I realized that I didn't mention the following earlier:

As team foster-keefe will not prevail, Sophitz will, 'twould be a heinous crime for me, a Sophitz shipper, to write this giving my fullest effort. (That's my opinion personally, I'm not saying that Sophitz shippers who write team foster-keefe are committing a heinous crime. (;) Therefore, I have degraded my writing quality for the team foster-keefe dared fan-fiction.

~Abigail Dizznee

Sophie's eyes blurred with tears, and she angrily picked up his rings and threw them into his fading light path. She mumbled, "Havenfield." And leapt away, trying not to cry.

  <O> <O> <O>

"Sophie?" Her adoptive mother's worried voice carried through the locked bedroom door. "You have a visitor!"

Edaline didn't say who it was, but Sophie heard her asking Keefe if he knew what was wrong. She had dashed up to her room the moment she arrived home, Grady & Edaline attempting to wrestle the verminion back into its cage.

She had cried for a while, and then contemplated the events:

She had realized that, although she had indeed had a mega-crush on Fitz when she had first come to the Elven world, Keefe had been growing more and more preferable out of the two, and Sophie's blushes when she looked at Fitz had only been flushes of confusion as to whether or not she was truly in love. Why had she been under the delusion that she had a crush on him, or that he could ever like her back? That having been realized, she started to walk to the door.

"Uh, could you hand me a bag?" Came Vertina's voice as Sophie accidentally stopped in range of her spectral mirror. Sophie glanced at the mirror, then rummaged around for a hairbrush; Her hair was damp with tears, lying in a tangled, fuzzy, forgotten mop on her head. She brushed her hair, washed her face, then pinned her hair back with some hairpins Biana had given to her forever ago.

"Sophie??" Called Edaline again, "Are you coming?"

"Uh, yeah! I'll be right down!" She called. She looked in the mirror again, making sure that she would look nice for the love of her life, then hurried downstairs.

"Hey, Keefe!" She greeted him with a grin, then blushed, realizing how enthusiastic she sounded.

"Hey, Foster!" He said with surprise. "I came to see how you were doing, but I guess your doing okay..." his voice trailed off with confusion.

"Oh. Yeah. Umm... you probably don't know this, but when I first came to the Lost Cities, I kind of...uh..."

"You kind of what?"

"Nothing, never mind. It's not important. I--"

"Foster, it clearly is important. But I know what it is, anyway."

Sophie stammered, thoroughly embarrassed. He couldn't actually know what it was, right? "You do?" She inquired carefully.

"Yep. You've had a crush on Wonderboy for years!"

"Only two years. And not anymore!

"Whatev-- wait. You don't have a crush on Fitz anymore?"

"Nope. I realized that more recently I've had a crush on...uh...someone else." Sophie blushed, looking anywhere but Keefe.

"And I know just who it is!" Keefe exclaimed with a smirk and a wink that made him look oh-so-cute to Sophie.

"Um--uh--no you don't!"

He gestured to the air around him, fanning his face, as his smirk increased. "Yep. I do."

Sophie's face turned what she imagined to be beet red as she remembered that Keefe was an Empath, and he could feel her emotions through the air.

"Then who is it?" She slowly asked.

Keefe's voice dropped to a whisper. "It's," he paused for dramatic emphasis,

"Sophie! It's Fitz!"

"Huh?" Both heads turned to look at Dex who was standing, red with embarrassment, in the doorway.

"Uhhh," Dex seemed unsure what to say, so Sophie asked, with relief that Keefe couldn't confirm he knew her secret quite yet,

"What's Fitz? Did something happen to him?"

"Light-leaping accident. He was leaping home from school, and when Biana came to open the door, he was nearly passed out. He said something about pain breaking his concentration, and then he was out. You need to come to Everglen, now!"

Unsure what to say, but seeing Keefe worried for his best friend, she hastened to the door.

"The Leapmaster's this way!"

"No, that's too slow! C'mon!" She grabbed Keefe and Dex's hands, and ran towards the cliffs, yelling to Grady and Edaline's confused faces, "Emergency! Everglen!"

 <O> <O> <O>

In a matter of mere minutes, many elves filled with frustrating fret and fear were gathered in the perfectly polished parlor of the Vackers' vernacular home.

Sophie & Keefe were getting the full story from a nearly-sobbing Biana while Dex comforted her, as they waited for Alden, Della, and Elwin to let them come into the room.

Biana said that when Fitz had come back, half-faded, there was a big welt on the nape of his neck, and his Cognate rings had flown through after him. She assumed they had somehow come off, and put them on while she hauled Fitz through the gates. Dex had called Elwin on his imparter while everyone else was panicking, then he had called Alden. Elwin had been with him ever since, trying to restore him. The fade fuel seemed to be failing, and so they had decided to see if Sophie could check his mind, no one letting Alden risk another broken mind.

Elwin opened the door, and let in Biana and Sophie, white with terror at the fact that she had been the one to throw the rings to break her concentration. With Alden's trademark reassurance and Della's fear-filled hug, she pressed her fingers against the unconscious Fitz's temples.

Fitz? Fitz? Sophie worriedly called out.

No answer, only darkness.

Fitz, answer me! Please!

Still, only the darkness. Then,

Sophie.

Fitz! I--

What happened? I felt a sharp pain, followed by two more. They all stung, and I lost my concentration! Am I fading? What was the pain?

Sophie hesitated, then said carefully, Fitz, I'm sorry. I was angry when I saw the... No. She could do this. She had to do this. She steeled herself, and went on in a hurry, the rings. They were lying on the floor unwanted, and I was so angry. You probably didn't know this, but that secret I've been avoiding forever was that I--

--You have a crush on me? Yeah, I know. And now, I realize--

Wait. Let me finish. Yes, I had a crush on you. I realize I was a fool to think that you could ever like me back. I was angry, and I-- I threw them. I'm so sorry, I didn't think about concentrations, I swear! I just wanted to throw them back at you. I didn't mean for them to hurt you!

Okay, was all Fitz said.

But I'm not going to give up on Keefe. He's NOT part of the Neverseen anymore. In fact, I like him, and I think he likes me too! So you can have Etaknire, I'll have Keefe, you and I will be Cognates, and we'll all be friends. Now can you come out so that Elwin can fix you, and then forgive Keefe?

No.

What do you mean? Fitz, if you don't become conscious soon, then you will fade! You might not feel the strength to come out, but the little strength you have now will only get weaker, until there's nothing left! You'll be as good as dead, Fitz!

I mean that I can never forgive Keefe. And if you're going to keep on making me do it, then I'll have Etaknire, you'll have Keefe, and I will--

Sophie felt more of Fitz's mind fade, and could tell it was just a matter of seconds before it would be too late.

Fitz, did you feel that? You are FADING, Fitz! FADING! That's the same as dying! Come now! I'll give you a boost--

No. He replied weakly, so that she had to strain her mind to hear. I don't want ANYTHING from the girl who's willing to befriend a tr-tr-

He faltered again, and Sophie knew this was her last chance.

Fitz!

NOTHING from a girl who has befriended a traitor. Including her telepathic transmissions.

FITZ! NO!!!

She felt the mind she was in disappear, and her mind being blasted back into her own head, the wave pushing her onto her back. She heard yells, and felt Keefe's arms around her, but mostly she felt nothing. Nothing at all except utter despair, the feeling of failure, tears, and darkness.

<O> <O> <O>

It was a day after the planting, and Sophie was sitting next to Fitz's wanderling. She would stand, but she was too weak. She would cry, but her tears were gone. She would say things to the tree, the closest thing to Fitz that she could have, but there was nothing that could be said. He was dead, and it was her fault; His fault; Keefe's fault; Nobody's fault; Everybody's fault; There was no one singularly to blame, yet she felt as if everyone she knew had some role in his death. She didn't know what to do, so she just sat there, no frown, but a blank face staring at the tree. She heard a sniffle, and turned her head slightly. It was the smallest move she could manage at the moment, but it made all the difference in the world.

Keefe was sniffling, and walked to Sophie, sitting down next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.

"He wouldn't forgive us." She whispered.

"But everyone else did." Keefe whispered back. And it was true. Everyone had forgiven Keefe for the 'betrayal,' realizing that hadn't been what had happened, and everyone, including the Vackers, had forgiven Sophie for the part she had played in Fitz's fate, knowing it was an accident.

"And besides: No matter who resents you; No matter who blames you; No matter who abandons you; I'll always stay by your side, and we'll show them: Together, Team Foster-Keefe will save the world."

At that moment, the sun peeked out from behind its hiding place, and Sophie knew that Keefe's words were true.

There you go, Leitha, your dare has been fulfilled. Now please excuse me while I go throw up.

Readers: Don't forget to vote, and comment anything, even if it's a joke at a rather sad time, as well as any typos. Thanks!

Now which fan-fiction do I update?

~Abigail Dizznee