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14

The next morning I felt like something was lightly shaking me. I groaned and rolled onto my stomach, burying my face in he plush pillow and pulling he blankets over my head. An exasperated sigh resounded from next to me. My ear twitched when there was movement from the other side of the bed, followed by footsteps. There was some mumbling, that in all honesty sounded like complaints, before the covers were yanked off of my slumbering form. I growled lowly and curled into a ball. Again, there was a sigh accompanied by more footsteps. I smiled lazily and sighed contently.

"You're gonna wake up whether you want to or not, Astrus," Eli said before flipping the mattress over, causing me to face plant onto the floor. I mumbled incoherently into the ground before standing up and rubbing my tired eyes.

"'M up what do 'ya want?"

"There's someone here who wants to see you. She says its important."

"She?" I repeated, "Momma?" In a flash I was out in the main room of the hideout. Sitting on the sofa, waiting patiently with a smile on her face, was my mother. She stood up and gave me a hug.

"Hello again, dear," she said.

"Hi, momma! What brings you here?"

"There's something I found that you should have, but I'm concerned as to why you came out of the Shane boy's room. Did you two sleep together?" I blushed and gave Eli the if-you-really-love-me-you'll-help-me look but he just smirked and walked over to us.

"We did," he replied flatly.

"But not in the way you're thinking, momma! I had a nightmare last night and I went to sleep in Eli's room for comfort! We didn't do anything I swear on it!" I looked at my beloved midnight blue haired boyfriend for any kind of reassurance, but found none. "Eli!" I whined.

My mother just laughed at our antics, "You two remind me of your father and I when we were young." She reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. "Your father left you this. He told me before he...you know...that he wanted you to have this. I haven't read it so I'm not sure what he wrote in it." I hesitantly opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.

'Astrus,

I know I've done things in he past that you probably resent me for, but it's time for you to learn the truth. Yes, i did take you to all of he experiments that Thaddeus had done to you, but once I realized the consequences of those actions I kept you out of harms way. Your mother and I didn't abandon you, we left you in a Shane hideout that Will had told me about. That's another thing you didn't know, I was a friend of the Shane. No, he and I weren't teammates, in fact I never was a slinger, just an errand runner for Blakk and a friend of Will's. I'm deeply sorry for leaving you at such a young age and I'm sure your mother is too, but it was for the best and now you're not just another one of Thaddeus's corrupted experiments gone wrong. You're my beautiful daughter, and I love you so much. I'll understand if you still hate me, even after I've passed on, but at least now you know the truth.

Take care,

Everett Quinn'

Tears fell from my eyes as I finished reading the letter. I handed it to my mother and sat down on the couch without a word. Eli sat down next to me and took my hand and drew small circles with his thumb. I leaned my head onto his shoulder and sobbed as my mother finished reading the letter, tears welling up in her eyes as well. "He....really did love me," I whispered between sobs, "and all these years I thought he didn't want me and hated me. I almost killed a decoy of him when Twist captured me! What kind of person am I?"

"You didn't know," Eli said softly, pulling me into a hug. "It's okay."

"If you want, I can tell you where his grave is," momma said. I nodded and she told me where she had him laid to rest.

~

I pull my cloak closer to my body and follow the directions my mother had given me earlier today. I arrive in a clearing with a few slugs, I left mine back at the hideout so they can rest. In the center of the clearing is a tombstone. I sit on my knees in front of the marker. A small, sad smile forms on my trembling lips.

"Hey there," I whisper, "it's been a while.....hasn't it, daddy?" A few tears fall from my gray eyes and onto the ground. "I'm sorry....I'm so sorry!" I can't hold the tears back anymore. I break down. A hand rests gently on my shoulder and I look up to see Eli sitting down next to me on the grass. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into a side hug.

"Maybe you should tell him about your life after he left you in the care of my father. I'm sure he'd love to hear about it." I nod and wipe my eyes.

"Voices. That was all I heard at first...."

~And the story continues~

(A/N: Well, lovely readers, this is the end of my slugterra fix! I might make a new one with a different OC in the future, but it's not definite. I'm glad that so many people liked this story and I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your support! Thanks a bunch!)