Chapter One
Author's Note: Hello! This kind of a long author's note. I promise the next chapter will have a short one! Here is my newest story. It's a sequel to Christmas with Fang and consistent with The Simple Life. The story (along with the others in this AU series) follows some basic rules:
(1) There are no sequels to FFXIII. Christmas with Fang follows after the first game.
(2) For the purposes of this story/series, once the main characters are no longer l'Cie, they are completely human with no special abilities
(3) NORA is now an organization of law enforcers. The agents are a cross between police officers and detectives.
(4) The stories take place in the Troth, a town on the outskirts of Korrin, which is the capital city of New Cocoon, a settlement on Gran Pulse.
(5) A PMC (Portable Multipurpose Communicator) is essentially the smart phone of New Cocoon.
*I also should mention that when I started this story, it was originally supposed to be lighthearted like the others I have written so far. However, the story has taken a crime-drama turn that gets intense in some chapters. The other sequels will not likely be this way. I will still try to incorporate humor. I hope you enjoy the first chapter! :)
Disclaimer: FFXIII plot and characters belong to Square Enix. OCs and everything else belongs to me.
Warnings: There will be adult situations, violence, sexually suggestive scenes, and lesbians. You've been warned.
**Edit: I made some minor edits due to some helpful critiques from dainlord and some other things I thought didn't make sense. Overall, the chapter did not change very much aside from one scene.
xxx
Warm sunlight trickled in through the window. A beam of light settled just across her face, penetrating the comfortable blankets piled on top of her. Her thick lashes fluttered and a soft groan escaped her lips before her green eyes blinked open. She looked to the clock, which told her that it was already seven thirty in the morning. Though fifteen extra minutes of sleep might have been nice, Fang decided that it was not worth it. She might as well just get up and get ready for work.
The Gran Pulsian woman sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes, and glanced to the side. She dimly registered the empty space beside her before she threw the blankets off of herself and slid out of bed. The pads of her feet touched the cold floor and she moved toward the bathroom for a warm shower. The water awoke her quickly, washing the sleep from her eyes as she worked suds into her messy black hair.
After she was finished showering, Fang went through the rest of her morning routine. She slipped into a fresh outfit and clipped her work badge to her waist before glancing at herself in the mirror. She ran a comb through her wet hair, not bothering to attempt to style it because it was always wild. The mirror was still steamy, so with a grin Fang left a note for Vanille in case she had not yet gotten ready for the morning. She ended her note with a heart and laughed at the silly message before turning around and walking into the hallway.
Fang was only halfway down the stairs when she heard the familiar voices in the kitchen, so she walked toward the noise and paused in the doorway, watching the exchange with a faint smile on her face.
"I really don't think I can do this, Vanille," Serah gasped, massaging her temples with her hands. "I'm too overwhelmed."
"Of course, you can do this, Serah. It's not as hard as it seems," Vanille promised gently, placing her hand reassuringly on Serah's shoulder. "I'll come with you today, and I swear we'll find something before the day's over."
Serah shook her head hopelessly, covering her eyes. "I'm going to be the worst bride in the world. Snow is going to have to marry a woman dressed in…in a brown sack!"
Vanille burst into giggles, squeezing Serah's shoulder. "You're not gonna have to marry him in a sack, Serah. Do you want to go shopping right now? I swear we'll find you a dress."
"I've been to every store in Troth and half the stores in Korrin," Serah protested miserably. "I don't think there are any dresses that I haven't seen yet. Everyone that I talked to told me that you should start shopping for your wedding dress as early as a year before the wedding. I'm running out of time, and what if I never find the perfect dress? It would be even worse if I found the perfect dress and couldn't afford it or there wasn't enough time for them to make alterations. How did I let this much time pass? This is a nightmare!"
"It'll be okay, Serah. I promise." Vanille smiled cheerfully. "At least you already ordered the invitations. Besides, you still have almost five months until the wedding."
"Four and a half months is not enough time!" Serah gasped emotionally. "How am I going to do this? I should have gotten my dress months ago. This will be the worst wedding ever."
"Try taking a deep breath, Serah," Fang exclaimed from the doorway, smiling in amusement. "You're on time with everything else for the wedding, right? I'm sure everything'll be fine."
"Fang!" Vanille smiled happily as she twisted in her seat to look at her. "I thought you were never gonna wake up."
Fang crossed the room to wrap her arms around Vanille's shoulders from behind and leaned forwards, smirking as she murmured close to her ear, "That used to be my line, if you remember."
"How times have changed," Vanille giggled as she placed her hands on top of Fang's arms and smiled faintly. "Do you wanna eat some breakfast? Serah made omelets and I convinced her to use some new spices."
"Oh yeah?" Fang smirked faintly. "You always did like to experiment with food."
Vanille nodded excitedly. "This time it turned out really good. You should have one."
"I'm planning on it," Fang replied with a smile as she kissed Vanille's cheek. "So, what's the wedding crisis this morning?"
"We're having some trouble finding Serah the perfect wedding dress," Vanille whispered as she pointed at Serah, who had buried her face in a bridal magazine and was scouring every page. "She's been trying to find the right dress for months, but there's nothing she likes."
"I bet you two find something today," Fang replied confidently. "There's gotta be a store left in the area that you haven't visited yet."
"You're right, Fang," Vanille agreed, raising her voice so that Serah would hear her. "We're gonna find an amazing store we missed, and then Serah's dress is gonna be right there at the front of the store. It'll be so perfect that they won't even have to make any alterations."
"I hope you're right, Vanille," Serah whispered gently. "Otherwise we might have to postpone the wedding, and I really don't want to do that. I think it would break Snow's heart."
Fang bit her lip to hide her smile. "Well, good luck, Serah. I'm sure you'll find something." Turning back to Vanille, Fang explained, "I'm gonna finish getting ready for work."
"You're gonna sit with me while you eat breakfast, right?" Vanille asked, pouting.
"Of course, I am," Fang replied with a laugh, pecking Vanille on the lips before moving toward the stove to take one of the omelets. "These smell really good."
"I told you." Vanille grinned excitedly. "You're gonna love them."
Fang carried her plate to the table and sat beside Vanille, pretending not to pay attention as she ate but listening rather intently as the two women continued planning for Serah's upcoming wedding.
"The bridesmaids' dresses are all in. That's at least something to be happy about," Serah told Vanille with a relieved sigh. "Did you get a chance to go in for your fitting? We have to make sure your dress doesn't need alterations right away."
"I already went in. The dress is a little big on me, so they're gonna make the waist smaller, but otherwise it fits perfectly. It looks really cute on me, too!"
"That's wonderful, Vanille." Serah frowned faintly. "Do you know if any of the others tried theirs on yet?"
"I think everyone but Lightning went in for their fittings already," Vanille replied gently, biting her lip. "I've been trying, but I haven't been able to convince her to go in yet."
"But she's the maid of honor!" Serah gasped anxiously. "Her dress has to be perfect. She'll be standing right next to me."
Fang raised her brow curiously, asking between bites of her omelet, "What's the maid of honor? Is that like the person that stands with you at the ceremony?"
Vanille nodded, explaining, "It's like Milla's sister at Konnor's wedding, except here the maid of honor helps the bride do most of the planning where in Oerba everyone in the family and all the bridesmaids had to help."
Fang smiled at Vanille. "You'd think you were the maid of honor with all the work you've been doing to help Serah."
"Claire is very busy. Otherwise, she would help me," Serah told Fang, though she did not know if that was true. "I think she only said she would be the maid of honor because I'm her little sister. There isn't any way that she would have enough time to really carry out her responsibilities."
Fang made a noise of acknowledgement. "So, I heard they have really big cakes in Cocoon-style weddings. How d'you choose what kind you get?"
Serah frowned, anxiously. "I have to do that soon too! I have to go to as many bakeries as I can and they will let me have free samples of the cake. Then when I find a cake that I like, I order it and they will have one ready for the wedding day."
"Well, don't worry about a thing, Serah," Fang told her cheerfully. "I volunteer to help you taste-test as many cakes as you need."
Vanille giggled and hugged Fang's arm, resting her cheek against her shoulder. "Fang, that's something Serah should do with Snow."
"So what?" Fang challenged with a playful look. "Who says we can't go too?"
"You two can both come with us," Serah interjected, sighing as she braced her arms against the table. "Planning a wedding is so stressful. I need all the help I can get."
"If I were you, I'd give up on this crazy Cocoon-style ceremony and get hitched the Gran Pulsian way. The way they did it in Oerba, there was hardly any planning at all," Fang exclaimed as she kissed the top of Vanille's head and pulled away to clean up her breakfast plate. "All you'd really have to do was memorize the traditional vows and plan a banquet, but that wasn't really any harder than choosing what you wanted to eat."
"Fang, that's because the priests and the family would take care of the rest," Vanille argued gently, smiling.
"Even without them, everyone knew what to do," Fang shrugged, glancing up at the clock. "Anyway, I've gotta get going. I don't wanna be late."
"I'll be right back," Vanille told Serah as she skipped out of her seat to follow Fang.
Fang gathered up everything that she would need for work and pulled her jacket around her shoulders before turning to face Vanille with a grin. "Are you here to say goodbye?"
"Nope. I'm here to ask if you've really gotta go," Vanille replied with a pout as she stepped forwards and pressed against Fang. "You could just stay here with us and…"
"And go dress shopping all day?" Fang teased, wrapping her arms around her waist. "That sounds fun, but I have to work. We can't live with Light forever, Vanille, or she's bound to find a way to kill me one of these days."
"But you two haven't been fighting at all," Vanille protested, pouting. "I like it better when you stay home with me every day."
Fang laughed lightly, hugging her closer. "I promise we'll still get to spend a lot of time together. Besides, this is nicer than when I was a hunter, isn't it? You get to see me every night and I'll get weekends off once I've been working for a while."
"I guess that's true, but Snow and Lightning never take weekends off," Vanille argued, nuzzling against Fang's shoulder. "Doesn't that mean you won't either?"
"No. They both work way too hard," Fang replied with a chuckle.
Vanille offered a faint smile. "I know what I'll do while you're gone. I'll open a jewelry store."
"Oh, yeah?" Fang grinned. "Is it gonna be ready by the time I get home?"
The younger woman giggled, shaking her head. "I didn't mean today, Fang. It's just something I wanna do."
Fang shrugged. "Well, you might wanna start selling some stuff first. Right now we don't even have the money for a house, but I bet you could open a stand in the market once it gets warm outside."
"That's a good idea." Vanille smiled faintly before leaning up to press a quick kiss to Fang's lips. "Be careful today, Fang. You always pick dangerous jobs."
"It's not that dangerous," Fang promised, giving her another kiss before pulling gently away. "Nothing ever happens in Troth. That's why Light moved here, remember?"
Vanille nodded, taking a step back and waving. "Bye Fang. See you tonight!"
"You, too." Fang turned toward the door. "Good luck finding Serah's dress."
Xxx
"Lightning, what are you doing here so early?"
Lightning looked up from a pile of papers and frowned at her coworker, who she had seen many times even though she could not remember his name. "I'm doing paperwork."
"Oh." He shrugged, offering a friendly smile. "That stuff piles up, huh? I never take care if it when I should, and then I'm pulling all nighters before I know it."
The ex-soldier gave an indifferent shrug. "I get to it whenever I can. The other work is more important."
"I know, but the law doesn't see it that way." He chuckled lightly. "Anyway, the boss wants to see you. He asked me to let you know."
Lightning furrowed her brows, because she could not think of any reason that her boss should want to talk to her during the day when they saw each other so often. She immediately stood up and gathered the papers on her desk into a neat pile, hiding the more important files on the bottom because her coworkers had a habit of peeking at her cases. There were very few disturbances in the quiet town of Troth, so as an agent of the local NORA department, there was very little in Lightning's case files that would be of interest to anyone. However, everyone had found out very quickly that Lightning had been involved with the army in the past, and they assumed quite incorrectly that she must receive all the most dangerous cases. It seemed that no one could help checking for themselves, though they were always disappointed.
When Lightning turned, she realized that the officer was still standing there looking at her and narrowed her eyes. "Do you need something else?"
He frowned awkwardly. "Er, no, sorry."
Lightning pursed her lips before a moment before moving quickly past him and heading toward the hallway.
Kathi, another one of her coworkers, stopped her as she passed by her desk. "Hey, Lightning, are you going to see the boss?"
The ex-soldier frowned suspiciously. "Yes."
"Great! Could you bring this folder up to him for me? He wanted to take a look at my latest case, but I haven't had a chance to deliver this to him yet." The other woman laughed awkwardly. "I don't know why he's checking up on me all the sudden. The report was just another wild animal bothering some of the houses on the forest line."
"I'll take it," Lightning muttered, frowning.
"Thanks. You're saving me a trip."
Lightning gave a noncommittal nod and turned away, quickening her pace so that no one else would bother her as she walked out into the hallway and through the door that led to the stairwell. She climbed up to the second floor of Troth's NORA Headquarters and ignored her coworkers, who did not smile and wave at her because they had learned that she was unlikely to react other than to look uncomfortable. Whenever someone would ask her a direct question, Lightning would always answer and try to be helpful, but otherwise she remained mostly to herself.
As soon as she reached the boss' office, Lightning pushed the door open without knocking and stomped inside. With narrowed eyes, she demanded, "What do you want? I was doing paperwork."
"Now, Light, is that any way to talk to your boss?"
Lightning's eyebrow twitched as she turned to the side and noticed that Fang was sitting on one of the two chairs in front of the boss' desk, her legs propped up on the furniture. She was smirking.
"Snow, what is she doing here?" Lightning asked with a frown.
"I work here now. Didn't anyone tell you?" Fang asked with a grin. "I've got more good news, too. Wanna hear it?"
"Are you finally moving out?"
Fang pouted humorously. "Aw, Light, I thought we were getting along so well."
Lightning rolled her eyes. "That's only because Vanille made you sign that stupid contract saying you wouldn't play any more pranks on us, but I know you won't stop."
"Well, I won't stop completely." Fang grinned faintly. "Vanille made an allowance in the contract for a few pranks here and there 'cause I just can't be helped."
Lightning sighed and looked at Snow. "Why am I here?"
"Some officials in Korrin voted in a New Cocoon-wide policy for NORA," Snow explained with a cheerful smile. "Every NORA officer must now travel with a partner for their own safety. You're the only person in the department who still isn't following that rule."
"That's because I don't need a partner," Lightning told him stiffly.
"Lightning, it's a NORA policy," Snow argued gently. "I'm not the leader of the organization anymore. They elected a Chief of Agents. He gets to make the big decisions."
"What if I refuse to follow the policy?" Lightning challenged.
"Then your brother here gets in trouble," Fang explained with a teasing look. "We wouldn't want that, now would we?"
Lightning narrowed her eyes in warning, but she knew that she could not keep correcting them for long. Snow was absolutely going to marry her sister in five months, so whether she liked it or not, he was going to be her brother-in-law. While she preferred him to anyone else that might be interested in Serah, she did not know if she could get used to the idea of allowing someone else into her family.
"Most of the others in the department are afraid to work with you, so I thought assigning you and Fang together would be a perfect solution," Snow explained finally. "You already know each other, you worked well together when we were fighting as l'Cie, and you're pretty evenly matched in strength."
"I don't want to be Fang's partner," Lightning told him firmly. "She doesn't take anything seriously."
"And you take everything too seriously," Fang corrected, grinning. "We're prefect for each other, Light."
"I don't need a partner," Lightning scoffed. "And don't say we're perfect for each other. You have Vanille."
Fang smirked, raising her brow. "Why d'you always assume I mean it romantically when I say things like that? Is there something you're not telling me?"
Lightning rolled her eyes. "I'm not working with her."
"Come on. We're all friends," Snow told Lightning gently. "Fang was just kidding. I know the two of you will work really well together."
"Yeah, come on, Light. We're a perfectly good team."
Even though she frowned, Lightning knew that out of everyone in NORA, Fang would be the most likely to be able to keep up with her. "Fine, but don't get in my way."
"Now, Light, let's not kid ourselves." Fang smiled playfully. "You'd be the one getting in my way."
Lightning merely scoffed.
"Fang, your new desk is right across from Lightning's," Snow explained quickly. "Go ahead and move your stuff. Then get ready for your next assignment. There was a disturbance on the outskirts of town. I want you two to check it out."
"Sure thing, boss!" Fang called enthusiastically, grinning over her shoulder as she followed Lightning out the door.
"You're going to have to learn to be professional if you want to keep this job," Lighting criticized as she picked up her pace.
"I can be very professional," Fang replied with an eager grin. "I'm glad to be working with you, Light. This is gonna be fun."
"Right." Lightning rolled her eyes. "Fun."
Xxx
"Give me the keys," Lightning grunted as she and Fang approached NORA air car that was provided to them while they were on duty. "I'm driving."
"Why can't I drive?" Fang asked with a grin.
"You were asleep for hundreds of years, and when you were a kid you traveled via chocobo," Lightning replied firmly, snatching the keys out of Fang's hand.
"Drive all you want, but Vanille and I both passed our driver's tests," Fang replied as she slid into the passenger seat. Laughing, she added, "And we didn't travel via chocobo except for longer journeys."
Lightning ignored her as she waited for the air car to power up and hover off of the ground. Once they were ready to leave, she turned on the siren and blasted out of the parking lot, taking a sharp turn at the corner without even looking both ways.
"Yeah, I can see where you didn't want me to drive," Fang joked sarcastically. "You're loads safer than I am."
"We're responding to a disturbance," Lightning replied calmly without looking at her. "We have to hurry."
Fang merely laughed.
As the ride continued, Fang poked the handgun on her lap and frowned faintly. "I can't believe Snow wants me to use one of these. I'm way better with my staff."
Lightning rolled her eyes. "You can't fight someone with a gun if all you have is a staff."
"I fought fal'Cie with that staff. I think I can handle myself."
"Fine, but if you get killed, I'm not filling out the paperwork."
"I'm glad you're so concerned for my safety," Fang replied with a chuckle.
Lightning reached the edge of town in record time and set the air car down on the side of the road before hopping out of the vehicle. She closed her door and did not bother waiting for Fang as she moved promptly toward the broken down house which had been abandoned only a month after the people of Cocoon had first began to settle on the surface of Gran Pulse. There were no other houses except for a small farmhouse a ways down the street.
"The other house must have called in the disturbance," Lightning mumbled, mostly to herself. She was used to working alone.
Fang nodded in agreement. "They said they heard strange noises coming from inside the house when they were walking by, but the place looks deserted to me. You think there's a squatter?"
"It doesn't matter what I think. We're about to find out." Lightning took a step forwards, shoulders squared. "Stay behind me."
"I'm the one who's stronger, so maybe you should stay behind me," Fang teased.
Lightning narrowed her eyes. "You're not stronger, and I'm the one who can shoot a gun."
"I can shoot it. I just don't trust it as much as my staff," Fang argued, laughing. "Now, hurry up if you wanna go first. While we're arguing, the person squatting inside's gonna get away."
"Who's squatting?"
Both women spun around, but there was no time for either to draw their weapons. The man standing behind them was tall and heavyset with long brown hair and a thick beard. He wore a loose checkered shirt and black, but it was easy to tell that he was muscular. It also seemed clear that he was dangerous, because he was armed and aiming a low-grade weapon at Lightning's head.
"You better put your guns away, ladies, and tell me what the hell you're doing on my property."
"This isn't your property," Lightning told him firmly. "This is an unregistered house. Now, put your gun away unless you want to be arrested for obstructing a NORA agent."
"NORA?" His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed the badges clipped to their waist and immediately lowered his gun. "You should start wearing uniforms! I didn't know who you were. I almost shot you."
Lightning rolled her eyes. "I hope you have a permit for that weapon, because otherwise you're under arrest."
"Of course, I have a permit," he insisted.
"Let's see it then," Fang prompted, raising her brow.
"I don't have it on me," he grumbled irritably. "Do you carry your permit when you walk around?"
"We don't have to carry permits. That's what these badges are for," Fang replied, pointing to the badge pinned to her waist.
"And civilians aren't allowed to carry concealed weapons," Lightning added.
"The permit is inside the house. Just let me go get it," the man requested.
"Let you go get your permit from the house where you're trespassing?" Fang raised her brow, laughing. "You've gotta be kidding."
"I own it!" He protested. "It's my property."
"It's unlisted," Lightning corrected with narrowed eyes.
"It may be unlisted, but it's mine now. No one lived here, so I moved in." He holstered his gun and crossed his arms. "I was going to register with the town today after I figured out how much time and money it would take me to remodel."
"You can't just move in wherever you want," Lightning grumbled, though she lowered her weapon. "It may be abandoned, but this house is town property."
"Well, that doesn't mean much to me, now does it?" He sneered coldly. 'Why don't you two ladies get off my property? I'll register with the town first thing this afternoon. Then you won't be bothering me anymore unless you've got a warrant."
"What could we need a warrant for?" Fang asked with a faint smirk. "You're not hiding something in that house with your imaginary gun permit, are you? 'Cause the way I see it, the property's not yours yet. We could search it right now if we wanted."
"I'm not hiding anything. I just don't want you messing with my stuff. Don't you have something better to be doing? I'm sure there are real criminals out there."
"I think we should take him in for questioning," Lightning told Fang as she reached for the handcuffs at her side, though she mostly just wanted to bring him to the station to annoy him like he was irritating her.
"Well, he is technically trespassing," Fang agreed. "And we still haven't seen any papers for that gun."
"They're inside!" He gasped.
The radio on Fang's side suddenly crackled, causing both women to look away. "Unit 2, please respond to a robbery on the Troth Main Strip. The story is called Dara's Boutique. Address is 45B Main Street..."
As the radio droned on, Fang grumbled. "Cuff him quickly, Light. We've gotta go. We'll come back later to find out what's in that house."
Lightning nodded, turning her attention back to the suspect, but she narrowed her eyes when she saw that he was gone. "Where the hell did he go?"
Fang turned and scanned the area, her eyes narrowed. "The footprints lead into the woods. How'd he get away with us both standing right here?"
Lightning shook her head irritably. "Let's just go. We'll come back later."
Fang stood still for a moment, her narrowed eyes scanning the forest line, before she finally turned away. She waited until they were inside the air car to ask, "What do you think he's hiding in there?"
"I don't know." Lightning shrugged, staring out the front window. "If we get another call, we'll find out. Otherwise, it doesn't matter."
Xxx
Lightning had to stay at the NORA headquarters later than the others because she had more paperwork to fill out, but Snow came home early that afternoon. He and Fang parked their air cars in the driveway at almost the same time, so Snow waited by his car until Fang had gotten out of her vehicle.
"How was your first day working with Claire?" Snow asked cheerfully.
Fang gave an indifferent shrug. "It was fine. Light's still annoyed about it, but I think she'll warm up to the idea pretty quickly."
Snow nodded, glancing at her as he began to walk toward the house. "I know you had to sort out the robbery, but what caused the disturbance on the edge of town?"
"There was some idiot claiming he decided to move in when he saw no one was living there," Fang explained quickly. "He looked pretty suspicious and he had a gun, but we don't know for sure that he did anything wrong other than trespassing. He said he was gonna register with the town, but I guess we'll see what happens."
"Maybe I'll have some other agents drive by the house tonight and see if he's still there," Snow replied. With a nostalgic smile, he added, "I wish I still went on patrol. I miss actually catching the bad guys, but things have been changing so quickly at NORA now that they put the Chief of Agents in place."
Fang frowned faintly. "How come you're not the chief? The entire NORA organization was basically your idea. I can't believe they've got so many rules already when we've only been here around a year."
"Well, they made a council to make all of NORA's decisions pretty quickly, and the government took over after that," Snow replied with a shrug. "I don't know if I would want to be in charge of the entire organization anyway. It's a pretty big responsibility. I'm fine just overseeing what happens at our NORA headquarters."
"Well, I guess it's fine if you don't mind. It's too bad you can't patrol though. I'd hate sitting in an office all day."
"It does get kind of boring," Snow admitted with an awkward laugh.
"At least you're making the most money out of everyone there," Fang suggested humorously. "That's gotta make up for it some, right?"
Snow laughed. "I guess. Anyway, thanks for giving Claire a chance. No one wanted to work with her. She isn't very social at work."
"Light not being social? I can't imagine that at all," Fang joked, grinning eagerly. "Besides, working with her is gonna be a blast. She's my favorite person to play with."
With furrowed brows, Snow asked, "You're not going to play any more pranks, are you? Serah told me about the contract Vanille made you sign."
"I'd never break a promise to Vanille," Fang told him with an evil glint in her eyes.
Snow gulped, wondering if it had been a mistake to assign them together.
"Relax," Fang told him with a chuckle, thumping his shoulder. "I'm kidding. I don't go around making Vanille angry if I can help it."
"Oh, good." Snow laughed with relief as he tugged open the front door, but he was practically tackled outside again as a small form collided with him. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked down at the teenager who had run straight into him. "Hope?"
Hope stumbled backwards, his eyes widening with surprise, and laughed awkwardly. "Sorry. I was just going outside."
"Were you gonna run straight into the door?" Fang teased.
"No." He frowned faintly. "I was going to open it. I just wasn't looking. Anyway, Snow, I'm so glad to see you. I need your help really badly."
"What'd you do now?" Fang asked with a grin.
"Nothing," Hope answered too quickly. "I just need Snow's advice about something."
"What are you doing here, Hope? Did your dad drop you off?" Snow asked as he glanced around for Hope's father. "I thought you were in school."
"We have two weeks off for winter break and Serah said I could visit you guys, remember?" Hope asked impatiently. "So, will you give me some advice or not?"
"Of course, I will." Snow smiled eagerly, glad that his wisdom was appreciated by someone. "What do you need?"
"Well, it's kind of personal." Hope glared at Fang.
"I'm not even listening," Fang told him gently as she turned away. "I'll just put my coat away and get out of here."
Hope watched her suspiciously before lowering his voice and moving closer to Snow. "Okay, so, there's this girl I like at school. I asked her to go to the Valentine's Day dance with me three weekends from now. I thought she would say no, but she said yes. I have to make the night really special so she'll go out with me, but I don't know what to do!"
"Oh, wow." Snow grinned and ruffled Hope's hair. "You're growing up, aren't you?"
Hope pulled awkwardly away. "I really need advice, Snow. Serah agreed to marry you, so you must be good at this."
"I guess so," Snow replied humorously before tilting his head thoughtfully. "Okay, let's see. Valentine's Day…uh, you could take her out to a nice dinner before the dance or you could see a romantic movie after the dance."
"Not so loud!" Hope protested, noticing that Fang was taking a very long time to put away her boots.
"Don't worry, kiddo. I'm not even listening," Fang informed him with a teasing look. "But if you want a really good date, go to the movies. You can't make out in a restaurant."
Hope's face turned red. "I-I don't know if she wants to make out with me."
"One way to find out," Fang replied with a wink. "Anyway, I'm off to find Vanille. See you two for dinner."
Snow placed his hand on Hope's shoulder. "If you're not ready to be that close, there's nothing wrong with that, Hope. You should take this girl out to a nice, romantic dinner. Then she'll know that you're serious."
"But what if she does want to make out or something?" Hope asked with a sigh. "Then she'll be disappointed and she won't go out with me."
"That's not the way it works," Snow promised. "If she likes you, she'll be able to wait a few dates for kissing."
"Do you think so?" Hope asked, feeling very awkward. It was not that he did not want to kiss on their first date, but rather that it would be his first kiss and he did not want to mess up.
"I'm positive," Snow replied encouragingly. He glanced around the room to make sure Fang was no longer with them before lowering his voice. "I'm really glad you asked someone out, Hope. It's good to get over Vanille."
Hope nodded, shifting uncomfortably. "I know. It's still hard to look at her sometimes. I can't help but think if it weren't for Fang…"
There were suddenly footsteps on the stairs, causing Hope to clamp his mouth shut.
"Hope, I didn't realize you were going to be here so early," Serah exclaimed as she appeared at the foot of the stairs, looking very frazzled. "I-I didn't even get anything ready for you, and I have so much to do. I completely forgot. I just…"
"Serah, are you okay?" Snow asked with a frown as he noticed her wide eyes.
"I-I'm fine, Snow. Were the two of you talking? I don't want to interrupt."
Snow furrowed his brows, taking a step toward her. "What is it?"
"I really don't want to interrupted," Serah repeated. 'But Snow, I really need your help. The banquet hall just sent over a few different pictures to help us decide what we want the reception to look like, and I'm completely overwhelmed. None of the pictures look like what I wanted."
"Will you be okay now, Hope?" Snow asked quietly, patting his shoulder.
"Yeah. You can go help Serah," Hope replied, feeling intimidated by Serah's rather firm look. "I'll just play video games until Lightning gets home or something."
"Thank you, Hope. I really appreciate it." Serah walked across the room to take Snow's hand and tugged him toward the kitchen. "Come on, Snow. They want us to call them as soon as possible about our choice, but I still haven't even found a wedding dress and Lightning won't try on her maid of honor dress. The entire wedding is turning into a disaster!"
Snow wrapped his arm around her. "Serah, when was the last time you slept?"
"How could you ask me that?!" Serah's eyes filled with tears. "There's no time to sleep!"
Snow's eyes widened with surprise. "O-Okay. Let's just call the banquet hall. Maybe they have some other suggestions."
Xxx
Fang walked up the attic stairs and pushed her bedroom door open, but the sight before her eyes caused her to raise her brow in surprise. The room was completely dark, the curtains drawn tightly shut and all the lights turned off, and Vanille was sitting on the bed staring at her. The younger woman looked guilty as though she had been caught stealing something, but she relaxed when she saw that it was only Fang.
"What's going on?" Fang asked curiously.
"Shut the door quickly, Fang," Vanille requested nervously.
Fang stepped into the room and shut the door. Then she kicked her boots off and walked toward the bed, climbing onto the other side of the mattress. "So, any reason you're sitting here in the dark staring at the door like it's gonna eat you?"
With a nervous laugh, the younger woman admitted, "I told Serah I was feeling sick and needed rest. When you opened the door, I thought it was her."
"Would she really just walk in here without even knocking?"
"She did earlier," Vanille explained gravely.
Fang smiled wryly. "So, why're you hiding from her?"
"Well, this morning everything was fine," Vanille began dramatically, lowering her voice as though someone were listening. "Right after you left, we checked all the stores in Troth again and then we went into Korrin. We shopped all the way until lunch, and Serah was starting to get sad that she couldn't find anything, so I suggested we stop and get something to eat. Then after we ate, she insisted we should go back to some of the stores she already looked at on her own. While we were there, I found a lot of dresses I liked, but Serah didn't like a single one of them. Everything was too frilly or lacey or she didn't like the bodice or the skirt was too fluffy…"
Fang laughed, wrapping her arm around Vanille's shoulders and pulling her close. "So, what happened to make a girl who can kill a bear with nothing but a knife go hide in her bedroom?"
Vanille giggled, nuzzling against Fang's chest as she hugged her tightly. "Serah started getting really upset after a while, so I told her we'd come back tomorrow, but the second we got home, she started looking at dresses on the internet and made me look with her. She hated everything I liked, so I said maybe she should wait for Lightning to get home, but then she started panicking because Lightning won't try on her maid of honor dress. I was getting so stressed just listening to her that I couldn't take it anymore, and she wouldn't let me leave!"
"Well, that's what happens when you agree to help someone plan a wedding, isn't it?" Fang teased, kissing the top of Vanille's head and running her fingers through her hair.
"It was a lot easier helping people in Oerba plan their weddings," Vanille replied with a pout. "I wanted to help, but I didn't know it'd be this hard."
"She does seem really stressed about it," Fang mused as she rested her cheek against Vanille's hair and wrapped her arms around her. "I should get up and change my clothes, but I wanna lie here with you."
"I don't want you to get up," Vanille told her firmly, cuddling close and closing her eyes. "We should take a nap, since I can't leave the room again until tomorrow."
Fang snickered. "You can't even come down for dinner?"
Vanille shook her head, looking up at Fang with puppy eyes. "I thought you'd bring me something after you ate. You won't let me starve, right Fang?"
"No, I won't let you starve." Fang grinned and leaned forwards to kiss her lips. As she pulled back, she grumbled, "When we get married, we're not doing any of this Cocoon-style nonsense. I want an easy Gran Pulsian wedding."
Vanille bit her lip, smiling widely. "Are you getting married, Fang?"
"Someday, probably." Fang shrugged. "Don't you wanna?"
"Of course, I do!" Vanille squealed cheerfully, throwing her arms around Fang's neck and crushing her in a hug. "Will they let us?"
"Yeah, I checked." Fang smiled wryly. "What're you so excited for? We're practically married anyway."
"It doesn't matter," Vanille informed her firmly. "So, when are we getting married?"
Fang laughed, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have said anything. All I can tell you is we can't schedule it any time in the next five months or Serah'll turn into a monster and eat us."
"Oh, you're right, Fang. I didn't even think of that." Vanille looked thoughtful for only a moment before her excited smile returned. "I can't wait!"
The dark-haired woman laughed lightly. "I'm glad you're so excited."
A knock on the door suddenly silenced the two of them.
"Vanille, are you feeling any better?" Serah called through the door, her voice sounding strained. "I found another dress website and I really need your help."
Vanille gasped and pulled back to look at Fang. "What do I say?"
"Don't worry about a thing, Vanille. I know exactly what to say," Fang with a smirk before shouting toward the door, "Serah, Vanille's feeling loads better, but she's a little busy right now. Think you can come back later? We're…right in the middle of something."
"Fang!" Vanille whispered, giggling as she hit her shoulder.
"O-Oh," Serah replied awkwardly. "I'll just…see you two when you come downstairs for dinner. S-Sorry to interrupt."
"There, see?" Fang grinned teasingly. "All gone."
Vanille gave a grateful smile and leaned forwards to kiss Fang's lips with a little more passion than her companion expected. As she pulled away, she shrugged and grinned playfully. "Well, you know, since she thinks we're busy anyways…"
"Yeah?" Fang prompted, feigning innocence.
Vanille grinned and placed her hands on either side of Fang's face, guiding the dark-haired woman to her lips and giving her another sensual kiss.
"I guess we've got some time before dinner," Fang teased, smirking as she leaned in to kiss her again.
Vanille giggled. "Who says we have to be on time for dinner anyways?"
Fang nodded in agreement, laughing. "They're not gonna come looking for us after what I told Serah."
Vanille laughed and wrapped her arms around Fang's neck, guiding her closer. Fang leaned in to capture Vanille's lips again, teasing her with a playful nip before deepening their kiss. Her thigh slid between Vanille's legs, pressing against her, and she suddenly pulled away to graze her lips along Vanille's jaw line as her fingers slid tantalizingly slowly up her abdomen.
Amidst a noise of desire, Vanille took Fang's face into her hands and drew her back to her lips, kissing her passionately as she nudged her onto her side. Once they were lying next to each other, she slid closer, her body flush against Fang's, and their lips locked together fiercely. They held each other close for a long time, relishing in the feeling of soft lips meshing together, before their hands began to stray. With heated urgency, they worked their tops over their heads and pressed to each other, sighing at the feeling of their bare chests coming together. As Fang began to loosen the ties on her skirt, the younger woman ducked her head down to kiss her collarbone, her fingers sliding up Fang's toned abdomen.
Vanille was halfway out of her skirt when there was another knock on the door.
Fang sighed with irritation, raising her voice, "What is it?"
"I-I'm really sorry to interrupted," Serah began nervously.
"Serah, if you're here to ask Vanille to go downstairs and look at wedding dresses right now, I swear I'll choose your dress for you and make you wear it from now until the wedding," Fang informed her, mostly kidding.
"It's not that!" Serah squeaked awkwardly. "Actually, Fang, you left your PMC downstairs and it's ringing."
"Whoever's calling can wait. Just leave it outside the door," Fang instructed, breathing sharply as Vanille dipped lower, kissing her chest.
"O-Okay. I'll see you two later!" Serah shouted through the door before she scurried down the hallway.
"Poor thing, having to interrupt us like that," Fang murmured teasingly.
"It was probably embarrassing for her," Vanille agreed with a grin as she pulled back to look at Fang.
Fang shrugged, smirking. She took Vanille by the hips and turned her on her back, positioning herself between her legs as she leaned down to kiss her again. "Now, where were we?"
Xxx
A while later, they still lay in each other's arms, completely nude beneath the blankets.
"I should probably go check that call," Fang murmured.
Vanille shook her head, snuggling against her. "You can't get out of bed, Fang, or I'll be freezing."
Fang laughed lightly, kissing her shoulder. "We can't stay here all night. What if it was an important call?"
"What's more important than keeping me warm?" Vanille asked with a playful pout.
With a grin, the older Gran Pulsian woman pulled Vanille into her arms and kissed her. "Nothing's more important than that."
Vanille giggled and hugged her close. "Do you think dinner will be ready soon?"
"Why? Do you need some more energy after I wore you out?" Fang teased.
"I was just curious," Vanille replied with a chuckle.
Fang smiled, running her fingers through her hair. "I should get up and check. Now that I'm working with NORA, calls could mean someone's hurt."
Vanille sighed. "I guess I can keep myself warm."
"I'll be right back," Fang promised as she released her love and climbed out of bed, slipping back into her undergarments. She seemed heedless of anyone catching her in her underwear as she opened the bedroom door and tugged her PMC into the room.
"Fang, what if someone sees you?" Vanille giggled from the bed.
"I don't see why anyone should come up to the attic," Fang told her with a smile as she shut the door and leaned against it, scrolling through her missed calls on the touch screen.
"Was it important?" Vanille asked curiously.
Fang shook her head. "Nope. It looks like it was just a wrong number. I was wrong though. It is almost dinner time. Want me to go check and see if it's ready?"
"Sure," Vanille shrugged as she slipped out of bed and began to redress. "I'm gonna stay up here and work on some jewelry while I have a few minutes. I found some really pretty beads while Serah and I were shopping. If I make a bracelet for you, will you wear it?"
"That depends on what it looks like," Fang replied with a wry smile.
"You'll like it, Fang. I promise." Vanille smiled lovingly as she crossed the room and stood on her toes to peck her lips. "If Serah asks where I am, tell her I feel sick again."
Fang snickered. "How about I just tell her I tired you out and you need some recovery time?"
"Fang!" Vanille blushed, shaking her head. "You can't tell her that."
"Why not? I used to tell Konnor that all the time."
"You did not!" Vanille laughed.
"You're right, I didn't. I think he assumed it sometimes though," Fang replied with a wink. "See you soon."
Vanille nodded firmly. "Come back upstairs if dinner's not gonna be ready soon. It's still cold even with my clothes on."
"All right, but I'm gonna check on the dogs first. They were outside with Hope last I saw them. I don't want him to let them out of the fence until they're better trained."
"Okay. You can play with them for a while if you want."
Fang grinned. "How'd you know I wanted to do that?"
Vanille merely smiled.
Xxx
Fang closed the bedroom door behind her and walked quickly down the stairs, dodging away from the kitchen when she saw that Serah and Snow were dealing with some kind of wedding crisis. She knew that she would eventually have to go into the room, because it would be the only way to check if Hope was still in the backyard, but she was distracted as she noticed Lightning was on her way out of the house.
"Light, I didn't even know you were home," Fang commented, raising her brow as she noticed that the other woman had changed her clothes and touched up her makeup. "You look nice."
"I'm on my way out," Lightning replied briskly. "See you later."
"Out where?" Fang asked suspiciously.
Swiftly, the ex-soldier answered, "I have more work to do at the office."
"You got dressed up all nice to go back to the office?" Fang asked with a teasing look. "Come on, Light. Where're you really going?"
"That's none of your business," Lightning replied firmly before turning and stomping out the door.
Fang blinked curiously. "Now, what was that about?"
Snow suddenly exited the kitchen with a sigh of relief and sunk down onto the couch. "I don't know how she does this every day. Planning a wedding is way harder than I realized."
Fang smiled sympathetically. "Where'd Lightning just go? And is Hope still outside?"
"No. He's down in the basement talking to his dad on the computer. I'm assuming he has the dogs down there, too." Snow smiled faintly. "They've been really quiet lately."
"It's in their nature. They only bark when they're having fun or when they're being threatened," Fang replied with a shrug. "What about Lightning?"
Snow shrugged. "She said she had some more work to do at the office."
"Interesting." Fang glanced toward the window. "What're you up to, Lightning Farron?"
"What do you mean?" Serah asked as she suddenly walked out of the kitchen. "Claire said she couldn't go try on her dress tonight because she had more work to do. Was she lying to me?"
"Beats me," Fang replied with a shrug. "Did she happen to say she'd be there past dinner time?"
Serah nodded. "She said not to wait for her."
Fang smirked faintly. "Maybe I'll pop by the office, too. I could stand to get a head start on some of that paperwork I've been ignoring."
Snow nodded in agreement. "Take it from me. That stuff piles up."
Fang sunk into her thoughts, contemplating whether or not it was worth it to go back to the office just to catch Lightning in a lie.
After Serah walked back into the kitchen, Snow suddenly leaned towards Fang, lowering his voice. "Have you given any thought to Valentine's Day?"
Fang grinned. "Did you wanna ask me advice like Hope?"
"I didn't really want advice." Snow chuckled. "I just completely forgot about Valentine's Day. I still have a few weeks to plan, but I know I should do something really special for Serah. With all the wedding planning, she's totally overwhelmed."
"That's a good idea. Do something to get her mind off all the stress," Fang suggested.
"What are you doing for Vanille? Or is she doing something for you?" Snow gave her a quizzical look. "Usually the guy plans something nice for the girl but…well…"
"Since there's no guy and all?" Fang asked in amusement. "Well, since this is our first time ever celebrating this holiday, I decided to take Vanille hiking through the woods for the weekend. We can camp out in the forest and cook our own food."
"Are you going to bring Kiwi?" Snow asked curiously.
"I haven't decided yet," Fang replied with a shrug. "Kiwi likes the snow, but it'll still be pretty cold out and Vanille and I are gonna want some private time in the tent if you know what I mean. I'd hate to leave the dog outside to freeze."
Snow laughed. "I wouldn't have even thought of that."
"Then again, I dunno if I want to leave them here with Light. They tore up some of the pillows in her bedroom and she threatened to sell them both."
"I'm surprised you're going camping. I thought Vanille might like something more romantic."
"Camping can be very romantic," Fang assured him with a smirk. "All alone in a tent with nothing around but the cold and scary animals…it'll be just like when we lived in Oerba, except it wasn't as cold there."
"Did you go camping a lot?" Snow asked curiously.
"Only a few times, but we would've gone more if we got the chance before we became l'Cie." Fang smiled faintly. "Trust me, Vanille loves camping. What're you gonna to for Serah?"
"I don't really know yet." Snow sighed miserably.
"Well, if you want some advice—"
"Take her to the movies, I know," Snow laughed.
The Gran Pulsian woman shook her head, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "Actually, going to the movies is the PG version for Hope. For you and Serah, I'd suggest a weekend getaway at a nice inn. I hear they're expanding New Cocoon on every side of Korrin, so there has to be a nice country inn somewhere nearby."
Snow's eyes widened. "Fang, that's a great idea. We could go for the weekend."
"I know." Fang patted his shoulder. "By the way, make sure they put a lot of candles in the bedroom so you can have the most romantic atmosphere possible."
He coughed, shaking his head. "Fang, Serah and I are waiting. We'll have separate beds."
"Of course, you're waiting." Fang smirked. "But I'd get one bed just in case. You never know what Serah might want to do, and you're getting married anyways, right?"
"R-Right." Snow flushed faintly. "One bed."
Xxx
Vanille crept down the stairs a while later, her ears straining as she listened to Snow and Serah talking in the kitchen as Serah finished cooking dinner. She snuck past the kitchen with minimal difficulty and plopped down on the couch.
"Hi, Hope," Vanille whispered excitedly. "Sorry I didn't come downstairs to say hi before. I didn't know you were here yet."
Hope jumped, looking startled. "Vanille, you're really quiet. Why are you whispering?"
"I'm hiding from Serah. Is dinner almost ready?"
"I think so."
"Where's Fang?"
"She went outside a while ago," Hope replied as he turned back to his game. "She didn't say where she was going."
Vanille pouted, wondering why Fang would leave without telling her, and stood up to look out the window. Before she even reached it, the doorbell rang, causing her to jump and gasp in surprise.
"Are we expecting someone?" Snow asked as he poked his head out of the kitchen.
Vanille shook her head. "I don't think so."
Serah walked out of the kitchen. "Vanille, there you are! Are you feeling better now?"
"Uh…" Vanille bit her lip. "Oh, yeah, I feel better, thanks."
The bride-to-be stared at her expectantly.
"We can look at the dresses after dinner if you want," Vanille sighed.
"That would be so great! Thank you." Serah smiled warmly. "I have to go back to work after next week, so I really want to get as much planned as possible before then. I have a good feeling about finding a dress now that I talked to Snow. I just have to widen my search. Did you know there are other towns outside of Korrin? Troth is only one of them!"
Vanille's shoulders fell. "You probably want me to drive to the other towns with you for more shopping this week, right?"
"That would be amazing!" Serah ran across the room and hugged Vanille. "Thank you so much."
The doorbell rang again.
"Oops. I forgot." Snow laughed as he walked across the room and pulled the door open. His eyes widened with surprise. "Sazh? Dajh? What are you doing here?"
Sazh smiled weakly. "How are you, Snow?"
"I'm all right. Come on in." Snow held the door open.
Sazh walked inside, leading his son in with one hand and dragging a large suitcase with the other.
Hope stood up with a smile. "Dajh, this is perfect timing! The other team is killing me."
Dajh raced excitedly across the room and plopped down in front of the game console. "Add me to your team! We'll kick their butts."
Sazh placed his hand on the back of his head, smiling awkwardly. "Hi, Snow, Serah. Sorry to barge in like this. I lost my job two weeks ago, and I've been trying to find one since with no luck. The landlord kicked us out."
"What?" Serah gasped, her eyes widening. "How could he just kick you out?"
"I didn't have enough money to pay rent." Sazh frowned sheepishly. "I made some bad investments. Do you think we could stay here for a week or two? I was thinking of moving to Troth and looking for a job here."
"You can work for NORA if you want," Snow suggested generously.
"And you can stay for as long as you need," Serah insisted gently, taking his suitcase and wheeling it farther into the living room. "Hope is staying in the basement for the weekend, but you and Dajh could join him. There are two beds down there still."
"That's great. I really appreciate this." Sazh smiled warmly.
"You're like family, Sazh. We would never turn you away," Serah insisted happily. "And you're just in time for dinner."
Hope glanced over his shoulder and frowned. "You guys are moving in here now? I'm going to be the only one who lives far away."
"Don't worry, Hope. You can live with us during the summer," Vanille assured him.
Serah bit her lip. "Vanille, I don't know if Lightning will be okay with that."
"Oh, right." Vanille laughed lightly. "I bet she won't mind if he asks really nicely. Besides, Fang and I might have our own place by then. She's been saving up money and I'm gonna get a job soon."
"What?" Serah's eyes widened. "Who will help me plan the wedding?!"
Vanille took a step backwards. "I-I'll wait until we're sure everything's planned.
Serah sighed with relief, her smile returning. "Thank you for all your help, Vanille. Dinner's ready, so let's all go to the kitchen."
"Dinner's ready?" Fang asked as she suddenly came in the door behind Sazh.
Kiwi and Ripper, the two wolfdog pups that had been living in the house since Christmas, burst through the door in front of Fang and began chasing each other around the room before they ran to Hope and Dajh and tried to distract them from the game.
Serah frowned thoughtfully at the dogs. "Fang, how big will those dogs get?"
"Pretty big once they're grown," Fang replied with a shrug. "Maybe up to your mid-thighs or a little taller and about the same length. It'll take them about two thirds of a year to get that big."
"They have so much energy," she commented nervously.
"Don't worry. These ones're well-behaved," Fang assured her gently as she shut the door behind her and crossed the room to wrap her arm around Vanille's waist and kiss her cheek. "I wish I'd known you were feeling better. You could've come for a walk with us."
"We could go for another walk later," Vanille suggested with a smile as she hugged Fang around the waist.
"Sounds good to me." Fang grinned as she tugged Vanille toward the kitchen. "Come on. I hear dinner's ready."
Xxx
Fang awoke to a tickling feeling in her throat that made her want to gag. With a sleepy yawn, she pulled away from Vanille and slipped out of bed. A faint grin covered her face as the younger woman turned over in her sleep and reached for her.
"I'll be right back, I promise," Fang whispered to her sleeping love as she leaned down to kiss her temple.
Another yawn escaped Fang's lips as she walked across the cold floor into the bathroom. She did not bother turning on the light, because she could see well enough in the moonlight coming in from the open blinds in the bedroom. She reached for the cup that she generally kept next to the sink so she could get a drink of water without walking all the way downstairs, but her fingers found nothing but empty space. With a frown, Fang recalled that she had brought the cup downstairs earlier that evening to clean it had had forgotten to get another one.
Though she could have just drank from the sink, Fang was tired and did not want to risk spilling all over herself, so she crept quickly out of the room, hoping that Vanille would not wake up alone.
Fang hurried down the stairs, smiling as she noticed that Hope had left a game console on the floor and hoping that Lightning would not be too angry with him in the morning. The ex-soldier had been growing steadily softer over the last few months, but there were still some things that made her angry, especially when she had so many houseguests on such a frequent basis.
After walking into the kitchen to get a quick drink, Fang walked back into the living room. She was about to walk up the stairs when a strange feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong, but she did not know what it was. There was no one else in the room with her, but she still could not shake the feeling that she was being watched. Nothing happened for several seconds, so Fang decided that it was her imagination and turned to walk up the stairs.
There was a faint noise, like a rustling near the window.
Fang spun around. The noise had already stopped, but she was quick enough to catch a shadow moving across the window pane.
The Gran Pulsian woman burst into action, racing to the window to see whoever had been peeking through the glass before they could escape. She barely had time to turn away as the window shattered, shards of glace flying everywhere, lodging themselves in the furniture. Instinct overtook her immediately, causing Fang to duck and cover her face, and by the time that she opened her eyes, there was nothing outside but a trail of footprints and the quiet winter night.
From the bedrooms upstairs, both of the dogs began to bark.
As Fang caught her breath, she glanced around the room, assessing the situation. There was glass everywhere, and her feet were bare. She did not have much experience with glass, but she knew that she knew that it would hurt her if she stepped on it. She was not far from the door, so the Gran Pulsian hunter immediately jumped across the floor, hoping that she would not miss her mark and regret it.
Fang could hear people moving around in the house as she landed safely on the mat by the door, far enough from the glass not to hurt herself. She slipped on her boots and walked back across the room. Each footstep brought another crunch of broken glass, but she ignored the sound as she crouched down in front of the object that had destroyed the window. It was a red brick with a note secured to it by a single string tied in a neat bow.
The Gran Pulsian woman untied the note carefully and read it, her eyes narrowing.
'3 NORA agents living under one roof. You're making my job too easy.'