The night had fallen a few minutes ago. Replacing the bright blue sky, infinite stars were now covering everything in sight, the shining planets looking over from the distance, so far away. Standing in the middle of Serah's garden, Lightning was looking at them all, a cigarette dangling between her fingers. She didn't know where Snow and Serah had disappeared to less than ten minutes ago, but she also refused to find out.

So, with a temperature of 75F°, Lightning had made her way out the house and had suddenly been drawn to the illuminations in the sky and not once she had moved. Well, only to bring her cigarette to her lips, that is. But with the sound of crickets and the one of the wind blowing through the trees, Lightning had never felt more at peace. Strange, based on the amount of work she had willingly trapped herself in.

You can do this, Lightning. You're strong enough to achieve that, Lightning. Her own actions sometimes puzzled her. How could she take care of two equally important cases at the same time? What did she have to prove? Or to who, did she need to prove anything? Fang, that obnoxious FBI Agent who had gotten under her skin more than once only by being present in the same room, or to Amodar, the only person she truly needed to show that she was capable of doing something, no matter the cost.

But somehow…Lightning knew Amodar didn't matter in this equation. It had become an obsession to prove to Fang what she could do and somehow, she even wondered if the case mattered at all. Of course, it matters. It's a chance to avenge the victims. You're not only doing this so you can show you're a good cop. Right?

Shaking her head ever so slightly, Lightning brought her cigarette to her lips and gently inhaled the smoke between her lungs, keeping it static for just a few moments before blowing it all away in the air. It had been a full day now since she had suffered through one of her migraines. One day since she had swallowed one of those goddamn pills or felt the need to smoke some drugs to soothe her inside and the feeling it released was more than pleasant.

"Hey, Light?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I mention that a colleague from mine is also coming? She's new here and doesn't have many friends. She's bringing her sister, too."

"Sure, it's fine."

Turning around, she gave her younger sister a strange look and ignore the fact one of the buttons on her shirt had been misplaced. The wince on her face, however, and the fact she was now staring at the blouse couldn't be stopped, and it was soon that Serah realized the mistake she had made.

Soon, the colour of her cheeks was the only thing Lightning was able to look at, and darting over Serah's shoulder, Snow appeared.

"Light please…"

"He can't keep it in his pants for more than a few hours," she asked, her nostrils now flaring with rage.

"It was me okay? IT wasn't him. My hormones are out of control and…"

"Let's end this conversation right now," Lightning said, nearly pleading. "I hope the rest of the night will go nicely or I might have to commit a murder."

"Whose?"

Ready to answer, their conversation was abruptly cut by the sound of the bell echoing through the house. Lifting up a finger in the air, Serah sauntered towards the door and Lightning followed from the distance, stubbing her cigarette out on the patio.

Coming inside the house, she first glanced at the Christmas tree still shining in the corner of the living-room and automatically made her way inside of the kitchen, displeased by Snow's presence in the room. Lifting her nose up at him, she snatched the bottle of white wine from the counter and poured herself a glass, almost to the top, before she dank one first sip with her eyes now closed. She listened to the voices, hushed by the closed door and the laughter that echoed in her ears.

One she didn't recognize. Taking another sip, she poured herself some wine once more until her glass was full again and elegantly walked out of the kitchen with her brightest, fakest smile on her lips.

Giving thee living room a quick glance, Lightning was surprised to find no one in the nearest vicinity. Trying to listen to the conversations coming from the garden, she followed the sharp, quirky voice of who she only assumed to be the mysterious co-worker. Headed in that direction, she however spun around with her glass at her lips as the sound of the toilet being flushed was made from the bathroom.

"Ah Lightning, there you are!"

Staring at the person coming out of the toilet, Lightning completely ignored her sister calling out for her name from the garden. She felt as if her feet had been glued to the ground, but then again, she hadn't moved a single finger either. It was in silence that they analyzed one another, judged and stared, neither of them fighting to keep a smile on their faces.

"Ha, Fang! Meet my sister, Lightning. Light, this is Fang and her younger sister, Vanille."

"Pleasure," Lightning quietly uttered, still looking at Fang standing in the hallway. "A real goddamn pleasure."

"Light? You're about to break the glass so why don't I take that from you," Serah offered, already seizing the glass in her hand, "and let's just sit down in the living-room? Can you help me bring some stuff, Light? Please?"

"Sure thing…"

Breaking the long eye-contact, Lightning followed Serah inside the kitchen and made sure the door was locked before giving her a piece of her mind.

"What is she doing here? What's the meaning of this?"

"What…do you mean, exactly," Serah asked, looking seemingly perplexed.

"Fang. Why is she here?"

"I told you I invited Vanille…And Fang happens to be her sister. Why? Do you know her?"

"Do I know her," Lightning whispered under her breath, now seeing nothing but red.

She paused for a few seconds. Could she claim to know her, after all? The only things she knew were her name, occupation and now, the fact that she had a sister.

"I don't know her," Lightning admitted with a shake of the head.

"Alright? Uh, can you bring this out, my hands are going to be full."

Glancing at the two plates of mini quiches and other assortments, Lightning blew out a deep sigh and carefully grabbed the two plates. Without giving her sister another look, and being really angry about the turns of events, she exited the kitchen with murder on her mind, her thoughts turning into carnage at the sight of Fang chatting with Snow.

She wasn't really surprised to see them getting along. The phrase opposites attract sometimes held its meaning but in this case, like seeks like was more accurate.

"Oh, Lightning is that right?" Looking up from her heels, Lightning nodded in direction of Vanille, a cute, short red-head almost possessing the same magnetic eyes as her sister. "Do you need help with something?"

"No, but thanks for offering," Lighting answered as she placed the plates on the table. Standing back straight, she gave Fang a dark look and was immediately drawn back to Vanille squeaking like a bird being tortured. "Everything okay?"

"Oh yes! I just love mini-quiches they're so good!"

"Lightning made those actually. It doesn't look like it, but my sister is actually a great cook."

Clearing her throat, Lightning grabbed her glass of wine Serah had placed on the table and slowly sat down on the couch, her legs crossed.

Wearing a red dress for the evening and tall black high-heels, Lightning didn't feel at ease in the slightest. Usually more accustomed to jeans or shirts, feeling a gap between her legs was less than pleasing. But as a promise to Serah, she hadn't gotten any other choice but to wear this for their night.

"What else do you cook," Fang asked, a teasing smile on her lips.

"I don't know, not much."

"Come on sis, give yourself some credit! It's not because you refuse to eat that…What?"

Serah had known her sister for…ever, really. And if there was something Lightning didn't like, it was to be put on the spot or judged because of her life choices. And in less than thirty seconds, Snow had managed to do both. Sipping from her glass of wine, Lightning remained silent but emotionally distraught. Anger and shame had morphed into something rather unpleasant, and her response was to flee.

However, refusing to let anything show to the guests Serah had invited, Lightning desperately fought to remain unfazed by the situation. And somehow, she succeeded.

"I do eat, Snow, I just don't stuff my face with cheeseburgers every goddamn day."

"I don't eat cheeseburgers every day," Snow countered.

"The last time you called me, which was two hours ago, you clearly stated that you had just eaten the best fucking burger in your life, and I'm supposed to believe that?"

Music suddenly started to play through Serah's speakers. Caught off by its sudden noise, Lightning was quick to drop the conversation she didn't want to have and continued sipping on her wine as quietly as possible. This was one of those days where she prayed to morph with the couch, therefore becoming invisible to others. But with lingering stare Fang had been throwing at her, Lightning knew this wasn't one of those days.

"What is it, Fang?"

"I still want to know what you cook."

"Seriously?"

"Ya-huh. I have a feeling you're more of a dessert girl…"

"Oh," Serah interjected, a smile on her lips, "you're so wrong. She hates everything with sugar."

Nodding, Lightning glanced back and forth between Serah and Fang. "I prefer salt."

"Is that why you're so…salty?"

She hadn't really thought it would be possible. Only a few people had managed to create this, but somehow, Fang had managed to make her smile. Not falsely, or in a hypocritical manner, but truly smile. And God knew she wasn't going to let it be seen.

With her lips pressed together, she nodded and muttered a hm-hm before standing up from the sofa with a cigarette dangling between her lips. Bringing the lighter closer to the tip and protecting the flame with her hand still holding her glass of wine, Lightning quickly inhaled the smoke and blew it all away in the air, a small shiver parkouring her body as the wind suddenly brushed at the nape of her neck.

"So, salty girl," Fang said, lighting her own cigarette, "Fancy meeting you here."

"Fancy and unpleasantly unexpected."

"Ouch, that hurt." Glancing to her right, Lightning shook her head at Fang's melodramatic acting of being stabbed through the heart. "Come on, let's bury the hatchet for tonight. Then you can continue to hate me as you please."

"I don't hate you, Fang."

The words had left her mouth so quickly that Fang wasn't the only surprised by them. Frowning to herself, Lightning took a sip from her wine followed by a long drag on her cigarette, looking over in the distance.

"I'm surprised. I really thought you did."

"Well, it seems like…I don't. It doesn't mean I like you, though."

"Ha."

Silence spread between them both as they looked in the same direction. Listening to the wind becoming increasingly louder, Lightning fought for her hair to stay in place until eventually, she caved in. Sighing as quietly as possible, Fang's chuckle wasn't. Looking in her direction, she nearly flinched as her green-coloured eyes savagely bore into hers and soon, it was impossible to look anywhere else.

Parting her lips to say anything at all, she quickly pressed them back together, the heavy silence between them continuing to invade their surroundings but not once did she look away. Truth was, she couldn't. She couldn't look elsewhere than directly at her, to stare into her eyes.

"Light?"

"Hm?"

"We're going to eat soon, I could use your help?"

"Be right there."

Incapable of moving, it was Fang that managed to get her out of her state of wonder. Clicking her fingers in front of her face, the result was efficient. Clearing her throat, she stubbed what was left of her cigarette in the ashtray and disappeared from the garden with cheeks burning like wild-fire.

Entering the kitchen, she instantly went in direction of the fridge and placed her glass of wine near the sink, retrieving a bottle of water from which she drank half of it in merely a few seconds under Serah's suspicious gaze.

"Are you okay Light?"

"I'm fine, I just got a little light-headed."

"That's what you say every time you have a migraine."

She shook her head and turned around. "I don't have one, really."

"How was your appointment by the way?"

"My…Oh. Right. I had to cancel, something else came up with work."

"Do you have another?"

"Yeah, next week", Lightning calmly answered. "They were able to give me one quickly."

"Alright, good!" Placing the bottle back in the fridge, Lightning turned around and gazed at Serah with knitted brows. A smile had started to form on her lips, and one she didn't like seeing at all.

"What?"

"You and Fang… I don't know. It's weird."

Clearing her throat, Lightning gave Serah a confused look. "Weird?"

"Yeah. Chemistry, if you want."

"Nonsense. I dislike the woman."

"Whatever you say, Light. Can you grab the wine from the fridge?"

Meaning to answer, Lightning was left alone in the kitchen without having a say. Gritting her teeth together, she grabbed the wine and automatically went towards the door. However, she stopped before reaching for the handle. Taking in a deep breath, Serah's assumptions suddenly hit her like a baseball bat. Shaking her head and mentally kicking herself, she exited the kitchen after breathing out a deep sigh and brought the bottle to the living-room.

Sitting on the couch, Serah and Fang seemed to be in an intense conversation whilst Vanille and Snow were standing before the glass-door. Between talking to Fang or Snow, Lightning's decision was quickly made: turning around, she sat down on an arm-chair far from both groups and silently continued to think.

"So, she often does that?"

"More than you think."

"Why?"

"I think she likes to be alone better than with people."

Blinking, Lightning focused her attention on Serah and Fang. "You make it sound like I'm asocial."

"Well, aren't you?"

"I'm more of a misanthrope."

"That's not exactly better, Light…"

A flicker of a smile shadowed on Lightning's lips as she darted up from her glass to gaze at Serah. The look she gave her was the one she had seen a thousand times before. It wasn't really pity, but more despair. Despair because her older sister continuously refused to be around people, no matter the circumstances.

Serah had never understood why she disliked other beings as much as she did, but she hadn't been able to blame her. Even she didn't quite know why she felt this rage every time someone would talk to her. Even if it was just to ask for the time, there was always a resentment. Something inexplicable. And in comparison, Serah was the loveliest girl you could meet. She always had a smile on, always ready to help others, to be there for them, to listen.

Lightning was nothing like that. Sometimes, she even wondered if the same blood was running down their veins.

"Well, in any case, that's my sister for you, right," Serah tried to joke. Fang chuckled, but only to be polite, and Lightning continued to look at her younger sister.

"In case you didn't notice," Lightning said, her attention now drawn to Fang, "My sister and I are nothing alike."

"We're like black and white!"

"Who's black and who's white, then," Fang asked. The interested tone in her voice sounded genuine, but she couldn't possibly figure out why. This conversation wasn't interesting in the slightest.

"Well…I guess…I'm white," Serah said. She glanced in Lightning's direction for a split second but wasn't met with a look. "And she's black."

"Colour me surprised," Fang said to avoid a silence that had already started to settle. "You do look a lot alike, physically, that is."

"I suppose we are," she calmly responded, her head slightly tilted to the side.

Not once during their exchange did she look at anyone else but Fang. It was strange, really, to be so absorbed by a person she didn't like, or never would become friends with. But there was a magnetic feeling that she couldn't quite understand, nor could she stop it.

"Snow? Can you pour the wine into the glasses?"

"Sure thing."

It's only when Snow tried to grab the bottle she had kept in her hands that Lightning realized she hadn't let go of it in the past five minutes, clinging to it like baby to its milk-bottle. She gave Snow a warning look as he approached her vicinity and poured the four glasses herself, her own still in her right hand.

It was something she did, sometimes. To drink and forget about the people who wanted to drink as well. Maybe was it because she so desperately wanted to be alone that sometimes, she truly believed she was.

"Serah, should I pour yours?"

"Hm, no. I'll have a glass of Champagne at midnight, but none for me at the moment."

"Alright."

As three of the four glasses were poured, Lightning went back to the arm-chair and regained the same position than before; legs crossed, head tilted to the side, staring at the abyss. She sometimes wondered of by staring directly at it, the abyss looked back in return.

"Well, cheers. Thank you for inviting us, Serah," Vanille said with a bright smile. It seemed like there was no end to her good mood. "And thanks for showing me the West-Coast, it was hard to come here and be alone but…I don't know, you made think like I was part of the family."

Everyone smiled at Vanille's words. Everyone, but Lightning.


She had counted. Every time she had gone out for a cigarette, she had counted. In total, Lightning had been standing in the garden seventeen times to smoke, equal to more than half-an-hour. Every time she had accompanied her but had thought it wise to stay behind, near the living-room glass door so she could continue her conversation with Serah, as known as the exact opposite of her older sister.

It was amusing to notice such intense differences between them both. Where Lightning was cold, Serah had a heart filled with warmth. Where she was calculating, Serah was laid-back and innocent. There wasn't a trait the Farron sisters shared.

Looking in the distance, Fang brought her cigarette to her lips and gazed at Lightning's shadow. She had been standing in the middle of the garden for more than a few minutes, oblivious of the countdown to a new year that had already commenced. But then, it was hard to figure what Lightning Farron, Lieutenant with the LAPD truly cared about. Money? Doubtful. Family? Please. Her job? Certainly, but not as much as she wanted to. Herself? She doubted it. Although she seemed to be careful about her demeanor, her weight or even the way she dressed, Lightning didn't seem to be particularly enjoying her life.

The woman truly was a mystery. An enigma worth treating as a case. But without the certain animosity Lightning felt towards, Fang knew this would be a lost cause. A shame really. Perhaps they would've been able to get along.

"What about you, Fang?" Looking at her sister, Fang ached her brow. She hadn't listened to a single word of the conversation. "Your resolutions for the New Year?"

"Oh. Same as always. Making sure the streets are a little safer."

"Great job so far."

She didn't know what had angered her the most about this petty comment: Lightning's tone of voice, or the fact she even dared to make a comment. Sharply turning around, Fang stared at the woman who had managed to trigger a feeling of rage she hadn't felt in a long time.

They were only a few inches apart, no more than twenty, but their eyes were visible even in the dark. They would've been in the darkest of nights, to be fair. Mischief shone from Lightning's, and murder overflowed from Fang's.

"What did you just say?"

"I said great job so far," Lightning repeated. The calm tone she had used the entire evening was slowly getting on her nerves. "Need me to say it again?"

"Lightning what's gotten into you," Serah asked, now standing closer to Fang.

"Nothing." She shook her head and stared at the grass. "Excuse me."

Fang followed her with her stare as she entered the living room and disappeared inside the bathroom, slamming the door close.

"Your sister sure is something, eh?"

"I'm sorry. I think that with the case, the murders that keep coming…"

"Don't forget her migraines," Snow whispered. "She can become…mean when she has some."

"They happen a lot?"

She stubbed her cigarette in the ashtray and went back inside the house. The bathroom door was still closed, and only the sound of water was coming from inside the room. A goddamn mystery.

"It happens often. Well, it's been five years now."

"Five years?"

"Yes. It happened after one of her very first cases, when she was still a detective," Serah said, a saddened look in her eyes. "She killed a prime suspect in an investigation, but she never knew why she pulled the trigger."

"I read about this case," Fang admitted, "It was the murderer, right?"

"Yes, it was. It was him, but a part of Lightning never… Never accepted it."

Fang's brows furrowed. She intertwined her fingers and gazed at her nails, trying to figure out why she had never been able to accept killing a man who had killed plenty.

"Did she kill anyone after?"

"She shot people, but this man was the first and last." Serah paused and gave Fang a look. "She interests you, doesn't she?"

"What do you mean?"

"I saw the way you two talk. You're not strangers, are you?"

Fang had been wrong. Incredible wit and intelligence were shared traits in the Farron family. "What makes you say that, exactly?"

Leaning back in the couch after grabbing her glass of wine, Fang first flickered her eyes to the right. In two minutes, 2019 would begin. Another shitty year. Another flock of unwanted memories. Perhaps the possibility to atone for what she had caused, but somehow, she doubted she'd ever be able to fix the broken jar her loose hand had let fall to the floor.

"Well, when I came looking for Light earlier…The way she looked at you. It was something I hadn't seen before."

"Alright," Fang said, intrigued. "What kind of look?"

"It was anger but there was some sort of…admiration. She admires you."

"I highly doubt it. If anything, she seems to hate me more than anything else."

"Oh please," Serah said with a shake of the head, "Lightning doesn't hate. She believes that hate and love are one and the same: useless feelings." She chuckled at her words. It almost seemed like she talked about a person who had passed away. Like Serah was reminiscing. "But how do you know her?"

Fang sighed and brought her finger to her nose. Being an FBI agent wasn't a secret to anyone really. She wasn't a spy working for the CIA.

"I'm the FBI agent in charge of the quadruple murder." Serah looked stunned, her mouth slightly open. "I'm Agent Yun, the one person she truly hates on this planet."

A silence passed. And then, laughter echoed. Perplexed, Fang gazed at Serah as she stood up from the couch, wiping a tear away from her eye. What had been able to cause such a reaction was a mystery, but one she knew wouldn't take long to understand.

"Trust me, she doesn't hate you," Serah said after managing to calm down.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Because she talks about you. A lot."

Scratching the back of her neck, Fang gazed at the three people before her. Vanille winked at her. She knew what she wanted to say but preferred to remain quiet. "It's not because she talks about that she likes me."

"Then you clearly don't know her," Serah mused. "The only time I heard her talk about someone so much was…"

"It was no one."

Suddenly interrupting, Lightning emerged from the bathroom with her arms crossed on her chest. She had a wave of anger in her eyes, a rage consuming her from within as her eyes settled on Serah, and that rage only seemed to grow when she stared directly back at Fang.

"It was no one," she repeated once more. "The countdown's almost over."

Focusing her attention back on the TV, Fang tried to ignore the strong scent of marijuana now tainting on Lightning's clothes as she took a seat by her side. She glanced in her direction, her blue-coloured eyes tainted in tiny red spots, but the anger had yet to wash away. It seemed something doomed to failure if you asked her. Nothing would ever be able to please Lightning Farron.

"3,2,1…Happy New Year!"

Excitement filled the house within a few seconds. Standing up from the couch, Fang directly went closer to Vanille and pulled her into a long, warm hug. She had so much redeeming to do, so much she needed to fix between her and her sister. She knew Vanille wasn't a resentful person, she knew she had forgiven her minutes after but sometimes when she looked inside her eyes…Fang saw. She saw the pain she had caused and the ruckus she had created. It was all she could see.

So, it didn't matter if the hug lasted longer than she had planned. Right now, all Fang needed was to know Vanille was safe. It was all she cared about.

Taking a step back, she forced a smile and was met with a brighter one. Her features relaxed at the sight of Vanille's shining green eyes but immediately tensed as the living-room window was opened once more. Darting in its direction, she shook her head at Lightning exiting the room and did not hesitate twice before following her to the garden. New Year's was the day of resolutions. And it was time Lightning talked.

"Hey, Farron," she called out, still walking right behind her. "Lightning!"

"What do you want, Fang?"

She grabbed her by the wrist and instantly regretted her action. Met by a slap across the face, Fang's surprise was equal to the one she had felt when she had found out she could never bear children. "Ouch." She said, bringing her hand to her jaw. "That hurt."

"Good. You'll know that touching me is out of bounds."

"With all your phobias I'm having a hard time remembering them all."

"My phobias? Care to share what you've gathered?"

Chuckling, Fang brought her hands to her hips and shortly glanced over her shoulder. Serah, Snow, and Vanille were all standing at attention, trying to see or hear whatever they were sharing. She knew they couldn't, but their presence was somehow reassuring.

"Listen Lightning…I'm leaving town tomorrow. There's been a murder in Dallas and they need me there. Don't do anything, don't try and find another clue. Focus on your satanic man." The sheer look of surprise in her eyes lasted for less than a second. As always, anger was the main emotion. "And let's be fair…this isn't working at all. Destroy everything you knew when you go back home."

"I don't want to stop, Fang. I know what I'm doing."

"No, you don't. Not anymore. Get your anger issues sorted and then give me a call. But until then, you're done."

It was all she said before she turned around and went back to the living-room. She thanked Serah for her hospitality and promised Snow they'd go surfing whenever she'd be back in town. Then, she went towards the front-door with Vanille by her side, and after another long hug, Fang went to her car and drove off without turning back around.

It was strange, what Lightning had managed to create. Somehow, she'd miss that annoyingly thick head of hers. And secretly, she hoped Lieutenant Farron would finally cave in, and try to understand her feelings. But for now, all Fang could do was to leave and solve the case she had helped to create.