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Relief flooded Terence, a small smile breaking out across his face once again. He kissed her knuckles again and then returned to his seat.

Was that too much? Probably. It was probably too much and now she was never going to go out with him again.

XXX

After the meal, excellent as reviewed, Terence shrugged off his jacket, offering it to Molly as he walked her home.

"Thanks for taking a shot on me," he said as they strolled amicably along the sidewalk, bumping her shoulder gently with his.

"We should do this again!"

Terence's eyes went wide at her words and he was instantly on the floor on one knee beside her, taking her hand in his.

"No, no! You're absolutely beautiful! If anyone looks like a thumb that's me," he said, biting his lip in anxiety as he searched her face.

"I'm not asking anyone to hear me out about you, Molly."

He smiled at her, then raised her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her knuckles.

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Haku's head whipped around to look at her, hardly of their own accord. She had... come by? To ask?

"I can't imagine my mistress was very forthcoming," he replied after a moment, bitterness lacing the words. His hand moved across the countertop, landing on top of Lottie's and squeezing.

"Thank you," they murmured, hardly daring to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Haku found that he was genuinely relieved to hear that Lottie had been spared the nightmare, relieved that she wouldn't carry around such a burden each day and night as they were doing now.

"I doubt my experience was the worst of them," they replied, trying to play it cool, but still a shiver ran up their spine.

He knocked back a bit more of his drink, wincing at the burn sliding down his throat.

"What did people do?" they asked, curious if anyone had looked for... Him. Or any of them. The rational part of him knew that others who had gone to that other place would have had families who searched, but did Lottie? Did he want to know if she had?

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Nani gave Duchess a trembling smile, leaning just slightly into the hand on her shoulder.

Duchess reminded Nani of her mother. Soft but fiercely protective, comforting in only the ways a mother knew how to be.

"Thank you. She's a fighter, that's for sure," Nani chuckled, hearing the sob building in her throat crack up her vocal chords. She looked down, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I keep the lights on and the door unlocked, you know? Just in case... in case she comes home in the middle of the night. I don't want it to be dark at our place."

Nani smiled, throat tight.

"We'll make it better, no matter what," she agreed, heart shying away from getting to the new year without Lilo. She prayed, hoped, begged, that whatever force had snatched away her sister would bring her back in time for Christmas, to ring in another year in this strange place, to hold her tight as she continued to get older.

"Thanks for checking in on me," Nani said, crossing her arms over her stomach at the moment of vulnerability she was about to display.

"I've never missed my mom more than now. She always knew what to say and what to do in times like these. I always try to think about what she would be doing to take control of the situation."

Speaking about her parents had been hard enough with Lilo, but to bare her soul to Duchess like this was a whole new level. Nani was trying to allow their memory into her life in increments, to come to terms with their absence and make it part of her story, to allow their lives to be honored by living on through her and her sister.

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Nani looked around, clocking the glances come her way, skin crawling.

"Yeah, you're on the right track." She gathered up her stuff, feeling guilty for dashing before the waiter returned, but needing to get out of the hazy room, feel the clean air in her lungs and sort out exactly what she was doing.

"Come on, let's go," she urged, nudging Anna out of the booth and ushering her towards the door.

Her heart about jumped from her chest as a large hand closed around her bicep, turning her into a wave of hot, disgusting breath and a leer.

"Where you running off to, sweetheart?"

Nani snapped awake as the warm body slid into the seat next to her, turning her torso to face the newcomer. She gaped for a moment at the bright, open face looking back at her.

"Um, hi," she replied, blinking hard to push back the haze of exhaustion still clinging to her head.

"Not drunk," Nani chuckled nervously. "I can't say my track record with redheads is the best, but I'll take your word for it."

She glanced around, wondering where the waiter had gone, hoping this young lady wouldn't burst her bubble of mystery she'd be trying to cultivate... Which probably had burst the moment she fell asleep like a rookie. She probably had drool on her face too. Nani ghosted the back of her hand across her cheek to check, sighing as she felt moisture come away from her face.

"Thanks for waking me up," she finally replied, a smile that was more a grimace flashing across to her new companion.

"I'm Nani and I probably do need to go home."

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Steeling himself, Terence took the lead and dove down through the branches, leaves whipping at his face until he broke through the lower branches and had to pull up sharply to keep him from colliding with the forest floor.

Letting his feet touch down, he hurried over to the lump he had noticed and reached out a shaking hand to brush the leaves off... uncovering a knotted log, tiny white mushrooms dotting the damp surface.

Relief and frustration surged through him at once. Relief that this was just a rotting log under the leaves, frustration that they still didn't have any answers, turning into a swirling mix that presented itself in tears.

Knees sinking into the dirt, Terence pressed the heels of his hands to his face and tried to swallow down the sob.

What was he doing? How selfish could he be? People were missing and he was throwing a pity party for himself?

"Sorry, Dess," he finally choked. "I dragged you out here for nothing."

Terence nodded back, determination written in every line of his face as he angled back toward the ground and dove.

It took everything in him not to let out a yelp of joy at the air hitting his face, hair streaming back from his forehead as he skimmed the tops of the trees, slowing to part the branches and squint down at the forest floor.

Evermore had always felt safe, he mused, suddenly realizing that this whole event was starting to shatter that illusion for him. Spiderweb cracks in the life he was building here that Terence wasn't sure he'd be able to keep up with.

Something caught his eye as he circled a large pine.

"There's something down there," he called to Dessa, pursing his lips as he tried to make it out in the dark.

"It could just be a pile of leaves but it also could be a body."

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Maximus' vision went red for half a second, rooted to the spot with anger and anxiety as his breath shuddered in and out of him.

"We'll see about that," he snapped back. Taking another step toward the woman, he sneered, feeling very unlike himself as the threats rolled off his tongue.

"I won't stop for a second until she remembers us. Until I can take her home to her family."

Max would usually consider himself pretty level-headed. All his life he'd been working towards one goal; Royal Guard of Corona. Meeting Flynn and Rapunzel had been a wrench in his best-laid plans, then losing her was another.

He could have gnashed his teeth in frustration, and if he'd been in his horse-shape, his tail would have been lashing.

"To Rapunzel," he ground out. "She doesn't know who she is again."

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"A royal guard must never be boastful," Maximus' father had lectured him once. Young Max, frustrated with the teasing of the other young men in the palace, had challenged them all to a fight, claiming his prowess with a blade.

"But Papa -" Max had protested, and a stern finger appeared in front of his nose.

"You must be humble. Think of others, especially your charges, above yourself."

Max snapped back to the moment, shaking off the memory with a laugh as he ducked his head.

"I hope my attempt wasn't too feeble," he replied, finishing off the tea in a few gulps.

"Well, I'd love to take this one home," he said, indicating the original landscape that had captured his attention. "How much?"

"Well, maybe someday you can find all these places in your dreams," he replied, cradling the warm mug in his hands.

"You're very talented. Did you teach yourself? I have to say I'm envious of anyone with artistic talent. I certainly have none of my own," he chuckled, taking a sip of the drink as he moved to the next painting, tilting his head as he contemplated it.

The relief he had felt at finally finding her in this place had started to curdle into anxiety. How would he get her home? Was that woman keeping her here? If she didn't remember them, how would he convince her to come with them? His head would spin with the questions he if dwelt on them for too long.

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Now they were back in familiar territory, talking about their family. Safe topics.

"Stitch, yes. We have an apartment all together. Jumba and Pleakley, no. I'm worried about them."

Nani drew in a breath, then slid her arms around David once again, burying her face in his chest as she breathed in his scent, both familiar and different all at once.

"David..." she murmured. "I really have to get to work but I don't want to let you out of my sight."

She felt her face burn at the vulnerable statement, the intimacy of holding him like this, something she'd never allowed herself to consider before.

How different would the months have been if she'd had him with her? She didn't want to open that box and look into it, feel the way her life had been dashed against the pavement like a glass the moment Lilo disappeared, the way that David would have held her together all those long days and nights.

"You're here now," she murmured, swallowing hard to staunch the flow of tears. She rubbed her face, dashing the tears away and trying not to get snot all over his shirt. Nani didn't dare look into his face, hearing his voice breaking, because if she saw him crying, she'd lose it for real, and that would just be way too embarrassing right here on the sidewalk.

"And she's home and safe. I don't know if I can say she's doing good, but we can tackle that together. I know she'll be so excited to see you," Nani said, grabbing his hands with hers and squeezing.

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Swizz Melarkey.

Maximus's own personal definition of a pain in the rear, stretched out at his kitchen table like he didn't have a care in the world.

The younger man was everything Maximus was not, irreverent and wild and raucous, all traits trained out of a royal guard's son from the moment he could walk.

"Well, next time use those ways somewhere else. I'm not the snack bar any time you're bored and need something to munch on," Max grumbled, but even still, put a few boxes of snacks on the table before the other man.

His mama always fed the people who came and sat at her table. It only felt right that he would do the same.

@evermorehqsstart

"By all means, make yourself at home," Max muttered, clicking the front door to his little apartment shut with a hair more force than necessary.

"It's not like usually friends let someone know if they're dropping by or anything."

He brushed past the kitchen table, grocery bags rustling as he lifted them onto the counter and began putting away the items, slamming the cupboards and fridge door to emphasize his annoyance.

"How did you even get in here?"

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Terence's eyes went wide at her words and he was instantly on the floor on one knee beside her, taking her hand in his.

"No, no! You're absolutely beautiful! If anyone looks like a thumb that's me," he said, biting his lip in anxiety as he searched her face.

"I'm not asking anyone to hear me out about you, Molly."

He smiled at her, then raised her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her knuckles.

Wow.

Her laugh was music and light and god, what he wouldn't do to hear it again.

"I can't deny the 'stache," he replied, chuckling into his water glass.

"Fair enough. Speaking of gains for days, those thumb guys from Spy Kids can also get on my hear-me-out-cake, but I'd also have to throw GLADOS on there."

He rubbed the back of his head again, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Like, Mother may I?"

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Wow.

Her laugh was music and light and god, what he wouldn't do to hear it again.

"I can't deny the 'stache," he replied, chuckling into his water glass.

"Fair enough. Speaking of gains for days, those thumb guys from Spy Kids can also get on my hear-me-out-cake, but I'd also have to throw GLADOS on there."

He rubbed the back of his head again, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Like, Mother may I?"

Molly laughed, caught off guard, catching herself after a moment and reeling it in, covering her mouth with her hand; she didn't want to be loud and obnoxious. She had to think about Mertle and Marie, what would they do? Certainly not make a fool of themselves on the first date.

"It's the mustache, isn't it?" She joked back, unable to wipe the smile from her lips despite the twinge of embarrassment. "Oh my gosh, yes, I love those."

TikTok trends? Now that was a topic she was able to confidently take part in. "Wait, now I have to know, though. Who's on your hear me out cake? You know who isn't on enough of them? Larry The Lobster. The man's got gains for days."

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Haku found that he was genuinely relieved to hear that Lottie had been spared the nightmare, relieved that she wouldn't carry around such a burden each day and night as they were doing now.

"I doubt my experience was the worst of them," they replied, trying to play it cool, but still a shiver ran up their spine.

He knocked back a bit more of his drink, wincing at the burn sliding down his throat.

"What did people do?" they asked, curious if anyone had looked for... Him. Or any of them. The rational part of him knew that others who had gone to that other place would have had families who searched, but did Lottie? Did he want to know if she had?

Always so polite, Lottie remembered as soon as they spoke how comforting Haku's presence was; goodness, how she hoped they hadn't gone through too much while they were away...

"Sometimes here is all you can be," she offered with a knowing smile, though really, she didn't know. She had no idea. Even though she had bad days just like everyone, for the most part, Lottie was content. Happy, even. "No, no, I wasn't. I imagine it must have been just... awful."

Lifting her glass, she hesitated to take a drink, trying not to stare at them too long, just happy to see them in one piece. "It was so quiet around here... like half the town went and disappeared. I guess they did..."

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Nani knew this, she knew with her whole heart that she was being ridiculous, but the animal part of her brain was howling in fear that the moment Lilo was out of her sight something bad would happen.

"I'm an adult," Nani snapped back, already frayed patience snapping with a twang like an unlucky banjo string. She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw, taking a deep breath.

"I didn't mean that," she murmured after a moment, releasing Lilo's shoulders and looking down.

Lilo didn't pull her gaze from the lobsters, thinking about how awful it was. It always made her so sad to see them like this. She wished she could release them all where they were meant to be... or bring them home, build them little lobster houses.

Nani's tone caught her off guard. She should understand why her sister was worried, but instead she felt like she was treating her like a child, and they were supposed to be past that. She was supposed to trust her.

"You wander off all the time," she stated, her tone more defensive than accusatory. She came to the grocery store on her own sometimes... it wasn't like it was dangerous to wander down the aisles without someone holding her hand.

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Max would usually consider himself pretty level-headed. All his life he'd been working towards one goal; Royal Guard of Corona. Meeting Flynn and Rapunzel had been a wrench in his best-laid plans, then losing her was another.

He could have gnashed his teeth in frustration, and if he'd been in his horse-shape, his tail would have been lashing.

"To Rapunzel," he ground out. "She doesn't know who she is again."

Of course he would be here too.

Maude bit back a groan as she turned, face to face with the man, not out of worry — she didn't believe there was anything he could do to jog Rapunzel's memory — but annoyance. He was going to be a pest, wasn't he?

A thin smile on her lips, Maude looked him up and down before responding cooly, innocence that was, in this one instance, not a front. "You'll have to be more specific, dear."

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°•○ - KIM & SWIZZ

Her heart stuttered again at the surprise in his voice, suddenly looking inward at herself. Kim knew she was pretty, sure, but for him to consider himself the luckiest man in town to be with her was something she wasn't so sure about.

There were plenty of other drop-dead gorgeous women, who were probably more confident and experienced and mature, in this town. Would she consider herself to be in that category if Swizz did?

Kim zeroed in on the sound he made, a self-satisfied smirk crossing her face. Her fingers quested underneath the teeth of the zipper and she palmed against his length, thumb swiping over the tip.

She looked up, biting her lip as she searched his face for a reaction, for confirmation that he wanted to continue forward just as much as she did.

— 𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐙𝐙 & 𝐊𝐈𝐌.

"Want you?" He repeated, his eyebrows lifting, surprised at the question, though he had clearly never been the best at making his genuine intentions known to people.

Which posed the question, what were his genuine intentions here? He didn't intend to hurt her, he didn't intend for her to get too close, put her in the position he would have to flee when commitment came too much to bear... but he didn't stop it, either, even now, pressing his lips into hers again.

"I am lucky you give me the time of day," he stated, and it was true. Even he could see it. She was so much better than him in every way.

He moved with ease, allowing her to push him back, her lips against his chest paired with her movements drawing a soft gasp from his own. "I," he spoke again, moving his hands to her sides, holding her against him, "would be the luckiest man in this town to have you in any way."

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Nani smiled, throat tight.

"We'll make it better, no matter what," she agreed, heart shying away from getting to the new year without Lilo. She prayed, hoped, begged, that whatever force had snatched away her sister would bring her back in time for Christmas, to ring in another year in this strange place, to hold her tight as she continued to get older.

"Thanks for checking in on me," Nani said, crossing her arms over her stomach at the moment of vulnerability she was about to display.

"I've never missed my mom more than now. She always knew what to say and what to do in times like these. I always try to think about what she would be doing to take control of the situation."

Speaking about her parents had been hard enough with Lilo, but to bare her soul to Duchess like this was a whole new level. Nani was trying to allow their memory into her life in increments, to come to terms with their absence and make it part of her story, to allow their lives to be honored by living on through her and her sister.

She understood; Duchess was a bit of a workaholic herself, busying herself with anything she could when she was stressed, whether it was picking up extra crafts, voulenteering or rearranging her furniture. Negative emotions bred productivity.

"Of course," she nodded, her voice soft, resisting the urge to reach out and squeeze Nani's hand. She couldn't help it, it was the mother in her.

She hesitated, a good resting on her tongue. It wasn't true, and she couldn't bring herself to lie. "We are getting through it," she stated, more honestly. "Next year will be a better year. For all of us. We have to believe it."

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How different would the months have been if she'd had him with her? She didn't want to open that box and look into it, feel the way her life had been dashed against the pavement like a glass the moment Lilo disappeared, the way that David would have held her together all those long days and nights.

"You're here now," she murmured, swallowing hard to staunch the flow of tears. She rubbed her face, dashing the tears away and trying not to get snot all over his shirt. Nani didn't dare look into his face, hearing his voice breaking, because if she saw him crying, she'd lose it for real, and that would just be way too embarrassing right here on the sidewalk.

"And she's home and safe. I don't know if I can say she's doing good, but we can tackle that together. I know she'll be so excited to see you," Nani said, grabbing his hands with hers and squeezing.

David was holding her close, staring at her face as seemed to be looking him over. She was still just as beautiful as the last time he saw her. It had been just a few years but they'd both aged in that time. A grey hair here, an extra line on her face that he didn't think was there before. But still so beautiful.

When she started crying, that was when the tears finally welled in his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of her, he was an ugly crier. "No I'm- I'm so sorry it took so long. I tried so hard..." His voice broke.

How did he explain how he was in the same town and couldn't find them? It was like some force had been keeping them apart until now. "When I saw Lilo's name in the paper- I'm so sorry I couldn't be with you through that."