L couldn't believe her eyes. Even after all this time and how much she'd prepared herself, it wasn't enough. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she fought back the tears. She didn't want anything to mar her vision and stop her from seeing them. She felt someone come to stand behind her and a hand was placed on each shoulder. Bryce was on one side and Robbie on the other.
L felt their support bolster her emotions, and she leaned closer to the bubble. Her parents were right there. They appeared to be asleep, but L got the feeling it was more than that. They looked exactly the same as they had in the visions and as the duplicates. They were identical, as if no time had passed. Her brain worked fast, and she came to the conclusion that this was some kind of stasis bubble. She didn't know how or why they were inside it, but she knew they'd used it for a reason. Staying here all this time wasn't part of their plan; something must have forced them into it.
She sighed and tried to gather her thoughts and feelings. She just couldn't take it all in; it felt like her heart was about to explode. She stared at them for the longest time, unable to believe she'd actually made it to this point.
"L... please don't cry." The voices of her parents broke through her daze.
She wiped at her cheeks and saw the tears. She hadn't realised she was crying until then. She sniffled and pushed her feelings down for the moment.
"Right, how do we get them out of there?"
She was talking more to herself than actually expecting an answer.
"Leave it to us."
To her surprise, it was her parents who were the ones to respond. They didn't elaborate, but no sooner had they said it than the bubble began to move. L stepped back and watched it cautiously. It wasn't just moving, it was expanding and she suddenly realised what was happening.
"Stay where you are." She instructed Robbie and Bryce, who she was sure were about to pull her back.
They didn't argue, but she felt the pressure of their stares, urging her to be careful. She wasn't sure what would happen, but she trusted her instincts and her parents.
The bubble reached her first, and L let it envelop her without a fight. A warm breeze swept around her, and when it died down, she was standing on the inside. Her parents were staring back at her, eyes wide open, tears falling down their faces. L struggled to breathe past the lump in her throat. All she could do was stare back.
She was vaguely aware of Robbie and Bryce joining them, both of whom came to stand by her. She embraced their support, but her eyes were fixed on her parents. They were sitting on the ground, a little slumped, but they seemed to be okay. There were no visible injuries or any obvious reason as to why they'd placed themselves in this bubble.
"L..." Her mum spoke, and her voice cracked.
A sob escaped her, and she pulled herself forward slightly on the ground.
"What's wrong? Can't you move?"
Were the only words L could seem to find herself saying.
"We're just weak. We've been holding this stasis chamber for a very long time." Her dad explained, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Why?" L couldn't stop the questions.
She'd had so much she wanted to say to her parents, but now that she was here, she couldn't get it out.
"When we tried to leave, a creature with an unusual power stopped us. We tried to fight it, but it would transport us to a new part of Paguea and stop us from finding the nexus."
"When we realised we wouldn't be able to get back to you, we decided we needed to survive this place for as long as possible. Maybe we could think of a way out in time."
"We just hadn't realised how much time had passed."
They both stared at her, and fresh tears started to fall. L wanted to go to them, hug them, and reunite like she'd seen families do on TV. But she couldn't move her feet. Her emotions were about to explode everywhere. All she could think to do was ask more questions.
"When you left me that day... did you think about what kind of life I would have?"
They seemed to expect her question and nodded their heads.
"We thought about it long and hard. We knew it wasn't guaranteed that you'd live a peaceful life, but we'd hoped it would be a good one. And it would certainly be safer than a childhood as a Keeper. We didn't want you to grow up as a child on the run."
"And yet, that's exactly what I had." L clapped her hands together.
Her parents looked confused. "What do you mean?"
L swallowed against the lump, forcing her emotions into check.
"I ended up moving from foster home to foster home. I couldn't stay in those places, I hated it. Nothing ever felt real, or the family rejected me for being weird. But I could tell deep down that they wouldn't be my home anyway." She'd made peace with her childhood, but for some reason, she needed them to know about it all. "Oh, and I was almost abducted by a Demon when I was young... he actually came back years later to try and finish the job."
L's parents were transfixed, their expressions caught somewhere between horror and guilt.
"L... we're sorry. We could never have predicted that... agh, we should have been there!" Her mum's voice was laced with hurt and anger.
"We tried to come back for you the moment we spoke to the Jadavah. We fought with that creature for weeks, until we could barely move. I promise you, we've never regretted any decision more than we regretted leaving you."
L heard the sincerity in her dad's voice, and although she thought she'd left her anger at her parents behind, some of it must have held.
"I wouldn't have minded growing up on the run, as long as I could have been with you. As long as we could have been a family." L pushed away the tears that were trying to force themselves out.
Her mum was sobbing again, and her dad was staring at the ground. They'd really been left with an impossible decision, and though they'd thought it was right at the time, it didn't stop L from resenting it.
"Please forgive us, L. Please."
L closed her eyes, digging deep to figure out just what she was feeling. She was angry at them, but she was angrier about the situation and how they'd all been lied to. Their decision had been for nothing; her growing up alone had been for nothing in the end.
"Tell me something," L began, and she wasn't sure how she would feel hearing the answer.
"Alright, go ahead."
"If you could go back, knowing what you know now. Would you still choose to do what you did? Would you still leave me?"
She waited with baited breath, watching her parents peer at each other.
"No, we wouldn't." They answered in unison.
"We would find a way to keep you safe and spread the news that the prophecy was false. We would bring you up as a Keeper and teach you everything ourselves. It's what we always wanted... and never..."
L's mum started to sob uncontrollably, and her dad dragged himself closer to hold her. He rubbed her shoulders and took a moment to wipe away his own tears. The pain in their expressions struck L's chest with a heavy blow. The last vestiges of her childhood doubts were finally being squashed for good. Most foster kids think about how their parents just didn't want them, at some point in their lives. And despite everything L had seen and heard about her parents, she couldn't help holding onto hers.
She took a deep breath and felt as if a weight had been lifted from her heart. She walked forward slowly and kneeled down in front of her parents. They both looked up at her, and she bit her lips together. She wanted to maintain her composure and stay cool. She didn't want to break down, but she'd waited for this moment her whole life. She had so much she still wanted to know but some things were more pressing.
"Even after what's happened, all the time that's passed... You'd still... want me as your daughter?" Her voice broke on the word daughter.
She held their gaze, her heart pounded in her chest, and she squeezed her hands to keep them from shaking.
"Oh, L. Of course we do, but..." her mum paused. She glanced to her dad, who nodded as though telling her to go on. "Do you still want us as parents? We've done a pretty bad job so far and we understand the anger and disappointment you must feel towards us."
L let out a short laugh when she finished. It was like talking to an older version of herself. Her parents seemed surprised by her response, and it occurred to her that they might think she was laughing at their question.
She suddenly found herself pulling them into a hug, a back breaking, soul soothing hug that was reciprocated immediately. Her parents held her so tightly L felt like they'd break something on a weaker person.
"Mum... Dad..." She whispered to them for the first time and felt them both kiss the sides of her head.
She let the tears flow now, happy and sad, all were the same as she let the moment overcome her. She'd waited long enough and she wasn't going to let anything stand in the way of her enjoying every millisecond of it.
Time was of no concern. She just wanted to stay in this hug while her parents whispered how much they loved and missed her; how they wished they'd watched her grow up with their own eyes. L told them of all the homes she'd been in and how they'd treated her, how she'd fought and ran, how she held onto the note and the blanket all this time.
She told them of her life in Mullfield and of meeting Robbie and his parents, who were the closest thing she'd ever had to a family.
"Ah, so that's who this young man is." Her dad sat straighter and finally addressed the guys.
L sniffled and turned around, but she refused to let go of either parent, keeping herself seated between the two of them.
Robbie stepped forward, wiping at his eyes. "It's nice to finally meet the two of you in person."
"Thank you... to you and your parents for taking care of L when we couldn't." L's mum's tone was soft and full of appreciation.
"We'll never be able to describe how grateful we are that she found such kind people. We believe Keepers should have good relations with humans as well as the Supernatural community." L's dad sounded like he was giving a lecture on the topic.
L tilted her head up to her parents, the smile never leaving her face. "Actually, there's something you might like to know."
She gestured to Robbie, who took the hint, though he seemed to grow a little awkward.
"I'm not a human... I'm a Dragon."
The silence was almost deafening, and L could tell her parents were stunned.
"Fascinating! I never thought I'd see the Dragons resurrected in my lifetime. How did that happen? How did you discover it?"
L's dad bombarded Robbie with questions, which he answered with L's help. They recounted the story of the Awakening and their shared experience of learning his abilities.
"L... you had to endure all of that?" L's mum brought the subject back around, more interested in her daughter than the existence of Dragons.
L couldn't help feeling a little happy about that. She was the centre of her parents' attention. That was something everyone else seemed to have experienced while she was growing up, and now she was finally living it as well.
"Yes, a lot happened in my past and then even more once Bryce found me."
Their attention briefly turned to Bryce, who bowed his head to them.
"Ah, Prince Brycathlen- no, you prefer Bryce, of course. I apologise." L's dad bowed his head back to Bryce.
L found the motion a little peculiar until she remembered that her parents didn't have the best relationship with the Elves.
"It's fine, I don't mind."
Her dad gave him a cursory glance, and L was suddenly struck with the thought that she might have to explain her relationship with Bryce to her parents. The thought made her giggle, and everyone's eyes turned on her. She scrunched her face, but she couldn't hide the pure joy her thoughts were giving her.
"Are you alright?" L's mum asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
L sighed deeply at how motherly that touch felt. "I'm great, really and truly great."
L's mum beamed down at her, her hand still gripping L's shoulder.
"As for the other things you said," L's dad began, a querying look on his face. "Tell us how you came to be in the company of the Crowned Prince of the Elves." His voice was short but concerned.
L peered up at Bryce, who gave an imperceptible nod. He was ready for her to explain everything if she wanted to.
She took a deep breath and gave them a quick rundown of everything that had happened to her since meeting Bryce. From the bases, to the Council, to Edra and the secrets she'd unearthed. The Demons and the battles, the dangers, but also the friendships and alliances she'd made. She stopped thanks to a tickly cough about halfway through, and Bryce stepped forward with a drink of water from his bag. She took a sip and thanked him before continuing her story.
She caught a look pass between her parents and tried to hide her smile- she would get to that part soon. She told them about the battle with Frallica and how she thought she'd died. She also explained everything she'd learned since becoming a Keeper, how she'd accessed the journal, and the many things that happened since starting out on that journey.
She downplayed the danger levels a little after it looked like her mum might throw up when she mentioned she may have died. Afterwards, she spoke of her closest friendships with Robbie and Bryce. How she probably wouldn't be there right now without them.
"Yes, about that..." L's dad began, his gaze passing between L and Bryce.
L felt her cheeks flush, and she watched Bryce stand straighter, his expression solemn.
"Is there something more going on between the two of you?" L's mum asked quietly next to L's ear.
She tilted her head to look up at her mum and slowly nodded. Her mum's face broke into a grin, and she whispered, though they all knew it was unnecessary.
"He seems to be a good match for you; intelligent, protective, funny, and quite handsome. Good for you."
L grinned, but their mother-daughter moment was cut short by her dad clearing his throat.
"Excuse me, I don't know about that."
He turned to stare at Bryce, and even from his seated position, he was quite a striking presence.
"Do you think you are a good match for my daughter, Bryce?"
L's eyes grew wide. There was something about the way he asked that made her feel like she belonged there, as their daughter. Like they'd always been a family, and he'd always tried to be protective of her. She couldn't stop staring between them while she let her emotions take control.
Bryce held her dad's gaze for a moment and then looked to L.
"No, I don't think I am. I do not deserve L. She is too good for me, sir." His tone was so serious that it was clear he truly felt that way.
L felt her chest swelling as she stared back at him. She was about to tell him how ridiculous he was, but he held a hand up.
"But, I hope to one day be good enough for her, and I will try my hardest to make that happen. No matter what it takes. I would move the earth, I would give my life, I would do anything to make her life just that little bit better."
Silence followed his words, and L knew she'd catch Robbie gagging if she could tear her eyes away. But they were glued to Bryce's, and she felt like her heart might start beating out of her chest again. She was brought back to reality when her dad made a noise that sounded suspicuously like a fake cough. He gave her a surveying look over his glasses, and she smirked, knowing he could hear her heart beating erratically.
"Well," L's dad turned to Bryce again. "Your voice didn't waver. Your heart was beating steadily. There were no obvious indicators of deception. I think you believe you're telling the truth, I just hope you can prove true to your words."
"I swear it to the both of you." Bryce bowed his head to her parents.
They seemed satisfied, and their attention returned to L, hugging her close to them again.
"I'm sorry we weren't also there to help you through all of that."
"It's alright, you prepared me as best you could." L tried to reassure them.
"That's not good enough. We should have been there in person to fight by your side."
L shook her head, "At least you were safe here, and now we can go back and fight together."
Her parents exchanged a worrying look, and L stared between the two of them.
"What's wrong?"
"L, we..." Her mum started but she couldn't finish, and fresh tears began to fall.
L sat up to face them. The panic started to set in now, looking between their saddened expressions.
"What is it?"
There was no answer for the longest moment, and she felt both of their hands gripping her shoulders more tightly.
"We can't go back, L." Her dad mustered the courage to finally tell her.
"What do you mean? That creature? I'm sure between us we can find a way to get past it. It might not even be there anymore since we got through without encountering it."
L's dad shook his head, "No, it's not just the creature. Sweetheart, we're too weak. The moment we leave this bubble, we will..." He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
L didn't need him to. She knew what he was trying to say, and she didn't want to hear it spoken out loud. She was scrambling for a way to fix this. She couldn't lose them, not now.
"Can't we take the bubble with us? We can find a way to get you out safely once we get back to our world. I'll give you some of my strength."
They both smiled sadly, and L's mum placed a kiss on the top of her head.
"It wouldn't help. We've imbued ourselves into the bubble, and it won't last much longer."
"We've been holding on just for you, waiting to meet you. We've pushed ourselves beyond anything our bodies should be able to handle." L's mum pulled her into a hug and cried into her hair.
L shook her head, "This can't be. I've just got you back, and we've barely had any time. It's too soon."
Her dad let out a quiet sob, and L felt herself breaking. She let the tears fall, and the ache in her heart overcame her. She turned and hid between her parents, crying with them, feeling the pain crash over her again and again. How could this be happening? How could she lose them twice in one lifetime? This wasn't right; there had to be a way. She couldn't accept that this was the end.
"We still have some time, we should spend it wisely." L's dad spoke softly.
"Yes, is there anything you'd like to know?" L's mum continued.
L knew they were trying to distract her from the grief, and she wanted to argue, to wallow in her feelings, but she had to face it. She may not get another chance.
"What do you do to deal with the headaches from information overload?" L sniffled, unsure why that was her first question.
Her parents smiled, and each reached for the sides of her temples. L felt a warm sensation pass through her head, and she instantly felt calmer.
"Use a little heat magic on your temples, and it should ease," her mum followed it up with a kiss to her forehead.
L felt like her worries were starting to melt, and she pushed her mind through the grief. There were a few things she wanted to discuss that she hadn't been able to speak about with anyone else.
"Is there a way I can pass on my knowledge to you? I have some new things and I'd love for you to see it all."
Her parents looked at her with so much pride, L felt the blush burning her whole face.
"Of course, we'd love that. Here, give me your hand." Her dad took her hand in his and placed the other in her mum's. "Pick out the information you'd like to share from your stockpile, and imagine handing it to us."
"That's it?" L's eyes widened and she passed the knowledge over to them.
"Yes."
Her parents laughed, and her mum squeezed her hand gently.
"That's all it takes for Keepers to share what they know... and this is some amazing detail, L. You did a fantastic job."
L saw a familiar look on her mum's face and realised she was looking through her knowledge store.
Her dad finished quicker, a proud smile on his face. "Our daughter has become a gifted Keeper."
L felt like she couldn't breathe again. She was so overwhelmed with emotions. Her parents seemed to understand, both squeezing her hands.
"It actually used to be tricky to share things even between Keepers, but we managed to come up with a new way several decades ago."
L tilted her head, "Decades? So, were you taught these skills as kids? Would I have been taught young as well?"
Her parents' expressions turned to confusion.
"No, we were there and participated in tests to find a new method."
L looked at her parents, really looked and shook her head.
"You wouldn't have been born several decades ago."
Their confusion only deepened, and they grew serious.
"L, show us what you know about Keepers."
L frowned, but she 'handed' them the knowledge she had on Keepers, which she had to admit wasn't nearly as much as she had on other species.
"What the hell?" Her mum suddenly burst out, and L had to laugh.
It was the first time she'd seen some real fire from her mum, like the kind she'd seen in the visions. She'd wondered if it had been extinguished with their strength.
"What's wrong?"
"This isn't all of the knowledge on Keepers. There's so much missing. What happened?"
Her mum turned to her dad, who was rubbing his chin in thought.
"There must have been an issue with the knowledge stock when we were transferring it. L, I'm so sorry, there should be more."
L shrugged, "It's fine, it's not your fault. I've gotten along alright without it."
L's mum shook her head, "No, but you should know who you are, your history... basic things, like how long you're going to live."
L faltered at that, staring between the two of them.
"How long... what?"
"Keepers live very long lives, L. It helps in our line of work and seems to be a byproduct of all of our abilities. That's how we were there decades ago to test the new transfer method and why we haven't aged in the last century or so. The ageing process slows dramatically when you reach adulthood."
"However, we don't actually know our age since we don't know how long we've been in here." L's dad peered down at her. "You must be around twenty... maybe twenty-five now, right?"
L shrugged, "I don't know my actual birthday, but the duplicates seemed to keep a rough record of my age when they took me to the next home. I'm definitely not twenty, though. Look at me."
Her parents looked stricken.
"You don't even know your... birthday," L's mum sniffled and hugged L tightly. "You were born on the twenty-third of May, nineteen eighty-eight. It was a warm, rainy day, and the Nature Sprites nearby made a rainbow in the sky to mark your birth. We were on the run and had to leave immediately, but we couldn't not mark it somehow."
L felt like she'd been smacked in the head.
"Wait? Eighty-eight? No, that can't be, I've only just stopped going to high school. I was an eighteen year old not long ago."
Her parents exchanged a slightly amused look.
"What year is it?"
L almost choked, "It's two thousand and nineteen."
They seemed to find this even more amusing.
"I'm sorry you had to find out like this, but don't worry, by Keeper standards, you're barely more than a teenager. You'd still be living at home with us and going to school..." Her mum trailed off, all amusement gone and replaced with the pain of a life that never was.
L could feel the hurt even through her shock. She stared down at her mum's hand in hers, squeezing it gently.
"I can't believe this, I've always wanted to know, but I didn't think it would age me several years. And what about... my name, is it really L?"
Her parents shared a soft smile, "We decided to leave that to you. We always wanted to give you the freedom we couldn't offer, and giving you the choice of a name seemed like a small but significant gift."
L was surprised to realise how honoured she felt by their gesture. She was sure a great number of people out there hated their names, and many even changed them. She hadn't considered it until now, but she quite liked being L.
"Then my name is L."
Her parents smiled and hugged her closer, and she wished she could stay like this forever. She didn't want to think about what came next. She just wanted to talk with them until the end of time, which might have been a possibility considering her newly discovered lifespan. She sighed and leaned into them, enjoying the moment of just being with them. They stroked her hair and whispered how proud they were. How much they loved her, over and over, until she was sure she had the memory engraved into her brain- just how she wanted it.
There was something that had been bugging L however, since they'd spoken with the Jadavah. She'd tried to prolong their nicer subjects for too long now, and she knew they'd have to come back to reality at some point.
"I'd still like to know how we got to this point. Did you ever figure out who might be behind the fake prophecy?"
Her parents slowly shook their heads, "No, we haven't been able to come up with any Demon clever enough to do that. And we haven't been able to leave to investigate either."
L pursed her lips, this was something they needed to know because whichever one it was, was likely still out there somewhere.
Suddenly, something moved outside of the bubble and everyone was immediately on guard.
"I suppose this is where I should introduce myself."