As the pressure of her palm scraped against her face to usher away her sleep, Owen expressed his relief. 

"I messaged to see if you were alright but, you never responded. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! I fell asleep while I was studying, y'know?" She briefly glanced at her phone to look over her notifications while Owen continued.

"It's not like you to be silent during a storm, but as long as you're safe that's all that matters. You know I'm not one to blow your phone up for no reason."

Filled with comfort, Morgan smiles with an apologetic sigh. "Aww, you guys always look out for me, I feel bad for not responding right away." 

Owen and Harvey had both messaged her overnight while she was sound asleep. Even at the oddest hours of the night Morgan was quick to respond, so her silence originally nurtured a considerable amount of worry. 

"Even Harvey started to get a little unnerved and started to spam the group chat, but eventually he calmed down."

 "Oh, yeah I see them now, I was sleeping when-" Further down she notices a message from Nikolai as well "when he messaged me."

"It stormed pretty heavy yesterday. We know you and storms don't have the best report card, so we just wanted to make sure you were alright."

There's a brief moment of silence, then a blink of epiphany.

"Sorry to make you both worry about me, I'm alright. I didn't even hear it! I slept so well, I didn't even notice." Morgan peeked out of her window and witnesses a partly sunny morning. The fog was still lingering, the concrete porch below was gray and covered with little puddles. She couldn't believe she had slept through the night so well. A first.

"No need to worry though, I'm alright. The Banshee isn't home so I too advantage of the peace."

"She's not!? Well, that's especially wonderful to hear." He said with a distinct amount of piqued wonder and surprise. "Fingers crossed that she doesn't come back." he snuck under his breath.

"Hey!" She snapped her tongue behind her teeth and scolded him. "Just because she says that about me, doesn't mean we give her what she wants and do the same to her. We're better than that remember?"

Owen groans then relents.

"Fine. Fine. You're right, I wont give that uncouthed hag any of my energy. Just keep me in the know for when she comes back. Sounds like the broad is on another binge and if it's anything like last time-!" 

Owen takes a moment and Morgan takes in the silence, processing the anger and disappointment in his voice. Even if he only meant to vent, she was listening to his frustration with the same care and concerned that he had listened with over the years. She was proud and simultaneously jealous of the fact that he could redirect his focus so easily and control his emotions to turn on a dime. Yet it didn't keep her from feeling guilty about having to expose her life to him and rely on him emotionally in the first place. 

"I don't want to talk about her anyway." Owen remarked.

They were each others safe space for so long, but she was growing tired of always running to him and even Harvey with her issues. What if another mental fallout, or emotional explosion, or physical assault would eventually the cause of them falling out in the future? She hated the thought of being the trauma-straw that would eventually break the friendship-camels back. She would be devastated to know that her reliance on him during a future conflict with Rebecca would encourage him to one day walk away as well. 

"Probably best if we don't." She chuckled nervously.

At this point, all she could do was just work on herself and try to steer clear of Rebecca in every way that she could. If she just focused on herself until the end of the semester, and make it through the competition, she could leave it all behind. Though the chances of Owen being wrong about Rebecca's possible bender were slim, Morgan still hoped that maybe this absence would give her a little grace to get some things in order.

"I'm proud of you."

"Huh? Proud of. . . me?" Perplexed by his statement, she pointed to herself in real time.

"Yeah! You slept through the night without being disturbed. Your voice, you even sound more stable." He praised, "In fact, you sound like you actually rested."

"Yeah, rested..." Morgan mumbled with a tone of disbelief. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in her vanity mirror and smiled at her own reflection. Her freckled cheeks rosied and she scoffed with delight. "Thank you, Owen. I think I'm proud of me too."

"You should be!" He encouraged. "And, since you're okay, I won't keep you too long because I know you have a lot of things you want to do. Make sure you eat something, and stay hydrated, I'll see you later, okay? I love you!" 

He signed off with his smooch and exaggerated farewell.

"Love you too, Owen. I'll see you later!"

With the call disconnected, Morgan dragged her thumb over the screen to the contact list. The hover turns into a jittering as she contemplates if she should call. In a haste of conflicting motivation she hits the call button. Too late now, might as well hang on and suffer through the conversation. 

Seated on the lanai with Roman and Harvey, Nikolai was setting up an easel while Roman helped Harvey select paints he wants to use for his therapy project. Nikolai had ignored Romans comments about his request of use of marijuana to ease his pains for the better part of three years, and now, Roman was openly using outside with Harvey overseeing his usage.

They were finally having the discussion, rather than a debate that devolves into silent treatment. Roman tapped his index finger against the silver cap of his cane, his mouth twitching and shifting involuntarily as he mustered the strength to use his voice. The heart of his grandson was in the right place, but he felt that this was less about his health and more about the stigma surrounding his usage in general. Roman wanted to give his grandson grace and explain in hopes that he would understand.

"Don't blame Harvey. He was just doing what I asked him to do." Roman nodded as he leaned forward to the edge of his seat. "I know you don't agree, but I've accepted where I am, as well as where I'm going. I know I don't have much time and I don't want you or your sister to argue about my suffering on my way out."

Stricken with a sharp pang of grief, Harvey stumbles over his steps nearly dropping the box of medium. He recovers but it's clear by his rapid blinking that he's been moved by Romans declaration. Balancing the paints in one hand and using his sleeve from the other to wipe his tears, he clears his throat and regains his composure.

"What colors would you like to use, sir?"

"I don't need every color under the sun, I just want the Slate, Vermillion, Pthalo, and Ochers." Roman jested to Harvey. "Using a little color theory, you can always make a family of shades and tints that belong to the same color family without it looking over-processed."

With his instructions clear, Harvey buried his glum beneath his working demeaner and began opening the caps and preparing the palate. Roman pulls himself to his feet bearing down on his cane, and leans his weight on the right side while holding his brush in his left hand. Experiencing a growing cloud of conviction, Nikolai suspends his desire to rebuttal, and subtracts his will to speak replacing it with a sincere yearning of understanding.

"I've already had my portion. I'm not asking you for permission, Nikolai. I'm telling you. I'm not dying because of my morals, so surely yours can take a backseat in regards to my comfort."

His fingers crept across his face until they were pressed against his forehead with his thumb on the ball of his cheek. "My selfishness caused you to suffer unnecessary and prolonged pain." His leg bounced with a furious tempo, a reflection to his concealed nerves. "I will cast aside my personal views and feelings. My love for you, and my appreciation for you, outweighs my disagreement on the matter."

Approaching the easel with a boisterous laugh he taunts his grandson. "My love for you is unfathomable. I know you and Paige suffered when your parents moved away. Had I known the extent to which they would neglect the two of you, I would have taken you both under my wing-"

A coughing fit overtakes him interrupting his spiel and he begins to soothe his chest. Nikolai rushed to his side, placed his palm between his shoulder blades and began rubbing in a counter-clockwise motion. Roman spat the phlegm up and hawked it into the grass before finally catching a breath.

"Do you think Paige will come around and talk to me before I go, Nikolai?" The old mans teary hazel-green eyes gave a look of forlorn regret. "I hope she doesn't covet revenge, or conceal any hatred in her heart, all that rage can disrupt ones rest both mentally and physically. I hope her life is peaceful. You both deserve to have peace, Nikolai."

Nikolai gave a pained smile and mustered up the courage to respond from his heart. "I think she- No, I know she has forgiven you. Paige is probably more at peace than we are...I'm sure her rest is undisturbed."

After a brief moment of silence between the three men, Harvey stands next to the easel and holds the paints for Roman to transfer them from the brush to the canvas. Nikolai started to take the board of selected pigments from Roman but was interrupted as his phone started ringing.

The tone was a surprise as he hadn't been expecting anyone to call. Roman gave a childish chortle and pointing his brush toward his grandson he smiles.

"You have a phone call, son." He waves his wrist in a careful swivel and approached the easel with an eager energy excluding from his expressions. "Must be your hot date from yesterday!"

"It wasn't a date." Nikolai mumbled beneath his breath.

Nikolai stepped aside and allowed Harvey to take over while he answered the call. Roman was coherent enough to stand and do supervised activity, and with Harvey present, Nikolai knew the old man was in good hands. He stepped inside the house but stayed close to the door where he could see the two of them, then he answered his phone swiftly upon seeing that it's Morgan.

The call connects but its silent for a few seconds. Ultimately it's Morgan who breaks the veil and greets first.

"Hello?" She calls to him, her thumbnail carefully laid against her teeth anxiously.

"Hey! Y-you called!" Her voice against his ear was so bright and blissful, he could feel his woes dissipate into the void. "I got your message last night when I got home. I'm glad you had a good time."

"Oh! Yeah! I did, I really enjoyed myself." She felt her ankles cross and her hand fell to her lap. Her mannerisms coupled with her scanning around her room made her feel like she had just experienced a date for the first time. Nikolai smiling on the other end of the phone, but not wanting to be too forward continued as casually as he could.

"It stormed pretty heavily overnight. We're you okay? How's your brother?"

"Oh yeah! I'm fine, I slept right through it." She shrugged.

"Really? That's great! I was worried about you that you might-" 

Not wanting to assume anything or seem as though he were prying for information. He constrains himself and rearranges his thoughts.

"Well, since the storm rattled you yesterday, I just wanted to check on you and be sure."

"Right." Recalling the moment comes easy, but the fear didn't set in or even bother her like it typically would. The recalling of how he comforted her in her time of need would surly be remembered and will weigh on her heart for a long time. She had him on the line, so it would probably be best to let him know how much gratitude she had.

"Thank you for checking on me. You could've easily texted but... it's nice to hear your voice. I don't have to wrestle with the anxiety of trying to interpret your tone when I can hear it for myself. I appreciate that."

Nikolai feels his heart patter a bit. His shoulders relax as he too was tussling with his irresolution. Beginning to realize that they had similar stances, he settles into the peace of solidarity and a delighted untroubled soundness resounds from his vocal cords. 

"You're very welcome. If it's true that you slept through the night, make sure you reward yourself for doing so. That's something to be proud of."

Morgan felt her fingers relax on her lap, she scoffed with a smile. His voice sounded like a pinky promise, a warm, tender, and welcome bond of genuine kindness and pure intentions. She could feel the light devotion in his words and how carefully he spoke them.

"I truly appreciate your words of encouragement. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to convince myself that I should be proud." She shrugged her shoulders and glanced over at her dresser to the photographs of herself and her chosen family. "When you and Owen say it- I don't know- It doesn't feel as. . . difficult? ... to believe."

His back against the door frame, Nikolai glances at his grandfather. The old mans had slides across the canvas with confidence as Harvey watches on by Romans side.

Nikolai scratched his stubble and in a low, tempered firmness, proclaimed his minds stance. 

"Well based on what you've told me, you know what to do. You just need a little support and encouragement. I think you're doing your best, so just know that once you take the first step, you have to keep believing that you can keep going until you get done. And, if Owen doesn't mind it, I'll be here to help you too as best as I can."

Morgan feels her self soft reset, and lets out an astonished and joyful laugh. "You're really good at this support thing." She's grateful, but her default mindset of not being worthy enough kicks in, "I'd hate to burden you with my problems, you don't need to get dragged into the mess of my issues."

"It sounds like you're rejecting my offer, but I understand."

Nikolai intended to let her decision be final, but found himself feeling a mix of remorse, and shame at the thought of giving up so fast. He could sense that the tone she was taking, wasn't actually what she wanted. It was the opposite of what they had discussed over their meal, but without a verbal confession of her true mindset he was stuck. He wanted to be a firm cornerstone of availability but didn't want to make it out to be that he was trampling over her boundaries. He was far too acquainted with the the politicians delight of claiming to deliver on promises, with the intention to gain an influential position and control in someone's life.

"Just remember that everyone needs to vent from season to season. Think of me as invisible ink. You can still confide in Owen about the heaver stuff, but if you have another channel to take the first wave of your frustrations, then, just know that I'm here."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind. Although, I don't think Owen would mind you being around, he really likes your style." 

Something about what Nikolai said gave her a glimmer of hope. She couldn't quite place the why, but Morgan felt motivated to step over the caution tape of her mind, and advocate for herself. She had already done it once before even thought it wasn't intentional, and Nikolai had already offered. Maybe she could use this moment to confront the feeling that crept in earlier? Having gone this far, she might as well go ahead and make use of that invisible ink while she could.

 "Actually, I'm starting to feel like I'm weighing Owen down. He hasn't said anything but we've been friends a long time, and he's seen a lot of what I've been through." She confessed

"What is it that you do that you think bothers him?" He asked with he hopes of giving her an opportunity to get past her feelings and pinpoint the facts. 

"Hm, I think I really just want to be able to talk to him without having diarrhea of the mouth, or word vomit. Like when things happen and I go to him, sometimes I ramble for up to 30 minuets, and I overexplain with every little detail I can, to make sure he knows that I'm not lying to him." 

Her eyes volley across the various photos. She feels her toes curl into the carpet as she puts the final input on the keypad of her vault of truth. 

"It's because I've confided in him for so long, I don't want to be an anchor you know? He always looks out for me but, I don't want him to feel like he has to be 'responsible' for my stability all the time, I guess."

"I see. And he's told you that? or do you just feel that way?"

"Oh No! Owen doesn't ever complain," She expressed "That's just how I feel."

A grieved sigh proceeded him, and he continued.

"Well, the way I see it, from what you've said you don't have to worry about if you're becoming a burden. I sympathize and validate your feelings, but I encourage you to eliminate your worry."