I waited behind the couch for Megan. Rebecca, Lizzy, and Lori all went to pick her up together. They wanted her to think something big was going on without the surprise being ruined. Given how indisposed I previously had been, I didn’t understand why they thought she might have even guessed the surprise was me. Rebecca even thought about leaving her ring behind before ultimately deciding against it. Since no one gave her any idea that I was back, I had no reason to believe she was expecting anything to happen. That did make me pause and wonder why the hell I decided to hide behind the couch the whole time the ladies were gone, which was something I didn’t have a good answer for.

I was a nervous wreck crouching behind our furniture. I was excited to see her, but I had no idea how she would react. After losing her parents, hiding away in her home for a few days, and getting picked up by strangers, she held up remarkably well for someone so young. Then I vanished from her life because I wasn’t ready to handle my problems, which was selfish, no matter how much it made sense to be in a dark place. Megan was a child who needed stability and support, and when I finally gave a little of that back to her, I was gone again. It not being a choice didn’t make the result any different. Months without someone she relied on in such a crucial time of her life.

She deserved better than that.

The door opened and I heard a high, energetic voice come through. “Yeah! Mrs. Huntley said my math is getting better. I got a B- on my test.”

“That’s great! I’m so proud of you. I think we’ll have to celebrate.” I could hear the smile on Rebecca’s face. Plenty of agreement was coming from the other women. “You have someone who wants to hear about your grade too.”

“Shelly? I’ll tell her!”

When I heard her footsteps pick up, I sprang up from the back of the couch, rounding its corner and nearly scaring the poor kid half to death. “Surprise!”

“AH!” Megan yelped and fell on her backside, looking up at me in terror. After a few seconds of processing what she was seeing, recognition replaced terror. “Ethan? Ethan!”

I got down on both knees and spread my arms out in anticipation of the massive hug I was about to receive. She ran forward, buried her little face in my chest, and started sobbing. I let her tackle me on my back. Her tiny hands gripped at the front of my shirt, maybe horrified that if she let go, I’d vanish again. When I felt her small body trembling under my embrace, I couldn’t keep my emotions in check. Tears ran down my face and I started to cry too, holding the little girl as close as I could without hurting her. Maybe I was the one who was scared she’d vanish if I let go. There was no way I would have been able to handle it happening again. I wouldn't be able to take it.

“They said you died. They said you wouldn’t come home.” Her voice cracked. “They said you were like my mom and dad. Mom and Dad couldn't come home. I...I don't get it.”

“I’m sorry, I’m here now.” My voice cracked with sobs, leaving me not much better than the little girl in my arms. Lizzy started to stroke Megan’s hair, while Rebecca got down on her knees to run her fingers through my hair.

“Why did you leave again!?” Megan looked up at me, her wet eyes burning a hole right through my heart. “Do you hate me?”

“I didn’t mean to leave. I’m so sorry.” I pulled her back in for a second hug, not ever wanting to let go of her. “I could never hate you. I love you so much, kiddo.”

She sniffled and didn’t say anything for so long that I thought she was about to push away again. Finally, she whispered, “I love you too.”

“I promise, if I ever go anywhere again, I’ll let you know. I got separated from everyone and it took me a little longer to get home.” I tilted her head up so she could look at me. I wiped her tears away with my thumbs and she did the same for me, something that nearly made my heart explode. “But no more crying, okay? I’m here to stay, I promise, so no more being sad. Look at you, you’ve gotten so big!”

“And you cut your hair!” She poked a little index finger at my bicep. “When did you get strong?”

“I wanted to build muscles for Rebecca before I got back,” I said with a wink. I turned Megan’s head and cupped my hand next to her ear to tell her a secret. “Hey, I have something to tell you. Rebecca and I are getting married.”

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide as dinner plates. “Really?”

“Really. I want you to be the flower girl. Do you remember Ryan from our time in Columbus? The one who made you lose your tooth?” I finished wiping the tears off my face while Megan nodded. “He and Chloe actually live here now, believe it or not. She let me in. Would you be the flower girl if he got to be ringbearer?”

“I didn’t think of him!” Lizzy exclaimed, loudly smacking a palm against her forehead. “That’s a great idea, they’re both the perfect ages for it. I’ll go call Chloe. I like that girl, she’s cool.”

Stolen story; please report.

Everyone watched her leave to make the phone call, giving me a few seconds to finish collecting myself. Rebecca kissed me on the cheek and put her arms around my shoulders. Ruffling Megan’s hair, she asked, “So, will you help us?”

“Yes! Can I pick out the dress you wear? It’ll be so pretty.”

Rebecca chuckled and kissed Megan on the cheek. “I know it will, but you’ll have to talk with Lizzy and Lori about that. Lori is making my dress and Lizzy is the wedding planner.”

“Can I choose the snacks? I want there to be brownies!”

“And what else?” I asked.

“What do you mean? There has to be more?” I tried to hold back laughing while imagining the perfect wedding Lizzy would put together suddenly crumbling to shambles because of a seven-year-old and her demand for chocolate goodies.

“I’ll let you help on the dress,” Lori said with a wink. “We’ll just keep it between us girls, okay?”

“But Ethan’s a boy.” Megan pointed at me. “He’s right there!”

“Eh, he’s basically one of the girls now.” Lori waved her hand, dismissing Megan’s protest. “He can have some of our secrets. But only the bad and gross ones. Nothing like the secret pillow fights we have.”

Megan laughed, but I just shook my head. “There’s a whole other planet I can go back to, you know. I don’t have to take this.”

“Planet? Like Mars or Jupiter?” Megan tilted her head up at me.

“Oh, right! You weren’t here.” I positioned myself so I could look Megan in the eye as seriously as possible. “The reason why I was gone was because I was on a different planet. Very far away. The people there are...the reason we have our powers.”

I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to tell her about that part. After all, her parents were killed by people with Anomalies. Megan seemed to accept Val, thank goodness, but how much did she really understand about what happened and how much Val worked with McLeod? She had her own Anomaly, which would put a target on her back. I didn’t know if she really resented the powers that had already changed her life so much. Would she hate the pjulsen because the whole Anomaly mess could be traced back to them and Clamor?

“They gave them to us?” She tilted her head again and squinted, the gears in her head turning to try and figure out how all of it worked.

“Well, yes and no. Sort of. They created these devices that are beyond both our understanding and theirs. The way I’m looking at it is the universe is a ‘living’ being, but in a way that’s completely different from how we’re alive. Those devices use the universe’s energy to manipulate the physical world around us, and for them, that results in limited powers and the ability to live on new planets. One of those devices landed here on Earth a long time ago, something went wrong, and that energy has spread through humans, giving some powers on a bigger scale.”

“Right, makes sense.” Megan rolled her eyes. She looked at the two other ladies like she couldn’t believe they were letting me run my mouth. Even Rebecca’s eyes glazed over during my explanation. So much for teamwork.

“The important thing is that the people there were very nice to me and helped me get back here to you.” I tickled at her ribcage, sending her into a mess of laughs and flailing limbs. A sneaker from an errant kick caught me right in the nose, sending my head back. The kick was harder than I expected from such a young kid. “Ouch!”

“I’m sorry!” Megan was immediately on her feet, trying to put her little hands on my face. I gently held one of her hands while I put a finger against my upper lip. It came away red and wet. “I’m so sorry. It was an accident. Please don’t be mad.”

“Nah, it’s my fault, I started tickling you.” I held my head back to stop the blood from rolling down my face, but a sharp slap on the back sent my head forward. “Ow! Why are you guys trying to beat the tar out of me? Wasn’t Megan’s kick bad enough?”

“Are you trying to choke on your own blood?” Rebecca asked with all the disapproval of an annoyed mother scolding her most disobedient child. “Keep your head forward, dummy. Don’t let it run down your throat. I’ll get you a towel, so just hold tight and listen to directions. No. Blood. In. The. Throat.”

She grumbled something about marrying a big child who couldn’t take care of himself and I couldn’t help but smile the whole time. I winked at Megan who returned the smile herself. The threat of McLeod, the president, and the uncertain relationship with an alien race still hung over my head like an executioner’s axe. With all of my family back in my arms again, I felt like I could take on both worlds and their problems.

Returning with a towel to help clean up the mess I made of myself, Rebecca prompted Megan to go through everything that happened when I was gone. Kids, being the brutally honest people they are, meant I wasn’t going to be safe from minor amounts of heartache. I nearly couldn’t stand hearing about how my departure hurt everyone so badly. The adults were honest, but hearing the same thing come from that raw, uncontained emotional heart of a child was worse than any beating McLeod or Sven had given me.

Unlike the adults grilling and guilting me for making them believe I was dead, Megan moved past it quickly, telling me about all the other cool stuff she did. She loved public school and the chance to make new friends in person. She told me all about the different games she beat and what she thought about all of them in surprising detail. Apparently, there had been a rule set in place that Megan could play an extra hour or two a day if she beat the games she played, or at least gave it a genuine attempt, and she had to agree to write out a review for the game. The girl had some serious media literacy from the exercises, giving her a new appreciation for her favorite hobby.

Then, most importantly, was Ryan. Knowing she had, in her words, a best friend nearby made her go a little wild. I was going to point out that Ryan had to agree to be her friend first, but somehow, I got the feeling that Megan would have made that friendship happen no matter what anyone said. I felt bad for the poor kid. He seemed so quiet, polite, and reserved. Girls like Megan and Lizzy had ways of creating whirlwinds that got even the most socially inept people caught up in them.

Still, knowing she had someone she could look forward to playing with was a relief, even if it meant he was sacrificing some of his sanity before he could even spell that word. Megan insisted he would be important in planning the wedding with her, so I couldn’t wait to see her brawl with Lizzy over the role and the work. I had a sinking, miserable feeling that those fights were going to happen right in my kitchen or living room.

Oh well, the noise of Lizzy bickering with a kid over wedding planning was going to be the sweetest sound that could hit my ears.