"Lavender…" A woman's voice echoed softly. My eyes opened and snapped shut, hissing at the bright light. The woman laughed at this with a gentle smile it sounded like, her hand resting on my shoulder. Sitting up, I looked around and waited for my eyes to adjust to the light.

Everything was white at first but slowly I saw a small stream in front of me, hidden with trees. "Lavender…" This time I heard a man's voice. I was outside…how did I get here?

Walking to the stream, I sat and stared at my reflection; I was ten years old again! How was this possible?! Through the water I could see a small fish swim by, followed by a slightly bigger one. The first one swam in a circle, making it seem as though they were playing cat-and-mouse.

"My daughter…" It was the woman's voice again. Looking next to me, I stared in surprise and shock. She looked no older than forty, her black hair fluffy and resting on her shoulders with a dark blue ribbon holding back half. Her eyes that watched the fishes carefully were the same color of the water. Her skin was dark but her red lips stood out brightly against it with a smile.

"Mother…" I immediately whispered. She did not look at me but rather behind me. Turning, I saw a handsome man with forest green eyes. "Father!" I cried out, smiling. "How are you two alive? Where am I? Was all that a dream?"

Lilac laughed softly and shook her head with a trace of sadness, "No, little one, we are dead. See?" With that, she pulled up a blood soaked shirt to show a stab wound. I looked at my father, hoping, no wait, praying for mother to be wrong. He pulled at his collar, showing a rope burn. "Do you remember this place, Lavender? This is where we went every spring."

Looking around once more, I recognized this as the forest which held a cottage for us. A smile found its way on my lips, "Oh my, I remember! Why am I here though?"

Arthur stated, "We've been watching over you. I have to admit, Clopin wasn't exactly who I pictured to be your first kiss but…" He grinned, watching my face turn dark red.

Lilac smiled and hugged me tightly, "Finally you found out the truth, Lavender. Just like I predicted, my little one would forgive Frollo for everything." This brought tears to my eyes.

"So you're not mad at me for forgiving him?" I asked with a shakily voice.

Father messed up my hair, "No, actually we're proud of you. It means you're mature and have grown into a beautiful smart girl."

I looked at him with one question, "Why did you say you were a spy? Why not drop me off and go back home?"

Mother froze and exchanged glances with father. "I suppose I didn't want to be alone, living by myself in that house. Frollo had said he'd come to take you and keep you with him until you were fifteen. When he found out I hid you, I assumed he'd be furious and torture me for the information. I'm sorry you witnessed my death, though."

"Does that mean Clopin knew about the arrangement?"

My mom smiled softly, hurt in her eyes from the betrayal of father, "No…I had only talked to him twice; one to make sure he'd protect you and the other to make sure his people, my people, were safe. I never knew your father promised your hand in marriage."

Gulping back tears, I nodded and hugged them both. She continued while looking at the stream, "You know…this stream is like life. Its small compared to the rivers, to the lake, to the ocean…but it's still a moving thing." I always loved how she hid a meaning in comparing things to life or love. "In a stream, in this small one, you can see how it flows calmly and peacefully. But it can easily die…" At this, she dropped a medium sized rock in the middle, stopping the flow. "…with something as simple as a rock." She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and held me close.

Father pointed at red blood in the non flowing stream, "Some lives, some people make mistakes and kill others. Their lives, in return of others, might be shortened." At this, he pointed at the rock mother had just dropped. I tilted my head; what did they mean?

"Lavender…" Frollo's voice awoke me from my slumber. It was a dream…but like all dreams, it had a meaning to it. Was it trying to warn me of something? Or was it telling me to do something? "Are you okay?" His voice was quiet, his eyes slightly red from the hangover.

Nodding, I sat up and winced at the sun high in the sky; noon. The thoughts of my three friends passed through my mind but was dismissed when Claude wrapped his arms around me from behind. My face turned pink…I forgot I was still in his bed. If anyone had walked in, it would have been very difficult to say we only slept.

Getting up, I looked at him and grinned, "I think I'll…go get changed. Meet you in the dining room." Just as I was about to run off, I stopped with a devilish smirk. Leaning forward, I kissed his forehead lightly, my hand resting on the clothed thigh of his. His breathing hitched as he felt my fingers lightly dance upwards. Pulling away, I winked at him and walked to my room.

About half an hour later, I walked down and grinned, waiting for Frollo's reaction to my dress. Well, it wasn't exactly a dress…it was more along the lines of badly torn skirt that showed my legs and a long sleeved shirt, the middle of it cut slightly to show off more skin.

The Judge's mouth dropped as he stared at me. Sitting next to him, I thanked the nervous maid for the wine and slowly ate a piece of bread. "How are you feeling?" I questioned casually, making sure no one suspected that I spent the night with him. The demonic red look in his eye had cleared but there were shadows underneath them.

"Fine, just a little tired." His reply was short and crisp.

Nodding, I popped a grape in my mouth. "How long did you sleep?"

There was an amused glint in his eye. "Not long. I was up half the night watching… the sky…change colors. I have to admit my favorite one was lavender." I spat out my wine, coughing. My cheeks were probably as red as the drink. So he had been up watching me, eh?

"What do you plan to do today, my dear?" Frollo questioned as flute music was heard from far away. I was tempted to go walk the markets and maybe go talk to Clopin…but I felt bad for not spending time with Frollo.

"Actually I was hoping we could…I don't know, walk around and talk? Or perhaps listen to music in the market? Or…" I started to ramble but he held out his hand for me to stop. My eyes immediately went to the red and blue rings.

Walking over to him, making sure no one was near, I rested my chin on his shoulder, smirking when he inhaled sharply. Grabbing his hand, I lightly traced every line on the back of his hand, taking the rings off and placing them on myself. He raised an eyebrow as I took the green one and placed it on my other hand, purposely avoiding the wedding finger.

"Hmm…" I thought for a moment before grabbing his hat, placing it on my head. Quickly, laughing, I ran to his room and, while waiting for him to appear, I went through his closet. A giggle escaped from me as I put on one of his robes. Glancing in the mirror, I looked so childish and young. Although the rings were perfect on my slim fingers, the hat was too big which caused the top of it to droop down and cover one of my eyes. The robes, which were very comfy, were two or three sizes too big, making it look like I was in giants' clothes.

Claude walked in, "Lavender what in the world are you…" He stopped and stared at me. Suddenly he burst out laughing, his passionate deep voice echoing in that room. Blushing, I walked over to him without tripping and bowed slightly.

"Sorry Claude, I just couldn't resist!" I exclaimed, twirling around as if I were a princess. The robes wrapped around my foot, making me fall. I closed my eyes tight, waiting for the pain of the floor.

But it never came.

I looked up to see Claude over me, holding me in his arms. "This is what happens when you mess with things that aren't yours." He lectured me, helping me up. As I took off the robes, I could see his eyes were undressing me further.

"I think I know what we can do today. Come along." Frollo ordered, turning on his heels and walking off. The carriage we took made me shiver; it looked so dark and gloomy. It took a few hours but when we got there, the air smelt like…salt. Where were we?

Taking my hand, he helped me step out and covered my eyes as we walked. More than one occasion did I nearly trip on a rock, the sound of water swishing reached my ears, and the wind blew harder. "Where are we?" I finally whined. He just chuckled gently, standing behind me before letting me see.

Wave after wave of water came towards us, sea shells resting on the edge of the tide. The sun hid behind the Vass Ocean, giving it an orange and red color along with its natural blueness. The wind was cool, blowing my soft hair to the side of me. Gasping at the beautiful sight, I grabbed his hand and smiled. I jumped and giggled as the cold water came up to our feet, making me wish I had wore shoes.

"It's lovely Claude!" I exclaimed, seagulls cries echoing above us. I couldn't stop giggling and smiling like a fool, holding his hands. My hair swished and fell over half my face, making him smile. "Look!" I pointed at what seemed like a line of sea shells. Quickly picking some up, I stopped when he grabbed my wrist. Unlike the other times, his grip was not tight but gentle and caring.

Dropping the sand dollar to the ground, I stared into his eyes, breathless.

"Lavender…"

"Claude…"

We both whispered at the same time, blushing. Closing my eyes, I brushed my lips against his. In return, he placed his free hand on the back of my head to bring me closer to him, deepening the kiss.

Falling to the ground in a mountain of sand, I felt his robes slide off a little, his hand teasingly resting on my leg. Cursing the need for air, we pulled away and my soft giggled developed into a laugh, amazed how this all happened.

He shut my insane laugh up with another tongue filled kiss, the sun setting and the moon slowly rising. In the moonlights shadow, I could see the lust and love that shined in his eyes.

Next Chapter: When they get back, Clopin is accused of stealing. Kara and Clopin start to admit they like each other more than friends. But as soon as they do, Clopin gets arrested. Lavender tries to get him free but in the meantime, she listens to him and his love-sick babbling. Will Claude let him go?