"What some people call weakness, others call knowledge." ~Luke Cahill

I read one of those fics where they read Vespers Rising and noticed that Luke talked about losing his beloved. Even the original Lucian fell in love. While some call love weakness, Luke saw it as knowledge. We should tell that to the Kabras.

Wait… did that make sense to y'all? I don't even know if that made sense.

I own nothing.

THIS WILL GET GOOD I hope…

Natalie's POV

"And have you ruin the mission? Hope, I can't betray my family just because I don't completely hate a Cahill!" I heard a muffled voice. Cahill? I thought. That name brought up so many… mixed memories.

"Jake, did you hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" he asked.

"I could have sworn I heard the name Cahill…"

He kissed the top of my head. "Honey, you're probably just imagining it."

I nodded. Of course I was imagining it. No one in this house talked about the Cahills… Cahills... I hated hearing that name. I felt so many different things about that name. They were my family and I'd betrayed them. Now they were my enemies. I didn't even know what to feel about them anymore. Sometimes I missed Ian. More than sometimes… more like all the time. The first few weeks – maybe months – after I left I cried. I still missed him. A day didn't go by that I didn't wonder how he was doing, how he and Amy ended up or if he was even alive. For all I knew he could have been hit by a bus and killed (though I think he's too smart and quick for that…). I didn't want to think like that but anything's possible.

"Natalie? Nat, are you alright?" Jake asked me.

I nodded. "I was just… thinking…" I muttered.

"You're not still thinking about those Cahills are you?"

"So what if I am? They're still my family!" I snapped.

"But you left them. Now, we're your family. I'm your family. Your mother works with us too. It's not like you left your only family." he told me, putting a comforting arm around me.

"I know but I still feel bad… I was his only family. My mother still hates him and my father's been missing for over twenty years, surely he's dead by now. For all I know Ian could be dead too!"

"Well I could find that out for you but you refuse to look into Cahills' files."

"I don't want to know. If it turns out something horrible happened to him – or even one of my cousins – I don't know how I'd take it…"

"Have it your way." he sighed. I'd known Jake long enough for him to figure out that there was never any point in arguing with me.

Hope POV

~~~~~~~next day about five am~~~~~~~

When I woke up the sun was right in my face. As if it was aiming all its light at my eyes. I made a mental note t sleep somewhere else next time.

I looked around. Same old basement. Same unidentified objects piled on the walls, same concrete floor, same Alex sleeping on the floor, same tangled yo-yo on the floor… Wait, ALEX? Damn it, the boy fell asleep! Well I did too… but I'm supposed to sleep down here. Not supposed to really but I'm currently living here. He's living upstairs. Translation: HE SHOULDN'T BE HERE!

"Wake up!" I whisper/yelled, poking him. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Stupid boy didn't move… then I remembered something that always got my family up. I'd have to change it around…

"Alex, the Cahills are attacking!"

He jumped up, banging his head into mine. Well, he was awake…

"Ow!" we both said simultaneously.

"Watch it!" we said together again, rubbing our heads. This time we laughed quietly.

"We fell asleep." I told him.

"Really? No way, I had no idea." Alex said sarcastically.

"Well it's true. Now get your sarcastic butt upstairs before they wonder where you are."

"Relax, it's only…" he looked at his watch "five in the morning."

"Wow... damn you, sunlight, for waking me up so freaking early!" I told the window.

"Don't yell at the sun. If you hurt it's feelings it won't come up tomorrow and we'll all die." he told me.

"Then it won't be waking me up early will it?"

He laughed. "You have an interesting way of looking at things."

"Interesting meaning…?"

"Meaning very strange but still very likeable and funny*"

"I'll take that." I said.

"It was a compliment." Alex said, rolling his eyes.

"I know that."

Grace's POV

The next morning was quiet. I was pretty sure that no one slept nor did they talk. It was weird because most mornings when I get downstairs it's chaos over who ate the last of the Lucky Charms while we're trying to finish last minute homework. Didn't happen today. No one was in a hurry to go anywhere today. Everyone was just sitting around quietly.

Everyone was worried.

Everyone was scared.

Everyone had no idea what to do.

Everyone but me.

Someone's POV

Later that day I got an IM.

R U COMING OR NOT?

I sighed and responded

Not 2day.

She responded instantly

Do u want 2 do this or not? U HAVE 2 come 2day.

Molly** knew full and well why I couldn't meet her. It was her fault. Or at least sort of.

Fine but if we get caught ur ass is toast.

The response came instantly.

Not w/ witnesses.

I sighed. Looks like I was headed to the park.

I made a lame excuse to leave (oddly no one questioned me) and ran to the park.

When I got there Molly was standing by the fountain. "Why are you late?" she snapped.

"You know why! I'm surprised they even let me out of sight since-"

"I don't have time for your chatter. Just give me it." she cut me off.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small object. "Why is this so important to you?" I asked, handing it to her.

"Silly child. You don't know how powerful this is." Molly said, smirking "Those idiots had no idea…" then she started muttering about mix ups and fools.

"I'm not a child." I protested.

"To me you are. Now, ta-ta." she turned to leave.

"Wait! We had a deal. I gave you this… whatever it is! Now for your part of the deal. We have a temporary alliance." I told her. It was true. We were supposed to be enemies but Molly and I agreed to work together. All she needed was this little plastic thing.

"Yeah, well here's the thing about alliances, kid: they aren't written in stone." she pocketed the object and walked off.

I was screwed.

Oookay here's the thing: my main computer broke down so my family's been living off the laptop so I haven't gotten it much. But I just HAD to write so I stole it again while everyone slept. I'm gunna have to stop this soon cuz school starts next week and I'm busy. I hope I can still finish this before school starts though…

Who's this last person? Well I'll tell you when I figure it out… I have a few ideas but I need to narrow it down. If they're Vesper than Molly's Cahill, if they're Cahill than she's Vesper. I think I know who they are but… we'll see.

*Quoting SugarQueen8490 ;) Thanks (if you're reading this…)!

**Ahaha now I'm doing this on purpose!