A/N: I do apologize for not updating for a while now. I've been too busy, and I was addicted to playing a game. lol. Thanks to Emoen (Hahaha, I've been writing the other story all day and then wrote this while I was writing. Lina's name kind of stuck with me since Phoenix is similar to Lina in a way. lol) and UroborosTyrant (lol, yeah, the irony is fun. I've been reading some Nathan fics that take him too seriously, so I wanted to lighten up his character for a bit) for your reviews. Hope you like this one! Shilo is whiny this chapter, but what can I say? She is still a child. Happy Mother's Day, and I hope those who care about their mothers to appreciate them on this day (although it's much better to appreciate them every day)! Edit: Thank you to Emoen for correcting me again once more of my mistakes. I really need to stop writing both Repo stories at the same time. Oh, and the game I was playing is Harvest Moon, it's a farming rpg game. Some people find it boring, but I just like to play it because it's fun.

Chapter Nine

Before they knew it, it was already morning. Phoenix had taken to making breakfast for the father and daughter once again. The fresh smell of food could not be left unnoticed. Phoenix could hear an immediate rush from the stairs. She scrunched her brows wondering who was rushing. Her unspoken question soon was answered when Shilo entered the kitchen with glowing eyes and a happy expression. Phoenix chuckled and shook her head at the girl's energetic morning mood.

"Are you usually this excited?" Phoenix asked. Shilo suddenly frowned a little and shook her head, looking down at her shoeless feet.

"No, not really," she said in an almost whispered volume.

Phoenix stared at the girl before her. She wondered what kind of life Shilo was living in. She shook her head, not allowing herself to think too much and pry into other people's lives.

"Well, I hope breakfast is to your taste. I made some pancakes and some eggs and toast," Phoenix told her as she flipped a pancake successfully. Shilo saw and clapped. Her mouth was open and at awe from the refreshing display.

"That's so cool! Will you teach me?" Shilo asked. Phoenix turned off the stove and laid the pancake with the rest and looked at Shilo and chuckled.

"Sure. Maybe I will visit some time," she replied before turning back and started setting the table.

Shilo immediately frowned again. She had forgotten Phoenix was only staying for the night, and it made it that much harder for Shilo to watch her leave.

"Phoenix?" Shilo called out her name in a whisper.

"Hm?" She sounded, focusing on putting plates down. Her back was still facing Shilo.

"Can't you stay? Like... longer?" Shilo asked. Phoenix stopped and turned around. She was faced with a pleading look.

Phoenix sighed and shook her head.

"Sorry, kiddo, but I can't," she answered. Shilo walked over to her, her feet dragging as she did so.

"Why not? Is it me? Are you worried Dad wouldn't want you to stay? I could talk to him. If it's me, I can change, so please stay," Shilo pleaded, tears already starting to form in her eyes.

Phoenix winced as she felt hurt and guilt to see the little girl cry before her, and it hurt more when Shilo asked and said those things to her. She hugged the girl against her. She brushed her fingers through Shilo's black wig to soothe her.

"It's not you, and it's not your dad," she said comfortingly.

"Then why? Don't you like us?" Shilo asked, embracing her like a daughter would do to her mother.

Phoenix winced once again. That question was uncalled for. Phoenix sighed before she heard the door creak. Phoenix looked up and saw Nathan coming in. He stopped midway into the kitchen when he saw Phoenix holding onto a crying Shilo.

"What happened?" Nathan asked, a look of concern spreading across his face.

Shilo turned around and looked at her father accusingly as if he had done something wrong. Nathan was completely surprised and confused. He wondered why she was angry with him.

"Can't you find a way to make Phoenix stay, Dad?" Shilo asked him as if Phoenix wasn't there. Nathan looked over at Phoenix as if asking her to tell him what to do. He seemed quite at a loss to answer that question. Phoenix noticed and found it best that she spoke up.

"Shilo, even if I'm not staying here, you'll see me when I come over and visit," Phoenix told the young girl. Shilo shook her head and looked about ready to cause a storm.

"It's not the same!" Shilo yelled before running out of the kitchen. Phoenix looked over at Nathan worriedly. He sighed and walked over and patted her shoulder.

"I'll talk to her," Nathan told her. She nodded.

"I guess me staying here was a bad idea. I'm sorry for being a burden," she said quietly with a sigh escaping her lips.

Nathan froze and looked over at her.

"You are a miracle. Don't think otherwise," he told her before he walked away. He frowned as he left the kitchen. He had heard everything before he went into the kitchen. He waited for the right time to enter, but things started to spiral down when Shilo started becoming more emotional. He had no choice to enter to prevent anything else that may happen. He was also unhappy that today was the day Phoenix was leaving his house. Just one day. One day had changed everything.

He knocked on Shilo's door. And of course, she replied with a yell that she didn't want to see anyone. Nathan sighed and shook his head. He could feel a headache coming on, and he knew his Repo side was going to taunt him soon enough and take over if he didn't calm down.

"Shilo, I know you like Phoenix, but she has her own life to live. We can't stop her from leaving. If you like Phoenix, you need to let her go," Nathan said a little louder over the door so she could hear him.

He heard a thump and footsteps before Shilo opened her door. He saw tears were already falling from her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"I don't want her to leave, Dad. It hurts," Shilo told him. Nathan held her in an embrace and gently stroked her wig.

"I know. But the good thing is, she will visit. You could at least see her once in a while instead of never, right Precious?" Nathan told her. He could hear her sniffle and nodded against his stomach.

"I- I guess," Shilo answered softly. Nathan smiled and got to her level.

"Now, how about you wash your face and we could eat breakfast with Phoenix before we say goodbye to her?" Nathan told her, but tears started forming in Shilo's eyes again when she heard the word "goodbye". She nodded anyways and pulled away from her father. She dragged her feet to the bathroom. Nathan watched her enter the bathroom and sighed.

He came downstairs and saw Phoenix in the living room, starting to pack. He winced at the scene but was thankful that her back was turned. It hurts to watch her pack, and he didn't want to show how hurt he was. And for some reason, it reminded him of the time Marni packed her things because of an argument they had once, and she left to live with Mag for a few days before returning.

"Marni," he thought. He could feel his whole body run cold at the thought of his wife. And soon, flashback of that horrible moment entered his mind. There was so much blood. Her blood.

"-ace? Wallace!" A voice yelled at him. He blinked to see a worried Phoenix in front of him. "Are you okay?"

Nathan felt uncomfortable for some reason and nodded.

She flicked his forehead with her fingers. Nathan felt a slight pain from the action and held his forehead. He looked at her questioningly, wondering why she did that. One of her hands were on her hip and she looked at him seriously. Nathan could feel a lecture coming on.

"Do you think I would believe you are okay when you seem like you are tearing up," Phoenix asked.

He looked down and his shoulders were slumped. Phoenix compared him to a kid being ashamed or guilty of something for being caught. She shook her head and she started to massage her temples as if a headache was going to come on.

"How is Shilo doing?" Phoenix finally asked before sitting down on the nearest couch and sighed. Nathan looked over at her and sighed. He seated next to her and looked into her jade green eyes.

"She is trying to cope," he answered simply. Phoenix leaned back and closed her eyes while she nodded her head.

"She's a good girl," Phoenix answered, "It's too bad her mother died so early. I'm sure she will grow up just as beautiful as her mother."

Nathan froze at the mention of Marni, and he could feel the guilt running through his body. It was when Phoenix laid a hand on his shoulder did the feeling leave him.

"If you need me, just call," Phoenix told him with a smile and a wink. Nathan chuckled and nodded.

"Of course and we could get some coffee before I go to work."

Phoenix nodded in agreement.

"Sure, but your co-workers are annoying. I still don't know what you did to be treated like that," Phoenix said.

"Aww, I feel bad for hiding the truth. I could always show the little birdie why," Repo Nathan's gravelly voice told in Nathan's mind. Nathan could hear the blood lust in his voice, and he snarled in his mind.

"Don't you dare, you insufferable piece of-" Nathan started, but Repo side started chuckling.

"Aww, is the little Nathan finally ready to talk some shit?" Repo taunted.

"Shut. Up," Nathan told him.

The conversation between him and his Repo side was soon interrupted by the sound of footsteps entering the living room. Young Shilo entered with her head hung low. Phoenix looked at Nathan and then at Shilo. She didn't know what to say in this situation, so she kept silent.

"I'm sorry," Shilo whispered, loud enough for Phoenix and Nathan to hear.

Phoenix let out a breath of relief and smiled.

"No need to apologize, Shilo. So how about that breakfast?" Phoenix told her and then looked at Nathan.

In no time, Shilo looked up and nodded. A small smile was then expressed on Shilo's lips. Nathan smiled and hugged Shilo around the shoulders to comfort his little girl. She was being such an adult in her young age.

"The food is a little cold, but a little heating up wouldn't hurt," Phoenix said energetically this time.

Breakfast would have been delicious if it weren't for Phoenix leaving, but it turned out okay in the end. She didn't need to pack much since there wasn't much to pack.

"Well, it's time to say goodbye," Lina said before putting the bag over her shoulder, "Thanks for the stay, Wallace."

"You're welcome, Phoenix," he told her before patting her shoulder. He wanted to do more than that, but Nathan knew he would feel awkward to hug her before she left.

It was sudden, but Shilo was clinging onto her like her life depended on it. Phoenix smiled and returned the tight hug. She looked over at Nathan and winked at him once more. He felt his face slightly heat up on his cheeks as she did so.

Phoenix's wrist started showing her boss's face from her wrist communicator. She looked at it oddly when she heard her boss's name being called out from it. She took the call and started speaking.

"Yeah? Is there something wrong, boss?" Phoenix asked.

"Um... Phoenix, I have bad news. You know the apartment I told you about?" He started off nervously. Phoenix could feel the bad news come up, and Nathan seemed quite hopeful at the terrible news.

"Yeah? What about it?" She asked, looking down at Shilo. She can't believe how large Shilo's eyes could get, knowing full well the news was bad at the sound of her boss's tone. She could see the tug on her lips going upward. She winced at how desperate Shilo wanted her stay in the house.

"Well, the apartment's landlord had gotten himself Repoed. There aren't any specifics when a landlord would be replaced, and I'm sure there won't be a replacement any time soon," her boss explained.

Phoenix winced and looked over to Shilo's sparkling eyes full of joy. She groaned and laid a hand on her forehead while her head tipped back for a second from feeling frustrated. She turned to look over at Nathan, who seemed to have a slight smirk on his face. Phoenix found it odd, but she did not question it.

"All right. I guess I'll find another place to stay for now then. Thanks for everything though, Boss. You've done a lot for me, and I'm truly grateful," Phoenix told him.

"I'm very sorry for your predicament, Phoenix. If my home has enough space, I would have surely let you stay for a while," her boss told her. Phoenix chuckled slightly.

"I'm sure you will, Boss," she paused for a moment and then continued, "But I'll be okay. I'll find a place. I always do."

Her boss gave a slight chuckle, and Phoenix could mentally see her boss nodding his head as he did so. She couldn't help smile herself. And a second later, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over to the only one tall enough to touch her shoulder. Nathan gave her a comforting smile, and all Phoenix could do was sigh. For some reason, it felt like a set-up to her, but Phoenix knew her boss would never talk about a Repo Man so lightly.

"I'm relieved to know that you are taking the news rather well," her boss told her, "I was a little worried about you, but I'm just glad you are okay. Well, that's all I need to tell you. I've got to go. I will see you at work tomorrow morning?"

Phoenix chuckled and said, "Yeah. I'll be there. See ya, Boss. Stay safe."

"Yeah, you too," he told her before the call ended.

Phoenix's shoulders slumped and she let out a disappointed sigh. It was then she felt a tug on her shirt that she realized Shilo was still hugging her. She looked down to see a hopeful look on Shilo's pale face. The look made her feel more uncomfortable than anything. She then turned her head to look at Nathan. She opened her mouth to say something but suddenly closed it. She couldn't ask him for a favor, and the thought about staying at a cheap hotel seemed much more inviting than being burdensome to her friend. She finally came to a decision. Before she said anything though, Nathan spoke up.

"Why don't you stay here until you've got a place to stay? Shilo and I don't seem to mind at all," Nathan told her. Phoenix winced but shook her head.

"I'll just stay in a cheap hotel; it wouldn't be too bad. After all, I lived in the slums before," Phoenix answered.

Nathan didn't like it. Cheap hotels meant there were prostitutions being held there, and there were are a lot of perverts around. And of course, there were other dangers held in cheap hotels. He couldn't allow such dangers fall upon Phoenix.

"No!" Nathan yelled a little too desperate and quick, making Shilo and Phoenix a little shocked by the outburst. Nathan cleared his throat and push up his glasses as if it would help ease his sudden outburst. "Um... I meant you should stay because I could use the help as well. I need someone to watch over Shilo at night, and I was hoping... you would help me."

Phoenix looked at him for a moment then at Shilo's puppy-eyed look and then back at Nathan again. She couldn't stand Shilo's expression, and Nathan was irritating her even more for giving Shilo hope to stay, which meant that she had no other say in the matter.

She let out a defeated sigh and said, "Let me see if I can work around my schedule."

And there it was, the jumping up and down excitedly by Shilo who started to ramble all of a sudden. Phoenix felt her life had just gotten a little more difficult.

"You idiot! Are you crazy? Well, you are, but that's not the point! She was only supposed to stay for the night. How are you supposed to take home the bodies and repossess their organs?" Repo Nathan yelled in his mind.

Nathan scoffed inside his mind and shut Repo Nathan out. It was high time Nathan ignored that side of himself. Because truthfully, he wanted to do that for ages. He just didn't feel like it until now.

And just for an instant, he almost felt like he was home.