When Sonny blinked open his eyes, it took him a moment for him to realize where they were. Most of the dizziness and haziness had cleared but he was still a bit groggy from sleep. His head still pounded in pain due to the concussion but his confusion was gone. There were finally at UTA. Although he had been asleep the whole time, it still felt like it had been an eternity to get here.

"Wait there and I'll help you out off the van."

Against Joel's protests, he slipped out of the van on his own.

"Damn it Sonny, what did I just say?" Immediately, his best friend was by his side helping him walk. Sonny insisted he didn't need the help as Joel took his arm and put in on the Mau5's shoulders.

"I'm fine... don't worry about it..." He muttered, trying to wave him off. After all, only his arm had been damaged, not his legs.

"It's either this or I carry you inside, which would you prefer?"

Sonny's face started to heat. Carry him? Like some girl bridal style or a like some kid over the shoulder? Both were equally embarrassing. "There is no way I'm about to let you carry me inside this building!" he finally shouted, mortified by the prospect.

"Then shut up." So in the end, he allowed Joel to help him inside.

He noticed as they walked that his arm had subsided to a dull throb. Watching Joel support him, he also noticed his friend was carrying a CVS bag in the other hand and was now wearing a Lake ridge hoodie that he must have gotten from the local Kroger; he saw spirit wear for the neighboring high schools sold there all the time. For a moment he wondered what had happened to Joel's t-shirt, realizing that there wasn't black fabric beneath the green hoodie, un till he remembered: it was on his arm soaked in blood.

They made their way inside to the reception desk where they received name tags. The receptionist gave them strange looks and wrinkled her nose; probably because they reeked like trash. She didn't ask any questions though as she handed over the sticky identification squares. They of course had not given her their real names so thanks to Joel's quick thinking, Sonny's name tag read 'Jeffery Puttinbottom'... yeah thanks Joel. Joel had taken Sonny's usual alias 'Tim Smith' and he was kind of irritated about that but now wasn't the time. Sonny would get his revenge later.

They walked through the halls of the collage quietly, Sonny lost in his own thoughts. Owsla would be okay, right? She had to be. She was his child and he refused to let this condition be the end of it. He had the money to go to a good doctor if the need arose and he could always get back in the studio and make a new album if money became the issue. He had started that one song last night and he already really liked it. There was still tons of work needing to be done on it but... his thoughts were interrupted by his phone beeping. It was a text from Bucky.

"Owsla is having a CAT scan. Medical ward. Viewing room 206. We're in the cafeteria getting lunch, see you there."

Eventually, they found the room they were looking for. It was a long rectangular room built only for viewing the room beyond the glass which was the actual CAT scan machine room. Inside the machine, Sonny could barely see Owsla's feet poking out of the tube. His breath hitched. Was she okay? Was she scared? he couldn't explain the overwhelming concern he held for the blue being but he couldn't help it. He wanted to help and protect her... unlike some people. Sonny caught a glance of Joel out of the corner of his eye. The Mau5 was completely stoic as he starred at the room beyond the glass.

"I would've told you." Sonny said, continuing to stare at the machine before them, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"Huh?" Joel looked at the goblin confused for a moment before his own words came back to him "Would you have even told me if I hadn't flown down here?" "Oh."

There was an awkward pause before the raven hair spoke again. "Are you gonna help me?" Sonny asked.

"What do you think I've been doing? If you're wounds need new bandages then-"

"I'm not talking about stupid flesh wounds right now!"

Joel wanted to argue that the damage to Sonny's arm was not some stupid flesh wound but wisely kept him mouth shut.

"You're supposed to be Owsla's Dad but the first time you met her, you wouldn't even let her touch you!" Sonny turned to give the Mau5 a full on glare, that particular memory a thorn in his side as he remembered Owsla's crying face.

"Sonny, I was in complete shock!" Joel defended himself, overwhelmed by this sudden verbal assault. Where the hell was all this coming from?

"She hugged you with open arms and you rejected her!"

"You can't just spring a kid on me and expect me to be all fucking smiles 'n' rainbows 'n' shit!"

"I didn't expect you to be overjoyed but you fucking broke her heart! She may not even want you around anymore!"

"Which is probably for the best." Joel confessed.

Sonny gawked at his best friend in response. "And just what the hell is that supposed to mean!"

"Sonny! You know me! I'm not exactly kid-friendly!"

"You're stuck in this situation whether you like it or not Joel. Take some fucking responsibility!" the goblin vociferated.

"See, there's that word again, but I don't have to own up; I didn't do jack shit!"

"Are you sure?" the shorter man challenged.

"What do you mean am I sure?"

"There's got to be a reason she calls you her Dad." Sonny reasoned.

"Sonny, just what the hell are you thinking?"

"Aliens and anal probes, Joel"

"What!" Joel shook his head. He knew Sonny believed in some pretty weird alien shit but this was still out there. "She isn't MY kid!"

The countering glare from Sonny made Joel regret his words as he froze over along with the rest of the room; the temperature plunging below zero. His voice was quiet. "Get out."

"What?"

"I SAID GET OUT" he screamed, retreating to the other side of the room.

"Sonny..." Joel reached out, offering comfort but Sonny only shoved his hands away.

Angry tears leaked from his eyes. "You can't just leave me alone in this."

So that's what this was. Sonny was scared. Sonny was upset about everything else but beneath it all, what he was really scared about was having to face it all alone. Joel finally understood what was really going on but, instead of being a good friend and assuring his best friend it would be okay, Joel got pissed off instead.

"You wanna talk about abandoning people?" Joel started, an obvious edge to his tone. "How about climbing into that damn garbage truck!"

"I was protecting my daugh-"

"No, your daughter is here getting medical exams. What you were doing was being a fucking dumb ass! What if you had died?"

"But I didn't!"

"That's not the point fuck wad! You knew you could've been killed but you did it anyway!"

Sonny looked at Joel stubbornly, taking a frustrated breath. Where was he going with this? Of course he went in there! "Is it really a crime to love someone that much? To be willing to risk serious injury?" 'Because I'd do it for you too' he thought.

"WE HAD OTHER OPTIONS! There was no need for you to be so stupid! Owsla is what you're supposed to be protecting NOT THE DAMN POD! How dare you risk your life over something so trivial when there are so many people who depend on you! When you ran in there ready to die, did you really think it would be okay to leave Owsla alone without a mother? Did you really think it would be okay to leave me alone without my best friend? Did you really think it would be okay to leave Jamie alone without a brother? We can find a way to feed Owsla, but we can't replace you! Do you even realize how worried I've been?"

Sonny was completely flabbergasted at Joel's words, not only were they practically yelled at him but that there were so many of them. He was right, the pod would have survived the garbage truck whether Sonny had been in there or not. But, not only was he right, he had openly hinted at being worried about him. The words themselves and the intensity at which they had been shouted at him made him stutter through his own reply. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't think-"

"Yeah you didn't think!" Joel barged on. "If you weren't short and tiny enough to fit in that pod, you'd be dead by now!"

Now he was mad again. "It always comes back to this shit, doesn't it?" Sonny growled irritably. "You, insulting my height! I get it! I'm short! You can stop hating on me about it!"

"Hating on you? I don't hate that you're short, stupid! That's one of the things I love about you!"

On instinct, Sonny's head snapped up to look at Joel but the Mau5 wouldn't meet his eyes. As the words sunk in, he unsuccessfully tried to fight the blush rising to his cheeks. Why was that comment making him feel all warm inside? Probably because it was a compliment, compliments always make people feel good. Plus Joel never gave compliments so this was extra special. Yeah that must be it.

"I'm going to go find a vending machine..." Joel muttered and left, the door clicking as it shut behind him.

Now Sonny was thoroughly confused. He was supposed to be mad at Joel, and he was, but now he had all these other confusing feelings. He felt a bit guilty, hurt, and now he was blushing too... what the hell happened just now? Squeezing them shut, he rubbed his eyes tiredly deciding not to analyze it further; he didn't have the brainpower to figure it all out right now. He was still sore and his arm was throbbing, making concentration impossible. He didn't have time to sort all of this shit out anyways. Owsla. That's what he needed to be focused on right now. That's why he was here, that's why he had sustained these injuries. She was his primary concern. All the other shit would have to wait. As for emotions, he settled with irritated. At what, he wasn't 100% sure, but before he had a chance to figure it out the door opened again. But it wasn't Joel, instead his younger sister appeared.

"Hey." She greeted him.

"Hey." he replied, although somewhat glumly.

"That doesn't sound good."

"My child is in danger." He hissed.

"Oh. Right. That's a thing."

Sonny's new found irritation flared. "Why do you hate her?" he demanded.

"What?" Bucky looked up at him, caught completely off guard by the sudden outburst.

"Owsla. You hate her, don't you?"

Bucky hesitated. She knew Sonny was sensitive when it came to Owsla so what should she say? She decided to narrow her eyebrows at him. "And just what makes you say that?"

Sonny began listing off reasons with his fingers. "The way you look at her, the way you avoid her, you never try to interact or play with her... yet you love little kids!"

"Well if you haven't noticed she's not so little anymore!" Bucky countered. And that was true. Owsla's childhood had been short to say the least.

"You still avoided her all day yesterday!"

"Sonny! You can't just gain an alien daughter and expect me to act normal. I don't trust her!"

"And why not! When has she ever been anything other than her cute adorable self? What reason has she ever given you to not trust her?"

Bucky's eyes lost focus for a moment as the memory burned through her mind, still vivid. Following Owsla, going to the restroom, opening the door and there! Natasha. Struggling to stand, gasping for air, chocking on sobs. And then silence. It was all back to normal like it had never happened... as soon as Owsla touched her.

Jamie blinked. "Because... I..." How could she tell him what she saw? When Owsla was important to him? Would he even believe her?"

"Sonny!" Suddenly, Joel burst into the room. "The CAT scan is all done, Theodore said we can come see her as he finishes some of the final examinations."

Sonny glanced at the medical room with the CAT scan machine realizing there now was no longer two small blue feet sticking out of it. He had been so distracted, he hadn't noticed that Owsla had left. Damn.

"I'm coming." Without a second glance, Sonny ran off after his best friend to go find his daughter.

Jamie stayed put, not bothering to go after them. She gritted her teeth. That blue thing had done something weird to her girlfriend and she didn't want Natasha anywhere near the alien. Since the incident, she had done her best to never let the adorable semi-red head out of sight, always being there if Owsla was. She wouldn't let the creature get the chance to be alone with 'Nattie'. Bucky's fist curled. She had been through too much with that girl to let some alien put her in danger now. No. She wouldn't let that happen.

"Hello?"

A calm voice relieved her from her thoughts.

"Oh there you are Bucky," Natasha smiled at her. "You missed out on some good pudding."

"I think I'll live." smiling back at her, Jamie kissed her on the cheek. Taking a step back though, she realized the girl didn't seem to all be there; her eyes looked distant. "You worried?"

"Of course I'm worried! Aren't you?"

The blonde's expression grew hard as she looked away. No, why should she be? Why was Natasha for that matter? 'You're worried even though it tried to kill you?'

"What?" Natasha exclaimed.

Bucky's head snapped up to look at worried green eyes, cloudy in confusion. She hadn't realized she had said it out loud. She couldn't avoid the issue now so she guessed now would as good a time as any. "Don't you remember anything that happened yesterday!"

The red-head took a startled step back. Jamie hadn't meant to say it so hostile but she couldn't hide her true feelings about this anymore. Owsla was a threat. She had seen it with her own eyes in that bathroom but no one wanted to believe her! People were going to start getting hurt, how could they not see that? And how about that panic attack? When was Nat going to tell her about that?

"I'm sorry for storming off, I shouldn't have done that..." Natasha starred at the floor guilty.

Jamie shook her head. "Not that, afterwords."

"When I was crying and you came after me? Thanks for tha-"

"You weren't just crying! You were having a panic attack!"

Natasha's jaw dropped before looking away. "Wha-? No I wasn't, I don't have those, you're imagining things..."

"No I'm not, stop fucking lying!" Jamie shook her head, frustrated. "When were you going to tell me! Never?"

"I didn't want you to worry..." Natasha admitted.

"Oh really? I feel SO worry free right now!"

"I had my reasons, alright!"

"What reasons?" Bucky pressed.

"I-" Nat bit her lip and Bucky watched as she hesitated, which meant she wanted to lie.

"The truth Natasha!"

"I didn't tell you because they're always about you!" Natasha burst out, forcing the words from her body. In the silence that followed she muttered guiltily. "The only time I have panic attacks is when I'm worried about you."

"...So you hid it instead?"

"I didn't want you to feel like you were causing me pain..." Natasha looked away.

Jamie met her toe to toe in two strides, pulling the red head's face to meet hers. "But I am, aren't I?"

Nat searched Jamie's eyes. "That goes without saying Jamie, but it's not your fault-"

"But it is!"

"NO!" Natasha screamed. "It's not." After a pause, her voice softened. "We're both really fucked up, you know that. So actually being close to someone hurts a lot more for both us, we just don't deal with emotions normally. It's not my fault you're not wired normally, just like it's not your fault I'm broken to begin with. It's not our fault one normal thing has the power to push us both over the edge..." Natasha caressed one of Jamie's hands on her face as she starred at her seriously. "I'll admit you are the one that makes me snap, but it's only because you're the only one who could truly hurt me. Our fights, our issues, they're normal. The way we deal with them isn't and that's why it hurts so much. But the way I deal with my problems isn't your fault."

Jamie paused as she thought about her girlfriend's words. Natasha was right. She herself had a lot of fucked up stuff in her life, stuff that had caused permanent damage, stuff that would always cause her to be a little more fucked up than everyone around her. Natasha caused her pain sometimes, a lot of it, but it wasn't Natasha that had caused the underlining pain within her. But it was okay, Natasha had fucked up shit in her life too, she was broken too. Hell, Sonny was definitely broken, so was Joel. Slowly Jamie started to laugh. She was fucked up, Natasha was fucked up, Joel was fucked up, Sonny was fucked up. They were ALL a bunch of fuck ups.

Natasha looked at Jamie concerned. Why was she laughing? "Jamie?"

When Bucky calmed down she straightened, removing her hands from their grip on her girlfriend's face, using them instead to hold Natasha's hands. "I have them too. The panic attacks. You could have said something, you don't have to go through it alone, you know."

Natasha's only reply was the arms she wrapped around the blonde's frame.

The blonde's demeanor remained calm as she tracked her thoughts back to the original threat: Owsla. "So? The panic attack in the bathroom?"

Jamie felt Natasha's head shake against her chest. "I swear to you I don't know anything about that. I only remember running off to the bathroom and then..."

"...and then?" she prompted.

Natasha blinked. "I don't remember... just that you and Owsla were suddenly there."

"That's it?"

The red-head nodded. "Yes. That's all that happened."

"But that's not what happened!"

"But that's what I remember happening!"

"Natasha-" Jamie sighed.

"I'm not lying!" She protested.

"I want to believe you-"

"Then believe me!"

"-but I know what I saw!" Bucky argued back.

Natasha sighed. "Maybe I blacked out from lack of air then and that's why I don't remember." she shrugged. "Just because I don't remember doesn't mean something couldn't have happened, panic attacks are stressful, you know what it's like..."

'But this isn't something you would just forget!' she wanted to protest. 'You were calm, you were conscious, you said things!' But instead Jamie said...

"You're right, that's probably what happened."

Natasha smiled brightly back at her, making the lie almost worth it. "We should go find Sonny and Joel, I'm not sure leaving them alone with my brother is such a good idea."

Jamie nodded. "Right." and followed behind her girlfriend back to the lab, but inside she was still worried. There was no way she could have forgotten that right? Unless... unless Owsla had done something to her memory?