Chapter Three

Author's Note: Here is the third installment of Christmas With Fang. Things get a little dramatic in this chapter. After writing it, I feel kind of bad for Hope. I'll have to be a nicer author in the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIII or any of its characters. I do own the plot and any original characters mentioned. This chapter includes very minor implications of adult themes.

The next morning came quickly, and as the sunlight peeked through the windows, Fang woke up, dressed and immediately moved down the stairs in search of breakfast. She had barely made it to the bottom of the attic stairs when Lightning appeared out of nowhere, took her by the shoulders, and pushed her up against her nearest wall.

With a heated glare, Lightning demanded, "You were responsible for the toothpaste and the shampoo, weren't you? I'm sure you found a way to make Hope wet himself, too."

"Good morning, Light. It's nice to see you, too. I slept well, thanks. How about you?" Fang teased, smirking.

"Shut up and answer the question," Lighting snapped angrily. "Listen, that couch was new and so was my sink."

Fang arched her brow. "So, did you want me to shut up or answer the question?"

"Just answer the question," the ex-soldier growled. "I want a straight answer. Have you been playing pranks on everyone?"

"No, I haven't played a single prank," Fang replied with an innocent look.

"Yeah, right!" Lightning squeezed her shoulders tightly. "You better stop while you're ahead."

"I like it when you're rough with me, Claire," Fang purred, winking.

"You don't get to call me that!" Lighting growled. "And don't talk to me that way. You have Vanille for whatever you two do."

"Wanna know first hand?" Fang raised her brow playfully.

Lightning narrowed her eyes as she tried to decide why Fang was able to get under her skin so easily. The other woman made her so angry by doing very little, which was unusual because in spite of the fact that she was obnoxious, Lightning did actually like Fang. She saw her as a valuable comrade and a worthy opponent, but Fang was also a bit of a nuisance, something that the others did not seem to see it.

"Don't try to avoid the subject," Lightning ordered eventually, crossing her arms. "I'll leave you alone for now, since you haven't hurt anyone, but I swear if I find out that you broke my sink I will throw you out a window."

"What's going on?" Vanille suddenly appeared at the top of the attic stairs, her brows furrowed with worry.

"Nothing." Fang beckoned the other woman down the stairs. "Everything's fine."

"Are you sure?" Vanille climbed cautiously to the bottom and paused beside Fang.

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Everything's fine for now, but if you'd like Fang to stay alive, maybe you should advise her not to mess up my house."

Vanille looked genuinely concerned, so Fang wrapped her arm around the younger girl's shoulders and tugged her toward the stairs. "Come on, Vanille. Light thinks I played some pranks, but I'm innocent."

When the two of them reached the kitchen and realized that they were alone, Vanille leaned close to Fang and whispered, "I think you should stop. You got everyone, right?"

"I didn't get Sazh. I couldn't think of anything," Fang replied with a pout. "I can't stop until I get everyone—except Dajh. He's just a little kid."

"Fang, I don't want Lightning to kill you," Vanille whined.

"She couldn't kill me," Fang assured her, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. "Besides, I've gotta help Light loosen up and fast. I convinced Serah to set her up with some guy from Snow's work."

"Are you sure it should be a guy?" Vanille whispered with a faint grin.

"I dunno, but I guess we'll find out." Fang smirked faintly. "She doesn't seem to like my advances very much, so I figure she must like boys."

"Fang!" Vanille whined, hugging her arm. "What if she did like your advances?"

Fang laughed and pulled Vanille closer to her, resting her cheek against the side of her head and murmuring close to her ear, "Vanille, there'll never be anyone but you. Stop pretending like you're worried."

Vanille smiled at that and pulled away from Fang, crossing her arms, "Good, 'cause I'd have to kill you if you cheated on me."

"Oh?" Fang raised her brows playfully. "And just how're you planning on doing that, little Vanille?"

"I killed a bear once," Vanille reminded her, "all by myself."

"I do seem to remember something like that, but I've got a secret for you," Fang informed her, wrapping her arms around Vanille's waist from behind and pulling the girl against her. "I'm much more formidable than any bear." Squeezing Vanille, Fang smirked and grazed her teeth gently against her neck as she added, "I bite harder, too."

Vanille giggled, squirming in her grasp. "How do you know?"

Hope suddenly walked into the kitchen, smiling because he had heard Vanille's voice, but when he saw them, his jaw fell open and his ears turned red. They couldn't be together. They just couldn't.

"Hey, Vanille," Hope called out, his voice tinged with jealousy.

Fang glanced over her shoulder, releasing Vanille, who walked around her, waving happily. "Hi, Hope. How're you?"

"Not too good, I'm afraid," Fang murmured, for she had noticed the jealousy. "I hear he had a little mishap this morning."

Hope's cheeks turned red. "I'm actually fine. I was wondering if you could help me with something, Vanille."

"Sure. What do you need?" Vanille smiled warmly.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to come shopping with me in town. I need a last minute present," Hope explained hastily. "I was gonna get someone something else, but then I found out they already had it."

"Of course, I can help." Vanille smiled before glancing at Fang. "Do you wanna come, Fang?"

"Nope. I think I'll sit this one out." Fang shut the fridge and put a pan on the stove. Glancing over her shoulder, she asked Vanille, "Are you leaving before breakfast?"

"I never do anything before breakfast," Vanille replied with a giggle.

"Funny. I remember doing a lot before breakfast back in Oerba," Fang replied teasingly.

Hope, who was practically burning with jealousy, immediately turned to leave. "I'm gonna play a video game. Come get me when you're done with breakfast and we'll go, okay, Vanille?"

"Okay." Vanille smiled at him. "I love shopping. This'll be so fun."

Hope grinned widely as he left the room, shutting the kitchen door behind him.

"He's so cute," Vanille murmured as she propped herself against her elbows and giggled.

"Yeah?" Fang smirked over her shoulder. "He's got a crush on you. And come help me cook!"

Vanille skipped to Fang's side, though instead of helping she just wrapped her arms around Fang's waist. "Hope doesn't have a crush on me. There's no reason to be jealous."

"Jealous?" Fang grinned teasingly. "What've I got to be jealous of?"

"I dunno." Vanille snuggled against her, closing her eyes. "But he doesn't have a crush on me. I'd notice something like that."

"It is kind of strange that you haven't noticed, seeing as every boy in Oerba had a crush on you," Fang replied with a smile as she cracked open a few eggs and dropped them in the pan. "Maybe you just like the attention."

"Fang, he doesn't!" Vanille giggled, squeezing her more tightly.

"Fine. You'll find out the hard way, but watch out. Soon he'll be drooling all over you thinking you like him back."

"I don't flirt like you do, so he won't think I like him back."

"Sure, he will," Fang argued as she put a lid over the eggs and turned around to embrace Vanille. As she brushed her lips against her forehead, Fang added, "I don't blame him, really. Who wouldn't fall in love with you?"

"I dunno." Vanille replied with a giggle. "I'm just so loveable."

Fang laughed, hugging her tightly.

xxx

Around seven thirty that night, just after everyone had finished dinner and settled into the family room for another night of video games and fun, Serah glanced around with a frown before whispering to Snow, "Where are Hope and Vanille? I haven't seen them all day."

Snow raised his brow, looking around the room as though his fiancée just had not seen them before he shrugged. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen either of them since this morning."

"I wonder where they could be..." Serah murmured nervously, a little worried about Hope now that she knew that Vanille was so much older than him.

"Anyone in the mood for some wine?" Fang asked suddenly, appearing from the kitchen with the bottle that she had claimed to have bought in Korrin. "It's the best I've ever tasted."

"That sounds nice," Serah smiled faintly.

Everyone agreed, and while Sazh played against Dajh in a two-player fighting game, Fang poured everyone except for Lightning a glass of wine. Lightning, who sat grumpily on the other side of the room pretending that she was not paying attention to anyone, looked rather suspicious of the wine, so Fang was sure to smirk at her as she passed with the bottle.

"Yes!" Sazh suddenly shouted as he beat Dajh for the first time that evening. "That's how we do it!"

Snow jumped, surprised by the loud outburst, and a wave of wine splashed right out of his glass, landing on the floor.

Everyone froze, their eyes drifting toward Lightning, who looked like she might have a stroke.

"Lemme guess. New carpet?" Fang asked.

"Yes." Lightning glared at her.

"It's okay, Claire. I can definitely get that stain out," Serah assured her quickly. "Everyone just keep enjoying yourself."

Lightning watched with a frown as her sister raced up the stairs and returned with a stain-removing solution and a washcloth.

Serah was still scrubbing at the carpet when the key turned in the lock and the door opened. Everyone except for Sazh and Dajh, who was exacting revenge on his father for beating him, turned to watch curiously as a grunting Hope struggled through the door. He was carrying so many boxes that he actually could not see. Seconds later, they watched Vanille skip through the door with only one small box in her hands.

Everyone seemed to chuckle aside from Lighting, who did not think it was funny that Vanille had made him carry everything. Feeling annoyed, the ex-soldier immediately stood to help Hope.

"Hey, Light!" Hope grinned happily as he set the rest of the boxes down on the floor before grinning teasingly at Vanille. "I carried everything all the way here, so you can carry your own stuff upstairs. I'm not helping."

"Thank you for carrying so much, Hope," Vanille replied with a smile. "Shopping with you was fun."

"Yeah," Hope replied dreamily. "We should do it again sometime."

"Sure!" Vanille chirped excitedly before skipping across the room to where Fang was seated on the couch and jumping into her lap.

Fang smirked, wrapping her arms around Vanille. "Aw, did you miss me or do you just want me to carry the boxes up the stairs for you?"

"Both," Vanille giggled, snuggling against her. "You'll help me, right, Fang?"

"Actually, Vanille, I was just kidding," Hope insisted hastily, not wanting to give Fang an opportunity to best him. "I'll take the boxes upstairs, but you have to come with me to show me where to put them."

"Really?" Vanille raised her brows. "You don't have to Hope. I can get Fang to do it."

Fang smiled wryly as some of the others chuckled. "What'd you get anyway?"

"It's a surprise," Vanille replied with a smile.

"Anyway, Vanille, did you want me to help?" Hope asked more loudly, his face turning slightly red.

Vanille shrugged and stood up, telling Fang she would be right back before returning to Hope's side.

Lightning rolled her eyes and glared at her sister. "You shouldn't have encouraged him."

Fang raised her brow in amusement, taking a sip of wine as she wondered what exactly Serah had encouraged him to do.

Meanwhile, Vanille picked up some of the smaller boxes and followed Hope up the stairs as he carried at least four shopping bags and two boxes, some of which were presents that he intended to give out but the majority of which belonged to Vanille. As they went, Vanille's voice drifted down the stairs as she told Hope that he was the best.

"Hope is stupid," Lightning grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Give the kid a break," Fang mumbled, smiling when people gave her surprised looks. "Vanille's pretty. I'm sure it's hard for him to say no to her."

"So, that makes it okay for her to take advantage of him?" Lightning narrowed her eyes.

"Relax." Fang rolled her eyes. "Vanille thinks he's just being nice. She can't see him drooling all over her."

Lightning huffed in disbelief. "Whatever."

"Maybe we should set him up with someone, too," Fang mumbled under her breath, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"What?" Lightning narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Fang forced a smile. "I didn't say anything, Light. Get your ears checked."

xxx

It did not take long for Hope and Vanille to return from the attic. Serah glanced nervously up at them, and Fang wondered what exactly the younger Farron sister was worried about as Vanille suddenly skipped to Fang's side.

"You were gone a long time." Fang murmured as Vanille plopped down beside her. "I thought you made all your presents."

"Who says I got presents?" Vanille replied with a faint smile.

Hope sat on the other side of Vanille, narrowing his eyes as he watched the two of them.

Fang ignored the teenager, wrapping her arm around Vanille's shoulders. "Let's go for a walk. It's snowing."

"Okay!" Vanille grinned. "I love snow! It's so beautiful and magical!"

"Yeah? It's wet and cold, too," Fang replied with a chuckle as she stood up and motioned for the other girl to follow her. Glancing over her shoulder, she informed the others, "We're going out. See you later."

"Going out where?" Lightning stood up to follow them, eyes narrowed. "Is this an excuse to play more pranks? Because I swear, I'll—"

Feigning innocent, Fang placed her hands on her hips. "I dunno why you can't trust me, Light. I thought we'd come to Christmas since I figured you all missed us, but if you don't want us here—"

"Stop trying to guilt me. You always play pranks," Lightning replied stubbornly. "And you're not leaving the house."

As a smug look came over his features, Hope looked distinctly satisfied.

"Claire, just let them go for a walk together," Serah interrupted. "It's Christmas. Fang knows better than to play pranks."

"Yeah, I know better." Fang smirked widely. "Anyway, are we free to go?"

"Fine." Lightning glared coldly. "But if you put even one toe out of line, I swear I will never let you come here again."

"Lighten up," Fang replied, snickering at her own joke.

Lightning rolled her eyes and returned to her seat. "Just watch yourself."

Fang shrugged and turned to Vanille. "We'll need some warm clothes."

With a nod, Vanille turned to walk up the stairs toward the attic. Once they were inside of the room with the door shut, Vanille walked into the closet and began to sift through her clothes with a frown.

"I love the snow, but I hate dressing for winter. I've never had to do this before."

"Yeah, I know how much you hate covering up your skin," Fang teased.

"If you don't like it, I could start wearing a lot more," Vanille replied with a playful smile.

Fang wrapped her arms around her from behind, murmuring in her ear, "I never said that."

Vanille giggled, ready with a reply, but was interrupted by heavy knocking on the door.

"I bet it's Hope just in time to stop us from going," Fang exclaimed with a wry smile.

"If it is Hope, I'm sure he just needs help with something," Vanille insisted.

"Something that the five people downstairs just couldn't handle?" Fang smirked. "He's got a crush on you. It's obvious."

"No, he doesn't."

"Suit yourself." Fang shrugged.

Vanille stepped out of the walk-in closet and skipped across the room, immediately pulling the door open. "Hi, Hope. Do you need something?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt." Hope frowned nervously. "I was just wondering if you could help me with something. Um, we could be done by the time Fang is finished changing."

"Sure. What do you need?" Vanille asked with an innocent smile.

"Uh, one of my presents fell apart in the basement. I don't want anyone else to see," Hope replied awkwardly. "But I can't put it back together myself."

"Oh, so that's why you had to ask me," Vanille murmured loudly, glancing over her shoulder at Fang.

"Fancy that," Fang exclaimed with an amused smirk.

Laughing, Vanille informed Fang, "I'll be right back."

"Don't take too long. You're not even changed yet," Fang instructed as she pulled some warm clothes out of the closet.

Xxx

After Vanille returned, she finally managed to choose a warm outfit, change her clothes, and proclaim cheerfully, "I'm ready to go!"

"Good." Fang grinned, taking Vanille's hand and tugging her down the stairs and out the back door.

As they began to trudge through snow that was at least three feet deep, Vanille cried, "Fang, I didn't know you actually wanted to walk in the snow."

"You should've asked," Fang teased. "Bet you don't love the snow so much now, huh?"

"My socks are getting wet." Vanille pouted. "I'll get sick again."

"But I had something fun planned." Fang wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "We've gotta walk through the snow to get to it."

Vanille crossed her arms. "Well, you'll just have to carry me then."

Fang laughed lightly. "Fine."

Crouching on the ground, Fang waited until Vanille had wrapped her arms around her neck before she wrapped her arms around her thighs and hoisted her up. When Vanille was settled, wrapping her legs around her waist and holding on tightly, Fang proceeded through the snow.

"This is much better," Vanille chirped, hugging her tightly around the neck.

"Maybe for you." Fang smirked playfully. "You must've gained a few pounds. You're heavier than usual."

"Fang!" Vanille rapped her companion lightly on the head.

Fang merely laughed.

The two of them walked through the forest for a long time, remaining mostly silent as the snow began to fall harder around them. Vanille shifted against Fang several times, always pressing to her back and sometimes resting her cheek against Fang's hair. She felt rather relaxed in spite of the cold weather, for Fang was quite warm beneath her.

"Here we are," Fang exclaimed eventually, setting Vanille down in a field of snow and pointing to what appeared to be a snow fort in the distance. "We're going in there."

"It looks cold," Vanille protested.

"Then I'll just have to keep you warm, won't I?" Fang replied with a throaty voice and a wink, wrapping her arm around her waist.

Vanille giggled. "We won't stay long, right? I really don't wanna get sick again."

"We can stay as long as you want," Fang replied with a shrug, "but I promise it'll be fun."

Vanille nodded, waiting for Fang to lead the way and then hopping carefully in Fang's footsteps so as to get as little snow inside of her boots as possible. Her feet were still very cold, in spite of the way that Fang had carried her for most of the trip. It seemed inevitable that they would both get sick, but hopefully whatever Fang had planned would be worth it.

Fang ducked in the snow and crawled into the snow fort, which had been built tall enough that Vanille could not see over it. When she followed Fang inside, she was surprised to find that it was completely dark.

"I thought it would be open on top," Vanille mused nervously.

"Come here. Follow my voice."

Vanille nodded, crawling on her hands and knees and gasping in surprise when she realized that the ground beneath her definitely was not snow. She felt a little nervous, since she was unable to see, so she crawled quickly toward Fang, who was humming quietly so that Vanille could find her. A sigh of relief escaped Vanille's lips when Fang's hands finally touched her arms and reeled her in, their warm bodies pressing together.

"Where are we, Fang?" Vanille inquired gently. "This place feels big. I thought it was just a snow fort."

"You'll see."

Fang suddenly struck a match against a stone, and Vanille gasped in surprise as the tiny light illuminated what must actually have once been a small burrow. It could have been a home to an animal, though the walls did not appear to be made of dirt but rather stones with strange symbols engraved into them.

"Kind of cozy in here, huh?" Fang grinned as she used the match to light a candle that she must have hidden in her coat pocket.

"How'd you find this place?" Vanille asked as she crawled to Fang's side and rested her head against Fang's chest.

"I had to do something while I was waiting for everyone to come look for me," Fang replied with a teasing grin. "I think this started out as an animal burrow, but look at the markings on the walls. There must've been a village near here. I dunno how long ago. Someone turned this into a cozy little hiding place."

"Why would someone want to stay here?" Vanille smiled faintly. "It's so small."

Fang shrugged and wrapped her arm around Vanille, weaving her fingers through her soft hair. "I dunno, but this kind of feels like home."

"We never lived in a cave," Vanille replied with a playful grin.

Fang narrowed her eyes. "If you don't get on board the This-Is-Awesome Train, I'm sending you out in the cold and you can walk back to Lightning's house by yourself."

Vanille gasped in surprise. "You wouldn't send me back alone."

Fang laughed lightly, tracing her fingers down the side of Vanille's face and leaning close until their foreheads pressed together. As she kissed her cheek, she agreed, "Nope, I wouldn't."

Vanille smiled warmly and leaned forwards to gently press her lips to Fang's. "Good, 'cause I don't wanna walk back. The snow's too deep."

"You know, I'm always the one who has to carry you places," Fang grumbled, brushing her nose against Vanille's. "Maybe this time you should carry me."

"Fang!" Vanille giggled, wrapping her arms around her neck and pressing against her. "You're too heavy."

"You killed a bear on your own. You must be pretty strong," Fang chuckled.

Vanille shook her head, still twittering with laughter as she leaned forwards to kiss Fang again. Their lips meshed together gently, bodies cuddled close as Fang slid her hands up Vanille's back.

xxx

It was so late at night that the third day of their stay in Lightning's home was giving way to the fourth. After waiting a long time after Vanille fell asleep, Fang crept out of bed, sliding onto the floor and crouching down. She closed her eyes and listened closely to the night air, but there were no sounds other than the clock ticking in the hallway outside of their room and Vanille's soft breathing on the other side of the bed.

Certain that there was no one else awake, Fang slid on a pair of boots and crept to the window. Lightning suspected that she had been responsible for the pranks that she had already played, so it was completely possible that the other girl had rigged traps around her door hoping to catch her in the act. There was only one reason to continue with her pranks, which would not end until she was caught. After all, the harmless tricks were just so fun.

Fang climbed onto the roof and slid her window gently shut behind her, since she could not afford for Vanille to catch a cold while she was gone. After she tested her warm hunting boots against the roof to make sure that she would not slip on the ice, Fang crept across the roof to the other side of the house. She listened for a moment, wondering if anyone could hear her walking on the roof from inside of the house, and then she dropped down onto the sill of a window she had unlocked earlier that day.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she slipped inside of the window, removing her boots so that she would not track wet footprints through the house. The knowledge that Lightning could be lying in wait for her anywhere left her extra cautious as she slid the window shut. After all, no one else was awake to stop the girl from trying to kill her, and she did not actually want to face Lightning in battle if she did not have to do so.

There were no sounds for a long time, so Fang eventually crept into the hallway, hugging the walls as she held the pack at her waist with one hand so that it would not rattle. She moved stealthily into Snow and Serah's bathroom, which she had already infiltrated once, and closed the door behind her.

Fang set her bag on the counter, opening it and removing her flashlight. When it was lit, she set it on the floor beside the toilet and began searching her bag for the superglue. A wide grin settled on her face as she superglued the toilet seat down, because she knew that Snow would be forced to use a different bathroom in the morning. Fang would not have thought to do such a thing earlier in the week, but that evening she had overheard Serah telling Sazh that Lightning felt very personal about her bathroom and would not let anyone else use it.

Even though it was possible that Lightning would not catch Snow using her toilet, she thought that the other girl might go crazy trying to figure out who had moved all her things around if Snow accidentally left the seat up or moved the soap to the other side of the counter when he was finished washing his hands.

When she was finished, Fang quickly moved down the stairs into the family room and then crept into the basement. She had been able to think of only one way to prank Sazh, and since she knew that he was the one who woke up the earliest in the morning, she doubted that anyone else would be caught in the crossfire. As quickly as she could, she rubbed a little bit of pepper juice onto the doorknob leading up the stairs.

Finally, Fang snuck into the kitchen and poured vinegar into both the milk and the juice so that the would taste sour.

After she decided that that was enough for one night, Fang climbed back onto the roof, brushing away her footprints as she went, and then crawled back through the window into the attic. She wiped her boots off in the bathroom before leaving them on the heater where they would be dry by morning, and then she changed her clothes and crawled back into bed.

Vanille stirred when the bed shifted, and as she moved close to Fang to hug her, she gasped in surprise, "Fang, you're freezing!"

"It was cold in the hallway," Fang replied gently, holding Vanille close.

"Why were you in the hallway?" Vanille pouted sleepily. "Did you play your prank on Sazh?"

"I didn't do anything." Fang kissed her forehead. "I just had to use the bathroom, and then I got a drink downstairs."

Vanille nuzzled against her, sighing. "You never used to lie about your pranks."

"None of the matrons every threatened to kill me," Fang replied with a sly look, "though I bet Matron Essle considered it once or twice."

"Probably." Vanille giggled and cuddled close to her.

Fang snuggled against her. "Now, go back to sleep."

Vanille nodded, yawning. "Goodnight, Fang."

"'Night."

Xxx

Vanille woke up alone the next morning. With a yawn, she dragged herself into the bathroom and took a shower. Then she wrapped a towel around herself and walked back into the bedroom to peruse through the closet. Ever since arriving, Vanille had found it very difficult to pick out an outfit each day, because Lightning's house was very cold and Vanille's clothes were more appropriate for the summer.

A shriek erupted from the downstairs. Both distracted and frightened, Vanille jumped and dropped her towel.

"Claire, are you all right?"

At the sound of Serah's frantic voice carrying up the stairs, Vanille immediately threw her towel around herself and followed the sound of Snow's voice, racing down the stairs to help. When she came around the corner, she found Serah and Snow standing outside of the closed door to Lightning's bathroom. Both wore concerned looks on their faces, making Vanille wonder what could have happened.

"Claire?" Serah asked gently, knocking on the door. "We heard a scream. Are you all right in there?"

Moments later, the door burst open, causing everyone to jump. Lightning walked out with a towel wrapped around her waist, though she was otherwise dressed, and a grumpy look on her face.

"Who used my bathroom?!" Lightning growled angrily.

Vanille raised her brows, not understanding why Lightning was only half dressed, and looked into the bathroom with a curious frown. Her eyes widened with surprise and realization as she saw that Lightning's pants were discarded on the floor near the toilet. It looked as though some of the water had splashed out of the tank and the seat was up.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Lightning suddenly demanded as she glared at Snow. "Don't you have your own bathroom?"

"Claire," Serah intervened nervously, "We would never use your bathroom. We know it bothers you."

"Yeah, we have our own bathroom," Snow replied agreeably, though he shifted uncomfortably.

"What's going on?" Hope suddenly rounded the corner. "I heard screaming and—"

The teenage boy suddenly froze as he spotted Vanille, who was standing on the other side of the hallway wearing nothing but a small towel that revealed most of her long, gorgeous legs. Beads of water dripped down from her glorious curls, tracing wet paths along her prickling skin and trailing down her shoulders and chest. Finally, the droplets would dip beneath the towel, which was small and clung tightly to her form.

Hope suddenly began to feel extremely uncomfortable, the blush hot on his face among other things. He immediately held the sweatshirt draped over his arm in front of his waist and backed up a step.

"Yeah, what's all the ruckus?" Fang asked as she suddenly appeared around the corner with a yawn. She was still dressed in her pajamas. "You woke me up."

Hope was a little pleased when everyone suddenly looked at the dark-haired Gran Pulsian woman.

"Snow used my bathroom and forgot to put the seat down," Lightning grumbled.

"What?" Serah frowned at Snow. "You actually used her bathroom? Why didn't you use ours?"

Snow hung his shoulders. "Okay, fine. I'm really sorry, Claire, but—"

"Why couldn't you use your own damn bathroom?" Lightning interrupted harshly.

"What're you so mad for, Light? It's just a bathroom." Fang looked amused. "It's not like you fell in, right?"

"You shut up!" Lightning stalked toward her, clenching one fist as she held up her towel with her other hand. "I haven't figured out which of the crazy things happening in this house have been your fault, but when I find out just exactly what you've been doing, I suggest you start running."

"I dunno why you're convinced it's always my fault," Fang whined, placing her hands on her hips.

Lightning ignored her, turning to look at Snow. "And don't use my bathroom."

"I'm really sorry, but I had to use your bathroom," Snow cried. "The toilet seat in my bathroom was broken."

"What do you mean?"

"The lid wouldn't go up," Snow explained with a frown. "I tried to fix it, but I really had to go!"

Lightning narrowed her eyes and turned to Fang with a glare. "The toilet seat was broken?"

"Hey, don't look at me." Fang put her hands up as though to prove her innocence and then wrapped one arm around Vanille's shoulders. "Ask her if you don't believe me. I was in bed all morning."

Vanille knew that Fang was lying, so she chose to remain silent, but she would not betray Fang if Lightning actually did ask her.

"She would lie for you." Lightning rolled her eyes.

"Maybe, but she doesn't have to." Fang squeezed Vanille's shoulder gently. "I didn't do anything."

"We'll see about that. Snow, we're going to look at your toilet." As Lightning walked past, she noticed Hope standing against the wall, uncomfortably red. "What's wrong with you?"

"N-Nothing," Hope stepped out of her way, still standing rather awkwardly.

Lightning raised her brow at him before shrugging and storming away with Snow in tow. Fang and the others quickly followed, but Vanille chose to stay behind, frowning worriedly at Hope.

"Are you okay?" Vanille took a step toward him. "You don't look so good."

"I-I'm fine."

Hope's eyes unintentionally swept across Vanille's form and he felt even worse. He had never seen a naked woman before and he had definitely never stood so close to a soaking wet woman who wore only a thin towel, so he could not stop his mind from wandering. It was not a good idea to imagine Vanille's towel dropping, but he could not help himself! He had already seen her backside once when Fang had lifted her skirt to check her l'Cie brand.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Vanille asked gently, placing his hand on her forehead.

Hope's mouth began to feel dry and he pulled quickly away. "I'm fine, but I gotta go! See you later!"

As he pushed past her, Hope ran down to the basement, shutting the door behind him. He was pleased to see that Sazh and Dajh were nowhere to be found.

Still standing on the second floor, Vanille bit her lip and wondered if Hope had run downstairs because he was going to be sick. She thought it would be very sad if there was no one to take care of him, so she immediately followed him down.

Xxx

Lightning stood in the corner of her sister's bathroom, her foot tapping impatiently on the ground as Snow, looking both perplexed and embarrassed, lifted the toilet seat up and down.

"I swear it was broken this morning. It wouldn't go up this morning," Snow insisted suddenly, pulling away from the toilet. "I wouldn't use your bathroom otherwise, Light. This one is closer to my room."

Sazh, who had come up the stairs with Dajh a few minutes earlier when he had heard the commotion, walked inside and knelt beside the toilet, examining the hinges of the seat. He studied it for quite some time before shaking his head. "It doesn't look tampered with. Are you sure it was broken, Snow?"

"Maybe you were dreaming," Fang suggested with a light shrug. "Happens to the best of us in the morning. I remember one time when I was hardly awake. I looked out the window and thought I saw—"

"Shut up," Lightning interrupted, crossing her arms.

Fang pursed her lips. "Well, you're pleasant in the morning."

"Don't ever go in my bathroom again. I don't care if your toilet explodes," Lightning told Snow before turning to Fang with a dark look. "I know you had something to do with this because you can't wipe that smirk off your face."

"I dunno what you've got against me, Light, but I was sleeping. Ask Vanille."

"Claire, please. This was just an accident that won't happen again," Serah interrupted, placing her hand on her fiance's arm. "Snow was probably just really exhausted. We were up late last night."

"That's no excuse." Lightning lowered her eyes uncomfortably. "I shouldn't have to fall in my own toilet!"

"I know, but it was just an accident," Serah insisted again. "Sometimes he forgets to put the seat down in here, too. That's why you always have to check."

"I shouldn't have to check because I don't live with a boy," Lightning corrected, turning away. "Just don't do it again."

A screech of surprise suddenly erupted from the basement.

"Vanille!" Fang gasped, realizing that the younger girl was not with them.

Without another word, Fang sprang down the stairs, her powerful legs carrying her to the ground floor where she saw Vanille racing out of the basement.

Hope was chasing behind her, crying, "Wait, Vanille! I swear it's not what it looks like!"

Fang reached out to grab the other woman's arm as she tried to run past her. "Vanille, what happened? Are you all right?"

"Let go!" Vanille cried desperately. "I can't look at him right now."

"Did that little prick try to hurt you?" Fang demanded angrily.

"No, nothing like that..." Vanille looked ashen as she glanced over her shoulder at Hope.

"What's going on?" Serah suddenly came around the corner holding a first aid kit, Lightning and Snow following quickly behind her.

Vanille was completely embarrassed, so she leaned up and whispered something in Fang's ear.

Fang snorted with amusement, muttering crassly, "Well, what d'you expect? He's fourteen. Maybe you should try not walking around naked."

"Fang!" Vanille whined, hugging herself. "This isn't funny."

Lightning, who understood the situation and felt a little horrified by the mental image that sprung to mind, pointed at Vanille and growled, "You, go put clothes on!" To Fang, she grunted, "You, stop laughing!" And when she looked at Hope, Lightning hesitated before grumbling, "You, go take a cold shower!"

"Go easy on him, Light," Snow insisted, feeling very bad for Hope. "It's not as easy as you girls think."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lightning narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Serah asked gently.

Hope still looked like he wanted to die as Lightning frowned and leaned over to whisper in her sister's ear.

Serah gasped in horror. "What do you mean it's not as easy as we think, Snow? Do you do that, too?"

Snow's eyes widened. "N-No, of course not."

"Good, because it's disgusting!" Serah cried angrily.

Hope seemed to shrink even deeper into himself.

"From this point forwards," Lightning suddenly decreed uncomfortably. "No one does anything inappropriate under this roof."

"Wait, what about after we're married?" Snow gasped.

Lightning merely glared at him. "Get your own house if you want to do that."

"This house is getting a little too pure for me," Fang murmured in Vanille's ear, smirking.

Sazh suddenly walked by with Dajh completely ignorant to the situation. He did not bother asking what was wrong as he walked down the stairs, but a few seconds later he returned with a frown on his face.

"Hope, did you eat something downstairs?" Sazh asked with a frown. "The doorknob was wet and kind of sticky. I wiped it off, but wash your hands next time, okay? That's how germs spread."

Everyone stared at him for a moment before glancing at Hope and Serah cried with disgust, "You didn't even wash your hands?!"

Fang felt a little guilty, since Hope was beginning to look like he wanted to kill himself, so she admitted, "That was me, Sazh. I put a bit of pepper juice on the doorknob."

Lightning turned an angry shade of red. "I knew you were playing pranks!"

"That's all I did, I swear!"

"Fang, putting pepper juice on the doorknob was dangerous," Sazh lectured angrily. "What if Dajh had gotten it in his eyes?"

Fang frowned as she realized that she had not considered that. "I was just getting annoyed because Hope was following Vanille around so much. I didn't think of Dajh. Sorry. It won't happen again."

Hope suddenly glared at Fang, but no one seemed to notice.

"You expect me to believe that's the only prank you played?" Lightning rolled her eyes. "From now on, no one does anything inappropriate or plays pranks," Lightning asserted. "Christmas is supposed to be a happy holiday. If I wanted to have to chase kids around the house, I would have some!"

Fang snickered at that.

Lightning was still feeling irritated, so she turned to Vanille. "Why are you still naked?!"

Vanille gave a frightened look before immediately scurrying up the stairs to change her clothes.

Since the situation had dissolved, Lightning walked up the stairs to resume her morning routine and Sazh walked back into the basement.

Snow remained to make sure that Hope was all right, assuring him gently, "It's okay, Hope. Everyone does it."

"I thought you said you didn't!" Serah cried.

"Lighten up, Serah," Fang winked as she slid past her, "And live a little for once."

Serah blushed darkly. "I would never do that!"

xxx

Fang walked up the stairs to the attic and pushed the door open, and she was surprised to find Vanille sitting in a chair staring out the window with a look of despair on her face.

"Was it really that bad?" Fang asked gently as she placed her hand on Vanille's shoulder.

"Actually, I feel really guilty." Vanille looked up with tears in her eyes. "Hope was so embarrassed. I didn't mean to scream like that. If I hadn't, everyone else wouldn't know what he was doing."

Fang sighed, beginning to massage her shoulders. "He'll get over it eventually, poor kid."

"I should apologize." Vanille lowered her eyes. "I also think you should stop playing pranks now, Fang. You got almost everyone, and Lighting was really mad."

Fang scoffed, pulling up another chair so that she could join her. "Light just need to relax. The pranks are funny, not harmful."

"It wasn't funny making Hope wet himself," Vanille insisted with a pout.

"I think it was funny," Fang replied defensively.

Vanille sighed, turning her gaze out the window for a moment, and then stood up to seat herself on Fang's lap. She smiled when Fang wrapped her arms around her, since she had thought the other girl might be too upset, and she rested her cheek against her shoulder.

"Will you please stop playing pranks for a while?" Vanille begged quietly.

"Yeah." Fang ran her fingers through her hair. "If it really bothers you, I will."

"Thank you." Vanille wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her cheek.

"It's too bad you caught Hope in that state though," Fang replied with a smile, running her fingers up her back, "If you weren't so shaken, this would be a perfect time to take advantage of some alone time. Everyone else's busy."

Vanille smiled faintly. "Yep. It's too bad."

Fang pouted, causing Vanille to laugh at her.

"Maybe later. But right now, I wanna go for another walk," Vanille exclaimed, forcing a cheerful smile. "Everyone's so upset. I don't wanna be in the house right now."

"All right."

When the two of them were dressed in warm clothes, they walked down to the front door. Fang was just turning the handle when Snow blanched in the kitchen, crying, "Ugh, the milk went bad."

"Really?" Serah gasped, surprised. "The apple juice went bad, too. I really have to stop shopping at that market."

Vanille looked up at Fang, who smiled sheepishly and mumbled, "I swear I'll stop tomorrow."

Unable to keep from smiling, the younger woman brushed Fang's hair out of her eyes. "You're just like when we were kids."

"I'll take that as a compliment, thanks," Fang grinned as she wrapped her arms around Vanille's waist and tugged her out the door.

Xxx

In her bedroom on the second floor, Lightning paced back and forth, fuming. She generally did not tolerate much, let alone the antics of a prankster who in spite of being an adult acted like she was ten-years-old at most. Lightning was so irritated by the fact that Fang could play so many pranks and manage to keep everyone on her side that she had spent the last half hour putting together a checklist of everything that she was certain Fang was responsible for, including the sink, the toilet seat, and Hope's embarrassing bed-wetting experience. Determining that Fang had broken the rules too many times to get away clean, Lightning decided that taking revenge was the only appropriate course of action.

There was no time to lose, so she folded the checklist, tucked it into her drawer, and immediately left her room.

Serah, who had been walking by, immediately paused to look at her. "Claire, there you are. I was really worried. You've been in there for a long time."

Lightning shrugged indifferently. "You haven't seen Fang around, have you?"

Serah shook her head. "She and Vanille left a while ago. I don't know where they went."

"Good." Lighting frowned. "How's Hope?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Serah replied, "He went in the basement afterwards and hasn't come back since. I can't believe he was doing something so disgusting."

"Stop calling it disgusting," Lighting chided. "Hope is embarrassed enough."

"But—"

"If you see Fang, I want you to pretend to see a spider and scream really loudly," Lightning interrupted suddenly.

"Why?" Serah raised her brows.

"Just do it."

"O-Okay."

As Lightning began to walk away, Serah watched her with a perplexed look.