A/N: In the previous chapter, deleted the name of the business man in some crazy-super-oddly-specific-error. A sentence near the end says " will see you now." It was supposed to say "Mr. Harwicke will see you now." Sorry about that.

Also, this chapter is a little on the dry side, not much action, however the information in it is important so pay attention, no 'skimming' children! :p

~~Stolen~~

"If you live among wolves you have to howl like a wolf"—Russian Proverb

~~Stolen~~

After the initial shock of realizing no one knew where Tamaki was, and the comforting realization that Tamaki was no longer a viable threat soon after, Kyouya was feeling quite relaxed. Just to make things a little less tense, though, Kyouya called in one more favor. A travel itinerary was to be made and 'hidden' somewhere in Haruhi's room. The itinerary needed to be legitimate; recognizable barcode and all. If Ryouji was as involved with the police as Kyouya knew he would be, after the continued, frantic calls Kyouya had received from him, the document needed to pass the scrutiny of even an experienced investigator. The time on the itinerary was to match the early morning after Haruhi had been kidnapped. Kyouya allowed his accomplice to be creative with where Haruhi was supposed to have been going but requested it be somewhere far away, large, and difficult to search. Frazzled nerves soothed, Kyouya glanced at his watch, his arrogant sneer reflecting in the faceplate. It was about the time he'd told Haruhi to have dinner ready. The trip home would be quick. He didn't want to be too far from her, should she try to escape and someone be near.

~~Stolen~~

Tamaki felt the first violent thud of his heart speeding up before he even took a breath. When he'd received the call this morning it had come as quite a shock. He'd been planning on having a little more time to prepare. Sure, he'd spoken to the man once before but that was on the phone for a brief two minutes while he apologized to Tamaki for not being able to make it to Tamaki's speech; he wasn't a fan of large gatherings, especially ones where the press was involved. And even though the president had admitted he was impressed with Tamaki's understanding and continued willingness to give the speech, Tamaki still felt like there would be nothing he could do to make this man want to give him such an important position.

A sudden tapping shook Tamaki from his daze. The squat, green suited man was tapping his foot against the pristine white carpet, looking at Tamaki as if he'd very much like him to dissapear completely.

"Sorry," Tamaki apologized quickly. With no anwer, the man turned and started walking towards the large double doors, expecting Tamaki to follow.

To Tamaki each step was an eternity. An eternity that was ending far too quickly. Part of Tamaki wanted to wait in that uncomfortably modern office chair forever. The other part wanted to be in the office as soon as possible, so he could be out of the office as soon as possible. The indecision made his steps erratic. A sardonic chuckle slid quietly past Tamaki's throat. He'd been so confident, so sure of himself the day he'd stepped off that plane. His naïve arrogance had him convinced that no one would deny him such a position, considering who he was and what he'd done. Now, though, he was more unsure of himself and his merit than he'd ever been.

~~Stolen~~

A clap of thunder accompanied the small creak of the front door, followed almost immediately by a flash of lightning. The irony of the situation struck Haruhi right before the fear did. A small tremor beginning to rack her frame.

"Hello, beautiful." If the situation were not so dire, Haruhi would have rolled her eyes. "Well…" Kyouya waved his hand in the air, obviously expecting something.

"Uhm…" Kyouya smirk fell. He walked over to Haruhi and grabbed her wrist.

"You're loving husband has just returned from a long day at the office. He is tired and instead of going straight for the table, where his wife better have dinner ready he takes the time to compliment her. Now, she needs to return the sentiment. A kiss will do this time, but I expect a warmer welcome tomorrow night." Anxious to be out of Kyouya's grip, Haruhi leaned quickly over and pecked the bottom of Kyouya's chin; it was all she could reach without going on tip-toe. "Hm. That will do, for tonight." The demand was not lost on Haruhi. "I expect you were able to follow my written instructions which means," Kyouya pushed past Haruhi to walk towards the dining room that sat next to the kitchen, "you will have-" Kyouya turned to smile at her, "I see you can follow instructions. I made a wise decision, taking you as my wife. Now come, sit." Not feeling hungry in the least, despite the fact that she'd only had a few bites of bread around lunch time, Haruhi joined Kyouya at the table.

Kyouya was highly pleased. This arrangement he'd made with Haruhi was more perfect than he could have imagined. He was no fool, he knew Haruhi did not want him so she would do anything to keep him from her. The fact that she'd followed his instruction exactly as written was proof of that.

Haruhi had spent a sizeable amount of time today thinking about her situation. She wanted to be defiant, to show that she would not back down, break down. With anyone else that might have worked, might have at least put a kink in their plans, but Haruhi knew Kyouya far too well to know that he would believe her. He would see right through her defiance to the frightened little girl inside. She knew that to stay safe, to stay sane, she must play into his plans, if only some. And so she would, but there were a few questions she needed answered before she could start.

The candle light flickered in the breeze the cracked window let in. The eerie, twitching shadows it cast behind Kyouya did nothing the clam her nerves. Somewhat less than bravely, Haruhi cleared her throat.

"How long?" Kyouya glanced up. "How long were you planning this." Kyouya sighed, setting his fork down in a measured gesture; he did not want to have this discussion now.

"Does it matter?" Haruhi did not speak but inclined her head with what she hoped was a defiant edge. Kyouya looked down at his plate. His fingers rubbed his left eyebrow; a sign that Kyouya was not happy with the turn of the evening.

"I know you Haruhi, probably better than anyone else, including yourself. You have a one track mind that cannot be swayed with the promise of trinkets and security. There were so many men who would have had you as their wife instantly, gave you everything you wanted, needed; but you weren't interested. You showed me something I'd never experienced before in a woman." Haruhi felt the underlying compliment in his words but knew that wasn't the point of what he was telling her. "Your preferences also left me out of the running, though. And I found your disregard hasty and reckless. By then, though, I had already decided you would be mine, whether or not it was your decision. I was the most prudent choice for you, and you simply needed some coaxing. Had that dimwitted French boy not stepped in, I would have had the time to make you see reason." Haruhi was immediately on edge, forgetting completely about the insults Kyouya was throwing her way.

"What do you mean?"

"The imbecile was ready to give up his inheritance for you. His grandmother told me of his intentions and I knew I would need to cut some time out of my plan." Haruhi's heart stuttered. She was the reason he was being disinherited. She didn't have time to figure out exactly how that should make her feel before Kyouya started again. "I had planned to sway your affections and get married, but just in case that did not work, I, like all shrewd businessmen, had a solid back up plan." Haruhi just barely reigned in the desire to roll her eyes at his arrogance. "I had all your clothes and the supplies we would need to live out our lives together purchased as soon as I heard of Tamaki's intentions. The only part left was to have you choose where to live. Now, whether you would go willingly or not was the problem and caused me quite a headache when you refused me." Haruhi blood pressure was skyrocketing to dangerous levels. He was making this whole mess sound like it was her fault, that she'd caused him problems!

"You Bas-"

"I would not finish that sentence if I were you dear." Kyouya's expression was bored but narrowed eyes betrayed the promise behind his words. Haruhi swallowed hard and counted to ten, taking slow, deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, Kyouya had his left brow raised at her antics.

"Well, now that I've told you all you need to know, I will finish my dinner in peace." It was less a statement than a command. "However before we end this conversation, I must commend you on your choice of location. A place this sparsely populated made the whole home purchasing process quick and nearly painless. And the location provides the ultimate in privacy."

~~Stolen~~

He was shaking. Wether it was from the caffeine in his tenth cup of coffee, or from fear, it didn't matter. Ryouji Fujioka was uncontrollably shaking.

"Alright. I see," the officer that Ryouji had initially gone to, Lt. Wakahisa, was currently on the phone with his chief. After nearly three days, and a single missing persons alert, no progress had been made. After the required twenty-four hour wait period, the police acknowledged that there might be cause for concern. A few had still been convinced that the girl had run off, or stuck in the storm without a way to contact her father. It didn't matter though. Twenty-four hours had passed and an alert was required. Almost two more days went by and nothing had turned up. No clues, no sightings, nothing. Ryouji had made his home in the police station, convinced that he needed to be there for Haruhi to turn up. This wouldn't have bothered Lt. Wakahisa any if it hadn't been the holidays. This was by far the busiest time for them. Many western traditions had been adopted in recent years and holidays such as Christmas were celebrated widely, even by the many that were not Christian. This meant roberies, auto theft, and murder rates went through the roof. It was a macabre connection to make with such a jouyous holiday but it was a definite connection nonetheless. It didn't help that the weather had been horrid, causing multiple crashes, outages, and even deaths. The police station was swamped. But, despite the inconvenience and constant disruption that Ryouji caused, the Leuitenant couldn't help but sympathize with the man. Although, he hadn't, at first. He had children of his own who were very prone to 'forgetting to say they would be late' or 'forgetting to charge their phones'. So, he assumed, like any other overworked police Leuitenant would, that she would turn up in the next twelve hours. When that hadn't happened, Wakahisa felt a small twinge of guilt and had tried to ease it by informing Ryouji that the minute the twenty-four hour mark was reached, an alert would be put out. Twenty four hours passed. Then thirty six. Then fourty eight, and still no Haruhi. The Leuitenant wasn't even quite ready to do anything more until Ryojui, looking a bit more than lost, made him rethink himself.

"There she is; her first day of school," Haruhi's hair was in lopsided pigtail with matching haphazard bows. Her face betrayed no anxiousness, only a subtle smile. "I was so afraid, because she was growing up so fast," Ryouji slid the picture back into his wallet, "I was afraid I would…" Ryouji gulped down what had to have been a tightly reigned in sob, "afraid I would l-lose her. And now," The sob managed to slip past this time, "Please, don't you have any children? A daughter, perhaps? What would you do if you knew she was missing? What would you give to have her back?"

And that's when it had clicked. This man wasn't just another nameless person with yet another case for him to fill out paperwork for. This man was a father. A father who'd lost his daughter and would do anything to get her back. So, here he was, on the phone with the chief of his district, trying to get someone to do something.

"I understand. Thank-you, sir." After setting the receiver down, Wakahisa sighed. Too anxious to speak, Ryouji simply waited for the Leuitenant. "The staff is spread very thin right now Ryouji. As it is, all those who put off for vacation have either been denied or called back in. Most of us are working double over time," Ryouji sucked in a quick, horrified breath, fearing he was being denied any help, "However, the chief has agreed to call in a freelance investigator that has worked on many successfully solved cases within the precinct. It's not all that I'd hoped, or believe could be done, but it is something." Ryouji was unsure what to feel. Certainly he felt relief that someone would finally be looking into his daughter's disappearance but the lieutenant had not seemed to thrilled about it. Was there something wrong with this investigator? Obviously nothing too serious or he would not have been recommended. Still not knowing 100% how to feel, Ryouji settled for relieved. If there was anyone who could help him find his daughter, he would accept them.

~~Stolen~~

The first thing Tamaki noticed was that the office of the CEO looked nothing like he'd pictured. Because of who he was, Tamaki had met many influential businessmen and had seen inside nearly as many private offices. They were usually Spartan with little to no touch of life or happiness. This room was the only exception to that rule he'd ever seen. There were family pictures on the walls and colorful drawings placed in an haphazard manner around the few tables, suggesting a young child's presence. Just as he reached down to examine one of the drawings more closely, a warm hand touched his shoulder,

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Suoh."

~~Stolen~~

"She had never mentioned leaving for any length of time, to any of you, had she?" It was currently 11:27 p.m. Snow was still falling and a sharp wind still blew. But here they sat, huddled in Haruhi's too small living room, answering ridiculously specific questions to a man in an equally ridiculous hound's-tooth cap. It was obvious he took himself too seriously. But, he was all they had at the moment, and none of them were about to mess that up. A lethargic chorus of 'no's' was raised. "Are you sure this is everyone who got the message?" No one was sure how to answer this particular question. How were they supposed to know everyone who received a message? As it was Kyouya didn't seemed too worried about it, and Tamaki hadn't even contacted them.

"Well," a small voice hidden behind a soft white blanket, "we can't be sure." The investigator walked over to Hunny, assessing him in a way that made Hunny feel rather uncomfortable.

"Explain."

" Haruhi only had a few close friends at Ouran. Well, only a few that she would notify if she were going somewhere," the small blonde, normally so child-like, had an almost frighteningly serious look on his face as he elaborated. "All of them were in the host club. Four of the seven Host Club members are here. One of them is Haruhi. That leaves two. Kyouya Ootori, another member of the club mentioned that he received a call but didn't sound very concerned. And, since then, none of us have been able to contact him." The investigator scribbled a few note on his pad and made a small nose in the back of his throat, signaling Hunny to continue. "The other member is Tamaki Suoh. No one has been able to get in touch with him and he has not called any of us to let us know of any messages he received. None of us want to suspect either of them but…" Hunny let the implication hang in the air. A few more scribbles and the investigator looked up,

"That will be all for tonight, you may return home but if you hear anything, or think of anything no matter how inconsequential it may seem, do not hesitate to contact me." He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew several small, plain business cards. The hosts accepted them willingly but remained seated. "I said you were all free to go."

"If you do not see it as an overstay of our welcome, we would like stay to do what we can to help, Fujioka-san." Ryouji, who seemed only distantly aware of what was going on around him and looked Mori in the eyes, most likely as stunned at hearing the young man speak as the three other host members in the room.

"Please. I think I might need the company right now." The investigator sighed, none too happy at being disregarded.

"Fine." He turned to Ryouji, "Have you made sure you checked everywhere is Haruhi's room?"

"I-" Ryouji shifted his gaze towards the floor, "I went straight to the station as soon as I realized she was gone, I didn't have time to-" Ryouji stopped speaking to take two quick step back, accomadating the investigator who'd pushed past him towards Haruhi's room. In unison, the hosts glanced at eachother and stood, to help the investigator search.

The search was cramped but no inch of the room was left unturned. The obvious spaces were checked multiple times; the desk, under the bed, in the drawers. A few times, one of the hosts would catch the investigator knocking on the walls, or puching on the floor, possibly looking for some hidden safe, or loose floorboard that could be used as a hiding place. After checking the second drawer of Haruhi's desk for around the tenth time that night, Hikaru slammed it shut. An almost immediate, and rather loud click, caused Hikaru to pause.

"Everyone! Quiet!" The room stilled immediately as the investigator shouted; everyone instantly on high alert. Pulling out the door again, Hiakru shut it with less anger but the same amount of force. The click was slightly more audible this time. "What is that?"

"Once more." The investigator's voice shook the silence. As requested, Hikaru produced the click on more time. Without any pretense, the man pushed past hikaru and pulled the entire drawer out of it's cubby; a thin metal box dropping to the floor.

~~Stolen~~

Tamaki nodded as he accepted some more tea from Mr. Harwicke. The two men had fallen into easy conversation; so much so that Tamaki was having an easy time forgetting why he was really here. They had talked for hours about everything and nothing. Mr. Harwicke talked abut his family, his life, his acomplishments. Tamaki had talked little about his family, besides a quick mention of his mother, until some not so gentle prodding from Mr. Harwicke.

"I am very interested to hear about your family. If it isn't too much, that is." Tamaki's smile faltered slightly. What was he supposed to say? His crazy grandmother, whom he still loved and respected very much, despite all she'd done, was the overbearing, controlling mother to his own, cowardly, absentminded father. The same father who had allowed aforementioned grandmother to scare his sick mother back to heaven-knows-where Paris. Mr. Harwicke saw the indecision plain on Tamaki's face as a small sigh escaped the blonde's lips.

"Tamaki, if I have overstepped, I apologize-"

'"No, it's quite alright, sir. It's just, well, I'm not seeing eye to eye with my family at the moment. My grandmother, I think she means well but…I should probably start at the beginning…."

Mr. Harwicke listened intently as Tamaki told him about his strange childhood, his confusion when it came to what being part of the family business meant, and the emptiness he always felt could be filled by the mother that had been sent away. He knew every family had their problems but what Tamaki was describing was distressing. And when Tamaki started to talk about his impending disinheritance, Mr. Harwicke was ready to hold his hand up and allow Tamaki to stop pulling up such painful memories. That is, until,

"But it will be worth it. I couldn't think of anything that would make me happier."

"I'm sorry, son, but you've lost me." Tamaki looked to the floor, chuckling softly.

"' Women made us lose paradise, but how frequently we find it again in their arms'" Mr. Harwicke continued staring at Tamaki. "De Finod, sir."

"Ah, yes, a woman." Mr. Harwickes eyes shone with understanding.

"Not just any woman. I have been around beautiful, sucessful women all my life and never have I felt anything so strong, so real. She makes life worth living. The way she smiles when she laughs, the way she can make me feel like no matter what happens, everything will be alright, the way she blushes when she's nervous, the way her eyes light up around sushi," Tamaki added with a chuckle, "it's more than I can say. I love her in such a way that thinking about it makes me feel everywhere at once and frightened beyond anything I've experienced before, but only because it feels like I will never have enough time with her, will never be able to hold her long enough….She's so….so absolutely perfect."

Mr. Harwicke waited until Tamaki had woken himself from his daydream before speaking again.

"She sounds wonderful but I fail to see the connection. Can you not be with her and run a company?"

"There is no doubt, sir. However, my family, rather my grandmother, will not accept her. She see's my choice as foolish and illogical. My disinheritance is directly linked to my desire to marry Haruhi."

"This girl, this Haruhi, does she know of your intentions?" Tamaki's face instantly fell. Mr. Harwicke feared he'd crossed another boundary but could not stop Tamaki from answering before hei started.

"I had planned to ask her once I got back. Well, acually, I had planned to ask her before I left but due to unforseen circumstances, I was prevented. Having spoken with Haruhi before I left, I asked her to have dinner with me the night I return. I will ask her then."

"How long have you two been together?" It took Tamaki much longer to answer this time, and once he did, the shame coating his voice was almost tangible.

"We have been friends for several years now but in the past two year we have become very close. However, we were never officially 'together'." A sardonic smile found it's way onto Tamki's lips, "In fact, our first kiss was just a week ago." Tamaki knew how he sounded; crazy. How could he ask this woman who wasn't his girlfriend to marry him? Was he honestly convinced she'd even consider it. The snort of derision he was expecting was replaced by a mirthful chuckle.

"Young love is so quick, so passionate. While I'm not sure it is the ideal path to take, I can understand your desire for things to move quickly. My wife and myself were promised to eachother in an old fashioned arranged marriage merger. We had not met until a month before the wedding, due to her living in a different country. When we did meet, however, it seemed to me that the marriage could not happen soon enough. I fell for her immediately and I wanted everyone, including myself, to see that she was mine. I do feel though, that there is something else pushing your impatience…" Mr. Harwicke let the implication hang tauntingly in the air.

"Yes. I am unfortunately caught between two choices. I wish to have a solid job to provide for Haruhi, but because I will no longer have access to the jobs provided by my father's company I have sought out other employment whose necessary relocation would require me to move a fair distance away from Haruhi. I cannot stand to be without her, but this job is everything I need and I would love to have it. So, if I cannot choose one or the other, I must make myself a third option. Asking Haruhi to marry and move with me is that option."

"I see your dilema. I must ask, though, just to be sure. Please do not be offended but I must know; are you willing to ask her to give up everything and move with you? In our conversation earlier I gather she is the one who wanted to become a laywer. Would you ask her to leave all her dreams behind to sit in your shadow as you follow your own dreams?"

"I would never ask her to give up her dreams. I will personally see to it that she has the best schooling money can buy. I would never even consider asking her to leave her dreams behind. I will be there for her whenever she needs me, even if that mean understanding if she doesn't want to leave with me. All her decisions will be just that; her own. I would never ask Haruhi anything that would change her, because I love who she is now, dreams and all." Tamaki, who had risen far from his seat without realizing it, slunk back into it, embarrassed by his outburst and afraid he completely ruined his chances. But, mortified as he was, he would not apologize. Everything he said was true. And despite the excess passion behind his words, he wouldn't change the message he'd just conveyed. A frigid silence had seeped into the room as Mr. Harwicke seemed to be considering something. Too afraid of what his line of thought might mean for Tamaki, he fought for a way to quickly changed the subject.

"Sir, if I may, do you not celebrate Christmas?" The second the words were out of his mouth, Tamaki froze. Tamaki's question must have sounded so bitter, an accusation for making him come in on Christmas. "Sir! I-" Mr. Harwicke held up his hand, a wry smile playing across his face.

"I know what you meant son. I did not take offense. I probably do owe you an explanation, though." Tamaki inclined his head very cautiously, lest he say or do the wrong thing, again. "I'm sure by now you've noticed we haven't really 'gotten down to business'. Maybe you thought this idle chit-chat was simply introductions but it's actually what I've called you here to do today." Tamaki was unsure how to react so he settled for looking interested. With a sigh, Mr. Harwicke continued, "Life is so very short," he rubbed his forehead in what seemed such a fragile gesture, "my youngest granddaughter, Amelia, loves the water. I think she was supposed to have been born a fish." The now very breakable looking man sitting before Tamaki smiled at the thought of his granddaughter, a far off look in his eyes. "So for her 5th birthday, I took the whole day off and myself, my wife, Amelia and her father went to her favorite part of the river so that she could play in the shallows. I've never much liked being in the water but for Amelia's sake I figured I could at least go a few feet in. When she saw that I was coming closer Amelia got a little too excited. Her foot caught on a rock and she went under." Tamaki saw a shiver run through Mr. Harwicke in what could only be fear of the memory, "I jumped forward to grab her but I suffered the same misfortune she did. Luckily though, her father saw the whole incident and had jumped for Amelia before I'd even reacted, because on the way down I fell on a nearby rock." Tamaki tried to imagine trying to help someone you loved and then being unable to because you were hurt yourself. "Poor Amelia was so shook up. She held my hand the whole way to the hospital." Although Tamaki was interested in this story, he was not sure he understood where Mr. Harwicke was going with this, or if he had a point at all. "After we reached the hospital, I was immediately taken to get x-rays. I suspected I had broken some ribs and knew I'd probably have to be wrapped up. What happened next was not what I had been expecting.

After about a half an hour of waiting my doctor came into my room and asked that my son and granddaughter step out of the room. Without any pretense the doctor stuck my x-rays up and pointed to the breaks in three of my ribs. He then went on to explain that while looking at the x-rays, he had noticed a mass and began asking me questions about my recent health. 'Had I been feeling well? Had I had any chest pain? Were there any unexplained bouts of shortness of breath?' By the time the doctor finished I knew something was wrong. The doctor then told me that I would have to undergo some exploratory surgery so a biopsy could be taken of the mass." Mr. Harwicke's tone began to falter, causing his eyebrows to knit and furrow. "After the operation, and before I was even fully out of my anesthesia induced stupor I was told I had a very advanced stage of cancer. The mass that was in the x-ray was a malignant tumor. What started out as lung cancer was now a systemic cancer that had reached my bones." Mr. Harwicke turned his chair to look out the large picture window behind him. "I was told I had three months to live. That was one month ago." Tamaki was utterly shell-shocked. This man, who'd seemed so jovial and full of life and intensely unshakeable had two months to live. "I realized, lying there in that hospital bed what I had to do. I'd never given my son the father he deserved when he was growing up. And when his wife had died, I wasn't there for him like I should have been. Then, my paltry attempts to make it up to him through his daughter only seemed to make him grow farther from me. Tamaki," Mr. Harwicke had turned his chair back around and pinned Tamaki with a very serious look, "I will not spend a minute longer than I have to, sitting in this office, ignoring the people I love most. With the two months I have left, I will give them every second I can and try to make up for all the years I was remiss in my attentions. I need to know that, more than a shrewd business man, the man that will take over this company will look after those he loves and will learn to delegate duties instead of foolishly thinking he needs to do it all himself. I need to know that the one to take over my company will never put business before family. I love this company and I do not want it to end, but I would hate to see, even after I'm gone, that it is the reason someone has given something so precious as time to his job and not his family."

"I knew from the second I heard you talk about your friends, and your mother, and especially your complete disregard for you inheritance if it meant losing that girl that you were the one that should take over here. Although, I must tell you, your desired position was actually a farce. I need you not to be the CEO of the Branch in Japan, but CEO of the company. If I let it known that I was stepping down as CEO before now, it would have cost much more time. Congratulations son, and may this business bring you even more joy than it did me. Oh, and you may relocate the head office to the office that is currently being finished in Japan, if you do not wish to relocate in New Zealand." Tamaki had grown far more mature in the past years and had been able to conceal his emotions much better than his high school self, but Tamaki just had not gained enough control to fight the shout of triumph that overtook him. Mr. Harwicke himself cracked a wide smile. "I do have one condition." Tamaki looked at him expectantly. "I must meet this girl, this Haruhi. If, God willing, I am still alive, I would like an invitation to the wedding." Tamaki beamed but answered carefully,

"She has to say yes first."

"She will. Oh, and promising to name your firstborn after me wouldn't hurt my opinion of you either." Mr. Harwicke laughed deeply and Tamaki knew in that moment that things would work out. He now had a job where he could support the woman he loved more than anything and their family. He could pay for all her schooling and he could be there for her whenever she needed him. Everything was perfect.

~~Stolen~~

Distantly, Haruhi was aware that Kyouya was out of bed and speaking in hushed, angry tones to someone. Since it pleased her for Kyouya to be out of bed, she disn't care at all who he was yelling at. Rolling over, in hopes of drowning the noise out, Haruhi tried to fall back Into her fitful slumber.

"I told you to be creative, not insane! How do you expect them to figure out where it's hidden!" The voice on the other end let out a small chuckle,

"Because, not only did I deliver the itinerary to a 'safe spot', I helped them find it."

~~Stolen~~

A/N: MAN this chapter was a booger! There were a lot of little things, little tidbits of information and such that needed to be slipped in. Plus, when you're trying to write the activities of multiple people at the same time, it's a little hard to get your point across while still making sense in the timeline, and I didn't want to leave gaping holes in the storyline. ANYWHO, hope you enjoyed it, even if it did seem like it had an overload of superfluous information and storyline! Please review and let me know what you think! : )