Matt focused on Kasey's heartbeat, Claire's footsteps, and what he could hear from the city outside as he meditated. Luckily nothing stressful, but something to focus on.

As Kasey meditated and slowly let her hearing reach further out, she heard something that caught her attention and made her tilt her head to listen better.

Laughter and an all too familiar voice thanking someone and telling them to come again. Another voice chuckling and telling her to go help her dad carry some more boxes and her agreeing and hurrying over to whom Kasey assumed was the dad and laughed when he ruffled her hair, teasing her about how the main reason people visited the stand was cause of her and her arguing that wasn't the case.

She listened to the three banter and laugh and sell their product at what sounded like the farmers market. She didn't even notice the tears starting to drip down her face.

Matt continued to focus, listening to the different cars passing by the building. It was easy to tell the difference between some of them.

Then a different sound entered his mind. Sounded like something... dripped? He tilted his head to the side. "Kasey?"

She heard him call out to her and refocused partly on him, still listening to the conversation at the market. "H-huh?" She asked back, unsure of why he drew her attention.

Matt wasn't sure he should keep interrupting her meditation, but he couldn't help but worry. "Are you alright?" He asked her.

Kasey was confused before feeling one of the tears hit her lap. "I-" She reached up and brushed her cheek, finding it wet with tears. "I didn't notice..." She mumbled softly.

Claire looked over and quickly came over. "What's wrong?"

Kasey looked towards them both as she wiped the tears away only for more to spill. "I-... I heard her..." She replied, knowing Matt would likely understand.

Matt furrowed his brows, before realizing who she had meant. He hadn't known that Kasey would be affected this way, but figured he should've assumed that.

"I'm sorry, Kase. I'm so sorry." He wanted more than anything for her to just be happy.

"I-It's- It's okay-" She replied, trying to keep her voice steady and tried to see if she could still hear them but no, her focus was lost. She rubbed at her eyes again, a shaky smile on her face. "S-She sounded h-happy-"

Claire looked confused as Kasey tried to get the tears to stop flowing.

"I-I think th-they were at the farmer's m-market-"

"Kasey-" Claire started but Kasey just gave a small breathy laugh.

"I-I'm happy for h-her," She smiled but tears just spilled faster down her face. "R-Really! I-I am..." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"I-I'm h-happy-"

Matt was torn for a moment, but moved to bring Kasey into a gentle hug. He knew she wasn't happy. He knew that. But maybe she'd be able to grow happier here.

"It's okay to not be happy Kasey. You don't have to be happy 100% of the time." Matt told her, listening to her heartbeat.

When he pulled her into a hug, she finally broke and started crying, burying herself against him.

"B-but I s-should be!" She argued as she cried. "I should be h-happy for her!"

Claire watched the two of them as she sat down in front of Kasey. "Matt's right. It's okay not to be-"

She shook her head. "I-its stupid not to be-"

"It's okay to not be happy for someone else. I'm not saying you have to hate her, but you also don't have to be happy for her." Matt told her softly. "You don't have to justify your feelings."

"Oh so feeling jealous of myself is normal?!" She asked him, pulling back and rubbing at her tears. "Wishing that her parents could talk to me that way? Wishing that it was me down there, helping with the booth like I used to? Wish that I could just go talk to them- even if they didn't know me- just to hear them talk to me- to wish I could just... just see them again..."

Claire was lost now but kind of understood. It was confusing but she was trying to understand.

"Yes." Matt told her, listening to her intently. He hated hearing her be so upset, it broke his heart. "It's a form of grief, and it's normal for you to feel that way." He insisted.

She choked back another sob as she broke down further. "It's not fair-" She sobbed, her body trembling as she cried. "Why does she get to be happy and I lose everything?"

"Life likes to screw things up like that for people like us." Matt told her. He kept his tone soft and gentle, trying to soothe her.

"I-its not f-fair..." She mumbled as she cried, burying back into his side.

Claire sighed softly as she watched them. "Unfortunately that does seem to be the case..."

Matt wrapped his arms around her again, rubbing her back gently. "It's not fair, it really isn't."

She sobbed as she stayed buried by his side. "It's l-like it's taunting me... th-they're so close- but I can n-never have that-" She cried. "Just always o-out of reach-"

Matt frowned, just holding her as tightly as he could. It was almost as if he was afraid to let go, afraid to let her slip back into that despair. "You have us, Kasey."

"But Tony's going to take you away from me...." She cried. "I don't want to leave-" She clung to him as she shook.

Claire frowned at that and looked up at Matt. She was thoroughly lost at this point.

"We'll find a way to keep him from taking you, I promise." He told her, turning in Claire's direction.

"I'll be able to explain everything soon. Just... not right now."

Claire nodded. "Alright."

Kasey snuggled against him, trying to calm down as she cried. "I-I'll fight him if I have to- I won't let him- I wanna stay here-" She mumbled.

"Hopefully it won't come to that. We can go to Father Lantom tomorrow and talk about you laying low there near the end of the week." Matt sat there and held her.

She nodded at that as she slowly started to calm down, growing exhausted from her breakdown. "I-I'd like that..." She mumbled tiredly, laying against his arm. "'m tired..."

Claire chuckled softly. "You just burned a lot of energy with that breakdown. Hopefully we'll get you to a point where they'll happen less so you aren't so tired all the time."

"Mmm..." She hummed softly.

"Do you want to lay down for a little bit?" Matt asked her, letting her lean into him. "We could always pick up training later."

If she took the chance to rest, then Matt would be able to explain everything to Claire.

She gave a small nod. "Y-Yeah..." She mumbled, barely keeping her eyes open. "Don't wanna move though..."

"Yeah, I wouldn't either." He laughed softly and kept his arms around her. "Just go ahead and sleep. I'll wake you up in a little bit."

She hummed at that and shifted a bit to lay more comfortably and let herself drift to sleep, snuggled against him, her cheeks still wet from tears.

Claire sighed softly and moved to sit in the chair across from him. "So... What's going on?"

Matt wiped her face gently, as to not wake her. "Back in that alley, when I had to talk her down? That girl named Kassidy?" He brought up the girl.

"She's like everything Kasey will never have, because she is Kasey." Matt started, before truly delving into what he had learned over the past few days. It took him a little while to explain it all, but he did eventually, wanting to keep Claire in the loop.

Claire sat quietly, listening before looking at the sleeping teen in his arms. "She doesn't deserve this..." She frowned as she watched Kasey "wake up" only to turn around, crawl into Matt's lap, reposition herself to lay against his shoulder better, and pass right back out.

She couldn't help but laugh softly at it before frowning. "The fact that Stark's trying to use you against her just..." She groaned. "It's pissing me off." She hissed. "I mean just look at her!" She pointed out before sighing. "I know you can't actually look at her but you get the point! She's been glued to you since she met you almost! And he wants to just... separate you both?" She shook her head.

"The thought alone with all that information just feels... cruel. Regardless of his reasoning..."

Matt waited until Kasey was settled down again before responding. "He honestly believes that it's for the best. He wants to send her back, believing that if he doesn't, it will cause some huge paradoxical reaction." He moved his hands in an explanatory manner.

"What he doesn't seem to realize is that she's been doing just fine. No paradoxes, no distortions, nothing that would throw off the world balance or anything like that."

Claire sighed. "I get it but you'd think if there was going to be a problem, it would've happened already, right?"

"Right. So I don't know what his issue is all of the sudden." Matt shook his head softly. That man was starting to get on his nerves.

"Does he know something more about it then we do?" She suggested. "There's just... too many questions..." she sighed but before she could say anything else, Atlas spoke up.

"One of Kasey's friends is calling. Should I answer or ask him to leave a message?"

"He probably does. He just hasn't decided to share any of it with us." Matt responded, flinching lightly at the AI. It wasn't often he got spooked, but it wasn't like he could hear the AI take a breath before speaking, or walk up behind him.

"Er, leave a message." That way, Kasey could hear when she woke up.

Claire chuckled softly when he flinched.

"Will do." Atlas agreed and connected the call.