Hello everyone.

I now present the 'Reunion' chapter of my story. I tried to make sure that some of the dialogue matched that in the episode, but it's still my spin on the episode.

Warning - Foul language, high emotions, intense scenes of violence, and tears are ahead.

I hope it is not too dark or sad for any of you.

Reunion

12:27 AM

Ethan and Anne stared at one another for a few moments, both in states of shock. Ethan had not seen another human in three months, and he was so surprised to see one again that he was taken off guard when she tackled him with a hug.

"OH MY GOSH, ETHAN," she yelled, hugging him tightly enough to nearly break his ribs. "You're here too! I've missed you so much!"

"Anne," Ethan said again, slowly hugging her back as he tried to process seeing her. "You… You're here too… in Amphibia?"

"Yes!" She pulled out of the hug, a big grin on her face. "That music box thingy must've been magic or something; that's how we got here!"

"... Wow," he replied, starting to smile too. After so long of being the odd-one-out, he finally was not alone anymore. And of all the people to run into, Anne was by far the best. "What about Marcy? Is she here too?"

"She must be, if you're here. Sasha and I thought we were the only ones-"

"Sasha?" Ethan's mood instantly dropped, and a frown replaced his smile. "She's here too?"

Anne's smile faltered a little. "Oh yeah… you two didn't exactly leave on friendly-"

"I know," he snapped, trying to smile again. "I'm just… glad to know I'm not the only human here. It's been kinda lonely, being the odd-one-out here."

"I know, dude. But I'm finally starting to feel like I've been accepted here! Everyone's super nice, and I -" The girl gasped, suddenly remembering something. "Ohmigosh the party!" She grabbed his hand. "C'mon," she said excitedly. "Everyone's gonna wanna meet you!"

"Wait," Ethan said, digging his feet in the ground, stopping Anne from leaving. "I… I'm not exactly here to party."

She frowned at him. "What? What are you here for, then?" Her eyes locked on the Toad pin on his shoulder, and she let go of his hand. "You've… been with the toads?"

The boy rubbed his arm, feeling embarrassed for some reason [and curious as to how she recognized the Toad Army pin].

"Kind of, yeah," he said. "They found me, and -"

"Did they hurt you," Anne asked, looking closely at his skin. "Your face and arms… are those bite marks?"

"I'm fine," he snapped, wishing she would stop looking at him like he was the bad guy.

"Anne?" The two former friends turned to find Sasha walking towards them. The blonde girl stopped short upon seeing Ethan, gaping at him with shock. "... Ethan?!"

"Sasha," he answered evenly, torn between being relieved that she was alive versus storming away. "Looks like we're all here, then."

"Yeah," she agreed, noting his clothing. "Nice outfit; very edgy in a soldier kinda way."

"... Thanks." There was an awkward pause where the three kids stood in silence, waiting for someone to say something. Sasha, being Sasha, was the first to break it.

"So… are you gonna apologize or something," she asked, crossing her arms.

"What," Ethan asked.

"You know, for throwing my phone and then opening the magic music box that brought us all here?" She smiled sweetly. "I mean, it's kinda your fault we're stuck in Swampland." The boy stared at her blankly for a few moments before frowning at her.

"You… have got to be kidding me," he said, his old anger towards her returning all at once. "Who pressured Anne into stealing the box in the first place?"

Sasha's smile faded, replaced with a frown. "Oh my gosh I forgot how annoying you were," she stated. "She didn't have to steal it if she didn't want to."

"You never give anyone a choice," Ethan said, glaring at her. "It's always about Sasha and what Sasha wants! Sasha, Sasha, Sasha!"

"Was that a Bready Bunch reference," the bully asked, snickering a little. "What a nerd!"

"Better than what you are!"

"Stop it, both of you," Anne shouted suddenly, interrupting their arguing. "Look, we shouldn't be fighting like this; we're all we've got here! We need to stick together and find Marcy, because she's obviously here if we are!"

"You're absolutely right, Anne," Sasha said, walking over to her friend and putting an arm around her shoulder. "We need to put all this petty arguing behind us, and focus on a way to get home." She looked over at Ethan, the sweet smile back on her face. "Right, Ethan?"

The boy was very tempted to knock that smug smile off her face, but remembered that hitting girls was always wrong. He still found it awkward whenever he sparred with a female toad, though they often assured him that he should not hold back when fighting them. Still, he was infuriated with Sasha for acting like the good guy when she was clearly in the wrong. However, Anne was looking at him with a hopeful expression, clearly wanting him to say yes.

"Fine," he said, nodding a little. "We do need to work together and get out of here. I just gotta do something real quick."

"Aw, working for the toads, are you," Sasha asked. "We did that once; helped them collect taxes for the day, and they nearly broke Anne's arm."

"I don't work for t-" Ethan broke off abruptly, realizing what he said. "Wait… you've seen toads here before?"

"Yeah, like three of them," the girl said. "Some guy named Bog, but I don't really remember the other ones."

Ethan recognized the name, a numb feeling coming over him. Bog had been here before… he had met Anne and Sasha… and had never told him. Why did no one ever tell him? Whose decision was it that he be kept in the dark? The answer was clear to him.

"Hello? Earth to Ethan?" Sasha was snapping her fingers in his face, and he finally snapped out of his stupor.

"What? Sorry…" He straightened up. "In case you want to know, I'm the Lieutenant of the entire toad army! That means second-in-command!"

"Wow, really," Anne asked, smiling at him. "Congrats, man!"

"Yeah, right," Sasha scoffed. "He's obviously lying, Anne. And if he isn't, I'd love to meet the idiot who put him in charge!"

A sudden idea came to Ethan at that moment, but he knew he could not use it unless as a last resort. "Whatever, can you just tell me where I can find…" He took the scroll from his belt, wanting to make sure he got the name right. "... Hopadiah Plantar?"

Anne and Sasha's smiles vanished instantly, replaced with concern, confusion, and worry.

"Uh… Hopadiah who now," Anne asked, as if wanting to make sure that she had heard him correctly.

"Hopadiah Plantar," he repeated, showing them the wanted poster with the old frog's picture on it. "He's wanted for not paying taxes and insisting treasonous riots all over the Valley, so Commander Grime just wants to speak to him."

The two girls exchanged a quick look, a silent conversation going on between them.

"Uh… we've never heard of him," Sasha said. "And we've been here for three months, so we would've noticed if he was here. Guess your Grime commander will have to look for him somewhere else."

Ethan frowned at her. "Your bullshit face is so obvious," he said. "We know he lives here, and we both know you would never do anything to help me." Sighing, he reached for the horn on his belt. "Guess now's a good time."

"Good time for what," Anne asked as the boy raised the horn to his lips and blew.

The sound echoed loudly across the town, and the upbeat music died down and then stopped. Ethan blew into the horn for a good seven seconds before stopping, putting it back on his belt and drawing his sword.

"Look, I don't want any of you to get into trouble," he said. "They only want the frog, so just tell me where it is so no one gets hurt."

"Like you," Sasha demanded, grabbing a nearby stick off the ground and swinging it at him. He quickly blocked it, then proceeded to cut the stick in half. As she stared in disbelief at the stump in her hand, he kicked her feet out from under her, sending her tumbling to the ground.

"Lieutenant Day, sir," a voice said, and Ethan turned to see six toad soldiers standing there, weapons drawn and ready for instructions.

"Make sure these two don't get in the way of anything," Ethan said, sheathing his sword. "Hopadiah is somewhere in the town, so you two go inform the platoon leaders to circle the town, if they haven't already."

"Sir, yes sir," the toads chorused, two of them running off while the other four surrounded Anne and Sasha, each one grabbing an arm.

"Ethan, dude, what are you doing," Anne asked, trying to pull her arms free.

"Wow," Sasha said. "You guys smell really bad."

"You'll thank me for this," the boy said, walking towards the center of town as he ignored the uneasy feeling in his chest. Really, they should be grateful he had not had them arrested. Now, they would stay out of the way while they arrested the traitor, and after Plantar was executed, he could come back for them and together, they would find a way home.

Besides, at the moment, he had more pressing matters to deal with.

[][][]

3:11 AM

"Come in," Grime said evenly, not looking up from his desk as the door slammed open and angry footsteps approached his desk. "Really, Lieutenant, I expect better from you."

"You knew they were here the whole time, didn't you," Ethan demanded, glaring at the toad. "Anne and Sasha… you knew they were in Wartwood, here in Amphibia, and you didn't tell me!"

"Yes, I did," the toad captain said nonchalantly, reaching for one of his papers. Angrily, the teen swiped all the papers off Captain Grime's desk, sending them flying around the room. The toad did not react at all, but simply looked at the boy, one eyebrow cocked.

"I could have you thrown back in a cell for that," the captain said.

"I don't care! Why did you lie to me," Ethan demanded. "You knew I thought I was alone here, and you let me keep thinking that for three months! Why?! What excuse could you possibly have not to tell me?!"

"I can think of one right now," Grime said, looking at his scattered papers. "You humans are so… so emotional. Getting worked up over the tiniest little things that aren't even important."

"Says the guy who's obsessed with Suspicion Island."

The toad gasped, then quickly tried to hide his surprise.

"I… don't know what you're talking about, Lieutenant," he said quickly.

"You thought I wouldn't notice my phone going missing every now and then," the teen asked. "I followed you one night; how many episodes have you watched?"

"Not many… just the first twenty-one."

"That's crazy and… What am I doing, caring about your fucking wellbeing, I'm mad at you," Ethan snapped, slamming a fist on the desk, cracking the wooden surface. He didn't seem to notice, his anger so apparent that his eyes seemed to turn red.

"I've had enough of your mouth," Captain Grime said, glaring at the boy. "You want to know why I didn't inform you about your pathetic human companions? It's because they are irrelevant to me! They can do nothing to help me, and I didn't need them; dealing with one of your kind is challenging enough! I left them there because I didn't want them, I wanted you!

"And look what they've done to you already," the toad continued, walking from behind his desk. "You're snapping at your superior, messing with my papers, cursing me out… all because I didn't tell you about two stupid, spoiled girls who you don't even care about!"

"I do care about them!"

"Oh really? I thought you said Sasha was a bully who stole your best friend, who is the other girl. Why would you care about a bully and a former best friend? You're just upset that they're here, aren't you?"

"I didn't want them arrested," Ethan said exasperatedly. "I just wanted them out of the way while we got Hopadiah!"

"Well you should have been more specific with these soldiers; you know they're not the brightest bunch." He sighed with exasperation, seeming to calm down a bit. "Look, Ethan... If it helps, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I found out about them right after freed you from jail and made you a soldier. You needed to focus on your training and reach your true potential, and the last thing you needed was to be distracted from that. Yes, it was probably selfish of me, but I only wanted to make sure that you became the best soldier this army's ever seen, and I have succeeded in doing that, I think."

Ethan looked at him with surprise. While Grime was still working on complimenting his soldiers, it was rare for any of his compliments to sound this genuine. And he was also apologizing? Either Captain Grime was sick, or he actually meant it.

"You… You were helping me by not telling me," he asked.

"Of course. I knew from the first time I met you that you had the skills and what it took to be my lieutenant," Captain Grime explained, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You had skill, and strength, and talent. It was untrained and needed direction, but look where it has gotten you now."

"I… You're right," the teen agreed, thinking over how much he had grown and learned during his time in Amphibia. "But seeing them… it just reminded me of my life back home. My mom and my sister are probably worried out of their minds."

"And I promise to help you and your companions get home," the toad promised. "Once order has been restored in the Valley, you have the army's resources at your disposal to aid you on your journey."

"You mean it?" The teen gave him a suspicious look. "This isn't some kind of trick where you throw me into jail with Anne and Sasha?"

The captain laughed at that. "I trusted you to lead my army and you did so without error or showing fear." He lifted his hand, as if swearing an oath. "I know you will trust me with this."

And even as he said it, Ethan knew it to be true. Over the months, he had grown to trust Grime to some degree, and now as his second-in-command, looked to him for support and advice. Grime had not gone back on his word during that time, and his reason for not telling him about Anne and Sasha made sense. He probably would have tried to escape the tower to find his fellow humans if he had known, and he wouldn't be the Lieutenant he was today.

"Yes… Yes I understand now," Ethan said, smiling at the toad. "Thanks d-"

The door suddenly swung open, startling the two leaders, one of who realized he had nearly called Grime something besides 'Captain.'

"Captain, Lieutenant," the toad said, saluting them both. "I wanted to inform you that the prisoner Hopadiah is ready for execution."

"Excellent," the toad captain said, the evil grin back on his face. "We'll schedule the execution for dawn. Let the soldiers know they can get some rest before hand; they've earned it."

The toad soldier grinned. "Yes, sir!" He closed the door, and they could hear him cheering as he ran down the hall.

"I should get some shut eye," Ethan said quickly, clearing his throat and walking towards the door. "I don't wanna fall asleep during the ceremony and all that. Thank you captain, for explaining everything to me, and I'm sorry for the papers." The human quickly left the room, closing the door behind him.

"You're welcome," the toad said out loud, turning to pick up his papers. Most of what he said about caring about the human was a lie, but it at least calmed him down. These young humans were so emotional, and that was the last thing he needed to deal with.

However, Grime was surprised to discover that he felt slightly bad for lying to Ethan. He had no idea why, since the boy was just a monster from another world that he was exploiting for his own gain. Still, that feeling continued to nag him, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not quite get rid of it.

[][][]

5:17 AM

"Okay, prisons officially suck," Sasha complained, kicking a stray stone into the wall.

Anne and Sasha, to their horror, had been arrested and brought to Toad Tower along with Hop Pop, who sat in the cell adjoining theirs. It had been chaos in Wartwood when the soldiers descended upon them from all sides, ruining the 'Frog of the Year' celebration and arresting a town favorite.

"I just hope Sprig and Polly are okay," Anne said, looking through the bars of the window at the moon in the sky. She tried not to think about their confused and scared reactions to their grandfather being taken, and hoped that they were safe. "Why would Ethan do this to us?"

"Because he's a jerk, obvi," Sasha said, sitting down on the bench next to Anne. "You saw how he attacked me back in Wartwood. He's clearly gone loco crazy during his time here, and now he's about to help the toads kill Hop Pop."

"You're not makin' me feel any better," the old frog yelled from the other cell. "I'm tryin' not to think about that!"

"Sorry," Anne called apologetically, turning back to Sasha. "I know, but he's still our frien- classmate. Plus he came here with us, so its only right that he comes back with us."

"Well, we're not going anywhere if we can't get out of this stupid cell," Sasha said, standing up and going over to the locked door. "Hey! Your tower prison cells are the worst, and where are we supposed to use the restroom?"

"I think that's what the floor drain's for," Hop Pop answered.

"Eww," Anne said, looking at the circular drain in the floor. Suddenly, she got an idea. "Sasha, help me lift this!"

"What?" She turned to find her friend attempting to lift the metal grate covering the drain hole, and smiled. "Anne, you're a genius! Seriously, when we get out of here, you're gonna need a 'Genius of the Year' award to go with your 'Frog of the Year' award!"

The two of them worked for a while to lift the heavy grate up and to the side, pausing a few times so a passing guard wouldn't hear them. Finally, they had it free, and one by one, they dropped into the sewer pipes below. Sasha gagged at the stench, but Anne remained calm, leading them to the drain under Hop Pop's cell so they could get him out.

"I knew I was right to not kick you two outta my house long ago," he said, smiling and hugging the two girls.

"Uh… you did threaten to kick us out," Sasha reminded him. "Twice, actually."

"Water under the bridge." He looked at the pipe. "Or in the sewer, I guess."

"Let's find a way out of here," Anne said. "The water has to drain out somewhere."

The three of them started to make their way through the maze of tunnels, hoping they were going in the right direction. They had to backtrack at a few dead ends ["Who puts dead ends in a sewer," Sasha demanded], and soon found themselves hopelessly lost.

"Okay, so we went two rights, then a left, right, then four lefts," Anne said, trying to remember the way back to their cells so they can go in the other direction.

"No, we took three lefts at the end, not four," Hop Pop said.

"I don't recall turning left," Sasha said. "Ugh, I hate this stupid place! It smells awful, and we're completely lost! What're we gonna do now?"

"Ask for help?" The two girls screamed, but Hop Pop screamed the loudest, nearly punching his grandson in his fright.

"Sprig," Anne asked incredulously before being tackled with a hug by the pink frog.

"In the flesh," he said happily. "We came to rescue you!"

"Who's we," Sasha asked.

"The whole town! After the toads left, we figured we should rescue you, so we all came here together to save you all from certain death!"

"That's my grandson," Hop Pop said happily, ruffling the young frog's head and nearly knocking off his hat. "Do ya know the way outta here?"

"I sure do! I brought a vine with me so I can keep track of the way out! Everyone else is waiting at the other end! Follow me!"

Elated, the trio did so, glad to see that their luck was finally starting to turn around. However, when they finally got to the exit to see it surrounded by a group of soldiers, their moods become significantly less cheery.

"Nice try," Ethan said, standing at the front of the group, "and very disappointing. But now it's time to move; Grime's waiting for us."

[][][]

Minutes Before Dawn

The air at the top of Toad Tower was serious, yet exciting.

The majority of the toad soldier s were gathered there, waiting to see the execution of the traitor Hopadiah Plantar. The residents of Wartwood, who had been discovered outside the tower, were also there, under close watch. Captain Grime stood near the precipice of the tower, looking down at the giant carnivorous plant that he had affectionately called 'Baby.' He tossed a piece of bug leg down to the plant, who ate it greedily.

"Caught these prisoners trying to escape, Grime," Ethan said, leading Anne and Sasha towards the captain as a few more soldiers guarded Hop Pop and Sprig.

"Ethan, are you crazy," Anne asked, pulling her arm free from his grip.

"Yeah, you're seriously about to turn us over to Captain Creepo over there," Sasha asked.

"Shut up," he snapped. "I'm trying to get us home!"

"Very impressive, Ethan," the toad captain said, grinning at his protegee. "Always playing Flip-Walt when everyone else is playing Bog Jump!"

"Uh… what?" "I don't what that is…" "Wha...?" The three humans looked at him blankly, clearly not understanding him.

"Well, see, Flip-Walt and Bog Jump are games," Grime tried to explain. "Flip-Walt, of course, is far more complicated and- WELL I'M TRYING TO SAY YOU'RE SMART!" He shouted the last part, causing everyone to flinch.

"Oh… Thank you, captain," Ethan said, walking over to stand next to him. "What can I say? I learned from the best."

"Ethan, please, there has to be another way," Anne pleaded, trying to step towards him before being stopped by a pair of guards.

"There is no other way, creature," Grime said, glaring at Anne. Ethan flinched at the word 'creature,' feeling that Anne did not deserve to be called that. "Our very way of life is at stake! I don't expect an outsider like you to understand." He snapped his fingers. "Seize the traitor Hopadiah Plantar!"

"No," the frog yelled as two guards grabbed him by the arms, lifting him off the ground. His grandchildren tried to stop them, but were knocked aside by other guards.

"Now, Anne," Sasha yelled, pushing past the nearest guard and grabbing their sword. Anne ducked hers, grabbing his sword as the two of them ran towards Hopadiah. They pushed the guards back, standing protectively over the frog. Behind them, the other town frogs also got ready to fight, using shoes and canes as weapons.

"You know in retrospect, we really shoulda tied them up first," one guard said to his buddy.

"ENOUGH," Ethan snapped, silencing everyone and bringing all attention to him. The guards parted before him, and he approached the two girls.

"What are you two doing," he asked. "Are you really gonna risk your lives for these talking frogs?" He stopped in front of them, talking more to Anne than Sasha. "Don't you want to go back home? See your families? Your mom was worried sick the night we came here; imagine what she's thinking now."

Anne looked troubled, lowering her sword a little. "Yeah, but-"

"Don't listen to him, Anne," Sasha snapped, glaring at Ethan with her sword still raised. "He had us locked in a dark cell for hours, and he's working for the guy who's about to kill Hop Pop!"

"But he's right, Sash," Anne said, turning to her friend. "We need to get home together."

"Yeah, maybe you can't bear being without him, but I can live with it," the blonde bully said, turning to face Ethan. "I don't care if you have a fancy cape or whatever, you're still the pathetic nerd everyone knows you are!"

"I wouldn't say that if I were you," Ethan said, his hand going to the hilt of his sword.

Sasha snickered. "What're you gonna do about it," she challenged, pointing her sword right at his chest, lightly tapping it with the tip.

Something seemed to snap inside Ethan, and he drew his sword, knocking hers away from him with a loud clang. The sudden movement made everyone gasp, and the soldiers, frogs, and even Anne backed away as the two teens found themselves fighting.

Even with his training, Sasha was a good fighter. She was a cheerleader back home, and did Tai Chi every day, so she was fast and fluid with her attacks, and strong as well. However, Ethan had grown during his time here, and met her ferocious attacks with ones of his own. The sound of their swords clashing filled the air, the crowd of toads moving around as the humans did.

"By the way, I love what you did to your face," Sasha said sarcastically, blocking one of his attacks. "Honestly, you've never looked better!"

"We'll see how you look after this," he growled, ripping off his cape and attacking with more ferocity. He drove her back towards the wall of toads, who stepped aside as they made their way around the rooftop.

"Guys, stop it!" Anne was vaguely yelling for them to stop in the background, but they ignored her, too engrossed in their hatred for one another to care. Ethan was getting more and more frustrated that he had not beaten her yet, and he let his guard down.

"AHA!" Sahsa kicked his legs out from under him, sending him rolling towards the edge of the tower. He stopped himself from falling, but was pushed back down as Sasha put one foot on his chest, her sword pointed at his face. His sword had fallen from his grasp, falling to the ground far below.

"I win again," Sahsa gloated, grinning at him. "Guess you look like a jerk in front of your crush, do you?"

For a brief moment, Ethan felt as if time had slowed down. The words echoed in his head, and the realization hit him a moment later. She had already taken his friend; she would not humiliate him any further by taking his victory. He would not allow it

In one move, he pulled his dagger from his belt, slashing at her ankle. Sasha yelled, dropping her sword and bending forward to grab her sore ankle. When she was low enough, he grabbed her hair, pulling her ear to his mouth.

"I win," he whispered, pulling her to the right and sending her tumbling over the edge of the tower.

[][][]

?.?.?

Ethan woke up groggy and unaware of what had happened, like the first time he found himself in Amphibia. He had flashes of memories, but he was not sure if it had been real or all a crazy nightmare.

He was outside, though someone had tied a blanket across the overhead branches as a form of shade. He winced as he sat up, feeling his face and realizing he had a cut across his cheek. It was small, and did not sting so bad, but it was there. How?

I can't light no more of your darkness

All my pictures seem to fade to black and white

Some of the memories returned to Ethan as he slowly walked towards a distant sound. A sound of rumbling noise like many people arguing and yelling at once. He saw Sasha's terrified face as she went over the side. He saw and heard Anne's scream that followed. He saw the girl he once loved [or thought he loved] running towards him, sword held high and tears in her eyes. The clanging of swords ringing through the air.

I'm growin' tired, and time stands still before me

Frozen here on the ladder of my life

Where is Grime, he wondered, pushing through some trees, almost in a trance.

He saw the captain a few moments later, standing on a large rock in a clearing and shouting at his soldiers. They were shouting back, the noise loud and deafening. Some were storming off into other parts of the woods, and a few threw pieces of armor at Grime. Ethan ignored this, walking towards the east, where the Tower would be.

Too late to save myself from falling

I took a chance, and changed your way of life

When he found the Tower, the teen was surprised to see it partially destroyed. Had more herons attacked? The top of the tower was slanted and close to toppling over, and most of the walls had gaping holes in them. He walked across the bridge, climbing over the remains of the wall.

Now he remembered. Anne had cut him; she had disarmed him too, and was probably going to kill him. But something happened. An earthquake [do they have earthquakes in Amphibia?]. An earthquake shook the tower, causing it to start to fall apart. Everyone started to panic, including Captain Grime, and the stone floor beneath Ethan had started to crumble away. He started to fall as the amphibian residents ran down the stairs.

But you misread my meanin' when I met you

Ethan remembered holding onto something. Not a ledge. A hand. Anne's hand. Why was she helping him? He had killed her best friend, and she was rescuing him from certain death. So were her frog friends, holding onto her legs as they started to slip. They were too heavy, and he himself especially, with all his armor.

"I've got ya, Ethan! Just hold on!"

"I'm trying!" More tears. "Anne, I'm so sorry!"

Closed the door, and left me blinded by the light.

In the present, walking through the ruins of the Tower, he found her. He first saw the hand, stretched out on the ground. He saw the blood next, but his mind could not process it, it seemed. Not yet. Maybe he was in shock. Next the shirt [St. James Middle School], the blonde hair she used to love tossing over her shoulder and treated like a prized possession. Finally, the face.

Sasha's face.

Blank eyes bluer than the sky reflected the sun, staring at it but not seeing it. Ethan dropped to his knees beside her, wondering how she was down here and dead, but he was down there and alive.

"You're hand! It's slipping!"

"I can't hold on!"

"Just hold on! We'll get out of here! I promise!"

Anne had promised to be at his birthday party that year, but she did not show. And he had slipped, falling through the air and towards the ground. The vague yet clear idea that he did not want to die, and that he was sorry was all he could recall. He was sorry for everything. For lying, for being mean, for killing Sasha [for there was no doubt in his mind that she was dead], for-

Don't let the sun go down on me!

Grime.

Not his dad. Grime.

The sound of metal against brick. Cold, clammy arms catching him, holding him, carrying him.

In the present, Ethan reached out and touched Sasha's face, which was cold to the touch.

Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see

Grime had saved him.

That meant that he cared.

Ethan recalled something else after he was safe on the ground, something he must have said through the delirious state of shock he had been in as Toad Tower crumbled around him.

I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free

"You came back, dad."

Ethan started to cry at Sasha's side, and continued to do so until Percy and Braddock found him fifteen minutes later, and they comforted the boy [for he was just a boy] as he realized that he didn't want to be a character from one of his books anymore.

But losin' everything is like the sun goin' down on me...

Oh my gosh, WOW! What an intense and emotional chapter for all of us, me included; I hope it wasn't too dark or sad for any of you. I won't say much about it, but a few notes you should now:

The song lyrics are from Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me by Elton John

Ethan did not let go like Sasha did. He slipped

I will cover such topics and issues like Ethan's guilt over killing Sasha, his relationship with Grime [especially after calling him dad], and the breakdown of the Toad Army staring with the next chapter.

Other than that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Follow and favorite if you haven't already, and have a great weekend!

Also, I do NOT condone violence, murder, or anything related to those in this or any of my stories.