I have to say, I truly love my job, but man if I don't have a ton of free time to write! Right now, I'm looking up and inserting logos into company profiles so it's grueling, and having something to write is a nice way to take a break!

Anyway, enjoy this next chapter! I think I've gotten back into the swing of the characters! And, I'm starting to figure out where I want this story to go. Every now and then I'll be like 'oooohhh that's what I wanted to do 5 years ago!" and try to write it in. So, past me, I'm trying.

Anyway, enjoy, and if you get the chance, review and let me know how I'm doing!

Alfred sat at the kitchen table jotting down notes for his case that he was due to present that week. It was another low paying job that his bosses pushed on him after taking the higher profile, higher paying cases. He chewed on his pen thoughtfully, his teeth adding more creases and distorting the top of the pen.

Arthur sat at his desk, working on job applications. The apartment was silent aside from the clicking of the large keys on the keyboard. The old computer was out of date, but it worked well enough for typing and applying. Arthur sat back, taking a short break in between pages of the application. He pushed his shoulders back gingerly, the cracking of his back amplified by the silence in the apartment.

The silence was strange-welcome, but strange. When the children chat back and forth while doing homework or giggle with each other as they played a game, the apartment is filled with a different atmosphere. Then again, it was a distraction and the silence was nice in short bursts.

The pair needn't wait long for the silence to be broken when the phone rang, piercing the stillness. Both jumped, startled at the noise, but it was Alfred who answered the phone since he was in the kitchen and closer to it.

"'Yell'o!" Alfred chirped, glad to have a distraction from his boring case notes. "Yeah, this is the Kirkland-Jones'…. This is Alfred. What?"

Arthur heard his husband answer the phone and then the tone dropped off, which was unusual. He turned in his chair and peered down the hall towards the kitchen. Alfred was looking down, his hand on the counter as he rocked back and forth. His lips were moving every now and then, but Arthur couldn't hear and wasn't able to read his lips. Finally Alfred's head slowly lifted up and his eyes met Arthur's. They were wide and looked rather nervous. Arthur felt his heart skip a beat. He quickly moved from his chair and hurried to the kitchen.

"Is he okay?" Alfred was asking when Arthur got to him. "Okay. Alright I understand. Thanks for letting me know. Yeah, bye." He set the phone down and looked at Arthur. "The kids are fine."

Arthur let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and felt relief roll over him. "Good. Okay." He said, trying to mentally catch himself.

"It's Vash."

"What?"

"Vash, there was a fire at his house last night."

Arthur took a breath as though to brace himself for the answer to his question. "How is he?"

Alfred shook his head. "Not good. That was the school. Lily doesn't know, they just told her he was out sick."

"We have to tell her when she gets home." Arthur stated dryly. He was not looking forward to this conversation.

"She's going to want to see him," Alfred said.

"We don't even know his parents. And he's likely not taking visitors if his condition is that serious." Alfred nodded in agreement.

"They have to know about this program, though. Why don't we take her to the hospital-if she wants to go-And bring some food for them? We'll tell her we won't be able to see Vash, but at least we can get an update if they're willing to share and we can bring them dinner. You know how it was with Lily in the hospital, a little homemade food might be nice."

Arthur nodded and glanced at the clock. It was a 2:30-time had gotten away from them even before the call. "I'll go grab the kids if you want to get cooking." Arthur said as he pulled on his coat.

"Sounds good," Alfred responded. "Tell her on the way home, that way we can get going right away."

With a peck on the cheek and a wave, Arthur headed out the door.

Arthur leaned against the wire fence that separated the school yard from the outside world. Parents mingled around him, chatting with each other about plans for the weekend and how their children were doing in school. He usually joined in the background of a conversation, but today, he couldn't bring himself to chat with the others.

The bell rang and immediately children began filling the yard. As they found their parents, hugs were given, projects were exchanged, and people started clearing out. Arthur spotted Lily and Peter-who always met up inside first before going out to find Arthur-about halfway through the schoolyard.

Lily ran up and hugged Arthur as usual, with Peter hanging back. "Hey, Arthur, I got a ninety on my science test!" the boy bragged.

"Just a ninety, not a ninety-one?" Arthur asked with a wink. Peter scoffed and glared, but smiled back. "Good job, lad. I'm proud of you." Arthur added for reassurance. "How was school for you, Lily?"

"Good," the girl responded as she grabbed Arthur's hand and began walking with him down the sidewalk away from the school. She frowned. "Vash wasn't in school today. He said he would see me today, but he was out sick."

Of course she noticed. Arthur grit his teeth and focused straight ahead. Peter noticed Arthur's demeanor seem to stiffen, but Lily was none the wiser.

"But it's okay. Kiku let me be part of his group today." Lily went on as they entered the park that separated the side of town the school was on and the side where their apartment was. Arthur spotted a bench and pulled Lily over. Peter followed curiously.

"Why are we stopping?" Peter asked. "I want to get home! Al said he'd kicked the ball around with me!"

"Wait a moment!" Arthur snapped. With no build up, Peter looked surprised. "I'm sorry, Peter," Arthur sighed. "Just give me a moment." He sat and motioned for Lily to sit next to him.

"What's the matter?" Lily asked, finally realizing that Arthur was distant and upset.

"Love, your father and I got a call today," Arthur began. "From the school. They said… Ah. You see, there was a fire yesterday. At Vash's home. He was injured. He's in the hospital now."

Lily froze up and stared forward at Arthur's chest. Arthur placed a hand on her back, noting how she seemed to be looking right through him. "Lily, love?" Arthur asked softly. He heard Peter mumble "shit" in the background, but decided that was not the battle he wanted to pick.

Lily didn't respond and instead leaned forward and sort of crumbled into Arthur. She made no sound, but Arthur quickly felt the wetness seep through. He rubbed her back and stroked her hair. "It's alright," he said and left it at that.

After what felt like a long while, Lily pulled away and looked up at her father. Her green eyes bore a stark contrast against her face, which made them look even greener than the surrounding grass. Tears streamed down her cheeks and the front of her shirt was darker from the wetness. "I… I want to see him," she hiccupped out, finding the words tough to get out.

"I know," Arthur said, standing and picking his daughter up in a comforting hug. "But remember when you were in the hospital? They probably won't let anyone just walk in."

"But I'm not just anyone! I'm his friend! And his sibling. He needs the hours!" Lily blubbered out, not making much sense to the two around to hear her. Arthur was silent, just rubbing her back and hair.

When she seemed to calm down a little, he put her down and took her hand. "Alfred is making some dinner to bring to Vash's parents. We can go over to see if there's anything new going on, but we likely won't be able to see him today." he explained. Lily nodded and began walking with him towards the apartment. Peter, who had been silent, came over and put his arm around his sister. He gave her a tight side hug before taking her other hand.

The hospital was far too white, had a very sharp smell, and the beeping was already giving Arthur a headache. For a former med student, he really hated the hospital. When he was in school, the hospital was a hopeful place, filled with people he could help. Now it was just filled with a looming sense of fear and dread.

The small family stood silently in the waiting room, having requested a nurse go fetch Vash's parents. Alfred clutched a pan of baked mac and cheese that he had quickly made. Peter twisted his shirt in his hands and stared at his feet. Arthur was holding Lily's hand, and the girl was attached at his hip. Every now and then a tear would escape down her cheek, which she would quickly wipe away and bite her lip harder to keep more from slipping out.

"Hello?" A man emerged from around the corner. He was dressed very nicely, in a purple shirt and black pants. His glasses perched on his nose with the sides of the frame hidden behind dark shaggy hair. "Can I help you?"

Alfred step forward and extended a hand, which the other man took. "Alfred F. Jones. This is my husband, Artie, and our kids Lily and Peter. Lily's in the brothers and sisters program at school. She's Vash's little sibling. We're so sorry."

"Roderich Edelstein," the other man replied, giving Alfred's hand a firm shake. "Thank you." He looked down at Lily, who was peering up at the man. "Lily is it?" She nodded and Roderich silently acknowledged the coincidence of her name. "It's nice to meet you. Vash has spoken a lot about the siblings program. It's one of the few things he seems to truly enjoy at school."

"He's been wonderful," Arthur said with a kind smile. "He got Lily all up to speed with her maths and reading. She won't have to stay behind a year thanks to him. They've gotten very close."

Roderich couldn't help but be surprised by that. He had thought Vash spent all his free time with his friends. He had no idea how seriously he took this service project. A smile of pride crossed his lips. "That's wonderful. Thank you."

Alfred gestured to the baking pan. "We wanted to bring you guys something for dinner. The hospital food here stinks," He chuckled. "Lily was here for a week with a lung infection a little while ago and we would have done anything for a home cooked meal!" He passed the pan to Rodrich who once again looked very grateful.

"Thank you so much. My wife will be thrilled." He paused. "I don't know if she's very hungry now, but I assure you, we'll eat all of this eventually." Alfred nodded in understanding, knowing how little he wanted to eat when Lily was sick.

"Excuse me?" a small voice piped up from behind the men. Lily picked at the skin around her fingernails with nervousness. "Um, is Vash going to be okay?"

Arthur placed a hand on her head and used his thumb to gently stroke her hair. Alfred smiled softly and looked over to Roderich. He opened his mouth to say that they weren't there to pry, and they wouldn't be offended if they didn't want to say anything about their son's condition, but Roderich spoke first.

"We'll see." He said kindly to the girl. "Right now Vash is very, very sick, but he's a strong boy." He straightened up to look at Alfred and Arthur. "Why don't I take your number and keep you posted? When he can have visitors, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see Lily."

"That would be great," Alfred smiled as he handed Roderich one of his business cards.

Roderich took it, but something on the card caught his eye before he could put it in his pocket. "You're a lawyer?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "For… Murphy? Really?" It was hard to hide his shock and a hint of what seemed like a strange disappointment. Alfred found himself blushing a little.

"Ah yeah. But, between you and me, I'm looking for a new job. It's just… not working out."

"Still interested in law?"

"Oh yeah! I just want to be a hero for people, you know? But I've been with Murphy a few years and I just don't think I'm going anywhere." Alfred admitted. Roderich nodded and stored the card in his wallet.

"Mister?" Lily asked, coming forward. Roderich raised a kind eyebrow to her. Lily reached into her hair and carefully untied her tattered bow. She paused, as though rethinking for a moment, before placing the ribbon into Roderich's hand. "This is my lucky bow," she explained. "My real big brother gave it to me when I was little. It got me through a lot of stuff and I know it'll help Vash. Please give it to him."

Roderich held the ribbon for a moment with a grateful smile. "Of course." He straightened up once again and tried to juggle everything he was now holding. "Alright, well Elizabetha is still in there, so I'm going to see if she wants to eat. And I'll be sure to see Vash gets this ribbon."

Lily smiled brightly and the family left. Roderich took the pan of food and the ribbon back to the ICU.

For the next three days, Roderich called Alfred every evening to keep him posted on what was going on with Vash. Lily would sit at the kitchen table, Peter beside her, as they watched their father pace the kitchen and nod. All they could hear was Alfred's responses-"Uh-huh…. Gotcha… That's good… Oh, I see…." When he got off the phone, he would relay what information he had. Everyday, Lily would ask to see Vash, and everyday Alfred would tell her that he hadn't woken up yet. Lily's eyes would fall and Peter would quickly whisk her away into their room to play a game, in a futile attempt to keep her mind off of things.

For the family of three at the hospital, things weren't much easier. Elizabetha stayed by Vash's side and no amount of coaxing from Roderich could get her to go home. They were, however, grateful for the food Alfred and Arthur had brought, and Lily's ribbon was tucked in Vash's right hand.

When Vash had approached his house, he saw both cars in the driveway, but didn't see his parents down the street trying to get help from the neighbor. He ran inside to find them, but wasn't able to make it out before a board fell on his head and he collapsed. A firefighter found him after quite a while of being surrounded by the smoke and flames. Vash suffered a head injury and had a bandage wrapped around his head. The breathing tube down his throat had been removed after the second day and now there was just a small tube under his nose. But, he had yet to wake up. The doctors said to give it time, but his parents were still worried.

Elizabetha sat on the chair next to the bed with her laptop propped on the moving tray table. She tried to work on stories as much as she could-mostly proofing and editing since she couldn't get out on the field right now-and would occasionally brush hair out of Vash's face or touch his hand.

Roderich had gone to work and she was lost in her own world, so she almost missed it when, around one in the afternoon, Vash groaned and shifted on the bed. She shut her laptop so quickly she almost flung it across the room and jumped up.

"Vash?" She asked in a frantic, but soft whisper. Vash groaned in response and she broke into a smile. "Vash, come on. Can you open your eyes?" She asked, tears pricking her own eyes as she gently brushed his hair away.

He slowly shook his head in negation but still twitched his eyes in a struggle to open. His head was pounding, his legs hurt from laying down for so long, and the light was already hurting his eyes that weren't even open yet.

"It's okay," his mother was saying encouragingly, "You're awake. That's what matters." He felt her stroke his hair and squeeze his hand. That was when he noticed that his other hand also wasn't empty. There was a thick strand of fabric in his right hand. Slowly, he managed to crack open his eyes to the sight of his smiling mother.

"Oh, Vash!" She exclaimed and tried her best to hug him, which really hurt, but Vash didn't want to upset her further. Ignoring the pain, he tried to lift his right hand to figure out what was resting in it, but couldn't find the strength. However, Elizabetha noticed and picked up the ribbon.

"Lily and her family came by. She gave you her ribbon for good luck," She smiled. "She's such a sweet girl. Your father's been keeping them updated. Oh! Your father!" The woman turned and started digging through her bag to grab her phone. "I'll be right back!" She rested the ribbon on the table and hurried out the door to make the call.

Vash sighed and turned to stare at the tattered purple ribbon. He felt awful, both physically and mentally. He almost died, and then Lily might never have the chance to find out the truth about their relationship. Not to mention, his death would hurt his adoptive parents. He had always tried to keep them at an arm's length, probably because he was afraid of losing another set of parents, but if his rushing into the house to save them had been any indication, he loved them. He knew right then and there that he needed to be more honest. Maybe it was intense introspection, maybe it was the morphine, but something had to change.

"Your father will be here shortly." Elizabetha said as she hurried back into the room. She sat down in the chair again and took Vash's hand. "I'm so happy you're awake. You were out for three days."

"Liz," Vash started with a cough. Elizabetha looked worried.

"Hey, relax." She said. "Let me buzz the doctor, okay? You're probably dying of thirst." Vash sighed, not having the strength or the energy to protest. Plus, even if he wasn't in this situation, arguing with someone as stubborn as his adoptive mother was never going to end well.

The doctor came in, gave Vash a check up, some water, and sat him up a little. He explained that they needed to monitor him for a few days, but now that he was awake, he was expected to be alright.

As the doctor left, Roderich came into the room. He didn't hurry, but a small look of relief washed over him when he saw his son sitting up. While he didn't look great, he at least looked better than before. "You're awake. Good." He said as he came to stand next to his wife.

Roderich loved his son, but he found it hard to express his affection. It was a wonder his wife put up with his reserve and reluctance to display affection. It's what made him a great lawyer, but not so much a great husband or father. To be fair, though, Vash was a tough kid to love. Since they adopted him nearly seven years ago, while he was a great kid, he kept people at a distance. The two were very similar in that respect, but it made for an interesting and awkward family dynamic.

Vash nodded tiredly. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he couldn't before at least attempting to talk to her parents. He reached up with a newfound strength and touched the ribbon. Roderich nodded.

"Lily and her family came by. She left you her ribbon for luck." he said.

"I know," Vash choked out.

"I told him when he woke up," Elizabetha explained. "You shouldn't talk, Vash. You breathed in a lot of smoke." Roderich nodded in agreement. Vash's voice sounded horrible and he wasn't able to speak much without coughing. But the boy was determined.

"I need…"

"Water? Sleep?" Elizabetha interrupted between the pauses. Vash groaned in aggravation. Roderich placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"I think he's trying to tell us something." he said, stating the obvious, but trying not to let the condescending tone come through. Vash nodded gratefully.

"Lily," Vash started. "She's my sister." The words came out slowly, but his parents waited in anticipation of each one. Elizabetha furrowed her brows.

"We know, honey. She's your school sibling. You've helped her so much, she and her family really appreciates what you've done-"

"No." Vash sighed and paused to build up the strength to try again. "She's really… My sister. Lily."

Roderich stared for a moment before it clicked, but Elizabetha was the first to speak. "Wait, really?" she asked. "She's the one we've been looking for?" Vash nodded and rested back with a huff. That took much longer than he had hoped.

Elizabetha and Roderich exchanged a glance. "Does she know?" the man asked. Vash shook his head. "Do her parents know?" Vash nodded.

"Oh, Vash," Elizabetha sighed. "How long have you known?"

"Eight months." Vash replied after thinking for a moment. His parents nodded. That explained the change in attitude over the school year.

Unsure of what to do with this new information, Elizabetha fell silent and stroked the top of his hand with her thumb. Roderich studied his son for a moment before reaching into his pocket for his phone. "I'm going to call the Alfred and Arthur," he announced. "If the doctor clears it and you're feeling better, we'll invite them by tomorrow." Vash nodded and wearily stared at the ceiling. "Get some rest." It was a command, but a loving one. As Roderich exited the room, Vash closed his eyes and quickly fell into a much more restful sleep.

The next chapter should be up sometime this week. Also, just wanted to note that I realize the names might not be cannon anymore, but they were the popular names for the characters back in like 2011.