"Fall down five times, get back up six."

Pan let out a low breath from Ratchet’s passenger seat.

The mech adjusted his side mirrors to look at the thoughtful look on his cr- charge’s face.

Pan’s fingers tapped on her knee in a steady beat as her eyes fogged over in thought.

“Pan?” Ratchet mentally cursed how his voice sounded as Pan shook her head and glanced at his steering wheel.

Pan's head tilted in her silent question, ‘Yes?’

Ratchet vented before continuing, “Are you alright?”

Pan thought it over before giving him a shrug of her shoulders, her facial expression going many mixes of emotion, mostly hurt, confusion, and heartbrokenness.

Ratchet’s spark reached out(literally) for the poor girl, whatever she was going through had just turned her world upside down.

Pan shivered as a small choked sob left her lips, her arms wrapping around herself as a small tear glided down her cheek.

Ratchet instinctively tightened his seat belt around her in what he could give her as a hug, comforting the girl as much as he could.

And he wouldn’t admit it, but Ratchet took the time to drive around town quietly as he calmed his cr-charge down.

🛠️

Pan waved her goodbye to her guardian and slipped inside of her house.

Pan let out a sigh as she lent her back against the door, her eyes closed as she tilted her up up.

Thalia darted her head out the lounge, hearing the door open and shut, “Pan?”

Her daughter’s head lowered to look at her mother, another sigh leaving her lips.

“What’s wrong, Pan?” Thalia asked, making her way to her.

Pan shrugged, her green eyes the only thing telling Thalia that something was wrong. Pan’s green eyes held confliction and torn emotions.

“Come on, hun,” Thalia wrapped her arm around Pan’s body and guided her daughter to the lounge where Logan blinked at them.

“What’s wrong?” Logan asked immediately. His brown eyes searching their faces intently for any answers.

Thalia shook her head as she and Pan sat down beside him.

Pan furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully before glancing up at her cousin, she took a low breath before signing to hom, ‘What did you father rename your parent’s company?’

Logan’s breath hitched in his throat as his face paled instantly while Thalia’s eyes widened at the mention of her brother, “What?” Thalia asked, her hands unknowingly shaking slightly.

Pan glanced at her mother before looking Logan straight in the eyes, ‘Logan, what did he rename the robotics company?’

Logan’s lip wobbled as memories flooded back, “He-he….” Logan swallowed, “He never told me, but I found some documents with the new name,” his eyes darted to his fumbling hands.

‘M.E.C.H?’ Pan asked and Logan’s eyes dart back up to hers. He gave her a slow nod and Thalia’s breath hitched in her throat.

“M.E.C.H?” Thalia echoed, a nervous wobble in her voice.

Logan nodded again, this time to his aunt, “Yeah, it was a few months after Mom died. Dad couldn’t bare the thought of even having to say the name Mom came up for it so he changed it as soon as he could,” he paused, biting his lip nervously before carrying on, “It was a week or two later that he started calling himself a different name.”

‘Silas,’ Pan signed, a crestfallen look on her face as her shoulders fell in sadness.

Logan gasped, “How did you know?”

Pan then nervously gulped as both her mother and her cousin turned their gazes onto her, ‘I may have, had made contact with him?’

Thalia grabbed Pan’s shoulder, firmly but not too tight, “When did he? Why? What did he say?”

Pan helplessly glanced down at her trapped hands and Thalia immediately let go of Pan, ‘I don’t think he knew I was there, he was in business with someone else when I came across them,’ Pan looked at her mother, ‘But, Mom. Dad was there, he saw me with someone else with him.’

Thalia’s face paled, “Uncle Lee?” Logan asked, looking between the two, “What’s he doing working with Dad?”

‘Dad’s been working with M.E.C.H for years,’ Pan started, ‘Even before he met Mom. I just didn’t put the pieces together until today when I recognized your father’s voice.’

Logan nodded, his already pale face even paler.

Thalia sighed, “I think it’s about time we moved,” she said quietly, both of the teenager’s faces jerking towards her.

“What!” Logan exclaimed as Pan signed it.

“Just a new house, not a new state,” Thalia said quickly, “I just feel it would be better if we started in a new house. Away from their taint.”

Logan nodded in understanding with Pan more hesitant. The Hammer girl was more hesitant to leave her childhood home, no matter the good or bad memories.

“Okay,” Logan said in agreement, his eyes glancing to Pan, “I’m okay with that, but what about you, Pan?”

Pan bit her lip hesitantly before sighing with a nod, ‘I’m in.’

Thalia smiled weakly, “Great,” she said, “Shall we get started?”

Logan and Pan looked at each other before giving Thalia matching grins.

🛠️

“Hey, Pan?” Logan ducked his head into Pan’s room.

Pan glanced up from where she sat on her floor, boxes half filled around her as she held an old teddy bear in her hands.

“Hey, isn’t that Woody?” Logan grinned.

Pan nodded, a fond smile on her face as she turned ‘Woody” over in her hands.

“How old is he now?” Logan teased, coming into the room to sit on Pan’s bed.

Pan poked her tongue out at him, ‘Ten years old. Four years since he’s seen the light of day,’ She signed quickly.

“Wow,” Logan whistled, “Surprised he hasn’t gone moldy already.”

Pan may or may not have stuck a certain finger up at him, causing the Bishop boy to laugh.

“You know what I mean,” Logan grinned as Pan rolled her eyes.

‘Are you done already?’ Pan asked him, placing Woody into a box with quite a few other items.

“Yep,” Logan said looking around Pan's rather bare room, “You got through so much more than I did in the same amount of time.”

Pan glanced up at him from the clothes she was folding, ‘I am older than you, and I already know what I want to keep and what I want to sell or dump.’

Logan poked his tongue out at her defiantly making Pan smile smugly at him.

“Hey, do you know what house Aunt Thalia brought?” Logan asked his cousin curiously. His brown eyes light with excitement.

Pan shook her head, ‘Nope. Sorry,’ she signed after placing the pile of clothes into another box.

Logan pouted, falling back on his back on the bare mattress of Pan's bed, “Aw, man.”

“No Dora Explorer references in my room,” Pan's phone said making Logan laugh as he sat back up to look at her, a cheeky smile on his face.

“Swiper no-”

Logan was cut off by the front door slamming shut, both teens's heads flying to Pan's doorway nervously.

All the silent in the house before the screaming began.

Logan's eyes widened in fear before Pan almost seemed to materialize next to him and wrap him in a hug as Thalia and Lee shouted at each other.

No doubt it was about the three of them moving away from Lee, M.E.C.H, Silas, and bad memories

Pan rocked Logan back and forth as he sobbed into her arms. Logan's hands clasped tightly over his ears as she rubbed his back.

🛠

Only when the front door opened and slammed shut again, did the screaming stop.

And so did Logan's terrified sobbs as exhaustion took over and he fell into sleep in Pan's kind, gentle arms.

Here's Chapter Twenty Nine.

Let it be known; Silver-Ashley has a thing for hurting her Characters.

And.... dam it Ratch! Just admit it already!

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Tell me what you think of this Chapter!
(Did you see my Thalia, Pan, and Logan moving twist coming?😏)

Hope you enjoyed!