Fan to Family.

Athazagoraphobia.

~Liz~
"Hey, Liz," Josh says, grabbing my arm to stop me in my tracks. "Why are you pacing? I've just watched walk the same short line 15 times."

I look at him carefully. "How long have you been watching me?" I ask.

He thinks for a moment, "Not even a minute. What's with the pacing?" He asks.

I continue pacing as he stands there, trying to think of a way to word my explanation. "Just nervous," I shrug.

"What for?" He asks. I can't tell weather he's oblivious or asking for specifics.

"Who all is coming today?" I ask, trying to get him to figure it out himself.

"Jenna's family, Mutual friends, Tyler's fammilllly..." Josh trails and drags out the word family as it dawns on him, "You are nervous to see them aren't you?"

"Please don't tell Tyler, please," I practically beg.

"Why don't you want me to tell Tyler?" He asks. I blink at him.

"Josh, you've seen him today. He's practically loosing his mind over today, I don't need to add this to his worry."

Josh puts his hands on my shoulders, "Look, munchkin, I can't handle both of you pacing incessantly."

I pull away, scowling at me. "Do you only care because I'm driving you half insane?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.

"Liz, no, that's not what I said," Josh tries to save it.

~Josh~
I watch Liz's face change, anger etching itself into her expression.

"But it's what you meant."

"You are twisting my words," I say calmly, feeling my own annoyance bubbling up.

Liz finds that enough in itself to be done. She angrily storms away.

"Liz, come on! Liz!" I call after her. She disappears and I find myself standing in the middle of the kitchen with both Tyler and Jenna watching me. I sigh.

"What happened?" Tyler asks, surprisingly calm.

"I must've said something wrong. I don't know. She got angry quickly and then just snapped and was done with me. I was trying to fix it and made it worse. She won't talk to me," I explain, running my hands through my hair. Tyler sighs, stepping closer.

"She'll cool down soon, and it'll be alright. She'll talk to you again. You're Josh, your one of her favorite people in the universe, nothing you can do will change that. Hell, some days I wonder if your her favorite and I'm just second or third favorite. I promise, especially today, it won't last very long," Tyler reassures me. I swear, he always knows the right thing to say to make me feel better.

I roll my eyes, "That was sweet and I thank you for that, but honestly Tyler, I can't be liked over you. She looks at you like you put the stars in the sky."

~Tyler~
I sigh, looking at Josh in his attempt to make me feel like I'm higher on Liz's favorite person list then he is. "Josh, have you seen how she looks at you? She looks at you like your the reason the sun rises every morning. She may love the stars, but she is more focused on the sunrise then the twinkling stars."

Jenna steps forward, butting in. "Not to ruin this cute little moment, but as an outside person I'd like to point out that she looks at the both of you, like your the reason the earth still rotates, or even exists. You two, as a pair, are the center of her world, and you cannot deny that. Some day Josh may be her favorite person, other days Tyler might take that title, but guys, you will always be top two. You can't deny that. You can't deny that together, as a team, you are her number one person in existence. And as someone who is going to be coming into your little group and imposing myself on one of her favorite people, it's pretty daunting. It's daunting to see how important you are to her, Tyler. It's daunting that I have to find where I fit with you two. It was just you and I and sometimes Josh for the longest time, but now, she's here and she might hold you on a higher pedestal then I do, and it's daunting to see someone else have that with my fiance."

Right as I'm about to reply, the doorbell rings. Liz comes rushing in, gripping my hand. Jenna answers the door, luckily finding her parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews. Liz meeting Jenna's family goes smooth, and is surprising easier then it had been for her to see our parents or to meet Josh's. She's calm, and it's wonderful. Apparently Jenna had already explained everything with Liz to her family after she announced our engament to them.

Our few friends that were invited arrive shortly after Jenna's family, and it's easier to introduce Liz to singular, non-intimidating people. They don't ask questions, but are kind.

Everyone is beginning to mingle while Liz doodles when the doorbell rings. She looks up at me with big eyes. She gets up and follows me to the door. Josh trails us, staying further back then Liz but is there in case he's needed.

I slowly swing the door open, holding my breath.

"Tyler!" My sister Madison exclaims when the door is opened. She launches herself into my arms, hugging me tightly. I haven't seen her in more then the six months Liz has been in my life, but the past six months we've been practically radio silent.

"Hi Madison," I say softly. She pulls away and I greet my brothers, Zack and Jay. We've also been radio silent.

"Congrats, Tyler," Zack says, shaking my hand. It's very awkward, he can tell something is up. Of course, my parents refused to tell them that they saw Liz again. Honestly, if it weren't for my hopeless search for her for all those years, I doubt they'd remember she even existed.

"Thanks," I smile a little.

"So...." Jay begins, "Why haven't you talked to any of us in 6 months, and we found out you were engaged via Twitter and Instagram before we even got a text from your fiancé about an engagement party?"

I sigh, seeing my parents approaching. I step back, allowing my family to enter the house before beginning any conversation. Maddy is already greeting Josh happily, not even seeing Liz. Zack and Jay eye her, and then speak with Josh. My parents, on the other hand, see her and quickly redden and become annoyed.

"Tyler," My mother says firmly.

"Hi mom, love you too."

"So, going to answer my question?" Jay asks.

"About six months ago my life, and Josh's, underwent some big changes. Mom and dad are, and were, very aware of what the change happened to be and refused to let you know about it. They've refused to speak to me since, thank you mom and dad, for that. So, in the midst of undergoing various changes due to that one big thing, I've been keeping mostly behind closed doors and didn't want to further upset our parents by involving any of you," I explain.

"What was the big change?" Maddy asks.

I motion for Liz to come closer, out of the shadows. She stands beside me, almost for sure petrified.

"I'm confused, Tyler," Zack says, shifting his weight.

"Tyler and I became her guardians 6 months ago, that's what changed," Josh points out.

My siblings looks hurt and confused. Maddy once again speaks, "Why would mom and dad be mad about that? You are an adult. And why would you want to keep that from us? Why would they?"

I make eye contact with my parents, saying, "would you care to explain?"

My mother clears her throat, looking at my father. Both leave the room, heading to find Jenna.

"Explain what?" Jay asks, confused. I just shake my head, walking from the room.

"He'll explain a little later," Josh says.

~Liz~
Tyler becomes occupied by talking to his family, so I go into another room, far from the one they are all in.

I can't help but write instead of doodling, even though I've made myself a promise to keep the fact that I write as far from the boys as possible. Jordan is keeping his word of not telling them. Sometimes I don't even think about what I write, it just flows from me like blood from an open wound. I don't even know what I'm writing, I just know what I'm feeling, and it isn't a good feeling.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jenna's soft voice asks, as she sits beside me. I shrug.

"Sure," I say, setting down my pencil. Jenna gives me a look that reminds me of a mother.

"What's up? What's wrong? I can see it, in your eyes, something is wrong. Talk to me," She says, touching my hand.

"Do you know what athazagoraphobia is?" I ask, looking at the doodle on the corner of my paper.

Jenna shakes her head, opening her mouth to say no when a voice answers softly.

"The fear of being forgotten or ignored," Josh's calm, soft voice says. I look up, seeing him and Tyler standing in the doorway. I realize that Josh has been standing there longer then Jenna had been in here with me.

I nod, quirking an eyebrow, "How do you know that?"

He smiles, "When you are really worried about someone, you look into things. I know that you have a phobia of being forgotten. I've heard you talk in your sleep."

I look down, nodding. Jenna peers over my paper. "You write?" She asks. Before I can answer, Josh is answering again.

"Don't think you can lie, just because Tyler and I are standing here. I know you write, and I know you write a lot. Don't think I didn't watch you write that whole page and didn't notice you writing when you told Jordan not to tell me," He says, smiling at me.

"H-how-"

"Did I know? Like I said, I know you. And, before you get mad at Jordan, he didn't tell me. You just didn't realize that my movie had no volume on so I could make sure I heard if you needed me, and you were talking quite loud. What you don't realize is that, when you think you are alone and no one has bothered you in hours, I've probably stood in the doorway for fifteen minutes, observing you and admiring what you are doing. I check in on you often, so does Tyler. You are just too lost in the world you are creating on the piece of paper to realize."

~Josh~
Liz blinks back at me, her eyes wide. She is at a loss for words.

"And you wondered how I picked up on the fact you had a phobia of being forgotten," I chuckle.

"Josh, I'm still confused. How often and long do you watch me? How did you pick up enough to tell all of that?"

"Between talking in your sleep and muttering to yourself when you think you are alone, I pick up on a lot. I also know you have a fear that you annoy everyone around you, and I'm pretty sure you have Aquaphobia."

Liz blinks again, "I, I talk in my sleep?"

I nod, remembering the week I spent, waking to her nightmares or just sleep talking.

~Tyler~
I take Liz's hand, brining her back into the room with my family. We stand in front of my parents.

My mother sighs, eyeing Liz carefully, "Tyler, why would you put us in this position? We didn't want them to know about her, at all. Why couldn't you have left it alone?"

I clench my fist, becoming annoyed. "Maybe I want them to know. I want them in my life, and hers. She deserves it. She deserves to know them. Not of them. Why are you so against this all? Why can't you accept her and that Josh and I are happy with her? Why can't you accept any of it?"

My siblings look between us in confusion and Liz grabs my hand.

"We gave her up for a reason," My dad says blatantly.

"Wait what?!" Maddy asks, stepping forward.

"She's your sister," Josh says, filling the gap.

Zack steps forward, his face growing angry. I expect him to get mad at Liz, but I'm proved wrong.

Zack pulls her into a bear hug, scowling at my parents. The other two are still in shock.

"You know how I felt about her. Why did you keep her from me?" He says, angry at them, "How could you?!"