"Jack is back!"

So, this was something I felt I wanted to do and actually managed to complete.

I know it has a very slow pace, so be warned; lots and lots of exposition.

This is different from what I've ever done before, but I hope you'll enjoy none the less.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy.

…

Long Time

…

"Anything new to report?" Hope asked as he tried to sink even deeper into the small seat which seemed to become less comfortable as the evening went by. He glanced outside through the tiny window of the small private jet, watching as planes continued to take off and land on Orly-International Airport.

Lucky them, he mused and took a sip from a bottle of water.

"No, sorry sir", one of his bodyguards informed him from the doorway to the cockpit.

Hope locked at the clock, 21:57, almost ten in the evening. He gritted his teeth and cursed his bad luck. The day had passed by like a well-oiled machine with different meetings and a seminar in Paris University. Leaving Paris had turned out to be the hard part, or rather getting to his next destination.

"We could always fly to Sicily and travel by helicopter from there", Hope suggested, more to himself than anyone else.

His next destination was Luqa Airport on Malta, where he and his colleagues would check in to a hotel for the night and then hold another seminar at the local university and then conclude the plans for a new office in Valetta. But all those plans were now in jeopardy because of a software issue in the traffic control tower on the airport, something which kept all planes grounded and any approaching planes redirected to other airports in the Mediterranean until the staff could fix the issue. And the planes who had yet to take off for Malta was grounded on their current airports because of that.

A young man sitting in front of Hope shock his head. "No, any airfield that close to Malta needs to divert the extra space for planes who are low on fuel. We won't get to Malta anytime soon, Hope."

Hope sighed. "I know, Kai, just… just getting a bit tense I suppose."

Kai was the same age as Hope. They had known each other since preschool and had been friends ever since. While Hope had dedicated his life to scientific development, Kai had focused on his childhood dream of becoming a pilot. He had been Hope's first choice when he realized he needed a pilot he could trust wholeheartedly.

Kai smirked and stretched his back. "Look, we´re not going to go anywhere tonight, why don't we call it a night and head for the apartments? You look about as tired as I feel."

"Tired?" Hope chuckled. "More like exhausted."

Kai stood up. "See, even worse! C´mon, I'll get a car."

Hope watched as his friend left the aircraft with his phone pressed to his ear. He wanted to oppose the suggestion, there were many students who were supposed to attend his seminar. To let them down just like that made him feel guilty. Hope looked across the cabin, and met his assistant's eyes. The young woman looked just as exhausted as he imagined he felt. The same went for the two bodyguards on either side of the cabin.

It's been a really long and intense week, Hope thought. He and his staff had travelled all over Europe during the last few days with way too little sleep. Calling it a week a day earlier would not do any of them any harm.

"Cancel tomorrows schedule, Nena. Give the university my apologies and tell the site director to finish the paperwork for the new office. We'll go there another time."

She nodded. "Consider it done, director."

"Thanks, you're dismissed for the rest of the weekend. Go home and enjoy yourself."

She smiled. "Thanks sir, I will."

Hope rose from his seat when he saw a pair of searchlights approach the car. That was quick.

He waited for his bodyguards to leave the aircraft and make sure that the area was safe before he went outside and took a deep breath, savouring the much fresher air then the stale air in the aircraft cabin.

"What about the plane, sir?" the captain asked him as he was about to walk down the stairs to the parked car.

"Park it in the hangar, I may want to go home tomorrow", Hope told him.

Home may be a bit of a stretch, Hope thought to himself. He lived wherever he needed to go had rarely time to spend at a single location for a prolonged time. But he did have a place he could call his own, a nice villa on the northern beach of Bodensee where he liked to spend his off-weekends and rare vacations when he had time to spare. If, rather than when…

The car was a rather inconspicuous black sedan, neither the newest expensive model fitted for movie stars nor was it some cheap pile of junk heading for the scrapyard. The only noticeable feature were three letters on either side of the vehicle; ISD, an acronym for Institute of Scientific Development.

The ISD had been Hope´s brainchild, born thirteen years ago when he had remembered… everything. Cocoon, Pulse, the Academy, everything from a past life in a world which no longer existed. But these memories had served the fourteen-year-old boy well, and had allowed him to pick up where he left off. The time since then had been hard and challenging, but he had managed to overcome all obstacles and was now the head of his own global conglomerate, with the goal of steering the world onto a better path.

He entered the car and sat down in the back seat. Kai and one of the two bodyguards followed while the second took the front seat next to the driver.

Hope looked at Kai and chuckled. They had been friends in the old world as well, back when they were kids on Cocoon. He knew Kai remembered some of that as well, but the two of them rarely spoke about it. It was all in the past after all, and they had quite a lot to do as it was. No time to get sentimental, Hope lamented.

They weren't the only ones that remembered though. Bartholomew and Nora Estheim both had some fragments of memories from their previous lives as well, and Hope had met many former colleagues from his time in the Academy, many of whom now worked with him again.

But that was it. There were still some people he hadn't met, his former friends and comrades from their great struggle against fate. Lightning, Snow and Serah, Vanille and Fang, Sazh and his son, Noel and Yuel… he hadn't met any of them in this lifetime.

Hope had looked for them when he regained his memories, but his searches had never born any fruit. The most likely explanation was that they hadn't been born yet or had been born much earlier than him and had passed away before he was born.

The thought was painful to bear, but it was a possibility he couldn't deny. But it didn't change his goal in the least if that was the case, quite the opposite in fact. If he could make the world a better place for his former friends in the future, that made it all worth it in the end.

"You look very occupied tonight, man", Kai said. "Got some new bright idea brewing in that supercomputer of a brain of yours?"

Hope gave his friend a tired smile and shock his head. "No, nothing like that. Just reminiscing, that's all."

Kai chuckled. "Well, don't get to lost in your head. We're nearly there."

Hope glanced outside and was surprised when he saw that Kai was right. The brightly lit streets of Paris surrounded them as they made their way towards the local ISD office, a tall, almost futuristic building which didn't fit in among the much older architecture of Paris. A smaller apartment building next to it was commonly referred to as "The Apartments" by ISD employees and was used as temporary housing for company employees who travelled around a lot and needed a room to sleep in during the night.

Guess I fit the bill, Hope thought as the car stopped in front of the apartment building.

The reception area was covered in bright marble and was guarded by a few security guards who manned a desk and would check any visitor for ID before letting them through into the building.

Hope recognised the sergeant sitting behind the desk as held up his own ID-card. "Good evening Emile, got any rooms for us." He gestured to Kai and the two bodyguards.

"Sure, there are rooms for everyone", Emile said as he checked his computer. "Seven spare rooms on the thirteenth floor… plus the VIP room on the top floor as well."

Hope grinned. Most of the apartment buildings owned by ISD had a special apartment for high-ranking staff members. Paris had one of the best, located in a nicely furnished penthouse. He wouldn't mind sleeping in a big bed and maybe take a glass or two from the well-stocked bar.

"That would be great, thank you", Hope said.

"One more thing, Director", Emile said.

"Yes?"

"There was someone here two hours ago. A young woman, she said you know her."

"Did she tell you her name?" Hope asked. He thought it would be odd for someone to come to the apartment building to look for him. Especially since he hadn't planned on being there less than an hour before.

"No", Emile said, "I told her you wouldn't stay here tonight and asked her to vacate the premises since she obviously wasn't an employee. Did you expect any company, sir?"

Hope shock his head. "No, I didn't. What did she look like?"

Emile looked thoughtful. "Young, and I could swear I've seen her before. She seemed very carefree as well. Told me she'd be back later despite my objections."

"Did she leave her name?"

"No, she never introduced herself properly."

Hope didn't know what to really make of that. He had no friends who would act like that, not in this life at least…

No! I will not go there, Hope schooled himself. It was probably someone who wanted a position in the company and tried to skip the paperwork by meeting the director personally. It could've also been one of his admirers. He shivered at the thought. Let's really not go there. Period!

Hope brushed all thoughts of the issue aside and motioned towards the elevator. "Never mind then, can we go up?"

"Go ahead. I've given all of you elevator access as well as access to the penthouse for you, director."

"Thanks, have a pleasant evening", Hope said.

Hope parted ways with Kai and the bodyguards on the thirteenth floor while he continued to the penthouse. He was glad he didn't have to be accompanied there since the bodyguards could feel a bit much at times. That being said, he did appreciate that they took their job seriously, he just didn't like to be treated like a fragile doll all the time.

The penthouse gave the residents a nice view of the Paris skyline, especially at dawn when the sun rose on the horizon. It consisted of one big living room, a bathroom with all necessities and then some, a bedroom with king-sized bed, a kitchen which always was stocked as well as a big outdoor balcony.

Hope took off his suit jacket and freed himself from the necktie. He had never managed to get completely comfortable in business clothing. Give me a lab coat any day, he thought. Maybe that would be a reality when he got back home, at least for the weekend. Two days with my own experiments, that's something, he mused.

But that was tomorrow. He had a bar to raid before calling it a night.

"Let's see what we got", Hope said as he opened the fridge to look for a beer or maybe a bottle gin… and found it stacked top to bottom with glass bottles of colourful cider. Sweet cider.

"What the…", Hope was dumbstruck. He knew all of the high ranking members of the company, and he knew their preferences when it came to alcoholic beverages. Cider was not among any of them. Not even Alyssa who tended to be a bit all over the place when it came to her culinary preferences.

Hope quickly searched the bar for any other beverages and sighed in relief when he found a bottle of red wine. He filled a glass and made his way out to the balcony where he rose the glass to the sky. "Cheers, Paris", he said and took a sip. The liquid had a rich, kinda spicy taste which lasted in his mouth for a while. He smiled and leaned against the railing. Maybe a slightly longer weekend wouldn't be so bad after all. He'd make some calls in the morning and try to make up for his absence on Malta, and then leave for home before the afternoon. Then he'd have the whole weekend for his personal projects whom he had neglected for far too long.

Hope was interrupted in his musings when his phone suddenly started to buzz. He sighed and made a mental note to turn it off when he finished the call.

"Estheim speaking", he said and took another sip of wine.

"Sir, this is the reception", he heard Emile's voice in the phone.

"Something the matter?"

Emile cleared his throat and seemed to have trouble finding words. "Yeah, um… you remember that woman I mentioned?"

"Sure", Hope said. "The one who came by earlier tonight, right?"

"Exactly, well… she's here again and wants to see you. Right now."

Hope sighed. Who in their right mind would try to meet him this late? It didn't matter anyway; he wouldn't waste his time on some stranger in the middle of the night.

"Tell her to book a meeting if it's that important", Hope said, his thumb on the verge of ending the call.

"I did, but she claims Assistant Director Zaidelle gave her instructions to come here."

Alyssa? Hope thought. What kind of joke are you up to now? It wasn't unheard of his friend to pull his leg a few times a year, sometimes at the expense of interns or prospecting employees.

He emptied his glass and said, "I'm on my way down."

"Roger that, we'll keep her here", Emile said and ended the call.

Hope left the penthouse and headed to the elevator. He briefly considered putting on his suit jacket and necktie but chose to ignore them. He'd be improperly dressed if someone came to visit at an improper time.

Emile and four security guards had the visitor under strict surveillance when Hope emerged in the reception. One of them even withdrew a tazer when he started walking towards the visitor, a woman who still faced the reception desk, casually leaning against it while having a rather one-sided casual conversation with Emile as he looked like he was struggling to keep his temper in check. There's something familiar about her, Hope decided as he got closer to them.

He stopped a few steps away from her, fully aware that the guards would step in if the visitor showed any form of hostility. Something told Hope that wouldn't be necessary.

"I heard you wanted to speak me", Hope said.

"Yeah, I'm looking for this guy", she said and took a step away from the desk.

"He was much shorter the last time I saw him", she continued and turned towards him. Rose-coloured hair.

"He was also a better host", she said and fully faced him.

Hope's heart skipped more than a few beats, and he was certain his eyes would pop out of their sockets at any moment. "L… Light?"

Lightning Farron herself, his old partner, servant of the goddess, saviour of mankind… Hope was at a loss for words.

Lightning smirked. "He also tended to talk all day long", she said.

Hope was a rational man, always acting on logic and doing what would be considered the best choice for everyone involved… but all was thrown away in an instant and he couldn't stop himself from enveloping her in the tightest hug he'd ever given any person in any lifetime.

She didn't seem the least surprised by his reaction and returned the hug just as quickly. "It's been a long time", she said.

"You've no idea", Hope said despite barely registering the words. He focused on her, savouring her warmth, her smell of roses, the smooth, almost velvety hair pressed against his cheek. She was really there, alive in his arms.

He didn't know for how long they stood there, time didn't matter anymore. They eventually came apart, and took a second look at each other. She looked just like he remembered her from the time when she led all of them to the new world… apart from the clothing. But there were also differences at the same time. She seemed much less tense and more carefree, like the weight of the world didn't hang on her shoulders any longer.

"I'm sure you'll tell all about it", she said and nodded towards the elevator. "But I'd like to talk with a little privacy."

Hope looked around them, aware that they weren't alone in the room. The guards had returned to their regular positions and Emile looked as surprised as Hope had been. "You… obviously know each other", Emile said.

Hope didn't care that he had the biggest, sheepy grin on his face and felt like he was about to cry. He was just so happy he almost could burst. "Yeah… we do."

He could only stare at her while she led him to the elevator and had him show her to the penthouse. She snickered when he fumbled with his ID-card at the door like a nervous teen.

"C'mon look at the door for just a second."

They eventually made it inside and Hope showed her to the living room where she sat down in the biggest couch. The smile she gave him brought the spell crashing down. What now?

Hope didn't know what to do or say. How do you start a conversation with someone you knew in another lifetime? Unprecedented didn't even begin to describe the situation.

"Would you like something to drink?" Hope finally managed to ask.

Lightning chuckled and leaned back in the couch and made herself comfortable. "Yes, I'll take a cider please."

Hope remembered that the fridge at the bar had been packed with it. He slowly made his way there and got lost in his thoughts. How does she know that? Did she put them there? No, she hasn't been here before, right? Well someone did it, and tonight of all nights. This can't be a coincidence…

"I heard you had some in the fridge", Lightning called from the couch, effectively breaking his chain of thought.

"Who told you?" Hope asked.

Lightning had a secretive smirk on her lips. "Oh, just this friend who can pull lots of strings when she need to. I think you of all people should be aware of that."

Alyssa, Hope thought. It had to be her. But how had she contacted Lightning… and when? It doesn't matter, he thought as looked at his guest. I really have to thank her though.

He decided to remember that for some later time and grabbed two bottles filled with pink cider and returned to Lightning.

"I won't bite", she said and patted the couch next to her.

Hope took the que and sat down next to her. She accepted one of the bottles from him and took a swig. Hope did the same but had to force himself not to grimace. Sweet, way too sweet.

Lightning didn't seem to share the sentiment though. "Yes, that's the right one", she said.

Hope placed his bottle on the table and tried to find the right words. "Well… I'm sure you have as many questions as I do…"

She took another swig of cider. "Yeah, but I already knew a bit. You're quite the public persona after all."

He smiled at that. "Okay, what can you tell me about the others. Are they around as well?"

Lightning donned a thoughtful expression. "What do you mean by around?"

"I feared I was the only one of us who had been born in this time", he explained. "I feared that you and the others had been born earlier in history or hadn't been born yet at all."

She smiled. "Don't worry about that any more. All of us are alive and doing fine."

That… was likely the biggest burden Hope had ever been relieved of. He laughed. He cried. He fell back in the couch. The feelings… they were simply overwhelming him. All the time he had feared he was the only one… for nothing. And he couldn't be happier for being wrong.

"They all look forward to seeing you again, Hope", Lightning said.

Hope wiped away the last remnants of his tears. "Thanks, Light. I really needed to hear that. Can you tell me what they do?"
"Why not let them do it. Better to hear from the source, right, mister scientist?"

He chuckled, still not completely balanced again. "Sure, but what about you then? What do you do in this new world?"

She looked secretive again. "I'd let you guess, but something tells me you'd never figure it out. None of the others did, except Serah of coarse."

She produced a small backpack he hadn't been aware was in her possession and dug into its contents. When her hand emerged it held a rolled up magazine. Hope accepted it and took a look at the cover. It was a fashion magazine, featuring Lightning on the cover.

He grinned. "A model? Yeah, I'd never guessed that."

She took back the magazine and smirked at him. "I've done this for a couple of years now. I'm surprised you haven't seen me before in covers and commercials."

He shrugged, his grin still plastered on his face. "Sorry, I have a busy schedule."

"That's okay, that makes you less likely to ask for free clothing unlike Serah and Vanille."

"Where do you live then?" He asked.

"Marseille, but the fashion agency I work for have me traveling across the continent from time to time."

"I know how that feels", he said. "Some of us have to live on a moving foot, right?"

"Yeah, but something tells me you travel much more than me", she said.

He didn't have anything to counter to that since she most likely was right. But of all the hundreds upon hundreds of questions he had, there was one more thing he wanted to know more than anything else. He waited while she emptied her bottle and not so discretely stole his. Not that it bothered him, the stuff was way too sweet for him.

"Hey, Light", he said.

"Hmm?" She took a swig from his bottle.

Hope took her free hand. "I want to know; are you happy? In this new world? In this life?"

He knew it was extremely personal to ask that, but he wanted to know none the less.

She gave him an honest smile and gently squeezed his hand. "Yes Hope, I'm very happy. Both to live in this world and with my life."

"Good", he said. "That's all I wanted to hear."

Lightning gave him a gentle shove and laughed. "C'mon, you must have more questions than that! I'll answer whatever you want to know!"

They spent several hours of the night exchanging questions and answers. Laughing together long into the night as they got to know each other again. Hope was so enthralled in the moment that he tried to ignore his growing exhaustion until he couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep in the couch.

Lightning smiled covered him in a thin blanket before retreating to the bedroom.

"Good night, Hope. I'll see you tomorrow", she said and went to bed.

…

I'm considering writing a second chapter, but we'll see when that will come out.

Let me know what you thought, that's always appreciated.

Take care and enjoy your summer.