"She's gone!" Tifa exclaimed loudly while hurrying down the stairs. Vincent sat unmoving from his seat and watched Tifa with guilt. He knew she had left. He heard her take Lucy out the back at 3 this morning and heard the low drone of the engine when she started her truck. He hadn't meant that she should leave right at that moment or that she should leave at all. He just simply meant that he would find them whatever they chose. I really need to work on my communication skills, He thought to himself.

Tifa was in a bit of a panic. "Vincent, they are gone. Did you know they left." Vincent nodded in replay and Tifa came to stand beside him. "Why did she go? Was it because of Shelke? When?" Vincent paused before answering. "She left at 3 am. I don't know why. She asked me what to do and I told her to do what she wanted. She then left."

Tifa blinked twice before putting her hand on her head. Vincent however, wanted to know more about Shelke. "What happened with Shelke?" Tifa sat at the other end of the table. "Shelke remembered Reece. Reece remembered her too and was horrified that a member of Deepground was living under this roof. I was afraid that she spooked her off but…" Vincent took his turn to blink at Tifa. "But?" Tifa sighed. "Vincent, she probably wanted you to tell her to stay. She feels out of place enough as it is. We might never see them again." Vincent thought on Tifa's words. Was it true? Was Reece looking for a reason to stay? With that, Vincent stood up. "Then I guess I better go find them." He was out the door before Tifa could respond.

Hail hit the windshield hard as the truck slowed to accomadate the sudden change in weather. Lucy quietly whined and reached towards Reece. Unable to move the little one and drive at the same time, she sympathetically patted her tiny head. "I'm sorry baby. You are going to have to wait, though." The hail pounded harder and Reece was forced to squint in the early hours. Lucy's whine changed to a cry as Reece's hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. "I'm trying Lucy..."

The hail continued on, Lucy cried harder, and Reece's frustration began to grow. She switched her lights on and hoped to find some clearing soon. Lucy sure wasn't helping Reece's concentration and it was hard enough to drive exhausted. Soon, Lucy was screaming. "OUT!" Her little hands reached up at Reece as the driver turned to her in annoyance. "Honey, you are fine. You have to sit still. Please, I am trying really..."

Suddenly, the truck hit a huge puddle and hydroplaned. Panicked, Reece turned the wheel fast, making matters worse. Lucy screamed harder as Reece cried out in horror as well. Her hands left the wheel and in a quick decision, she grabbed Lucy from the passengers seat and held her tight. Suddenly, the truck slammed to a halt against a fence post and the world wasn't spinning anymore.

The adrenaline racing through her veins pumped still as Lucy continued to scream. Reece picked the child up and held her in front of her face, crying hysterically. "Are you hurt?! Is anything broken?" Lucy's arms moved frantically in terror, but nothing else appeared to be wrong. Reece sighed a breath of relief and held her tightly to her breast. "I am so sorry..."

As panic left her, a new sensation warmed her body and she put her hand to her head. Liquid oozed from her temple and she realized she was in pain. Now that she was getting her senses back, the pain was becoming stronger and she struggled to keep her eyes open. "Lucy..." Reece opened the truck door with a shove and tried to escape the vehicle, but blood was beginning to flood her vision. "Please don't cry." Nausea hit her all at once, and she doubled over still holding the toddler. She realized her leg must have took a hit as well, for when she stood her knee shifted to the side, throwing Reece and Lucy to the ground.

The rain and hail still pelted down as Reece began to cry out in pain and once again, panic. They couldn't stay in the car. They had no family. There was no rooms available anywhere. Reece had no clue where to go or what to do. "I need some help..." She covered Lucy with her own body to shelter her from the weather while looking out as far as she could see. She was in the middle of nowhere, on the outskirts of Edge with no destination in sight.

She slowly crawled back up to the car and managed to get Lucy inside the broken Truck, scraping the glass out of the seat on the way. The child had now began to calm down and she hoped she would drift back to sleep, giving Reece a chance to think of a plan. Blood continued to pour and the hail continued to pelt her on the back of the legs as she shooshed her baby quietly into a fitful sleep. As Lucy's eyelids closed, Reece began to feel tears leave her eyes.

Why did it have to be so hard? Life had flipped her off time and time again with no hint of sunshine at the end of the tunnel. Her idea of a happy life was no more pain, no more running, and no more fear. All three were still present, even after she left the prison that had held her for so long. She conitnued to cry as the hail subsided and the sun finally began to bring a little light on her current situation.

And that is when she saw him. From amidst the rain and fog, Vincent's eyes glowed a hazy red and it seemed as if he were floating. Reece knew it was her conscious trying to leave her. Was he even real? His foggy sillouette continued to move forward and she slowly realized her dream was reality. "Vincent?" Reece poked her head out of the truck to get a better look. Upon seeing her present state, Vincent picked up his pace and hurried around to the driver's side of the truck. "Vincent...can you help us..." Reece reached out to steady herself against the door. "I don't think I can carry her." Vincent's strong gaze broke from Reece and fell onto Lucy. Her uneven breathing shook her little body as she slept. Vincent sighed and looked onto Reece. "I did not tell you to run."

Reece's face fell and she felt as if she was being scolded. Anger began to burn under her cheeks and her eyebrows furrowed in aggravation. "You said you didn't care...I thought you meant you wanted us gone, that you would find us when you were ready to...to deal with all this..!" At that, she let go of the door and motioned towards herself and Lucy, but her knee gave out and she struggled to regain her posture. Her body slid against the truck in an ungraceful motion and she whispered a swear under her breath.

Vincent's hands shot out to catch her and lifted her with ease to the side of the driver's seat. Reece's breath hitched in her throat and as she stared into Vincent's haunting face. The man was beautiful. It was no wonder Lucy had such a pretty face and physique, her father was gorgeous! Reece shook the thought from her head and looked away hurriedly.

"Thanks..." Vincent's hand touched the side of her head and she winced in pain. The blood was still flowing freely and although Reece was great at ignoring it, the wound was beginning to take a toll on her. "I...I don't feel like I can walk...", she said shakily. "Mmmmm" Vincent slowly walked around the vehicle and pryed open the door. Lucy stirred a bit but remained asleep as he lifted her from the seat. As he walked out of sight and back into the fog, Reece breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God he had came after them! What if he hadn't? The thought hung low in the air around her like a thick cloud of smoke.

Suddenly, she heard the hum of an engine and a motorcycle came into view. Vincent drove with one hand and held Lucy with the other. "You drive a motorcycle?" "I can... but it's not mine." With that, Vincent jumped off and gently placed Lucy in Reece's arms. "Think you can hold her?" She nodded her head and looked up in confusion. "How are we going to...ooof..." Reece was lifted out of the car and onto the motorcycle in seconds as Vincent climbed on behind. His arms wrapped around the both of them as he placed his hands on the handle bars and off they went into the morning.

His body swayed with ease around the curves with the vehicle as Reece tried to remain focused, but her vision was beginning to darken. Her grip on Lucy tightened and she felt her body losing its strength to remain upright. Vincent felt it too, for his arms tightened around her as the bike sped up. It felt like hours had passed, yet they were thirty minutes into the drive when they pulled up to Seventh Heaven. She didn't realize how close she had remained to the bar when she drove in circles all morning. It probably took Vincent seconds to find her.

Mortified at just how pathetic she was, Reece tried to climb off by herself. "Stay" Vincent said as he pushed her back down. He first carried Lucy in and laid her gently down on one of the spare beds Tifa had arranged for them. As he exited the building, Tifa spotted him and hurried out to find Reece with her elbows propped up against the seat of the cycle and holding her bleeding head from falling over. "What happened?!"

Vincent ignored her question as he lifted Reece from the seat. "I wrecked." Reece grinned crookedly at Tifa and once again lowered her head. This time however, her head was met with a soft thud against Vincent's chest. As hard and cold as his demeanor, his body was equally as soft and inviting. She knew that her eyes were not going to remain open for long, so she quickly looked at Vincent. "Thank you...Vincent. We really needed you." At that, Reece lost consciousness as Vincent softly lowered her beside their sleeping child.