"Like I've told you before, he will come to you when he is ready," Jamie responded. My phone dinged, and I opened up an image Piper sent me of her and Thea at the fair. Thea was holding a huge thing of cotton candy and stuffing her face with it. Jamie leaned over to see the photo. "You should stop worrying and go be with your daughter and sister at the fair. I'll pack you some breadsticks for you to bring home, and you can eat them when you get back from the fair," Jamie said, packing up some food. 

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Jamie." I sighed, looking back at the photo Piper sent me. They smiled and handed me a box of food. "See you soon." I sent Piper a quick text to let her know I would be there after I dropped off the food at the house. 

I went to the house as quickly as I could, but something was different when I arrived. The door was left slightly ajar, and the lights in the living room were on. Piper always closed and locked the door behind her after turning off all the lights. We both did. I cautiously continued inside the house, heading for the living room. I stayed as quiet as possible. 

When I got to the living room, I could barely believe my eyes. Casey was sitting on the floor in my living room, bruised and bleeding. "What the hell?" I muttered. Casey looked up at me, teary-eyed. 

"I didn't want to get blood on your furniture," He responded, as if that was my main concern. He continued to look at me, clutching his side. "You're upset. I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go."

"What? No, I'm not upset. I'm just-" My phone started to ring. It was Piper. "Give me one second," I answered the call. "Hey, Piper. An emergency came up. I might be late, but I promise I'll make it," I continued. 

Casey

I watched Noah talk on the phone and looked around his house some more. There were pictures of him, a little girl, and someone else scattered everywhere. The other person in the photo must be the person he is talking to. Noah approached me, and I realized he was off the phone. 

"Sorry about that. My daughter is at the fair, and I told her I would be there, but we need to get you patched up first. Here, Jamie gave me some breadsticks. You eat while I go get the first aid kit and some water for you," Noah rambled, handing me some food, which I gladly took. 

"Was that your wife on the phone?" I asked. I shouldn't be jealous, but for some reason, I was. Noah looked confused for a minute. I pointed at the woman in the photos. "Her?" 

"Oh, no. That's my younger sister. She watches my daughter for me while I work. Now stay here while I grab a few things," He responded. I waited a few minutes, looking at all the family photos, before he returned. 

He handed me a water bottle, which I gladly took, then pulled a bunch of first-aid supplies. "Are you okay with me patching you up?" He asked, looking at my wounds. I nodded. "Do you think you will be able to change into shorts so I can get to your wounds better? It's fine if you get blood on them. They're old, and I'll give you different clothes after we get your wounds cleaned and patched up." I nodded again. Noah pointed the way to the bathroom, and I quickly got changed. I was scared that something would change any minute now, and he would tell me to leave. 

When I got back, he quickly got to work cleaning and patching my wounds. "You're daughter's mother. Where is she?" I asked. Noah flinched and moved back. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked something so personal?" I don't even know why I wanted to know. 

"No, it's okay. Thea's mom and I met through Jamie, and we were good friends. One night, we decided to hook up. The day after, we had a long conversation and decided not to do that again, and that we were better off as friends than partners. A few weeks later, she came to me crying and told me she was having a baby. She had always wanted to be a mother, and even though we were young, she said she was ready. She mentioned to me that she was scared of raising a child alone, and I told her that I wouldn't let that happen and that I would be there for her. I also wanted to be in my daughter's life. Even though we weren't in a relationship and didn't want to be in one, we could still co-parent Thea. That was what we agreed upon. Thea would have two loving parents, her mom wouldn't have to do it alone, and we wouldn't have to be in a relationship. When it came time for Thea to be born, there were complications with the birth, and her mom passed away. It was hard, but Thea was the top priority. My sister, Piper, was only in high school at the time, but she helped me out. Jamie helped as well. Piper is the closest thing that Thea has to a mom, but at least I know that Thea is loved and has a support system, even if her mom can't be here to witness it. So, yeah, that's what happened. Sorry, I know it's a lot," Noah explained. 

"I'm sorry that happened. Your daughter is lucky to have you in her life, and I'm sure her mother was too, while she was here," I responded. Noah nodded, then pointed at where I was clutching my side. 

"Can I see?" Noah asked. I nodded and slowly moved my hand away. Noah carefully lifted my shirt and looked at the bruise on my side. He carefully felt around and looked at the injury. "Looks like you don't have any serious injuries besides the one on your leg, which is all patched up now. You can avoid the hospital if that's what you were hoping for. Your body will probably be in pain for a while. Are you allergic to painkillers?" He continued. I shook my head, and he stood up, walking into another room and coming back with a pill in his hands. 

He handed me the medicine, and I took it, taking another sip of my water. I looked down at my body, covered in bandages and bruises. "Casey?" Noah asked. I quickly looked back up. "I'm going to grab you some clean clothes to wear, and then I want to know what happened. Do you think you can tell me what happened?" 

"Yeah. I can try," I responded, feeling my eyes start to water. I blinked it away, then turned to face away from Noah. He left the room, then came back after some time, wearing something different, and holding another outfit that I assumed was for me. He was wearing jeans and a yellow t-shirt as well as yellow tennis shoes. 

"I tried to find something that I thought would suit you. Go get changed, then we can talk about what happened," Noah said, handing me the clothes he was holding. He helped me up, and I went into the restroom to get changed. He had picked out a black pair of cargo pants and a black t-shirt for me. He picked out something for me that I would normally wear. I carefully pulled on the clothes, then stepped out of the bathroom. 

I wandered into the living room, and Noah was sitting on his couch, looking at something on his phone. When he noticed I was in the room, he put his phone away and gestured for me to sit down next to him. I carefully walked over and sat down next to him on the couch. It still didn't feel like this was real. It felt like we were long-time friends. 

"Here, hold this, and tell me what happened," Noah said, handing me a teddy bear. I looked down at the teddy bear, a little confused. "Sorry. The teddy bear is supposed to be comforting. My sister and daughter always hold it when they want to talk about difficult things with me. You don't have to hold it." I took the teddy bear. It was weighted, and actually managed to bring me some comfort. 

"Okay, um, I guess I should give some context for my situation, then get into what actually happened. So, I grew up with villains and have always been a villain. It's all I've ever known," I started. I took a shaky breath, and Noah put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "There are specific rules that I am supposed to follow. Anyway, I confronted someone I grew up with about the hero that get injured. I was angry with her, but I never thought that she would give me up, but-" I had to stop to take another shaky breath. I wiped away a tear and looked away. "She was like a sister to me, and she gave me up."

Noah reached forward and pulled me into a hug. I gripped the back of his shirt and buried my head into his shoulder. "Hey, I've got you. Let out everything you need. You're safe with me," He whispered, tightly holding me against him. He was so warm and comfortable. We stayed like that for a while longer before Noah spoke again. "Do you- Do you want to go to the fair with me? Obviously, you dont have to get on any intense rides with your injuries. I promised my daughter I would be there, and I don't want to leave you alone here, so you can come with me if you want. We don't have to talk about the villain or hero stuff. You can just relax."

"Yes. I would like that," I smiled, finally pulling out of Noah's arms. I had never been to a fair or an amusement park or anything like that before. I never went to anything for entertainment. I couldn't wait to go to the fair.