Chapter 2

Hope lay awake later that night, staring at the ceiling trying to sort through his emotions. Seeing her again was nice, and she seems to have loosened up a little bit, at least. She says I've changed a lot, but she seems to still think I'm a kid, he thought angrily. I can't even keep my cool around her anymore, I turn into a babbling idiot when she talks to me, and I can't keep my eyes off her when she's not. Maybe I should listen to my dad, I don't want to ruin our friendship…he thought back to the conversation he had had with his father before leaving for the train station earlier that day with a melancholy smile.

XXXXX

"You must be excited about seeing your friends again," Bartholomew Estheim said to his son as he watched him check his bags.

"Yeah, I miss them a lot," Hope distractedly replied, ruffling through the contents of his suitcase.

"I received word from Snow earlier; he said that Sazh and his son ended up staying with them, when the hotel they usually stay in was booked full…and that was the only one in the area yet. That plus the baby, and they don't really have the room to put you up this year."

"So where am I gonna stay?" Hope asked, abandoning his suitcase inspection to turn to his father with a concerned look.

"Your friend Lightning offered to have you at her house while you are visiting your with them. She has more than enough room, and you don't seem to have any other options…" He stopped mid-sentence as he saw the look on his son's face after hearing about his new sleeping arrangements. His mouth was hanging open slightly and his eyes were widened. "Uh, Hope?" Mr. Estheim asked, looking quizzically at his son.

Hope tried and failed to hide his momentary shock, stammering out a weak "W-what?"

"You'll be staying at your friend Lightning's house instead of Snow and Serah's this year," his father replied, studying his son intently.

"O-oh…okay" Hope replied, turning back to his bag and trying to gloss over the moment. But his father wasn't a member of the governing council of New Eden for nothing, he knew how to read people pretty well, and it was obvious Hope was nervous about this new information. He clapped a hand on his son's shoulder and sighed.

"Ahhh son, young love can be a difficult thing," Bartholomew said seriously, in a rare moment of father to son interaction.

"W-what?" Hope stammered again, looking at his father in surprise.

"I thought you might have some feelings for this Lightning, it's only natural. She is a beautiful and confident woman, and she was there for you during a very tough time in your life."

"But dad, I…" Hope started, but his father cut him off.

"It's okay, son, you don't have to say anything, just listen to a bit of advice. You might be unsure about what to do about your feelings, but before you act on them, you have to be sure they are genuine. If you act on them and it turns out this is just a passing infatuation, you will have ruined a friendship you treasure, and you will regret it for the rest of your life. If your feelings are the real deal…then, all I can say is be honest with yourself and follow your heart, and things will fall into place."

"I….thanks, Dad," Hope said with a smile, gripping his father on the shoulder appreciatively. He went back to his bag, and after his inspection was complete, slung it over his shoulder and headed towards the door, where he saw the taxi waiting outside.

"Bye, Dad," he said. He turned to open the door then stopped, and turned back to his father. "Hey Dad, did you know Mom very well before you guys started dating?"

His father smiled back at him, chuckling to himself a little. "She had been one of my best friends for almost eight years before we started dating."

XXXXX

Hope stared up at the ceiling with renewed contentment as he remembered his father's advice and parting words. I have to stop stressing about this, Dad is right. If it's meant to be, it will fall together eventually. With these thoughts calming the chaos in his head, Hope drifted off to sleep.

The next few days passed quickly for Hope, and was full of happy reunions. He and Lightning went to Snow and Serah's house almost every day to help them prepare for the party. Everyone was, as usual, surprised at Hope's continued growth, and he stoically dealt with their exclamations of him finally growing up, though they grated on his nerves.

Hope didn't mind, though. For the first time in a while, he was able to abandon his worries about the future for him, his friends, and all the other people from Cocoon and just enjoy the moments catching up with his friends. Snow was as energetic as ever, though he was more tolerable with Serah there to keep him in check. His son Zack seemed to have inherited his blond hair and energy, and was constantly escaping from his Mother's grasp to explore every bit of his surroundings. Sazh didn't seem to have changed much either, though Dajh was growing fast, and the baby chocobo that had for so long been a staple part of Sazh's wardrobe definitely couldn't fit in his afro anymore, having grown taller than all of them already. Laughs were had, and memories were shared, and all was right.

When Hope and Lightning weren't helping their friends prepare for the party, they were lounging around Lightning's house, enjoying each other's company. Lightning had managed to get some time off before her next foray out into the wilderness of Gran Pulse in order to be around for the reunion with her friends, and Hope was glad for it. He spent as much time around her as he could, and he was able to keep his cool around her at last, having settled his tumultuous emotions with his decision to see how things played out. He was rewarded with Lightning opening up to him more. In turn for all his stories about high school and college life, he learned more about her past, and about the harsh trials she faced when her parents died and she was forced to care for her sister. He could relate to her experiences, for during the l'Cie incident, he had been forced to grow up just as quick as Lightning had.

The night of the party finally arrived. Snow and Serah's backyard was decorated nicely, with a barbeque and table set up under an awning to keep the sun's punishing rays from ruining the occasion. The Cocoon refugees had quickly learned that the only thing worse than Pulse's freezing nights were its brutally hot days. Everyone was having a good time, and Hope was able to enjoy being with his friends and not dread the return to harsh reality the next day when his train home was going to leave. Snow turned out to be a pretty good cook, despite his rather obnoxious "kiss the cook" apron. Most of all, Hope liked being able to see Lightning happy and seemingly let down her guard to enjoy time with the people she cared about. He spent most of his time sitting and talking with her, and when Snow made a comment about this, she promptly knocked him on his ass. He looked up at her angrily, and said "Damn, sis, the apron says kiss the cook, not punch his lights out," to which everyone eventually burst out laughing, even Light.

Night eventually fell, and Sazh and Snow went into the house, claiming they had a special surprise for everyone. They came out a few minutes later lugging a large black box between them and put it in the middle of the yard. Sazh turned back to them all with an excited smile on his face.

"I don't know if the rest of you guys realized this, but today is the day that they usually held the Bodhum fireworks festival. Though that isn't really anyone's top priority nowadays after our…er…migration to Pulse, I figured we shouldn't let the tradition die, especially since it brought us all together. I was able to whip up a nice batch of fireworks over the past year and I think you guys might enjoy it." He walked over to the box and pressed a few buttons and ran back to watch with the rest of the group.

"This should be good," Hope said, as he stood next to Lightning, who smiled slightly. A few seconds later the box went off with a loud bang, spraying multi-color lights into the air. The group cheered at the marvelous display, which was every bit as good as the festival they had attended all those years ago.

Lightning put her hand on Hope's shoulder, and he turned to her. "Make a wish," she said with a smile. Hope looked back at her and was tugged back through the years to when his mother had said that to him in the original Bodhum. He looked back at her and returned her smile.

"I already have," he replied. She didn't question his response, and they stood together enjoying Sazh's fireworks display. After another few minutes, during what looked like the finale, Hope put his hand on Light's shoulder, just as she had done. She turned to him and he looked into her blue-green eyes, and thought back to his father's words. He knew then that this was real, and that could never be happy with anyone else but Light.

"Light…." He started, looking for the right words. His father's voice sounded again in his head, 'just be honest with yourself and follow your heart' "I wanted to thank you."

She looked at him quizzically. "For what?"

"For being there for me all those years ago. I know I was probably a burden to you most of the time, but you taught me how to follow my instincts and to fight, and most importantly, to forgive. Without you, I never would have become who I am today…hell I probably wouldn't even be here right now, and I just wanted you to know how much it means to me that you were there, so….thanks." He took his arm off her shoulder, but continued looking in her eyes, trying to discern some reaction to what he had said.

She looked at a loss for words at first, but eventually managed to say "Hope, you don't have to thank me. You were never a burden, and you helped me come to terms with myself as much as I helped you. And now I look at you, and the man you are becoming, and I'm proud that I was able to help you along that path. You're not the same timid boy that I knew when we first became l'Cie. You're a strong person, and you're one of the few people that I trust in this world. Don't change who you are." Hope was just as taken back by her response as she had been to what he said, but he smiled and nodded, and the two of them turned to watch the rest of the fireworks, side by side.