A/N: I am aware that the Boonchuys' names are not known, at this time, so until we get confirmation - via Marcy's Journal or some other source - I will be using their nicknames as their real names. It just makes it easier than having to refer to them as Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy throughout the entire thing.

Heat, intense heat. Loud sounds were everywhere, metal chariots, tall winding spires, and the air was thick with a heavy miasma. The three Amphibians were kind of freaking out due to all the new things they were seeing and were still getting over having been thrown through an interdimensional portal.

"What's the?!" Hop Pop yelled as looked around at the metal chariots around them.

A metal bird flew overhead, catching Sprigs attention as she looked into the sky and pointed at it. "What is that thing?!"

Polly managed to spot a blue creature that was flailing back and forth and sported a demented grin on its face. "What is that thing?!"

Anne wasn't fazed by all of this, at least not like the Plantars were. Because all these things together drew Anne Boonchuy to one conclusion.

"I…I don't believe it! I'm home…?!" Anne exclaimed.

Sprig glanced at his surrogate big sister. "This is your world, Anne? Ugh, it's so loud!" Sprig groaned as she put his hands against his head, trying to drown out the loud noises.

"That's because we're on the freeway! Let's move! Now!" Anne urged as she grabbed Polly and Hop Pop and hopped off the hood of the car they were on.

Sprig followed close to Anne as they kept running, managing to find a slope that let them off the freeway and down to the city streets below. They kept up their frantic pace until Anne finally stopped. She was running on adrenaline at this point, but soon her body protested against the sudden movements and decided to make her stop. The group of four stopped before a concrete staircase, all of them panting hard from their run, and of course due to the exhaustion of the battle they had managed to escape from. But now that they took a moment, Anne, Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop turned around and saw the sprawling metropolis that was Los Angeles spread before them. Sprig's eyes were wide with awe and wonder as his head followed the tall skyscrapers until he comically fell onto his back but continued staring.

"Am…Am I dreaming…?" Anne questioned. "There's only one way to be sure." The Thai teen reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her cellphone. The device was nearly out of power, which was a miracle considering everything she had gone through in these last six months. Anne paid close attention to the top part of the screen, particularly, the spot that read, "No Service". But within a matter of seconds, it went away, and replaced by four vertical bars and "5G" on the side. Anne gasped as she cried out in joy, "I'M HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEE!"

"She broken?" Polly asked.

"Just give 'er a sec, kids," said Hop Pop, hoping that she really wasn't.

"I can't believe this…I…I'm really back! Guys, we're on Earth! My world!" Anne exclaimed. "Oh man, oh man, we're – wooo – okay, calm down, Anne. Okay, it's nine-ten, which means most people will be either at work or at school." And that also means Mom and Dad haven't gone to work yet. "C'mon guys, we need to move – whoa!"

Anne was about to take a step forward, but suddenly felt woozy and nearly collapsed, but thankfully the Plantars managed to keep her steady to prevent that.

"Anne, take it easy now. After all that happened, ya can't be at a hundred percent right now," said Hop Pop.

"Sorry, I was just excited to be back, I guess forgot how tired I am," Anne replied.

"Let's take a minute fer you to get yer strength back a bit, and then we can head out."

Anne nodded and sat down on the ground, all the aches and pains from the battle with Andrias were starting to make themselves known. But more than that, her memory of the fight with him was still vivid in her head. It was like she was in control and yet not in control at the same time. She was driven by pure emotion during that last fight with Andrias, not caring how or why she had received such a huge boost in power, all she cared about was making Andrias pay for his crimes, for taking Sprig's life. But it appeared she was not able to maintain that new form for long and ended up burning herself out.

But that was not the only thing running through her mind. The last moments before the portal closed were vivid in her mind, seeing Marcy, her best friend, and (ex?)girlfriend getting stabbed through the chest by Andrias' sword. Anne pushed those thoughts away, it had to be a trick of the portal, she was so tired, and the portal did use strange, otherworldly energy. Perhaps it was a trick? Perhaps the portal distorted reality for a few moments and only made her think she saw Marcy receive a fatal wound? Anne shook her head.

I can't think about that right now. She concluded. First things first…

After about five minutes of sitting down to catch their breath, Anne and the Plantars resumed their trek, with Anne leading the way. Anne had Frobo's head in her backpack, occasionally glancing at it, lamenting his passing, but proud of him for doing all he could to save Polly. Speaking of Polly, the young pollywog was currently hopping along on the sidewalk, enjoying the use of her new appendages as she repeatedly said, "Legs! Legs! Legs!" with each successful hop.

As Polly kept bouncing off various surfaces, Sprig was busy looking at and touching almost anything and everything within arm's reach. "Oh my gosh! What is this thing?" Sprig opened a mailbox and began rifling through the mail inside, tossing it about.

Anne was wondering for a moment why he said this, considering the fact that they had mailboxes in Wartwood, and mail. But perhaps it's because it is a mailbox and letters from another world that made him ask?

Sprig continued his hyperactivity as he launched himself at a light pole and stuck to it, pressing down on the crosswalk signal button like a madman. "Buttons! Buttons everywhere!" At that moment, Sprig noticed a fly hovering over an uncovered manhole. The pink frog child gasped and leapt for it, but in so doing, managed to get himself stuck in the manhole. "Help! This dungeon smells awful!"

Hop Pop shook his head at his grandson's antics and walked over to the manhole, where he plucked Sprig out of it. "Careful, boy. There's no tellin' what dangers lurk in this world." The elderly frog turned his attention to Anne and asked, "So, what's our next move, Anne? Ah mean, so much has happened, well, a whole lot has happened."

"Don't worry, Hop Pop, we'll figure out a way to get back to Amphibia, and find a way to save Sasha and Marcy," Anne replied.

Hop Pop raised an eyebrow at that. "Uh, ya mean, Sasha, right Anne?"

"No, I said, Sasha and Marcy," she repeated.

The Plantars looked between each other, they were sure they all saw the same thing. Seeing Marcy getting stabbed by Andrias. They weren't doctors, but anyone would agree that a burning sword blade through the middle of your chest usually meant death.

"Uh, Anne…" Hop Pop began.

"Look, there's no way that was real, Hop Pop. It had to be a hallucination brought on by the portal or something. She's alive, I just know she is…she has to be."

Hop Pop, Polly, and Sprig decided to leave the subject be for now. They've all had a rough time and right now they needed to get their bearings.

"So, where are we going? Where are we going to stay?" Polly asked.

"Well…that much I can take care of, I hope. We're here now."

Anne stopped walking and turned to her right, making the Plantars bump into her from the sudden stop. All of them were looking upon a quaint, light blue colored house. It was typical two story, two car garage house. There was a basketball hoop situated just above the garage door, that Anne would use to play basketball. There was a frisbee that was stuck on the roof, Anne was surprised it was still there, but remembered that she had promised to get it down herself. That was the day before her thirteenth birthday, when she was transported to Amphibia. There was statue on the front lawn along with a large urn, both having ties to Thailand, even their mailbox was stylized in the way of her parent's homeland.

"Anne…is this…?" Sprig asked.

"My house…" Anne spoke, barely above a whisper. She was doing all she could to keep herself from breaking down right then. There were so many times back in Amphibia when she thought she would die, or just be stuck there and never lay eyes on this place ever again. But now, there it was, right in front of her, only about five feet away. "I can't believe it…This…This is really happening. I'm gonna see my parents."

Sprig rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment before he asked, "Soooo, is it too early to call them 'Mom' and 'Dad'? Should I call them Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy? Are they tongue shape people?" the pink frog child extended his tongue for emphasis.

Anne couldn't help but smile at Sprig's enthusiasm to wanting to meet her parents, but she knew that she couldn't introduce them right away. "I promise you guys will be able to meet them, but for now, you three should probably hide in here for the time being." Anne opened the trashcan and recycling bin. "I want to ease them into all of this slowly. And when the time is right, I'll signal, 'Caw, caw!' Do not come out until then."

The Plantars nodded in agreement. Hop Pop jumped into the recycling bin, while Polly and Sprig hopped into the trashcan. Anne took out Frobo's head from her backpack and handed to Polly. It was already going to be a lot to explain why she was wearing chest armor; she didn't need to add a robot head to the mix.

Anne began to walk away but stopped when she remembered she forgot to mention something else. "Oh! And I'm not going to tell my parents that I plan to go back and stop Andrias. Or that Andrias betrayed us. Or that Marcy betrayed us. Or that Sasha and Grime betrayed us and led a rebellion. Or that Sasha, Marcy, and me have Kamen Rider powers. Or about my new blue powers and Final Form. And definitely don't say anything about how Sasha, Marcy, and me were…are…aren't?…in a three-way, polyamorous relationship." Anne inhaled sharply as she managed to get all that out. "Wow. There's a lot going on."

Sprig glanced at his little sister and asked, "Blue powers? Final Form?"

"It was a thing. Had to be there," said Polly.

"You can count on us Anne!" Hop Pop stated.

As Anne walked away, Polly picked up Frobo's head and looked into his lifeless eyes with equal parts sadness and hope. "Don't worry, Frobs. Anne's world is full of advanced technology, we'll fix you in no time." While Polly said this, a Furby toy short-circuited behind her.

Anne walked up to the doorstep, her doorstep. The mat at the door read, "Welcome". It was surreal, as if her own house was greeting her. So much really has happened in the span of six months. So many adventures and battles, discoveries about herself and…her friends. She had grown a lot in Amphibia, that much she could tell. Anne stared at the front door as a bout of fear gripped her. What if she had changed so much that her parents didn't recognize her anymore? Sure, physically, she had not changed that much, but parents had a way of just sensing it. Would they be able to see all the turmoil she had gone through in her features? Would they be able to see the many battles she had fought in the small scars and added muscle to her body? Would they be able to sense how heartbroken she still was? One thing was certain, though, nothing was going to happen unless she took the first step.

"How is it that after everything I've been through…this feels like the hardest thing I've done yet?" She asked herself. Anne took a slow inhale of air and then slowly released it to steady her nerves. "Okay. Here we go."

Another sunrise, another day without their daughter. It had been at least five to six months since Anne had disappeared, along with her friends Sasha and Marcy. Bee and Oum had no idea where they could've gone, or what happened to them. At first, they thought that Anne was with Sasha or Marcy, but then they found out that she had cut classes earlier that day with Sasha. Honestly, they loved that girl, and they understood her home situation, and Sasha looked out for Anne a lot, but sometimes they wondered if it that girl was a bad influence on their daughter. Sometimes.

But that wasn't the end of it. When Anne didn't come home for her party they called her, and called her, and called her, texted her, called her, texted and called, called and texted, they must've left an obscene amount of voicemails and text messages. If one were to look and read them, you could see the evolution of their emotional states as they did so. At first, they were just to make their daughter hurry home. Then they changed to slightly angry that she had ignored them, and after a while, the messages became less angry and more worried. Finally, they became frantic, all caps messages and pleads for Anne to call them, to respond or just come home.

It was eight-thirty when they received a call from the Wus, and it was at the that time they were informed that Marcy was missing, too. About ten minutes later, Mrs. Waybright called Oum and Marcy's mother, asking if Sasha was with either of them. Unfortunately, they weren't. It was then that the parents of all three families came to the same conclusion, that the girls had either run away, or were abducted, or in the process of running away were abducted.

What happened next was a whirlwind of activity as all six parents called the police. They hadn't been gone for the standard forty-eight hours but considering that all three had disappeared at the same time, and neither one had a history of running away, they police decided to look into this. The police managed to trace Anne and Sasha's activities as several witnesses had reported spotting two girls with the Saint James Middle School uniform, a lot of people saw them at the arcade, as well as at the park, and other places. Their last known location being a smoothy shop, but after that no one else had seen them.

The police were going to use traffic cameras and local businesses and home security systems to see if they could pick up their trail. But thanks to the freak power surge that occurred that day, a lot of systems were scrambled, and footage for that day was corrupted and would take many months to fix, if it all.

Meanwhile, the Waybrights, Boonchuys, and Wus hit the pavement, calling up all the parents of their children's friends. Sasha and Anne had a few that they hung out with when the three of them could not get together, they were social butterflies. The police were called to look into Marcy's online contacts, trying to see if there was any sign of potential predators coaxing Marcy into bringing Sasha and Anne to some unsavory place. Thankfully, there were none, but that did not mean that the fear of such a thing happening was ruled out.

The school made an announcement to the students for anyone to come forward with information regarding Sasha, Anne, and Marcy's whereabouts. Some of the students even aided in searching the city for them. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Slowly, but steadily, the fervor was ebbing away. It was if the girls had just vanished off the face of the Earth, with no trace. Oum and Bee can't remember when the blame game started, but at some point, the three families began to start accusing the other for the situation.

The Waybrights accused Marcy of talking their daughter into running away, since Marcy was clearly upset by the news of their moving away. The Wus countered with stating that it was more than likely Sasha, they knew that Marcy mostly took her ques from Sasha, and that she was practically the leader of their friend group, so it made sense that the alpha girl would not stand for one of her friends moving away and talked Marcy into doing so, and the Wus also accused Anne of aiding in the coaxing. Since the two of them had been friends for longer, Marcy would've followed Anne.

The Boonchuys dismissed this notion, stating that Anne was not that kind of girl, and that it was most likely Sasha and Marcy who convinced Anne to run away with them. Despite everything, Anne was not one to miss out on something that involved her family, and considering the situations of both Sasha and Marcy, at home, it didn't surprise them that something like this might happen. Sasha was a bit of a manipulator, and Marcy was a young genius, so it was highly likely that Anne was forced into running away with them.

Lots of heated words were exchanged, some things were said that were probably best left unsaid. But in the end, they all knew that this was just their frustration and grief manifesting itself in the form of anger. Apologies were had, and while some things could not be unsaid, it was felt better to move past them, as they needed to be there for their daughters whenever they were found and returned.

However, the hope of either one of those things happening was fading. The Thai community came together and helped the Boonchuys, as, well, with all this grief and sadness hanging over them, there were days that they didn't feel like opening the restaurant. It was a family business, and one of their family members was gone. It just felt empty without Anne helping them in the kitchen or serving the customers. But some members of the Thai community would stop by and help them, as they did need the income to keep afloat, and of course they got help from the community as well to keep their business stay afloat. This combined showing of caring and community is what ensured that Thai Go was not going to shut down anytime soon, nor would the Boonchuys be left penniless.

Oum and Bee didn't touch Anne's room, they wanted it left just how it was for when she returned. Eventually it turned into a shrine. They kept the door closed, not once entering the room, as if hoping that one day that door would open on its own and Anne would be on the other side. And opening that door, in their minds, would break the spell. There was one time, when they opened the door, and let someone in. A pair of twins who were apparently famous paranormal investigators. Although the disappearance of their daughter was not their main reason for coming to see them, as they believed that Anne's disappearance was possibly connected to the power surge that occurred on the same night. Regardless, they had kept their word about looking into Anne and the girls' whereabouts, and had occasionally given them updates, but nothing so far.

Now, currently, Oum was in the kitchen while her husband was in the other room. Whisking some batter within a bowl she held in her left arm. It was about to be six whole months without her little girl, and part of Oum was wondering if she was to blame for this as well. She had been a strict mother, while Bee was often the "fun parent". She did not mean to be, it was just that she saw so much potential in Anne, and she hated seeing her not apply herself. Oum saw the greatness in her daughter, and she knew that if she did not do something now, she was afraid that Anne would come to regret not applying herself later when she was an adult.

Maybe I should have focused more on the now than the future, she thought.

Oum didn't want to, but she was slowly coming to grips with the idea that Anne might not ever come home. At this point, if she was…dead…then she at least wanted to find her body so that she could give her a proper burial, and at least then she would know where her daughter was. It was better than the alternative, imagining all the horrible things that could happen to a thirteen-year-old girl. Oum was well aware of what kind of loathsome people were out there, and what they were capable of. And every time that thought crossed her mind, she hoped that Anne was dead, because she couldn't bear the thought that her daughter was someone's property for six whole months.

Just then, Oum heard knocking coming from the front door. Must be someone from the community. "I'm coming. I'm coming," she called out, bringing the bowl with her as it needed to be kept stirred for a little bit longer. Oum put the whisk in the bowl and opened the door with her right hand, and she cried. It had to be a trick, yes, that had to be it, she was so riddled with grief that her mind finally snapped, and she was hallucinating, that had to be it. She had gone crazy, right?

"Hey, Mom…" Anne spoke in a timid voice.

Oum gasped, be damned if it was a hallucination, if it was, it was the most vivid one she's ever had. She dropped the bowl, letting it fall unceremoniously onto the floor, and threw her arms out in front of her. Oum wordlessly wrapped her arms around Anne, and found her to be solid, she pressed her cheek against her daughter's, and felt the thick head of afro hair on her head. This warmth, this feeling, it wasn't a hallucination, it was her, she was real, her daughter, her precious daughter had returned, and she was in her arms right now.

At the same time, Bee heard the noise of the bowl hitting the floor and stuck his head out of the other room. "I heard a noise. Everything okay?" That's when he looked down the hall and to the front door, spotting his wife who was hugging…

"Dad!" Anne cried.

"ANNE?!" Bee practically shouted as tears flowed down his face. The older man rushed out of the room, down the hall, and wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter, hugging them so tight that he was afraid that Anne would disappear the moment he let go. "You're back! You're safe!"

Anne seemed to bask in the warmth of her parents' embrace, and right around that time the fourth member of their household made themselves known. A black and white cat came walking towards them and affectionally rub herself against Anne's legs. "Domino! Come here my precious baby!" Anne reached down and picked up Domino, hugging her close. Their family was finally back together, after so many months, their daughter had returned to them.

Oum held her daughter's face as she looked upon her asked in a rapid-fire fashion, "Oh, Anne, where have you been? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Have you eaten? You're hair's a mess."

Anne sighed heavily as she said, "It's a really, really long story."

*Caw! Caw!*

That was the sound of a bird that flew overhead. Oum, Bee, and Anne turned around as they heard something rumbling back and forth. That's when they saw their recycling bin shaking back and forth, practically dancing on their front lawn before finally tipping over. And out from the bin rolled out an orange frog, with a jacket, pants, a vest, and an ascot.

The orange frog sprang to his feet and announced, "And we're the Plantars! The lovable frog family Anne's told you all about."

Our and Bee blinked, now they were sure they were hallucinating.

"Hop Pop, that was not the signal," a purple beach ball with arms and legs scolded.

"Well, it sure sounded like the signal," the orange frog, Hop Pop, remarked.

And as if it could not get any weirder, a third frog creature appeared, this time it was pink colored. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Anne's parents! The name's Sprig Plantar, Anne's best friend, and walking talking frog." "Sprig" gave a slight bow. A fly buzzed overhead, and once it was over Sprig, he opened his mouth and launched his tongue at it. He retracted his tongue and swallowed the fly before doing "jazz hands".

Anne facepalmed herself.

Domino was equal parts intrigued and shocked.

Oum was stunned.

And Bee, well, Bee fainted.

It took a couple of hours, and a diagram drawn with markers, but Anne eventually managed to weave together a – somewhat – believable story about her time in Amphibia, minus the Kamen Rider powers, betrayals, polyamorous relationships, and the evil entity and king who want to conquer Earth and wipe out humanity. Yeah, simple. The Plantars were sitting on the couch, and right beside them were Anne's parents. The two adults looked bewildered by just what Anne had told them so far, and it only reinforced her notion to not tell them about everything that had really happened, or else she ran the risk freaking them out more than they were already.

"Okay. Now, where was I?" Anne asked.

"The Temple of Strength!" Sprig spoke up.

Anne snapped her fingers as she said, "Right. So, as soon as we charged the last stone, the music box opened the portal and took me back to Earth. Before anything else could happen." Anne shot a narrowed eyed glance at her froggy companions, to which they nodded their heads in agreement. "But the Plantars got sucked into the portal, too. And now they're stuck here 'til we find a way to get them home. So, yeah, you're pretty much caught up."

Bee's face was still contorted in a state of shock as he tried to absorb everything that his daughter had told him. The older man pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand as he raised his right in a stopping motion, as if he was trying to make the information processing in his head slow down. "Hold on. Back up. You're telling us there's a whole world of talking frogs called 'Amphibiland'?"

"It's actually called 'Amphibia'," Sprig corrected.

And considering the massive info dump their daughter had unloaded on them, the older woman only had one question. "You made larb with maggots? Was it good?"

"This is a lot to take in, Anne. Seriously. I wish we could've been eased into it," said Bee.

Anne gave a pointed glare at Hop Pop. Making the old frog chuckle nervously and apologetically for his actions. "Anyway. Can the Plantars stay with us until we find them a way home?"

"Aahahahahahahahaha…" Oum was laughing, but for some reason, her daughter wasn't. "Wait. You serious?"

"Oh, Mooooom!" Anne whined. "Dad, say something, please!"

Bee shook his head as he was still trying to grasp the situation. "Anne, all of this is crazy. I wouldn't believe a word of it if the small frog wasn't kicking me right now!"

Indeed, Polly was kicking Bee's right thigh, not maliciously mind you. She was still getting used to her new legs and stretching them out. "New legs. You know how it is."

Oum got off the couch and walked over her daughter as she tried to make her understand. "The adventure is over, Anne. You're safe at home now. The authorities will take care of your friends."

"WHAT?!" Anne gasped. Was her mother being willfully ignorant, or did she just not care? "You mean like the police! The government! No, no, no, HECK NO!" Anne rushed to the Plantars and put herself between her parents and the Plantars. "Mom, Dad, you know as soon as they see three talking frogs, they'll be taken to some government facility! Put in a lab where they'll be probed and dissected in said secret lab and used for all kinds of weird experiments!"

"What's that now?" Sprig asked with concern.

"Can you elaborate on the 'probing' part?" Hop Pop asked.

"You really don't want to know," Anne replied.

Polly hopped off the couch and rushed to her surrogate big sister, wrapping herself around Anne's legs as she begged, "Anne, don't let 'em take us! Don't let 'em take us!"

Anne crouched low as she brought her adopted frog family into a group hug, wrapping her arms around them in a protective manner. "Don't worry, guys. I'll keep you safe. I was living in a cave when you found me. The least I can do is return the favor."

Oum glanced at Bee, and Bee at Oum. Anne did have a point, the Plantars took their daughter in, fed, and sheltered her, and kept her safe for all these months. And given how protective their daughter was of them, could they really throw them out or hand them off to the authorities? It would not only be incredibly rude, but extremely ungrateful. In the end, she relented.

"Okay. They can stay…for now," said Oum.

Anne released the Plantars and immediately hugged her mother. "Mom! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Bee got off the couch and stated, "All right. If we're doing this, we gotta be extra careful. No one out there can know you exist. You're all on lockdown!"

"You heard the man. You're all on lockdown. Got it?" said Hop Pop in agreement as he stood next to Bee. The Thai man looked down at him with a surprised expression, and Hop Pop looked up noting his surprised expression and asked, "What?"

"Oh, uh, nothing." Wasn't expecting him to agree.

"Come on, guys. Let's have some Earth-style quarantine fun!" Anne declared.

"Hold on," said Oum, cutting the celebration short. "Anne, as much as I love the idea of just keeping you here. There's something else we need to do beforehand."

Anne looked up at her mother with confusion and asked, "What exactly?"

Oum sighed. "Anne, you've been gone for nearly six months. Do you have any idea what happened when you did? What all went into searching for you girls?"

Anne's elation slowly faded as she understood what her mother meant. Of course, there would've been search parties, police involvement, Amber Alerts. And there was still the situation of what to do with the Waybright and Wu families. "Oh…shoot…I nearly forgot."

Bee understood as well and walked over to stand next to his wife. "We're gonna have to call the police and tell them you're back. I have no doubts that they're going to ask you a lot of questions about where you've been and where Sasha and Marcy are. Their parents are going to be asking you as well. It won't look good if we have you back and don't notify the authorities that you are."

Anne knew her father and mother were right. "Okay, I can think of something to tell them."

"Is this going to be bad?" Sprig asked.

"Well…maybe. If everyone in our community and the police were looking for us, then they're gonna want to know where I was and what happened to me. And Sasha and Marcy's parents are definitely gonna want to know what happened to them…" Anne ran her hands through her hair as she released a long sigh. "It's going to be hard to lie to them. Not so much the police, but them…way hard."

Oum knelt before her daughter and spoke. "Let's take an hour or two to come up with a story that we can all agree on. It doesn't need to be overly complicated, but just vague enough to make sure they don't ask you too many questions that you can't answer right now."

"Yeah, I got it."

And so, the lie was spun. The Boonchuy parents called the police station and put them through the detective that was assigned to the missing persons case concerning Anne, Sasha, and Marcy. When they spoke to the detective, she spat out her drink. Not long after that, they told the detective to meet them at the hospital, as Bee and Oum made the decision to have Anne checked up to make sure she really wasn't hurt. Six months living in another world, there was the possibility that Anne may have gotten something or hurt in a way that she wasn't aware of.

They spent the next hour and a half at the ER. Once the nurses were informed of Anne's situation, she was run through the gambit of tests and examinations that girls who had been missing or possibly abducted would normally go through. It was, violating, to say the least. Having the doctors and nurses check over every inch of her body, drawing blood, and putting her through x-rays, CAT scans, and MRI machines. Those last two Anne was afraid of, mostly because she thought those machines would have a reaction to her powers, or that they may reveal her powers.

Thankfully, there was nothing abnormal that they saw, power wise anyway. Although they did note a number of small scratches and healed muscle tissue. That was thanks in part to the healing factor that her powers granted her and her friends. Without it, Anne was sure she'd have died a long time ago from all the previous battles or be too injured to fight. They also took note that Anne had increased neuroelectric activity in her brain, like almost literal lightning was trapped in a bottle. Which made sense since her power revolved around the lightning element, and thanks to her speed it would make sense that her brain was charged up as well to allow her to perceive things in a heightened speed state and to react to things quicker.

Again, thankfully, the doctors did not seem to be concerned, so there was nothing more said about that. Her parents were given the good news that Anne was perfectly healthy, but they did note that her physical body was slightly more muscular than what her previous charts from her primary doctor showed from her last checkup.

That honestly did not surprise them. Anne was always an athletic and physical girl, and even though she was being looked after by the Plantars, she did mention she helped on their farm and did various chores, so gaining some muscle was not out of the question. After the tests and examinations were done, Anne was placed in front of the detective that was in charge of her case. She was still wearing a hospital gown and was sitting on an exam table as she watched the detective sit down in the chair about foot away from her.

"Hello, Anne, my name is Nancy Drew, I'm a detective with the LAPD," said Nancy.

"Pfft! 'Nancy Drew'?!" Anne chuckled loudly, but quickly stopped. "S-Sorry."

"No, no, I get it. Same name as those books, and I ironically became a detective. Guess you can say I lived up to my namesake. Anyway, I know you're probably tired and feeling antsy after all those tests."

Anne hugged herself. "You're telling me, do all girls have to go through that stuff after they come back? They looked over all of me."

"I'm sorry, Anne. I know the tests and exams can be a bit…invasive. But we have to make sure that no one did something awful to you, or that you might be…" Nancy let that float in the air.

Anne shivered. "Yeah, yeah. I got it."

Nancy nodded. "Okay. Now, I'm sure all you want to do now is go back home and finally sleep in your own bed safe and sound. But I need to ask you some questions while the memories are still fresh in your head."

Anne sighed as she said, "That's just it…I don't remember much. It's…a blur."

"That's completely normal, Anne. Most girls, heck, most adults, tend to block out traumatic experiences in order to protect their minds. I just want you to tell me what you can, I'm not going to force you. Can you tell me about Sasha and Marcy? They're your best friends, right?" Nancy asked.

Anne didn't mean to, but when she mentioned their names, her eyes began to water, and her heart ached.

"Anne, hey, hey, it's okay." Nancy got up from her seat and sat down next to Anne as she rubbed her back. "What's wrong, you can tell me."

"I…I'm sorry, I just…I don't know where that came from." She lied; she knew exactly where that stemmed from. "Y-Yes, they are. They're…They're my best friends."

"Okay, so, let's forget about remembering the last six months. Take me back to that day. I heard that you and Sasha cut class and left school grounds to go out."

Anne nodded. "Y-Yeah, it was my thirteenth birthday. When I told Sasha, she said that 'You only turn thirteen once', and so she cooked up a plan to get us out of class and we just…well…we hung out doing all kinds of fun things, well, some of them were fun, but…"

"But?" Nancy asked.

Anne sighed heavily. "Sasha can be such…such a manipulative….AUGH! She always has to be in control of everything around her, including me and Marcy!"

"I see…" Nancy took out her notepad and wrote that down.

"And Marcy, she's a freaking genius, but she's so accident prone that if it weren't for me, she'd have gotten herself killed walking down an uncovered manhole! I mean, she even walked into the zoo when all those snakes were loose!"

Nancy's eyes widened when she heard that. "Wait a minute, are you saying Marcy Wu was the schoolgirl who walked into that literal viper's nest?!"

"Ha! Yes! And guess who rode her bike all way there and saved her before she could get poisoned or eaten!" Anne exclaimed.

"Huh…now that I think about it, there were some snakes that were found dead that were on the endangered species list. They never did find out who killed those snakes," Nancy mentioned.

Anne gulped.

"We'll just overlook that. But, while we're on the subject of Marcy, did you know that Marcy's parents told her they were going to be moving at the end of the school year?"

Anne hung her head low as memories of Andrias revealing Marcy's secret replayed in her head, along with Marcy's breakdown. "Not at that time…no. I found out a little later."

Nancy wrote that down. "So, Anne, just to eliminate some scenarios. Did you all run away because Marcy was leaving? I've heard from yours, Marcy's, and Sasha's parents about how close you all are. And one of the theories is that you all decided to run away together so that you didn't get separated. If that's true, I'd have to say, that's a strong bond you all share."

You don't even know that half it, lady…

"No. Maybe? Ugh…it's confusing, a lot of things are mixed up in my head right now," said Anne.

"That's alright. We can stop here. I don't want to push you." Nancy stood up from the bed and took out her card. "If you remember anything, or just want to talk, give me a call."

Nancy walked out of the room, and left Anne alone. On the other side of the door were Anne's parents, the detective put her notepad away and said, "Well, clearly, Anne's suffering from repressed memories. She remembers some things but not a lot. Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy, I want you to understand that you'll need to keep an eye on Anne for a bit. Let her readjust. She may also suffer from PTSD, which is not uncommon in these situations."

"Oh, um, what should we do?" Oum asked.

"There are resources available for children who have been gone for an extensive period of time or abducted. But until we know what happened to her and her friends, we just don't know what could set her off. All I can say, for right now, make her as comfortable as possible. Keep her at home for a bit and steadily readjust her to the outside. She may not want to go outside for a while, but she looks like a strong girl, so, perhaps she'll bounce back quickly."

Nancy took out another card and gave two to Oum and Bee. "I gave Anne a card as well, but if you need to talk to me. Please don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you, Detective Drew. Um, what are you going to do about the Waybrights and Wus?" Bee asked.

Nancy crossed her arms and said, "Obviously I'll tell them that Anne has been found. I'll warn them not to approach your daughter or your home. We don't need to scare Anne."

With all of that out of the way, the real quarantine began for the Plantars and Anne. The Thai teen didn't mind it that much, after traipsing around Amphibia for almost six months, she was content to just being in her own house, sleeping in her own bed, wearing clothes that she didn't have to make herself or that weren't her school uniform. How that thing survived so much abuse and remained intact during her adventures and battles was beyond her understanding, but at least it did otherwise that would've led to some embarrassing situations.

While they were on lockdown, the Plantars were exploring the Boonchuy house, especially Sprig. That hyperactive little ADHD frog child was into everything, every second he was finding something new that fascinated him, at some point Anne thought his brain would explode from overstimulation and information overload.

Her parents, so far, were accommodating. There were a few incidents, like when the Plantars nearly flooded the bathroom and used it like a makeshift swamp, or when Sprig kept putting random objects in the microwave, or when Polly rode on Domino's back, well, actually, that last one was more on the cute and funny side than an actual incident.

Anne wasn't just relaxing, although Frog knows she deserved some time to relax, she was using this time to do some research on interdimensional portals, wormholes, and the Multiverse Theory. It was during one of her research sessions that she noticed her phone was missing, and thankfully she did as Sprig had put it in the microwave and was about to nuke it. Now that could've gotten messy.

There was one other thing that Anne was a bit ambivalent about, at first. It was her mother's constant hovering. Despite getting a clean bill of health from the doctors, she would hover constantly around her, honestly, there wasn't a moment when Anne didn't see her mother on the periphery of her vision. But she didn't mind, not really, she missed her parents a lot, and knowing that they were around was comforting. For the first three days.

The whole "quarantine lockdown" was getting a bit annoying now. She understood that they needed to keep a low profile, especially considering Anne was still part of the ongoing disappearance case around herself and her friends, and that the police would at some point come and ask her if she remembered more about what happened to her and them. Being semi-alone with her thoughts was starting to become a bit of a burden. Thankfully, or regrettably, her mother's constant hovering was a nice little distraction, as it seemed to only get worse.

Aside from her father making sure that the Plantars and Anne didn't go outside for any reason, her Mom had stepped up her hovering by carrying around a first aid kit whenever she bumped into something. And last night, when her phone notifications went off, she found her mother in her bed, brushing her hair.

Yeah, not creepy at all, Mom.

That following morning, Anne noticed her mother had left her bedroom. She changed into her new outfit, a pair of denim jean shorts, and a white shirt with pink sleeves and an orange lotus symbol on the front.

At least she's not watching me get changed¸ she thought groggily. Ugh…Three days of lockdown, still no information on portal creation, and I know the Plantars are going to go crazy if we stay cooped up in here. Maybe I can convince Dad to at least let them walk around in the backyard?

As Anne approached the bathroom, she opened the medicine cabinet behind the mirror and grabbed the toothpaste, she uncapped it and then began to grope for her toothbrush.

"Looking for this?" Oum asked as she held up the toothbrush, appearing out of seemingly nowhere.

"AAAAAH!" Anne screamed in surprise from seeing her mother suddenly there. Her sudden scare made her squeeze the tube of toothpaste until it was a shriveled-up raisin. That was mostly done for her mother's protection, as Anne had to fight her own honed combat instincts. "MOOOOOOOOM!

Dammit, I was about to punch you throw the wall! THAT'S IT!

Anne stormed out of the bathroom, and as she did, her mother called out, "It's safter to go in pairs."

"EMERGENCY FAMILY MEETING! MAJOR BOUNDARY VIOLATION!" Anne announced.

Sprig heard the announcement, for some reason holding lipstick, and asked, "Family? Should we come to? Also, do you have any more of these candy bars?"

The Plantars and Anne's parents gathered in the living room as the teen girl stood at the center of the room and said, "Mom, Dad, I'm really happy to be home. I know it's a big deal that I was gone for so long, and I get that it's scary to think about losing me again." Anne turned around and while she was smiling, her trembling hands, twitching right eye, and tightened jaw spoke of her annoyance and frustration. "But I need a little bit of space or I'm gonna lose my freakin' mind. You guys are being way too overprotective."

Bee scoffed at Anne's assertion. "Anne, I think you're exaggerating. This is a big house. We all have plenty of space to breathe."

As soon as he said that Polly, who was standing on the back of the couch, threw a spinning kick, but accidentally hit Bee in the side of the head. "Oops! Sorry! Just practicin' my jump kick. Hyah – AAAH!" Polly's second attempt hit him in the head again and sent her tumbling onto the couch. "Whoops."

Bee looked back at his daughter. "Okay. I'm listening."

"We're tired of being shut inside. Let me and the Plantars out. Just for an hour." The Plantars got off the couch and joined Anne's side in a showing of solidarity with her proposal, and even tried to use the "puppy dog eyes" trick. "I'll take care of them, and we won't go far."

But Oum shut that down, quick. "Absolutely not."

Anne dragged her right hand down her face. "Oh c'mon! I can't go out alone for an hour?"

Bee crossed his arms and reminded her, "The last time you went out for an hour, you got trapped in another world for five months."

"That is a pretty good point," Sprig remarked.

"Shush!" Anne retorted.

Oum sighed as she sat up and stated, "Look. Your father and I have to go to the market. We'll talk later."

Hearing that, Anne got the perfect idea. She and the Plantars intercepted her mother at the front door as she offered a different proposal. "Okay, counteroffer! Let us come with you!"

Oum just gave her daughter a look that said, "Really?" and was about to say more, but her daughter cut her off.

"I know what you're gonna say. We can't take the Plantars out in public. But the market's always empty except for a few old people. Plus, I'll make them disguises, and take full responsibility for their safety," said Anne.

Oum laughed at the notion of her daughter taking such a big responsibility like that. "Really, Anne? You? Take responsibility? Willingly?"

Bee entered the hallway and offered his two cents. "No offense, Anne, but you're the literal poster child for hating responsibility. Just look at what you drew as a kid." Bee pointed to a framed drawing Anne made when she was six that had the words "I HATE responsibility!"

"Point taken, but I've changed!" Anne insisted.

Hop Pop decided to run interference on this one as he walked up to Bee and Oum. "Look, Ah'm a parent too. And Ah know what Anne used to be like. So, trust me, Ah get it."

"Not helping, Hop Pop," Anne grumbled.

"But she grew into a town protector. A hero! Voted 'Frog of the Year' by frogs that used to hate her!" Hop Pop stated, putting a little too much emphasis on the "hate" part. "Were there bumps in the road? Sure. Did she burn the town down once? Yeah. Did she almost get us eaten by large creatures numerous times? Also, yes. Did she, uh…what was my point?"

Bee looked to his wife and commented, "The old one's got a point. Ever since she got back, she does seem…a little more mature."

Oum was not blind, she had noticed a change in her daughter. She was very attentive to the needs of the Plantar family, keeping an eye on them, and making sure they were comfortable. While also helping out around the house during these last three days. However, she also sensed that there was more to these changes than she was seeing at first blush. Call it a "mother's intuition" but Oum felt that Anne had matured far more than Anne herself let on.

"…True. She used to beg me not to take her to the market," said Oum. "I guess it would be okay."

Bee cleared his throat, gaining the attention of Anne and the Plantars. "Okay, Anne. We're willing to give it a try."

"Really?!" Anne gasped joyfully.

"But you stay with us at all times. And if anything goes wrong, it's back to lockdown. That's the deal," said Oum.

Anne rushed up to her parents and hugged them both as she said, "Thank you so much! I promise you won't regret it! C'mon guys, we need to get ready!" Anne hurriedly gathered up the Plantars and rushed up the stairs with them.

"You really think this is a good idea?" Oum asked.

"We'll see. As much as I want to keep watching Anne, we can't keep her cooped up in the house forever. It'll look suspicious if we do. Plus, the detective said that we should ease her back to a normal routine. She may not have been abducted or anything, but I think the same rules apply here a bit," said Bee.

Oum sighed, she knew her husband had a point, but still, she just didn't want to lose her daughter again.

A/N: For those of you who do or don't know. I had a family emergency last Tuesday concerning my grandfather's health and I quite literally had to rush out of my home with my family on a 3-hour drive to the next city over in dead of night. I'd like to say that everything's fine, but it's about 50/50. He's still weak, and right now he's recovering. All we can do is wait and see and pray that he can get his strength back.

Your well wishes and prayers were and are still appreciated as he's not completely out of the woods yet. For now, I have returned home, and I will be writing some more. As right now that's about all I can do at this point. Thank you for your patience during this trying time, and if anything changes, please go to my DA account or my account profile to see if I've posted an update.