AN: Chapter 27

Managed to write another chapter in the same day! Woo! Go me! :) im fairly pleased with how this chapter came out…. I advise you all to LISTEN TO THE SONG while you read in this chapter. Everything Lily does will make more sense if you do, and not to mention, it'd prob. Flow a bit better as well. I hope I caught all the typos or mistakes, quickly read it over but will prob read again and change whatever I need to when I see it :)

** NEW SONG: called Get Well, by Icon for Hire. Also please check out their other song, Make a Move. It reminds me of Lily as well and im not entirely sure if im going to throw it into this story or not.

Finn adjusted his straps on his shoulders as he stood in the front door of the apartment. He kissed Serena's' sweet lips, running his hands up her arms lightly. "I'll text ya when I get there."

"Ok. Have fun and if you just happen to forget to text me, I won't take it personally. I know you'll probably be too preoccupied with visiting everyone."

"Hey, I won't forget. I'm only going to see my dad and Leo. I want to settle in for a day at least before I see anyone else that I know."

"Is that why you're leaving so early in the morning?"

"Yeah, I really want to try to beat the traffic. It shouldn't be that bad since summer break has already started a while ago."

"Ok, well. You be safe." The platinum blonde haired girl kissed the ice mage once more. "And don't forget to have fun. Don't worry about me while you're there. Enjoy yourself." She said with a smile.

"Oh trust me, Leo told me last night he has already made plans for us while I'm back home. I'm not sure if I entirely trust said plans, but I know we'll have fun." Finn gave the girl before one final hug before leaving her arms, disappearing down the stairs to his car, anxious to get on the road to go back home, finally. After almost a year of being away from everyone, he was ready to go back home.

Leo pulled up to the bookstore, trying to look through the large window to see if Lily was working like she said she was. The blonde haired boy got out of his car and made his way to the front door, whistling to himself. He quickly opened the door to the small store and spoke loudly. "Oi! Lily! You in here?! I gotta ask you a question— whoa!" Olive-green eyes went wide as he looked upon the older girl standing in front of the front desk. Her hazel eyes looked at Leo with raised brow and a confused look over her face. She watched as he pointed a finger at her, his jaw dropped in disbelief.

"What?" She said after a minute of his silence.

"Wha… what did you… do to your hair?! Wait… are you still the Lily I know and hate? Or are you some magical twin I never knew about?! Oh god… two Lily's… that's my worst nightmare!" Leo said as he clenched his shirt. "Oh god… I think I'm having a heart attack! The shock!"

Lily scoffed as she set down the armful of books, turning back around to face Leo. "So I got my hair cut… big deal."

Leo walked over to her and turned her around, examining her hair from behind. She had cut it short like her mothers, keeping her long bangs in the front. Unfortunately for her, her father's wild mane still was showing as the back of her hair stuck out every which way. "This looks a lot like your moms hair style… perhaps a bit shorter in the back…"

Lily brushed his hands away from her head. "Yeah, that's usually the whole point of a haircut."

"But why did you cut it that short?!"

Lily shrugged her shoulders. "I was tired of all that hair. I wanted to try something new. Besides… I… I kinda like it like this."

Leo put his finger and thumb up to his chin, nodding his head in agreement. "Oh I don't disagree. It does look quite good on you, not that I'm saying you look good, caz, ew. It's you. But hot damn you look good!"

Lily rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "You make no sense Leo. Did you have something to ask me?"

"Oh! Yeah! I was just wondering if you were going to perform at the bar tonight."

Lily raised a brow once more as she glanced over at the blonde haired boy. "Yeah… I am… why do you ask?"

Leo smirked as he went over to a shelf of books, looking over them with his hands behind his back. "Juuuust wondering."

Lily crossed her arms over her chest as she spoke. "Excuse me for not trusting you, considering you've never seen one of my shows at the bar, but now all of a sudden you are interested in seeing me perform?"

Leo shrugged his shoulders as he pulled a book out from its place on shelf. "How do you know I've never come out to see you?"

Lily walked over to the blonde haired boy and stared at him. "Leo. Have you ever come out to the bar to see me before?"

Leo glanced up and quickly looked away. "Y-yes… yes I have….?"

Lily grinned as she shook her head. "Liar."

"H-Hey! No fair! Using your dragon senses isn't fair!"

"Leo, you're a horrible liar. You can never stare at the person when they confront you with a question that you have to lie about."

Leo glared at the girl next to him. "That's… awkwardly creepy how you know that about me…."

"You usually tend to pick up things when you hang out with a person for a long period of time. Look, I don't care if you show up or not. I just like to play with the band, I don't care about who shows up or not."

"I see. Well, expect to see me and my… date, at the bar tonight!" Leo said excitedly as he pushed the book back in its place.

"Ok? Weirdo… I don't need to know when you have dates and where you're taking them." Lily said as she went back to work. Leo made his way to the door and took one last glance at the dark haired girl, a smirk over his face.

'Oh man… this is going to be so perfect! I can't believe I'm saying this, but she doesn't look half bad with that new haircut. And he has no idea. This is going to be so great! I'm such a genius!' Leo put his hand on the door and waved goodbye. "Ok see ya later Lily! I'm looking forward to your performance! I'm sure it'll be a good one that no one will want to miss!"

Before the script mage could question the boy, Leo left the store quickly. Lily closed her open mouth and shook her head. "That was super weird… but then again, it's Leo. Am I really surprised by him?"

Later that night, Leo pulled up to Finns' house, texting him to let him know that he was there to pick him up. Finn emerged from the house, quickly making his way to Leos' car. He entered the passenger's side and was quickly greeted by Leos' arms. The blonde haired boy held the ice mage close from his seat. "Finn! It's been so long my friend! Did you miss me?! Because I missed you so much! Damn son, when the hell did you get all these muscles? Lookin' good my man!"

Finn grinned as Leo let him go, adjusting his clothes after Leos' arms released him. "Yeah well, I have pretty rough training I have to go through a few days a week and I've gotten really good with my magic too. And yes, I missed you. Just don't be all over me tonight. I just got back a few hours ago and honestly I'm kinda tired. Are you sure we can't just chill at my house tonight?"

Leo pulled down his blue-tinted glasses and grinned as he looked at Finn. "Nope. We're going out and you're going to enjoy yourself."

"Why are you wearing your sunglasses? It's night time."

"Look, when going to the bar, you have to look good. These are more so for looks. You know that."

"Ah, dude… why are we going to the bar? You know I don't drink. And I highly doubt you have picked up a drinking habit. What are we meeting up with your date there or something? Please tell me we aren't going to be there all night long at least."

"Yes I know you don't, no I don't have a drinking habit, and yes we are meeting up with my date there. And no, we are just meeting there since it's kind of half way for us both, then we're going somewhere else that's a surprise. So keep your pants on and try to enjoy yourself! I haven't seen you in so long, I have something very special in store for you."

Finn raised a brow as Leo began to drive. "Somehow I'm worried."

Leo put a hand to his chest, his expression one of disbelief. "And I am offended that you don't trust me like you used too!"

"Leo, I don't think I ever trusted you when you got like this!"

The two friends laughed together for a long minute. Leo grinned and put his hand on Finns' shoulder. "I missed this. I missed having my best friend at my side."

Finn put a hand over Leo's, smiling to himself. "Yeah, I missed this too."

The two entered the Purple Flame Lounge, Finn's eyes wide as he squeezed past a bunch of young couples out on the dance floor. He placed his hands on the table Leo sat at, attempting to pull out his chair to sit down. "Damn, last I saw of this place, it was going downhill. This place really has gotten crowded. I mean, I know my parents used to tell me this was the place to be when they were in the band and coming here almost every night, but it's never been this busy before."

Leo tipped back his drink, sipping at his cool liquid. The blonde haired boy set down his glass and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "Yeah, apparently Macao got a new singer for his band and she's super popular with the younger crowds. She's been bringing in a lot of new customers ever since she started."

"So do you know who this new singer is? I didn't realize Macao hired a new singer."

Leo grinned as he looked at Finn. "Oh, I know who she is."

Finn raised a brow as he smirked. "Does this mean you know this girl on a more personal level? Wait, is this your date that we're meeting up with?"

Leos' expression turned to one of disgust as he stuck his tongue out. "Oh god, no!" The boy imitated puking at his side. "Ew… just ew. No. She is not my date, and I would never, ever go out with her!"

"Oh so she's not that good looking then?"

"Oh don't get me wrong, she's fucking hot. But… just not my type. Quit asking questions! You'll find out in a couple of minutes! She should be coming on anytime now."

Finn laughed lightly to himself as he turned around to face the stage. "Alright, alright. I'll stop asking so many questions."

Lily adjusted her hoodie over her shoulders, pulling the dark hood over her head when her nose picked up a familiar scent from inside the bar. She looked around as she sniffed the air. One of her bandmates looked over to her, concerned that something was wrong from the look on her face. He made his way over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey kid, you ok?"

Lily quickly turned her head to him, a smile over her face. "Yes, sorry, I just got lost in my mind there for a second. I thought I smelled someone familiar. I think my nose is just being weird."

The man smiled as he nodded. "You ready for this? The bar is overcrowded tonight to hear your new song."

"Our song. And yes, I'm ready." Lily took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the rest of her band made their way outside to their usual spots on stage. The script mage could hear the crowd begin to cheer in excitement. They were ready. So was she. Hazel eyes opened slowly as she took a step forward, eager to see if he was sitting out there, waiting to see her perform once more. 'I know that scent… I can't be wrong… has he really come back?'

She waited for the band to start playing the opening notes before she took her first step out onto the stage, heading straight for the microphone. Everyone on the floor cheered louder as he hooded girl appeared. Leo motioned Finn to turn around in his seat to watch who had just come out, a grin over his face. The ice mage turned around and watched the new singer take her place at the mic, waiting to start singing. The beat felt oddly familiar to Finn, but he couldn't quite put a finger on why it felt that way. The girl in the center stage began to nod her head to the beat, her hands slowly making their way up the stand that held the microphone in place.

We throw tantrums like parties,

We're not happy 'til everyone knows we're sick.

Finn's eyes widened, he knew whose voice that was right off the bat. He stood quickly, his solid blue eyes glued to the hooded girl on stage as she leaned in closer to the mic, a grin coming over her lips as her hand moved up to her hood. She pulled the fabric back, shaking out her shortened hair. Her smile was infectious to the crowd as they whistled and called out her name.

And that's just how we like it,

We've hurt bad enough, right, we've earned it.

Don't tell the others but it's all getting old,

I mean how many more times must our stories be told?

And being lonely's only fun in a group,

It sort of loses its charm when it's true.

Lily jumped back a few feet as she took the mic from the stand, bending at her waist and clenching her fist tightly as her voice echoed throughout the room.

I meant it when I said I wanna get well, I wanna get well.

Are the rest of you so content, stay where you are but it hurts like help.

The dark haired girl stood back up straight, pointing a finger out to the crowd.

And I'm sure it's fun at first, test your pulse and check your vitals,

If it's only a game you lost me, I quit it with the suicidal recital.

She moved back closer to the edge of the stage, her head nodding to the beat once more as she place the mic back in the stand. Her index finger moving up to her temple on the side of her head.

So now you know all my secrets,

Her hands grasped either side of her hair, her head shook as if she was trying to get something out of her head.

I want out, I know I don't need this.

Her hands quickly made their way back to the mic, one hand pointing a finger out to the crowd as her eyes turned cold as the smirk appeared over her face once more.

Can you find me friends that don't rank me on what I've been through,

The more battle scars the more attention it gets you.

Don't tell the others but its all getting old,

I mean how many more times must our stories be told?

And being lonely's only fun in a group,

It sort of loses its charm when it's true.

Lily stomped her foot onto the ground repeatedly, moving her whole body with the music her band was producing.

I meant it when I said I wanna get well, I wanna get well.

Are the rest of you so content, stay where you are but it hurts like help.

And I'm sure it's fun at first, test your pulse and check your vitals.

If it's only a game you lost me, I quit it with the suicidal recital.

Finn watched as Lily smiled sweetly, turning her head away slightly and bringing it back to the front to face the crowd as she sang. He could feel his heart racing as he heard her sing. He had never seen her like this before. She was a great performer when she sang for Black Lotus, but how come it felt so different now? Finns' eyes were wide as he thought to himself. Could it be… she was even better now with this band than she was with the other one? But… how? How was she able to achieve even more greatness?

Lily turned her body back and forth slightly, shrugging her shoulders lightly.

Yeah we should've known it would end this way,

What did you expect, pretend it all away,

And all we've got left is a sorry pile of hearts,

I'm getting out, gonna write myself a new start.

The dark haired girls' arms reached out to the crowd, as if she was a siren trying to pull in sailors to their doom. Her fingers curling in slowly as she pulled her arms back as she sang her next verse.

Come on dry your eyes, meet me on the other side,

Run as fast as you can and we'll make it out alive.

Lily smirked as she ran a hand down the microphone stand, gripping the mic lightly with the other. She turned her head to the side as she sang.

We know better now, we don't have to live like this,

Her head snapped back forward her eyes narrowing.

Go tell them all we don't have to live like this.

The band behind her started to bang their heads to the beat, their long, grey hair moving wildly as the girl in the center joined them in the head banging part of the song, her smile wide as she quickly took the mic into her hands. Her voice echoed off the walls in the room, the crowd cheered madly for this girl on stage. Finn couldn't keep his gaze off of her, her voice, her looks, everything about her… was simply captivating.

I meant it when I said I wanna get well.

Lily quickly jumped up onto the two large speakers in the center of the stage as she sang the last bit of her song, not worrying about the hands reaching up to touch her.

I meant it when I said I wanna get well, I wanna get well.

Are the rest of you so content, stay where you are but it hurts like help.

And I'm sure it's fun at first, test your pulse and check your vitals.

Lily leaned back slightly as her voice rose higher, her hands gripping the mic tightly.

If it's only a game you lost me, I quit it with the suicidal recital.

The dark haired girl stepped down slowly from the speakers as the lights began to fade on the band behind her, her head slowly hanging down as she finished her verse.

If it's only a game you lost me, I quit it with the suicidal recital.

As the crowd on the floor cheered, Finn turned back around to Leo, sitting down in his seat slowly. His mind raced as he was at a loss of words. Leo was grinning with a raised brow. "So? What did ya think?"

"I… I can't believe that… was Lily…. She looked so good… and… she cut her hair." Finn looked up quickly to Leo, slamming his hands on the table. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"

Leo raised his hands in front of him. "Dude, I just found out she cut it today! It was longer last time I saw her!"

Finn ran a hand up over his forehead and through his hair. "I can't believe how amazing she sounded… I mean… she sounded so much better with these guys than when she was with her other band… wait…" Finn looked back to Leo. "Why is she working as a singer at the bar instead of with her band?"

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you should ask her yourself?"

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that?! This place is packed! There's no way I can get up close to see her in here!"

Leo snapped his fingers and pulled down his glasses. "Then follow me my friend."

Finn grabbed Leos' arm as he started walking by. "Wait, what are you doing?!"

"I'm taking you back stage to go talk to her. What else would I be doing?!"

"I haven't talked to her since before I left, and honestly… I…" Finn looked away for a second. "I said some pretty mean things to her. I never made an effort to talk to her while I was gone… this would be too awkward. Maybe I shouldn't. She probably doesn't even know I'm here. Call up your date and lets go."

Leo grabbed Finns' wrist, waving a hand. "Oh come on you big chicken. She probably already knows you're here caz she can smell you from a mile away. Not to mention, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you finally."

Finn bit his tongue as he let the blonde haired boy drag him through the bar to the backstage area. They stopped by one of the bouncers but was quickly let back behind the stage. Finn could feel his heart beating in his throat as his solid blue eyes looked at the dark haired girl a few feet away. She was talking with her bandmates, smiling and laughing as she wiped her head free from sweat. Part of the ice mage wanted to turn and run before she saw him. The other half of him wanted nothing more than to just talk to her like old times and catch up. His mind quickly reminded him of what had happened to them before he left. Guilt came in as Leo let go of his wrist. The ice mage stopped walking as Leo continued a few more paces.

Leo tapped Lily on the shoulder, causing the girl to turn around. She smiled as she raised a brow to Leo. "Wow… I'm surprised you actually showed up. Where's your date?"

Leo grinned as he pointed back behind his shoulder. "Oh he's back there. Being a chicken."

Lily looked past Leo. Hazel locked with solid blue. The dark haired girl could feel her heart skip a beat as she looked over the mage. He had definitely bulked up a bit since last she saw him, and something about him seemed different as well. She raised a hand slightly to the ice mage. Finn shook his head quickly, raising a hand back with a half-smile.

Lily looked back to Leo. "Ok, in all seriousness. Where's your date? You sent me a text earlier saying she wanted to meet me?"

Leo snapped his fingers. "Oh shoot! You know what? I was supposed to go pick her up. I forgot she wasn't able to get a ride here. Damn. I guess I'ma have to leave and come back in a bit. In the meantime…" The blonde haired boy went back to Finn and pulled him closer to Lily, forcing him to stand next to the girl. "Why don't you two catch up?! I know you both probably have lots of questions for each other."

The two looked to each other, their eyes wide. As Leo began to walk away, they turned their attention to the blonde haired boy leaving. Both of their hands stretched out towards him, both calling out for him to wait. Their eyes moved back to each other's, locking once more for a minute. Lily blushed slightly as she turned her head away. Finn turned his in the opposite direction and rubbed the back of his head.

After another minute of silence, the ice mage brought his hand down, shoving it into his pocket. "Well… I guess we might as well catch up since this was obviously a plan formed by Leo."

Lily smiled slightly. "Yeah… I honestly didn't see this coming…" Hazel eyes shifted up to Finn, her hand motioning to a small table nearby. "You… you wanna sit down while we talk?"

Finn nodded his head as he followed Lily to the table, sitting down across from her. The two kept their eyes on anything but each other as they sat there in silence, unsure when the other was going to start speaking.

Finn coughed slightly, causing Lily to look towards him. "So… you uh… you guys sounded great up there."

Lily smiled as she brought her hands up onto the table, locking her fingers together. "Yeah, the guys are great. They let me write new songs so we can get more people to come into the bar. I mostly just sing the songs they are used to playing though. Tonight just happened to be a night where we were playing the new song I wrote."

Finn nodded his head slowly. "That's cool. And yeah, I noticed this place was packed. I couldn't believe it was this busy considering last time I came here it was just about dead."

"Yeah… I guess I got hired in at the right time."

"So… how has everything else been… with you? You still with your other band?"

Lily turned her head away, her hand coming up to brush back her bangs behind her ear. "Um… well… I actually quit that band… after… you left the convention. I decided not to finish out our performance and just came home."

"Oh…" Finn looked down, guilty. Lily looked to him and shook her head, waving her hands in front of her.

"Oh no, please… don't feel bad." She reached over the table and placed a hand over his lightly. "It… it was a good thing that I quit when I did." Finn looked to the hand over his, solid blue eyes slowly working their way up her tanned arm to her face. Lily brought her hand back as she spoke. "I actually just graduated a bit ago and I'm planning on going to grad school after summer is over. I want to have my own business one day, and in order to do that, I have to go for my master's degree. So in the meantime, I'm working here a few nights a week and working for my mom at her book store. They don't pay much, but it gets me by." Lily smiled as she looked at Finn. "What about you? I see you obtained some muscle while you've been away." She said half-jokingly.

Finn looked down at himself and laughed slightly. "Yeah… the training programs they have at the academy are pretty intense. I've actually gotten a lot better with my magic and I'm no longer afraid of thunder storms. I somehow unlocked that crazy ass power my dad was pushing me so hard to get when I was younger."

Lily's face lit up slightly. "Really? That's so great Finn! I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. Oh and, may I ask…" Finn pointed up towards Lily's' hair. "Why did you cut it so short? I thought you hated short hair."

Lily blushed as she rubbed the back of her spikey hair. "Oh, yeah… well… I thought it would be a nice change. Figured it was something different, ya know?"

One of Lily's' bandmates came up to the two and put his hands on his sides, a wide grin over his face. "Lily! You were amazing out there! I've never heard you rock so hard before!"

Finn looked over the large man. He was older, possibly older than anyone of their parents, with a long grey beard and hair to match. He wore a black bandana with a red skull decorating the front half. He was decked out in leather and had two drum sticks sticking out from his back pocket. He turned to Finn as he pointed a finger to the girl. "Did you see the way she killed it out there tonight?! This girl rocks harder than anyone else I know, and she is so down to earth, lemme tell ya!"

Lily stood as she pushed the man away. "Ok, ok, thank you Alex. I don't need any more praise tonight. You guys were amazing too. I'll stop by in the morning for some practice because I think I'm going to just head home soon."

"Alright, alright, I leave you two be." The large man said as he walked away, calling out to the other bandmates as Lily sat back down in her chair. Her eyes went straight to Finn who had a smile over his face. She half smiled and gave him a questioning look.

"What?"

"It's just funny to see you getting along so well with your bandmates… and being told how you are around them is funny too."

Lily sighed as she rolled her eyes lightly, hazel landing back on the older men who play with her on stage. "They are pretty great." The dark haired girl turned her head back around to Finn, her eyes widening slightly as she spoke. "They can be a bit weird around new people, but they are really sweet."

"It sounds like you have found some friends, Lil."

Lily blushed at the sound of her name. She smiled as she spoke. "I guess so. Say… um… about… what happened between us… I know I did some horrible things to you in the past, but I was kinda wondering, well… hoping that we could um… still be… friends?"

Finn grinned in return. "Look, let's just forget the past, and move forward. I think we've both grown up enough and can put aside all that has happened between us."

"Thanks Finn."

Finn looked over at the clock then back to Lily. "You wouldn't happen to know when Leo might be coming back, would you?"

"Uh, no, but this place is going to close soon. Do… you just want me to take you home?"

"Well, I'm pretty tired and don't really feel like walking all the way back to my house. I can just call him to come get me."

Lily giggled. "I can drive you, silly."

Finn raised a brow. "Wait… you… got your license?"

Lily nodded as she stood. "Yep. Bought myself a car too. It's a beater car, but what can you do when you're trying to save up some money? I just gotta change and grab my stuff out of the back room. I'll be back in like five minutes?"

"Yeah, that's cool. I'll be right here."

Finn waited for Lily to be out of earshot before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone, quickly pulling up Leos' number. The blonde haired boy answered quickly.

"What's up Finny boy?"

"What's up?! I'll tell you what's up! Where the hell are you!? You said you were coming back here with your date and you just abandoned me here with Lily! Alone!"

"Oh yeah… bout that… see I really didn't have a date to begin with. I just wanted you two to get together and talk for a bit. Rekindle your friendship. Seeing how you were going to be home and all, I didn't want to get stuck in that awkward situation since I hang out with both of you now."

Finn could feel his blood boil. "You couldn't tell me that beforehand?!"

"Would you have come along with me to see her perform had I told you beforehand?! Answer me honestly!"

"Well…I—"

"That's what I thought. And do you think she would have come to see you had I told her you were in town? No, caz she's stupid and clueless."

"Leo you don't understand what was going through my head this whole time! Seeing her up there on stage, she was fucking amazing! And hot! Dear god, was she fucking hot… I mean, she was always hot before, but this time…I… I can't even describe it! She was incredible! She had on that hoodie and that dark purple corset… and those tight jeans that were split up the front and laced up the whole way…. Fuck! Why didn't you tell me she looks even better now than she did before?!"

"You do know I saw the same show as you right? And besides, I didn't know she dressed like that when she performs her songs. This was my first time seeing her on stage."

"God damn you Leo. Next time I see you, I'm kicking your ass!"

"That's fine. Well hey, listen buddy! I gotta go. You two behave yourselves on the ride home! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Finn scoffed as he listened to Leo snicker on the other end. "Fucking dick."

"Who's a fucking dick?"

Finn spun around to see Lily standing behind him, a slight smile over her face as she held onto her clothes she wore for the show and a bag over her shoulders full of books.

"Uh… Leo. He told me he really didn't have a date to begin with and that this was just a way for us to see each other and get all the awkwardness out of our systems."

Lily nodded her head. "I see. Well… I think we're past that stage. Ready to go home?"

"Yeah. After the day I've had, I'm completely ready for bed."

"Ok then. Let's head out!" As they made their way out the back door, Lily said her goodbyes to everyone at the bar, receiving goodbyes and goodnights herself from her coworkers.

Once outside, Finn spoke. "They really like you here, don't they?"

Lily opened her car door and threw her things into the back seat. "Yeah. It's a really fun place to work at. The people are great, the hours are super flexible, and it gets me out singing again."

The dark haired girl got into her side of the car, leaning over to unlock Finn's door before leaning back in her seat. The ice mage stepped in quickly to get out of the cold. "Hey, I don't mean to pry, but… are you still seeing Chrono at all?"

Lily scoffed as she started her car up, turning the heat on full blast. "That jerk… no, I broke up with him for good the… the night you left." Before Finn could say anything, Lily stopped him. "Please, don't apologize about that. If anything, I should be on my hands and knees begging for your forgiveness. I honestly should have never gotten involved with him. And hey! You said to leave the past behind us so let's not talk about him anymore. Why don't you tell me more about the academy while I take you home?"

Finn smiled slightly. "Alright."

Lily pulled into Finn's driveway, her jaw dropped as Finn finished up his sentence. "Wow… I wish I was there to see you freeze up lightning… that had to look so cool."

"Oh my god, Lil, I wish you could have been there! You would have been amazed! I mean, I was scared shitless during it! But god damn did it feel amazing. Having all that power serge through me just felt…. incredible."

"Well yeah I would have probably felt the same way if I was in your shoes!" The two shared a laugh for a moment, silence quickly filling the car. Lily looked at her steering wheel as her hands came together in her lap. There it was again. That awkward silence between them. She tried to think of something to say, anything to break this awkwardness.

Finn was first to speak, again. "Say, Lily."

The girl quickly looked up to Finn, her hazel eyes locking with solid blue. "Yeah?"

"It was great catching up with you tonight. And seeing you perform. It definitely felt like old times. I had fun."

Lily smiled as she nodded her head slightly. "I had fun too. And… I'm really sorry about all of the awkwardness."

"Yeah…" Finn said as he looked away, placing his hand on the door handle. "But we can get past this, right? I mean… we used to be best friends after all…"

"Yeah… I guess you're right."

The ice mage opened the door slightly, taking a step out as he turned his head. "Well, be safe getting back home and I'll, uh… see you later I guess."

Lily waved a hand up as Finn stepped out completely. She waited for him to enter the house and close the door before letting out the breath she held in. her heart was racing the whole time she drove him home. She waited a few minutes to gather herself up to drive the rest of the way home.

Finn went straight for his room and pulled out his phone once more. His voice full of anger as Leo answered. "Dude! You failed to tell me she fucking broke up with that asshole at the convention! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Whoa, whoa! Hey! I'm not the one who decided to want nothing to do with this girl after everything happened! Don't go blaming me caz you jumped the gun and ran away from her."

Finn growled as he hung up on Leo, throwing his phone down to the ground and not caring where it bounced off too. The ice mage fell back onto his bed, groaning as he brought his hands up over his face, replaying the night's performance in his head. His mind going over how beautiful Lily had looked on stage, how completely different she was when she was around him. How much she had completely changed. "Why didn't you tell me all of this Leo? How am I supposed to react to her now?" the ice mage groaned once more as he grabbed a pillow and held it close over his face. "I'm going to kill you next time I see you Leo."

Lily made her way to her room, her mind in slight disbelief still that Finn was finally home. It had been so long since she had seen him, and from the looks of things, he was doing quite well for himself at the academy. The dark haired girl fell back onto her bed with a sigh, grabbing her pillow and holding it close to her beating chest, wishing the feeling would stop. Her cheeks were reddening as she thought of how Finn looked. He looked so much more mature now, and the scent coming off from him alone was enough to drive her crazy. He had a new sense of power that seemed to overflow from him now, causing her to notice him even more in a crowded room. Lily shut her eyes lightly and sighed once more.

Pantherlily made his way over to the girl on the bed, raising a brow to her. "How was the show?"

"It was fine."

"Are you ok?"

"I don't know…" Hazel eyes opened halfway as they stared up into the ceiling. "Finn is back home and that stupid lion brought him to the show tonight…. And then he left him there so I was forced to take Finn back home! I swear I could kill that stupid lion…."

Pantherlily grinned at the mentioning of Finn. "Well from the sounds of it, I would say you are fairly happy with the ice mages' return."

Lily smiled as she pulled the pillow closer to her. "I guess I can't deny it that I am happy he is home… I just… wish I wasn't so awkward around him all of a sudden. I've never had a problem like this before."

Pantherlily placed a paw on the girls' forehead. "I'm sure you two will be perfectly fine the next time you see each other."

Lily say up and ran a hand over the exceeds head. "I hope so, Lily…. I really can't wait to talk more with him. But first, I'm going to wring that stupid lions neck for setting us both up like that! Then I can have my talk with Finn. And it will be pleasant and nothing will go wrong." The dark haired girl sighed as she fell back onto her bed, her eyes closing lightly. 'Or at least I hope nothing goes wrong….'

AN: Please review and tell me what you think, or how you feel about everything going on! Not sure when I can get the next chapter done, but hopefully sometime by next week :) thank you guys for your support!