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The sky was overcast with the hint of rain that would never come to the dry drought ridden California landscape. The wind had picked up and barely anyone was outside not today, not on the day where three innocent space cadets, a legendary senior pilot, and one of the best pilots of a generation had disappeared mysteriously. It had been eight years since they had gone missing and seven years since they were all officially pronounced dead. Eight years and still the residents of a Californian house they had owned for fifteen years were still mourning. Lance McClain. Just his name left a bad taste in the mouth of his family members. Novia had lost her oldest son. Lilia had lost the step son she loved so dearly. Camila lost her eccentric little brother that would gossip with her about boys. Violeta lost her best friend. Aaron lost his older brother who he looked up to and trusted with his life. Ana had lost the most supportive and kind person she’d ever met. They all lost someone irreplaceable.
After that first year without Lance it became tradition. Every year on the day Lance went missing no matter where they were in the world they all came home to that same Californian house they had called home most of their lives. It had taken months for all of them to adjust to the presence missing in their lives. Novia would sometimes go to call Lance’s phone only to realize she’d get no reply. Ana would sometimes come home excited to tell Lance about the amazing grade she got only to burst into his empty bedroom. It was like this for all of them. None of them had touched Lance’s room and they rarely went in it. It felt wrong and unnatural to touch anything in their or move things around. It was kept exactly the way it was like it was frozen in time waiting for someone that would never return. Novia and Lilia hadn’t even had the heart to throw out Lance’s anti-depressants and ADHD medications. At first they tried to reach out to the other families but it felt unnatural. It was hard to face one another when they were going through so much at the same time.
It wasn’t exactly easy the names McClain, Holt, and Garrett were common phrase now. People would recognize them on the street and whisper, the attention was stifling. So now it was just the McClain family sitting quietly in their living room downstairs.
The only movement was Camila sitting down after lighting the candles by the picture of Lance that was always kept in the living room. “He would have been twenty-five,” whispered Novia, causing everyone else in the room to turn and look at her. “He would probably be getting married with a nice young girl or man and he-he would have been happy,” she choked out the last part of the sentence as it dissolved into a muffled sob. She threw her hand over her mouth as Lilia pulled her into her arms rubbing her back soothingly. Camila had tears in her eyes as she stared at the picture of Lance, Violeta was resolutely ignoring the tears running down her face by staring ahead. Aaron had squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head so his cheek rested against his shoulder, and Ana was openly crying into her hands in hiccupping sobs. Sometimes it just felt good to cry it out.
Then the doorbell rang. Everyone sat in silence for a second just from the shock. Most people knew better than to bother the McClain family on this day so this-this felt like an insult, a slap to the face. Novia wiped her eyes and stood up smoothing her shirt and tucking her hair behind her ears to look more presentable. “No Mama,” Camila said clearly against her mother answering the door. Novia sent her daughter a no nonsense look, “Hush child if I can’t open the door for a visitor then I can’t do anything.” The doorbell rang again. “Coming,” Novia called out as she disappeared from sight to open the door. They all waited with bated breath listening for any hints of a conversation. They heard Novia open the door and then a slight pause, she screamed. Everyone sprinted as fast as they could to the door ready to defend Novia at a moment’s notice. When they reached the open door, they froze. Novia’s eyes were wide and her hands were thrown over her mouth in complete and utter shock. Standing in the door way was a much older but clearly recognizable Lance.
He looked…tired. Taller and more muscular than anyone remembered but also covered in a myriad of scars. But his face, his face seemed…different. The bags under his eyes were dark and prominent and the eyes themselves looked less the like the bright blue they had been as a child. They now had a certain weight behind him, he had seen things that would haunt those eyes forever. There was another man standing a few paces behind Lance but no one paid him much attention, all eyes were on Lance. As the took in his appearance they faltered Lance seemed to be dressed in a strange blue armor with a weird insignia decorating it. No one said anything. Lance gave a wobbly smile and said the first word they had heard from him in eight years, “Hi.”
Violeta was the first one to react, “Hi? Hi? After eight fucking years that’s what you say? Hi? ¡No! ¡Maldito idiota pensamos que estabas muerto! ¿Ocho años y ustedes reclaman así? ¡Qué diablos Lance!” Lance stood there wide eyed as he took the verbal beating from his sister. He knew that this was the only way she could express how worried she had been and he felt a small part of him cry out in happiness because he had missed this. That was until Violeta advanced on him ready to slap him across the face but unlucky for her Lance had been fighting an intergalactic war for eight years. As she stepped forward to hit him her hand raised the man who had been standing silently behind Lance the whole time darted forward. He grabbed her and in one swift motion flipped her over, while at the same time Lance drew his bayard and pointed it at Violeta. Everyone was shocked until Novia yelled, “Lance!” snapping him out of it and making him realize what he’d done. “Shit, shit, shit, shit. I am so sorry Vi I didn’t mean to it was reflex I mean after fighting nonstop for years it was instinct it just happened. Shit, shit, shit. I know Keith didn’t mean as well right Keith? I’m sure.” The man, who was apparently named Keith sighed with a small smile on his face and helped Violeta off the ground explaining, “I’m so sorry I really didn’t mean to hurt you it was just instinct to protect him and I know he was only doing it on impulse.” Lance just kept babbling and Novia knew that if he was left too long then he would work his way into an anxiety attack. Before she could step forward Keith said, “Don’t worry about it I got it,” and in a few quick steps he reached Lance.
Novia watched in stunned awe as Keith grabbed Lance’s face between his hands and pressed their foreheads together. “Shhhh Lance it’s okay look, your sister is okay, I’m okay, you’re okay. You’re home we’re not fighting anymore you are okay,” everyone watched in amazement as the soft murmuring released the tension from Lance’s shoulders faster than they had ever seen. “Are you okay now?” Keith whispered so only Lance could hear him. Lance nodded and looked into Keith’s violet eyes with a smile, “I’m okay,” he breathed out. Novia cleared her throat and both boys jumped and separated themselves from each other looking at Lance’s clearly angry, but relieved Mama. “Lance you have a lot of explaining to do,” she said crossing her arms. “But first,” said Lilia stepping up to wrap her arms around Novia, “explain to us who this is,” she waved her hand at Keith. Lance grinned devilishly and all his siblings were suddenly on edge, they knew that look. Keith who had realized what was about to happen turned a bright red as he hid his face in his hands. “Entire family this is my fiancé Keith,” Lance took Keith’s hands away from his face and proudly showed off the rings on both of their fingers. “My fiancé Keith this is my entire family; Mama, Mum, Camila, Violeta, Aaron and Ana,” Keith gave a shy wave.
Ana shrieked and ran towards her brother tackling him in a hug. “¡Dios mío! You’re actually getting married?” Lance grinned back at her, “I know I thought it was a dream when he said yes!”
“And he’s so hot!”
“I know!”
“I demand to be the maid of honour at your wedding. When is your wedding?” Lance turned to look at Keith who just shrugged in answer. “We don’t actually know,” Lance admitted sheepishly, “I mean we weren’t actually sure if both of us would survive this long.” Lilia suddenly clapped her hands together, “Well then we better get inside and plan this wedding then.” Just as Lance was about to turn and walk inside Novia caught his arm, “But first we have a lot to talk about.”