Author's Notes: Thank you for keeping up with the story! This will be the last chapter before the epilogue next week! Hope you'll like the next chapter!


The Other Side of the Fence: (Aqua, Vanitas, & Terra side of the story)

Chapter 52: An Unexpected Visitor:

A man leaned back against the cushions of the backseat as he intertwined his fingers together on his lap. He smiled as he couldn't wait to see the one person he hadn't in a while. He knew who he came to visit would be surprised to see him...

Inside her apartment, Aqua pressed her feet against the edge of her wooden table as she studied with a book in her lap. She sighed, tired and looked over toward the door. The place was too quiet. "I hope he's all right. All I did was send Vanitas to do a little grocery shopping. That was hours ago. It couldn't have been that hard." Then, Aqua turned her attention to the engagement ring on her finger. A smile couldn't help but form. She couldn't believe that she was now engaged. While the news had gotten around to all of her friends, she hadn't heard from her parents about Vanitas, so it was a good sign. It seemed that everything worked out okay.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door. She smiled and figured that Vanitas was back, but probably had his hands full with stuff. She headed over toward the door and opened it. "About time you came back. What took you so long?" When she looked up, she saw an older man, a little shorter in height and round stomach, smile toward her. Instantly, the smile went off of her face. Worry crossed her, but she wasn't close to panic just yet. "Father?!"

Her father smiled. "I don't think the person you were expecting was me. Is this a bad time? I hope not."

Aqua smiled nervously. "No! No... It's not a bad time! I was just surprised to see you! Come in!" Aqua stepped aside to let her father in. He headed toward her couch as she closed door. At that moment, she was happy that Vanitas wasn't there nor that he came back yet. She just needed some time to make sure that her father didn't see Vanitas.

As he sat down on the couch, he looked back at his nervous daughter. "Aqua? Aren't you going to sit with me?"

Aqua nodded. "Yes." She walked over and sat beside him. On edge, she placed her hands on her knees. "So…? What brings you here?"

Her father chuckled. "Is that the first thing you wanted to ask me? How about 'how have you been'?"

Aqua sighed silently. She needed to relax or she would end up giving too much away. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just so surprised to see you. You didn't call or anything."

Her father let out an apologetic smile. "I wanted to surprise you, but I know I should've called because I know how busy school can get. I wanted you to be happy when you saw me."

Aqua let out a smile toward him. "I am happy."

Her father put his head down. He felt bad for what happened in the past. "I know… we haven't exactly been on talking terms since you got here." Aqua looked down as well, silent. Her father smiled at her. "So? How have you been?"

Aqua nodded as she smiled. "I've been fine. School's fine. How about you?"

Silently, her father sighed. "I've been doing okay. Everything's going well, but…your mother…has been complaining lately." Aqua knew that wasn't a good sign. "She told me about what happened between you and Terra. She's very disappointed that things aren't working out between the two of you."

"What did Terra tell you?" Aqua asked curious.

"He just told us that things weren't going to work out between the two of you because it just wouldn't. I guess he wasn't interested anymore."

Aqua reacted with surprise, but since he didn't mention Vanitas, she figured that Terra didn't tell them anything like he promised. "Oh…!"

"Your mother is very upset about that. She really hoped that things would work out."

"I'm surprised that she didn't come over here to lecture me or convince me to win Terra back. So, did she send you instead?"

"Actually…I came here alone to see you. Your mother doesn't know I'm here."

Aqua looked surprised. Usually her father went places with her mother, especially when it came to her. "Why?"

"I wanted to see how you were and…I'm not surprised that things didn't work out between the two of you. Not after what happened with you and the other boy." Aqua looked toward the floor. She just hoped that he didn't ask about Vanitas now. She would probably have to confess everything. "Aqua? Where's the bathroom? I need to use it for a few minutes."

"It's through my room." Automatically, she pointed toward her room. Once she said that, she jumped. She couldn't remember if Vanitas's clothes were off the floor since he usually liked to leave them there. Her father got up and started to walk away. Aqua wanted to stop him before he discovered her secret. "Father! Wait!" Surprised, he stopped. She went in front of him and held her hands up nervously. "Don't go! It's…um… It's a mess!"

Her father chuckled. "I'm sure it's fine. I promise I won't look."

Aqua stopped him again before he could leave. "The toilet…! It needs to be fixed!"

"Well let me take a look at it. I'm sure I can figure out what it is."

He tried to walk away, but Aqua stepped in front of him. "Um? Sorry! I forgot that it's fine now!"

Her father gave her a confused stare before he walked away. He went inside of her room as Aqua sat back on the couch. Quietly, she hoped that he wouldn't find anything that belonged to Vanitas. Her father walked into the bathroom and looked around. Nothing seemed to be wrong. After he was done, he went toward the sink and accidentally bumped the hamper beside it. When he looked down, he saw a dark pair of boxers hanging off of the edge. "Hmm…" It made him suspicious. Then, he closed his eyes as he rubbed his forehead. His head started to bother him. He reached toward the cabinet where her mirror was. When he looked inside, he grew more suspicious and confused. Some of the things he saw looked as if they were products for men like deodorant and shavers. Her father closed the cabinet mirror and then walked into Aqua's room. He opened her closet door to see that she had some extra clothes inside that didn't look as if they belonged to her...

Outside in the living room, Aqua fiddled with her fingers as she waited anxiously for her father to come out. She looked toward her hand and spotted the engagement ring still on her finger. She panicked and tried to pull it off, but it seemed stuck. Then, her father stepped out of her room, which Aqua noticed. She stopped and placed her hand over her ring. As he let out a tired sigh, he sat down beside her. She gave him a nervous smile, but he looked away from her troubled. "Aqua…? Is there something you would like to tell me?"

His words made her afraid. "Um…? Like what?"

"Aqua…" He gave her a stern tone, which made her more worried. He wanted to get straight to the point. "Is there someone else living here with you?"

Once she heard that, she knew it would only be a matter of moments before she would have to confess. "What? What would make you say that?"

He arched his eyebrow toward her. "I saw some things that didn't seem like they were yours."

Aqua smiled nervously. "Well that can't be right because everything's mine."

Her father stared into her eyes. "Aqua. Don't lie to me. It will only make me more upset. If you tell me the truth, I promise I will not get more upset than I am already." Aqua looked down. She didn't know how she could get out of this now. Should she tell him the truth? "Is there a guy living here?"

Aqua closed her eyes as she let out a sigh. "Yes..."

At first, he was surprised to hear her admission. It made him feel uneasy to ask, but he had to know the person who was staying with her. "Who is it?"

Aqua held her head down as her bangs covered over her eyes. "I can't tell you…" she whispered.

Her father let out a frown. "And why not?"

Slowly and without thinking as she spoke, her hand slid from over her ring. "You…you won't like it. You'll just tear us apart again."

Her father could hear her voice start to choke with sadness. His eyes traveled between the floor and her. "Is it…that boy from before?" It took Aqua a few seconds to answer, but finally, she gave a few nods. She refused to look at him since she thought that she would end up in another argument with him over the same thing again. Her father looked over toward her hand and noticed the ring on her finger. A stunned gaze came on his face. Things had become more serious than he thought. Her father took some time to take the news in. "Aqua-." Soon, he heard a sniffle. He noticed Aqua with her head down. Her hand reached up and her finger wiped away the water from her eye. She couldn't go through the same again. He could hear a few more sniffles from her. Her father took her hand with the ring on it, which Aqua looked surprised. She forgot to keep it covered so he wouldn't find out. He stared down at the ring on her finger. "The boy is serious… isn't he?"

Silently, Aqua nodded. "Please... I know what you think about Vanitas, but he really is a good person and we are serious about this."

Her father sighed with his eyes closed. "You're still in love with him?"

Aqua nodded as she gave her father pleading eyes. "Yes."

"Aqua…" her father sounded serious. Aqua wanted to close her eyes. She didn't want to face her father trying to talk her out of it. Then, her father let out a smile. He didn't think they would have gone this far. "I have to say that I'm impressed by the boy. He has the nerve to ask you to marry him without going through me first." Aqua blinked surprised. Did this mean that he accepted Vanitas? "I figured that's why things didn't work out between you and Terra. Does he make you happy?"

"Yes," Aqua answered. Her father was glad to hear that. Aqua searched his eyes curious and uneasy. "You're…okay with Vanitas now? I thought you were against this."

"Well… I would like to get to know him first, but as long as you're happy…" He gave her a nod of approval. "…then it's okay."

Aqua smiled in relief. She moved over and hugged her father tightly with her eyes closed. At first, her reaction surprised him, but then it made him happy. It brought them closer together. "Thank you so much!" Then, a thought came to Aqua's mind, which she backed away worried. "Wait! Are you going to tell mother?"

Her father sighed as he closed his eyes. He was in a predicament now. "I don't like to keep things from your mother you know..."

Aqua felt uneasy. "But you know she won't accept this."

Her father placed his hand on top of hers for comfort. "I know that she won't be happy about this so… I'm sure there's a way we can find around it. If we can somehow slowly introduce her to the idea, then maybe she'll come around."

Aqua was surprised. "But…"

"I know… It's not going to be easy, but…" He sighed with his eyes closed. Even he had to agree that his wife's behavior was getting out of hand. "…your mother is acting…kind of irrational about this and I don't want to lose you. You should be able to make your own decisions and I should be able to accept that. I've been letting your mother decide what's best for you, but it doesn't seem like anything she's tried has worked out. Still, I don't want to risk losing you."

Aqua smiled with her eyes closed and leaned her head on her father's shoulder. "You won't."

"I know I haven't done my best to stick up for you and your decisions and I'm sorry about that, but I know that you're smart enough to make your own decisions." His eyes traveled toward the floor. "I just wish your mother saw it that way. That's why I came up here to see you myself. I know you wouldn't want that stress on you."

"Hmm…" Aqua looked toward the ground as well. "She doesn't understand what it's like between me and Vanitas."

Her father smiled and placed his hand on top of her head. "As long as you're happy and he's treats you well."

Aqua grinned like a child as her father ruffled her hair. It reminded them how they used to be when she was younger. "He's does dad. He really does and don't worry. He's not taking advantage of living here. He's been working to help pay for things."

Her father was surprised, but impressed again. "He didn't have to. It might be more important for him to pay off that ring he got you." He took Aqua's hand and looked at the ring again. "Do you like it?"

Aqua smiled. "Yeah. It's really special to me."

It was all her father needed to hear. "So? Were you ever planning to tell me that you were getting married?"

Aqua gave a nervous smile. "Well dad…We um…? Actually, we were…planning to elope…" Aqua's voice faded toward the end.

Disappointment came on his face. "Oh…! I see…"

She placed her hand on top of his. "I'm sorry. It's just… I thought if you or mother found out, you would try to stop us."

"I…understand… I would like to be there if I could…" Aqua smiled, grateful in response. The room grew silence. More questions came to her father's mind, even some uncomfortable ones once he thought about the two of them more. "So…? You two have been together for a while, even before you started here, and you're living together now."

Aqua nodded. "Yeah."

A little nervous, he glanced between the floor and her. "So…you two are really close?"

"Yeah," she answered.

Her father felt uneasy. "Have the two of you-? I mean…you know?" As he spoke, Aqua caught some idea of what he was trying to ask. "He's a young man and you're a young woman around each other constantly and when you're older, you become more…intimate..." When he turned his head, he noticed Aqua hiding her face from him. She kept her silence, unable to look at him. "I know we've…talked about things when you were younger…" Since she didn't respond, he thought that he had said enough and that maybe she had already given him her answer. "So…? Have you been taking proper precautions? Protecting yourself?"

Aqua wanted to bury herself somewhere far where she could hide away from this embarrassing conversation. Instead, all she could do was bury her face in her hands. "Yes..." she muttered.

Nervously, he spoke, "I just wanted to make sure. I don't mind grandchildren, but while you're in school-."

"Father..." she stopped him.

"You're right. I shouldn't get into your personal life, but it is college and you're getting to be an adult, so I shouldn't be that surprised." Aqua kept her head down as she hoped that she wouldn't have to make another confession to her father. Curiously, her father looked toward her. "It was college… right?" Aqua didn't reply. Now, her father really thought he had gone too far with asking. "Okay. I think enough has been said…or not said, but…one more question. Was there… ever a time at home where…?" Aqua remained silent. Afterwards, her father decided to leave things alone, sparing them both more embarrassment. "Never mind..." He decided to change the subject and let them talk about other things.

Sometime later, the door to the apartment opened. Vanitas walked through as he carried a few brown bags of food. He sighed with his eyes closed. "Hey! I'm back. Come help," he sounded tired and dull. "Sorry it took me so long, but you wouldn't believe how packed it was today." When he opened his eyes, he saw Aqua with her father on the couch. At first, his eyes widened as he froze. Then, Vanitas frowned uneasy and turned toward the door. "And… this is the wrong place." He tried to leave, but soon heard a voice behind him.

Aqua's father gave a stern look. "Hold it!" Vanitas cursed under his breath. He knew he was busted, but it was worth a try to get out of it. Vanitas turned around as he wondered what her father would do next. Her father got up and walked toward him. Aqua remained calm as she sat back and watched what would happen next. He stopped in front of Vanitas, which Vanitas stared at him on edge. "Are you going to take care of my daughter?"

It wasn't what Vanitas expected him to say. It almost caught him off guard. His shoulders tensed. "Uh…? Yeah…"

The serious look on her father's face grew. "Do you love her?"

"Yeah," Vanitas replied, nonchalantly.

A smile formed on Aqua's father's face. There was no hesitation in his answer. His arm wrapped around his shoulders and made him walked toward the door. "Then I want you to continue to look out for her. Take care of her. I don't have more time to stay, but we need to have a serious talk. There are a few things I would like to discuss about you and Aqua okay?"

"Sure..." Vanitas sounded uneasy. He didn't know what else to say. Things went better than he expected. There was no yelling, kicking him out, or anything remotely close.

Aqua's father smiled at Vanitas and then at Aqua. "See you next time."

Aqua waved as she smiled. Afterwards, he closed the door behind him. Vanitas stared, not sure what just happened. Aqua smiled toward him. "Welcome back."

Vanitas glanced between the door and Aqua before he walked over and sat down beside her. "What…just happened…? That was your dad, right?"

Aqua nodded. "Yeah it was. He came to see me and found out you lived here."

He arched his eyebrow curious. "How did he find that out?"

"Found something of yours." Vanitas sighed. Afterwards, Aqua continued, "Well he's okay with us now. He's okay with us living together and…he's knows…we're engaged."

Vanitas's eyes widened. "You sure that he's okay with that?"

Aqua closed her eyes more nervous at what else she had to tell him. "He knows that we were going to elope and…he may have… well… he found out that we're…sort of…sleeping together."

Vanitas stared at her with his eyebrows furrowed. His face wanted to twitch, but it just froze. He didn't understand how they were able to talk about so much in such a short time. One question popped in his mind more than any of the others he had. "Did you really have to tell him everything?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she looked toward the side. "He sort of…asked and I couldn't lie to him. He's my father."

Vanitas sighed with his eyes closed. He rubbed his forehead. "You really are trying to get me killed, aren't you?"

Aqua grinned. "No. He's all right with us now. He told me he wants to get to know you better and he wants to spend time with you." Vanitas arched his eyebrow. Her father and him alone sounded as if it was a disaster waiting to happen. Aqua smiled as she noticed his unease and scooted over toward him. She placed a kiss gently on his cheek as she gave a comforting smile. Then, her head leaned on his shoulder. It came as a relief to both of them that someone in her family was on their side.


Thank you for reading! The epilogue will be split into two chapters since it will be kind of long and wrapping up everyone's stories. Tune in next week for the update!