Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that, unfortunately, is the way it's going to stay. Thanks to all my readers and hope you enjoy!

Reasons To Return

Sitting at his desk there was really no question that there was homework he was supposed to be doing. That being said he had no intention of working on any of it. Always a responsible and hardworking student T.K. none the less had more important things on his mine that not turning in his homework on time. That something important was his brother. He knew that Matt was at Rika's which was some relief but not a hell of a lot. While he knew Rika would take care of him this was still Rika. She wasn't exactly the comforting, nurturing type. The only thing she was in the habit of nurturing was personal grudges. She wouldn't be a calming, healing, influence either. She'd more likely be encouraging Matt to come back here and crucify Tai's to a soccer post. She'd want Sora all to herself for that matter. He didn't even want to think about what sort of evil things Rika could come up with to do to someone. Matt might be capable of dishing out serious damage but he was pretty much a physical, kick your ass to a pulp type. Rika was more of a plan the most painful, humiliating tortures available sort of girl. Rika never just got mad and even. He'd never been on her bad side but Matt had told him stories...well...they were worse then Freddie Kouger movies.

Hearing a knock on the door T.K. turned his head, calling out for his mom to come on in. Watching her as she came in he noted the circle under her eyes and the fact that her smile was both tired and forced. None of those were unusual exactly unless you added in the worry and sadness he could see behind that smile and those eyes. "What's up, Mom?" T.K. asked, smiling in a way he hoped was reassuring.

"I just wanted to see what you were up to." Nancy replied, walking over to place a hand on her younger son's shoulder. Looking at the desk she saw that there was nothing on it. "No homework tonight?"

"I'll get to it." T.K. said, knowing that now he would have to. She was a sharp mom after all and he was in general a terrible liar. She wasn't a reporter for nothing after all.

"You're worried about him too huh?" Nancy said with a knowing look, not surprised that T.K. was hiding it so well. It seemed to be a trait in their family. Never let anyone see you bleed, especially when it's a private, family matter. "I keep telling myself that he's strong, that where ever he is he's probably just fine and dandy. I tell myself that if I keep thinking that then soon I'll start believing it's true."

"I don't know about fine and dandy but he is strong, Mom. Maybe not as strong as he likes to think he is but he knows how to take a hit."

"And that's what happened? He took a hit?" Nancy asks, watching the array of emotions pass over her son's face. "I have eyes, T.K.. I've heard the undertones in Tai and Sora's voices when they call to ask if there's been any word from Matt. I know the sound of a guilty conscience when I hear it. Those two always did have a vibe, to be frank it always bothered me. It never seemed to bother Matt though."

"I don't know exactly what happened there. Kari and I think that whatever happened odds are that vibe made itself too apparent to be ignored. We think Matt left so that there wouldn't be any backlash from the break up."

"And so that there wouldn't be any choosing of sides for you and Kari." Nancy added, easily connecting the dots. "He's always loved you most, more then anyone else. I don't think there's anything he wouldn't do for you."

"And vice versa. Not that he'd ever give me the chance to prove it to him." T.K. said, not even hearing the anger in his voice. "He's fine, he even wants me to lean on him whenever I might need him but he never comes to me for help. He never needs to lean on me or even let me offer. He always just grins and tells me not to worry."

"Yeah, that boy can pretty much grin his way through anything. It's gotten to the point I can't tell when they're genuine anymore." Nancy said softly, understanding her son's words completely. Matt had never come to her for help with anything either. But then, he had no reason to think he should. After all, when he'd needed her as a child, she hadn't been there, now had she? Ever since he'd disappeared, just left without even a note, she'd started to really think about why he'd done that. At first she'd been so angry at him, to not be considerate enough to do even that much. But then she'd thought, why should he? It wasn't like she was a big enough part of his life to warrant it. She could use the excuse that he hadn't seemed interested in changing that but hadn't she waited too long before trying to bridge the gap. Could she really blame him for not going out of his way to mend the gap when she'd made the gap in the first place? Because as much as she'd have liked to, she couldn't blame it all on her ex husband. She'd lost touch with her oldest son all on her own.

"I can't tell sometimes either." T.K. said quietly, reaching out to pat the hand resting on his shoulder. "I don't think most people can see what Matt's really thinking or feeling unless he lets them."

"Was he happy? Before all this I mean. Do you think?"

"I think he was. Or at least as happy as he'd ever let himself be." Was his truthful reply. He didn't see a point in pulling punches, especially when she'd asked for it out right.

"Does he know that I love him?"

"I honestly don't know. He wouldn't tell either of us if we asked. Or at least not anything we didn't want or hope to hear, Mom."

"That's what I thought."

The next morning T.K. walked to school with his head down and his shoulders slightly slumped. He hadn't slept well. All he'd been able to think about was the look on his mother's face when he'd told her he honestly didn't know if Matt knew that their mother loved him. Personally he didn't doubt it. He just doubted that Matt saw her love as something to trust and believe in. Especially now. Jarred out of his thoughts by a loud blast of horn T.K. turned his head to see Izzy in his car, pulling in beside him.

"Want a ride?" Izzy called over after he'd put the windows down half way.

"Sure." T.K. said with a small smile, opening the door and sliding in. Closing the door behind him T.K. buckled in as Izzy pulled back into traffic. "Thanks. I missed the bus."

"Sleep through your alarm?" Izzy teased, making light of the fact that T.K. wasn't looking too good at the moment. The kid hadn't been looking so good period since Matt had left. Oh the kid was putting on a good front but he wasn't near the actor his older brother was. While Matt could hide just about anything from anyone T.K. had never really had to hone that sort of skill.

"No, I just didn't get much sleep last night. I waited till the last minute to finish up my homework." T.K. replied, leaning back against the headset. He'd ended up doing the homework he'd intended to neglect solely because he hadn't been able to get to sleep.

"How's your mom doing?" Izzy asked after they'd lapsed into silence for a moment. The last time he'd seen T.K's mom she hadn't been looking so good. It wasn't unusual to find her stressed, she was a reporter after all, but there was a sadness in her eyes. A mother's sad eyes rather then a news hound's.

"I don't think she's going to be okay until she sees Matt. In other words I don't see her as being okay any time soon." T.K. said as he raked a hand through his hair.

"You know where he is though, don't you?" Izzy said knowingly, even while T.K. stared at him in shock. "Oh, please. He might not tell any of us, he might not even tell you, T.K.. But I know you. You wouldn't be this calm unless you knew for sure that he was okay."

"Damn." T.K. said simply, quiet for a moment before nodding his head. "But yeah. Yeah, I think I know where he is. I'm over ninety percent sure anyway. At least in my gut."

"Well, since you're the son of two reporters I think that your gut's gotta be better then most, T.K."

"Yeah, I guess so. There's..there's a friend of his who's a lot like him. Well not exactly since she's usually about as friendly as a wet cat with rabies but they seem to get each other." T.K. said with what felt like the first real smile since Matt had left. "I think he went to her. At least I know her family would let him stay with them if he went there."

"A wet cat with rabies?" Izzy repeated, trying to visualize such a person. It was a really scary thought that he rather didn't want to picture.

"Yeah. She's actually pretty nice if she likes you. It's only when she doesn't like you that you might wanna consider renewing your passport to get out of the country." T.K. explained with a small grin. "There was this one waiter who patted her on the butt as we were leaving this restaurant. I'll never forget the look on his face when she grabbed his ear and accidentally ripped out his earring in the process."

"Accidentally?"

"Well that's what she said it was but the guy had been looking down her mother's shirt all through dinner. I think she'd been planning it all through dinner, just waiting for the right moment. She's the patiently planning sort." T.K. explained, well aware that he wasn't painting a very flattering portrait of Rika. "She and Matt get along really well though, childhood friends and all that. Her parents are split too and neither of them are real winners in the parenting department either. Her mom's doing a bit better though or at least Matt said that Rika said she was. I've only met the woman a few times but she's pretty much a nice but slightly bubble headed diva."

"Have any of us met her?" He couldn't recall meeting anyone like that. You didn't forget a person like T.K. was describing.

"Not that I know of. She lives a fair distance away and when they did get together it was usually at her place since they had the room. Plus her grandmother is really fond of Matt and he's really fond of her and her cooking." T.K. explained. "Thankfully her mother is like most of the women when it comes to Matt."

"In other words she just thinks he's the greatest thing since sliced bread." Izzy smirked, shaking his head slightly. Matt was a natural ladies man without even trying. They flocked to him because of his looks and stayed because he could charm just about anyone. The fact that they were being shown only what they wanted to see when they looked at him was something only a few of the insightful ones had ever picked up. As far as Izzy knew Kari was the only girl that had ever seen Matt at his worst. Well maybe her and this other girl T.K. was talking about. He doubted very much that Matt had been at his best when he'd arrived at her doorstep.

"Well she's pretty shallow. It wouldn't surprise me much if she likes him because he's as good looking as she is. Matt's friend is really pretty too but I figure Rumiko's too afraid of her by now to risk trying to play dress up anymore. Apparently she tried to force one pink dress too many on Matt's friend and she finally blew. Rumiko hasn't risked a repeat since. Matt at least would let her shop for him. Plus it's probably a new experience for her, having a teenager in the house that meets her physical and social standards." T.K. replied, being careful not to say Rika's name. Give Izzy enough info and his lap top and who knows what his friend could find out.

"So is she going to be too shallow to realize she's taking in another teenager who needs a shrink very badly?" Izzy asked, his tone going serious as he looked over at T.K.. "And before you make some crack you know I'm right. Matt needs to learn to deal with his anger and nothing you or I have done has helped him a hell of a lot. Now with this mess with Tai and Sora...well all that trust we helped him build has got to be in ruins now."

"Going to a shrink isn't going to do him any good, Izzy." T.K. said just as seriously as they pulled into the school's parking lot. "All that's going to do is make him angrier. Especially if the shrink gets too close to things Matt doesn't want to talk about. What he needs a shrink can't give him."

"We can't change the past for him. We can't fix your parents marriage and we sure as hell can't stop him from developing all his damn walls. We can't fix things with him, Tai and Sora either. I don't think he'd try to fix it, even if he could. Not really fix it anyway. He might pretend too knowing him."

"What he needs is for someone to love him. Love him first and foremost above everyone else including that person's friends and family. Not out of pity or infatuation or any of that weak emotion stuff. Really love him. Just for him. That's why, even if things keep getting worse, I want him to stay away. I want him to be in a place where maybe, just maybe, he'll just be Matt for once. Where our screwed up family and you guys don't exist anymore. He can be whoever he wants now and maybe, he'll decide he just wants to be himself there."

Silently pulling into an empty spot Izzy turned off the car before he said anything. "But if there's a possibility of that...do you really think he has enough trust in him left to believe it, much less reach out and grab it?"

"I honestly don't know. I think you could probably count on one hand now. The people who he believes without a doubt really do love him. The people he's likely still willing to trust. Two of them are where he is now. I'm here. I figure with those sorts of odds he's got a better chance where he is now."

"He has more then just you here, wanting him back." Izzy said darkly, not liking what T.K. was saying at all.

"I know that but does he? Before this thing with Tai and Sora I think he would have included you other guys in that list. Or at least in the really care about him department. Now with this mess, he probably doesn't know what to think anymore."

"Look, we both have to get to class before we're late but we have the same lunch period. I'll meet you by your locker then?" Izzy asked as he undid his seat belt. This was a conversation that needed to be continued. "I want to know more about this person Matt's with. Not to find them, just to get a better idea of the person I'm intrusting one of my best friends too."

"Calling her a wet cat with rabies might have been a bit harsh." T.K. said with a small smile. "A wet cat who's tail's just been stepped on might be a better. And okay, I'll be there."

Waiting for T.K. Izzy leaned against his friend's locker, deep in thought for the moment. From the sounds of it Matt was in a house with three women. One was a grandmother who appeared to be everyone's ideal grandmother which was good. Then you had the ditzy, nice but shallow mother who would likely give Matt lots of compliments and not get involved with his life at all. That was both good and bad. Matt wouldn't want anyone butting into his business but having a real mother figure around for once wouldn't have been a bad thing for him either. Lastly you had this mystery friend of Matt's who was apparently a lot like Matt only she didn't bother to hide behind her masks the way Matt was always doing. Maybe she could teach that to Matt. Matt without his masks might be occasionally mean and cold but at least it would really be him and not one of his countless personalities he showed people.

Having cleared his throat for the forth time Tai gave up and reaching over shook Izzy's shoulder to finally get his friend's attention. "Hey, where were you? Trying to contact a distance planet through telepathy?"

"No. I was wondering about Matt." Izzy replied, watching Tai's eyes carefully. Even the mention of Matt's name had guilt and pain flashing in those brown eyes. Not a big surprise. Tai was a good guy, if occasionally a thoughtless, impulsive one.

"Any word from him yet? I keep calling his parents and asking T.K. but no one seems to know what's up. I thought maybe he'd get in touch with you. You two got along better sometimes then he and I ever did." Tai said sheepishly, speaking the simple truth. Sometimes he'd gotten the feeling that Izzy would have made a better best friend for Matt then himself. Izzy seemed to get Matt in a way he just couldn't.

"No, I haven't." Izzy said with a shake of his head. "I doubt we'll know anything until he wants us too. That could be never."

"He can't do that, we're his friends. Besides, he'd never turn his back on T.K.." Tai argued, his eyes just a little bit desperate. If he was honest with himself he knew that Matt's little brother was the only one Matt would be even thinking about coming back for. Thanks to him.

"You and Sora took the people he thinks of as his friends, Tai. T.K's got dibs on his entire family in the most loved department. That really doesn't leave anyone for him to come back to in his eyes. Now does it?"