KOTLC Sokeefe One-Shots, Alternate Endings, etc

Legacy 4: part 3 (Keefe POV)

Foster had been to the matchmakers.

Before Keefe could even process that--or begin to grieve over it--she continued.

And told them she was unmatchable.

Keefe was thankful, again, that she wasn't an Empath.

And also thankful that she'd felt the need to close her eyes to share this information, because he wasn't confident that his pain wasn't evident on his face.

She'd been on the fence about registering for the match, because she believed the system to be messed up. And she wasn't wrong.

But she'd registered.

She'd registered.

After her big confession with Fitz.

Pain.

Registering for the match meant wanting to know who you were approved...to marry.

Keefe knew it didn't seal anything, and that it really made sense to go ahead and find out who was on your list so you wouldn't get too attached to someone who turned out not to be on it.

If you plan to register.

And clearly, she was serious enough about Fitz to get over her qualms about the system and go register.

For Fitz.

Keefe heard Ro say something about how that should 'do the trick', but it didn't feel like that to Keefe.

It felt like all the air had gone out of the room.

Even when Ro prompted him, Keefe had a hard time finding his voice. Finally, he managed to clear his throat and say, "So...you decided to register?"

"Really?" Ro asked, looking ready to throttle him. "That's what you're going with? Of all the wasted opportunities!"

"What?" Keefe snapped back. "I just thought she still had mixed feelings about it!"

"I did," Foster agreed. "But..."

"Yeah..." Keefe mumbled.

But then he felt something that distracted him from his grief.

Hers.

It was sudden and fierce.

Almost--but not quite--as fierce as his own.

"Whoa," he said in a pained voice, clutching his chest as he felt the combined fury of their pain--his and hers. Foster opened her eyes and looked at him. "Um, what's with all the heartache, Foster?"

She crossed her arms, like she was trying to make herself smaller. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it feels like you think..." he peered at her. "You think Fitz is going to care about this?"

Evidently she did.

And she had been completely blindsided by being unmatchable.

Keefe had figured if she decided to register, she'd have gone to the Black Swan first so she could get the names of her biological parents. Because obviously, the matchmakers couldn't even start compiling her lists without that information.

But then she admitted she'd gone to Mr. Forkle to get the information before coming to the Shores of Solace, and he had refused to tell her.

He heard Foster saying it, but his mind was already spiraling as realization caught up to him.

She was sitting here, in his room, in agony over this new development.

Over something potentially getting in the way of her relationship with Fitz.