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They Would Have Loved
A KotLC One Shot

Fitz was very much alarmed of the shrieks and shouts he heard as he opened the gate to the Foster estate. Although the group had grown up, gotten jobs, and found- or realized - their soulmates, they made it their mission to see each other at least once a month. Usually, their get togethers consisted of a meal provided by the hosts (they alternated each month), deep conversation, and sometimes, if they were up for it, a reminiscent game of base quest.

They never spoke of their teen years. It was too hard to recall the unpleasant memories, the deaths, and those who they couldn't kill. And though it pained them not to speak of Marella or Linh who had created some sort of eruption with the combination of their powers, it pained them more to do so. It was thanks to them that the Neverseen had been defeated, but as far as the group was concerned, the Neverseen had still won many battles. The scars in their hearts, those would be there forever.

Fitz looked behind him, his eyes scanning the grounds of Noctiluca Dawn (Sophie had named the estate after special microscopic algae that glowed in the ocean. She loved the symbolism, for on their own they couldn't be seen, but together were a spectacular sight.) for a hint that would help him understand the intruder that he expected to meet inside. When he found nothing, he threw up his arms, muttered a curse, and stormed into the house.

Sophie and Keefe had chosen to have a more modest sized house than the rest of their friends. It was surely a small mansion by human standards with about five bedrooms and two floors as well as a large swimming pool, an idea Sophie had introduced. The house may have been smaller than most others, but the grounds of Noctiluca Dawn reached much farther than any of their friends'.

The front door led Fitz into a sitting room. Couches sat in the middle of the room with a table in the center and a large window on one of the side walls giving a lovely view of an olive grove Sophie had tended to. She had explained her love of the Greek myth in which the goddess Athena created the stone fruit. She was fond of its taste as well as its practicality.

This room led into two others, a downstairs bedroom and the kitchen. The yelling was a little louder now, and Fitz picked out where it was coming from. After a second he walked quickly, yet cautiously, towards the kitchen. He couldn't help but notice specks of red on the white painted walls. He hesitantly reached out a finger to find the substance was still wet and stained his hand.

The middle Vacker child swallowed, hard.

Even after more than ten years, the death of Linh Song had hit Fitz harder than everyone but Tam. After Sophie had realized her heart's pull, Fitz had realized it wasn't right either, and it was then that he was able to see Linh, in all her glory. They complemented each other well. Although they were very much opposites, they fit together like a puzzle piece. Linh listened while Fitz talked, but she always got the last word in, and was always right.

As he walked a little closer to the kitchen, waves of unwanted memories sweeping over him, the unintelligible cries began to form words in Fitz's head.

"You idiot! Stop it! You're gonna hurt somebody!"

"Stop worrying, Sophie! It's going to be fine!"

"No it won't! Can't you see? You're ruining everything!"

He only registered two voices: Sophie and Keefe. The two had a rocky relationship in their younger years. Although Keefe was filled with an undying love for the elf-who-lived-with-humans, his recklessness drove her insane. Especially when Lady Gisela began to kill innocent elves and cut words into them- all messages to Keefe. He had almost gotten himself killed, many more times than Sophie, and he fell into a deep depression. No one, not even Sophie could free him from his black hole.

Luckily, it had all made him stronger, and since then, Fitz had never seen Sophie and Keefe in a real argument. Sure, there was the teasing and the scolding, but never hate-filled screaming. At least, that's what this sounded like to Fitz. As Keefe had grown older and his father mysteriously died, he began to paint even more. It became his job and Sophie supported it fully. If painting made him content, she was the happiest wife in the world. Wife, and soon to be mother. Fitz knew they would be wonderful parents. Now, when they looked at eachother, caught in each other's stare Fitz could see the adoration between the two.

And the peace.

Was he jealous?

Yes. 

Did he wish he could have what they had?

Of course.

Did he resent them for it and wish that he had gotten Sophie instead of Keefe?

No. Not anymore. Fitz had matured, far more than he wanted to admit. After Linh's death he had also spiraled down a hole, similar to Keefe's. They all had, really. However, after a while, Fitz found a hobby for himself.

Walking.

He would leap to the most beautiful places in the world and walk for hours, days, on end without speaking to anyone. Just thinking, sometimes not. Fitz hoped that whatever was going on between Keefe and Sophie was not what he expected.

Sophie shrieked again, "Keefe no! Gahhh! It's spreading everywhere, darn, it's gonna stain! Keefe, they can't see this, go get something to clean it with." Fitz heard a little shuffling and then, "What are you doing! I told you to clean it! No, I already told you you're going to hurt someone if you do-" She shrieked again and Fitz barged into the kitchen to find Keefe holding Sophie down on the floor.

He was... tickling her?

Sophie laughed uncontrollably, and tried to push her smiling husband off of her. When Keefe sensed Fitz's shocked emotions he looked over to his best friend, 'supped' him, and went back to ruthlessly tickling his wife.

"Hi...Fitz," Sophie got out between shrieks of laughter. "You're... early... sorry we weren't- KEEFE! Can't you see I'm trying to talk to our-" Apparently Keefe couldn't see. Fitz couldn't help but smirk at the couple. They may have all grown up, but it always made Fitz happy to see his friends act like children.

It pained Fitz that his friends, that he, never had a normal childhood. That he grew up when he was still young. That he lost his innocence before he realized what it meant. Fitz didn't know if he'd ever be in a romantic relationship again. What he did know was that he felt strangely like a father as he watched his friends.

"C'mon, Keefe." Fitz said, smiling. "You don't want to squash the baby." Fitz wasn't sure if that was even possible, but Keefe seemed to think it was and quickly helped his wife to stand.

"Thanks, Fitz," Sophie muttered, rolling her eyes at her husband. "Sorry, there's a bit of a mess," she said, gesturing toward the floor where bloody splotches stained the white rug. Images of Linh flashed through Fitz's mind, but he didn't let it show on his face. Instead, his eyes narrowed with concern as he glanced between the stains and the couple.

"Yeah, about that... I heard quite a lot of screaming as I walked in. Something about Keefe hurting people? I thought there was an intruder or something. It seems now that you've killed someone and only barely were able to hide the body," Fitz nodded to the carpet.

Sophie blushed a bright red, but didn't hide it. As she had gotten older, Sophie had become more comfortable with herself and less insecure. She didn't mind the attention as much anymore and the whispers couldn't get to her. Fitz was proud of her, he knew she had gone through much more than everyone else. Afterall, it was technically her idea that got Linh and Marella killed.

He didn't blame her though. No one did. Not anymore, atleast.

"Don't worry, when we hide bodies, we bake them into pies and serve them to our friends. We just so happen to be very sanitary," Sophie spoke in a very matter of fact tone.

"You better watch out, Keefe," Fitz joked.

"I bother Foster all the time and she hasn't killed me once!" Sophie smiled at the nickname and Keefe just wrapped his arm around her in response and rubbed her baby-bump. Fitz didn't have to be an empath to know Keefe was already incredibly excited for a child. Keefe had taken Sophie's last name, but he still insisted on calling her Foster. Fitz knew that Sophie didn't mind, it was kind of like a shout out to the times that were good when they were younger.

"Yet," she whispered. Then she turned to Fitz, "Keefe thought it would be a good idea to pour a hot sauce-water mixture-"

"Hot sauce?" Fitz inquired. Sophie's eyes lit with the excitement of getting to explain something from humans to a friend.

"It's like a spicy sauce that's made from peppers, some humans will put it on anything or just eat spoonfuls plain." Fitz noted that Keefe didn't make any comments related to himself and the 'hot' sauce. As a teen, Keefe always made jokes of that sort as a way to hide his insecurities about himself. Fitz's heart swelled to know that his friend was more comfortable with himself.

"Oh."

"Anyways, Keefe thought it would be funny to pour a hot sauce mixture into the treats I'm making, the doofus." She pointed behind her and Fitz could now see a bottle of the red liquid he had seen before and a bowl that seemed to house the batter of Mallowmelt. "I tried to strangle it away from him, which explains the mess, but unfortunately, my husband is far stronger than I am." Keefe just smiled.

The trio quieted at the sound of the door opening, and then the sound of someone calling out, "Who missed me?!"

Then they could hear Tam telling his wife, "I'm sure they all missed you very much, dear, I don't know how they couldn't miss the sound of your shrill voice ringing loudly through the halls."

"Of course they did- wait what?"

"You have lovely hair, hun."

"Aw, thanks for notici- Don't you try that on me, buddy! What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"I know it was something, mister." Keefe, Fitz, and Sophie walked out of the kitchen in time to see Tam give Biana a bewildered but also amused expression at the nickname.

"Mister?" He asked, teasing her. Biana glanced at her husband, told him to shut up, and went to embrace Sophie. "I love you, too," Tam replied.

"Yes, yes, I know." Biana declared, dismissing her husband.

"Don't you feel the love?" Tam asked Keefe sarcastically, the two had grown out of their boyish fights and had learned they were really quite similar and had taken a liking to each other.

"Why it's practically radiating off of her," Keefe replied.

"It's good to know you haven't changed very much," Fitz told his sister.

"You mean between the three days we last saw each other?" Biana smarted. No, Fitz had meant since she was a teen, but he hadn't really meant to say it aloud. He didn't need them to know that it was their 'glory' years he was thinking about at the moment.

Just then, Dex and Stina walked through the door and were greeted by all their friends. After a while, Stina had softened up to Sophie and the group and shown a kind side of her they weren't aware of. It wasn't long before she was accepted as one of them.

"They would have loved to be here," Fitz said suddenly, surprising himself.

"Who?" Dex asked.

"Linh. Marella. They would have loved to joke with us, and tease each other. They would have loved to host and make food and play base quest. They would have loved seeing how we've changed."

The adults quieted, each one of them wondering if they wanted this conversation to happen. "I know it hurts to talk about them," Fitz said, "but don't you think they deserve it? Why should we ignore them to stop our own pain? Perhaps we feel so pained and guilty because we don't talk about them. Maybe it'll help."

No one spoke for a moment. Then Sophie said, "Fitz is right. Erasing it isn't going to work."

And so they talked about it. About Linh and her kindness. About Marella and her fire. They all laughed. They all cried, but they were there for each other. And it felt good.

It felt so good to get everything off their chests and talk about the brilliant girls they had lost, among others. Afterward as they ate, Fitz was quiet as he watched his friends.

Tam had grown more trustworthy and open to others.

Biana didn't rely as much on her beauty, but was still a bubbly soul.

Dex had learned to look deeper at people, he learned not to hate as much.

Sophie became more sure of herself and comfortable with who she was.

Keefe was more pensive and thoughtful, yet he still joked around.

Fitz had changed as well. He could control his anger, he wasn't jealous anymore. He channeled his sadness and guilt into making change, perhaps he could be a councillor.

Either way, it seemed that the tragedy had helped all his friends change for the better - Fitz took a bite of his Mallowmelt and coughed from the unexpected spiciness - At least for the most part.