As the least effected by the tumultuous night, Jovi was the first to go to bed. He left his daughter with a kiss on the forehead and gave Chandra some kind of pat on the back that could be described as one quarter of a hug. It was a nice gesture that evoked conflicting feelings between her admiration of his light hearted actions from earlier and the guilt of what she tried to do to his daughter.

Speaking of, since they had left the police station, Liliana hadn't spoken a word and seemed to be pretending Chandra didn't exist. The goal of keeping her out of trouble with her mother seemed obtainable. The dream of them having any sort of relationship by morning was questionable.

After her dad left, Liliana wasn't the only one keeping quiet as she stared into the distance. Chandra held her gaze to the floor, looking up in quick flashes to scan her sister for any kind of emotional reaction. Pia had her backs turned to both of them, hopefully she's just trying to calm down. It seemed like the world would be at a standstill well past the approaching sunrise until Liliana finally spoke up.

"Mom." Even with that one word, the shame in her voice was too authentic to be doubted, " I truly am sorry." Pia didn't acknowledge it. Their mother's fingers just began tapping against the counter, building in speed and volume and with no facial expression to read, it felt like this was a crescendo of anger and the two girls dared not even breathe.

With one final taptaptaptap, Pia turned with a face of indifference which did little to sooth their nerves, but they were finally able to exhale when she – after a loud, dramatic sigh - spoke with warmth. "I'm just glad you two are finally both home."

This left both her daughters with reserved smiles though it wore Chandra out considering the implications. She had been so preoccupied with Liliana's stress that her mother's had slipped through her line of sight.

We've both run away multiple times, my flashbacks, I almost died, that thing with...Ra Chandra shook her head to quiet it and focus on the task at hand. She didn't wait for her mother to make another move – bounding through living room and clutched onto her like she would have as a child while whispering, "I'm going to make this up to you – to all of you."

"You better." Chandra could feel the glow from her mother's face as they sealed the pact that the young woman would be less troublesome. Her and Liliana were probably still in trouble, or at least on probation but there was a hopeful air in the room as Pia went to hug her step daughter who looked reluctant to accept it with all the guilt she felt. Their mother refused to end it until Liliana finally leaned into it; Chandra could feel how tight the embrace had become in her own chest and it was clear how badly they both needed it.

With that Pia scuttled off to get some much needed sleep, leaving the two girls alone under dim light – neither daring to say a word. Chandra had no idea what her sister was thinking but she did know it was time to keep her mouth shut. Talking, doing anything at all, she figured was a mistake. Every time she tried to do the right thing, it failed, so doing nothing seemed like the best idea.

Chandra figured it might work until they accidentally made eye contact and Liliana quietly asked, "I know you must be tired, but may we speak in my room?"

Talking was probably the most dangerous thing they could do as the guilt ridden girl figured there was nothing she could say that wouldn't make things worse. Still, there was no request from Liliana that Chandra could deny tonight, or maybe ever so she nodded and tip toed in line.

Liliana's room, where they had first kissed – the beginning of a chain of catastrophic series of events and now it felt like they were at a turning point of their dramatic struggles. Chandra, with all her shot nerves, could only hope that if this were an execution that it be done quickly.

Quieter now than when they were in closer proximity to their parents, with her back turned, Liliana muttered, "you said what happened was a mistake," then waited for a response.

Chandra had to resist the urge to sigh or growl. What the hell am I supposed to say to that? Does she just want me to say it again so we can move past this? Am I supposed to say I didn't mean it or that I only said it for her benefit? That would be the truth but if that just puts more pressure on her, it could ruin everything.

Every avenue seemed damning and Chandra couldn't make up her mind. She recalled what she had said to Liliana earlier in the night. When things get too tough, we run away and decided, far be it from me to break character. She too turned her back. "I should go to bed."

Chandra was halfway out when a strong hand latched onto her shoulder. She could feel the desperation from Liliana, but refused to turn back to meet it. Acknowledgement would make it harder to retreat so she said and did nothing, hoping that would somehow resolve things.

"You are not leaving until this has been resolved and despite your boasting, I am strong enough to keep you here."

Her natural instincts took that as a challenge and it took everything she had to not prove her resilience in the thralls of captivity, but she still believed there was nothing she could say – that this was in Liliana's hands, or hand as it was.

"You told me something earlier tonight." The pain had made it's way to Liliana's voice. "That no matter what I needed you to be, you would be here for me."

Ah shit.

"I need you to be someone that is honest with me." Against her back, Chandra could now feel Liliana's body gently pressed up against hers, leaving them in a situation with a thousand possibilities. "I promise you the same vow you gave me. No matter what you say or want, I will always love you too."

"When I told you that," Chandra spoke softly, "did you believe me?"

Liliana responded nervously to the cryptic question. "I am not so naive to think anyone can truly promise such a thing, but I do believe you meant it and that it would take a heavy blow to your constitution to make you waiver."

Chandra masked her wince of pain with a chuckle. "That's the difference between us. Maybe you're confident in your promise, but I know all it would take is the tiniest slip from me and every opinion you have of me would turn to hatred."

"You cannot possibly believe that," Liliana insisted as her free hand graced Chandra's other shoulder.

"It's nothing personal." The physical connection between the two was gratifying. Liliana's warm body soothed Chandra and her hands almost made her feel safe. "That's how I feel about everyone – that their love for me is conditional and fragile. As hard as I've tried to convince myself otherwise, I just can't help it." This was a trait of herself Chandra had been aware of for years, but this was the first time she had vocalized it. Until now, she wouldn't have imagined even Liliana could have pulled it out of her.

Liliana's hands weakened and Chandra expected her to say the same thing everyone does. 'That's crazy! Nothing you do could blah blah blah, so she almost reeled in shock when her sister said, "If that is how your mind works, I will not make anymore promises that will force any unwanted doubt."

That was enough to widen Chandra's eyes and even prompt her to step away from their bond and turn back to face Liliana who continued to say all the right things. "Forget your unconscious thoughts. Whatever you want to say, scream it out."

She almost did. That answer is obvious enough. These honest words of encouragement gave Chandra enough courage to look up at Liliana and pronounce, "I just want whatever makes you happy." Liliana did her best to hide her disappointment. Chandra knew that she wanted to say, 'what about what makes you happy.' "I don't know what the right thing to do is – what might be a mistake or not, but I do know that's what I want."

With the eager smile and welcoming eyes, it would have been obvious to anyone but Chandra what it was that would make Liliana happy, but the oblivious young woman was left holding her breath in anticipation – ignorantly surprised when the response was, "It would make me very happy if I could kiss you again."

Mixed with the same flutter and nausea as the last time Liliana confessed, Chandra signalled her approval like an excited puppy - with quick, sharp nods and they, once again kissed, but it was nothing like before. It was tender, and Chandra felt that it was truly what she had been waiting for. Their heated make out earlier was driven by urge and as exciting as it was, now she felt fulfilled.

They finally parted, beaming at each other. Chandra didn't want to move, so the skip that would have been in her step made it to her voice. "Earlier when we were...Why did you stop me?" That was the catalyst for all the doubt. Any answer would have been fine, but she was dying to know.

Liliana had a similar glee to her tone to match her captivating smile. "So many times I spent picturing that moment-" Her face grew red with the implication she had just put out there. Chandra pretended not to notice as celebratory air horns blared in her chest. "In the dark, trespassing on a bike. It just felt..."

"Trashy?"

"No!" Liliana protested – probably afraid that Chandra would think she was calling her trashy.

Chandra nodded – slower this time, like a lazy old hound. "It would have been a little trashy." In this matter, she didn't care about the right time or place – only the right person and she had found the perfect person; that perfect person was well worth a lifetime of waiting. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have rushed you. I'm not in any hurry as long as I have this," she reached out and latched on to Liliana's hands.

Gesturing with her head to the door, Liliana asked, "should we tell them?"

Looking back Chandra said with a whine, "Ehhh, I'm still not totally into the idea of even telling her I'm bi, but if keeping it a secret makes you uncomfortable..."

Liliana objected, "like you said, it is not the business of anyone but you or I."

With their vows of secrecy declared, Chandra couldn't ignore how heavy Liliana's eyes had become and she offered to take her leave. Liliana refused, insisting that she wasn't even tired and insisted they should sit in her bed, talk and enjoy the sunrise through the window.

Ten minutes later, she was asleep in Chandra's lap.