Link blinked, his surprise still controlling his features. Carter shifted again and he pulled himself from his shock.

"Sure," he said. "Come in."

Carter walked into an apartment with a wide, open layout. A living room to the left held a beige couch and two vanilla armchairs, while the kitchen to the right held granite countertops. Floor to ceiling windows showcased the darkened city and the top of the Capitol building. Carter knew in a glance that her apartment could fit in Link's living room and kitchen.

"It looks like the child support checks are still coming in," she said.

Link flinched and she let out a weary sigh.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't come here to insult you. I really didn't."

He shrugged as if the comment hadn't affected him. Carter turned to the living room where Donovan sat in one of the armchairs. A disassembled gun lay spread out on the coffee table alongside a box of pizza. He was watching her, his face unreadable.

"Is your mother here?" she asked Link.

Link shook his head. "She's at the office," he said. "Big court case. I have no idea when she will be home. It's usually never before three."

Carter nodded. Link rubbed his neck, looking at her.

"Uh...do you want to sit down or something?" he asked.

"Sure," she said.

"I can leave," Donovan said, as Link and Carter joined him in the living room.

Carter shook her head.

"No," she said. "It's fine."

Both guys looked at her. Carter took a deep breath, trying to form the sentences that would explain her presence. When her brain produced nothing and the silence stretched on, she balled her fists, nervous energy dancing in her finger tips.

"Carter," Link said, "what's going on?"

She cracked her knuckles and looked between them, unable to hold their gazes for longer than a second. Link glanced at Donovan who shook his head, silently telling him to wait. Carter's gaze dropped to the coffee table and the handgun that lay on top.

Needing something to distract her, she reached for the pieces. Donovan jerked forward but was halted as he watched her expertly assemble the weapon. She looked up at them.

"Sorry," she said.

Link stared at her with shocked eyes, Donovan's only show of surprise a slight rise in his eyebrows. Carter shifted back on the couch and rubbed her hands on her pants, some of her frantic energy appeased.

"I don't know where to begin," she said.

"The reason why you're here would be a good place," Donovan said.

She met both sets of eyes, drawing strength from the steadiness in their gazes.

"I came...because I needed a friend," she said.

She let out a tired sigh and rubbed her face. Both guys remained silent.

"I guess I should just say it," she said.

She studied her hands for a moment, then looked up.

"I don't know how much of this you know," she said. She gestured to Donovan. "Or how much you have put together, but my mom left when I was fourteen."

"What happened?" Link blurted out.

"One night she decided that being a mother was no longer what she wanted to do. So she left. In a taxi," she said, her voice emotionless.

Her gaze flickered to Donovan. She could see in his eyes that he wasn't fooled by the impassivity of her expression. Link leaned forward on his knees.

"She just left out of the blue?" he asked.

Carter nodded.

"I was a surprise baby." The story rushing forward, tumbling out before she could stop it. "Second year of college my mother got pregnant. They got married. My father went into the military and became a Navy Seal. My mother left college and passed up job opportunities to raise me."

Carter looked down at the spotless carpet.

"When I was 14, she got offered a position she said couldn't pass up. So she took it. Left my father alone with me. In the four years since, we haven't seen her. Not once. Until yesterday, when she showed up at our apartment, unannounced. I told her to leave."

Carter's shoulders relaxed as if bottling up her past had weighed them down. With a sigh, she looked up. Link was staring at her, a hundred questions darting through his eyes. She turned to Donovan and found understanding looking back at her.

"You saw her again today," he said. "In the office."

Carter nodded.

"She wanted to have lunch and talk. She walked into my school and my life as if it was the simplest thing in the world and nothing had changed in the last four years. I told her to leave my dad and me alone."

Carter buried her face in her hands, suddenly tired.

"Is that what you really want?" Donovan asked.

"I don't know. I don't know what I want," she said, playing with her thumb nail.

"Why did you come here?"

Her gaze jumped to Link.

"Honestly..." She took in a breath. "I didn't have anywhere else to go."

The words hung in the air between them.

"As far as I can tell, you have gone through something similar," she said. "I wanted to know what you did when you first met your father?"

Pain spiked Link's features and he shifted, his eyes dropping away from her. Carter's shoulders sagged.

"I understand if it's too difficult to talk about," she said.

Link tossed his glasses onto the table and ran a hand through his hair.

"I almost hit him," he said.

Carter raised an eyebrow. Link looked up, the aspects of his father's face clear in his features. A grin appeared on his face at the surprise on her's, the sight wiping away his pained look.

"A Secret Service agent stopped me before I could throw a punch," he said. "I didn't say anything to him that first time. He was so cold I didn't know what to say."

"How long was it before you saw him again?" Carter asked.

"A few weeks. My mother convinced me that I should at least talk to him. I did. Eventually, we got past everything. Well, almost everything, but it took a really long time. It's still not ideal. I only see him every few months. If that."

Carter nodded slowly.

"You forgave him?"

A wry smile came to Link's face.

"Not completely," he said. "What he did was terrible. But for the most part I wanted to know him. I was twelve, I wanted a father." He let out a low chuckle. "In some way, I still do. Part of a father is better than none."

Carter rested back on the couch, mulling over his words.

"Why did your mother show up now?" Link asked. "After four years?"

Carter rubbed her face as her thoughts ping ponged back and forth.

"I don't know. We were doing fine without her. I just want her out of our lives."

The last sentence came out as a slight growl.

"You won't talk to her at all?" Link asked.

Carter lowered her hands.

"Why should I?" she said, angrily. "What has she ever done except abandon me? I owe her nothing and want nothing from her!"

Carter's attention fell to her hands.

"I just don't know what to do. This is a rare thing for me."

"I imagine so," Donovan said, giving a small chuckle.

Something in the sound lifted Carter from her troubled thoughts for a moment, the beginning of a grin tugging at her mouth. The moment passed and her face fell.

"Do you plan to shut your mother out until she leaves?" Donovan asked.

"Yes...maybe..." She shrugged. "There is nothing she could say that would change anything. The fact is she left; She picked her career over me."

"That is true," Link said. "But if you don't see her, you don't get to say what you've wanted to."

Carter scowled.

"I don't have anything to say to her," she said.

Link raised one contradictory eyebrow. She sighed.

"Of course I have things to say to her but it will make no difference."

"Then she will leave," Donovan said, "and all the things you have wanted to tell her will be left trapped in your head."

"Yes, but I'd have to see her again to tell her those things. Therein lies the problem. I don't want to see her. I never wanted to see her after she left."

Donovan tilted his head, studying her.

"That's not true," he said.

Carter stood and paced, nervous energy taking control.

"Of course it's not true," she said. "But I was fourteen. I forced myself to stop running to the door at the sound of a car. I got over it. I moved on with my life."

Donovan crossed his arms, watching her pace, his expression showing skepticism.

"What?" she said, scowling at him.

"Carter," he responded, "you say you have moved on, yet you push everyone away." He raised a hand, stopping her arguments. "You became an outcast at school for this reason. You fear getting close to people because you fear being abandoned again. You use your intellect and physical force to keep everyone else at a distance. "

She stared at him, her hands curled into fists.

"Deny it, but it's the truth. You tried to force us away."

For a tense moment, she stared at Donovan. He stared back, his face unyielding. Finally, she broke from his gaze.

"Why did either of you ever decide to be my friend?" she asked, quietly.

"You'll have to ask him that," Donovan said, nodding at Link.

Link gave Carter a lopsided smile and shrugged.

"I liked you," he said. "You were smart and didn't like Mason. Having to go to school with my half brother wasn't going to be easy. Having someone who didn't fawn over him felt like it could be more bearable." He gave a warm chuckle. "Besides, you made observations like Donovan and I found that oddly comforting."

Carter smiled, feeling a piece of the weight on her chest lift.

"I'm glad you didn't give up easily," she said.

She moved back to the couch and sank onto it. A comfortable silence settled around them.

"So, will you talk to your mother?" Donovan asked, breaking the silence.

She looked to the far wall, her eyes glazed.

"I don't know." She pulled herself from her thoughts. "And I don't want to decide now. What I do want now is some of that pizza."

"Go ahead, but it's cold," Link said, gesturing to the pizza box.

Carter flipped the lid open and grabbed a slice. She gave the gun a nod.

"How fast can you put that together?" she asked.

Donovan smiled and shifted towards the gun, quickly disassembling it.

**********

A few hours later, after friendly conversations had made the reason for Carter's visit mostly forgotten and the pizza box sat empty, Carter stood. The city lights outside the windows had slowly blinked off, leaving only the stars and the street lights. She glanced at her phone and flinched.

"I didn't realize how late it was," she said.

Link sat up, grimacing as he stretched out his arms.

"You want to crash here on the couch?" he asked. "Or Donovan has an extra room you can use."

She looked at Donovan as he stood, shaking feeling back into his legs.

"You must make a better income more than I thought to afford a place in this building," she said.

"So, are you staying?" Donovan asked, ignoring her comment

"As much fun as that sounds," she said, "I don't want Captain breaking down your door at four in the morning looking for me. I'll go home."

"You sure?" Link said, cautiously. "It's really late."

"Link, do you honestly believe a mugger would get the better of me?" she asked, laughing.

Link gave her a smile that turned into a yawn.

"True," he said.

She shrugged and picked up her satchel. "I'll get an Uber home."

Carter moved to the front door, pulled it open and paused. She turned back to face Link and Donovan.

"Uh...thanks for letting me talk." She shifted. "Friends aren't something I'm used to. I appreciate you not slamming the door in my face."

Link chuckled as Donovan gave a single nod.

"Of course," Link said. "See you tomorrow."

She smiled and pulled the door shut. Through the silent elevator and car ride home, she turned over in her head the decision that lay before her.

**********************************************************************

Belgian chocolate ice cream! (Well, doesn't that sound amazing!)

So wow! We finally know Carter's backstory! Who feels like they just got off an emotional ride and feels dizzy with the overload of emotions? 😢😳😠😬😭🙈😫

Who wants to give Steve a hug? (I know I do! 😢)

How many of you guessed that's what happened?

Who thought Carter was flirting with Donovan at the end? 😏

What time is it? (If you said Summer Time, it's our vacation or Show time, show time. Then you are amazing and I love you!) Ninau manawa! (Hawaiian) This question is from marvelous TheMelodyStar: What is your favorite cliché?

Answer: I try to steer clear of clichés for the obvious reason that they are clichés but....hmmmm...my favorite cliché would have to be...haha I honestly don't know why this is so hard to think of...probably something simple but holds a lot of weight like the first time a guy takes a girl's hand....that's a cliché right? Gosh for a teen fiction writer I suck at this! 🙈

Haha tell me your favorite cliché because I can't think of any at the moment!

Vote, comment, follow! (Ha surprised you, didn't I? Weren't expecting something normal were you?!)

Is it just me or did that author's note seem really tame? 😳 Oh my gosh I've lost my weirdness! I'm becoming normal! 😱 *runs around screaming. Hits wall and falls to the floor*

Nope, still weird. We're good.

Something awesome!! Whocaresnerdbrains15 made me these legit covers!! Gosh I can't even believe it!! What do you think? Which one do you like?

(I like the one with the guy because I feel like it has the look of Donovan!)