Phoebe couldn't stop looking at her brother. There was an odd swelling in her heart. He was so very happy, and that's all she wished for. Literally. She wished it on a shooting star once- that her brother could be happy. Truly happy. Not those fleeting moments where he'd smile or the times he'd forget himself and laugh.

She put a plastic tray of drinks down and sat on the armchair, listening to Audrey recount their adventures. Audrey talked, legs crossed on the couch, fully concentrated on Phoebe, but with Eli's hand in her lap, her thumb rubbing circles on his wrist.

"Sounds like it all worked out for the best." Phoebe said, icy eyes melting at the sight of them. Audrey felt the urge to thank Phoebe for giving her the push back towards Eli, but decided to wait she could get her alone.

"So I have some news of my own." Phoebe said, a little nervous as she held tightly on to her glass. She had the full attention of both Eli and Audrey, and though she couldn't help but feel that this only concerned Eli, she wasn't sure she could rip him away from Audrey for even a second.

"I went home to get some things on Saturday." She said quietly. Eli frowned and sat up a little straighter. "I thought I might surprise you and get some of your books." She shrugged, and bit the inside of her cheek. He was already prickling at the subject matter.

"I saw Karen, Eli. She's bad. I've never seen anything like it." Phoebe blurted it out, wincing after she said it, as she knew Eli hated hearing about his Mom. 

"Pheebs..." Audrey could see the muscles in his arm tensing. She looked nervously between the siblings.

"You know I wouldn't tell you if it wasn't really bad." Phoebe interjected.  It was true. Karen wasn't her Mom, she really felt no connection to her. Though it was easier for Phoebe; naturally cold. Eli was different. A completely raw soul.  It was hard for him to even hate Mitch. He mostly just felt hurt.

"We need to get her out of there. I'm scared that something's gonna happen."

"She won't leave him." Eli knew this all too well. He was trying to remain composed and logical. Audrey squeezed his hand, wisely remaining silent.

"Maybe. That's why I have a plan if she won't leave." Phoebe leaned forward slightly, pale hair falling over her shoulders. "We get him out." Eli didn't respond, unsure of what she was getting at. Phoebe rolled her eyes. "We can get him arrested."

"Pheebs, no way she testifies against him."

"She doesn't have to. I'm talking about you, Eli. The stuff he did to you. I saw it. That's two against one."

Eli started to panic at her request. He shook his head, brain already trying to find a way out. "And if she testifies for him?" He asked softly.

"She won't be very reliable with those bruises." Phoebe looked into her brothers terrified eyes. "If you'd seen her-" She swallowed.

Eli's hands were starting to shake again. Those pills were helpful for every day worries, but this wasn't an every day ordeal. And panic was starting to dig it's claws into his stomach. He could just about feel Audrey's hand holding his, sensing his fear.

Phoebe decided to switch her tactics. She locked eyes with Audrey for a quick second and sighed. Eli wouldn't do well with the bad memories being forced back in. She never could fully understand him, and knew she often said the wrong thing. Phoebe was starting to think that she should have studied Psych, just to figure out her brother.

"Do you remember that time my Dad went on a business trip?" Phoebe asked, pulling Eli back into focus momentarily. "I was like, 10. And we thought that your Mom would get really sad like she usually did, but she found this box of old board games." Phoebe wrung her hands together. "It was so weird. We played games together. She was like a real Mom for a week."

A small shake of the head is all Eli could offer. He simply didn't remember. Of course, he knew Phoebe wasn't lying. "If we get her alone, I think she might come with us." Phoebe tried.

Dr. Lee had talked him through this. Something called 'repressed memories'. The reason Eli had issues with remembering things. But the brain didn't always sort out memories well enough. So lots of memories, good and bad, ended up getting repressed.

And some of the bigger ones came back when triggered by a certain sound or smell- hence the panic attacks. The false memories were still something he didn't understand, and wondered if Audrey had learned much about them in her Psych classes. He decided to ask her about it, before being snapped out of his fuzz once again.

"Eli?" Phoebe stared at him in that serious way of hers.

"I have to think." He responded quietly, and stood up. Audrey and Phoebe watched as he grabbed his coat, pulled on his boots, and went outside. It was another thing Dr. Lee had taught him. To avoid getting too panicked, don't stay in a confined space. Go outside, breathe fresh air.

Audrey shifted in her seat slightly. "I don't want to impose," She started, "But, forcing a victim of abuse to confront his abuser before he's ready can be... Detrimental." She recited it from her text book. Audrey always studied extra hard when she was learning about abuse.

Phoebe's eyebrows crinkled as she tapped her glass. "I don't know what else to do." She looked at the floor. "You should have seen her. Now that me and Eli aren't around..." She trailed off and stayed silent for a long while, as did Audrey.

****

The sun beamed down on the freshly fallen snow on the lawn outside of Phoebe's apartment. Eli stood on the shoveled walkway, watching the snow shimmer under the suns rays.

Audrey had given him a fair bit of time alone. She knew he needed to gather his thoughts to settle down. 

Eventually, though, she joined him. Eli was too entranced by the view. Clear, pale blue skies, bright yellow sun, glittering snow. He didn't notice Audrey come outside. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, head resting on his back. 

He smiled at her affection, something he'd missed for so long. He held on to her forearms, tightly wound around him. She still didn't talk for a bit, trying to sense where his mind was. After a minute of comfortable silence, Audrey suddenly asked, "You know what I love about you?" 

Eli shrugged. "Freckles?" He suggested jokingly. His humor was back, but he wasn't in the mood to be chatty, she concluded. Audrey shook her head and pulled away from him, and he turned to face her. "Your heart." She said, hazel eyes burning into his. 

"How manly." 

Audrey rolled her eyes. She placed her hand on his chest. "It's how I know you'll make the right decision."  Eli's eyes narrowed slightly as she walked away, and he dug his hands in to his coat pockets as he thought about her declaration. 

His thoughts didn't travel far, however, as a snowball hit his shoulder. Eli swiveled around to see Audrey standing in the snow, giggling. All of the anxious thoughts and scary memories were instantly thrown out of his head and were replaced by one simple thought. 

He had to get her back. 

Eli ran over to the lawn and pushed together a sloppy snowball. Audrey stood still, giggling away, and when he missed her by an inch, she cackled even harder, bent over, clutching her stomach.

"Alright, that's it." Eli murmured, and ran into the snow, making Audrey squeal as she attempted to run away. She was not a very good runner, though, and the snow was too deep for her to get anywhere very quickly.

Suddenly, Eli's arms were around her waist, lifting her up. She screamed, still laughing. "Eli!" She shouted between giggles. Eli carried her across the lawn to a large snowbank.

"No, no, no!" She squealed, trying to squirm away. Eli moved his hands to get a grip on her waist, and he threw her into the powdery snow bank. She sank in the snow, laying there, laughing uncontrollably despite the snow that was seeping into her boots and under her sweater.

Eli watched her with adoration. She seemed quite comfortable in the snow, eyes shining and snow flakes highlighting her dark hair. No wonder he constantly wanted to take pictures of her.

"Unfair," She said once her giggles had died down, "You only got a snowball."

Eli shrugged and laughed, taking a spot in the snow next to her. The snow encompassed him. It hugged him, cold but snug. Audrey sat up and looked at him, hair streaked with snow.

She flipped over on her stomach and kissed him, frosty lips and the frozen tips of her hair tickling his forehead. He very happily kissed her back, hands gripping her hips as he pulled her closer.

"Oh, gross." Phoebe suddenly called from the walkway. Audrey laughed as she looked over to her. "I was wondering where you guys were." She shouted, "Don't know what I expected."

"Go away, Pheebs." Eli suddenly called out.

"This is a public setting! No PDA in my apartment!"

"We aren't in your apartment!" Audrey contested.

"Children live here!"

Eli and Audrey both broke into laughter then, and Phoebe even let out a little chuckle, breaking away from her stern sister role to revel in the simplicity and pureness of the moment.

And Eli thought that they might just be okay after all.

((A/N: What's next? If y'all think I forgot about Eli's family you're crazy. Not sure if any of you hate his Mum or not, but she's definitely a complex character to write! I'm hoping I've developed these characters well enough now so their actions continue to feel natural. A.K.A : Eli is a very loyal puppy dog. *wink*))