Enjoy! SDS will *hopefully* be done at the end of the week, given I don't get swamped with homework. LMDE should be done by Sunday/Monday. I hope you guys are liking it so far, it seems to have great feedback. Also, please go check out everything Masakudo by my beta and BFF, houndoomandgloom! Also, please feel free to hassle LTK about Sculpted Shadows (:

-J3

Josu's gargantuan hands flew to the girl's face, cupping her cheeks as if they were precious china. Tears came from Liliana's eyes like rain comes from thunderclouds, slowly and then all at once. He pulled her tiny frame into his chest and his hair flew over her shoulder. Jace could hear him repeating the same word over and over. The only speech he could muster was her name, again and again. Lili, Lili, Liliana. The girl was shaking all over and sobbing into her brother's shirt.

"She's going into shock," Venser mumbled. Jace shushed him. The team was gathered around, just watching. Josu had told them that this day would come, after all. He knew that somehow, she would con her way out and when she did, he knew that she'd look for him.

Josu had been from a tight knit family. After his sister disappeared, her father had given up and succumbed to the bottle, drunk driving, and subsequently taking his own life. Shortly after that, his mother found out about the cancer. She lasted six months. Since then, Josu had to find his own way, running into Jace by chance. The two boys had automatically taken to each other and had been best friends since they met. Jace knew what it was like to obsess over the well being of a sibling, after all.

She stepped back, Josu refusing to let go of his sister's hand. She gave him a shaky smile and a slight laugh.

"There's someone you need to meet, Su."

"What do you mean?! You didn't bring him with you, did you?" Josu's fists tightened into angry balls. Liliana nods.

"No. He left today and I ran. As fast as I could. I don't know how I'm going to protect us."

"You won't be five feet away from me is how," Josu said, as if waiting on someone to challenge him. None of them did.

"It's not just me anymore, Osu."

Josu raised an eyebrow in confusion. Liliana moved with deliberation to the back seat of her car. A few movements and Josu's jaw dropped.

"Toby, this is your Uncle Osu."

There was a little boy with long black hair and the same vibrant, green eyes. His hair was pulled into a tight, low ponytail just like Josu's. His skin was dark, and there was some curl to his hair, but other than that, he looked like his mother and his uncle. The little boy tapped Josu around his hip area, and Josu looked down at him, completely flabbergasted.

"My mama named me after you, because she said that you loved her more than anyone ever had. My name is Tobias just like yours."

Jace was stunned. This little boy couldn't be more than four years old and he spoke like he was much older. He swallowed his questions and let the family have their moment.

"He's just like you, Josu. He reads, he taught himself math. But he was the one that helped us get out. He hacked his way into the phone lines and caused a malfunction that caused him to have to leave the house. And then we left. He's saved my life. More than once, Su. I knew that he had to get it from you—because you know it's not from me."

Jace stepped over into the space where Josu and his sister were standing. He got down on Toby's level and cleared his throat. Liliana was startled at first, but Josu braced her shoulder, telling her it's okay.

"Hi, Toby. My name is Jace. I'm your uncle's friend. If I let you use my laptop, will you show your Uncle and I what you can do?"

"As long as it's okay with my mommy," Toby said, looking up at his mother. Liliana looked to still be a teenager. According to Josu, she was twenty-one, but she looked severely underfed and like she'd been through hell. But her son was respectful and loving. Jace could see that even within the circumstances, she had expectations for him.

Jace cleared his throat again and stood up. He looked the young woman directly in the face for the first time, and he couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes. They were beautiful.

"So, um... I... I'm Jace. Th-Thi-this is my team," Jace swallowed.

Liliana put her hand underneath Jace's chin. She tipped his face up to meet hers. The only thing he could think was about her smile.

"I'm Liliana, Jace. And I'm nothing to be scared of—but if you want to teach my son anything, you should look me in the eyes."

"Your b-brother's a good man."

"I know. Thank you for taking care of him."

Without thinking, Liliana pulled the young man into a hug, one that she hoped was full of gratitude. Jace was floored, but patted her back. When he did so, when he touched her skin, it was electric. She felt it, too, and pulled back quickly.

Josu was down on eye-level with his namesake. Toby gave his uncle a smile. Josu pulled his nephew onto his shoulders and the young boy was grinning, like he knew that he was home.

"You… um... You know. Josu and I we, um..."

Liliana smiled and encouraged Jace to keep talking. He cleared his throat and did so.

"We, well, we share an apartment. And he insisted on getting a three bedroom because he knew you were clever enough to somehow find your way back. So you don't have to worry about a, um, place to stay."

She smiled, like she knew her brother would never give up on her. He never did. Every free moment Josu had, Liliana consumed it. Jace looked down at his feet again.

Softly, Liliana tipped his head up again and gave him a smile.

"You said this was your team? What kind of work do you do?"

"Um, well. I'm a hacker, Josu is a mechanic," Jace said. Liliana smiled.

"Josu is a mechanic," Liliana laughed.

"By the loosest definition," Jace said. "Lia, the r-redhead you'll see, she's a b-behaviorist. And Venser, h-he's a human calculator. If it c-can be solved, Venser will solve it. And w-we have our government l-liason, Sorin. We work for the FBI, tentatively. We're looking for one more spot on our team."

Liliana poised herself to ask what, but doesn't. They walked in comfortable silence for a moment.

"So you guys are just, what? A team of super geniuses?"

"Pretty much," Jace stated, slightly amused. He continued on. "S-so tell me about your s-son. What should I b-be exp-expecting?"

"My Toby," Liliana's face lit up when she began to talk about her son. "He's so special. He's smart and everything I never knew that I needed. He's been reading since he was two and when he got his first computer at three, I knew that there was something else there. But that's not all. He figures out equations without help. Toby started picking up on my moods a few months ago. He asked me why I was so sad, why I didn't smile like the moms on TV. He asked me what would make me happy. I told him that we didn't belong here, and that finding his uncle would make me happy. So Toby did. He found Josu and then he hacked his way into his iPhone and he left. He took the keys to my car and we left, ran as far away as I could as fast as I could. But my Toby, my precious jelly bean, he's the only reason I hung on all that time. I knew that one day the opportunity would present itself for us to run, and it did. I know my parents think I left, but I will get to explain to them what really happened that day."

Liliana doesn't know of her parents fate, and Jace doesn't think he should be the one to tell her, even though he was there, holding her other hand as Lucille had expired. However, the raven-haired girl noticed Jace's expression change.

"They won't get to meet Toby, will they?"

Jace just simply nodded his head and cleared his throat.

"It wasn't your fault, what happened to them. To your dad especially. But you didn't l-leave, did you? Josu was r-right, wasn't he?"

"What do you mean, Jace? Do you want to get to know me or something?"

"I m-mean of course I want to k-know you! You're going to be part of my l-life because you're part of h-his! Josu talks about you all the time. But he never mentioned how b-beautiful you are."

Jace grimaced. He'd barely known the girl ten minutes and he was already verbal vomiting all over her about how beautiful she was. This, he thought, this was why he couldn't get a girlfriend. However, it warmed Liliana's heart, all the way into her belly. She never knew how badly she ached for someone who wasn't him, even though she couldn't place the feeling. Not yet. She merely gave him a small smile as they took a pause behind the door.

"I haven't been called beautiful since—since that day, Jace. That morning. Since the last time I was with Josu. Thank you."

"You-You're welcome."

When she looked back on this moment, she wouldn't realize what made her do this, but she took Jace's shaking hand in hers and gave him a small smile.

"We're going to be great friends, Jace."

They were all sitting in the foyer of the headquarters as Josu made Lili's introductions. She recognized the glint in Kaalia's eye as something that she had as well, merely exchanging a sly smile with her. Even though Venser had refused to shake her hand, he had still given her a warm smile. Josu would explain to her later that physical contact frightened him, because of the germs that could be present on human hands and arms. However, much to Jace's surprise, Lili seemed to understand that he was scared, and just gave him a smile in return.

"I know that we were supposed to meet with our government liaison today," Jace started. Liliana was surprised that he wasn't stammering. She thought that the stammer was a thing that Jace couldn't help, but it seemed to only present itself when he was talking to her. Liliana was no stranger to men falling all over her, but something about Jace intrigued her. She wouldn't acknowledge it, not yet, but something in her was nervous about being in such close quarters with him. She tried not to think of this when he spoke.

"But I'm going to push that back until tomorrow, given the events that have transpired today, because we all need to get to know the new member of our team," he gestured to Liliana. Venser, Kaalia, and Josu all looked confused, but Liliana looked downright shocked.

"I just, I assumed that it would be best for all of us. Because our government liaison said that we needed someone that had people skills, which we all lack." Jace looked around at his team and no one countered anything he was saying. "And Liliana has been around geniuses her whole life. We've already ran off two potential liaisons in two weeks, and we can't go before him without the one part of the team that he said was key." Jace cleared his throat again and turned toward Lili. "And w-we can help you. And T-toby. You will both be protected by the FBI and us. And we can push Toby mentally, b-better than any school can."

Lili nodded, "We'll figure something out." She was slightly irritated that he assumed that was what she would want, even if it was. Lili knew that when Toby was old enough, she wanted him to go to school. I won't stunt his social growth, even if he is a genius, she thought. She smiled at Jace, who, oddly, was now her boss. Her brother came to them and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held Toby's hand. She couldn't believe her family was dead, that her parents would never meet their grandchild. The death of her mother wasn't her fault, but her father…

She shook the unwelcome thought out of her head. She watched Jace move about, setting up his computer to test Toby. He would underestimate him, Lili's brain told her. They always underestimated Josu. She'd walked that road with her brother, and it looked like she would be walking it with her baby boy, too. She noticed that her son's face was looking around at the place in wonder, all the computers, the math problems on the chalkboard, Kaalia's vast collection of books. The little boy pulled on his mother's jeans, asking if he could walk over to where Jace and Josu were standing. Liliana nodded, just as Jace finished tittering around on his computer. He looked at Liliana, asking for her permission. She nodded. Jace coukd hardly pull his eyes away, but Toby tapped him on the leg. He needed help up. Jace had set up a very simple series of firewalls, just to see where Toby stood. If Liliana was correct that he had hacked his way into an iPhone with a household computer, this should be nothing.

Toby took in a deep breath and punched in a couple of keystrokes. Jace was astounded. He knew, rather than hacking his way through each wall, to find out how many there were and blow through them all at once. He looked at Liliana with a smile on his face. She gave him the warmest look in return.

"Got it, Mommy,"

Jace gave the little boy a smile. Liliana was right. This boy, he was something special. Jace set up another program to see if Toby could override the software. He did, without a problem. He just knew. Jace had never seen a kid like this, not since himself. Toby looked at Jace expectantly.

"Do you know how to code, Toby?"

"I've looked some things up, so I've been reading about it. I'm learning."

"I can show you. I live with your Uncle Su, so we'll be seeing a lot of each other. But can you come and sit with me for a few minutes and let me ask you a few questions?"

"Mommy?"

"She can sit with you, if you want."

Liliana picked up her son and walked across the room with him. She and Jace took a seat across from each other.

"Is it o-okay if I give him the IQ test, Liliana?"

"I don't want him to just be another number to you and these people, Jace. That's my baby. The way you just assumed that I would want to help you and your team, you didn't see me, you saw me as an opportunity."

"I-I-oh god, Liliana. I didn't t-think about it like that. I didn't. I'm so sorry, I just thought that…"

"I will help you, that's not the point. The point is that, you should have asked me instead of assuming I would do it."

Jace wanted to kick himself in the teeth, how could he be so thoughtless? She was right, of course. This is why they needed her on the team, because all of their people skills were complete shit.

"I understand that you didn't mean it to come across like that, I've been around Josu for my whole life, née the past four years, but that's how anyone else would take it. You don't seem like the type of man that would look at someone and see nothing but an advantage. You seem like you only want the best for your friends and that you're trying to help them. And the fact that you want to put your talents to use by helping people shows me that you're a good man. But if I let you do this, that means I'm putting my greatest gift into your hands. And my baby is not a number. And I need to know that you know that."

Jace had never once in his life felt like he did in that moment. He looked at this girl, the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, and the little boy. She was right. That baby was her everything, and in that moment, Jace realized that he was acting like everything he professed to hate. He wanted everyone to see his friends as people—and that was all Liliana wanted for Toby.

Jace took her hand in his like she had done earlier. He breathed a shaky sigh and looked at Liliana.

"I promise that regardless of what this test says, that little boy found a family today. Liliana, I promise."