The straight face with which Darren said it forced a laugh out of Aiden. “Fine. I concur.”
With the smile not leaving him, Aiden dressed himself while Darren hooked up the two VR headsets to Sara’s chip. They sat down on the floor, Darren with his back propped against the desk and Aiden nestled between his legs, and put on the sets.
“Ready?” Aiden asked, placing his hand on Darren’s thigh.
Darren’s arms came around Aiden’s waist. “Ready. Let’s go pay Sara a visit.”
“Reeeeeeen!” Sara’s chiming voice surrounded Aiden even before the VR world finished loading.
As lush grass and cloudless cobalt skies took shape, a flurry of red and black barreled into Darren and almost knocked him down. Directing a beaming smile up at her brother, Sara wrapped herself around his waist and squeezed as tightly as her little arms allowed her to.
“I missed you sooooooo much!” she said with a pout. “You promised you’d visit!”
“I missed you too, Sara.” Darren smiled and there was both sadness and fondness in it. Something else too, a flicker of it, though Aiden couldn’t quite tell what it was. “I’m sorry that it took so long, we… we had a lot on our hands.”
It took Aiden a while to figure out that third emotion in Darren’s gaze, but as he watched the two siblings grin at each other and exchange snarky remarks, it slowly revealed itself to him. Acceptance, finally, that his real sister was gone and determination that he could live with that. That he would be fine, that he was ready to take the first step and reconcile with the part of him he’d locked away for so long.
Aiden found it hard to breathe in that moment, his heart breaking for them once again. He yearned to wrap his arms around Darren, to tell him that with time he would be fine and that he’d never be alone again. Because Aiden would be by his side from now, no matter what awaited them ahead.
Sara’s bubbly laughter stopped as she seemed to notice him. She let go of her brother and flashed Aiden one of her radiant smiles.
“Ren. I see you brought Sir Kesley again! He’s even more handsome than last time.” She sniggered, keeping whatevershe’d found funny to herself, and dragged Darren over. She made him stand right next to Aiden. “Mhm,” she hummed, backing a few steps away and planting her hands on her hips. “You two look dashing together. I knew you had good taste, Ren! Now, come. Let’s have tea in the garden and you can tell me all about your adventures!”
Sara led them behind the mansion. Claiming the gazebo, they told Sara of the events from the past days, of failing to retrieve her ring and almost getting caught by Marcus, of George’s people and the multiverse, of the heist they’d pulled off and the jump that had led them to their new home. She asked them all kinds of questions, some relevant, some not so much, and beamed with excitement through it all.
“You really have been busy. I wish I had been there to help you, too,” she said when they finished their story. “But you did good! You tricked the bad men and now you don’t have to worry about them!”
Darren leaned his shoulder against Aiden’s arm and reached across the table, wrapping his fingers around her little hand.
But before he’d said whatever he’d been about to say, she continued, “I couldn’t help you before, but maybe I can help your scientists now?” She pouted and gave him a hard look that left to room for protesting. “I want to, Ren!”
Darren looked at Aiden, his indigo eyes hopeful and a little lost.
“Maybe Nyle can figure out a way to let her into the network once we set it up?” Aiden offered after a moment of consideration. There would be no danger to her here, no malicious agendas, so he saw no reason why she had to stay inside the chip if she could have access to everything instead. Turning back to Sara, he smiled. “Darren and I will make sureit’s prioritized, but it might take us a while. We have to build ourselves someplace to live first.”
“Nyle…” Sara echoed, bunching her eyebrows together. “Ooh, yes! I met him once! He’s almost as smart as me, so the two of us will figure it out!”
“I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear you hold him in such high regard,” Darren teased. He attempted to snatch Sara’s red hat, but she leaned to the side and avoided him.
“I’d love to get the chance to talk to him again,” she said, giggling and swatting Darren’s hand away.
The two of them moved onto the rest of the Maine’s crew as well as George and the people who’d followed them here. Aiden mostly listened, fascinated by Sara’s genuine eagerness to learn more about them. She found something to like about everyone, and when they got bored of sitting in the gazebo, she took them for a stroll in the gardens and the woods around the mansion. They ended up at the stone chapel with the obsidian statue and its white raven and Aiden couldn’t help but be awed by it this time, too. It was a beautiful piece of exquisite craftsmanship and it was a shame that only those who visited Sara could see it.
Unless…Could he build a replica in the real world?He studied the intricate design and smiled. Maybe not now, but he would be up to the challenge once they’d settled in.
Aiden and Darren kept Sara company a while longer. By the time the fake sun was starting to set, they circled back to the mansion’s gardens and deemed it time to bid their goodbyes for today. They would return though, and often, Aiden knew, the realization washing over him as he watched Darren finally manage to pluck Sara’s hat from her head. They both laughed and then Darren gave it back to her, tucking her raven curls behind her ears.
“Don’t be a stranger, Ren!” she scolded, her hands on her hips.
Darren bent down and kissed her cheek. “I won’t, I promise. And I’ll talk to Nyle so we can have you join us outside as soon as possible.”
Sara bobbed her head, then hugged Darren and jogged over to Aiden. “Sir Kesley!” She narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at him. “Or should I say Aiden! Thank you for taking care of Ren and making him happy!”
“I…” Aiden’s heart leaped, suddenly wild and full of joy. He didn’t know what to say or if he could say anything, the flood of emotions making his chest feel too tight and bubbly. He looked over at Darren, who had his hands in his pockets and was watching them without intruding, and he saw it then, how true Sara’s words were. Darren looked happy, like some of that darkness no longer resided within him. It was still there, Aiden knew, and it would always be, but Darren didn’t have to face it alone anymore, just like Aiden didn’t have to fight off his demons on his own.
Sara grinned, spinning in place and pushing her hands in the pockets of her frilly dress. “I like you! But Ren likes you more, so I won’t steal you from him.”
Aiden didn’t know why, but he felt like crying and laughing at the same time. “I…” He cleared his throat, taking a moment to let the truth of his next words settle over him. “I doubt you could… even if you tried.”
