Author's Note: I am working on a second story; a comedy that's a parody of the Wizard of Oz. I don't know if it's worthy of being put up, though…anyways, this chapter delves into Andrea's feelings a little…

Chapter 12: Decadence

"Girls, we're getting out of here!" Snake announced anxiously. Lynn quickly hoisted up Andrea, and followed Snake as he flat-out ran towards the service elevator. He jumped into it and scuttled all the way up to the ground floor. Lynn managed to do so as well, even carrying Andrea. They darted for the room with the ventilation shaft, past several confused employees who were promptly tranquilized.

They reached the room where they had left the ventilation shaft; the guy was still sawing logs in the corner. Snake quickly shoved a chair under the vent, and clambered up. He popped out to pull Andrea up, and grabbed her hands. He managed to get her inside and a little down the shaft before Lynn suddenly popped into the shaft.

Like some strange acrobats, Snake and Lynn (Andrea riding on Lynn's back, blushing) made a speedy crawl through the shaft towards the outside of the building. No one had said a word since Otacon had heard someone knocking and yelled suddenly.

It took a few minutes to navigate the shaft to the exit, and Snake literally flew out of the shaft and did a roll on the ground, chucking a Chaff grenade in the process. It threw a cloud of metallic particles in the air, just as Lynn and Andrea emerged from the shaft. Lynn stood upright, Andrea still riding on her back, when Snake took off running. Lynn followed, Andrea bobbing slightly on her back. Andrea was trying to ignore the pain in her leg. They ran, as fast as they could, towards the general area where O'Brian was supposed to be lurking around waiting for them.

The black van screeched forward in the distance and swerved out to meet them. A man opened the door, who looked like he had graying hair and a very coarse stubbly beard.

"Get in!" the man shouted. Lynn saw O'Brian's outline in the drivers seat, and sensing that it was okay, she jumped in the back of the van, the sub-machine gun and Andrea not weighing her down.

Snake followed next, and Andrea was dropped to the floor. She landed hard on her ass, and winced as a new wave of pain shot up her leg.

"What's the rush, guys?" O'Brian asked, hitting the gas so hard that Snake flew into the back door.

"Get us to our apartment," Snake said exasperatedly. "I'll give you directions."

Lyn was wedged into a corner of the van , supporting herself against the side of the van so that she didn't fall down with every movement the vehicle made.

"Warrant Officer Peterson Lynn," Lynn said as the van made a semi-tight turn.

"Warrant O--wait, isn't he your father!" Andrea exclaimed softly.

"Yes, I am," Peterson answered for Lynn. "Now you seem to be in a rush, Snake. What's wrong?"

Snake stiffened from the man's recognition of him, but Snake didn't have time for details.

"None of your business," Snake answered gruffly. "Just get me there."

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What had awaited Bonavero in Chicago was nothing like he had expected. There, Ms. Forrester had a luxurious mansion, with all kinds of security and guards. Outside, it reminded Bonavero of a heavily guarded military bunker--but inside, it was classy, elegant, and beautiful. It was kind of what he had expected from someone of Ms. Forrester's breed.

But it was not the pricey mansion that had throttled his brain, or anything like that. It was when Ms. Forrester had pulled Bonavero in for a little chat in private that had really blew his mind. He was so distorted by what she had said to him, he didn't know what to think. It was too much to absorb. He was locked in a guest room, giving him a lot of time to think about it, but what Ms. Forrester had said…if it was true, it changed everything. Perspective had shifted to crystal-clear for Bonavero. Before he had only been seeing through one obscured eye, without even knowing it.

Bonavero sat down on the classy bed. They had said they'd let him take a shower and give him a change of clothes; he'd been in the same suit and hadn't bathed for quite a while. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his mind off what she had told him. The startling realization of what had been going on.

It was like a game of charades.

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Snake and Lynn piled out of the van before it even stopped moving, and silently made their way up the fire escape to the second floor. Andrea was once again clung to Lynn's back. Peterson wasn't too far behind, making sure no one was going to surprise them from the rear.

"The fire escape leads to the apartment right beside ours," Snake explained quietly, lightly shoving open a window. He slipped through, and helped Andrea through. Lynn followed last.

"Look, mommy!" a small child said, who was playing on the floor with his sister, despite the late hour.

"What?" the mother said, coming out of the kitchen. She stopped and dropped the glass of water she was carrying when she saw the three Tom Clancy rejects traipsing across her carpet.

"Sorry," Andrea said meekly with a pained smile as the group crowded around the door.

"What are you doing?" the mother asked. Snake held his finger to his mouth to indicate silence.

"Some very bad men are next door," he said simply.

"I heard some yelling and banging earlier," the mother said concernedly, eyeing the automatic slung around Lynn. "What is this, a costume party or something?"

"If thinking that makes you feel better, yes," Snake replied. He opened the door a crack and took a look outside. Peterson then came in through the widow.

"Is it clear?" Lynn whispered. Snake gave an almost imperceptible nod. He whipped out his SOCOM and crept out into the hallway, flattening against the wall between the apartment he had just come out of and Otacon's. He slid silently to the door; which was open ajar. Snake chanced a glance inside, and saw that the apartment had been torn apart. Otacon's clothes lay everywhere, Snake's precious couch was all torn up, his cigarettes distributed on the floor. Snake let the other three in and shut the door behind them. Andrea was set down on the couch, and the other three did a quick search of the house. No one was there anymore, even though it had been rougly twently minutes since the initial slamming of the door Snake had heard on his Codec.

"W-where's Otacon?" Andrea asked worriedly. Snake shook his head. The computer had been trashed to crap, its innards spewed around the desk. The chair was sprawled on the floor, some rips and tears in it.

"Nice homecoming party," Peterson mused sarcastically.

Snake heard a slight movement to his left, in the shoe closet. Snake instantly snapped his SOCOM up, as did Lynn with her M9. Snake edged towards the closet, and tried to yank it open. It was locked, and the sound caused whoever was inside to whimper.

"Otacon?" Snake asked suspiciously.

"S-Snake?" Otacon's voice replied. There was the unlocking of the closet door, and it slid open, revealing Otacon inside.

"What happened?" Snake asked, helping Otacon out of the closet.

I don't know," Otacon 'fessed up. "As soon as they started banging, I went to hide and tripped over my computer. That's why I couldn't contact you. I don't know what they looked like, or how many there were. They were only here for a short while."

"At least you're okay," Snake said, patting Otacon hard on the shoulder.

"I don't think it's safe for you here anymore," Peterson spoke up. He had obviously put two and two together to figure out what had happened.

"Who's he?" Otacon asked.

"Warrant Officer Peterson Lynn, Janice's father," Peterson announced.

"Her father?" Otacon repeated.

"The one who made her what she is today," Peterson expanded. It came rushing back to Snake what he had done to Lynn over her lifetime, and Snake had to restrain himself from kicking the crap out of him. But strangely enough, the man felt….familiar, somehow.

"Where can we go?" Otacon asked.

"I have an idea," Snake replied.

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Jack was woken up in the very early morning by a phone call. He wiggled out of Rose's tenuous grasp and grabbed the phone on the bedside table.

"H-hello…?" Jack asked groggily.

"Long time no see, Raiden," a voice said over the phone. Jack could recognize the gruff, blatant voice anywhere.

"Snake!" Jack replied disbelievingly. He sat up straight in the bed, causing Rose to stir.

"We've run into a little problem and need your help," Snake said suspiciously.

"What kind of help?" Jack queried.

"Well for starters, a place to stay," Snake responded, causing Jack to feel dread.

"Snake, you're not turning my house into some kind of H Q," Jack stated.

"What's the matter?" Rose said beside Jack.

"Uhm, it's Snake," he replied, unsure of what to say.

"Look, we really need you to let us stay there," Snake said, increasing the seriousness of his tone. "Here, let me talk to Rose."

"Snake, Rose is asleep right now, and I'm not going to let you con her into--"

"Is it for me?" Rose asked, still half asleep.

"Look, Raiden, just give the phone to Rose," Snake said impatiently. "It's the least you could do for me saving your butt back at the Big Shell."

Jack grumbled an handed the phone over to Rose.

"Hello?" she groaned, as she sat up alongside him. He heard some warbled speech from the other end.

Minutes had passed, and Rose had started to look more and more worried. She gave the phone to Jack to hang up.

"Please tell me you didn't say yes," Jack pleaded. She smiled weakly. "Damnit," he said, putting his face in his hands, and rubbing his forehead.

"Come on, we have a fairly large house, we can accommodate them," Rose said.

"Snake and Otacon? They're going to turn this into some kind of headquarters!" Jack protested.

"They have three others with them," Rose interrupted. Jack groaned in response.

"Who?" he asked.

"Two girls from the local army base, and one of their fathers," Rose explained. "They're coming now."

"Right now?"

"Y'mhmm."

"Great." Jack got up and fished around for some clothes.

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Despite the obvious displeasure Snake had heard in Raiden's voice, the kid had tried to greet them enthusiastically when they arrived at his doorstep. His face dripped with worry and anger when he saw that the majority of his guests were wearing funky stealth uniforms. He ushered the four inside, as O'Brian drove away outside.

"Sorry, we haven't had time to change," Snake said. Raiden eyed the two girls suspiciously.

"What happened to her leg?" Raiden inquired, pointing at the white bandages wrapped expertly over Andrea's leg. Snake brushed his question aside and shut the door.

"Alright," Snake announced. "We have Lynn here, who's got the training of an elite Special Operative," he said, gesturing to Lynn. "We have Warrant Officer Peterson Lynn, who's her father and the reason she had no childhood," Snake said as he hooked a thumb at Peterson, "and we have little Andrea here, who's got a crush on Lynn the size of Mount Everest and the youngest person to ever receive their Medical Certificate." Snake pointed at Andrea, who was starting to turn cherry red.

"I d-didn't--don't have a c-cray-crush o-on…" Andrea stuttered incoherently, her face radiating heat.

"Quite the party you have there," Jack said sarcastically. "Anyways, I'm Raiden, or as I'd rather be called, Jack. I helped Snake in the Big Shell."

A half hour later, after everyone had changed back into some normal clothes (except for Andrea) and safely stored away their expensive combat outfits, they all fell asleep in random places. The only ones who didn't sleep were Peterson, Andrea and Lynn.

It was near morning, and Raiden had gone back into his bedroom, while Rose was helping Andrea out of her combat outfit without aggravating her wound.

"Why are you with these guys?" Rose asked nicely. "You seem like such a nice, quiet girl. You hang with Snake, you're going to get yourself killed."

"I…" Andrea began, looking to the floor. "I wanted to protect Lynn, while she fought…but I ended up being the one protected." She looked on the verge of crying.

"I heard you have a crush on her," Rose said, as Andrea painfully and slowly slipped off the leg section of her stealth outfit.

Andrea turned red again. "N-no, I don't!"

Rose just looked at her with a sly smile on her face. Andrea looked at the floor again

"Is it…that obvious?" Andrea whispered, almost inaudible.

"Your reactions to her are very severe," Rose answered simply. Andrea began to cry.

"I feel…so wrong. It's not right to like another girl, is it?" Andrea whispered again, curling up her knees to her chin.

"There are those who would say that," Rose answered softly. "But people's opinions have no bearing on someone's feelings towards another person." Andrea stayed silent. "Though, I am surprised someone like you could have a crush on a person with such a cold demeanor."

"You don't know what her childhood was like," Andrea said into her knees. "I don't really understand it either, but…she never grew up the way someone should. She was raised to fight since birth…"

Rose sat down next to Andrea on the floor. "You know, Jack was that way too."

"T-the blonde guy?" Andrea replied curiously.

"It's a past he doesn't want to remember, so I'm here to help him get past it," Rose said quietly. "What about you? Why do you love that girl so much?"

"I heard about what kind of life she's had," Andrea confessed, her red face completely buried in her knees. "Alone all the time…no one should spend their life like that."

"You're very smart for a girl so young," Rose complimented her.

"And I knew," Andrea continued, "that she ends lives, while I save them…opposite sides of a coin…"

"Every love has it's trials," Rose explained. "Nothing in this world is perfect. It's just that some things are less so than others."

Andrea rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.

"I want to…fill that loneliness that's been there forever…and keep her alive, no matter what," Andrea said, her true feelings flowing out of her.

"That's what true love is," Rose said, standing up. "It doesn't matter if it's between a man and a woman, two men, or two women." She smiled. "Breaking a barrier of loneliness will be a tough job, but you can wear it down over time."

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"Why are you here, Sir?" Lynn asked her father, who was sitting across from her in the living room.

"What," Peterson replied, "can't I even come and see my own daughter when I want to?"

"You wouldn't come all the way here from Iraq just to do that," Lynn replied evenly. Peterson smiled.

"I've trained you well."

"Why did you come here?" Lynn repeated.

"Because I heard about what you were up to," Peterson answered.

"That doesn't answer my question, Sir."

"Call me 'Dad' or something like that," Peterson asked politely. Lynn stared at him, waiting for him to reply. "I heard that you were getting all kinds of gear and was worried about how much you were charging to my credit card," he lied.

"It was needed to be done," Lynn responded.

"Anyways," Peterson said, changing the subject, "cute little girlfriend you have there."

"You don't even know what kind of mission I'm on," Lynn said, ignoring her father's humor.

"You mean the search and destruction of a Metal Gear?" Peterson queried, frowning.

"Your knowledge surprises me," Lynn replied. She stood up and walked away to get some water.

The kitchen was still fairly dark, with only a faint bit of light coming in through the window from the slightly brightening sky. A woman, who Lynn could only guess to be that guy Raiden's lover, was grabbing a drink of her own. Lynn ignored her, and filled up her own personal mini-canteen with some water.

"Hi," Rose said delicately, sitting down at the kitchen table with her glass of water. "You must be one of Snake's friends."

"I'm assisting him," Lynn said simply. She went to leave.

"C'mon, stay and talk. I'm letting all you soldiers stay here, its' the least you could do," Rose asked nicely. Lynn contemplated this for a second, before sitting down at the table opposite Rose.

Lynn took a couple mouthfuls of water.

"It's just that I wondered what two girls so young were doing with Snake," Rose explained.

"We're assisting him," Lynn answered simply.

"I see that," Rose answered plainly. "But you know, Andrea will tag along wherever you go…even death, if that should so happen."

"That's her fault, I've told her on numerous occasions to go home," Lynn replied evenly.

"You may be great at fighting, and all kinds of other stuff, but you're a complete novice when it comes to other people," Rose stated. "That girl loves you, and you trounce around like her life means nothing to you."

"Having feelings for a comrade is one of the worst sins you can commit," Lynn answered. "It distracts one from their duty and fills their mind with garbage." Rose closed her eyes and shook her head.

"It doesn't work that way, dear," Rose corrected her. "Would you know what it felt like? To be fighting for someone you love? The will to fight for someone special to you is more powerful than any gun, any martial arts, or machine in the world. That's why Jack fought so hard…"

"Have you ever been in a combat situation?" Lynn said bluntly. Rose stayed silent.

Lynn got up to leave.

"Dying a lonely death is one of the worst sins you can commit," Rose finally said as Lynn walked away. Lynn remained silent.

Author's Note: Awww….how romantic. I hope you guys enjoyed this lighter side of the story.