Hiya guys! Whats up? Hows life!? Pretty great huh? Eveyrthings good in life, is it not?

...

*sigh* Okay, so obviously this positivity thing is not gonna work out. But basically what I'm trying to say is: please don't kill me...

Look, I know I told you guys that this was gonna be only a two part, but then I foolishly forgot about how much I love Keefe and Fitz as a broship, and I got just a tad bit carried away with Keefe's flashbacks... In fact, this is the shortened version to be completely honest.

BUT ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, I DID MY FIRST SOLO AT MY STUDIO'S END OF THE YEAR SHOW, AND EVERYONE LOVED IT ALOT SO THATS GOOD RIGHT?! Eh? Ehh?

...Yeah no. Ya know what, imma just shut up so you can go ahead and start...

Keefe just sat there- he wasn't looking at anything in particular, nor was he looking for something to look at: he was looking for something, anything, to distract him from his thoughts.

After finding out that his best friend was actually alive, he had felt a little bit of hope- but it quickly faded back into misery. Why hadn't Fitz came back? Surely he didn't feel like he couldn't….. did he? The thought made Keefe's stomach churn with guilt and remorse. Fitz shouldn't feel that he couldn't come back to his family because of what they did to him.

Keefe was actually more angry than anything. Because of the damn Neverseen and his damn mother, his best friend was captured, most likely tortured, and now felt like he was dangerous to the world. Keefe could tell he was feeling like that. he had always been so in tune with Fitz's emotions more than anybody- even more than Foster's.

Sighing, he continued to look out in the distance, observing every tree, every branch, every plant. But nothing could distract him from his thoughts about his best friend; and the guilt and pain he felt knowing he couldn't do anything to help him.

-Flashback-

A 10 year-old Keefe looked around curiously, standing beside his father and mother as they waited for Alden Vacker to come and greet them at the door. He originally wasn't supposed to accompany his parents as his father and Lord Alden discussed- whatever they needed to discuss. But for some strange reason, his mother insisted. Apparently the Vacker's had a son close to his age, and she wanted them to meet. Keefe found it very odd- his mother usually couldn't care less if he had friends or not, as long as he looked presentable. Keefe also highly doubted that this kid would like him (as nobody else did), but nonetheless, he agreed because it was better than being left alone at the house again. Plus, the Vacker's had a very nice-looking place and he brought his sketchbook with him in case he got bored.

His mother looked down at him and frowned. "Keefe, for the love of everything, stop fidgeting!" she scolded, straightening him and forcing his arms to the side. "You'll mess up your clothes!" Keefe frowned as she straightened his hair, and when she wasn't looking, he quickly messed it up again. His mom could do anything she want to his clothes, but the hair was out of bounds.

The front door then opened, revealing a tall, kind looking man with teal eyes. The man smiled at all of them. "Greetings, Lord and Lady Sencen!" The man, who Keefe assumed was Lord Alden, greeted them warmly. "Come in, come in!" As Keefe stepped inside, close behind his mother, he couldn't help but look around in awe. Jeez! The Vacker's sure lived up to their high-esteemed title! 'Their house must be as big as mine,' Keefe thought to himself, which was hard to believe considering a lot of nobility had smaller houses than his father's—which was more than understandable considering their house was much too large for just three people and the gnomes who helped around the house.

"Oh, Alden! You didn't tell me they were here so soon!" A random voice came from nowhere in particular. Keefe looked around wildly, then gasped in shock when a slender and very beautiful woman appeared out of thin air beside Lord Alden. She had cobalt blue eyes and a lovely smile of her own. She blinked in and out of sight as she approached, a typical thing when it comes to vanishers- it startled Keefe nonetheless though. He forgot that Lady Della was a vanisher.

Hearing his gasp, Lady Della looked down at him and smiled warmly. "Why, this must be your son, Keefe!" She said beaming down at him. "Keefe, present yourself properly," his father scolded lightly, for he was still hidden from proper sight. Blushing, Keefe stepped out from behind his mother and offered her a bright smile. "Hello ma'am," He greeted her politely. Della let out a hearty chuckle. "My, he certainly strikes a grand resemblance to you, Lord Cassius," she commented and Keefe resisted the urge to frown. He didn't really like being referred to his father because only he knew that it wasn't a really good thing.

His mother smiled. "More and more each day," she said, smoothening Keefe's hair again, much to his annoyance. "Well, if you'd fallow me to the kitchen. I made mallowmelt!" Della said with a light clap of her hands. The boy's ears perked up at the mention of the tasty treat but his father acknowledged him first. "Keefe, you will find Fitz it the backyard," he told him before walking off with the rest of the adults. Keefe quickly hurried up to keep with his long strides. "But dad," he said, tugging gently on his father's cape, "Dad, I don't know where to go." But ultimately, he was ignored. Keefe sighed and drooped his shoulders. It wasn't surprising. To be honest, he would've been much more surprised if his dad had answered him.

Clutching his notebook, Keefe wandered around the grand staircase, trying to find the door to the back. It took him a good five minutes—after all, this house was huge. But thanks to his photographic memory, he was able to find the back without going down a hall he'd gone down before. Keefe didn't usually like his photographic memory, but he had to admit that it did help with some things, and prevented him from getting into any sticky situations that other kids might stumble into.

Stepping into the backyard, he gasped in shock. The Vacker's yard was just as beautiful as their house was. Keefe even preferred it to the house, having been raised in a grand home, and his experience was not as grand the house made it seem. Besides, he always much preferred the outdoors.

Keefe looked around, but couldn't find Fitz anywhere– also understandable, considering this yard was at least half the square feet of their house. After a bit he gave up and sat himself on the soft grass, right in front of the Vacker's beautiful garden. Figuring this would make a good photo, Keefe took out his notebook and began to sketch.

For a few good minutes the boy just sat there and sketched, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the garden. He smiled, drawing down another part of the garden. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time—

"Hi,"

Keefe jumped slightly and a whipped his head around. His eyes were greeted with the figure of a brunette haired boy who resembled lord Alden greatly. Keefe assumed that this must be Fitz. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he apologized. Keefe shook his head. "No, it's fine," he assured him. "Y-you're Fitz right? Lord Alden's son?" He bucked up the courage to ask, mentally scolding himself for stuttering. But Fitz didn't seem to mind. He nodded with a smile, a hint of pride in his tone as he affirmed, "that's right!" Then he looked at Keefe, tilting his head a bit. "And you're Keefe? Lord Cassius and Lady Gisela's son?" He asked, eyebrows raised. Keefe fought the urge to grimace. "Unfortunately," he muttered, going back to sketching.

Instead of looking at him weirdly like most kids would do, Fitz chuckled some. "What's so unfortunate about that?" He asked him. He obviously thought that Keefe was joking. "Let's just say, it's a miracle if they remember I'm actually apart of the family sometimes," he answered in a murmur like tone. He didn't notice Fitz widen his eyes in shock. "Are you being serious?" He asked him. Keefe sighed. "I guess I'm exaggerating a little. They do remember me whenever they need to yell, scold, or reprimand me," he mumbled, adding a few more details.

"Oh..." He heard Fitz trail off and then it was silent for a while. Keefe felt like smacking himself. Great. Another potential friend he probably either scared off or made think that he's some kind of moron with mommy and daddy issues. Juuuuuust perfect.

However, as it turns out, he didn't scare him off. It actually took Keefe feeling Fitz's presence after a while to realize that the boy was actually quietly observing him draw. He didn't find it weird though. In fact, he was pretty glad that someone was finally taking interest in his artistic passion. He didn't mind an audience.

"I like you're drawing," Fitz's voice appeared beside him much closer than he expected, and it took a lot of willpower for Keefe not to jump in surprise again. He turned his head to see the teal-eyed boy now kneeling beside him. Fitz noticed his glance and smiled at Keefe before looking back down at his drawing again. "...You do?" Keefe asked, having a hard time believing it. Nobody really liked his drawings—or cared about them to be completely honest. Fitz nodded, the smile never leaving his face. "Mmhm!" He said, "It's really good! It's of the garden right?" He asked, pointing towards it. Keefe nodded slightly. "...Yeah," he said. Fitz smiled at him again—this time, his smile full of admiration. It made Keefe feel something he had never really felt before– pride.

"It's incredibly accurate," he breathed out in awe, looking at his drawing again. Keefe looked down at it as well. "You think so?" He asked Fitz, looking up at him. Fitz looked up at him too, nodding his head. "Yeah," he said, grinning at him—and this time, Keefe grinned back. He could feel it– the start of a newfound friendship.

"Remind me how I retrieving the ball that you got stuck is fair," Fitz asked down to Keefe in a joking tone as he scaled up the tree. The two thirteen year-olds where tossing a bramble ball between each other, and SOMEBODY (Keefe) decided it would be a wonderful idea to power-kick it up into a tree. And not just any tree—a 50ft tall tree.

From bellow him, Keefe shrugged. "Well, you got to manifest as a telepath while I got stuck being an empath," he countered back. "As you can see pal, life's not fair." "Empathy's a cool ability," Fitz reasoned as he climbed up another branch. "Not when you share the ability with a dad like mine," Keefe muttered in response and although he heard him, he had to give him that one. Fitz himself had been thrilled when he realized he shared the same ability with his own father, but could definitely understand why Keefe was not exactly enthralled by the idea of sharing one with his own.

"You got it yet?" Keefe called up to him. Fitz rolled his eyes. "Hold on, I'm almost there," he called back down. "Okay, cause you're taking a heck of a long time," Keefe added. Fitz glared downwards. "Would you like to come up here and retrieve it yourself?" He offered sarcastically. No reply. "That's what I thought," Fitz mumbled and continued to climb. "I heard that," Keefe stated unhelpfully from below. "Good!" Fitz called back down and chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he finally reached the bramble ball. Grinning victoriously, he quickly unstuck it from the branches.

Arching his body, he yelled down to his friend. "Okay Keefe, I'm gonna throw it down, get ready!" Fitz told him. He didn't get a reply, so he just assumed he heard him and expertly threw the ball down between the branches. There was silence heard for a few moments before a thud was audible. "...OW, MAN!" Keefe's shout of annoyance was heard soon afterwards, and Fitz had to clamp a hand to his mouth in order to smother the immense amount of laughter that was trying to escape his lips. "Sorry," he managed to spit out, before laughing outrageously. "But I did warn you!"

Keefe glared up at him. "Yeah, well I didn't get it!" He hollered back. "Not my problem!" Fitz replied, starting to climb back down. Keefe just grumble sunder his breath and tucked the ball under his arm. "Just hurry up, will ya? Your mom said that she made mallowmelt!" He rushed him, and Fitz could pretty much feel Keefe's eager from 35ft above. "Okay, okay I'm coming," he said with a chuckle, grabbing onto the branch his feet were on and literally flipping himself down to the next one. "Just hold on a few minutes."

It took Fitz a couple seconds to process what he had just done. He looked down at Keefe, who was now in sight and had also seen the little trick he unintentionally pulled off, and looked back at him wit wide eyes. "Dude—you did NOT tell me you could do that," he said after a while. "Uh, that's because I didn't know I could do that," he countered back as he continued to climb down, though he stopped abruptly when he heard a creak as he stepped down- a creak of a branch.

"That was some ninja stuff right there man. Not gonna lie," Keefe said, as he started to pace back and forth. "Uh, Keefe," Fitz said nervously as the branch he was standing on started to bend a little too far. "I don't understand. I just don't understand," Keefe started to ramble, "like, when on earth did you learn to do that? Or was it just instinctive? I don't exactly how that could be instinctive to a person, but if it actually is then man I wish I could do that myself..." *SNAP* '...Oh no..." Fitz thought to himself. "I mean, where in the—"

"KEEFE!" Fitz cut him off with a frantic yell. "—What?" Keefe asked, looking up. But his eyes widened completely once he saw Fitz yelling in the midst of a free fall. "CRAP!" He swore in panic and ran towards where Fitz was falling. "DON'T WORRY, MAN! I GOTCHA!" Keefe yelled up to Fitz, spreading his arms open, ready to catch him—only to grunt as Fitz's body collided with his own, the two landing on the ground in a crumpled pile with Fitz on top of Keefe. So much for catching him...

Both boys groaned in pain. "...Well that certainly didn't go as planned," Keefe commented after a while. Fitz looked down at him and smiled. Keefe smiled too. Then they both bursts into a fit of laughter. "Good lord, that was amazing!" Keefe said, between bouts of laughter. Fitz shook his head as he chuckled. "Only with you, Keefe. Only with you," he said with a smile on his face. Keefe smirked at him. "Well obviously, because I'm just that magnificently amazing to be with," he said smugly. Fitz laughed again and rolled off oh him. "Cmon," he said, extending a hand for Keefe to take, as he stood himself up. "We have some mallowmelt waiting for us."

-End of Flashback-

Keefe had no idea that he was extending his arm out until he felt he weight of gravity pushing down on it after awhile. He looked at his hand– poised and prepared, ready to grab a hand that wasn't there; a hand he would possibly never feel-or see- again.

Yeah I know: not only are we gonna have to wait for action but now she went and made us all depressed!" Sorry guys! It's kinda what i do. *Shrugs innocently* **not*

Listen, I know I promised some sophitz fluffiness, and I promise you, it will come in the next chapter! But as you can see I went a bit (a lot) overboard with this one because their broship just goals and, ugh- Okay: all I'm gonna say is, I'm sorry I promised something that didn't come write as soon as planned and I'll try to make it up to you gus with extra sophitz fluffiness, okay?

And I promise it will be worth it!

-Someonewhodoesntcare