How They Met

Something wasn't right... Arthur had been disappearing a lot. And when he came back, he was always sore. Some days it was his upper, others it was his legs. The team was getting worried... save for Jean and Daell. They didn't like the fact that their sisters were in love with the hair gel abusing coward, but they couldn't change their hearts.

"It doesn't make any sense..." said Vivi.

"I know. Why would he just go off the grid without telling anyone?" asked Lewis.

"I don't see why it's such a big deal," said Daell. "He always ends up coming back so I say we don't worry about it."

"But what if he doesn't come back, smart ass?" asked Jinny. "What then?"

"Then we can panic, but until that happens, or he tells us, then I say we leave it alone."

"I don't agree..." said Del. "What if the reason he's becoming sore is from him getting mugged?"

"If that were the case it'd be more than just his upper body on some days and lower body on the others. He'd have broken bones and he'd be in the hospital."

"Glad to see that you're helping Daell," said Vivi as dryly as possible. "Really. It's touching. Anyone have any ideas?"

"Maybe we can tail him?" said Jinny. "It shouldn't be that hard."

"It's harder than you think," said Del and Daell.

"How would you guys know?" asked Jean.

The Sunshine Twins looked to one another and then back to their friends, not saying another word.

Jinny sighed. "Well what else can we do?"

"Maybe plant a bug?" asked Jean. "We can put it on his shoulder or in his pocket or something?"

"I like it!" said Vivi. "How?"

"I've noticed that Arthur has a couple of grocery bags before disappearing. Maybe we can put it in there."

"A bug's not going to be enough though," said Daell. "We're also going to need a tracking device."

"This is getting better and better!" said Vivi. "Where are we going to get them? Artie's the brains and the builder. There's no way we can ask him outright."

"I could probably do it," said Del.

"How would you know how to make them?" asked Jinny.

"...Google."

~~~

"Can someone explain to me why I'm the one planting the bugs on him?" asked Jinny. At the moment the entire crew was in the van.

"Because it would be slightly suspicious if anyone else was doing it," said Vivi. "Now remember: they go into the grocery bags."

"But what if he doesn't have any?"

"Then put them in his pocket or something."

She sighed. "Okay."

Vivi placed her hands on Jinny's shoulders. "Keep in mind that we're doing this for Arthur. We're trying to help him."

Jinny gave a firm nod before stepping out the van.

"...She does know that she forgot the bugs right?" asked Daell.

With a huge blush of embarrassment, Jinny came back and got the bugs from Daell and then left again.

~~~

Jinny came back from her 'mission' with success. Del turned the bugs on and Lewis tailed Arthur as best as he could.

~~~

The tracking device told the gang that Arthur entered a junkyard and was deep within it. The sign above the 'gate' read "Le Fey Eight's Junkyard". Del turned on the listening device and everyone waited in anticipation.

"ARTIEARTIEARTIEARTIE oxen fahREE!" exclaimed a female voice.

"Gah! MORGAN!" There was a thud. "I keep telling to not call me that! And be careful! It's hard looking for everything on you and the old man's list!"

"Don't blame me fore being excited to see you~!"

The van suddenly grew incredibly hot. All eyes fell on Jinny and Del and saw that they were burning with rage and jealousy.

"Were you able to get everything?" asked Morgan.

"Don't I always?"

"Are you two done?" asked a deep, gruff voice.

Del and Jinny snapped out of their jealousy and wondered who the new guy was. He sounded terrifying.

"You might want to ask her." said Arthur.

"I am." The dirt floor sounded like it was getting scuffed, meaning that he was getting up.

"Excellent. Get changed. The both of you. It's time to fight."

"Try to not take so long princess." said Morgan.

"Shut up." said Arthur. "Before I forget." The paper bags sounded like they were being taken from one pair of hands to the next.

"I can never thank you enough for doing this Arthur."

"Don't mention it. I'm glad I can help out."

"Soon... the world will be OURS!"

"...shut up Morgan..."

~~~

In the van, everyone was talking about what was going on.

"Arthur's not a fighter!" said Jinny. "Why would he agree to it so easily?!"

"Maybe he's being blackmailed or something," said Daell.

"You are just so filled of sunshine today, aren't you?" asked Vivi.

"Aren't I always?"

"Chill you guys," said Lewis. "This might work to our advantage. We caught Arthur red-handed so why not confront him about it?"

"Because the really, really deep voice will kill us if we try."

"I don't think so. It's like you and Jean keep saying, Arthur's a coward."

"Hey!" yelled Jinny and Del.

Lewis looked to the both of them, challenging them to try and prove him wrong. When neither had any compelling arguments they backed down, but continued glaring at him.

"If this 'really, really deep voice' is so scary, then we would've heard it in Arthur's voice when he talked. But we didn't. Maybe this voice is just a front or something?"

"Could be..." said Daell.

"Well what are we waiting for?" asked Vivi. "Let's go spying!"

~~~

The gang snuck into the junkyard to try and look for Arthur. The plastic bags were placed somewhere far from him so listening wasn't going to do much. They all turned a big pile of worthless crap and standing at the top of another was a big guy.

A REALLY big guy.

He wore a blacker than midnight tank top and jeans. He wore a black metal mask with vertical slits over his entire face with black horns that curled. In his right hand, he held a giant warhammer and it's hilt looked like a thick spine with a sharp point. At the moment, he was looking below him and the entire gang saw Arthur fighting with a female.

He wasn't in his usual get-up though. He wore a pure black shirt that was tucked into camouflage combat pants with shin and knee guards. The back of his shirt had a shield with crossed swords. The shield had the initials 'KM'.

The woman he was fighting had her hair pulled back into a bun and she was wearing almost the exact same thing. The logo on her back was a shield wih a potion on it and an old fashioned banner above and below it saying 'Fey'. They both had wristbands though.

Arthur dodged the woman's punches as best as he could, but she was able to land one onto his chest.

She was about to get him with a right hook, but Arthur grabbed her wrist with his left hand and her forearm with his right. He was about to flip her over his shoulder, but stopped and decided to spin her around. Her feet left the ground and Arthur threw her. The woman thrusted her shoulder forward and she rolled.

She placed a fist and a knee onto the ground once she stopped rolling and then charged at Arthur. She threw a right hook, which Arthur avoided. The force of the right hook allowed her to give her left hook some extra force, but he dodge that to. She was about to throw another right hook, but she placed her right forearm across her chest and hooked her foot and around his ankle.

Clever girl... She faked a punch to bring Arthur down. She was about to punch Arthur when Jinny and Del yelled "ARTHUR!" at the same time.

The woman, somehow, tripped on her own footing.

The man on top of the junk pile next to them turned to their voices and the guys grabbed the girls and ran.

Arthur turned to see them running. "Guys?!"

The man on top of the junk pile jumped off and darted after them. "WAIT!"

~~~

Two yards away from the exit and then the man from before appeared before them. The gang stopped in their tracks and he stalked towards them with his warhammer over his shoulder.

"You. Should NOT. BE. Here. Who are you?"

No one replied. The man side stepped over to a car and pulled out a shotgun that was pressed against the inside of the car. He pointed it at them with one hand.

Lewis held Vivi as close to him as possible, Del and Daell grabbed their throwing knives, and Jean stood in front of Jinny.

"Goodbye, trespassers..."

Something blurred in front of them with their arms stretched out. It was the woman who was fighting Arthur.

"What are you doing? Get out of the way."

"I can't do that. I might not know them, but I won't let you hurt them."

"Why protect strangers?"

"Because they're not strangers to Artie!"

She pointed at everyone while saying "Lewis, Vivi, Del, Daell, Jinny, and Jean. They are all of Artie's friends."

After what felt like an eternity, the man put the shotgun back where he got it.

The woman placed a hand on her chest and sighed. She turned to the gang and asked "Are you guys okay?"

~~~

"SHE'S YOUR WHAT?!" yelled Jinny and Del.

"My little half-sister," said Artie.

"Why didn't you tell us about her sooner?" asked Daell.

"I was trying to find the right time and the right explanation, but I couldn't think of anything."

Everyone was inside a small metal shack, if that, and Arthur tried to explain why he was being so secretive.

"But what about all of the shopping and stuff?" asked Jean. "What's all that for?"

"There's so much crap to do in the junkyard that neither Morgan nor my dad-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Dad?" asked Vivi. "That big guy, the guy who was going to kill us, IS YOUR DAD?!"

Arthur pulled on the collar of his shirt and stayed silent.

"Holy shit..."

"Yeah... anyway back to my explanation. Neither Morgan nor dad can really drop what they were doing and go out and buy stuff so they have me do it."

"What exactly do you buy?" asked Daell.

"Food, TP, supplies-"

"What kind?" asked Del.

"I'd... I don't want to say..."

"Girl supplies," said Morgan. She changed out of her outfit into a new one. She wore a black, sleeveless shirt, khaki pants, and dark brown boots with a silver outline. She wore her wristbands, but her hair was now down in a braid and everyone could see two strands of orange hair. Now that everyone was slightly closer, they could see she had freckles and brown eyes.

Del, Jinny, and Vivi all said 'oh' when she answered for Arthur.

"What are girl supplies?" asked Jean.

"Sorry pal, that's need to know and you don't need to know. Maybe one day you'll figure it out."

"How did you get our names?" asked Lewis.

"Arthur told me and gave me a quick description of each of you guys."

"How old are you?" asked Jinny.

Morgan simply smiled at her and said "Old enough." She walked to the coffee 'table' and grabbed a welders mask. She walked out, holding it in the air saying 'Ciao' before putting it on.

Arthur sighed. "She's 21."

"Something just occurred to me," said Vivi. "We never met your dad until now. Why?"

Arthur took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "My dad had an affair... I don't know with who nor do I care, either way it happened. What you guys are about to hear is second hand info from my mom. A week after my first birthday, he came up to her and told her that he had conceived another child. She divorced him and then put a restraining order on him and his," he used air quotes "'child'. After that. When I was old enough, she kept telling me all this bullshit about him being the worst human being on the planet and Uncle Lance backed her up on it. Seeing how I didn't really know him at the time, I simply thought 'What they must be saying must be true'... then I went into high school. I became the Robotics Team captain and I got them to the championships. My final opponent was a female captain and I won. During the fight she had her hood up, but after she took it down and I saw how much she looked like me. So, I met up with and asked who her parents were. She said she only had one and it was my dad and so I start asking about him and everything she told me contradicted what my mom and uncle said about him. So I asked if I could meet him and she said sure. So I did and he told me about the restraining order and how we can't see each other until I turn 18. My mom, somehow, found out that I met my half-sibling and she moved me to another high school which is how I met you guys."

"Why emphasis 'child'?" asked Jean.

"My dad said that the doctors mixed up the patient charts. Instead of having another boy, he had a girl. If he hadn't told her the false info, then Morgan would have to stay away as well."

"So, you've been doing this for three years?" asked Lewis.

"No. My move to the next high school was also my move to the next city. Dad said he set up a PO box that I could use to stay in contact with Morgan. Which I did. One day, her letters stopped coming and I didn't know why. I still don't, but I'm not going bring it up. The important thing is is that I got back to some of my family and the distance is, finally, closing."

"I'm so sorry, Art..." said Vivi.

"It's alright. But just as a heads up, guys," he said turning the dudes in the room. "I'm not saying this to be over-protective, but you guys will need to stay away from Morg."

"What?" said Jean.

"Why?" asked Lewis.

"My dad's the over-protective one. He will kill you guys if you get to close to her."

"And the girls?" asked Daell.

"They're safe."

"Artie, Artie, Artie oxen free!" called Morgan.

He groaned. "Be right back..."

~~~

After a few more hours of Q and A, the gang left and made plans to talk and learn more about each other. With her dad's permission, Morgan agreed in a heart beat and couldn't wait to meet her new friends.