke. "Finn, that's... are you sure?"

Finn smiled and nodded. "You guys are my family now. And we all deserve to live peacefully doing the things we love. And I've decided I won't be enlisting. I'm going to keep pursuing photography."

Sophie stared at Finn before giving him another giant hug. "I love you so much."

He gave her a bear hug in return. "I love you too, princess."

Chase took a shuttered breath. "Now what?"

Victor looked at each of them. "Now we create the safe home we always wanted."

A look of deep understanding passed between all of them. This would be their home. A place where no one had to be perfect, no one feared for their life, no one was ever alone. It was going to be a place full of love.

"There's more," Finn said with his usual grin coming back.

"What now? You're pregnant?", Theo joked.

Finn smiled and played with Sophie's blonde curls, peering down at her with those comforting honey eyes. "The house we found has a giant basement area. Perfect for photography, or film-making, or music," he pinched Sophie's side. "Or whatever we want it to be."

They all smiled and sat at the table together, picturing the wonderful home they would build.