Trust Me - a Sophitz story

Part 5

Dedicated to Sparklyuni23, for being encouraging. I write for myself, but I love it when people take the time to be nice. It restores my faith in humanity.

Chapter 5:

Before they even made it to the living room, they heard shouting. It was obviously Keefe's voice, and Fitz's. But they couldn't hear Dex. As the two girls reached the tall double doors, Dex came barreling out. Sensing his discomfort, Bianca took him by the arm and pulled him along to the kitchen, shouting, "I'll get snacks!" over her shoulder as she went. Taking a deep breath, Sophie stepped inside to an absolutely manic scene. Keefe was screaming at Fitz, Fitz was shouting at Keefe, they were both pacing and gesturing wildly with their hands, and neither noticed Sophie enter.

Deciding the best course of action would be to separate the two, she stepped between the boys, and threw her hands out like she was stopping traffic. Instantly, they were thrown coos the room, collapsing into couches across form each other.

"If you wanted to make an entrance, Foster, there are less painful ways," Keefe groaned.

"You've been practicing your telekinesis," Fitz's accented voice filled her head, reminding her to turn to glare at her Cognate, as well as Keefe.

"What's with the death glare?"

"Foster, stop giving me that look! Also, STOP HAVING TELEPATHIC CONVERSATIONS! Even if you are talking about me, I want to hear it. And also, why are you mad at Captain Cognate over there? I thought you were on his side."

"If you two explain why you were fighting, I will explain the whole situation to everyone when Dex and Bianca get back."

Keefe nodded, and Fitz looked at her almost shyly and muttered, "You."

"I... what?"

"We. Were. Fighting. Over. The Mysterious Miss F. More specifically, since your Cognate chose to be annoyingly vague, he was fighting me over wether I can spend as much time as I want to with you."

"Fitz?"

"Yeah... I still don't trust him, Sophie. He's betrayed us so many times. He says he's back, but... Besides, he knew your secret and never told me..."

"It wasn't his secret to share!"

"Yeah, but still."

"Since when are you Grady? He stills calls Keefe 'That Boy'"

"I'm just saying..."

"I can protect myself." Fitz reached for her hand, and they both noticed Keefe flinch when their rings snapped together and their fingers intertwined.

"Sophie, I know you can. But you have to deal with so much. I just don't want him to hurt you."

"Fitz, he won't. Look at me. Trust me." Repeating his words from earlier, she stretched up and brushed an impossibly soft kiss on his cheek, before getting up, and moving across the room to talk to Keefe.

"Hey. Your turn to talk."

"If we get to take turns, Foster, can I have a kiss?"

"Keefe, not the time to joke."

"And if I wasn't joking?"

Slightly flustered, Sophie answered with calm civility. "Please tell me what was so important? You broke into Everglen, demanded to talk to us, and now won't tell me why."

"Why did you run yesterday? You wouldn't look me in the eyes. And I know you talked to Fitz, I hailed him last night and he wouldn't talk to me."

At this, Sophie twisted to look at Fitz, who shrugged, and looked away. Transmitting a soft, Thanks, she looked back at Keefe and said, "I'm sorry. Fitz was right."

"About what, Foster?"

"That if I spend too much time with you, it will break me. That I can't help myself from blaming you. That I want to keep you safe, and it has too great of a cost. That I know you did everything you could, are doing everything you can, but I still wish it was more. I wish we could all do more. And you're welcome to go all empath-lie-detector on me. I promise, I'm telling the truth."

"Foster, I can tell you are. But why do you feel weirdly relaxed? Fitz does too, I did a reading on him when we were fighting earlier. Even while he was screaming at me he was oddly... happy. Oh. Foster."

"What? Even as she said it, she cringed, realizing how defensive she sounded.

"You told him. That's why you're both happy, the kiss, how upset you got when I teased you. And the blushing. Definitely explains the blushing. So Sophitz happened! Congrats, I guess?"

"Wow, thanks. Not really though. Hopefully."

Sophie hadn't realized she had said the last part out loud until Keefe said, in a flawless impression of her voice, "Hopefully! His teal eyes are so dreamy! I looovveee Wonderboy!"

"Hi. Wonderboy is still here you know"

"Yeah, I'm aware I'm still in perfect Vacker-land, thanks very much."

"If you don't want to be in Vacker-land, what are you here?"

"Keefe! Fitz! Calm down!"

"Stay out of this Sophie," Keefe snarled.

"Don't! Talk to her like that."

"Fitz, I can take care of myself."

"Everything's SOOOOO perfect in Vacker-land! Your perfect little happy ending. You even got her!"

"Everything's perfect? My brother is a traitor, my best friend betrayed me, and we still can't trust you, my father broke, and now I have to deal with your childishness. So, yeah, my family isn't perfect anymore, Keefe. Welcome to reality, we're fighting a war. And right now, WE'RE LOSING!"

"AT LEAST YOU STILL HAVE A FAMILY!!" He turned away immediately after his outburst, but it was obvious that he was crying. Sophie started towards him, and put a hand on his shoulder, but he stiffened, and pulled away. "Don't, Foster. I'm not worth it. Like your boyfriend said, you can't trust me."

"Keefe..."

"I'm not going to bother to say 'Don't hate me' this time. We both know you already do."

"Keefe!"

"Good-bye Foster."

Before Fitz or Sophie could react, he ran from the room. Distantly, they could hear him burst through the light absorbing gates and saw the light pull him away. The sparkle of light seemed too cheerful for the heartbreaking scene. Seconds later, Bianca burst in, belatedly shouting, "I heard yelling. Are you okay? Where's Keefe?"

She was followed closely by Dex, who apologized over and over for leaving them alone, Sandor, who scooped Sophie up like an injured kitten and began to check for any sign of injury, and Grizel, who melted out of the shadows, grabbing a plate of snacks from Bianca's shaking hands before it could fall and smash.

Slowly, they all found seats, Bianca and Dex seated with Grizel, Sandor angrily pacing, and Fitz and Sophie curled side by side on one of the couches, his arm around her shoulders and her head on his lap. Slowly, they pieced together the events of the last few days, starting with the final missing details form Lumenaria, filling in the days in between, and the trip to the lost cities, the final argument with Keefe, and all the other, tiny, details that made everything so much worse. During the recounting of the last argument, Sophie began to cry, silently, and eventually they went from sitting silently to a big hugging group, Bianca moving first, Grizel standing next to Sandor (who sweetly put his arm around her), Dex sliding over to hug Sophie, Fitz holding Sophie closer, the 6 friends, some crying, some angry, and some, simply upset.

Hours later, when Alden and Dela returned home, they found the four teenagers asleep on the living room floor, Bianca still holding Sophie's hand, Fitz and Sophie hugging, Dex curled up along Bianca's side. Sandor pulled them aside, and explained everything, agreeing to call Grady and Edaline in the morning. Eventually, all scars will heal, but they could all tell that these scars would take longer than they should.