Ch 4
A/N- This chapter is for Shrek freak 101. Your review was awesome so I wrote some more for you. There's a lot of Artie/Shrek in this chapter and more hugs which you love so I hope you enjoy it as well as those who read this fic as well.
It was New Year's Eve at the swamp. Fiona was in the midst of getting ready to go to a New Year's Eve party in her parent's castle in Far, Far Away. Artie was only waking up on the couch when he heard Shrek sigh sadly as he walked out the door. The triplets and Dronkeys were playing outside in the snow. "I wonder what's eating him? He seemed sad about something. Maybe he got some bad news and doesn't want to talk about it. Maybe I should talk to him. We are friends after all." He thought as he got dressed. But on the table was a letter for him.
It looked like it'd been sent from his Aunt Lillian and opened it. Nothing could prepare him for what was in that letter.
Dear ArtieI know you're learning to be a great ruler but part of it involves dealing with your fears so for the next two weeks you'll be going back to Worchester Academy to take care of that. But your father's been found but he's in hospital. I know this was the man who dumped you at Worchester when you were thirteen but everybody deserves a second chance. I know you'll come through this.
Lillian.
It read. Artie was in total shock and anger. How could Lillian do this to him? He didn't want to go back to the very hell hole called Worchester Academy where nobody cared for him or wanted to be his friend. He didn't want to meet his father either. He wished he was dead. He then saw Shrek sitting under a tree outside and went to talk to him. He dressed warm and went outside. Shrek was clutching something. It was a framed photo of him, Fiona and their triplets. The snow was falling all over him and freezing him but he didn't care. "Are you okay man? You look really down." he heard somebody say. He lifted up his head and saw Artie sitting beside him. "What're you doing out here like this? You know you're gonna catch a cold or something." the teen told him. Shrek chuckled at that sadly. "It's the New Year right? Well I've been dreaming, more like remembering past Christmases when I... was all alone and my family ignored me. I was different than them. The only one who cared about me was my Mom but... she was taken away from me by the very man I grew to hate, the one who despised me since my birth. He took her into the forest and gave her to hunters. I heard him tell his friends that one Christmas when he was eally drunk. That's when I was abandoned in the forest by him. Those memories always are in my head and they always get worse but my new family especially you seem to make it better. My fear is that the same thing's gonna happen to my kids and I don't want it to be this way." he explained. Artie heard his friend's voice crack as he was beginning to cry but Artie then embraved him. He felt warm. "It'll be okay man. Cry if you want to. Let it all out." Artie said as his friend's tears hit his Worxhester jersey. Fiona had been watching this and was worried.
"I'm sorry Artie. It's just I've believed over the years that ogres aren't allowed to cry or show emotions. You seem worried yourself. You wanna talk about it like old times or what?" Shrek said smiling. Artie then sighed. His friend had just unloaded his emotional hurt on him so he figured he might as well tell him what was bugging him. "I got a letter from Lillian. She wants me to go back to Worchester for two whole weeks but I'm worried. Once I get back there, Lancelot and the jousting team will be picking on me again and probably calling me King of the losers. Plue she said... that my father's alive but in hospital." Artie explained with tears welling up in his eyes. Shrek then hugged him again. The teen felt safe in his embrace. "I see. She wants ya to give the man who dumped you at Worchester in the first place a second chance? I don't think you should. All this stress is on you and it's not helping you. You know what Artie? You don't have to see him if you don't wanna and you don't have to let Lancelot and those losers pick on ya when you go to Worchester after the holidays. You have a powerful inner voice. It's just been hidden there after many years of people picking on you. I know your heart will help you do what's right." Shrek explained to him.
"Yeah I've got that. Thanks Dad." Artie replied. Shrek's eyes went wide at that. He knew it had been a slip of the teen's tongue but maybe he could be a foster Dad to Artie seeing his real one wasn't so great but he'd have to talk to both Lillian and Fiona about that one. Artie saw a smile on the ogre's face as his eyes opened slowly still in their embrace. "You'll see. Thanks Son. I can be your father even though we're not related by birth." he whispered to the teen. "Really? Cool! I... would love that. You're... like the father I've never had but needed. But what about Fiona? Won't she freak when you tell her this?" Artie replied. "Don't worry. I'll talk to her." Shrek answered as they went inside...
Artie then saw them talking later as his friend was getting ready to go to the party. He was going too but dressed as he was. He saw Shrek smile as he walked out of the bedroom. "We did it but we're gonna have to pretend when we're in Far, Far Away that we're not father and son, okay? Not in front of Lillian until we talk to her." he told him. Artie then hugged him as they went out the door and in the carriage, he was thinking of his new family... .