ALWAYS, kotlc

flashback

a/n - takes place before sokeefe gets together !

"Are you sure you can do this?"

Sophie laced her fingers through his, staring into his ice blue eyes. Keefe looked at her and nodded stiffly- and unconvincingly -but Sophie knew she had to do this.

"Promise me you won't do anything reckless once I show you," Sophie insisted- Keefe nodded numbly in response; Sophie figured that was the best promise she was going to get as she dived into his mind and let the horrible memory flash through his consciousness.

Sophie saw Keefe- probably no older than six -holding a small crayon drawing and tiptoeing through the dark hallways of the Shores of Solace.  Young Keefe creaked open the door cautiously where Lord Cassius was sitting at his desk.

"Happy Fathers Day!" Young Keefe exclaimed, excitedly.  "I drew you a picture of you and me, see, we're at the beach and-"

"Gimme that," Lord Cassius demanded gruffly, snatching the picture out of his hands.  For a second he just looked at it and Young Keefe beamed with pride. Then he ripped the picture in half and threw it into the trash.

"You were supposed to be studying Keefe," Lord Cassius yelled.  "Not drawing foolish pictures for even more foolish holidays!"

"But- but... it was for you!" Young Keefe blubbered, staring at his torn picture that he'd spent so much time working on.

"Get out," Lord Cassius growled.

The scene shifted as Sophie's heart longed to pity Keefe- but his voice in her mind reminded her, sounding shaky, No pity, Foster, as the next memory faded into place.

It must've happened right after the previous scene because Young Keefe was sprawled on his bed, crying into his pillow.  Textbooks lay all over the floor, the pages stained with tears.  The curtains were pulled shut.

Something slid underneath the door.  He sniffled and tripped out of bed, grabbing the pages.  It was his crayon drawing- taped together hastily and signed Mom. Young Keefe stopped sniffling, and hurried over to his desk to color in the white sky.

The scene ended and Sophie felt herself being pulled out of the memory, out of Keefe's mind....

"Keefe listen to me," Sophie said gently.  Keefe just clung to her hand like it was the only thing keeping him from crumbling and stared out into the empty, darkening sky.

"She used me," Keefe said dryly.

And Sophie wanted to do anything- hug him and do something to prove that somebody cared, somebody through all of it loved him for who he was... not his legacy...

"Keefe, stop," Sophie told him.

"I just-" Keefe continued blandly.

"Keefe stop.  This isn't good for you," Sophie told him.  "Come on."

Sophie grabbed one hand in his and the other on his shoulder as she led him out of the shivering wind, guiding him into his bedroom.  

She didn't care if she was teased for eternity.

Keefe needed her.

So she wrapped her arms around him and held him close as she could.

And Keefe didn't pull away, just sank into her shoulder...

And in the last flicker of vision as the exhaustion pulled her away, she saw Keefe close his eyes and drift off to sleep right next to her.