Through Fire And Water

Reunions

Two weeks had passed since Starkiller, or Galen, appeared. I hadn't been very sure it was him; I thought I had lost my mind. When I had asked him how he was in my room, he told me he didn't remember. He was with Jai and I on the Rogue Shadow, and then he woke up in my closet. He also didn't remember the three and a half years of time that had since passed. I had tried to find an explanation, but neither of us could understand how it could've happened. Eventually, we gave up entirely.

I was so happy to see him. He didn't understand my world, and even though I wasn't quite sure whether or not it was actually him, I soon found myself not really caring and explaining every little thing whether he asked about it or not. When I realized that it was indeed him, I felt my eyes well up with tears. I didn't have any proof, but in my heart I knew it was him.

That brought us to two weeks later. I came home from work and sat next to him on the couch, turning off the TV and throwing a quilt over his sleeping form. His head was propped up on his hand and I could tell that he was tired, as well as very sad. He missed Juno very much, and I didn't blame him. He had just gotten her back, and then...

A knock sounded, confusing me. I went to the door, tucking my hair behind my ear to look out the peephole. I unlocked the door, opening it a little and slipping out, smiling at the person before me.

"Hey there, Rey," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "What's up? I didn't think you'd be out this late."

"Yeah, sorry, I just got off work." Rey was my friend from college, we had several classes together and his family owned the house I stayed in. He was six feet and two inches tall, with sandy blond hair and a surfer's tan. His left ear was pierced and held a little silver bead I always thought looked more like a beebee than a stud. "I finally got some traps for the basement." He held up several bags of sticky traps, smiling softly. His nose was very red from the cold. It was obvious that he had walked here from the store, and that made me feel bad.

"Oh, Rey, you didn't have to do that. I was going to, I just never got the chance to. School is so busy these days. W-would you like me to walk you home?" I started to shiver at the low temperature.

"Ah, no thanks, I wouldn't want to be a bother." He chuckled. "Besides, I wouldn't want to keep such a beautiful woman from the warmth of the hearth any longer than I have to." I laughed, and he laughed with me. I took the bag from him and thanked him. "So I'll see you tomorrow morning for pancakes?" He held up two finger guns as he backed off my porch, shrugging slightly more with every step. "Mom's been dying to see you."

"I - I don't know, I've been so busy these days. Maybe I -"

The door opened behind me and Galen stood in the opening, staring at Rey. "Who's this?"

Rey stared at Galen, cheeks red. My checks were red as well, mostly because I didn't think Galen could hear us. "Oh, Galen, you're awake. This is Rey, my college friend, remember? I've told you about him."

He stared back as I pushed my glasses up on my nose. "Oh, yeah. The college friend, I remember now."

"Rey, this is Galen, my - friend." I almost choked on the word. "He used to babysit my sister and I back home."

Rey smiled at Galen, offering his hand. "Nice to meet you, Galen. I've heard a lot about you."

Galen took Rey's hand, squeezing it harshly. I pretended not to notice that Rey did the exact same. "He's here to visit for the holidays. Just for a little bit, you know, to check up on me." The men released each other. "I hope your mother doesn't mind, he'll only be here for a couple of weeks at least -"

"Yeah, no, I'm sure it's fine with her," Rey interrupted, scratching his neck. "So I'll tell her you've got a friend over and won't be coming tomorrow."

I sighed. "I'm sorry I can't come for pancakes. Thank you, and thanks for these traps! I'll set them first thing in the morning!"

Rey laughed, making me laugh too as I cuddled into Galen's side for warmth and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Rey left, waving as he did so. I waved back, standing outside and watching him leave until he was out of sight. We then went back inside, and I burst out laughing as I locked the door behind me.

"Oh my gosh, that was so embarrassing!" I laughed, setting the bag of traps down. "He totally thought we were together!" I laughed for a moment longer before I looked up at Galen, who wasn't smiling. "What is it? You jealous I have more men than you in my life?" He glared at me, melting my smile. "What's wrong?"

"Do you like him?"

I squinted a little, confused. "Huh? Of course I do, he's my friend."

"No, I mean - Do you like him the way he likes you?"

My cheeks heated up. "What're you talking about?"

"He's clearly in love with you, Jen. Do you... also love him?"

This was getting awkward for the both of us. "No, Galen. He's my friend, that's all. I know he... likes me... but I honestly don't feel the same way. He knows that, we've talked about it before."

He stared at me for a moment longer before sighing, sitting on a barstool by the island not five feet away from the door. "Sorry. I guess I'm not used to guys liking my sister yet."

I laughed, going over to sit beside him, and hugged him. "You're such a dad."

He laughed and hugged me back, kissing my head. "Sorry! Jeez."

"Whatever," I chuckled, "let's go to bed. I'm tired."

We climbed the stairs to my bedroom and claimed our sides of the bed, me scrunching up under the blankets and him kissing my head one last time before we both closed our eyes and fell asleep.

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A loud knock resonated through my sleep, waking me at an early hour I didn't quite like. I pushed my glasses onto my face and sat up, looking over to my brother. Galen didn't so much as budge, making me smile and roll my eyes as I climbed out of the bed and slid into my houseboots. I padded down the steps to the door, unlocking it and swinging it open, expecting to find either Rey or his mother holding a plate of steaming pancakes, impossibly warm despite the cold air outside. I was smiling, ready for warm pancakes, but it disappeared when I saw who was actually at the door.

I starred back at a mirror image of myself, save her eyes shadowed but relieved, ears naturally pointed and hair naturally curled.

She smiled at me, and I was completely frozen.