ONE MONTH LATER

"I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT."

"That's the tough thing about therapy, Maisie." Mabel says slowly, "Sometimes you have to talk about the things you want to ignore."

Slowly, Maisie looks up to look Mabel in the eye. Mabel is a 40-something woman who looks sorta like Eliza. Maisie doesn't know if that's a good thing or not. She went to her when she first arrived in California but after a couple months, she didn't find it necessary any more. At her last appointment, she joked that she would probably be back at some point. She didn't want that to actually be true.

Maisie loves her therapist 95% of the time. That 5% where she doesn't is in moments like this.

"I just— I don't know why I'm so stuck? It doesn't make sense. It's been a month. Like I walked away fine. I didn't die... and I didn't even know the guy who did. Don't you think I should've just gotten over it at this point? Everyone else has."

Mabel sighs, "You didn't walk away fine."

Maisie looks down at the scar on her arm. The stitches have since been removed and she can barely feel it anymore but— for some reason— it still hurts. "It's just a scar."

"Maisie," Mabel states, "Someone ran at you with a knife. That's not something you get over in a month."

She bites the inside of her cheek as her eyes trace every detail of the wound. It's healed really well. It's only a thin, slightly raised pink line that goes from her elbow to her palm. At first, she covered it. Now, there's enough scar tissue to protect it from people's eyes.

"And Kwon's death wasn't the only thing that happened during that tournament." Mabel says, "You unexpectedly ran into Axel— who raised a million memories you worked to bury, Silver appeared and hurt you and reminded you of what you went through, your dad showed up as well to haunt you. You fought your best friend, physically and verbally. Someone broke your rib and your cheekbone. Hell, you got stuck in an elevator! This isn't going to be fixed in 8 therapy sessions."

Maisie finds herself chuckling at Mabel's final example, knowing that wasn't nearly as traumatic as the rest of her examples. "I just wish I didn't feel it so much, you know? I wish I didn't feel things like this."

Mabel is silent for a beat, examining Maisie's expression. Slowly, she nods, "Okay, we don't have to talk about Kwon today. But, I want to talk about what happened afterwards. After the hospital."

"I went and stayed with Axel." Maisie recalls, a tiny bit of the weight on her chest lifting at the sound of his name.

"Why did you go to him?" Mabel asks kindly, "You had this entire team of your closest friends who had just gone through the exact same thing and they were welcoming you to mourn with them. What was in your mind that encouraged you to make the decision to see him instead?"

"He was who I wanted." Maisie states simply with a shrug, "Even at the hospital when I was with my grandparents— who I know will protect me, and advocate for me and keep me safe... I still felt like I couldn't breathe until I was with him."

"What did you guys do? Did you talk?"

Maisie shakes her head, "Not about Kwon. We both just wanted to forget about it for a bit."

"Have you talked about it since?"

Once again, Maisie shakes her head, "No."

"You're on facetime with him for 23 hours of the day." Mabel says, amusement lacing her tone, "And you still haven't talked about it?"

Maisie chuckles, "Not 23 hours."

"Well, pretty damn close."

The girl smiles as she sorts out her response, "It's a tough conversation to have over the phone. And Axel... he doesn't like to talk about things the way I do. I guess when I bring it up eventually, I don't want to just have to... hang up after, you know?"

"I understand." Mabel replies after a beat, "So you stayed with him that night?"

"And the whole next day." Maisie replies, "We watched movies— Tangled, specifically. And just kept each other company."

"That's how things usually go with you 2, right? Quiet?"

"He's just— Axel is calming for me. He brings me peace. It's like... it's like all the mumbling of the memories and the flashbacks just go silent when he's near me."

"Are things always slow with you and him?"

Maisie shrugs a shoulder, "Sorta. But not in a bad way. I still get so excited to be around him. I— like— light up when I see him. When his name shows up on my phone, I feel like a kid. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect sense." Mabel replies, "Did you talk to him today?"

"Yeah." She says, "We've got a pretty good schedule down."

"What's that like?"

"I call him when I wake up and get ready for school while he gets ready for bed after training. Then, I'm at school while he's sleeping. He calls me when he wakes up and I get out of school. We talk for most of the evening, which is his morning. We usually do homework at the same time or whatever. As he gets ready for training, I get ready for bed. Then I sleep while he trains and the routine starts again."

Mabel smiles, "That sounds like 23 hours of the day."

Maisie finds herself laughing as she shakes her head, "Sometimes I worry that he'll get sick of me but whenever I don't call, he spams me until I pick up."

"He sounds very special to you."

"He is." Maisie replies.

"What was saying goodbye like?"

"It was okay." Maisie responds, "It's not really goodbye. I mean, he texted me like 5 minutes after I left. And I guess after 4 years apart, different continents doesn't feel like much. Especially when we still have constant contact."

Mabel nods, "What about your team? Have you seen them recently?"

"I see them at school." She answers, "Eli and I have the exact same schedule and Demetri is in most of our classes too. I have classes with Miguel as well, and we see Robby and Sam during lunch and stuff. Then we all have a free period together with Devon and Kenny somehow, so that's fun."

"What about Tory?"

Maisie breath hitches. She tries to play it off but Mabel sees the way she diverts her eyes, "We... still haven't talked since the fight... s. Plural."

"How has it been adjusting to classes without her?"

"I didn't have to do anything." Maisie scoffs, "She avoids me like I'm the plague. And even if she didn't... I don't know what I'm supposed to say to her. I'm not apologizing first this time."

Mabel swallows as she nods, her voice more hesitant than before, "And karate? Still confident in your decision?"

"I never want to do karate again."

The older woman nods slowly, "What do you think is the main reason you feel that way?"

Maisie internally scoffs at the question, what isn't a reason? "Silver, mostly. What he did to me, the All-Valley. I turned into a monster while fighting because of him. And just... so much bad has happened because of that sport. To me and the people I love. We went to Barcelona for a competition and left with long-lasting trauma."

"Do you also think you're ready for a fresh start?"

She nods, "Definitely. I hate the way it ended so abruptly but I think it may be better this way. If I lost to Zara in the finals, I would've never been able to let it go. If Silver and my dad won again... I'd be stuck carrying them with me forever. At least this way, no one won."

Mabel studies her expression, trying to find the truth. "I want you to say 5 positive memories that karate brought you. And I want you to focus on those when you think of the sport."

"All of them are tainted. They may be positive, but Silver is always in the back."

"Ignore the baggage." Mabel says, "Think of how you felt in that moment, not the consequences or what came before it."

Maisie's quiet for a beat, trying to put her memories in proper order. "Uh— when I first started training with Johnny and Miguel. The first time we made Johnny break and actually mess around with us was a few days after I started. I landed a roundhouse kick to Miguel's face. Neither of them were expecting it. That was pretty funny."

"Good." Mabel nods, "What's next?"

"Training with Tory at Cobra Kai. But before Silver came. We would just talk while throwing kicks. She was my first female friend in the Valley. Before that, I went like 2 years without gossiping. It was horrible." Maisie grins.

Mabel smiles, "What's next?"

"The All-Valley." She mumbles, "Nobody scored a point on me for the entire competition, even the finals. And not because it was rigged, either. My defense was on point. No one had an opportunity to score on me. And I fought clean, and I fought fair, even though Silver wanted me to cheat. He paid for me to win but I didn't even need it. I won by myself."

"That's a good memory."

Maisie nods. This is where things start to go wrong. The new Cobra Kai dojo opening, Sekai Taikai admissions, Silver deteriorating. She decides to skip over a few months to her time at Miyagi-Do, around the time when the staring started to die down. "Getting picked first for the Sekai Taikai. My spot wasn't bought. I competed for it, Sensei Barnes noticed and picked me."

"That felt good, didn't it? To be chosen by someone with an objective view?"

"Yeah." Maisie says, "He didn't know my past. He didn't know where I came from. He just saw me fight and decided that I deserved it. For the first time, it kinda felt like everything I went through had a purpose."

Mabel nods, "And your last memory?"

"That one night in Barcelona." Maisie says after a second, recalling her night out, "We had just won the platform fight, meaning we were staying in the competition. We got drinks at a bar and everything felt... right. I was good with Tory and the team, I had Axel back in my life, and Silver and my dad hadn't shown up yet."

"That was the night on the beach with Axel, wasn't it?"

Maisie hums, "That was when things felt like they were back to normal. I didn't really realize how much I was missing him until I was back with him."

"I've taken notice that most things tend to come back to him."

She smiles while nodding, "I think I like it that way."

———

The second Maisie closes her car door, her phone starts to ring. She picks it up without even looking, knowing exactly who it is, "Hi!"

"Hi, Maze," Axel replies, "Did I time it right for once?"

"For the first time ever." She says as she starts the 30 minute drive home, "I just got in the car."

Axel nods, asking her about school. She tells him that it was good, even though it wasn't. He lets her lie about it, knowing she'll be ready to address it eventually.

It's no secret amongst everyone that Maisie has been struggling since their return from Barcelona. Not sleeping, forgetting to eat, tuning out or just being overall sad. She wishes that she was okay. Everyone else is. Why isn't she?

Everytime she closes her eyes, she sees Kwon, or Silver, or her dad. She can hear Silver's cackle at her every step. For the first time in years, her dad's voice is crystal clear in her head.

( "Don't you want to hit me back for once?" )

Sometimes, Maisie wishes she had. But most of the time, she's proud of herself for walking away. She didn't buy into his games, she didn't give him the pleasure of her attention. She just turned on her heel and walked away. It's now up to her to let go. He doesn't have a hold on her anymore.

Silver, however, still has his hand grasped around her neck. Every movement feels like his. She still feels like she's his property. Sometimes, she thinks she's ridiculous for feeling like this, for allowing a man to have such a hold over her. But then she remembers everything he did to her, and suddenly she doesn't feel so guilty.

When Maisie is only 5 minutes from home, Axel asks, "What are you doing the next few weeks?"

She shrugs, stopping at a red light. She glances down at her phone that sits in the cupholder. Axel sits at his desk, looking at something on his laptop screen that his phone leans against. He's got a fuzzy blanket thrown over his shoulders and his hair is sticking up in multiple directions, the boy having just finally got out of bed. "2 weeks of tutorials. All lessons are done so it's just work periods and exam prep. Why?"

Axel leans back in his chair, "Would you want to take a trip out of California?"

A smile starts to grow on her face, "Depends. To where?"

"Meet me halfway?"

Her grin grows, "Croatia?"

"If you can. I know graduation is soon."

"My average is a 97 and all my term work is handed in. I'd just have to do some studying in my free time." She replies bluntly, "Do you think you can get away from Wolf?"

"Definitely." He replies, "We aren't training for anything right now. And I still have 2 more grandparents I can fake kill before he starts to get suspicious."

Maisie giggles as she pulls into her neighbourhood, "My grandparents won't have a problem with it. When do you think we can go?"

Axel thinks about it for a second before letting out a puff of air, "Is tomorrow too soon?"

"I think you should talk to Wolf first." She says, pushing down the desire to immediately agree and get on the first flight to Croatia, "Call me tonight after training. If you can get a couple days off, then I'll book a ticket."

Maisie glances down at her phone to see Axel grinning like a kid. Slowly, he leans forwards, resting his arms on his desk, "Can you handle a day of travel alone?"

She bites the inside of her cheek. She usually hates travelling. She gets overwhelmed and anxious, always leaning on the people around her to direct her where she's supposed to go. Right now, she can't imagine even driving to the airport, let alone going halfway across the world.

Some days, Maisie barely makes it to school. She smiles through it because no one truly knows how bad it is. She had her first panic attack 2 days after returning from Barcelona. She was home alone, choking on nothing with tears streaming down her face. It was terrifying.

That's part of the reason why she's always on a call with Axel. She doesn't mean to be a clingy or obnoxious teenage girl in love. She just knows that if it happened again, he would know what to do, even 16 hours away.

Maisie gets teased by her friends at school because she mentioned once that she calls Axel a lot. She doesn't talk about him with her friends, or anyone really. It's like she's scared the peace he brings her will be corrupted.

And she knows the jokes come from a good place. Maisie understands that they don't fully get it. That they don't fully get her. And she doesn't hold that against them because she's the reason why things are that way.

She just doesn't know how to explain it to them. She doesn't know how to explain the feeling of calm that washes over her at the sound of his voice. She doesn't know how to explain the comfort he brings. The way he can still make her laugh on her worst days. The way he never forces her to talk about it but is always there if she's ready to open up. She doesn't know how to explain him. To Miyagi-Do, he's the enemy. And she gets that. But to Maisie, Axel's serenity.

On her good days, she can laugh about them with it. She acknowledges how crazy 6+ hours on facetime is every day. She recognizes how insane it is to only be able to fall asleep if he's there talking with her.

"I'll manage." Maisie says after a beat, "If it's you, Ana and Croatia waiting for me on the other side, I'll do it."

Axel tilts his head to the side as she speaks, recognizing the honesty of her words. He finds the natural urge to match it, "I miss you."

Maisie stops her car in the driveway, putting it in park before turning to her phone with a soft, genuine smile, "Nedostaješ mi (I miss you)."

His smile grows, "I will talk to Wolf soon. If it goes well, I am on a plane tomorrow."

"Okay," Maisie smiles, "Let me know."

He nods, a playful frown coming across his face when Maisie says she's got to go. Channeling his true state— a dramatic dog— Axel sighs, reluctantly telling her fine. He has to suppress his smile at the sound of her laughter. After a couple more minutes, they finally say goodbye, hanging up the phone. A tiny weight settles on both of their chests.

Maisie takes a deep breath before getting out of the car, heading into her house. The Cade house is dramatically large for 3 humans and a couple pets, but its size doesn't affect the vibe of the home. There's pictures on all the walls, paintings and artwork around every corner. The sound of some random hockey game echoes through the house from the left, combating Marion's soft music to the right. There's hundreds of pillows and blankets. There's dog and cat toys scattered on the floor, sunlight coming in through the windows. It doesn't feel empty or echoey like most mansions do.

She enters the house through the side door, locating her grandparents quickly. Marion sits in the living room, Penny beside her and a Criminal Minds episode on the TV. Toby is probably in his den, a sporting event on the TV and a book of sudoku puzzles in his lap.

"How did it go, Bear?" Toby shouts.

The main form of communication between the family is shouting, as everyone's favourite rooms are on opposite sides of the house, and Toby doesn't check his phone enough for a group chat to be effective. There is an old intercom system in the house, but Maisie and Toby aren't allowed to use it unless it's an emergency. Turns out Marion didn't enjoy waking up to the pair singing Laufey lyrics back and forth at 7 in the morning.

"Fine." She yells back, dropping her keys and wallet onto the kitchen counter, placing her bag in its spot on the floor near the door. "Grandpa, can you come to the living room? I've got something to ask you guys!"

"What?"

Maisie sighs, raising her voice, "Living room!"

"Oh!" He shouts, "One minute!"

The girl finds her way into the living room, laying down on the couch beside her grandma. She drops her head in her lap, letting out a soft sigh as exhaustion settles in her bones. She's tired of moving, she's tired of talking. She just wants to sleep away the voices and the taunts and the memories.

"What's got you huffing, Doll?" Marion asks, turning down the TV.

Maisie doesn't respond at first, her eyes unfocused, trained on the screen. "Nothing."

Marion runs her fingers through Maisie's hair, speaking gently, "You're lying, dear."

"I don't know." Maisie mumbles, "Just tired, I guess."

Before Marion can say anything else, Toby runs into the room, throwing himself into the chair across from the 2 women. "What's up, Maze?"

Maisie sits up, "Can I go to Croatia?"

Marion and Toby sit in silence for a second, sharing a look before shrugging, Toby saying, "Sure."

The brunette frowns for a beat, "Really?"

"Did you think we would say no?" Marion asks.

"I just thought it would take a bit more convincing."

Toby shrugs, "Book the ticket."

Slowly, Maisie looks between her guardians, "You guys are serious?"

"Maisie," Marion starts, "The last 2 months— no, the last 2 years have been so crappy for you. You have a 4.0 GPA. You've got 2 weeks before graduation. Get your ass on a plane to Croatia— I'm gonna assume— to go see Axel and his grandma."

"Seriously, kid." Toby says, "Your last vacation didn't go as planned. So go on one that doesn't involve karate."

A smile starts to grow on Maisie's face but she shrugs, trying to feign indifference in case things fall through, "Axel's got to talk to his sensei first. But if things work out... I'm out of here tomorrow."

Toby claps while Marion grins, patting Maisie's leg, "Do you have the outfits for Croatia?"

Maisie chuckles, pulling out her phone from her pocket as it starts to ring, "I'll figure it out."

She glances down, seeing a number that she doesn't have saved. With a sigh, she picks up the phone, putting it on speaker, "Hello?"

"Hi. I'm Coach Lyle Williams with the Reseda Soccer Club. Is this Maisie Cade?"

Maisie's heart plummets. Tory put her on as an emergency contact for Brandon at his school and soccer club. Nervously, she replies, "Yes, it is."

"You're listed here as a secondary contact for Brandon Nichols?"

"I am. Is he okay?"

"Oh! Yes, he's fine." Lyle rushes out, realizing that the teen was expecting bad news, "We're training at a different time than normal today and Tory hasn't been by to pick up Brandon. Brandon just let me know that he forgot to tell her about the time change. It's been 30 minutes but I understand she's very busy and can't check her phone at work. Is there any way you could come pick him up?"

Maisie smiles slightly at the situation, glad the boy is okay but finding it funny that he forgot to tell Tory about the time change. She's going to be angry when she finds out. "Definitely. I can be there in like 10 minutes, if that's okay?"

"That's perfect. Thank you. I'm sorry for calling so suddenly."

"No, that's fine." Maisie says, standing up from the couch, "I'm glad you called."

"We're just outside the door so I'll see when you pull up."

"Great, I'll be right there." Maisie bids him goodbye before hanging up the phone, turning to her grandparents, "Be back in a bit."

Toby nods while Marion asks, "What time does Tory get off work?"

"7." Maisie answers, "Brandon usually isn't done until 7:30 but they must've had the earlier slot instead."

"Bring him here if you want. I don't want him home on his own."

Maisie nods as she heads to the door, "Got it!"

As she heads to the car, she sends Tory a text— the first one since Barcelona. She simply tells her that she's going to get Brandon and that she should give her a call when she sees the message. She knows Tory won't get an opportunity to look at her phone for another hour and she won't get off until 30 minutes later but she doesn't want her to stress when she sees the missed calls. She also texts Axel to let him know that she's good on her end.

It takes Maisie all of 10 minutes before she's pulling up out front of the indoor soccer arena. She climbs out of the car, a genuine grin growing on her face when Brandon bounds out the door, running towards her. She bends down so he can jump into her arms, "Maisie!"

She picks him up, spinning him in a circle before placing him back down, "Hey, Bran. How was practice?"

"Good!" He says with a toothy grin, looking up at her, "I'm sorry for not telling Tory about the time change."

"It's okay." Maisie says, "Just a small mistake."

"That I'll never make again."

Maisie smiles, "That's why mistakes are so important, right?"

He nods strongly. Maisie knows his mom used to say that to him.

"Thanks again for coming to get him."

Maisie looks up to see Lyle and another boy— presumably his son— walking up to the pair. She smiles at him kindly, "Thank you for waiting. And I am glad you called. I haven't had an opportunity to see Brandon in like 2 months."

Lyle nods with a grin, thanking her again before heading off with his son towards their car. Maisie takes Brandon's bag, putting it in the trunk before turning to him. "Do you want to go pick up dinner? We could go back to my house and you can see Sid."

Brandon grins with a nod, getting into the backseat of the car. Brandon's a good kid, very well adjusted despite the life he has lived so far. Maisie obviously doesn't have siblings. She thinks the closest she has is Devon and Hawk but she doesn't know if that counts. But if she did have a little brother, she thinks it would be like hanging out with Brandon.

"Where do you want to go?"

He thinks about it for a second, "Can we get In-N-Out?"

Maisie nods with a smile, starting the car. On the drive to the restaurant, she listens as he talks about school. He got 100% on his last math test, he made the basketball team and beat his teacher in dodgeball. He says he has a crush on this girl from his soccer team, Charlie. When he asks Maisie if she has a crush, she laughs nervously, avoiding the question by saying, "Something like that."

On the drive home after picking up food, Brandon breaks the silence, "Why haven't you been around my house?"

Maisie's breath hitches as she scratches her arm, "Tory and I are a little upset with each other right now. We just needed a bit of space."

He furrows his eyebrows, "Well what happened?"

She fumbles for a response, "You know that karate competition we were at?"

"Yeah?"

"We had to go against each other in the finals and we both got a bit carried away. Sh— we said some things that we didn't mean."

Concern fills Brandon's face, "But you'll make up, right?"

She bites her lip, glad he's sat behind her so he can't see her face. "I don't know, Bran. I hope so."

"She misses you." Brandon says, "She says she hates doing errands without you. And, yesterday! Do you know what I saw her doing?"

"What's that?"

"She was sitting on her bed. Looking at that framed picture of you guys."

Maisie's face softens. That was part of Tory's 18th birthday gift from Maisie. It's a photo Marion took of them a few months prior. In the picture, both of them are knocked out in Maisie's bed. Tory's blonde hair, which is scattered across the pillow, is contrasted by Maisie's dark hair which is weaved into a braid. Maisie's on her side, facing her while Tory is on her back, her head turned to her friend. They had fallen asleep talking.

She gulps, "How has your sister been doing?"

"Fine." Brandon shrugs, "She doesn't care about school anymore. Most of her time is spent taking care of me."

Maisie nods in understanding, looking up to glance at Brandon through the rear view mirror. "You know you can call me whenever you need? Even if your sister says she doesn't need help, there's always a chance that she does."

"I know." He says, "I try to help her but she doesn't like to accept it."

She smiles softly, mumbling his words back to him, "I know."

———

"So is this movie before or after the other ones?"

"Before, technically." Toby answers Brandon, "It's called a prequel. That little blond kid, that's Anakin when he was younger. It's meant to show his past and explain how he got to where he did."

Brandon turns to Maisie, "Do you get this?"

"Nah." She says with a sigh.

Roughly an hour and a half after getting food, Maisie, Toby and Brandon sit in the den, watching Star Wars on the TV. Maisie has her laptop open on her lap, looking up flights to Croatia after receiving a text from Axel saying that he is all good with Wolf. Getting a direct flight 24 hours before is basically impossible, so she's trying to decide the best city for a layover. Only, she hasn't booked a flight in forever, the website is lagging and the vision in her left eye is starting to get blurry.

Her injuries from Barcelona still aren't fully healed, meaning she's still occasionally in pain or dealing with side effects. Her ribs and the scar on her arm is mostly fine, the only problem being some pain in her ribs if she rolls over the wrong way. Her fractured cheekbone is healed but you can still see a bit of the bruise. Most days she covers it with concealer but if she doesn't, it's obvious enough. And there was some damage to her actual eye that she hasn't got checked out yet. The edges of her vision in her eye can get dark and her sight often gets blurry when she's tired or has been focusing for too long.

Maisie gets dropped from her thoughts as her phone starts to ring. She glances down, seeing Tory's contact photo light up her screen. She picks it up, walking out of the room and towards the kitchen, "Hello?"

"Maisie? Is Brandon okay? I've missed like a hundred calls—"

"He's fine." Maisie says as she leans her elbows on the kitchen counter, ignoring how weird it feels to hear Tory's voice after 4 weeks of silence, "Just head home from work. I'll drop him off, okay?"

Tory is silent for a while, as if she's deciding if she should say something more, or if she should just leave it.

Ultimately, Maisie makes the decision for her, "He'll be home in 20 minutes."

The blonde sighs through the phone, "Okay, thanks."

Maisie bids her goodbye before hanging up the phone, dropping it onto the counter. It was maybe a 30 second phone call, but it felt eternally longer. She rubs her eyes with the heels of her hands as she takes a few deep breaths.

"Was that Tory?"

She only slightly jumps up at the sound of her grandma's voice. As she settles back into the same position, she nods, "Yeah."

Marion leans on the counter across from her granddaughter, "You guys still haven't talked?"

Maisie shakes her head, "No, not yet. I don't think I'm ready to. Don't know what to say yet."

"It's a tough conversation to prepare for." Marion nods, "Remind me what she said again?"

"Well, she kicked my injuries that only she knew about. Then she accused me of being so focused on myself that I didn't realize she was struggling— which isn't true because I tried to get her to talk about it every day we were there. She brought up her mom, said I didn't get it. Said that I have been taken care of by rich men for my entire life and that I've never had to do something for myself. She called me spoiled... said she would've jumped at the chance to train with Silver the way I had." Maisie lists off everything casually, "She finished it off by saying that I trauma dump on everyone."

Marion winces as she looks at Maisie with wide eyes, "I did not get the full run-down in Barcelona."

A tiny, pathetic laugh slips past Maisie's lips, "It's not necessarily something I was wanting to re-live."

"Do you think you'll be able to forgive her?"

"Probably." Maisie mumbles, standing up straight, "I've never seemed to have issues forgiving everything else."

Marion opens her mouth to say something but Maisie shakes her head, cutting her off. She tells her grandma that she's going to take Brandon home. She doesn't want to talk about it. She doesn't want to talk about anything right now. She just— truthfully— wants to be left alone.

She gets Brandon from the den, the boy reluctantly parting from Sidney. She decides to take Max, her Irish Wolfhound for the drive so she has an excuse to not come in with Brandon, just in case he asks.

The drive is mostly quiet, the only noise being Brandon talking to Max under his breath. Maisie makes sure to stop at Chick-fil-A, picking up Tory's favourite meal for Brandon to give to her. They pull up outside the Nichols apartment building just as the sun begins to set. Tory appears immediately at the entrance of the courtyard, but she makes no attempt to approach the car. Maisie hugs Brandon tightly, telling him to call her if he needs anything. After he shuts the door, Maisie watches from her mirror as he walks up to his sister. Tory goes to take his soccer bag off his shoulder but before she can, Brandon hands her the bag of food instead. Maisie starts the car and pulls away as the realization crosses her face. By the time Tory looks back at where the black car was parked, any sign of Maisie is gone.

———

"This is crazy, you know that right?"

"I know." Axel replies with a smile, "We've done it before, though."

Maisie grins, "We did it with 24 hour notice when it was a 3 hour flight not a 14 hour flight."

Axel laughs, looking at Maisie through his screen. She sits beside Toby, both of them looking at her laptop intensely. Axel's flights were easy to book, as he's done this route many times but Maisie is stuck deciding the best course for her. Axel has a 12 hour flight from Hong Kong to Abu Dhabi, a 3 hour layover then an 8 hour flight from Abu Dhabi to Dubrovnik. At first Maisie found the numbers crazy, then she remembered he flies first class as well so she knows he'll be just fine.

"So you can do LAX to Heathrow which is 10 hours, with either a 2 hour layover or 6 hour layover, then 3 hours to Croatia. Or you can do LAX to Amsterdam, which is also 10 hours, with a 6 hour layover and a 2 and a half hour down to Dubrovnik." Toby explains all options, knowing that the shortest choice may not be the best for her.

"Have you been back to London since you moved?" Axel asks, making Maisie look over to her phone.

Maisie shakes her head, "No, not since I left." She thinks about it for a beat, turning to her grandpa, "Is 6 hours enough to get to Chelsea for a while and return?"

Toby nods, "It's about a 40 minute drive. Given time for that, customs and security, you could probably have 3 hours in the city?"

She sighs quietly as she rests her chin on the top of her knee, her legs tucked to her chest, "I haven't visited mom in 4 years..."

Toby takes a breath in realization, nodding again, "Do you want to do that? You could call that old driver of yours, see if he's around for the day?"

Both Maisie and Axel start laughing at the memory of Josh. Her dad had hired him to take her to dance everyday, but Maisie befriended him quickly, meaning he would always take Axel and Maisie wherever they wanted. Josh wasn't a fan of Andrew— though he would never admit it— so he was always willing to help her out.

"Is he not retired by now?" Axel asks, glancing up from the food he's cutting.

Maisie lets out a puff of air, "Probably. He was just waiting for me to get my licence first."

"Give him a call tomorrow." Toby suggests, "We all know he'd be willing to help you out."

She nods, looking at her laptop screen to see that her grandpa has lined up her flight for her, the cursor hovering over the confirm button.

He glances once at Maisie, "You sure?"

"Yeah." Maisie says confidently, "Do it."

———

AUTHOR'S NOTE—

the next chapter is pretty heavy so here's a small warning for that

and maxel reunion in the chapter after that cause they've only been apart for a month but my babies are clingy

THANK YOU FOR READING <33