Theories.

Loren Cassius de la Mendoza {twenty}

February 14th

Maybe I shove someone out of the way; I can't remember. My arms wrap around my little-big brother instantly and he greets me with a smile and a warm laugh.

I haven't seen him in two years.

I don't want to let him go, not for a second.

His old brown leather jacket has the faintest trace of that smoky smell he never could get rid of, and his hair is longer than I remember, even as long as Frasier's. My brother is here. Loren is here and he's okay.

At the thought, I get that little embarrassing hitch in my throat and break down in tears on his shoulder. I hear the collective "awww" around me. All that matters is that my big brother is here and he's safe and healthy. I don't know how many nightmares I've had about him and Lailani being in a danger I couldn't protect them from. But he's okay. Loren is okay.

"Shhhhh," Loren soothes. "Breathe, it's alright. It's alright." He squeezes me tight and I can feel a tear slide down his cheek. Finally we let go, and he kisses my forehead. "Couldn't miss your birthday for a third year in a row, could I? I'd be trash!"

I look around at all my friends; they are all here instead of doing something for Valentine's Day. Tempest and Sherman just got engaged and they're still throwing me a party. I could say how much I don't deserve this a million times but it wouldn't make a difference.

They are always going to be there for me.

*****

I guess Loren and Frasier have been talking on the phone for a week or two, because Frasier says Loren sounds different in person. They seem to hit it off well. If only Lailani were here...

While my boyfriend impresses my brother, I walk around, thanking everyone who came. I notice a sort-of familiar face in the corner, sitting with his face buried in a tablet.

"Avery, hi," I say nicely. He smiles and stands up.

"Hi, Quinten! Happy Birthday," he says excitedly. The last thing I expect is for him to throw his arms around me, but I roll with it. "Nineteen? That's awesome."

"Yeah. It's... not much different than eighteen," I chuckle. "So what are you doing here?"

"Just taking some time off. Visiting. I did bring you something for your birthday," Avery boasts. From the couch, he grabs a small bag with my name on it. Inside is a CD. A Night at the Opera by Queen.

"Wow..." I gasp. I've never had a CD of my own. It sounds simple, but I always had to look things up on the internet or play it myself. My mom had two CDs: one being a collection of classic Christmas songs, the other being an old Kenny Rogers album. Hated both of them.

"I just remember you saying this was the music you listen to," Avery says. "I started listening a while ago. Hope you don't have this one."

"I don't. Wow, thank you. I-I don't know what to say." I'm completely flustered. I never even thought of buying some CDs of my own. Avery has no clue what he just did to my feelings. I'm seriously about to hug him again, but I decide against it.

"Cake time!" Tempest announces from the kitchen.

It's a white cream cake with strawberries on the top, and chocolate drizzle all over. I almost end up crying again; it looks like the cake I had when I was twelve, a cake I described to Frasier two weeks ago. I said it was my favorite dessert. Never had anything that compared to it.

Frasier sits on my one side, Loren on the other.

*****

Loren found a cheap hotel. Unfortunately, cheap in New York is cheaper than in Colorado, so he can only afford two days here before he needs to get on the road again. I offer to give him a few hundred bucks, but of course, he declines. I guess he's really following through with living in that family's house. I hope it works out for him.

It's nine o'clock when people start leaving. Pretty soon, the only ones left are me, Tempest, Sherman, Loren, Avery, and Frasier. I guess Avery is staying with Tempest and Sherman, which is great. I'm glad they're friends with him, even if he's a little odd. He's wearing a 'Jesus Saves' wristband. Jesus saves what, exactly?

Frasier's hair is down now (I think he was comparing the length to Loren's; Frasier's is still longer) and he lets it hang at his shoulders. I've said about a million 'I love yous' to him since I found out he planned this for me.

I got a CD from Avery, a speaker from this guy Brett, Tempest and Sherman gave me a $250 gift card to Wal-Mart, and some other friends came together to buy me some meal tickets for the campus cafeteria. Loren knows I would've socked him if he spent money on something for me, so he figured there was no point. Frasier said his gift for me was at home. This is the best birthday I've had in a while.

"We're going to go start up the fire pit in the back," Sherman says. He and Tempest head out, and Avery joins them.

"I'll go with them," Frasier whispers. He kisses my lips and my hand before putting on his coat and leaving out the back door. Loren sighs with a smile.

"I like him," he says. "He really likes you, too."

"I would hope so," I reply.

"Are you being nice to him?" Loren asks, sorting through his pockets and pulling a toothpick.

"Now what does that mean?" I ask. Curse my voice for getting so defensive all of a sudden. I am nice to Frasier. We don't have to be perfect; that's not what relationships are about.

"I'm just asking," Loren shrugs. He chuckles at my tone. "I just know you can be a handful."

"Well why don't you ask him? I mean, we fight a lot less than we did before. I admit, it was rough for a while," I explain. "I love him to death."

Loren shakes his head. "Hopefully not."

I roll my eyes. "Wow, alright—"

Loren cuts me off. "Quinn, I love you to death. I love Lailani to death. But I... you get different with people. With everything that's happened... I want you to love you... and not to death. Feel me?" Loren explains with a sad smile. I don't respond. "How are you sleeping?"

"Frasier says I have nightmares; I don't remember them so..." I explain softly. Loren nods in understanding. "I'm never telling Frasier."

"But you know it's not your fault, right?" Loren says. I shrug. "No, Quinn... what happened to Andre—"

"I can't right now, Loren," I interrupt. I can feel my pulse jump. "I can't do that right now. I could've stopped the whole thing but I didn't. You can't tell me things like 'it wasn't my fault' when it was."

"You should talk about it though. Even if it's to some random hobo on the street or somethin' Quinn. The last time you kept it in for so long—"

Avery comes into the living room to grab his heavier jacket before Loren can finish his sentence. "We have a nice fire going outside, if you want to join," he says cheerily. I can't help but reflect his smile.

Loren smiles, too.

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A/N well, well, what happened in New York?

family love is the best love :')

comment, vote-- what are your 'theories' on what happened to Quinn?