A/N: Oh man! Those exams were so easy. It's probably because I studied for hours and hours, but they actually weren't as bad as I expected. Then again, they're not my hardest classes. I finished the chapter today... So yeah. Here it is!

"How long?" Fitz asked, anticipating and dreading the words at the same time. If this didn't work, nothing would.

Tiergan's expression was unreadable as he replied, "Fifty seconds."

Fitz's eyes widened and his face erupted into a large grin. "Really?" he asked, jumping slightly. "Are you positive?"

Tiergan laughed. "Yes," he confirmed. He stared Fitz directly in the eyes. "I really think you can heal her, Fitz. I really do."

Fitz's eyes lit up.

"Just one thing," Tiergan added. "If you were only ten seconds away from reaching one minute, why didn't you reach one minute?"

Fitz's smile faded as he stared at the floor. "It's uh... Um. Well, you see..."

Tiergan raised his eyebrows.

"I... You know, just did what you told be to," he stammered. "I focused on the positive emotions."

Tiergan gave him a knowing smile. "Oh really?" he asked, amused. "Which positive emotions?"

Fitz bit his lip. "Happiness, acceptance, friendship, pride," he listed.

"Anything else?" Tiergan probed.

"I focused on how much I loved my family," Fitz admitted. But, he still rocked back and forth on his heels. He was still hiding something.

"Just your family?"

"I focused on Sophie, okay?!" Fitz yelled. "I focused on her to make the barrier and then a thought about her was what broke it."

A smile bloomed on Tiergan's face. "I knew it!" he exclaimed. "Now you'll definitely be able to heal her."

Fitz gave him a puzzled look. "What are you talking about? I just told you why I won't be able to heal her."

Tiergan grabbed Fitz's shoulders. "You created a barrier thinking about her. If you make it across, you will heal her. And with that thought, nothing can break the barrier," he explained. "You feel so strongly about her that you might actually be able to heal her."

Fitz grinned. "You think?" His face contorted into a puzzled expression. "Wait. Who said anything about strong feelings?" He backed away slightly as if the very thought worried him.

"You really can't tell?" Tiergan asked, raising his eyebrows. "It's pretty obvious. For both of you."

Fitz shook his head feeling more oblivious than ever. "Wait... Is that what Sophie was embarrassed to tell me during Cognate training?"

"What?" Tiergan exclaimed. "Sophie was embarrassed to tell you something during Cognate training?"

Fitz nodded. "She thought that it depended on how I felt or something. I've been contemplating it since then, but I can't think of what it could mean."

Tiergan clutched his stomach. "Now I can see why Mr. Forkle always says that you kids are so oblivious," he managed between peals of laughter. "Anyone could see that..." he trailed off.

Fitz's eyes widened. "See what? See what?!" he demanded.

"That's for Sophie to tell you," he replied with an amused smile. He was being annoyingly vague.

Fitz sighed in defeat. "Fine," he relented. "Maybe I'll find it out when I'm healing her."

"Maybe," Tiergan agreed, tapping his chin. "That would be rather odd, wouldn't it?"

Fitz rolled his eyes, knowing Tiergan wouldn't tell him what it was. And that left him a few people to ask. "Does anyone else know?"

Tiergan shook his head. "I'm sure they do; it's pretty obvious. But don't ask them. It's a private matter that should only be between you and Sophie."

"Is it about me?" Fitz guessed.

Tiergan held up his hands. "That's it," he muttered, backing away. "I'm not saying another word about this. Class is over for today."

*~*~*~*

Fitz took a deep breath. He was standing outside Havenfield, not sure if he should knock or not. But before he could do anything, Grady spotted him and came outside.

"Hi Fitz," he called, beckoning him to come in. Fitz tentatively walked through the door, not knowing what to say. Should he comfort them? He was going to heal Sophie. Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Are you here to see Sophie?" Edaline asked, offering him a plate of custard bursts. He took one, thanked her, and nodded to the question. "She's upstairs."

It was as if she wasn't broken.

Fitz walked upstairs, not sure what to expect. Tiergan had told him to practice and see how long he could actually stay in Sophie's mind, since he was progressing fast with the elixir. But he hadn't seen Sophie broken yet...

When he walked into the room, it was just as normal down to the stuffed blue elephant sitting on the dresser. Fitz patted Ella's head and turned to the bed where Sophie was lying.

She was lying down with her eyes closed and her blond hair splayed out beneath her. Her hands were rested on her stomach, on top of the blanket covering her. She looked...

"Asleep," Fitz muttered. "It's as if she's asleep."

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Right now, more than anything, he wanted those brown eyes to stare back up at him. He wanted to hear her voice, see her smile. He wanted her to be her again.

Fitz took a deep breath and sat at the foot of the bed, closing his eyes. Lacing his fingers together, he opened his mind to hers.

It wasn't like when he had entered his dad's broken mind, with dark shards and emptiness everywhere. It was like a dark corridor, full of doors on either side and black water sloshing below his feet. The water fed him with negativity and he immediately put the shield up.

He had seen this place before. He saw it every time they did Cognate training. Except it usually wasn't dark and it usually wasn't filled with black water.

He walked down the hallway, remembering what Tiergan had said. Sixty seconds and the doors would open. She would trust him.

He walked through, reading each label on the doors. The memories were organized and filed away to the very last thought. He had been in some of these rooms. The emotional center. The memories the Black Swan gave her and she herself couldn't access.

But others he hadn't been in. Her mind was more developed than the last time he had explored it. It was what grief did to everyone. As he went deeper, the doors became more specific. Soon, they were even labeled by people.

Amy Rose Foster
Grady Ruewen
Edaline Ruewen
Dexter Dizznee
Biana Vacker
Keefe Sencen
Calla

He stopped at one of the doors, knowing his sixty seconds were long over. And he stood there wide mouthed. Because the name... The name...

Fitz Vacker

A/N: Is he going to open it? I guess we'll just have to see!