Wahh! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and once again for putting up with me! As soon as NaNoWriMo was over, I was able to focus on getting this chapter out (when I had spare time from all my school work; stupid term papers and finals…)! Happy late Thanksgiving, by the way! How weird is it that the holiday season is already here? I was out driving with my sister on our way back to school last weekend and it was a clear enough day that I able to see snow on the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and was like "Holy crap, it's winter?!" *sigh* How time flies…

Anyway huge, enormous "thank you"s go out to: Nekotsubasa, Arid Tundra, Dragi, ChibixLeon, flammula, Oreo, bliss, Maiden Masquerade, Clockwork Phoenix, ramen-is-my-goddess, An Antique Heart, Shinimegami7, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, DeNiSaY60, CloudedMirror89, Love-in-the-Stars, Aindel S. Druida, ooXloveXoo582, RealityInABottle, b4k4 ch4n, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, a-chan, YumiStar, shebajay, , xHanako, Becca86, MadeInHolland, Blah..., Lucia-luce, chibi heishi, SlippingSanity, IceySTAR., Bane-Dane, and LoneBoy7!! Thank you so much for putting up with me! This is another long chapter, lengthened by my guilt… ^^;

O

Chapter 14

Hearing the man beside him stifle a yawn, Squall broke his attention away from the surrounding woods to glance over at Cloud, the detective still looking relatively alert although dark rings were beginning to develop under his blue eyes. The marks were particularly prevalent against his pale skin in the moonlight. Tearing his eyes from the blonde's face, Squall looked back out towards the trees, "What time is it?"

Blinking at the break in the silence that had engulfed them, Cloud looked down at his wristwatch, "Oh. Ten minutes before our shift officially ends."

"Good." Squall knew Cloud was tired and, if he allowed himself to think about it for a moment he knew that he would find that he was ready for a break as well. But ten more minutes were definitely manageable. Before they went back inside though, he had some questions for Cloud that he didn't think the man would answer as truthfully while being listened in on, "How long are you, Axel and Roxas going to stick around?"

Squall had kept his voice low so as not to disturb those asleep in the cabin behind them and or the calm of the surrounding forest and Cloud followed suit, answering back in a whisper a moment later, "Until we think that no one is coming up after us. Luckily, it seems that we can depend upon the Organization to act as soon as they are able to find you so the fact that no one has shown up yet is comforting."

Squall gave a small nod, "And after that, I'm assuming we're going to be left up here?"

"That's right, until we can find somewhere better for you. If no one comes tonight then we'll probably head back in town tomorrow morning and have some food supplies brought up by around noon, along with your basic hygienic necessities and probably some better bedding. By then the generator should have kicked on, so you'll have a heater, hot water, and a fridge. The stove is propane, so you can you it whenever you want."

"And how long do we have to stay here for?"

Cloud looked back at him then shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know. As long as it takes for the Organization to calm down a bit or for us to find you a better safe house. This seems like a pretty good option to me though."

A soft grunt escaped Squall; he had to agree, to a point. The cabin had more luxuries than the SeeD barracks did, and the location was appropriately isolated from prying eyes. However, he still couldn't be completely comfortable with the idea of being trapped out here. When Cloud, Axel, and Roxas went back into town, they would take the one and only car with them, leaving them stranded up at the campsite. If anything happened, they would have to hike the forty miles or so back down to Twilight Town, which was a less than appealing idea. "I guess."

Glancing over, Cloud frowned a bit before moving closer, "What? Something you want to change about the plan?"

"I'll let you know when I figure out what."

Cloud smirked dryly at the response, his eyes looking up the slight two inches to meet Squall's own stormy gaze, "What, still not happy?"

Squall raised an eyebrow, "After all this, there's something I'm supposed to be happy about?"

"Hm, good point…" Turning his head to look back over into the forest, Cloud's face drew into a slight frown, "This day hasn't exactly gone to plan."

It was Squall's turn to smirk, "That's one of the biggest understatements I've heard all year."

"I've heard worse." Turning back, Cloud blinked as he found his face mere inches from his lead suspect's.

Squall too was surprised, he hadn't realized that they had moved closer to each other and yet here he was, drowning in Cloud's electric blue eyes. It must have been late and he must have been tired because suddenly all he could focus on was images of the night they spent together flashing through his mind. The detective's lips looked so enticing that he had to struggle to avert his gaze; this was certainly not the time nor the place. Breaking whatever sexual tension that was building between them, Squall swallowed and looked back towards the window into the cabin, "We can't do this."

Cloud blinked again before he took a quick step back, his eyes narrowing as he realized what had almost happened, "Do what?"

"Exactly." Letting out a sigh, Squall combed his fingers through his hair, "Is it time for us to go in now?"

The blonde looked back down at his wristwatch before shaking his head, "Close enough. Let's get Axel up."

Not even waiting to hear Squall's reply, Cloud pushed the front door to the cabin open, taking only a few steps in before he froze. Nearly running into his back, Squall gave him an annoyed scowl until he saw what had stopped the detective. In the bed in front of them, Axel was squished onto the bed with Roxas, the two not actually touching anything except their foreheads, due to the fact that they were sharing a pillow. It was apparently too much for Cloud though, the man's face flushing a light pink, Squall suspecting more from rage than embarrassment. He was just about to tell him to lighten up until his eyes drifted to the next bed over. Squall stiffened as he caught sight of Sora and Riku, sharing a bed. And if that wasn't bad enough, Sora had cuddled up against the silver-haired assassin, one of Riku's arms stretched out over the youth's waist. Feeling Squall freeze up beside him, Cloud followed his gaze, moving just fast enough to keep Squall from storming over and beating the crap out of his accomplice. Grabbing the SeeD's arm, Cloud kept his grip tight, his voice tight as he whispered, "Keep your cool."

"But—"

"Just let it go tonight, alright? We'll both let it go, it's too late to deal with this…Besides, you should let your brother sleep, he's had a rough day."

Frown deepening into a scowl, Squall wrenched his arm away but kept himself from lunging at Riku and throttling the man, if only for Sora's sake. Cloud was right, Sora had been through too much and he didn't deserve to be startled awake at midnight for something that probably accidentally happened. Well, it was probably an accident on Sora's part, he could easily see Riku orchestrating the whole event. Forcing down another wave of rage, he gripped the bridge of his noise, willing himself to calm back down. It was fine. It would be fine. It would be fine, because he would be able to smack Riku around tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Cloud was able to take out his own frustrations by delivering a quick kick to Axel's leg, a harsh whisper quieting the redhead as he started awake, "Get your ass up, it's your turn to keep watch!"

"Huh…? Oh, yeah." Rubbing a hand over his face, Axel slowly sat up, running his hand through his hair, the usual red spikes flattened from the pillow, "Fuck…it's midnight already?"

"That's right. Now who do you want to go out with to make sure you don't fall back asleep out there?"

Axel's eyes narrowed groggily, "Are you kidding, it's way too cold to sleep out there. But," he paused for a moment to scan the other inhabitants of the cabin, "hell, I don't know…"

Glancing around as well, Cloud crossed his arms over his chest, "Since I wouldn't let Leon wake Riku up, your choice is pretty much between Roxas or Zexion."

Pulling a face, Axel pushed the sheet off, "Well between Roxy and that weirdo, I think I'll go with Roxy."

Cloud's eyes narrowed, "If I find out anything has happened out there—"

"Relax will you? If it's too cold to sleep, it's way too cold to mess around. Cuddling, maybe, but nothing more than that."

"If I found out that anything happened out there—"

"Okay, okay," Axel held up his hands, "I get it. Nothing's gonna happen, as much as that sucks…" Muttering the last part, Axel turned and nudged Roxas awake, "Hey, wake up."

"Mnn, Ax…? Wha's up?"

Seeing Cloud twitch a little at the rather uninhibited tone in his little brother's voice, Axel nudged Roxas a little harder, "Wake up, Cloud says our shift is starting."

This seemed to knock a little sense into him and Roxas's blue eyes blinked open, "Huh? Oh…'sup Cloud?"

Glaring down, Cloud watched as Roxas pushed himself up a little before letting out a sigh, "Just get up. Axel decided that you'll be going out on watch with him. I don't think I have to explain how much shit you'll be in if I catch the two of you messing around."

Rolling his eyes, Roxas combed his fingers through his hair to try and get some of the tangles out, "I can take a guess…But," his face grew more serious, "do you think you'll be okay in here by yourself? I mean, you will be the only officer in here if anything happens."

Looking around, Cloud put his hands on his hips, "I think I can handle this lot, considering that three fourths of them are passed out. Besides, if anything does happen, I'd hope that you guys would notice."

Patting Roxas on the back, Axel stood up, "Your brother makes a good point Roxy, I'm pretty sure we'll hear it if any gunshots start going off."

Roxas frowned but it wasn't like he could really argue with that. "Fine."

Stepping forward, Cloud slipped his wristwatch off, "Here, take this. How long are you going to stay out for?"

Accepting the watch, Roxas groggily latched it around his wrist, fumbling with the latch before Axel had to take over, strapping it on for him as Roxas looked moodily up at Cloud, "How about until five in the morning…? Ugh, I can't believe that I just suggested that…"

Cloud nodded, toed off his shoes, and began to pull off his jacket, "That sounds good. By then, the sun will have just started to come up so we won't necessarily need to have anyone on watch after that."

Seeing him throw the jacket on the ground, Roxas leaned towards it as Axel pulled on his own trench coat, "Hey Cloud, lemme borrow that. I'm going to freeze out there."

"It's not going to fit you."

Roxas frowned as he grabbed the article of clothing off of the ground and slipped it on anyway, the sleeves falling down about an inch past his fingertips and the bottom of the trench nearly brushing against the ground, "It's way too late, early, whatever the hell time it is, to care…"

Grinning down at the smaller blonde, Axel shook the expression off before Cloud noticed then waved for Roxas to follow him out, "Alright. Do your best to get some shut-eye partner, we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow, er, today."

"Right." Watching Axel and Roxas shuffle out of the room and out onto the porch, Cloud let out a short huff before turning back to the bed. It was only then that he really noticed that there was only one of them. "Well this is just…awkward."

"What? Oh…" Squall followed Cloud's gaze and he immediately caught onto the situation. Awkward was putting it mildly. It wouldn't even have been so bad except that they had slept together and on that size of a bed, there was definitely nothing they could do to easily repress those memories.

Clearing his throat, Cloud sat down on the spot that until recently had been occupied by Roxas, "This doesn't have to be complicated. We just both have to be, mature about this, and simply focus on getting some sleep."

Looking at the half of the bed that had been reserved for him, Squall scanned the room for any other viable option. There was the hardwood floor, but he knew that he wouldn't get much sleep down there. Then there was the couch, but that was already taken up by a certain criminal mastermind. "Maybe I can get Zexion to switch…"

"I very much doubt it." Startled as a voice echoed back from said couch, Squall whipped his head around to see that Zexion's eyes were indeed open and glaring at him.

Throwing a glance over at Cloud, Squall narrowed his eyes, "Sorry, did we wake you?"

Shifting, Zexion crossed his arms over his lap, "I have yet to fall asleep, despite my attempts. Usually any insomnia I have can be accounted for by having too many things on my mind, but in this case my leg is making it difficult to sufficiently comfortable for sleep to come."

"So why won't you trade spots with me?"

"Because I have no desire to stand up. Besides that, I also have very little desire to lay in close contact with Detective Strife, no offense particularly meant Detective."

Cloud shrugged as he lay down in bed, "None taken, the feeling's mutual."

Squall snorted and glanced over at Sora and Riku. Guessing where his gaze had landed, Zexion let out a small hum, "You do not have to be so concerned about Riku, for the moment anyway."

Scowling, Squall turned his attention back to Zexion, "Easy for you to say, it's not your little brother on the line."

"Actually, I have been rather surprised by Riku's actions thus far."

"What do you mean?"

Thinking for a moment, Zexion took a breath before continuing, reminding Squall that the man was in pain, "I have known, known Riku for a while now and have seen him fall in and out of what he terms 'relationships'. In both his work and his love life, Riku enjoys having fragile things, or people, in his hands; the control inherent in that is what feeds him. Usually, his greatest pleasure comes from breaking them, but perhaps this time he is finding pleasure instead in protecting that fragile item."

Squall narrowed his eyes, "You seem to know a lot about it." That explained a lot about Riku's personality, but was that how Zexion thought as well?

Apparently understanding what Squall was implying, Zexion closed his eyes, "Do not give me that look. For me, Demyx is an escape to normalcy. He provides me with everything in life that my work does not. It allows me to keep my sanity."

"Hmph…" Maybe Zexion thought that Riku was changing but the fact that it sounded like most of Riku's other relationships has ended by him "breaking" his significant other, Squall still wasn't very enthusiastic about his brother associating with a guy like that.

Perhaps sensing Squall's returning desire to kill the silver-haired man, Cloud grabbed the pillow, "Good thing we already decided that you'd let them both sleep tonight. Now stop being a wuss and get over here."

Squall almost smirked, "Being a wuss has nothing to do with it." Pulling off his boots and setting his handgun on the rickety side table, he sat on the edge of the bed, "And why do you get the pillow?"

One of Cloud's eyes opened, "I deserve it after all the shit you've put me through."

This time Squall really did smirk as he slipped under the sheet, "Stop chasing us then."

"I don't think so; I've invested way too much into this to give up now."

"Good to know." Squall hesitated a second before laying down, his heart beating just a little harder as he found himself face to face with Cloud, "Stay on your side of the bed."

Cloud's eyes closed again and he smirked, "As long as you stay over there we won't have a problem…"

Letting out a breath, Squall balled up his leather jacket, using it as a make-shift pillow, and closed his eyes, "Whatever…" He knew what he was tired but he didn't know just how exhausted he was until he let himself unwind. With his brother sleeping in the next bed over, Riku and Zexion in the same room, and two police officers watching the front door, a feeling of momentary safety settled over him and he was able to drift off to sleep.

Squall woke to the feeling of the bed shifting next to him, his brow furrowing as the mattress dipped again. Momentarily forgetting where he was, he frowned in confusion. He was definitely not at home; the mattress was too deflated, the sheets smelt weird, and they were too thin. And why was the bed still moving? Letting his eyes flickered open, he took in his surroundings and everything from the day before came rushing back. Rolling onto his side, he found Roxas hovering over Cloud's side of the bed, trying to wake up his brother.

Seeing that he had woken up the wrong man, Roxas blanched slightly before giving a small, sheepish smile, his voice low as he whispered, "Sorry…"

Pushing himself up, Squall rubbed the back of his neck to try to work out a kink that had developed in the short hours he had been asleep, "…What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just time for us to come in."

Squall's eyes glanced up at the window to find that the sky outside had indeed begun to lighten. Eyes then traveling to the blonde laying beside him, he frowned, "Why do you want to wake him up?"

Roxas shifted his footing, "We, just need to talk about what we're going to do."

Grunting, Squall rested his head back down. He had a feeling he wasn't going to be allowed to eavesdrop, "It's funny, he came off as a light sleeper."

"He usually is. He must really be tired."

Closing his eyes again, Squall nestled in. He might as well try to get a little more rest, "Shake him harder then…"

He didn't need to listen for Roxas's response because a second later he felt the mattress give a few violent lurches as the smaller blonde shook his brother with more gusto. Hiding a smile as he heard Cloud start awake, Squall ignored the shift in the mattress as the his bed partner groggily untangled himself from beneath the thin sheet that served as their cover and rose to his feet. If he wasn't going to be a part of the conversation, he didn't see why he shouldn't catch up on a little more sleep. He would find out whatever decision the three law enforcement officers came up with soon enough anyway.

oOoOo

Checking back over his shoulder to make sure that Leon hadn't been too jostled when he had woken up, Cloud followed his brother back out to the porch of the cabin with a tired frown on his face. As the sunlight, dim though it was, hit his eyes he could already tell that this was not going to be a good week for his migraines. It was true that he usually got about the same amount of sleep on any other given day but usually it didn't come after such a stressful day at work. For a moment he almost envied Leon; at least the man was going to be able to sleep in for a little longer. Damn it, Cloud had been strangely comfortable in that small bed too…maybe it was just the sensation of sleeping next to another person again.

Roxas's voice shook him out of his daydream as Axel closed the cabin door behind them, "Why the hell were you sleeping in the same bed as Leon?"

Axel's face fell and Cloud, not wanting to admit anything to his younger brother, came up with an explanation as he hid an involuntary yawn behind his hand, "Because those were the only spaces left open to sleep in. I wasn't about to sleep on the floor and I didn't want to fight him for the bed."

"Sure, like that's the only reason…"

Cloud gave Axel a warning glare but it was too late; Roxas had caught the mumbled words, "What do you mean?"

"He didn't mean anything. He's just being an ass."

"Hey, I've been bored out here for the past five hours watching nothing but the sun rise, I deserve to be in a bad mood."

Looking around, there were clear signs that Axel had indeed been bored if the dozen or so burnt out cigarette butts had anything to say about it, "You're going to give Roxas second-hand lung cancer."

"I was downwind."

Before they could get too off-track again Roxas threw up his hands, "Wait! We need to talk about what we're going to do now! Now that we survived the night, what are we going to do with those four?"

Cloud let out a sigh; it was way too early in the morning to try and draw up any kind of plan, "Well, since it doesn't look like the Organization managed to follow us out here, they should be relatively safe up here for now." Shivering a little as the early morning chill began to seep in through his shirt, Cloud eyed the jacket Roxas had borrowed from him last night. He wasn't going to ask for it back but he was beginning to wish he had brought a spare. "For the moment, I guess the only thing we really can do is try to mediate things from our end in Twilight Town. Try to calm down the Organization, at least find a more permanent solution to Leon, Zexion, and Riku going into hiding. For the short term, when we go back in town today, one of us should probably come back up with some more supplies."

Axel leaned back against the rickety railing lining the porch, "So we're going back today then?"

"I think so. We have too many things that we should be doing in the office. Not only do we now have to try and develop our case on these guys but we have to make sure that they survive long enough to see their punishment, all the while apparently avoiding mentioning anything to anyone else in the station."

Roxas tilted his head, "Why's that?"

"That's right, you were out of the room when I told Axel. Apparently we have a spy for the Organization embedded within the Twilight Town PD."

Roxas started, "What?! No way, who is it?"

That's the sort of reaction that Cloud had been expecting from Axel as well: complete and utter horror and astonishment, an expression that looked like you had just been slapped across the face. That's how he had felt. "That's just the thing, I don't know."

"How do you know they're there then?"

"Leon told me, and, as much as I hate to say it, it makes sense. The Organization has been able to keep step with every angle of our investigation so far, so they must at least have access to some kind of inside information. It's actually good that this came up because, Rox, you have to promise that you won't leak information out to anyone besides Axel and I until we get this thing sorted out."

"What are you going to do?"

"I figure I'll take it up with Head Detective Fisher directly. Since he's our supervisor, maybe he can get an official investigation of the matter set up and figure out who the rat is…"

Roxas looked impressed by the idea, "Really? That guy has always scared me a little."

Cloud had to admit, the man was a little intimidating, especially his appearance, but that didn't mean he was a bad guy. "He just takes a while to get used to I guess."

Axel, who had remained strangely quiet during their conversation, finally spoke up, his tone unusually thoughtful, "…I don't know if it would be a good idea to set up an investigation into the department yet. After all, if we spook the Organization's informant, we might loose control of our case."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, "How's that?"

Shrugging lightly, Axel straightened up, "Maybe we'd force the Organization to take more drastic measures to protect themselves. I'm not sure. All I'm thinking is that it might be a better idea to wait until after we wrap up our current project first."

Both blondes hesitated at the idea but after a few seconds Roxas gave a small nod, "I get it…if we threaten Organization, they might go on the offensive, maybe even target us along side those guys." Motioning with his head back into the cabin, the look on his face clearly showed his distaste at the idea of being associated with the criminals.

Still not completely convinced but knowing that he was out-voted two to one, Cloud decided to let the notion go for now. He would need Axel's and maybe even Roxas's support if he wanted to convince their supervisor to start up such an sensitive investigation so he was going to have to wait until they were fully on board. "Fine. We'll leave that until after we close this case, but it definitely needs to be addressed before the informant has time to slip any further under the radar. Either way, we still have plenty on our plates."

"Which means that we should get back to the office." Pulling his car keys out of his jacket pocket, Axel squinted up at the sun, "It'll probably be around the start of the day shift back at the station if we take off now. That would leave us a good amount of time to pull together some goods to send back up here."

Cloud nodded. He was anxious to get back as well. The faster they put together enough evidence to send Leon, Zexion, and Riku to trial, the faster they would be able to return to their own departmental investigation. "Sounds good. You guys go ahead and get back in the car, I'll let them know we're leaving."

As both Roxas and Axel gave a nod, Cloud stepped back towards the cabin and pushed open the front door. He had only taken a step inside when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he turned to find Zexion sitting completely upright on the couch.

The man calmly raised a brow at the detective's surprise, "So, you are leaving then?"

"You heard?"

"Nearly every word. Next time, I would advise you to take your conversation further away from the cabin if you wish to maintain your privacy in the future."

"I thought you were asleep."

"Unfortunately I have not gotten a single wink of sleep all night. When you go into town, by the way, I would be very much obliged if you could find me some pain killers. And not the weak variety either. I have a prescription from my physician if you need it but I am sure that the police have some sort of private pharmacy you can access."

Cloud relaxed only a bit as he walked further into the room towards Leon's prone figure. It looked like the man had actually been able to fall back asleep. "I'll see what I can do."

Zexion nodded, the criminal schemer watching with his piercing gaze as Cloud approached Leon's side of the bed and shook the SeeD's shoulder. That slight movement was all it took to bring Leon out of his slumber, the man's gray eyes flashing open and immediately locking onto Cloud. Pulling his hand back, Cloud crossed his arms over his chest, "Roxas, Axel and I are taking off to go back to Twilight Town. Zexion can apparently fill you in later but basically one of us will be back in a few hours to bring you more supplies for your temporary stay here. Is there anything you need?"

Pushing himself up onto his elbows, Leon shook his bangs out of his face, his voice rumbling as he spoke, "No, I don't need anything…except…" Leon fell silent for a moment, as if in deep thought, before he leaned down and fished something out of one of the pockets on his jacket which he had left on the floor. It was a key. "Here. It's to my house, so don't lose it. And don't make a copy of it. If I find you in there without my permission or a court warrant, I will kill you."

Annoyed by the fact that Leon thought he would illegally make a copy of his house key, Cloud frowned, "What the hell are you giving it to me for then?"

"I need you to get Sora's medicine out of his room. It'll be bad if he goes without it for more than twenty-four hours. There's about half a dozen different bottles on his nightstand, just bring them all. And remember to lock the house up after you're done."

Cloud rolled his eyes but accepted the key, "I think I can manage that." Of course, that meant that he had just obliged himself to drive all the way out to Traverse Town and back before someone made the supply trip. And since his car wasn't going anywhere any time fast, that meant that he was probably going to have to borrow Axel's car or take the train out.

"After this afternoon, when are you going to be back?"

"We can try to get someone to come up here everyday to make sure you haven't killed each other yet or been found out by the Organization." Lifting his head up, Cloud glanced around the small space, his eyes gliding from Sora and Riku to Leon over to Zexion on the couch and finally back to Leon, "If you don't cause any trouble and cooperate, this could be a good opportunity to earn points in court." Leon let out a soft snort and Cloud was pretty sure the argument was lost on the thief. Whatever, no one could say that he didn't try… "Then just behave yourself for the sake of making sure no one gets injured any more than they are now. At this point, a trip to the hospital would be way more trouble than it would be worth."

Leon frowned in response and Cloud took that as a sign for him to leave. Axel and Roxas were undoubtedly getting anxious in the car anyway. Walking towards the cabin door, Cloud paused as his finger touched the door knob, "By the way, no one other that one of the three of us should come up here. If anyone else drives in, they might be with the Organization, even if they're police. So, unless we tell you otherwise beforehand, if you see a stranger, it would probably be a good idea to subdue them. And by subdue I don't mean kill. You don't need any more murders on your rap sheet."

Leon's eyes narrowed, "I'm sure we'll be able to take care of ourselves."

"I know. That's what I'm worried about…" Muttering the last part, Cloud took his leave, closing the cabin door firmly behind him before making his way down to the awaiting car.

oOoOo

As he listened to the sound of Cloud's retreating footsteps echoing off of the wooden slats of the short staircase outside, Squall waited until he heard the sound of a car door opening and slamming before speaking up, his question directed towards Zexion, "What are you thinking?"

"I am thinking that we have gotten ourselves into quite an unpleasant situation." Zexion paused as they heard noise of an engine being revved up before the sound of Axel's car pulling out of the campgrounds reverberated throughout the cabin, "It would be wise to find a way out; if that is left up to the detectives, we will undoubtedly find ourselves being freed from this backwater dump only to be put behind bars."

Sitting up more, Squall leaned back against the wall of the cabin that had also served as their headboard, "And how are we going to do that? We're pretty much isolated up here since they just drove out the only vehicle. I was paying attention on the way up and by foot it would probably take at least a day to reach the edge of Twilight Town hiking directly through the foothills."

"Obviously we'll need to get a car somehow then, huh?"

Squall and Zexion both looked over to see Riku roll over so that he was facing them, the silver-haired man wide awake. Craning his neck to see that Sora was still fast asleep behind the assassin, a frown stretched back over Squall's face, "When did you wake up?"

"A while ago. It's pretty hard to sleep when so many people are talking. What I think is the real question here is why did you give up your house key so easily to Cloud?"

Squall's frown deepened as he growled out, "Maybe I should ask you why the hell you're sharing a bed with my brother instead."

"So you have the hots for the detective, huh? It's weird, I wouldn't of thought that'd be your type."

"Would you shut up?"

Squall's warning had the opposite effect however as Riku rose a silver brow, "Oh, so it's serious then. Have you slept with him yet?"

"Riku…"

"That's a big 'Yes'. You realize that this is probably going to cause huge problems for us later on, right?"

Shaking his head, Squall sent a Riku a dark glare, "Nothing's going to happen because nothing's there."

"I hope so." That had been Zexion this time, Squall feeling a little as if were being ganged up on as the man spoke up from his seat on the couch, "If Riku is right, the situation is more complicated than I had originally anticipated as we will not be able to count on you to do what is necessary to improve our situation."

"I'll do whatever needs to be done."

"Doubtful. But this is something that we can be able to overcome with some more planning. Riku was right when he said that we will need to get a car, the only question is how to do so. Since you have a personal connection with the detective you will probably be unwilling to help us incapacitate whoever comes up with supplies in order to steal their car. Besides, I am sure that they will come prepared to face such a situation…"

Riku leaned his head onto his palm, "I guess you'll just need to figure out something sneakier."

"Give me a few moments and I will come up with something."

Flopping down onto his back, Riku let out a heavy sigh, "Don't strain yourself. You have at least a few hours before we have any more company."

At the reminder, a heavy silence settled down throughout the cabin and Squall knew that nearly identical thoughts were running through all three of their minds. How the hell were they going to survive being stuck out together for so long?

Their fears, it turned out, were valid ones. While Squall was able to put up with Zexion and Riku for short periods of time or while under the stress of a heist, living with them was something else entirely. Having considered himself a man with a good deal of patience, Squall was pretty sure his limits were going to be tested when halfway through the first day he already wanted to strangle Riku and suffocate Zexion with a pillow. Luckily, Sora had slept in until about ten in the morning so he hadn't gotten the full brunt of it, and Squall had a sneaking suspicion Sora's presence was pretty much the only reason Riku was behaving himself at all.

Desperate to get out of the cabin, Squall grabbed Sora and they explored the surrounding woods for a while. It was a welcomed escape and Squall actually felt himself being able to calm back down. Although Sora had been relatively withdrawn for the last few hours, probably because he was understandably concerned about their situation, the teen was able to revert back to his old self as he climbed over fallen tree trunks and clamored through the underbrush. It reminded Squall of how adventurous his brother really was and he felt a little better about having to drag him into this mess.

After about four hours of roaming randomly through the forest, Squall decided that they should probably go back before it got dark and herded Sora back towards the cabin. He had been paying attention to where they were going for the most part and together they didn't have too much trouble finding their way back. Breaking into the clearing where the cabins were placed, Squall paused momentarily as he spotted a car sitting in front of their cabin, holding Sora back for a second until he was a hundred percent sure that it was one of the detectives or Roxas. Finding nothing to be immediately suspicious of, he continued to walk forward, truly relaxing only when he recognized the voices from inside the cabin. It was only Cloud then.

Before his hand could reach the door knob, the front door to the cabin was flung open to reveal the said blonde detective, Cloud glaring down at Squall as he and Sora walked calmly up the front steps of the porch, "Where he hell have you been?"

"Just taking a walk with Sora. You never said that we couldn't have a look around."

Cloud put his hands on his hips, "You can't just go wandering out into the woods for hours without letting someone know where you're going! When we come up, we need to able to verify that every single one of you is still alive and breathing before we leave."

Squall let Sora squeeze past him, an annoyed look coming over his face as the teen walked straight over to where Riku was sitting at the small kitchen table, a large pile of goods stacked up on the tabletop, "Good to know for next time. Is that what you brought?"

Glancing back, Cloud grudgingly let the problem of Squall's wandering drop, "That's right. It's just the basics; some food, a few pots and pans, water bottles. I managed to dig up some more blankets and pillows so the beds but since the heater's usable again, you shouldn't need too many. I already showed Zexion how to use the heater and the generator while you were out traipsing through the forest by the way, so if you have any questions ask him."

"What about Sora's medication?" Sora perked up at his name and walked over as Cloud nodded and pulled a bag from the large pocket of his trench coat.

Seeing that it was filled with his medicine, Sora let out a small gasp, "I totally forgot about that with everything going on! Ugh, I should probably take some of that now…"

Accepting the bag from the detective, Sora wandered back over to the table to try and dig out one of the bottles of water as Cloud retrieved Squall's house key from the same pocket, "And I this is yours I believe. And no, for the last time, I did not make a copy of it." Squall, having been about to comment, closed his mouth and instead took the key back from Cloud, "You're very good about not hiding any evidence by the way. Nothing in your house can connect you to anything at any of the crime scenes. There was that patch of blood on your SeeD uniform, but I guessed that was from an actual battle."

Squall bristled a bit at the thought of the blonde going into his room and riffling through his closet, "You went through my stuff?"

Cloud shrugged, "The opportunity presented itself, I would've been a moron to turn it down. Anyway, I need to get back to the station before anyone gets too curious." Turning so that he was addressing all of them, "Is there anything else anyone needs? If you don't tell me now, you'll have to wait to tell whoever comes tomorrow and then you won't get it until the day after that."

Riku looked up from his investigation of their dinner options, "Some sort of entertainment would be nice. I was about to shoot myself out of boredom today…"

"Which reminds me," Pushing himself up off of the couch, Zexion used his crutches to limp over to the where Cloud and Squall were standing. Cloud must have brought some pain killers with him too then. "I believe that we could use more ammunition. Unless Riku or Leon have a hidden supply of shells with them, we are almost out thanks to that little car chase yesterday."

Cloud just stared back at the man, "So you really think that I'm going to give three criminals more ammo?"

"If you want us to be able to defend ourselves out in here if the Organization shows up then yes, you will."

Squall was surprised to see that Cloud actually seemed to consider the proposition before the blonde shook his head, "I don't think so. I have a feeling the three of you would be able to figure something out."

With that, Cloud gave a quick nod to excuse himself and walked out of the cabin and back to into his car, driving away not a minute later. Turning to Zexion, Squall raised a brow, "You actually expected that he'd give us more ammo?"

"I figured that it would be worth a try. But, now that the question has been raised, how many more shots do the both of you have?"

Frowning, Squall pulled out his handgun, which he had had tucked under his belt all day. He was starting to wish that he had thought to ask Cloud to pick up his side holster when the detective had gone to his house. Checking the clip, Squall sighed, "I only have five shots left…I used up all of my extra clips during the chase."

"I'm down to about three shots."

Squall let out a breath. "You don't have a gun on you, right Zexion?"

"That is correct."

That meant that between them they only had eight shots left if something were to happen. Even with their skill, that was going to make it very hard to survive if the Organization actually did show up. "We should probably find a way to get out of here as soon as possible then. Staying all together in one place like this for too long will make it easy for the Organization to hunt us down."

No one seemed to disagree with him. Grabbing two boxes of macaroni and cheese from the mix of stuff on the table, Riku looked up at Zexion, "So, have you come up with that plan yet?"

"It is coming along." Zexion paused, eying the box of mac and cheese in the silver-haired man's hand, before a thoughtful look managed to pass through his eyes, dulled though they were from the pain meds. "In fact, how would you feel about leaving tomorrow?"

Motioning for Sora to dig a pot out, Riku leaned against the kitchen counter, "Tomorrow? You don't think that's putting our necks back out there a little too soon?"

"No. More than twenty four hours will have passed. The Organization may be keeping an eye out, but they will probably not be expecting so quick of a return. Besides, the detectives are not the only ones with business to take care of."

Squall narrowed his eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"Revenge. I am talking about revenge."

For the rest of the night, Squall, Riku, and Zexion planned for the next day, Squall giving up trying to keep Sora from listening since there was no where else the teen could really go besides the cabin. Their immediate focus was how to get out of their isolation and back into Traverse Town, the actual plan not as simple as it sounded. To get out of the campsite and at least down into Twilight Town they would either have to walk or wait until one of the police officers came up with a car that they could use to get back down to the coast. Then there came the question of if they did use one of the cops' cars, how would they do that? Would they incapacitate the cop, no matter who it was, and just steal the car, or was there another way to get a rid into town?

Settling out all of the disagreements between them, it was well into the early hours of the morning by the time they had worked out all the small details. Sora had passed out sometime around midnight on one of the beds, which Squall was thankful for, and he quickly claimed the spot next to his brother to sleep in before Riku could get any ideas. The gunman just rolled his eyes and jumped onto the other bed, "Stay on your side Zex, or I'll push you off, broken leg or not."

Brow twitching in annoyance, Zexion leaned his crutches against the wall before sliding in under the covers, "We will not have any problems as long as you keep your hands to yourself."

Tuning out the rest of their whispered argument, Squall rolled over so that he was facing away from them and towards Sora. The boy looked so peaceful in his sleep…although he knew that that would be ruined in a few minutes as soon as Sora started to flop around like he usually did in his sleep. Closing his eyes, Squall willed sleep to come quickly; they had a busy day planned out for tomorrow.

Roxas checked anxiously in the rear-view mirror as he drove up to the police training camp, expecting to see a black Organization vehicle following him at any second. He didn't know why Cloud had made him come up today, he and Axel weren't doing anything other than going down to the lab to process evidence.

Letting out a long breath to try and calm his nerves, Roxas's spirits were picked up a little as he caught sight of the gate to the camp from behind a row of trees up ahead. At least he was almost there. But then again, maybe that wasn't the best thing, considering "there" was the temporary hideout of three expert, no-nonsense criminals, and their unfortunate tag-along. He had been shocked yesterday when Cloud returned and reported that they had been relatively compilable, except for a little issue having something to do with Leon wandering around.

As he drove into the campsite, it was clear that no one was doing any wandering today. Leon and Sora were out in front of the cabin and it appeared as though the older Leonhart was trying to show the younger how to use his handgun. Making sure that they saw him, Roxas slowed his pace and parked at a distance from their make-shift gun range. He definitely did not want to be in the path of any stray bullets and it would be almost as bad if the car got hit. He was borrowing Axel's and the redhead would kill him if it came back with battle scars. He would've taken Cloud's but it was still in the shop; one of the first things the blonde had done once he got back to Twilight Town was to call up a tow truck to get his car but it was still with the mechanic and probably wouldn't be ready until the end of the week. Apparently it needed a lot of work.

Stepping out of the car, Roxas saw Riku walk out of the cabin, the man giving Roxas a small, smug smile which instantly put him on guard. Pretending like everything was fine, Roxas grabbed the small bag of groceries Cloud had packed him with and shut the car door, speaking loud enough so that Riku could hear him on the porch, "How's everything going?"

"Fine I guess. Still boring as hell."

"Oh, right!" Digging around in his pocket, Roxas pulled out a deck of cards and threw it at Riku who caught it easily, "Cloud says those are for you."

"Oh, cards. Fun…"

Ignoring the sarcasm dripping from the man's voice, Roxas instead continued on cautiously to where Leon and Sora were standing, "And what are you guys doing over here?"

Leon glanced over his shoulder at him before turning back to his younger brother, the shorter brunette uncertainly holding Leon's handgun with both hands in the ready position. "I figured that it's about time I teach Sora how to use a gun properly."

Roxas narrowed his eyes, "Are you actually going to shoot something?"

He was answered by a shrug. "Probably just one shot into the dirt. We apparently have a shortage of ammunition so it'd be stupid to waste it on target practice."

"Alright, well, just don't hurt yourselves I guess." Roxas lifted up the bag in his hand, "I'm going to go put this stuff inside."

"Thanks."

Giving the man a nod, Roxas nonetheless kept Sora and the gun in the teen's hand in his peripheral vision as he walked up to the cabin, brushing by Riku who was watching the brothers from the porch. Pushing the door open, Roxas glanced around to find Zexion sitting on the couch scribbling something down on a pad of paper. He immediately recognized the pad of paper and pen as some of the things they had put together for the felons yesterday morning. "What are you working on?"

Zexion glanced up once, not seeming surprised by the blonde's presence, before going back to whatever he was writing, "Nothing much. However, since you are here, I have a favor to ask of you."

And Roxas was instantly back on guard. Setting the bag of food down on the rickety table, he eyed Zexion suspiciously. From what Cloud and Axel had told him, and from what he had seen for himself, Zexion was the real brains behind their operations so it would probably be a bad idea to underestimate the man, even when he was nearly incapacitated by a broken leg. "What is it?"

Setting down the pad of paper, Zexion gave his full attention to the policeman, "I was wondering if I would be able to use your cell phone. You see, mine ran out of power quite a while ago and I am worried that my friend has gotten in trouble because of what has happened."

Roxas frowned and thought it over. He was a little wary about letting the man use his cell phone but it seemed kind of cruel to not let the man make his call. Especially since he was pretty sure what "friend" Zexion wanted to call. "Fine." Pulling his phone from his pants' pocket, he walked over to the couch and passed it to the schemer, "I only get one bar up here so it might cut out on you...But put it on speaker phone so I can hear who you're calling and what you're saying. I'm not going to let you pull anything on me."

"Of course, that sounds reasonable considering the situation." Brushing a strand of hair out of his face, the man held the phone up to his ear after dialing a number from memory. As soon as someone picked up on the other end of the line, Zexion put it on speaker, "Demyx? Are you there?"

"Oh my god, Ienzo?! Are you alright?"

"Relax Demyx, I am fine. I am…in hiding for the moment. You are, by the way, on speaker phone, so please do not say anything too embarrassing."

"Don't worry, I won't! I'm just so glad you're alright! What happened?"

"We were met with some unfortunate circumstances but things have begun to settle out. What about you, did anyone else come after you after I left?"

"No. Well, someone drove by but I'm not even sure they were the same people, you know? Anyway, Xigbar scared them off by giving them that death glare of his. Or maybe it was the rifle he was holding…Either way they're gone now, so no problem."

Zexion ran his free hand through his hair and Roxas could pretty much feel the worry rolling off of him, "Yes, well, just try to remain inside for a few more days."

"Aw, alright. But the band won't be happy, we were supposed to do a gig tomorrow night."

"Call in sick; surely you deserve an occasional break." Looking up, Zexion let out a small sigh, "I should probably get off the line soon. I just wanted to call to see whether or not you were okay."

Roxas heard Demyx's voice soften even from where he was standing, "I'm glad you did. I was worried sick about you so it's nice to hear that you're, you know, alive and stuff. Oh! Is your leg giving you any problems?"

"Nothing that is not bearable. I am not sure when I will be able to call next, but I will try to check in again within the week."

"Okay! I'll be waiting! Take care of yourself, alright?"

"You too. Good-bye Dem."

"Bye Ienzo! Love you!"

Rolling his eyes, Zexion looked away from where Roxas was standing, muttering a quick, "You too" before ending the call. The man still managed to maintain his composure as he passed the phone back to its owner, "Thank you."

"S'alright." Shifting awkwardly, Roxas pocketed his cell phone, "Look, I wouldn't have minded if you said more of a good bye to him. He's really your boyfriend, right?"

Zexion paused before he gave a small smirk, "That is correct. I suppose you are not quite as oblivious as I had thought."

"I do know a lot about your case you know. But, if you're done now, I need to get back into Twilight Town. I have a major backlog of paperwork to get through…" Ugh, he had almost forgotten about that huge stack of papers waiting for him back on his desk in all of the excitement.

"Very well. I do not believe that there is anything more that we need here."

"Good. One of us will be back tomorrow anyway to check up on you guys." Checking once around the room to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, Roxas turned back towards the door. Stepping outside, he spotted Sora and Leon still at it, although by the way Leon was lining Sora up, it looked like he was about to have the teen try to take a shot into a tree trunk about twenty feet away. Jumping in the car, he started it up, not wanting to wait around or mess the kid up by driving around when he was aiming. Making a tight U-turn, he glanced up at the rear-view mirror back at them and shook his head. If they were already this bored today, he hated to think about what they were going to be like for whoever came up tomorrow. And he was going to make sure that it wasn't going to be him.

oOoOo

Waiting until he heard the car drive out of the campgrounds, Squall rested a hand on Sora's back as the boy lined up his shot, "That's enough."

Letting out a breath, Sora smiled shakily up at his brother, "Did I do alright?"

"You did great. And I think you might have actually learned something."

Sora's grin grew stronger, "I think I actually did too!"

Tapping his brother's forehead, Squall smirked back, "Just remember, if you ever have to actually fire it, you'll have to be ready for the recoil. Even on a handgun the kickback can be pretty strong."

Nodding, Sora delicately handed the weapon back to Squall who stuck it back into his belt. As they both turned towards the cabin, Squall saw Zexion coming out to stand on the porch, the man looking positively self-satisfied. It probably helped his mood that he had the chance to speak with Demyx. "Well? Did the plan go through?"

Shielding his eyes from the glare of the setting sun, Squall nodded again, "Worked like a charm. The kid didn't seem to suspect a thing."

"That is because we both provided him with a decent, believable distraction to keep his attention diverted. He clearly did not want to be in the area when Sora there fired off a practice round, which was even better."

Sora's brow furrowed slightly, "Do you think that Riku's okay?"

Zexion didn't look at all concerned, "I am sure this is not the first time that man has stowed away in someone's trunk. With any luck, he will be able to escape soon after Roxas returns to the station and quickly find us a car."

Squall looked down at Sora then nudged his little brother who was still looking a little worried, "Let's get something to eat before Riku gets back and pack up a bag for us to take with us."

"Sounds good! Will you guys have food where you're going?"

The working plan was that they would drop Sora off with Demyx to stay for a few days while the rest of them finished up their business from their traditional headquarters in Traverse Town. Neither Demyx nor Xigbar for that matter knew anything about the plan, but Zexion had assured Squall that both men would probably be fine with the situation. At Sora's question Squall turned to Zexion who thought for a moment, "I believe our 'office' does contain an emergency supply of food. However, it would probably be best to bring back as much of Twilight Town's generous donations as possible. With any luck, we will not have to be there for very long but you can never be too careful."

Riku didn't disappoint any of their expectations. About an hour after Roxas had left the camp, the sound of a car engine returned to the clearing, headlights cutting through the building darkness as it drove straight up to the cabin. Looking up from the food he had been packing into one of the bags, Sora's face brightened and he ran to the door, throwing it open before Squall could even warn the teen to be cautious, "Riku! You're back!"

The silver-haired man was smirking as he walked up the steps and into the small building, giving Sora a quick pat on the shoulder before turning to his accomplices, "So? Did that go perfectly or what?"

Walking over to the window, Squall let out a small noise of surprise, "Well you could have done worse." Outside was a fast-looking luxury vehicle that was just flashy enough to have a sort of sex-appeal, which undoubtedly attracted Riku to it in the first place, and yet not stand out too much on the road.

Even Zexion seemed mildly impressed at the find, "You made good time."

"Yeah, I only had to go across the street from the station to find that so it didn't take me too long."

Zexion raised a brow, "Stealing a car across from the police station. Brazen, yet I suppose I should not have expected anything less from you."

Riku's smile spread, "The gas tank is even full. Now, who's ready to get out of this hellhole and remind the Organization exactly who they're messing with?"