A/N: Mild jump in time, as this focused on the events of season two on the boiling isles. Don't worry about Lucia, when we go back to her, it'll be where she left off. I just needed to start adding the Boiling Isles bit in because it's going to start factoring into the plot, and I wanted to even out the Lucia sections with some Luz. I imagine s02e08 is about two weeks after Luz was supposed to be home, by my estimation, and the Luz sections take place a week or so after that.

Luz Noceda barreled down the streets of Bonesborough, hands clenched tightly around a small metal ingot, her cloak trailing heroically in the night time breeze. Passerby's stop to glance at her curiously, but didn't pay her much attention. She was just the local human girl, doing her crazy human things, like getting chased by the Emperor's Coven. So incorrigible, but what did any of them expect when the kid was being raised by the Owl Lady, the previous most wanted criminal on the Boiling Isles and current resident Has-been?

There were white cloaked, silver masked guards chased after the human, in dogged pursuit of her stolen goods. They didn't care what it was that she had stolen, or it's worth, they weren't paid for that. They were paid to enforce the law, blindly, and more importantly, whenever it was convenient for them.

Luz reached into her pockets, fiddling for a paper with an appropriate glyph drawn on it. She didn't want to hurt these guys for just doing their jobs. They'd forget about this in a week's time, and they'd all be back on friendly enough terms. Or, at least she would be with Steve, and that's all she cared about. Steve told the best bad jokes. The other's would just leave her alone.

Unless she hit someone higher up on the totem pole, which would just make them angry enough to finally get her a wanted poster. Eda would be so proud, but Luz couldn't deal with that. She'd never been more glad for the corruption of the Boiling Isles. As long as she wasn't wanted by the system and didn't personally pickpocket any of the guards, they'd just 'forget' about her crimes the next day. A wanted Poster meant they'd all actively be looking for her all the time, instead of ignoring her when it was convenient for them to do so.

She managed to find an ice glyph in her search, losing a few papers as she fished it out of her pocket. An Ice glyph was perfect! Slamming it to the ground, she created a pillar under her feet that shot her into the air, onto the rooftops, and away from the guards chasing her. She turned to face them, crossing her arms and posing victoriously, before sticking out her tongue and making faces at them. "Better luck next time, suckahs!" She jeered.

Out of the gaggle of guards, two of them glanced at her, then summoned their staves, straddling them and rising into the air. "Oh, crammity, why do I have to be so overconfident!"

She was now back on the run, racing across the rooftops of the shops and houses, trying very hard not to lose her balance and break her neck as some of the shingles broke and slid under her feet. She ducked and weaved just out of reach of the Emperor's Coven Guard's hands whenever they got too close, and she was saved once or twice by her own clumsy feet tripping out from under her, making her fall to her knees before they could grab her by the collar.

Luz looped around a chimney, still rifling through her pockets. She was beginning to get desperate, not having the time to check them over with how fast these guys were flying around her. Below this house, she could see a stack of boxes that she could jump on. Luz leaped down onto them until she could safely get back down to ground level, and she slapped the glyph she had in her hand against her chest, holding her breath and hoping she'd seen it right and that it wasn't a fire glyph she'd just activated.

Well, she wasn't on fire, ice, covered in plants or seeing bright lights, so she must be invisible. She'd breathe a sigh of relief if only it wouldn't completely ruin the spell. She watched as the two guards flew above her, their masked faces searching for where she possibly could have gone. One glanced at the other and pointed in one direction, which the other flew off in, while the first went the opposite way.

So, they hoped to split up and find her that way, huh? Too bad they didn't know she hadn't moved, and was now safely in the clea-

"You know, you really should keep better track of your surroundings, Human. You never know who just might be watching, and waiting to pounce."

Luz gasped in surprise, the invisibility spell evaporating. Turning around, laying on his side on top of one of the boxes she'd just been jumping across and using his arm to prop his head up, was none other than the Golden Guard, or as she knew him, Hunter.

Luz would have bolted the moment she saw him, if not for the staff he held in his off hand, which he tapped a threatening finger against. She ran, he'd fire, is what she understood the gesture to mean.

"Soooo, Golden Guard, old buddy, old pal! How've you been?" Luz asked, forcing a smile on her face, but not bothering to hide her sarcastic tone over this reunion. She had hoped they wouldn't have to meet like this anymore, after their temporary truce, but she supposed that's why it was called temporary.

He hummed lazily, head bobbing side to side to his own tune, "Oh, I'm good. Great, really. Just out and about, catching crooks. How about you, keeping your nose clean?"

Luz didn't even bother to hide her grimace. Could he not pretend to be a huge jerk for five minutes? She moved the hand that still clasped the ingot behind her back, hiding it behind her cape. "Oh, come on, I tried to pay for it! It's not my fault! I got the snails Tibbles asked for, and then he quadrupled the price when I gave it to him!"

That was the truth. The Silkidomus's gift of Silkigrus had been traded in for a small mountain of snails. A good chunk of it had been set aside for food and supplies to keep the inhabitants of the Owl House going for a while longer, but Eda had set aside plenty of cash for supplies to make a new portal door. Tibbles had demanded an outrageous fee, but Luz hadn't even flinched before dumping the required amount onto the counter of his newest stall, and he'd promptly demanded much more on the spot. So Luz had just taken her money, taken the ingot, and ran. Tibbles got the coven guards involved, and the rest was history.

Hunter shifted, moving from his side to sit with his feet dangling off the boxes, "Oh, I don't really care about that." He said casually, then lifted his staff, the red gem at the tip lighting up as he cast his spell.

Luz made to leap, to dodge an incoming shot, but it seemed nothing happened. She patted at her body, checking to see if it was still in one piece, only to find it wasn't there at all. She was invisible. Or a ghost!

She jumped as another voice joined the conversation, one of the guards she'd just evaded arriving at their position and descending from the sky upon seeing his commanding officer. "Sir, we can't find the fugitive."

The Golden Guard scoffed, then pointed off in the opposite direction, "She went that you, you dolts. Do I have to do everything for you?"

The Guard saluted, "No sir! I'm on it!"

Luz couldn't believe what she was seeing, as the guard took back to the air on his staff and flew off, leaving her and Hunter alone again. With a small wave of his staff, the red glow faded, and Luz appeared in full view again. "Okay, I'm officially confused."

Hunter shrugged, probably smirking behind his mask, "Don't be. Grimhammer is a nuisance, and has made the mistake of ripping me off in a similar fashion before. I couldn't exactly do much about it, he did it while I was posing as a civilian, and I couldn't just go up to him while on duty and take him in without blowing my well kept cover."

He laughed easily, hopping off the box and landing beside Luz, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Really, you did me a favor."

His hand tightened just enough to squeeze, and he added, "Just don't expect me to make this a habit, I'm not looking the other way twice."

He turned her around, and gave her a shove that nearly knocked her off her feet, "Now get out of here. Don't kids your age have a bedtime?"

Luz growled, throwing her arms out in protest, "It's barely seven'o'clock! What, do you think I'm a baby?"

"Yes." There wasn't even a moment's hesitation in his response. Luz wanted to argue back, but at this point she was just glad he wasn't just letting her go, he hadn't bothered to ask what she'd stolen either.

He waved her off with a "byyyyye!" And quickly vanished, teleporting with his staff like he always did. As soon as he was gone, Luz removed the ingot from behind her back, making sure it was still the real thing and not a magical duplicate Hunter had replaced it with, or something.

She breathed out a sigh of relief, as it was exactly the thing she'd stolen. It would have been terrible if he'd done all of this to distract Luz and replace her metal bar with something as worthless as, say, gold. Well, Eda would like that at least.

Luz decided it was best that she got home quickly. This was too important to lose, and as it got later the chances of being robbed by some colorful and kooky character rose.

She gripped the ingot of Titan-ium in her hands tightly. It was iron mined from the veins of the Titan, an essential vitamin in it's diet so long ago, and what she'd be needing to make the hinges and handle of her new portal door. She just hoped it was the real deal, she did get/steal it from Tibbles after all.

With another piece of the puzzle claimed, she could move on to the next one. She'd just need to have Amity come over and get the echo mouse "talking" again so they could figure out what to get next.

She did a little jig on the spot. Who was she kidding, she'd have made any excuse to get her new girlfriend over to spend time with her and be dorky together. The twirls she was doing in the street were getting more odd looks than when she was running from the guards a few minutes before. Realizing she was still in public, Luz blushed and tried to act casually, but didn't make it more than a few steps before she was dancing again, pointing at some of the onlookers in contempt, "you'll just have to deal with it, because I've got a cute girlfriend!"

She heard one or two groans from those who refused to suffer any love struck teens and more than a few "daaaws" from the romantics as she picked up her pace, and ran all the way back to her home, otherwise known as the Owl House.

Luz practically kicked down the door, much to Hooty's protest, and dramatically jumped through the threshold of the house, arms in the air. "Guess who got another part for the portal door? This gal!"

Eda looked up from her book, which was most certainly not being used to cover up a dirty magazine she'd hidden inside of it that she was actually looking at. She slammed it closed, getting up from the sofa, joining Luz by the door. "Well, let's see it, Kiddo, we don't have all day."

Luz held the Titan-ium ingot out, and Eda gave a low whistle as she plucked it out of her student's hand. "I sure hope this was actually necessary, Kid. This couldn't have been cheap."

"That's the best part!" Luz grinned, and finger gunned Eda, "I stole it!"

Eda's mouth hung agape for a moment, then was quickly replaced by an ear to ear smile, "I always knew you had it in you, Luz! We'll make a bad girl out of you yet. What smuck did you take it from? Anyone I know?"

"Tibbles." Was all Luz had to say, before being scooped up under her arms and swung in a big circle, laughing all the way. "Eda! Put me down!"

Eda set her back down, then wiped a pretend tear from her yellow eye, "I have never felt more proud in my life. Tell you what, you can pick dinner tonight, anything you want."

Luz's eyes lit up, "Ooh, there's this new fusion place in the market that-"

"Never mind, I take it back. Almost anything you want. If the Titan meant for those foods to be together, they would have been." Eda made a face, clearly not as adventurous as Luz was with Boiling Isles cuisine. In her defense, it did get a lot weirder than any Earth food did, but that was part of the fun for the human girl, at least when they had something she could actually digest.

Luz pouted playfully, not that upset to have her choice of dinner rejected, "I'll get back to you on that then, Eda, I still need to make a call before it gets too late!"

Eda smiled softly at her student's eagerness, "Yeah, yeah. Baby Blight's curfew is coming up, go on, make your ooey gooey chatter. Crystal Ball's on the table."

Eda headed to the chest against the wall and opened it, tossing the Titan-ium inside with the rest of the parts they'd gathered. "I'll just keep this stashed in here until we're ready to build the parts… well, 'we,' as in I call us a blacksmith to make it, I'm not a metalworker."

But Luz was already gone, racing up the stairs to her room, crystal ball held tightly in her hands. "Ah, kids. To be young and in love again." Eda sighed fondly.

"… I certainly don't miss that. The best part of romance was always the adult stuff anyway."

While Eda went back to browsing her magazine, Luz was busy inputting Amity's crystal ball information in, and waiting impatiently as it rung. She teetered back and forth, then grinned like a mad woman when her pink haired girlfriend answered on the other line. "Amity!"

"Luz!" Amity greeted back, just as big of a smile on her own face, despite the fact they'd seen each other at school earlier that same day. "How did the search go?"

"It went okay! I got the part I needed. I was wondering if you'd like to come over tomorrow? I could use some help with Echo, you know how he gets. I always need some help getting him to start up." Luz fibbed, knowing Amity knew she was just making that up, while also knowing that the two of them were too flustered about making actual date plans and needed the excuse.

"Actually," Amity began, and her face turned scarlet, "I was wondering if you'd like to come over to my house tomorrow."

Luz smiled. This wasn't the first time she'd been over to the Blight household. Ever since Amity put her foot down, and made her mother keep her word, she'd been allowed to bring her "school friends" over to study a few times. The Blight parents had always been absent, and the visits were usually short and confined to Amity's room, but it had always been a good time.

"I'd love to, Amity! Will this be a study session? Or should I bring an Azura book?" Luz leaned in, practically pressing her nose against the crystal ball, the Portal and Echo Mouse so quickly forgotten.

Amity got redder, which Luz hadn't known was possible, "Actually, Luz, I'd like you to come over for dinner. I, uh, specifically requested my parents to have you over. Since you're my girlfriend."

It was now Luz's turn to blush. Dinner with her girlfriend's family? That was a big step, right? Sure, she didn't exactly get along with either of the older Blights, on the one day they had interacted, but this was still a very exciting prospect as long as they weren't allowed to kill her. "Sure! I'd love to go! What time should I be there?"

Amity grinned and spoke excitedly, "Dinner is at six, but if you want, you could come by early? Sometime after lunch, maybe?"

Luz nodded, her nose now definitely rubbing against the glass, and smudging it, so she pulled back, "Absolutely, I can't wait!"

The call was coming to a close, and it was time to say goodbye. Luz opened her mouth, an "I love you" on the tip of her tongue before she literally bit it down. Amity wasn't just her friend, anymore. She couldn't just say, "I love you, goodnight," anymore. Amity could take it the wrong way, and think Luz was saying it way too early.

Sure, she was Luz, and she made sure all of her friends knew she loved them. She knew Amity knew that, and she probably wouldn't blink since she'd said it to her before they started dating, too, but that doubt still lingered. Then she thought maybe Amity would think it was weird if she didn't say it now, because she had said it so often. Instead of tearing herself apart over it, she gulped and tried something new, "Te quiero, Amity, I'll see you tomorrow."

That was a good substitute. English was always so… forward and uncompromising sometimes. Spanish could be a lot more flexible, having a way to tell someone you loved them, but not, like, loved them. Not that she didn't love Amity, but she was fourteen and- She was getting way ahead of herself.

Amity gave a small confused smile, not understanding what had been said, but not questioning the strange language she often heard Luz speak on occasion. "Good night, Luz."

The call hadn't ended for longer than a few seconds before there was a pounding on her door, "Hey, Kid! If you're still planning on take-out, you'd better pick something before the restaurants all close for the night!"

Luz hurried for the door, setting aside the crystal ball. She'd pick something they could all agree on, so she could spend the rest of her night choosing an outfit for her first dinner at Blight Manor.

It was really nice to not be in an empty house all day anymore. Not that Amelia wasn't over more often than not, or that Lucia stayed at home all day, it's just that when Lucia was alone, her mother at work, it was far too quiet for her liking. She had really missed the sounds of life Luz brought to the place.

The sounds of colored pencils scratching against paper. The shuffled of her feet as she did a goofy dance on the kitchen tile. The thumping of her bumping into the walls because she ran too fast down the hallway and couldn't quite stop in time to turn the corner. Luz was erratic as she'd ever been.

There were a few differences in her that Lucia had picked up on though, but she couldn't exactly blame Luz for them. It had been three months, after all. Her drawings had lost the creepy, photo-realistic eyes that Luz used to love to draw. The music she danced to was unfamiliar to Lucia as well, but she probably gained interest in some of her friends songs while she was away.

Luz colliding with the walls was the same as ever, though.

Lucia was just happy that despite these little changes, her sister was the same as ever, unchanged by her boring camp experience. And it did seem to be a boring one, since all of her stories involving camp seemed far tamer than anything Luz usually got up to. Her sister was lucky she'd made some friends while there, or else she might have keeled over from how dull it had been. At least Luz was back to living her best life, where she belonged.

Today, Amelia would be coming over, a visit that was a surprise for Luz. Lucia wondered privately who would be more excited to meet who, as Amelia had to deal with Lucia's constant praise for her sister, while Luz clearly would want answers about if they were dating or not after their conversation earlier that Summer.

It was actually kind of weird that Luz hadn't asked about that yet. Lucia guessed that must have been something else she learned at camp, not to pester people still trying to figure out if they're gay or not.

Still, Lucia was excited to share the news. She kept glancing at the time on her phone, waiting for her girlfriend to show up. Meanwhile, Luz was beside her, watching some cartoon she'd set to record while she was away. The one with the talking frog people and the girl trapped in their world. She seemed to be pretty enraptured in it, despite Lucia being sure they'd seen this episode before. Three months without television did things to people.

Finally, after an eternity of waiting, a message chimed on Lucia's phone, letting her know that Amelia was there. Reaching for the remote, she paused the show, to Luz's protests. Her little sister didn't have much time to ask what was going on before the front door opened, and the local green haired girl strutted in like she owned the place.

Lucia grinned at the audacity of that beautiful woman. She'd been over to Lucia's house exactly once, met her mother, and from that point on never bothered to ring or knock, just letting herself in like she'd been friends with the family for years.

Luz perked up in her seat, as Lucia rose from her own to hug Amelia. "Luz, You remember Amelia, right? I told you about her over the phone a while ago?" Lucia gave Luz a pointed look, knowing there was no way she'd have forgotten, but that it might remind her that she'd never learned how Lucia felt.

Again, a brief glimmer of confusion passed over Luz's face, but was gone so fast Lucia could have sworn she imagined it. Instead, Luz nodded, "How could I forget? It's nice to meet you, Amelia, I'm Luz!"

Luz got up from the couch to offer a hand to Amelia, who smirked as she shook it. "Oh yeah, I definitely see the family resemblance. Bunch of cuties in your family, aren't there?"

Lucia groaned, and bumped her hips against her girlfriends, "Don't flirt with my little sister. It was bad enough you've done it to my Mom."

Luz had the good humor to laugh it off, a blush on her cheeks. "So, what are you doing here? Did you come all the way over just to visit me?"

Amelia shrugged noncommittally, "More or less. Your dork of a sister wanted me to visit, so I did."

The two older teens exchanged a knowing glance. The plan was for Amelia to come over and hang out for a while, meet Luz, and build up anticipation as her sister slowly lost her mind over whether or not anything had happened between them since her and Lucia's phone call. It'd be hilarious to watch Luz want to ask, but not want to say anything in front of Amelia.

Seeing that the TV was on, Amelia threw herself on the couch, right into Lucia's seat, patting the cushion beside her for Luz to join her, "So, what are we watching today?"

Luz sat beside her, picking up the remote, and began to tell her all about the show. Meanwhile, Lucia was forced to sit on the ground at her girlfriend's feet now that her spot had been taken. Luz did her best to explain, but kept fumbling over key details of the show, and it was pretty clear Amelia was totally lost and only nodding along to placate the other girl.

Lucia, catching on to that fact, made a suggestion, "Why don't we just start the show? Amelia can be the judge on if she likes it or not then."

Amelia nodded, relief visible on her face when the torrent of words finally stopped. Luz agreed, and together they watched a few episodes of "Amphibia" together, finishing off the first season that Luz must have seen half a dozen times.

"Okay," Amelia began, "So, it's about a teen girl who gets stuck in a fantasy world, finds herself a family in the people there, and goes on adventures while she tries to find a way back home? Did I get that right?"

Luz nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! Exactly right!"

"That sounds… familiar."

"It's a very common storyline," Lucia agreed, "But I think they do a good job making it feel unique."

Luz seemed excited to see that her sister and Amelia were enjoying the show, "Who's your favorite character so far? I really like Anne, I can relate to her a lot."

Lucia cocked an eyebrow, "I thought your favorite character was Marcy?"

Amelia patted her arm to quiet her, "Oh, shush. There wasn't even a character with that name in these episodes, and Luz is allowed to change her mind. Anne really wanted to get back home and see her family again, you should take it as a compliment that Luz related to that a lot."

Amelia did have a point. Luz could have just changed her mind, after spending all that time away from home. Lucia conceded her point. "Well, My favorite character was Sasha. She was clearly the muscle of the group." With that statement Lucia rolled up her sleeves and flexed her arms, showing off the muscles she'd spent the last month building.

That earned a laugh from Luz, and a subtle eyebrow wiggle from Amelia. When it became her turn though, Amelia declined to comment on her favorite, "I've only seen like, three episodes. I barely even know their names yet."

"Well, we know how to fix that," Lucia said, then together she and Luz gave a cheer of "Season 2!"

"But first, I'll go get us some snacks, for my two favorite girls." Lucia stood, shooting the two a pair of finger guns.

Luz got up as well, "I'll help you out. We're gonna need a lot, I feel like I could eat a giraffe!"

Amelia waved them off as they left, "Don't take too long in there. And since you're being such a good girl, Lucia, I might just allow you to not sit on the floor anymore when you return."

"You're gonna give me my seat back, then?"

"Not on your life, but I might let you sit on my lap instead." Amelia winked, earning a scoff from her girlfriend.

"In your dreams, Bane." Or at least, not in front of anyone, least of all her poor, innocent sister.

The two Noceda's were now in the kitchen, digging through the cabinets for bowls to put their snacks in. Lucia threw a bag of popcorn in the microwave and started it, filling the house with the pleasant smell of fake butter, while Luz opened up a bag of chips and began dumping it into one of the bowls they'd fetched.

"Soooo…" Lucia began, biting her lip, "What do you think of Amelia so far?"

She snuck a peek at Luz to gauge her expression. It was important to her that Luz got along with her girlfriend, and so far it seemed to be going fine. But Luz was friendly towards everyone, even when they didn't deserve that kindness, so she wanted Luz's honest opinion.

To her relief, Luz smiled brightly, "I think she's pretty great! You really got yourself an awesome girlfriend, sis."

Lucia froze up, then pouted. There went that surprise. "Damn. I was hoping you hadn't caught on to that yet, I wanted to see your face when I got to tell you!"

"I hadn't even realized you were trying to keep it a secret!" Luz laughed, tossing the now empty bag of chips in the trash. She smiled softly at her older sister, "I'm really happy for you two. You seem like a good pair."

Luz spread her arms out, and with a cry of "Hugs!" Jumped at Lucia and wrapped her up in a tight embrace. Lucia was quick to return it, rocking the two of them back and forth. It was a lot tamer of a reaction than she'd expected. There hadn't been even the slightest glimpse of pocket confetti, or an unprompted musical number, but it was still great to have her sister on board with this.

The hug kept on going, until finally Lucia was forced to speak up, "Uh, Luz? I need you to let go. The popcorn is burning."

Luz let her go, sheepishly heading back to the cabinet to find a fresh bag of popcorn so they could start the process over.

A/N: What do you guys think of the first real Luz focused section of the fic so far? Most of the Boiling Isles related stuff was the last to be planned out in my outline, and Hunter didn't even have a role at all for a while, but he's going to be a major character in this now. I have big plans for our favorite Bad but Sad Boy.

Also, what are your thoughts on Creepy Luz now that she's had a section to flesh her out? Do you think she's sweet, or secretly sinister? I'll never tell~

Comment below to feed my ego, please and thank you!