Disclaimers: All characters belong to Square-Enix. Plotline is mine and is part of the "You're a Lost Little Girl" series. Author's complete notes to follow.

As a little girl readied for the day, she sang, "Sunday, Pancake Day!"

Sunday always had been, ever since she could remember. Daddy was very stern about it – whenever he had to go away, he made sure Tifa knew it was their tradition. And now the older lady downstairs knew it too. Marlene bounced down the steps and took her now customary place at the table. Elmyra turned around and gave her a smile, and Marlene shyly waved. However, before the first fluffy pancake made it out of the griddle, something grabbed her attention. It was a sound – a very welcome one.

Marlene heard the motley crew her father travelled with before she actually saw them. The voices drifted through the air, serious murmurings mixed with raucous laughter. Her tiny face broke into a grin as she looked over the table to Elmyra, who also stood listening, waiting for one certain sound.

Then there it was.

A small, almost imperceptible tap on the side of the house. It was the sound made by Aerith's staff being propped up against the siding, and then it was followed by the comforting sounds of a slight rustle as the contents of her knapsack were ruffled through, and finally a jingling of the house keys. Her daughter was home. Elmyra turned off the griddle and took the plates off the table, almost waltzing her way to the sideboard. Breakfast would wait.

Marlene carefully hopped off of her booster seat and tore through the living room to the front window to look out. She was just tall enough to chin herself on the window sill and see out, if she stood on her tip toes. She was a good girl and knew better than to rap on the glass or press her face up against it. They would be inside soon enough, and she shouldn't dirty up the window – Elmyra would just have to clean it again.

Through the window, she could see a small crowd that always seemed to be growing. Whenever Aerith came home, she always brought new friends with her. However, there was one person that Marlene had the most interest in seeing. His broad form loomed in the window and had to bend over to see into the small house's window. Upon sight, his face broke into a grin. "Aerith, hurry up! I got my little girl in there!"

The light chuckle followed. "Hmmm, now which one is it? That's my bike key, my mailbox key, my diary key, my backdoor key, the garden shed key, the---" Aerith's other hand rose to her mouth to cover her mouth a bit, both in amusement and in minor embarrassment of being so disorganized with her keys. "Here we go."

The key slid into the lock and click, and the door swung up as Barret barrelled through. "Baby!"

Marlene's chubby legs ran as fast as they could carry her across the room to her daddy. "Papa!" Before she knew it, she was swept up into his arms, her face rubbed against her father's whiskers. The scent of motor oil from his fake hand, the smell of cigar smoke, and the same old soap invaded Marlene's nose. While this house was very nice, this was home.

As each person entered in through the door, Marlene felt their essences mingle with this familiar space. She got an inkling of what these new friends would be like….even before she talked to them. Even though Marlene was a very little girl and did not know many things, she did know people. How they felt. Aerith had asked her a few times, when the lady in pink had caught her thinking very, very hard, what she was thinking about. Marlene could not really answer her. She wasn't thinking about anything….she was feeling. And she felt everything.

And sometimes it hurt. When she'd been taken away by the funny man with red hair, she felt….that he did not want to hurt her….

But he might have to. Even if he didn't want to. Marlene's lip trembled slightly at remembering. The poor man did not want to hurt the little girl but if the big men in charge said he had to, then he could not say no. She was both frightened of him and yet still felt sorry for him. It was one thing when someone was a bad man…but when someone did not want to be bad but had to be bad anyway, Marlene felt just as sorry for him as she did for herself.

Marlene wiggled in her father's grasp slightly for better positioning to take a look at everyone as they came in, so she could match her feelings with their faces.

Aerith had slung down her knapsack and had bounced into the kitchen to see her mother. Her eternally serene demeanour filled the house, making it seem more complete. Marlene could feel Elmyra's relief washing down over and over in waves. But…

…Marlene could also see something pulling on Aerith. She did not know what it was – it was not bad, but there was a need for her elsewhere.

She felt Tifa squeeze by, her cheer emanating out from a small envelope of shadow. She felt Cloud's inner maelstrom awkwardly sit down on the couch in silence. Red XIII slinked through to stop at the kitchen table, as always curious to see what Elmyra was up to.

A void swept past Marlene. The little cat was robotic; there was nothing to feel, and Marlene was not sure if she wanted too – it was his fault that she had been taken.

Barret turned toward the door that was still filled with people. These three were not immediately comfortable in entering… they were strangers… Her father moved out of the way to allow Aerith and her mother to come through. "Mom, these are Yuffie, Cid, and Vincent. They're coming with us on the trip – do we have room for all of them up here?" Yuffie waved maniacally, Cid turned on a charmer's grin, and the man in the back simply raised and lowered his chin once. Marlene was trying to discern who was projecting what – new people were hard to feel in clumps. She didn't hear any of the conversations that were going on at this moment – she was in her own place of thought.

Elmyra took to her role as den mother for this troop and immediately went to rounding up enough linen for these new people. Tifa went to the kitchen to try and start to cook something large for all of them.

And then Aerith tapped her on the shoulder. Mentally.

Marlene and Aerith had been mutually surprised to find, upon meeting, that they could feel things on the same plane – a plane no one else had access to. That plane of emotions, of being psychic, but yet not. Aerith's was far more developed, naturally strong, and practiced, but Marlene was getting fairly good at it herself. Her early years in a bar had lent themselves to reading people, many people, one after another. At times, the young lady and the little girl had "feeling" conversations – not with words or images, but with feelings as to what was going on.

Interrupting her silent thoughts, Barret murmured to her, "Baby, I got some new friends I want you to meet – you up for that?" Marlene nodded and turned in her father's arms to get a look at the three people still standing near the door.

"Hi! I'm Yuffie! You're such a cute little thing – can I hold her?!" was the rapid fire assault of words that flew out of the girl's mouth. Marlene was nearly bowled over by the sheer energy and strength of this girl's emotions. There was also something to be watched – like she wasn't supposed to be trusted all the way or that she was hiding something from her friends….she definitely did not to be placed into her arms. Marlene shrank back into Barret's shoulder.

"Damn, Yuffie, you startled the hell out of Marlene. Get yo' backside in the kitchen and help Tifa. And calm dawn. Damn, girl." Yuffie pouted for a moment before scampering off into the kitchen.

Aerith called after her, "We don't have anything worth stealing, so forget it."

Reluctance and a bit of sympathy emanated from the next person in line – not surprising given what had just transpired. However, Marlene could still detect him – someone with lots and lots of good on the inside but was really mean on the outside. And someone who had a temper. Not a violent temper, but someone like her daddy in ways. And someone who could not lie very well at all because of all the good that was hidden in there. "Uh, this is Cid. He flies an airship."

Marlene peeled herself off her father's shoulder and looked with interest at the pilot. He stood there, somewhat ill at ease, not quite sure what to do. Marlene waved at him silently. That brought a grin to his unshaven face, and he started to offer a large hand to her… "Ah, I'm a dumbass….something more manageable for you, kid." He reduced is offer to a pointer finger and a thumb, and it was in this odd fashion that they shook hands…cautiously.

Cid's face went back to its normal bravado. "You got any beer here? I need a break."

Aerith crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, we do, but you only get it if you don't smoke inside."

Cid shrugged, "Fine and fuckin' dandy. Where's the head?"

Aerith sighed and pointed at the stairs. With that, the pilot was gone.

"This is Vincent Valentine, Marlene. He's not a bad guy; he's just sort of scary looking."

At first, Marlene had thought the person at the end of the line was another void – he didn't stand out like Yuffie and Cid did. But now that most of the interference was gone, she could feel him. While very dark and sad, he felt soft on the outside…almost fluid…almost like nothing anyone could say or do to him would make an impact. Like he was dying and he knew it…

But at the very centre, right where he really was, there was a light. A single, brilliant, sharp light. Something so very beautiful inside. She couldn't even describe his feeling and presence like she did with the others….she had to use her eye words. She had the same method, at times with Red XIII, because he was not human…

Not human?

But he looked very human to Marlene. A very sad man. Someone who needed a hug.

Both Barret and Vincent were taken aback when Marlene stretched her small, chubby arms out toward the man in black and red. Vincent's expression did not change, but his body froze where it was. Barret's brow creased as he said to her, "Baby, Vincent isn't much for hugs and stuff. It's just the way he is; there's a lot of people who would give you a hug, no problem."

The little girl nodded. He needed a hug, but he didn't want one right now. Sort of like how she was with naps. Vincent nodded at her, his eyes not meeting hers. He didn't want to give her nightmares.

As Vincent moved to sweep by, he heard a little voice say, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Valentine."

He stopped midstep for a moment, but continued on. Foolish child. Meeting him was hardly a pleasure. The innocent didn't see his inner self at all – the one filled with demons and scientific abominations. He hoped she didn't make any sort of attachments to him. Having only been awake for a short period, he was unsure how these demons would manifest over the last of his days.

Vincent Valentine hoped these days would be short, swift, and to the point.

However, when Marlene did reading of the people gathered around the table that night, she found that he wasn't the person that was most ready for an end. Her wide eyes met with that person's – hers were scared too, but knowing it would be for the best. Fate had a way of balancing things – life for life.

She knew it.

They both knew it.

And Elmyra never knew that that night would be the last her daughter slept under her roof.