Liz watches Abe with the same protective eyes of a mother, and she guesses that that's about right.

He's restless, unable to sleep on most nights and not listening to his music for fear of waking the rest of the house up, even though Liz is awake right along with him, locked away in her and Red's bedroom as the moon glares at her through the open window. His moping around is really getting to her, and not exactly for the same reasons, but her children, at least, stay oblivious in their cribs, sleeping despite the silent thing damaging her family; death.

And it is doing some damage.

Abe doesn't spend nearly enough time with the twins, opting to swim in his tank and daydream-or remember other days (she's always too afraid to ask)- and drown in the past. He doesn't realize it, though.

Red does notice his friend's behavior, and he tries his best to cheer the merman up, but it never works, and the kids always gaze up at their father with blank faces when he willfully resists the urge to drive his fist through a wall with frustration at the whole situation. Abe doesn't show a single sign of changing his behavior, and never flinches at Red's almost-outbursts, and sighs at random moments, so caught up within the images flashing in his mind to take notice of the fuming woman in front of him.

When Liz burns the food for the umpteenth time, Abe stands up and forms his own habit-cooking. He picks it up easily enough, and Liz can't help but think that it's a way to distract himself, but as long as it does its job-and fills their stomachs-she's satisfied with it.

When they've eaten their meals, he's the last to leave, and Liz isn't entirely sure that it's not because he doesn't want to be alone.

But it's clear, when she looks at him from across the room as he stares off into some unseen memory, her attention on him left completely unnoted, that, to Abe, he is alone.

And it's not really fair that he should feel that way, either.

Please R&R! Feedback is always appreciated ;)

Abe and Liz needed more bonding moments in the movie, don't you think? (But this isn't exactly 'bonding')

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