Chapter Three
AN: Here is the third installment of Crimes of Passion. I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: FFXIII plot and characters belong to Square Enix. OCs and everything else belongs to me.
Vanille sprinkled an assortment of hot spices into her hand and dropped them delicately into the large, steaming pot of soup that she was stirring together on the stove. She quickened her pace with the spoon, distributing the different colored spices evenly, before she leaned forwards and breathed in the delicious scent of the dish.
Turning to her partner with a grin, the younger woman exclaimed, "Fang, it's been so long since we've cooked dinner together. This is really nice."
"I agree, and it's about time we do this for Serah anyways," Fang replied, throwing a smile over her shoulder as she continued dicing onions and peppers on a small wooden cutting board. "She's been cooking dinner for everyone practically every night since we moved in here."
Vanille nodded. "She's really grateful we're doing this, too. Do you think they'll like what we're making?"
"I dunno. Light can't take spicy food. It makes her face all red," Fang replied with a chuckle. "As for the others, it depends what they like."
The younger woman furrowed her brows with worry. "What if Hope and Dajh don't like it? Remember what happened at Christmas?"
"You mean when Light poisoned their cookies?" Fang chortled, shaking her head. "I hope you're not making the soup that spicy."
Vanille dipped the spoon into the hot liquid and blew on it for a moment before tasting it. Then she grinned. "Nope. It tastes really good!"
"I bet they'll all like it," Fang suggested optimistically. "We're great cooks."
"It's 'cause we're such a good team, Fang," Vanille proposed with a loving smile.
Fang nodded in agreement. "Always have been."
Serah walked into the room and breathed in deeply. "Wow! That smells wonderful. What are you making?"
"It's a recipe from Oerba," Vanille explained excitedly. "Spicy soup with warm bread for dipping and a really tasty salad. You'll love it. It's got way more flavor than the salads we usually have."
"That sounds delicious, and the soup smells really amazing." Serah crossed the kitchen to peek into the pot. "What spices did you use?"
"That's our secret," Fang replied teasingly.
"Oh, okay." Serah laughed lightly and leaned against the counter. "Have either of you seen Claire today?"
"Yeah, she finally tried on her dress," Vanille reported with a smile. "It looked really good and doesn't need any alterations. Did you see it?"
"No. That's why I wanted to know if you had seen her." Serah sighed with relief. "I'm so glad the dress fits. She wouldn't let me look the first time she tried it on."
"Last I saw her, Light was still at headquarters when I was leaving," Fang explained as she pushed the chopped onions aside and began cutting up a tomato for the salad. "Vanille, did you start making the sauce for the salad yet or should I do that?"
"I didn't make it yet, but here's the bowl I was gonna use," Vanille murmured as she passed a small bowl to her love.
"Sauce?" Serah blinked curiously. "You put sauce on salad?"
"It's a cold sauce," Vanille amended, "but it's thick like salsa and really tasty. You'll love it. It was one of the matron's favorite recipes at the orphanage."
"Is it spicy?"
"It can be, but we usually make it pretty mild," Fang explained. "Vanille makes it really salty, but I can make it sweet if you want."
"Fang, you make it way saltier than I do," Vanille protested, sticking her tongue out.
Fang laughed. "Either way, I can make it sweet."
"That might be better if the soup is salty," Serah suggested gently.
Sazh suddenly walked through the kitchen door with an excited look on his face. "Wow! I was just coming in here for a drink of water, but what's that amazing smell? I didn't know you girls cooked."
"Sure do," Fang replied as she came up beside Vanille to gather the ingredients they had already put out for the sauce and a few others that would help make it sweeter. As she passed by, she could not resist pecking Vanille on the cheek.
Vanille giggled happily, smiling at Fang, before she turned to look at Sazh and explained, "Fang and I have been cooking since we first moved in together in Oerba. We never got to spend much time together during the day, since Fang was always in the woods with the other hunters and I was working for the jewelry maker, so we always cooked dinner together. Then we'd get to talk about our day and spend some time together before we went to sleep."
"That sounds nice," Sazh commented with a smile before getting his drink. "Well, I'm gonna go play some more games with the boys before dinner. They never get tired."
"Maybe we shouldn't let them play all day like that," Serah suggested, frowning. "They should be studying."
"They're on vacation, Serah," Fang protested with a chuckle. "Let them take a break from learning."
"Hey, Serah, did you—?" Snow walked into the room and paused, surprised that everyone was standing together in one place. "Oh, hey, everyone. I thought Serah would be the one cooking dinner."
"We're giving her a break for once," Vanille replied cheerfully.
"Great." He smiled enthusiastically before turning to his fiancée and wrapping his arm around her waist. "How was your day? Did you hear that Lightning finally tried on her dress?"
"How do you know?" Serah asked curiously. "Did you see her?"
He shook his head, laughing. "I know because she left during her lunch break to meet Vanille at the bridal shop."
"How come you got to go with her and I didn't?" Fang asked Vanille teasingly.
"'Cause I'm the assistant maid of honor," Vanille replied smugly, giggling. "You didn't offer to help, did you?"
Everyone laughed and Snow looked down at Serah. "So, how was your day?"
"It was really good. I settled everything with the banquet hall. We just have to give them a final number once we know exactly who is coming. I also tried on my dress and bought it. It's perfect Snow. They only have to make one small alteration, so it will definitely be done in time for the wedding."
"That's great!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, wrapping his other arm around her and leaning down to kiss her lips. "Did you get to see Light in her dress? I don't know if she stopped home or not…"
"No, I didn't get to see it," Serah pouted.
"I tried to take a picture for you, Serah, but Light wouldn't let me," Vanille interjected.
Sazh laughed, shaking his head. "You didn't pick one of those crazy bridesmaids' dresses, did you, Serah?"
"No!" Serah gasped. "It's a perfectly beautiful dress."
"It looked really good, too," Vanille insisted.
"Anyway," Serah turned to Snow and placed her hands on her hips. "You have to stop working my sister so hard so I can see her in her dress."
"What do you mean?" Snow asked, a look of confusion covering his features.
"Fang said Claire was still at headquarters when she left. Why does she go into the office so much? Fang doesn't go in half as much as she does."
"Maybe Fang's just not as hard a worker as Lightning," Vanille joked, nudging her partner in the side with a playful smile.
"Careful, Vanille." Fang smirked as she poked her in the arm. "Your contract doesn't specifically say I can't play any pranks on you."
The younger woman merely giggled.
"Light has been going in a lot lately, but she wasn't at headquarters when I left," Snow exclaimed with a thoughtful look. "I assumed she left to come home."
"Do you think Claire is home?" Serah asked worriedly as she peeked out into the living room. "I didn't hear her come in."
Fang and Vanille shared a look as the older of the two leaned down and whispered in her ear, "See what I mean? Light's always sneaking around. I know she's up to something."
"I bet she's seeing someone," Vanille replied with a grin.
"Well, we're gonna find out, now aren't we?" Fang replied quietly.
"You can't do anything mean to Lightning, Fang," Vanille reminded her gleefully. "It goes against the contract."
Fang merely laughed.
"I think I'll go check upstairs," Serah exclaimed, having been unable to hear what Fang and Vanille were discussing. "After what happened with the window, I'm worried about her."
"Don't be nervous if she's not up there, Serah," Fang intervened with a reassuring smile. "Light can take care of herself. I'm sure she's okay wherever she is."
"If we don't hear from her by dinnertime, someone should give her a call," Sazh suggested on his way out of the kitchen. "Anyway, I'm off to teach those kids a lesson about how being an old man does not make me bad at video games."
Everyone twittered with amusement.
The others slowly flooded out of the room, leaving Fang to chop the vegetables for the salad as Vanille added a bit of salt to the soup.
Kiwi and Ripper suddenly burst into the kitchen, racing around the room. Ripper crashed into the legs of one of the chairs and jumped backwards with a bark of surprise before pouncing on Kiwi. The two of them rolled around for a moment before they seemed to catch a whiff of the soup on the stove. Immediately, the two puppies scrambled across the floor, pawing at Fang's legs and whimpering.
"You two want some scraps, don't ya?" Fang asked with a grin, wiping her hands on a towel and walking across the room to replace the dog food in their bowls. She dropped in a few pieces of chopped meat for good measure and mumbled, "I hope you two like Gran Pulsian spices or you're in for a surprise."
Vanille grinned over her shoulder. "We should've had a wolfdog back in Oerba. They're so cute."
"Not for long. They'll be good protectors when they're big, and they might start looking pretty scary," Fang replied teasingly as she wrapped her arms around Vanille's waist from behind and pulled her close.
"I bet they'll still be cute to me," Vanille replied as she momentarily abandoned the soup and covered Fang's arms with her own, sinking back into her embrace with a pleasant sigh.
"Once they're big, I won't have to worry about you so much anymore," Fang murmured as she rested her cheek atop Vanille's head.
"Fang, I won't be alone in the house forever. Once I get a store, I'll be out all day."
"I'll still worry about you, so you can take the dogs to the store with you," Fang replied firmly, kissing her cheek.
Vanille laughed and turned her head to the side to capture Fang's lips. "I'll be okay no matter where I am, Fang. They're gonna catch the guy who threw that brick, and then we'll be perfectly safe again."
"I know, but I'll probably still worry even then," Fang argued as she hugged her close. "I can't help it 'cause I love you so much."
Vanille grinned happily and turned around to wrap her arms around Fang's waist. She snuggled into her embrace, feeling completely safe in Fang's strong arms, and nuzzled against her. "I love you, too, Fang."
As they spent a few moments holding each other close, Vanille mused that aside from the dangerous events of the past weekend, she loved every moment of their new life together.
Xxx
Fang was right in the middle of a good dream when an obnoxious ringing filled her ears. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, pulling away from Vanille as she searched the dark bedroom for the source of the sound. It took her only a moment to realize that her PMC was ringing on the nightstand, so she turned onto the side and reached for it. After accidentally knocking the alarm clock onto the floor and cursing quietly, Fang finally managed to press the 'send' button and lift the communication device to her ear.
"Yeah?" Fang answered halfway through a yawn.
"Agent Yun, this is Agent Young. We've got a crime scene out at the abandoned house on Rt. 2 that I think you need to see immediately. How quickly can you get here?"
"You need me there right now? It's the middle of the night," Fang protested with a frown. "Does it have something to do with whoever threw that brick through our window?"
"Just get down here, Agent Yun. I don't have time to explain. We're still securing the area, and it's kind of a disaster out here."
Fang did not like the sound of that. "All right. I'll be there as soon as I can."
Vanille stirred and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She glanced to the side just in time to see Fang hanging up her phone and trying to slide out of bed. The younger woman immediately crawled toward her and threw her arms around her waist, murmuring sleepily, "Don't go anywhere, Fang. It's too late."
"I've gotta go, Vanille," Fang told her as she wrapped one arm around her back and kissed her temple. "You'll be safe here with everyone else."
"Why do you have to go right now?" Vanille asked with a sleepy pout.
"I dunno. Whatever happened must have something to do with us," Fang explained as she released her gently and leaned down to press a quick kiss on her lips. "I've gotta get dressed. You can stay in bed if you want. It's only two in the morning."
Vanille pushed the covers off of herself and sat on the edge of the bed, glancing over her shoulder. "Should we wake up the others? They'll wanna know."
Fang paused, listening to the sounds of creaks downstairs. "It sounds like people are already awake. Maybe Snow and Lightning got the call too."
"I'm gonna come downstairs with you," Vanille yawned as she slipped out of bed and pulled a warm bathrobe around herself.
Fang shrugged and crossed the room to quickly dress before she took Vanille's hand and tugged her out the door. They both smiled when Kiwi dragged himself lazily out of his puppy bed and padded after them, and it was even more amusing when they were joined by Ripper in the hallway, who whimpered as though it was far too early to be awake.
"I guess Light's awake, too," Fang commented. "Ripper couldn't get out of her room otherwise."
When Vanille and Fang reached the kitchen, they found Snow and Serah speaking in hushed tones. Both of them jumped when they heard footsteps, but Snow looked relieved to see that it was just the two of them.
"Did you get a call from Agent Young too?" Snow asked.
Fang nodded solemnly. "Light must've gotten it, too. Ripper followed us down here."
Snow watched as the two puppies sniffed around the kitchen before he turned back to Fang. "Okay. We'll wait for Lightning and then drive together. Agent Young sounded really urgent."
"Do you know what they found?" Fang asked curiously.
He shook his head gravely. "Agent Young just said it was really important."
"I guess we'll find out when we get there."
Several moments passed in uncomfortable silence before Fang finally crossed her arms and grumbled, "Where the hell's Light? We've gotta go."
"Are you sure Agent Young called her too?" Serah asked quietly. "Maybe he thought you would tell her."
"He didn't mention that," Fang mumbled. "I dunno why he wouldn't call her."
"Okay. I'll go get her and tell her to hurry."
As Serah disappeared up the stairs, Vanille groggily hugged Fang's arm. "Be careful, okay? It might be something dangerous."
"I'm always careful," Fang murmured humorously, sharing a quick kiss with her. "Go back upstairs to bed. I dunno when we'll be back, but there's no reason for you to stay up all night."
"I'll go up after you leave." Vanille watched the dogs race by and smiled faintly. "I'll take them with me too. Otherwise they might destroy the house."
"Good idea." Fang laughed.
Serah suddenly walked back into the kitchen, her eyes wide with worry. "Claire isn't here. I looked out the window. Her air car is gone."
Fang frowned. "Was her bedroom door open?"
The youngest Farron sister nodded.
"It was like that when we went to bed," Fang murmured thoughtfully. "Do you think she slept somewhere else?"
"Why would she do that?" Serah asked.
"We'll have to ask her later, but Fang and I should leave," Snow interrupted urgently, kissing Serah's cheek. "Go back to bed, okay? We'll be back soon."
"What about Claire? What if something happened to her?"
"I'm sure she'll meet us there," Fang replied with a reassuring look. "Both of you get back upstairs for now, and if you hear any strange sounds or the puppies start acting up, call NORA."
Both women nodded and promised their partners that they would be fine before Fang and Snow solemnly exited the house.
"I'll drive," Snow murmured as he tugged his keys out of his pocket and hopped into his air car. "I know a shortcut."
Fang nodded and remained silent as she studied the area suspiciously. Whatever had happened at the crime scene could be a distraction, and she did not feel very good about leaving everyone alone. She absently hoped that Vanille would have the sense to wake up Sazh and tell him what was going on just in case someone tried to break into the house.
"Let's get this over with quickly," Fang mumbled suddenly. "I don't like leaving Vanille by herself like this."
He nodded in agreement. "We're definitely all better off together than spread apart."
Xxx
The drive was quiet and felt much longer than the ten minutes that it took. Both Fang and Snow were lost in their thoughts, each privately trying to figure out how the new crime scene might be related to them and what had happened at the house. Fang could not stop wondering if what had began as a brick through the window would turn into an unending nightmare. Would they be in danger again? Would they have to start fighting after they had finally found their way to a new, peaceful life?
"Are you worried about Lightning?" Snow asked suddenly.
"Not yet." Fang assured him with a thoughtful look. "I'm sure she'll meet us there."
Fang and Vanille had both suspected for a while that Lightning was sneaking around and disappearing so often because she was secretly dating someone and did not want to tell them, so when she had not been at the house the previous night, Fang had thought nothing of it. However, between the brick through the window, the phantom figure stalking the grounds outside their house, and the alleged bounty hunter, it seemed plausible that something could have happened to the ex-soldier. Even if Lightning was strong, there were times when a bad situation was enough to take down the most powerful of adversaries. In spite of what she had told Snow and Serah, Fang could not shake the feeling that something might have happened to Light, and if that was the case, she would never forgive herself for letting her guard down.
Snow pulled onto Rt. 2 and frowned curiously as he noticed a strange patch of dark clouds spreading across the sky. There was an odd orange glow reflecting off of them which seemed to flicker as though the NORA agents had filled the street with flares, but there was no source of light around them.
"What is that?" Snow asked curiously.
Fang stiffened, frowning. "I've seen that glow before. It's a fire."
"What?" Snow gasped. "In the forest?"
"No." Fang shook her head and leaned closer to the dashboard to see out the windshield more clearly. "I can see it now. It's the abandoned house that Light and I investigated. Someone set it on fire. This must be the crime scene."
"Can the fire spread?" Snow asked with wide eyes. "What about the town?"
"It looks like the firefighters have it under control," Fang replied.
Snow sighed with relief. "Good."
Fang's stomach tightened as she wondered why Agent Young would call them to the scene of a house fire.
"It looks like all the other agents parked over here," Snow commented idly as he pulled onto the side of the road. He was so anxious to figure out what had happened that he put the car in park, pocketed his keys, and strode down the street without even waiting for Fang to get out of the car.
The Gran Pulsian woman waited in her seat for a long moment, her eyes flicking around the forest line as she simultaneously searched for dangerous creatures that might have been attracted to the fire and for perpetrators who might want to watch the results of their disturbance. However, Fang did not spot anything of interest, so she eventually pulled herself out of the car and made sure the doors were locked before beginning her slow trek down the street. As she walked, her fingers slid over the handle of the hunting knife that she had tucked into her jacket pocket. The gun in her other pocket was heavier, but she did not have the same relationship with that weapon. Her hunting knife had saved her life hundreds of times, and she had used it for so many years that it was like an extension of herself, just like her staff.
Fang was only the length of a house away from the crime scene. She could see Snow and Agent Young speaking in the distance against the backdrop of flames, but quiet footsteps crunching through the snowy street behind her caused her to spin around and take up a defensive pose, her gun in one hand and the knife in the other.
"Relax." Lightning walked past her, looking over her shoulder. "It's just me."
"Just you." Fang snickered. "Well, I wouldn't know since I've barely seen you lately. Where've you been all night?"
"None of your business," Lightning replied firmly.
"You're seeing someone, aren't you?" Fang teased, a faint smirk covering her features. "Why don't you just tell everyone the truth? Serah'll be so happy."
Lightning ignored her. "What's going on here?"
"There's a fire, but that's all I know so far."
"Why would they call us here for a fire?"
"If I knew that answer to that, I would've have said that's all I know," Fang replied humorously before sobering and pocketing her hands. "It's gotta be related to what happened at our house."
"My house," Lightning corrected.
Fang rolled her eyes. "You say that now, but you're gonna miss us when we're gone."
As the two women walked closer to Agent Young, the fog seemed to clear away, revealing that the firefighters had the fire completely at bay and were in the process of suffocating the last of the flames. The abandoned house was nothing but charred remains of wooden beams, blackened walls, and metal pieces that had melted down and twisted like rubber.
"We're lucky it's winter," Fang mumbled. "The fire could've spread into the woods otherwise."
"Agent Yun, Agent Farron, there you are!" Agent Young suddenly shouted, motioning them over. "I'm glad you're here. I was just explaining the situation to Captain Villiers. Even though we just got the fire under control, there is already evidence that it was set on purpose. Someone was trying to send the three of you another message."
"What makes you think so?" Fang asked with a frown.
"Follow me."
Agent Young led the three of them closer to the house and pointed to the bottom of the driveway, which had been shoveled right down to the pavement. Someone had drawn an arrow in chalk pointing toward the now charred house and scribbled in fancy letters, 3 NORA agents under one roof.
"Are they threatening to burn my house down?" Lightning snapped angrily.
"They're definitely threatening to do something malicious," Agent Young replied with a grave look. "That's not all we found. There was something else on top of the driveway. It's in the SIU van now. They're dusting for prints."
"Did anyone in the house down the road see anything? Have they been interviewed?" Snow asked as they walked toward the van parked on the side of the road a ways down the street.
Agent Young nodded. "We've followed all the regular procedures, Captain. The people in that house are the ones who called in the fire, but they didn't see anything before they noticed the flames."
"You didn't have a chance to find any more evidence yet?" Fang asked. "Did you check close to the house or around the woods nearby?"
"No one looked in the woods yet. We were too busy trying to put out the fire. I'll send someone out there before the night is over."
Agent Young knocked twice on the back of the van and the door swung open to reveal Agent Sovina with a cautious look on her face. She relaxed when they saw them. "Do you have something else for me?"
"Not yet." Agent Young shook his head. "Can you bring out the dollhouse? I want them to get a look at it before they go."
"Dollhouse?" Lightning asked with furrowed brows.
Agent Sovina gave a nod and used her gloved hands to pick up a small wooden dollhouse and hold it out for them to see.
Snow's eyes widened. "What is this?"
"We found it on the driveway next to the message," Agent Young explained.
It was a small and simple dollhouse that had clearly been carved by hand. The rooms were tiny and barren, and the walls had been covered with black dust which looked like soot. Sitting in the center of the miniature house were three dolls which were too large for any of the rooms. They were made of fabric messily stitched together, and the first two had pink and black hair and were wearing street clothes and the third had yellow hair and was dressed in a NORA captain's uniform, or was meant to look like one. Each of the dolls was pouting, tear lines drawn down their faces.
"Well, this is freaky," Fang murmured, narrowing her eyes.
"Are those supposed to be us?" Snow asked with a frown.
"This is serious," Lightning replied humorously.
"Someone really wants us scared," Fang agreed.
"Well, I'm at least concerned," Snow exclaimed, glaring into the darkness of the woods over his shoulders. "We have to figure out who's doing this quickly. I don't want anyone to get hurt."
"Anyone who thinks they should try to burn down my house should reconsider," Lightning grumbled angrily, clenching her fists. "It took me a long time to make that place perfect. If someone tries to destroy it, I will kill—"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Fang warned with a sigh as she nodded for Agent Sovina to return to dusting the dollhouse for prints. "This is just a warning. Like I said, they want us scared. Either this is a distraction from another crime or a legitimate threat, but we need to figure out which one fast or the people we care about are gonna be in danger."
"I'll post a few agents outside of your house," Agent Young suggested.
"No." Lightning narrowed her eyes. "They already came back once. We can lure them there again."
"That's not safe," Agent Young argued, looking to Snow for his help.
Snow frowned uncomfortably. "This is a really difficult situation. We need to figure out who's doing this, and right now we don't have any leads."
"What about the evidence from Light's house?" Fang asked with a frown.
"We have a blood sample from where the perp scratched himself outside but nothing to compare it to," Agent Sovina offered from the van. When everyone looked at her, she suggested, "Making it seem like you're unprotected to draw this bastard out might be the only way to catch him."
"Snow, let Fang and I investigate this on our own," Lightning grumbled, narrowing her eyes. "We'll need time off from all our other cases."
"I don't think you two should be directly involved," Snow argued with a frown. "We're all too close to this."
"Damn right, we're close," Fang argued angrily. "I'm not letting whoever's behind this get away with making our lives miserable, and I might be the only one who can catch this asshole. He keeps running off into the woods."
Snow seemed to consider that.
"You two can't solve this alone," Agent Young interrupted with a frown. "You need more than two people."
"We'll be fine," Lightning grumbled angrily.
"Captain Villiers," Agent Young protested, "I'm already on this case and I have seniority."
"It's my house they're trying to burn down, Snow." Lightning glared at him. "If you try to stop me from investigating this, I'll quit and do it on my own anyway."
Snow hung his head, sighing. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. Fang, Lightning, you can investigate this, but not on your own. Agent Young, Agent Sovina, and the others who are already working on the case are going to help you. It seems like this perp is dangerous, so I'm going to take you off your other cases for now."
Fang took a step backwards. "I'm going into the woods. I'll call if I find anything."
"Fang, you need backup," Snow argued.
"I used to hunt bears on my own with nothing but a spear," Fang assured him with a wry smile. "I don't need help. Light, you stay here and help them look through the wreckage."
Lightning nodded stiffly.
"Keep in touch," Snow told Fang firmly. "If we don't hear from you in half an hour, I'm coming in after you."
Fang merely nodded, waving at them before she sprinted across the street and disappeared into the shadows.
Xxx
Snow and Fang pulled quietly into the driveway as Lightning set her air car down behind them and parked. The three agents were exhausted as they climbed out of the two cars and dragged their feet all the way up to the house. Their perfect, safe new world had been shattered, and although they were not particularly frightened of what the psychopath might attempt to do to them, each had their own private fears about what might happen if the house was successfully infiltrated or destroyed.
Before they opened the door, Lightning grumbled, "We shouldn't tell the others about the dollhouse. It will just scare them all."
Fang shook her head. "I don't keep secrets from Vanille."
Lightning rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess you have the perfect relationship, don't you?"
The Gran Pulsian's eyes widened with confusion. "Is something wrong, Light?"
"No," Lightning replied stiffly as she glared at Snow. "Are you going to tell Serah?"
"I think everyone in the house deserves to know," Snow replied gently. "We need to tell Sazh, too. He, Hope, Dajh, Serah, and Vanille are all going to be home during the day for at least another week."
Lightning sighed in agreement and unlocked the front door, pushing it open. She stiffened with surprise as she spotted Vanille and Sazh both standing in front of the door, the first armed with her binding rod and the second with a gun.
"Oh, Fang, you're back," Vanille exclaimed, relaxing as she lowered her weapon.
Sazh smiled wryly. "Sorry, everyone. Can't be too careful."
"You can never be too careful," Fang agreed fervently as she moved forwards and wrapped her arms around Vanille's waist. "Did anything happen while we were gone?"
"Nope." Vanille snuggled against Fang, hugging her close. "Everything's fine. We woke up Sazh 'cause we didn't know when you were coming home and we're still kind on edge. We've all been in the kitchen. Serah made tea."
Fang nodded, understanding. "Well, it just got worse, so let's go in the kitchen and sit."
The three NORA agents slid out of their boots and jackets and motioned for everyone else to return to the kitchen where they all found Serah standing at the sink staring out the window with a lost look on her face. Kiwi and Ripper were lying on the floor beside each other, but their eyes traveled the room cautiously. It was clear that the two puppies could sense that something was wrong though they were not clear quite what was going on.
"Serah, are you okay?" Snow asked immediately as he crossed the room and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm fine." She forced a smile and turned to face him. "What about you? What did you find?"
"Let's sit down first," Fang suggested as she took Vanille's hand and tugged her to the table.
"I'll explain," Lightning informed everyone as she took her own seat. When everyone else joined her, she gave the details of the house fire and the dollhouse with a deep frown on her face. As her sister grew more frightened, she added, "Fang and I are taking this case now. We're not doing anything else until we figure out who's doing this."
"Why would someone want to burn down the house?" Serah asked nervously.
"No one's gonna burn down this house," Fang assured her. "We're gonna catch them first. We just gotta figure out who could hate us so much."
"Can we just go back to sleep for now?" Vanille asked quietly as she scooted closer to Fang and rested her head against her shoulder. "I don't wanna be alone."
Fang smiled apologetically. "There's something I've gotta do first, but you should go upstairs and take the dogs with you. Everyone turn out all the lights like you're sleeping."
Vanille pouted. "How long will you be gone?"
"I dunno, but hopefully not long." Fang kissed Vanille's forehead. "Take the dogs upstairs, okay?"
"Vanille, you can stay in our room for a while if you're scared," Serah suggested gently.
"Or you can stay in the basement with the kids and me," Sazh added.
The Gran Pulsian woman shook her head. "I'm okay. I'll have the dogs."
Fang ran her fingers through Vanille's hair. "Are you sure?"
Vanille nodded, grinning as she reminded her, "I took down that scary guy in the woods when we were younger, remember? I can handle being alone in our bedroom."
"Okay." Fang leaned forwards to kiss her lips gently. "Then get upstairs. Lightning and I are gonna find a way to catch the bastard in the act."
Xxx
Once all the lights were off in the house and everyone was either asleep or lying very quietly in their beds, Lightning and Fang put on the darkest clothes they could find, locked up all the doors and windows, and then crept up to the second floor. They turned their PMCs into walkie-talkies, lowering the volume in case anyone was listening, and moved to opposite sides of the house, checking outside of all the windows.
Fang crept to one of the windows at the front of the house and stared at the street, pursing her lips as she crouched down and waited. She whispered into her walkie-talkie, "Light, it's not possible that this perp bugged our house, right? We don't still have the brick?"
"He's never been in the house," Lightning replied stiffly.
"D'you see anything?"
"No. Be quiet. I'm trying to concentrate."
Fang smiled faintly, trying to lighten the mood, "You're no fun."
Lightning ignored her.
The Gran Pulsian waited by the window for so long that her knees began to ache, but she still did not stand. She knew that whoever was responsible was going to return to the scene of the original crime. It was all textbook so far. Whatever they were trying to do, they simply could not help but check on their victims and make sure that everything was going according to plan.
Fang was about to give up and tell Lightning it was time to go to bed when a sleek black air car with the lights turned off pulled up on the street in front of the house. With wide eyes, Fang exclaimed into the walkie-talkie, "Light, I've got him."
"What makes you so sure it's a him?"
The Gran Pulsian squinted her eyes as she watched a black-clad figure slink out of the car and crunch through the snow toward the house. "He's too big to be a woman, not the right body type."
"Are you sure?"
"I think I know women's bodies pretty well," Fang joked with a grin.
"This is serious," Lightning criticized. "I'm going downstairs to watch him from the other windows. You stay there. Take a picture of the license plate."
"I can't see it from this angle, but I'll take a picture of the car."
Fang watched carefully as the man snuck through the snow toward the silent house. He was clearly headed for the window that he had shattered in the living room, and Fang had no idea what he was planning. The glass had already been fixed, but Lightning had covered the window with boards, deciding that she was not going to allow anyone to enter her house just because the window was too large. There was no way that he was going to get inside, especially not before Lightning took him down.
"What's he doing, Light?" Fang asked quietly.
"Shut up, Fang. He might hear the walkie-talkie."
The Gran Pulsian woman frowned but complied, considering going outside and checking if there was someone else waiting in the air car. She doubted it, because the perp had turned off the engine before he had gotten out. If he was working alone, he must be dedicated to making them suffer and have a lot of time on his hands.
As she continued to profile their stalker, Fang watched the black-clad shape suddenly sprint back through the yard and jump into the air car. She could see him sliding across the front seat so that he sat behind the steering wheel. He did not even bother to put on his seatbelt as he suddenly zoomed away.
"What just happened?" Fang asked quietly.
"He heard me," Lightning mumbled with a sigh. "I was trying to sneak closer to the window to see him, but the floor creaked."
"Well, at least we've got the make of the air car," Fang suggested as she stood up and walked toward the hallway.
Lightning met her at the top of the stairs. "Get up early tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do."
"What're we doing?" Fang asked with a raised brow.
"Setting traps," Lightning replied before turning and stomping down the hall toward her bedroom.
Fang frowned, because if they set traps then they could not allow the puppies to go outside. Watching her friend walk away, she called, "Well, goodnight to you, too."
Lightning ignored her.
Xxx
Vanille pulled the air car into the parking strip for the mall and turned off the engine before frowning at her friend. "Serah, do you really think we should be here on our own? Fang's gonna be mad at me."
"We'll only be here for a few minutes, and we'll be inside the mall the entire time," Serah assured her gently. "I know Fang and Lightning have been obsessing over catching whoever set that house on fire, but nothing bad has happened in almost three days."
"That's what we all said last time," Vanille reminded her with a sigh.
"Don't be scared, Vanille. This mall is really safe," Serah informed her friend with a grin. "I just need to pick up some things. We won't stay long."
With a nod, Vanille glanced suspiciously over her shoulder. Her eyes scanned the entire parking lot for danger as she attempted to draw upon some of the things Fang had taught her over the years.
"We should go cake testing tomorrow," Serah suggested lightheartedly as they climbed out of the car. "I bet I can get Snow to take the day off, and you can bring Fang if you want."
"What about the others?" Vanille asked curiously.
"Lightning doesn't want to go and Sazh has a job interview. I invited Hope and Dajh though. Dajh sounded really excited."
"Oh."
Serah continued making conversation as the two of them walked toward the mall, but Vanille's responses were distracted. A twisting feeling had lodged itself in her gut, and she was sure that something was wrong. There was no one suspicious around them, but she could not shake the instinctive feeling to run and hide.
"Serah, I think we should go home," Vanille exclaimed, cutting through her friend's words.
"Vanille, there is nothing to be afraid of."
The Gran Pulsian woman frowned, because she did not agree with that statement. Even if nothing had happened in a few days, they were in a very serious situation. She did not want to tell Serah that she had to remain in the house for the rest of time until Fang and Lightning finally made a break in the case, but she thought that it would at least be better if they were a little more careful. What if someone had attacked them in the parking lot?
The two women walked quietly into the mall, entering the first few shops and leaving in disappointment. Vanille was not exactly sure what Serah was looking for, but the other woman did not seem to think it was important to tell her, so the dark pink-haired woman eventually stopped paying attention to her, her eyes still scanning the immediately area.
Vanille suddenly flinched. "Serah…"
"Vanille, I'm telling you, we're fine."
"No, Serah, look!" Vanille grabbed her friend's arm and pointed behind her.
Serah looked over her shoulder and gasped with surprise. "That's the bounty hunter. Is he following us again?"
"I dunno, but let's get inside a store," Vanille exclaimed as she grabbed Serah's arm and began to drag her away.
Serah peeked over her shoulder as they were retreating and saw the bounty hunter staring right back into her eyes. With a squeak of surprise, Serah began to move faster, pushing Vanille into the nearest store and hiding behind a rack of clothes.
"Do you think he's really a bounty hunter?"
"I dunno, but I think he's after us," Vanille whispered quietly, placing her hand on top of the gun that she had stolen from Lightning's room and shoved into her pocket that morning.
"Did he come in the store?"
Vanille frowned, peeking above the clothes and gasping. As she sunk back down, she nodded. "He's in here looking around. Why'd I let you convince me to go here, Serah? We shouldn't have come without Fang."
"I'm sorry. I thought we'd be okay," Serah whispered miserably.
Vanille peeked over the clothes again and promptly ducked back down. "He's coming toward us. I think he saw me."
The Gran Pulsian woman suddenly tugged the gun out of her pocket, checking to make sure that the safety was turned off.
"Do you even know how to use that?"
Vanille and Serah both spun around with surprise, and Vanille immediately pointed the gun at the bounty hunter, who was standing right behind them.
"Yeah, I know how to use it, and I'm gonna use it on you if you don't leave us alone," Vanille snapped angrily, trying to emulate Fang's tone of voice because she knew that most people found the other woman intimidating.
He stared at her for a moment before laughing. "Will you put that thing away before mall security sees you on the cameras and comes down here to arrest you?"
"No," Vanille snapped. "Leave us alone. Why're you following us?"
"I just have to ask you some questions," the bounty hunter explained, shifting uncomfortably as he eyed the gun. "I know you don't trust me, but I'm really not here to hurt you. I was after that woman and she got away. My superiors got all testy and suggested you two might know her, so I just have to take some quick statements from you to make sure you weren't involved with her and then I'll be on my way."
"What if we did know her? What would you do?" Vanille grumbled, refusing to lower her weapon. "I'm not gonna let you hurt us."
"Look, will you put that gun away?" He asked, lowering his voice. "I'm not here to hurt you. If I was, you'd already be hurt."
Vanille frowned, but she noticed one of the cashiers watching them suspiciously and trying to see what Vanille was holding in her hand, so the Gran Pulsian woman immediately shoved the gun into her pocket.
"Okay, did you know that woman or didn't you?" The bounty hunter asked.
"We didn't know her," Serah assured him with a nervous look. "So, leave us alone."
"See, I don't know if you're telling the truth or not," the bounty hunter grumbled. "What were you doing out shopping that day?"
"That's none of your business," Serah told him firmly.
He narrowed his eyes, raising his voice. "Listen, I need to make sure you two aren't involved or I can't leave you alone, so you better just answer my questions honestly."
"We don't know anything. We've never seen her before," Vanille cried angrily before lowering her voice. "Now, leave us alone. We may look small, but we can defend ourselves."
With a skeptical look, the bounty hunter grumbled, "You two shouldn't be out by yourselves like this. You never know what can happen."
Serah shared a concerned look with her friend.
"Are you threatening us?" Vanille demanded.
"No. I'm just giving you a friendly warning." He frowned as a sales associate came closer to them. Lowering his voice, he told them, "You better get back home before someone gets hurt."
"Is everything okay here?" The sales associate suddenly asked, frowning.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I was just saying goodbye to my friends," the bounty hunter replied as he gave Serah and Vanille a pointed look. "See you two around."
As soon as he was gone and the sales associate had drifted away, Vanille told Serah firmly, "We're going home right now, and we're not going out alone again."
Serah nodded meekly, frowning at her friend. "Why do you have a gun?"
Vanille shrugged, looking away. "Fang said I shouldn't bring a knife. People aren't like animals. They can steal weapons from you. A gun is easier, because I could pull the trigger while he was trying to take it."
"Do you know how to shoot?"
"I learned while I was traveling with Snow's friends on Cocoon," Vanille explained.
Serah frowned nervously. "Vanille, I wish you wouldn't bring that thing with us again. You should put it back in Lightning's room or wherever you got it when we get home. Guns are really dangerous and it's illegal for us to carry it in public."
Vanille frowned, shaking her head. "Serah, we've gotta be able to protect ourselves."
"Then you should come to my self-defense class with me," Serah insisted.
"Maybe that's a good idea," she conceded.
Vanille sighed wearily. Although she had always found a way to protect herself in Fang's absence in the past, they lived in a world where people had far more dangerous weapons than she and Fang had ever had in their village, and there were no trees in the immediate area which she could climb to hide or take her attacker by surprise.
Serah bit her lip as the two of them walked back to the car and quickly drove home. She did not know how much longer she could take living in suspense, and she really did need to resume planning for her wedding if she did not want to have to postpone the ceremony.
Xxx
Fang walked into the house with a sigh of defeat and glanced over her shoulder at Lightning, who was closing the door behind the two of them. "He's been here three times so far this week, but he hasn't tripped a single one of the traps. D'you think he watches us during the day, too?"
"I don't see how he could get close enough to see us without us knowing about it," Lightning replied stiffly, a deep frown growing on her features.
"Well, that sounds like the only explanation to me."
Lightning shrugged indifferently as she walked toward the stairs. "I'm calling Agent Young to see if he found anything."
"All right." Fang waved to her. "See you later."
The Gran Pulsian woman glanced across the room and noticed that Sazh, Dajh and Hope were all playing video games together again. She would have smiled if she did not spot Vanille sitting on the couch watching them with a nervous look on her face. The younger woman was hugging herself and had not even noticed Fang coming home.
Fang crossed the room and plopped down on the couch beside Vanille, wrapping her arm around her.
"Fang!" Vanille smiled faintly and wrapped her arms around her waist. "You're back."
"Yep. Here I am," Fang replied with a grin, hugging Vanille close and kissing her temple. "You don't look happy. What's wrong?"
Vanille bit her lip, frowning. "The bounty hunter was bothering us today."
"What?" Fang narrowed her eyes, pulling back to look at her. "What happened?"
The younger woman explained the situation quickly, adding, "He said he thought we knew something about the woman he was chasing, but I don't trust him, Fang. I think he was after us. He could be the one who threw the brick through the window."
Fang frowned, hugging her partner close. "Well, there's no reason to be scared right now. I'm here, and I'm gonna protect you."
Vanille pouted as she nuzzled against her shoulder. "But Fang, who's gonna protect you?"
"I don't need protecting right now," Fang assured her with a smirk. "I'm a hunter. If I could fight a King Behemoth with a spear and escape with my life, I think I can handle this."
The younger woman merely nodded, pouting. "I wanna be braver, Fang. I wanna help."
"You can help by staying safe," Fang explained, pulling back to give her a serious look. "I don't want you and Serah going out by yourselves anymore until we get this sorted out. Promise me."
Vanille nodded firmly. "I already told Serah that we can't do that again. I really don't trust the bounty hunter."
"Me either," Fang mumbled, shaking her head. "If he comes after you again, he's gonna have to answer to me."
"He could answer to me, too," Vanille told her firmly. "I brought a gun. I was gonna shoot him if he didn't leave us alone."
Fang raised her brows with surprise. "Where'd you get a gun?"
"Lightning's room," Vanille replied with an impish look. "Wanna hear a secret?"
"What?" Fang asked curiously, noting the change in Vanille's voice.
"Light's been video chatting with someone," Vanille replied quietly, hugging Fang so that she could whisper in her ear. "Her laptop was open on her bed, and I couldn't resist peeking. The chat window was open even though the conversation was closed."
"Did you see the name?" Fang asked with a growing smirk. "I bet it's her secret date."
"I agree," Vanille giggled. "I didn't see a name, but their last video call lasted over two hours! Who'd talk to someone for two whole hours in the middle of the night?"
Fang merely laughed, pulling back and running her fingers through Vanille's hair. "D'you wanna do something tonight? I've got work in the morning, but we could go shopping or see a movie."
Vanille lowered her eyes, frowning. "D'you think it's safe, Fang?"
"It's safe if you're with me," Fang promised her.
The younger woman sighed thoughtfully, weighing the pros and cons of leaving the house, and decided that she did not want to live in fear. With a grin, she said, "Let's go to a movie." With a giggle, she whispered, "I heard that's the best place to go since it means the most making out."
"Head about that, did ya?" Fang laughed, hugging her tightly. "Well, it's true. So, are you in the mood for some making out?"
Vanille giggled again, snuggling close to her, "Of course!"
Xxx
Hours later, Fang and Vanille returned from their movie just in time to catch Lightning trying to sneak out of the house.
Smirking, Fang asked her friend, "Where're you going this late at night?"
Lightning pursed her lips. "That's none of your business."
"I guess you want me to think you're going to the office to get some more work done?" Fang asked with a wide grin.
"I don't have to report to you," Lightning told her firmly as she shoved past her and walked out the door.
Fang laughed richly, glancing at Vanille. "I dunno why she won't just tell us that she's dating someone. There's no reason to keep it a secret."
"Maybe it makes her uncomfortable," Vanille suggested with a sigh.
"I don't see why," Fang mumbled. "Half the house is in loving relationships, and the other half is either too young or too old."
Vanille giggled. "Fang, Sazh is not too old to date. Actually, I really hope he finds someone. It's gotta be lonely raising his son all by himself."
"Maybe." Fang took off her coat and put it in the closet before helping Vanille take off her coat as well.
"Thanks." Vanille grinned.
"No problem. I just love helping you take your clothes off," Fang teased as her arm fell around Vanille's waist, pulling the younger woman closer as they walked up the stairs. "Looks like everyone's sleeping. It's kind of early for that on a Friday night."
"Well, no one says we have to go straight to sleep," Vanille replied with a smirk as she tugged out of Fang's grasp and skipped up a few steps, turning around to look at her. "Right?"
Fang raised her brow playfully. "It's late, Vanille. What're we gonna do if we don't go to sleep?"
"Well, I guess you'll just have to find out," Vanille replied impishly as she turned around and jogged up the rest of the stairs. "See you there!"
The older Gran Pulsian woman laughed to herself as she rounded the stairs and walked into the guestroom in the attic. She raised her brow as she spotted Vanille standing in front of the window with her face pressed close to the glass.
"Is that what you had in mind?" Fang asked with a chuckle, feigning disappointment.
"Nope, just checking."
Vanille skipped across the room and wrapped her arms around Fang's neck, nudging her backwards so that she could push the door shut behind her. Then she stood on her tiptoes, tilting her head upwards to bring their lips together gently at first. Her kiss grew deeper until their tongues touched, mouths meshing together to a slow but passionate rhythm.
As Vanille finally pulled away for a breath, she murmured playfully, "That's what I had in mind."
"Yeah? Well, I like the way you think," Fang replied as she wrapped her arms around Vanille's waist and picked her up.
Vanille gasped in surprise and threw her legs around Fang's waist, holding her more tightly around the neck.
Fang leaned forwards, kissing Vanille again and drawing a deep moan from the younger woman as she carried her across the room and set her down on the bed. She climbed on top of her, straddling the shorter woman, and leaned down to kiss her for the third time as their hips ground together.
Vanille slid her hands up Fang's toned abdomen beneath her shirt, immediately pushing her bra out of the way.
Fang broke away from her lips, chuckling playfully. "Well, you're sure in a hurry."
"You want me to stop?" Vanille asked teasingly as her fingers moved slowly over her chest.
"Nope, can't say I do," Fang replied with a grin as she leaned down to kiss her neck, sliding one of her hands between Vanille's thighs.
Vanille breathed in deeply, a slow arch beginning at the base of her spine as Fang's lips worked along her collarbone and her fingers slid up beneath her skirt.
The two lay together for a long time, abandoning their clothes piece-by-piece in a pile on the floor as their bodies moved together as one. They brought each other steadily to familiar heights of pleasure, and as they wound down, they held each other, kissing deeply and moving into a comfortable position.
"You know," Fang murmured as she hugged Vanille close and kissed the top of her head. "I really do love you more than anything."
"I know, Fang." Vanille giggled happily, leaning forwards to peck her lips. "I love you, too. I'm really happy we're gonna get to spend our lives together."
Fang smiled brightly, a peaceful sigh escaping her lips. "Me, too."
Xxx
Lightning pulled into a dark alleyway, checking the map on her GPS to make sure that she was in the right place, and turned off her headlights. She left the engine running in case she needed to make a quick escape, but a rapid visual sweep of the surrounding area proved that she was completely alone.
Now there was nothing to do but wait.
A sleek black car pulled into the alleyway, parking beside her. The headlights flashed twice before turning off.
Lightning cut her engine, climbing out of the car and glancing both ways down the alleyway, her suspicious eyes traveling everywhere from the ground to the rooftops to be certain that no one was watching. When she was sure that she had not been followed, she opened the passenger door of the black car and slid inside.
The driver wore a black hoodie, his face completely concealed by the shadows, and a pair of black leather gloves.
With a scoff, the ex-soldier demanded, "Do you have to dress like that?"
He merely laughed, passing her a manila folder. "All the information you need is in that file."
Lightning did not take his word for it, paging through the papers with a suspicious glare before she finally snapped the folder shut. "Did they buy the bounty hunter story?"
"Hard to tell, but I get a feeling they didn't buy it the first time, let alone the second time." He shook his head. "I shouldn't have followed them to the mall today."
The ex-soldier pursed her lips. "It would've been better if they didn't see you at all."
"Don't I know it, but it's too late now." He shook his head, sighing. "They're both really shaken up after the incident with the window. The Pulsian one was armed, and she looked like she was gonna shoot me in broad daylight, too."
Lightning rolled her eyes. "That can't be helped. I'll be in contact if and when I need more information."
"You want me to keep tailing them?"
"No. Send someone else. They know your face." Lightning gave him a serious look. "Vanille probably can't hurt you, but you don't want Fang to come after you."
"Word on the street is she's stronger than you." He laughed, delighted. "Tell me that's true. I'd like to meet her when this is over."
Lightning rolled her eyes. "I have to get back."
He gave a nod, warning her, "No one else hears a word about this, got it? We have a very strict confidentiality policy to protect you and us."
"I don't need a reminder," Lightning scoffed as she promptly climbed out of the car.
The black car pulled away before she was even fully inside of her air car.