I Promise (Clean Version)

~Chapter Thirty-Two~

Alas, it was the day. Today was the day I was leaving Chicago behind. "I'm going to miss you two," I said to Brian and Meredith.

"You won't miss out on a single step of the journey," Meredith said.

"Good, because I don't want to," I admitted.

"I'm going to miss having another night owl," Brian said, hugging me goodbye. He kissed the top of my head in the same way my brothers did.

"Me too," I said.

"Well, I'll see you around Luna," Meredith said, hugging me tight.

"Same here," I said as she kissed my cheek. I left them each with one final hug and headed to the airport. I had said goodbye to almost everyone.

Except for Clark.

I shoved that thought away as I headed to security. I had done my digital check-in. Chicago would be easy to remember. However, none of my family was at security, so I sat on a bench by it. Realizing the flight had half an hour before boarding, I called Darren. "Luna, where are you?" Darren asked me.

"I'm outside security, waiting for you," I said.

"Come on out," he breathed.

"What?"

"Trust me on this. There's a reason we're doing only carry-on," Darren said. Hesitantly, I walked outside and found him, cell phone in hand.

"What's going on?" I asked him.

"You're not going back to LA, Luna." Darren stated. I looked at him in shock. "This is a long story. Let's find somewhere to sit."

I followed Darren, motionless. "Then where am I going?" I asked him.

"Nowhere. You're staying right here," he said.

"Why?" I asked him.

"I've been thinking about it. Your entire life, you've had trouble finding a sense of home that was home. When we finally found each other, well, that was a home, but not one you wanted and I get that. I want to stop messing your life up. You deserve that more than anyone I know. You're going to be with Brian and Mere. I still want you to come and visit multiple times per year, hence why I haven't packed the entirety of everything back," Darren said. He took a deep breath. "We're still leaving for a week today. To pack everything back and get that brace off."

I hugged him gleefully. He carefully raised me so my feet so my toes dangled a few inches off the ground. "Let's go," I said.

We got to our flight on time and I hadn't told anyone that I was moving back. Only Brian and Meredith knew and they were almost ready to burst. When I got to LA, my phone was swarmed with messages. Primarily from Clark, but I figured that was normal. Not telling anyone I was coming back? Cruel. Surprising them? Maybe a little less cruel. Maybe.

Once we landed in LA, I suddenly felt lost. Darren could see my struggle. "Hey. It's only a week. We're packing everything back."

"Yeah," I said. We headed home, laughing about the events of the past few weeks of the show.

"She hid it very well, although the lights ruined it," Darren said.

"It could have been worse, but everyone hid it better than Brian and I would have guessed," I added, "From a backstage perspective."

"Well, let's figure things out," Darren said as we pulled in. I couldn't believe it. I was going home soon. And it would be a home where I could easily talk to my family. Any family. I had three trustworthy options.

The next day, it was time for my appointment. And good news! I only had to wear my brace while typing and writing. Darren drove me to work with him since this would probably be one of the last times. Everyone was on break, so that was when Darren made his announcement.