Disclaimer: I don't own The Mysterious Benedict Society

Chapter 7 (Reynie's POV)

The subtle lines etched into Mr. Remington's face had been placed there by a combination of time and worry, but all the same there was still something warm about his expression. A sort of soft kindness I felt as he looked at me. "I appreciate your promptness Detective Muldoon." He said with a slight nod of his head. "And I can already see that you are a man of detail, I like that most of all." I gave a weak smile as my mind threatened to become lost to some of the very traits he was praising.

In reality it was the details that were distracting, and tugging at every bit of focus I tried to muster. It was the many flickering memories that ignited like evening fireworks inside of me as I felt the old familiarity of these walls creep in around me. And even the things that weren't here before, like the kind lines in his face, stirred something. It was a feeling that wished a warm man like had been here all those years ago. It was a detail that caused my mind to cloud, and my insides to twist with a feeling I had prayed I'd never have to feel again.

But here I was standing in this old office...in this old building...

"Thank you sir, I'll do my best." I said as I gave him a respectful nod. A certain guilt almost filled me though, because I knew my best on this case would in no way be the best I was used to giving my other clients. I forced my feet to linger, but I knew my heart simply wanted to run away. So as soon as Mr. Remington bid me goodbye I raced from his office and down the hall out into the main lobby. I wanted to shut my eyes in hopes that just maybe it would stop the bitter feelings from rushing over me, but I forced myself to keep them open.

It would just be another moment before Kate and I could leave. Everything would be alright as soon as...

The same eyes that wished were closed now told me that Kate wasn't anywhere in sight. Not seeing her gave me the same feelings as when someone or something suddenly startles you. Swallowing harder I took in a deep calming breath as I simply stared into the empty air where she had been.

Had she ever been there...?

As foolish as it seemed I felt my heart begin to doubt. Of course my mind knew the truth...but...

"Your friend is waiting down the other hall." The receptionist said slowly. Her voice pulled me from my ridiculous thoughts long enough for me to gain a part of my composure back. So nodded a thanks to the woman I started down the hall. My room had been just up the stairs I passed on my right. The kitchen was at the very end of the hall. The soft clank of breakfast dishes being washed was filling the air just like I had always remembered. Really even if I wished I could forget it all, the simple truth was that I knew this place... I knew it so well.

Reaching out I braced myself against the wall before I peered into the room I knew best of all. It was the only room I shared with my friends... But like the dream I had always awoken from...someone beautiful was sitting there among them... Sitting in the very chair I knew from memory, was Kate. The books were filling the shelves like they always had. And the sun was filtering in with a soft mix of playful noise as the children played outside. It was the scene I had lived in for so much of my life...

Stepping into the room I just kept my eyes fixed on her. With a grin she was stroking Seymore behind his aged ears, as he purred contently in her lap. Hearing my footsteps she snapped her head around to glance at me sideways. "Oh Reynie glad you're back! Quick tell me, how did it go?" I didn't blame Kate for wondering, and I planned on telling her all about the item that had gone missing, and all the many details Mr. Remington had shared with me. But at the moment... At the moment I felt too overcome with all the many details filling this room to even speak...

Reaching out I softly ran my fingertips along the dusty book spines. Without me here it seemed no one had been caring for them. It seemed my friends had grown lonely too... I was guilty that I had left them...sorry that any decent book had been neglected. I heard her raise from the chair and take a few steps over to me. "Hey Reynie...you ok...?"

I wanted to act like my normal self, I didn't want her to worry about me, or to seem foolish. But as I stared at the dust on my fingers I felt tears well up behind my average brown eyes. Eyes that had gotten to look in on both a memory and a dream come true... Because even though my dear friends were covered in dust and ignored for many years, I realized that didn't change their true value. The words they held within were just as beautiful even if no had noticed them.

I also realized that in many ways, I was just like all those old words... For so long I had been ignored... And no one had taken the time to see just what I held inside back then. But...

Slowly pulling a book down I turned to face Kate. When I opened the yellowing pages a cloud of dust filled the air and lingered between us. But she didn't turn away or even try to swat the particles away. No...her brilliant blue eyes simply kept focused on me.

"This..." I began with a tremble. "This is what I wanted to share with you..." Almost desperately I held out the book to her. Would she understand? Would she see me even when no one else could? She didn't say anything for a few long moments before her face softened. "This huh...?" She said gently as she stood next to me and peered down at the pages. Putting a hand on my shoulder she gave an affectionate squeeze as she took the book in her other hand. "Well then, let's hear it Reynie."

A little shocked I turned to glance at her grinning face. "Now...?" She nodded as something behind her eyes sparkled. "Why not now?" Handing the book back to me she went and sat down again. I just stood there somewhat confused, but with a bold gesture she motioned for me to sit in the chair across from her. Then with a smile she pulled Seymore back into her lap and looked over at me.

"Wherever you're ready Reynie."

Slowly my confusion melted into understanding. She wanted me to read it to her. She wanted to hear my story in my own voice... Staring down at the book in my hands I took in a deep breath as I turned back the thick cover. When the first word was just forming in my throat I felt a pang of doubt and so I glanced up at her again.

"Read it..." She said with a soft grin. "Whatever it says, it'll only make me love you that much more. Trust me on that one Reynie."

It isn't simply that I wanted to believe her... No...I knew more than I knew anything else...that she was telling me the truth. That was one of the many assurances of true friendship. So taking a deep breath I let the letters form into words and then into sentences. I felt my fears and doubts gently slipping away, and replacing them was something I had never known in this place before...

It was the greatest of all things... And yet also the simplest.

It was warmth, and laughter, and early spring roses, and late autumn leaves, and songs, and yet peaceful quiet. It was the one thing I had been missing all the lonely years I had spent here... It was a resonance that gently hummed between us. Like a beam that forever would connect us no matter what sort of distance we faced...

It was what I felt when I thought of her, and when her bright voice filled my mind, and my chest, and truly all of me. It was something that could be handled both too carelessly, and too carefully. It was the tenderest of all things, and yet also the strongest...

It was love.

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