And here`s part two! Hope you enjoy!
The next morning, Warren made sure he was up extra early so that he`d make breakfast on time. After he got ready for the day, he left his and Dale`s cabin and headed to the main house. Dale was already up and doing his daily chores, per the note he left for Warren. When Warren entered the kitchen of the main house, he was greeted by Gloria and Ruth standing at the stove cooking breakfast and Tanu and Vanessa sitting at the table, drinking coffee.
"Get any sleep?" Vanessa asked as he sat down next to her.
"Not much. How about you guys?" He replied, gladly accepting the cup that Tanu slid across the table to him. Tanu and Vanessa shook their heads, a tense silence forming. The coffee made Warren feel more awake, yet didn't help at all with the nerves swirling in his stomach. Warren didn't know what there was to say to the kids, if there was anything he could say at all. He didn't want to make them feel like he was walking on eggshells around them, but he also wanted to be sensitive to their injuries. But it seemed that soon enough, he would have to figure it out as they heard heavy, uneven footsteps on the stairs and the unmistakable clunk of crutches. The familiar sound of Kendra and Seth arguing followed the footsteps as the two got closer to the kitchen. Tanu, Vanessa and Warren all stood as the kids entered the kitchen.
"It wasn't that big of a deal-"Seth cut himself off as soon as his eyes took in the sight in front of him. Seth appeared to be the same as he always been, despite the dark blue cast that covered his entire leg, reaching up to his hip and the bruises that were still visible on his arms and free leg.
"You`re back!" Seth yelped hobbling his way towards them.
"Seth, what are you-?" Kendra came around the corner a few seconds later and upon seeing them, her face lit up.
"When did you get back?" Kendra exclaimed hurrying towards them. Kendra did not use any crutches, but did use one hand to support herself along the wall, the other wrapped around her waist. She looked almost normal, except for the bruises and scratches, much like those that Seth had. She wrapped her arms around Vanessa and hugged her tightly. Vanessa returned the hug gingerly, seemingly afraid of hurting her. After Seth had hugged Tanu, he went to hug Warren, almost falling on his way there.
"Woah! You okay?" Warren supported Seth, catching him and his crutches before they hit the ground.
"Yeah… sorry about that. This stupid cast is hard to walk with." Seth replied, taking his crutches back from Warren before moving around the table to take a seat.
"Yeah, it`s totally only the cast that makes you clumsy." Kendra teased, shuffling to Warren to hug him. Now that he was hugging Kendra he could feel the bandages under her shirt that probably hid most of the damage from the attack.
"Hey! That`s not true!" Seth whined, leaning his crutches against the wall behind him. Kendra pulled back, rolling her eyes playfully.
"What about that time when you tripped over your own sword and broke your toe?" Kendra asked, moving to a chair next to Tanu`s. Seth opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again and finally closed it, rolling his eyes at his sister.
"So how was the mission?" Seth asked, turning his attention away from his sister.
"It was fine." Vanessa cast a glance at Tanu and Warren, unsure of what to say.
"Well that sounds boring!" Kendra leaned forward, "Tell us something interesting! We`ve had the most boring few weeks ever!"
"Yeah, about that," Warren said, "What happened here?" Warren knew it was probably a dumb question, but he wasn't sure how else to introduce the conversation.
"Oh yeah! You just got home. Well-"Tanu interrupted, leaning forward in his seat.
"Your grandfather told us about the accident. I think what Warren is asking is how you guys are doing with all this?"
Kendra glanced at Seth, "Not too bad. Just kind of annoying not being able to get around as well."
Seth nodded, "Yeah. Having to ask for help for everything is getting really annoying."
Kendra narrowed her eyes, "Wait, when did you guys get home then?"
"We got here late last night." Vanessa answered.
"And no one came to wake us up?" Seth cried, "I feel so betrayed!" Seth`s antics were so familiar that they almost made him forget about Kendra and Seth`s condition.
"It takes you about 5 years to get down the stairs, why do you think that they would wake you up?" Kendra prodded playfully.
As breakfast carried on, they talked very little about the accident, Kendra and Seth seeming more interested in discussing the Rio Branco preserve mission then their injuries. When breakfast was finished, Kendra struggled to her feet claiming she had some homework she needed to finish, heading upstairs to fetch her laptop. Seth got up to wander outside in the yard to play with Newel and Doren who had arrived in the yard shortly after breakfast.
"So, what was that thing about Johnny Chase?" Vanessa asked Tanu as the three of them stood at the sink in the kitchen finishing up the dishes from breakfast.
Tanu`s expression darkened considerably and took a moment to respond. "It`s not that I have a problem with his practice or anything, it's just…" Tanu hesitated, "Well, to be completely blunt, he`s an arrogant bastard."
"Wow… tell us how you really feel!" Warren was surprised at Tanu`s tone of voice. Tanu had always ever been calm, collected and under control, never being too vocal about his dislike for someone.
"I just would have preferred to be there, you know? Just to make sure his arrogance wouldn't get the best of him." Tanu admitted softly, putting the last plate into the cabinet.
"I think we all would have." Vanessa agreed, putting down the sponge she has used to wash the dishes.
Tanu heaved a sigh, standing up and heading up to his room to unpack his bags and do his laundry. Vanessa left a few moments later to look after some of her creatures. Warren sighed as well and headed outside to help Dale with the chores.
Warren leaned on the railing of the porch, lemonade in hand, watching the sun set over the trees.
"Hey Warren!" Warren turned to see Seth hobble out the door onto the porch and taking a seat in one of the chairs on the porch.
"Hey Seth." He replied, sitting down next to Seth. The two sat in silence for a while, Warren staring down at his drink.
"Why do you keep doing that?" Seth asked out of nowhere, looking at Warren curiously.
"Doing what?" Warren replied quickly.
"Looking all guilty whenever you look at me or Kendra." Seth laughed a little bit, "You know that no one of this was your fault, right? The stuff that happened to me and Kendra wasn't fun, yeah, but it`s not the worst thing in the world."
Warren wasn't sure what to say to that, or if there was anything that he could say, "It`s not so much about what happened, it`s more about the fact that we weren't there afterwards."
"Well you guys had a mission to complete. They needed you there!"
Warren shook his head. "But you two also needed us. Seth, you two almost…" Warren trailed off.
Seth shrugged, "We`ve had worse."
"Seth, that`s the thing, you and Kendra are kids and you`ve already gone through more than a lot of adults have," Warren shook his head, "It's one thing to be injured on a mission, or in a battle, but this is your home. And all those other times, we were with you, and this time…" Warren trailed off.
Seth shook his head, "Warren, if me and Kendra didn't want to be here, we wouldn't be. Mom and Dad certainly don't want us to be here, they`re always trying to convince us to move."
Warren looked up, "Really?"
Seth nodded, "Yeah. But Fablehaven is our home and it`s a huge part of our lives, which is why we always choose to stay. And yeah, it can be dangerous, but that`s a risk that we accept and very aware of. You guys being here would only mean that you guys could have gotten hurt. There`s no point in feeling bad about it, because it`s okay, and we`re okay." Seth`s voice was incredibly serious, something that Seth had only ever been when they had went to Zzyxx to face the end of the world.
"Geez Seth, when did you get so wise?" Warren attempted to lighten the mood, his voice cracking slightly.
Seth grinned at him, his cheerful demeanor restored, "I`ve always been wise, Warren! Keep up! Now come on, I`m hungry, let`s go eat!"
Seth jumped up, grabbing his crutches, knocking over both his chair and the table next to the chair, and Warren couldn't help but laugh.
"Okay, kid. Let`s go."
Thank you so much to Wolf Lover27, and Pointlessly Poetic for the reviews, and QueenGryffindorthetwihater for the follow! Hope you enjoyed!