Hahahaha oh man. So, I started this story in high school, wrote a chapter in college, and now I'm sitting at my desk at my first full time job writing this yet again because, hey, why not?

So here's my disclaimer: I am not in the fandom anymore, I have no idea what has happened in canon. I reserve the right to have my characters be a little OOC given that and the fact that this is AU so I'm trying to make this be more story-like. I also have no idea what I was going for when I wrote this like 5 years ago so this could turn out differently from the way it was once heading. I'll try to make the transitions smooth though.

Also I give no promise I'll ever finish this. When will the next chapter be? Hahaha idk. It could be next week, next month, or after the birth of my first grandkid. Who knows? Enjoy!

As the weeks went on, Lily stopped sleeping so much and was soon back to her normal self. In fact, she was beginning to act more like a normal ten year old. She couldn't run around too much, but she made a good group of friends who understood her limits and were just as happy to play dolls or make-believe as opposed to something more physical like tag. Plus, with her inhaler, Lily could do most of what every other kid her age could do.

There had been talks that Lily might need to stay behind a year, but as the weather got warmer and she got better, she missed less class and really started to shine as an academic. With Vash tutoring her nearly every day after school, she made up all of her work and did very well on her tests and quizzes. Now, they were talking more about having her take a week or two of summer classes before being promoted to 6th grade and the talks of her staying behind had pretty much stopped.

Peter made some friends through soccer and was starting to get pretty good at the sport. He wasn't an all-star, but he played frequently and never sat out an entire game. Sure, he might not get a full ride to college on the back of the sport, but he was on track to have a successful high school career.

Meanwhile, Arthur was planning on finishing up the semester before dropping out of school to work full time. He spent his spare time looking for jobs on behalf of Alfred, but with the circle of lawyers in the city being rather small, both worried Alfred's current bosses would catch wind of his job hunt. They were making the most of it, though, as they slowly chipped away at the debt they had acquired from Lily's hospitalization.

The family was happy. Sure, they didn't have much-Alfred and Arthur honestly had less than before what with the cost of having two children-but they were happy. Peter would go on and on about getting a job to help the family, and in her free time Lily tried knitting and painting in the hopes she could sell her works. Of course their parents discouraged this as they didn't want the children to feel they had to earn their keep. However, the kids never felt this way. They just wanted to help because they loved their dads so much.

"Peter! Lily! Let's go!" Arthur called as he quickly pulled on his light jacket and grabbed his book bag. "Come on, we're going to be late!" Lily woke up on time, but forgot about a piece of homework she had to get done by today. Peter woke up late, something he did a few times a week, and Arthur had to move him along while also grabbing everything he needed for his last exam of the year.

There was no point for Arthur to drop out halfway through the semester-it wasn't like he would get the money back. But, balancing two children, two job hunts, bills they could barely pay, and exams had been difficult and he was happy to have some time to stay at home and focus all of his attention on the kids.

"Coming!" Lily called as she hurried to the hall and started to quickly put on her jacket. Arthur waited another moment before calling for Peter again, this time with more urgency and much more irritation. Finally the boy hurried out of his room mumbling exasperated "sorry"'s under his breath.

They began the walk to school as they did everyday. Arthur held Lily's hand through the busy intersections and yelled at Peter to slow down. The weather was warmer, which made the walk much more enjoyable. Soon, summer would come and the kids would be out of school until the next year.

"Molly's going to horse camp." Lily said, striking up a conversation.

"Yeah and her brother Mark is going to basketball camp," Peter noted. "He should. He's not very good at it."

"That's not very nice, Peter." Arthur mused, though he only mentioned it out of instinct. He didn't particularly care-Mark probably was terrible at basketball-but he was trying to get Peter to be kinder. Peter just shrugged.

"I wonder what camp is like." Lily continued as she kicked a rock. "I bet there's a ton of different camps. If there's horse camp, maybe there are kitten camps! Or bunny camps! Daddy, have you ever been to camp? What kinds are there?"

Arthur laughed and felt his heart warm at being called "dad." Ever since she had gotten sick, Lily had taken to calling both him and Alfred her dads. It made him swell with pride. "No, Molly's probably going to horse camp to learn to ride horses. I don't believe I've ever heard of other animal camps, but then I have never been to camp."

"I bet it would be fun." Lily smiled and Arthur nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! I wish we could go to camp!" Peter exclaimed, and then instantly regretted it when he saw Arthur's face fall. "I mean, you know. Whatever," he quickly tried to cover. "I bet it sucks anyway. I'd rather stay home."

"Don't say 'sucks,'" Arthur chastised, but smiled slightly. The kids never wanted to ask for anything because they knew Arthur and Alfred couldn't afford it. They were so thankful to have what they did, that they didn't want to make either of their parents feel bad. Arthur was proud of these kids and wished he could give them more, but appreciated the way they tried to save his feelings.

"Alright, off you go." He said as they approached the school yard. "Be good. I'll be back to pick up at three."

"Good luck on your test!" Lily said as she launched herself into him for a hug before she turned on her heels and ran to meet up with her friends.

"Yeah, don't choke." Peter added teasingly. Arthur rolled his eyes and glared at him with a small smile before waving him off and beginning the four block walk to his campus.

"How'd the exam go for you?" A young woman with short reddish hair approached Arthur after the test was done. "I don't think I did great, but I passed! Are you excited for clinicals?"

Arthur smiled. Rachael had checked Lily out when she got so sick at school and the two would chat about classes every now and then. "I think it went well," he replied as he and Rachael fell into step together down the hall. "But I'm… Well, I'm actually not doing clinicals this summer."

"What? Really?" Rachael asked. "I thought you liked the program. Are you transferring?"

"No, no," Arthur said, waving off the idea that he would transfer. "I don't have the money anymore. Our insurance didn't cover a lot of Lily's hospital stay and I need to get a job now."

Rachael frowned. "I'm so sorry," she said earnestly. "Wow. A doctor who can't pay his doctor's bills. What a world." She shook her head sadly before snapping up. "Wait! Why don't you get a job at the university?"

"A job and clinicals? Are you insane?"

"Tons of people do more! Okay they may not have two kids at home, but I know a few people who work for the school and get through the med program. You know, if you get a teaching job, they might waive your tuition."

"Well that sounds all well and good," Arthur chuckled, not wanting to get his hopes up. "But there's another problem-I can't just walk in and get a job. I'm sure those teaching jobs go very quickly. Besides, the plan is to be home with the kids more, not less."

"Yeah, but if you get through the next summer, you can start picking your own hours and start getting paid. It's not much, but it's something." As they approached the doors of the building, Rachael turned and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Look, getting through med school is tough, but you're so close. Let me see what I can do as far as the job thing goes."

Arthur smiled and nodded. "Alright, let me know." He waved her off and began walking down the city's streets towards the school. Although he and Rachael weren't close, they spoke often and it would be a shame to leave her-and the rest of his class-behind. Besides, she was right. He was very close to at least being able to practice a little and if he could hold on a little longer, he'd make more money. If she could find him a job at the university and he could get his tuition waived or reduced, there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

But then, there were the children. With summer letting out in just a month, he needed to be around to take care of them. They couldn't afford any summer programs or camps, and both he and Alfred needed to work during the day. His mind drifted to the worst case scenarios-he couldn't leave them alone, what if the apartment caught on fire? Or what if Lily's asthma acted up and he wasn't there?

He shook his head in an attempt to toss the thoughts out of his head. The odds of Rachael not only finding him a job at the university, but also finding one that he could take while doing clinicals and that waived tuition plus paid actual money was slim to none. If she was able to find something, he'd figure it out, but he felt confident in letting the interaction slip from his memory.

"Good. Now try this problem."

"Okay. Um… Is this right?"

Vash nodded. "Alright. I think we're good." His sister smiled up at him as she put her homework away in her school folder. He ruffled her hair a little, being careful of the lovingly tied bow on the side of her head. He would miss this. While he knew Alfred and Arthur would continue to encourage him to come and visit, the sibling program would be over by the end of the month and Lily wouldn't be needing tutoring soon. Plus, with college around the corner, he didn't know how much time he would have.

"Hey Vash?" Lily asked, looking up at the young man she still didn't recognize as her long lost brother. "I heard Kiku and Amy talking about colleges. Kiku said he was going all the way to Japan! Are you going to school far away?"

Vash paused for a moment. He had a few offers, some a few blocks away, some a few states away. His parents were encouraging him to go somewhere new and and fun for school, but he was reluctant to leave his sister behind again. "I'm not sure yet." He replied with a shrug, attempting to downplay the gravity of the decision. "I'll keep you posted."

"I hope you get into a good school," the girl replied sweetly, causing even the stoic Vash to break into a small smile.

"Yeah, well. Don't we all?" He stood, collecting his papers and bag. "See you tomorrow."

Lily called out a goodbye as Vash waved to Arthur and exited the small apartment. As he hurried down the stairs to make it home before it got dark, he saw Alfred turning the corner as he returned from work.

""Hey, man," Alfred greeted with a wide smile. He had been originally wary of Vash out of overprotection for Lily, but found himself grateful for his kindness and attention towards his daughter. "How was school? Lily doing good?"

"Yes, sir," Vash nodded. "She's doing good. Her math is getting better everyday."

"Oh, don't call me sir," Alfred chuckled with a wave, shooting off the formality. "That's good. You hear any college stuff yet?"

Vash shrugged, finding himself annoyed at the constant asking about his college plans. From Lily to his parents to his teachers and peers, he was getting pretty sick of giving the same answer. "I don't know yet. I'm still trying to decide."

Alfred smiled. "Well, wherever you go, you're always welcome here." Vash nodded a thanks to information he already knew. "Hey, so…" Alfred began, his voice dropping into an uncharacteristically serious tone. "Are you, you know. Going to tell her? It's totally up to you! But… if you ask me, I think you should tell her. You know, when you're ready."

"I know." Vash responded shortly. Of course he wanted to tell her, but there never seemed to be a good time. What was he supposed to say 'Good job on your reading test, by the way I'm your real brother?' He was also worried of the reaction for reasons he couldn't quite explain himself. "I just don't know how to tell her."

Alfred placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You'll find a way. You're a smart kid. But Arthur and I will follow your lead, so just do what you think is right."

"Thank you sir-Alfred." Vash corrected as he gripped his backpack with one hand and waved goodbye with the other.

He appreciated the friendliness from the two men, but mostly he was thankful they were letting him figure this out on his own. As he walked down the street, he tried to figure out what he was most afraid of. First, he was scared Lily would be mad at him-first for knowing and not telling her right away and second, for never being able to find her. Then again, her life was pretty great now. It had been a tough few years, but now she had two dads who loved her, an adoptive brother who had been by her side through the worst of times, and a real brother who wanted to see her succeed.

Then, he was also worried that he would end up separated from her again. Either, college and life would keep them apart, or she would decide she didn't need her big brother anymore. But why would she do that? She didn't have a mean or vindictive bone in her body.

Vash sighed. Irrational. All of these thoughts were irrational and the boy knew it. He had to get these thoughts out of his mind and start thinking about telling Lily the truth and figuring out the next steps in his future.

But Vash didn't have time to work these things out in his mind, because as he turned the corner his house was on, he saw the flames raging and the licking the sky.

Alrighty. There you go. If this chapter reads awkwardly, it's not just you. I needed to take a chapter to position the characters where I wanted them. Hopefully the rest will be better! Thanks for reading!