after unlocked: a sokeefe fanfic

Chapter 53-Sophie

"You trust him?"

Fitz nodded. "I do." He said seriously. "Because when it comes to you? You could trust Keefe with your life. Easily."

***

It took her a long time to fall asleep.

Partially because everyone had been called to a meeting in Atlantis by the Council and partially because she still hadn't heard from Keefe.

She'd transmitted to him after her conversation with Fitz, intending to at least discuss what had happened, but he'd ignored her.

And that scared her, because no matter how angry she was, she had been, she couldn't lose him—not again.

When Sophie finally fell asleep, her dreams were domineered by shadows—darkness and screaming.

A series of images flashed through her head.

A huge fire, billowing thick smoke that choked and smothered her.

As strange set of flashing colors, that almost seemed soothing—until she felt the rising panic and anxiety behind them.

Keefe, laying on a bed, weak and pale—looking achingly like he was asleep—but she knew he wasn't asleep.

And finally, a figure, obscured in shadows, but the gulons on his tunic visible, looming over her, a glinting knife clenched in his palm and coming closer—

Sophie bolted up, the scream in her throat escaping in a muffled yelp.

She blew out a quick painful breath at the shot of pain on her stomach—probably a sign of her stitches tearing open again.

She placed a shaking hand on her chest, but somehow, the feel of her rapid heartbeat made the panic in her gut grow.

A clatter drew her heart back to her throat and her attention to the corner of the room by the door. Her breathing slowed and she sighed in relief at the sight of Elwin's light framed figure—along with the broad shoulders of Bo behind him.

"You're finally back," she called to him, leaning back on her bed. The pain in her side diminished at the position change, but it continued with a dull ache.

She noticed with a jolt that Elwin hadn't answered. In fact, she wasn't even completely sure that was Elwin. An overwhelming fear that the person wasn't even one of her friends, but the guard of her cell back on Arcadia reared up; she forced it down with a thud.

"I think my stitches tore," she said waveringly.

The figure moved forward and was even more obscured by the dark room. The figure behind entered the light for a split second.

"Elwin?" She whispered.

They stepped closer.

"Bo?" Her voice shook, and she clenched the blanket between her fingers, knowing her knuckles were pure white. "Bo!"

That wasn't Bo.

Elwin stepped closer, the eerie sound of his uniform footsteps growing louder.

"Bo, help!" Sophie whipped her blankets off, unsteadily standing up and backing away from him. "Elwin, stop, please!"

Sophie took a deep breath, through the tears and the pain in her stomach and clenched her hands together. She felt the familiar tightening in her gut as she prepared to inflict.

But nothing happened.

Elwin didn't fall to the ground.

And the red veins didn't appear in the air.

She couldn't inflict.

Why couldn't she inflict?

She screamed when she saw the knife.

Hot tears trickled down her cheeks, and she yelped as she tripped over a cot, falling back and scooting to the wall.

God, no, no, no—

"DROP."

Elwin froze—and crumpled to the ground.

The knife fell from his hands with a clatter and Sophie flinched back from it.

It stopped by her foot.

She stared at it heart racing and face burning and breath coming out in short gasping sobs.

"Foster?"

A/N: platonic Sophitz gives me life and I will never regret giving Fitz a redemption arc that makes him like an older brother to Sophie.

Updated: 8-1-2021