I decided as I was writing this chapter that my writing skills have grown so much since I started this story, it was a good idea to go back to the beginning and edit the heck out of everything. I think I did okay! Everything feels a little more tidy now. Nothing really big has changed, so there's no need to go back and re-read it if you're just here for the new update.

Anyways, here is some Livia "home life" that I have been looking forward to bringing into the story! I've hopefully done an okay job with the foreshadowing leading up to this! Enjoy!

GaijinPot Complex in Bunkyo-ku

Exact Location: Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan

Apartment Room 204

11:05

Alright, I'm here again on a Saturday, talking into my recorder while staring at an egg. A goddamn chicken egg. I'd like to remind you all that this is what we're being paid for me to do.

Trust me, I wish I could do something a little more in line with my work, but I've already read what correspondence I can get from the Tonnerre trials. It's chugging along, if you must know. Bastard has some good lawyers, but so do we. I can see myself being stuck watching over Kyoya and his posse for another few weeks. Though that's subject to change if they keep acting like-

The doorbell rang.

Livia pursed her lips and stood, already having a bad feeling about it. She walked over to her front door and, after checking through the peephole, opened the door and leaned heavily against the door frame.

"Is this going to become a regular thing?"

"Good morning, Liv-chan!"

Despite Livia's griping, she let the host club into her apartment. Haruhi pressed a warm cup of tea into Livia's hand which helped to ease some of the animosity growing in her stomach. Together, the group of eight trooped into Livia's sitting room and settled in the spots they had chosen the last time they'd been there. Livia shook her head before taking a long drag of tea. Humans really are creatures of habit.

"Don't blame us all for this visit."

"It was Honey-senpai's idea."

Livia gave the twins a glance before looking at Honey. He didn't seem at all upset about being thrown under the bus, nodding eagerly.

"Oh?" She questioned. "What for?"

"I wanted to invite you to spar with me! I got permission to use a private dojo this Sunday!"

"Sunday? You mean tomorrow?"

"Yup!"

"Okay… so why are the rest of you here?"

"We wanna watch!"

Livia blinked in response to Tamaki's outburst. "You wanna watch me fight? Again?" She trailed her gaze over the group before her, as if to say, Remember what happened last time?

Tamaki's excited look dimmed into a rather proud smirk, which Livia could not understand for the life of her. Especially when he opened his mouth and explained, "We've come to the conclusion that while you are scary when you fight, it's no different than when Honey-senpai fights! We think it would be entertaining now that we know what to expect!"

"Scary but entertaining…" Livia swore she could feel a headache starting to form just above her right eye. "I've worked hard to earn a scary reputation, so thanks I guess. But there are a few rules about me fighting in front of a crowd."

"We've seen you fight before though."

"When I had no other option. This is different. This would be for sport rather than out of necessity. I could probably find some loopholes for a one-on-one spar, but-"

The doorbell rang.

Whatever easy-going vibe had been floating in the air of Livia's apartment abruptly vanished as all eight teenagers turned towards the sound. For a few seconds, you could've heard a pin drop in the apartment.

"Someone's at the door," Honey whispered. He looked up at Livia even as he sank further into Mori's arms. "Why is someone at the door?"

Tamaki gave a weak laugh. "Were you expecting company, Livia?"

The blond quailed under the sharp glare Livia gives him in return. She returned her gaze back to the front door as she quietly slid out a handgun out from underneath a knick-knack on the bookshelf. She motioned for the others to stay still before walking carefully out of the sitting room and pulling the screen panel closed behind her. As she moved closer to the door she heard the faint sound of the panel sliding open just a little but she didn't turn around to investigate. Whoever was on the other side of the front door was more important than what the Host Club might see.

With one last plead for it to be a wrong address or Kiku breaking the rules to visit her, Livia let out a slow breath and brought her eye up to the peephole. A gasp fell from her lips and the host club shrunk backwards as she frantically fumbled with unlocking the door.

"Alfred!"

Hikaru was the first to peek out of the narrow opening. He watched as their mighty protector threw herself into the arms of the huge man standing just outside her door, her firearm no longer in hand but resting carelessly on the kitchen countertop beside the door. The man caught Livia with ease and laughed, swaying the girl from side to side in a tight hug, nearly knocking over the two suitcases at his sides.

In the living room, Hikaru's arms were shaking with exertion as he struggled to hold up Kaoru, Tamaki, and Honey who were all on his back. The four boys watched in silence as the man carried Livia back into the apartment and set her down. Now that he was closer, the man's broad chest and towering height were all the more noticeable. If it weren't for Livia's lack of alarm, the host club would've been in massive trouble. The man looked like he was capable of snapping each and every one of them in half if he so chose. His shoulders had practically swallowed Livia's frame whole during their hug.

"What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming!"

"Well, duh! That's kind of the point of a surprise!" Alfred's voice was large, too. Not loud, per say, but rich and attention grabbing. He brought his hands up and cupped Livia's face. Tamaki bit back a scream, closing his eyes just in case the man was a secret bad guy and was about to snap the girl's neck. Thankfully, he just bent down and gave her forehead a little kiss.

Glancing over his shoulder at the open door, Alfred brought one of his hands up to his face and stage-whispered to Livia, "I meant to smuggle some firecrackers over, but the Fun Police caught me."

"Better than the actual police, I would think," a new voice called out from just outside the apartment. A second passed and another man appeared at the door, pulling a black suitcase behind him. This man had a significantly thinner frame than Alfred and that wasn't where the differences ended.

Livia let out another gasp of delight and rushed the new man with another hug. "Sean!"

"Aww… are you jealous about me getting all of Livi's attention, Darling?"

The other man had smiled when accepting the hug from Livia only for it to drop at Alfred's words. A blush swept over his cheeks and he released Livia, busying himself with pulling the other two suitcases into the apartment from where Alfred had left them.

"Don't be absurd. And don't call me that! Hey-!" Sean released a muffled sound of fury from the depths of Alfred's chest muscles, the large man laughing as he moved the two of them further into the apartment and away from the door. Livia was also giggling, watching the two men as she shut and locked the front door, nudging the suitcases out of the way as she went. Sean was now dangling limply in Alfred's arms, one hand half-heartedly beating Alfred's chest with a loose fist.

"Complain all you want, Baby. I know you love my pet names, you're just embarrassed. But it's Livia. If there was anyone but her or Connor around, I wouldn't-"

Something fell in the living room with a muffled thump, followed by a soft yelp. Alfred and Sean froze in place, a look of intense fear flooding the taller man's face.

"You are so dead," Sean whispered before yanking himself out of Alfred's arms and straightening his clothes. "Livia, do you have guests over?"

"You could say that."

Without hesitation Livia pushed the panel to the side, revealing the entire Host Club. Half of whom were sprawled in a mess of bodies and limbs right where the small opening had been, Hikaru smashed flat at the bottom of the pile. The sight was almost funnier than the look of pure mortification on Sean's face as he stared at the witnesses to Alfred's affection. Livia leaned against the door jamb, the small smile and gleeful look in her eyes acting as cracks in her calm and collected image.

"Everyone, this is Sean and Alfred Blackburn. Sean? Alfred? This is the Ouran High School Host Club."

Sean offered a smile, though his embarrassment cast a certain strain on the corners. "It's nice to meet you."

The Host Club returned the sentiment, rushing to stand up so they could offer polite bows to the newcomers. Alfred, who had since overcome his temporary fear for his life, gave his own greeting and beaming smile, not bothering to hide his amusement when Tamaki was shoved a step forward by the twins.

"I- we are so sorry about eavesdropping! We didn't mean to sneak, we were hiding and waiting for Livia because-" Tamaki cut his own rambling off, a true character arc moment, and instead glanced heavily in Livia's direction. His eyes cut to Kyoya, then the Blackburns, and finally back to Livia in a plea for some direction. His concern for Kyoya's safety and Livia's job was actually very sweet, if not horrifically obvious. Livia had a feeling Tamaki couldn't lie to save his life.

Hopefully not literally.

Taking a little pity on her… friends… Livia smiled and explained, "Don't worry about secrecy, you guys. Sean and Alfred are retired R.A.R.E. agents, and Sean still helps out around the base I live at. They don't know the specifics of my mission, but they're cleared to know whatever it is I tell them about it, should I choose to divulge the information."

"Young lady, are you implying you keep secrets from us?"

"Well, I definitely don't tell you everything."

Livia laughed at how affronted the two men looked at her tease, a soft warm feeling spreading from her heart to the rest of her body. She hadn't realized until she saw James standing outside her front door how much she had missed them. Having them show up was the nicest surprise she could have asked for.

Which would explain why the universe decided it needed to make it uncomfortable.

"So, are you Livia's dads?" Haruhi asked innocently.

Turning away before Sean or James could look at her and see the hope in her eyes, Livia shook her head in response. "No. Not really. Come on, I'll explain it while they get settled. Sean and Alfred, you can put your things in my room."

"Right." Was it her imagination, or did Alfred sound a little disappointed? "Sean, how about you go with Livia. I'll move our things."

"Wait, Al-" Sean was stopped with a kiss to the cheek and a gentle nudge towards the sitting room. Before long, he, Livia, and the Host Club were sitting in a loose circle around the low table. The club members looked full to bursting with questions. In the back of her mind, Livia hoped to god they weren't going to grill her on the "dads" thing. She wasn't all that sure how to bring that particular topic up herself, but she did know she didn't want it spawned by a third party.

Kyoya, surprisingly, was the first to speak up and he asked Livia, "How did you first meet the Blackburns?"

"It was a few years ago." Livia drew out a pause as she thought on the specifics for a moment. "I can't remember exactly when, but Sean was teaching a first-aid class at the base. He has one every year since he works as a doctor and he's pretty good at teaching a lot of information at once. I got to know him better than most because my brother accidentally broke his elbow while Sean was around, and Sean ended up looking after his healing process. From there our relationship… spiraled."

Haruhi leaned forward, a hand out like she was nervously trying to hail a taxi. "How did your brother break his elbow?"

"Messing around on the obstacle course."

Haruhi sat back with a nod. "Naturally."

Sean cleared his throat and continued the story, "I had to return home before the elbow was fully healed, but I had grown fond of the two and told the administration that I wanted the Trasic siblings to visit me at my home so I could continue monitoring the process. Alfred wanted to meet them anyways. Apparently my stories about them caught his interest." He paused and Livia began again.

"My brother and I started spending more time at the Blackburn's home in England. Agents are allowed off-base for short periods of time like for field trips or classes. R.A.R.E. doesn't want to completely shut out its agents from the real world for multiple reasons that I don't have the time or patience to list completely. Anyways, since both Sean and Alfred are ex-agents, spending time with them was no issue so long as it didn't interfere with our education or training regimens."

The club members were slowly nodding their heads in understanding, everyone's eyes brimming with curiosity.

Tamaki, ever the romantic, asked Sean, "Did you meet your husband through R.A.R.E.?"

"Yes. We were bunkmates for 5 years. God, he was impossible."

"Aww, you love me, Sugar Woogums!" Alfred burst into the room and immediately scooped Sean into his arms before sitting down on the couch with Sean on his lap. "You wouldn't have married me if you didn't, so don't bother denying it."

Sean's face was so red it was starting to hint towards purple, but he couldn't seem to function enough to produce a response. In his defence, Livia also felt a little embarrassed by the other man's words. The next question couldn't come soon enough.

"Mr. Alfred? What do you do for R.A.R.E.?"

Alfred shrugged. "Nothing anymore. I just drive Sean and the Trasic kids to and from the airport."

"Oh? What do you do then?"

"I'm a lawyer. Sean and I stayed at R.A.R.E. longer than most because of our choices of study. If you stay as an agent through college they'll pay up to your Bachelor degree, and half of any schooling you take after that, disregarding any scholarships you earn. And they only cover half because usually after that agents are assigned fewer missions to help balance with classes and such."

Haruhi was gaping at Alfred, eyes huge as she took in the new information. "That would be so expensive…"

Livia raised an eyebrow at the other girl. "Just how little did you think we charge for these jobs?" Kyoya suddenly got a pained, sick look on his face and Livia wished she had just kept her mouth shut.

"Did you travel all around the world? You know, for work?" Kaoru got a funny look on his face. Livia understood. It was hard lumping R.A.R.E. and its agents in with what the Host Club considered as jobs.

Alfred hummed and leaned back into the couch cushion. "I guess you could say that. I'm not sure what Livia has told you, but most agents usually pick a few select countries or languages they can or are willing to work with. Sean only recently picked up Spanish and Japanese, so while he was an agent he mostly stuck to countries that primarily spoke English. I was registered as a North American agent, but I have a pretty good memory-"

"Your memory is photographic, of course it's good-"

"-so learning new languages has always been pretty easy for me. I ended up getting sent abroad on multiple occasions, even once to Japan. Speaking of… how's your father been, Suoh?"

Tamaki jumped in surprise at the question, and warily answered, "Fine. He's… fine."

Alfred nodded with a smile, not at all put off by Tamaki's lackluster response. "Good. I haven't seen him in years, of course, but it's always nice to know."

Tamaki blinked, then asked, "What about the agent who protected me?"

"Ah, yes. Adélaïde." Sean responded. "I believe she's working as a mechanic nowadays. She's a fairly… extravagant woman. If Livi's been truthful about you, I'd wager that you got a lot of your personality from her."

"Kyoya?" Alfred inclined his head towards the other side of the room, where Kyoya went from staring at an empty spot in front of his knees to jerking up into almost a perfect 90 degree angle. The curl in Alfred's lips unveiled his amusement, but his voice was calm as he continued, "You look like you have something you're thinking about pretty heavily?"

Kyoya hesitated for a moment. "I'm just… trying to connect some pieces."

"Such as?"

"I was just thinking that if Tamaki's father knew of R.A.R.E., either by being protected himself or because of his son, then is it possible my family learned of the organization from him? The Suoh's are one of the very few families my father might've revealed his concerns about my older brother's safety to."

Alfred let out a little hum, his gaze drifting up along the back wall and to the ceiling. "I suppose that has some reasoning. Are you suggesting that I am the reason Livi is here at all to protect you?"

"I don't know. Maybe? That's not exactly a question I want to spring on my father out of mere curiosity."

The awkward silence that came after Kyoya's admission thankfully didn't last very long. Though, Livia couldn't decide whether Haruhi spoke up to break the weird atmosphere or because she didn't even realize it was there. For such a smart girl, Haruhi wasn't all that skilled with reading social cues.

"Not that we think you're breaking any rules, but are you going to get in trouble for telling us about R.A.R.E. and your previous missions? Livia told me her surroundings are recorded and sometimes videotaped."

"Nah, don't worry about us!" Alfred waved his hand through the air, his boisterous attitude back in action. "I've read the R.A.R.E. contracts front to back and I know their rules by heart. Hopefully anyone who is listening to this in the future knows better than to try and kick up a fuss. I win my cases in court for a reason, you know."

"By being so loud you drown out the opposition?" Sean suggests. Livia rolls her eyes as Alfred lets out an offended noise in protest. They all knew damn well how proud Sean was of his husband's work. Even the Host Club was watching the two men with hints of amusement. The overpowering fondness between the Blackburns was hard to miss.

A low growl of Alfred's stomach put the bickering to an end.

"I suppose it's time for lunch and unpacking. Honey-senpai, I would be honored to duel with you tomorrow. Do you have a time you'd like to meet up?"

I'm going to cut off my official log for the day now. I should start thinking strategy and I don't think we need more of Alfred's bad flirting with Sean on this mission's record.

End l-

Yes, it is bad! Don't give me that! Why do you think Sean's laughing so hard?

Ugh. End log.

To quote the epitome of what it means to be a creator: "Started making it. Had a breakdown. Bon appétit."

This feels way too short for how long it took me to write. Although that's probably because I finally found books that I like to read again and got hooked on this one series by Ilona Andrews. Eh, I got it done in the end, so there's that at least.

I hope you guys are staying safe and sane. Also, please reach out to your friends and family every now and then. I can't begin to tell you what it's like to not hear anything from a good friend for months, especially in this climate.

See you all next chapter!