A/N: I would like to thank The Nobody Prince (yeah, my favorite moments to write are with the children), Emoen (yeah, fiction can do wonders, especially Repo. Thank you for the compliment; I didn't expect such praise. And not at all, Pavi is quite the character, so it isn't weird at all), and collective2220 (lol, yes, Lina would punch him for that. Automatic responses like that are too humorous to turn away from) for the reviews. I also would like to thank Queenoftheworldintraining for a lovely short message. Finally! Here it is, another chapter. This chapter is mostly with Lina and Nate, but the plot is starting to progress. Hope everyone likes this, and I hope everyone has a safe and great holiday this year. This may be early but Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! As for the others, I hope you all have a joyous celebration whatever you may be celebrating! Sadly, this chapter may be the only Christmas gift I can give to you readers. I hope I can give you all another chapter as soon as I can. If not, I deeply apologize.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Pavi returned to the Wallace household with his face covered by bandages. Luigi looked over at his brother before he started laughing. Pavi could only groan since the anesthetic was still in effect, numbing his face and preventing him from speaking.

Lina rolled her eyes at Luigi's harsh words to his brother. Pavi grabbed onto Lina's arm and gestured her to do something. She sighed before she grabbed both of Luigi's shoulders and stared at him right in the eyes.

"Stop," she ordered simply. Luigi growled but Lina looked at him relentlessly. "I mean it, Largo."

Even though Lina was on painkillers, it seemed to have heightened her authority. And the more authority she had with such seriousness in her eyes, the more threatening she became unlike her usual hearty and playful self. Luigi simply nodded before Lina patted him on his right shoulder and then looked over at Pavi.

"Happy now?" Lina asked him.

Pavi merely nodded and wanted to smile, but the anesthetic did not quite wear off yet. He had another thirty minutes or so for him to speak again, and Pavi really disliked that. He knew, for sure, Luigi would try to use it to his advantage by teasing him relentlessly, but he was happy enough for his teasing to stop for only a bit. He wasn't ready to be teased just yet.

"If you guys need anything, don't call on me," Lina said calmly before going upstairs and closed the door to her temporary room.

"Painkillers can do wonders," Mia said before she entered the living room with Shilo, "especially since I gave her a high dosage of it. But do not fret, it is only enough not to damage any of her internal organs or have any side effects."

"Why would you even do that?" Shilo asked before the two women stopped their chat when they saw the Largo brothers.

"Oh, is your face still numb, Pavi?" Shilo asked. Usually, she would avoid the Largos altogether. But considering they haven't gone into a stabbing spree or tried to steal a face so far, Shilo found it in herself to at least be kind towards them for behaving. Well, behaving as much as they could.

Pavi nodded in reply.

"Why are you being so nice all of a sudden, Wallace?" Luigi asked, eying Shilo suspiciously.

Shilo shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"Because you two are behaving. I should at least be nice," Shilo answered.

Pavi was the first to notice Nate when he entered the living room. He noticed how the boy looked at him with great concern and noticed how Nate was about to ask him about his face, but Nate suddenly closed his mouth again and his face contorted with disappointment towards Pavi. Nate completely ignored him afterwards, making Pavi feel a bit sad. He didn't know why, but Pavi felt some sort of attachment to the boy. And with such a disappointed look at him just like his father used to have, he frowned and hung his head.

Nate came out of the children's room to see Pavi, Luigi, Mia, and Shilo in the living room. He was startled to see Pavi's head bandaged up and wondered if he was okay. He was about to ask, but he then reminded himself of the talk they had about how Pavi didn't really care about Lina. He frowned and closed his mouth. He ignored Pavi and asked Shilo for permission to visit Lina. While he did so, Nate couldn't help but feel unhappy about himself for doing that. He immediately went upstairs to see Lina.

He knocked the door to Mia's room and heard a permission from Lina to come inside. He slow turned the knob and started to open the door. Nate peeked inside to Lina reading halfway through a book. He nervously got in and just stood near the door.

"I don't bite, you know," she said without looking away from her book.

Nate felt uncomfortable every time he visited Lina ever since she got back. The news of her killing innocent people wasn't the reason he was nervous, although he was shocked at first. He just felt uncomfortable and guilty. The thought of her injuries just made Nate feel uneasy and afraid. He also felt another feeling, disappointment. He was disappointed at himself for not being able to change when he silently promised himself that he would when Lina got back. And because of it, most of his visits were cut short. At most, he stayed for only two minutes before he gave her an excuse to leave.

"Why don't you stay longer this time?" She asked him before setting the book down to look over at Nate. Nate's eyes widened before he nervously clenched at the hem of his shirt.

"I... uh..." Nate could only utter. He felt too nervous to even know what to say.

Lina eyed the boy with much curiosity. She had never seen him this nervous before. She knew he was a shy kid, but she wondered if he would ever get out of his shell. It was the very reason she allowed him to eat beside her and stay beside her, so he could learn to be sociable.

"You don't need to visit me if you are this uncomfortable," she told him. Nate's breath hitched in his throat before looking over at her.

"I... I'm sorry," Nate apologized suddenly. The apology came out of nowhere that Lina and even Nate did not understand where it came from.

"For what?" Lina asked, now curious.

"I- I don't know," Nate answered truthfully.

Lina looked over at him for a moment before she suddenly laughed. Nate was rather surprised, but he couldn't help but smile. It had been a while he heard her laugh though it wasn't her usual hearty laugh, maybe due to the painkiller's effect. When Lina finally stopped laughing, she graced her lips with a smile.

"You are still strange as ever, Nate. I wonder where you get your strange personality from," Lina said before she moved to the side and patted the empty space next to her on the bed. Nate looked at her for a moment, wondering if it was okay to sit up beside her. Lina rolled her eyes in response. "If you are this hesitant in everything that you do, you will never become a stronger person." Nate cocked his head to the side innocently.

"But wouldn't it be bad if I do things too directly?" Nate asked before deciding to sit next to Lina. Lina chuckled and put her arm around Nate's shoulder affectionately.

"There's nothing wrong in thinking things through before deciding, but sometimes you have to be direct as well. It's like black and white or yin and yang. Without having both, there is no stability. Same goes with fighting," Lina said wisely. She shivered inwardly for talking like this. This side of her was nothing near like her usual self.

Nate looked at her curiously and now seemed intrigued.

"So you use both methods when you fight?" Nate asked, a little gleam had entered his eyes. Lina looked over at the boy and sighed. This boy will be the death of her if he wants her to teach him how to fight.

"I guess. I use direct methods than being calculative, mostly because I'm fighting with more than one person. And often than most on a one-to-one fight, I would have an easier chance to win if I used both the direct and calculative methods. My opponent won't know what hit him," Lina answered, "But I do become calculative if I have to. Sometimes, you need to know what will be your next attack, when to attack, where to attack, and/or how much pressure or power should be used. Sometimes, you've got to experiment and see which method is better. Though I've got to say, I lost a few times before for using the wrong method."

Nate listened intently on Lina's explanation. He was really intrigued by it and wanted to know more. Nate stared at her brightly, wanting her to continue. Lina noticed his look and sighed. She cursed at herself in her mind for making Nate more fascinated in fighting when she knew better not to let him in such a world.

"Nate, I'm not going to teach you how to fight," Lina warned him directly, "Don't let my talk about fighting make you more fascinated with it."

"But I want to, Lina. I want to learn more. I want to protect you, Shilo, Emma, Tom, Mia, and everyone. I just- I just want to be useful," he told her. Lina gave a small smile before ruffling his hair.

"If you are eighteen and still want to learn how to fight, tell me. I will find someone that will teach you. But for now, you do not need to learn any fighting at your age. Because once you know how, you can never get away from it. You don't need such woes in your life," Lina told him before she suddenly pushed Nate's head lightly, making him tilt his head to the right side of his shoulder. She then said, "A child needs to live life as a child."

Nate looked over at her and saw her smiling at him. He didn't try to argue with her. He just couldn't when Lina was being gracious enough with him as it is. But truly and deeply, he wanted to change. He wanted to be useful, so she wouldn't get hurt anymore. He wanted to protect her like she is protecting everyone else. He didn't want her to bear all the burden alone.

"Sometimes, you remind me of that face-stealer. I wonder why," Lina said with a look contemplation.

Nate tensed up before he frowned at the mention of Pavi. The woman beside him noticed. Nate looked over at her and suddenly held her hand tightly.

"You shouldn't get near him, Lina. He doesn't care about you. He doesn't care whether you live or die. He only thinks of himself," Nate told her with such an intense and serious stare. Lina was a bit surprised before she smiled.

"Thanks for caring, Nate, but I already know that the face-stealer doesn't care about me," Lina said before looking up at the ceiling.

Nate was rather surprised and said, "If you knew, why do you continue to be nice to him? Why do you continue to spend time with him?"

Lina let a sigh escape her lips while she closed her eyes.

"Because he needs it. I guess he is similar to you in that aspect," Lina answered, "Just as you cling onto me, he clings onto me in the same way." She looks over at Nate with a warm smile. "Everyone needs someone, Nate. Even a Largo like him. Unfortunately, you and face-stealer chose me. I had no choice but to keep you both company."

Nate looked over at her for a moment. He didn't know how he felt, but he was still continuously surprised about his savior. Sometimes, the things she says are too different to her usual self. He held her gently as he can from injuring her any further than she already is. He felt comfortable in her arms, almost as safe as he could ever be.

"Look, Nate. Don't get too comfortable with me around," Lina started, her voice turning serious. "So for now, I will let you be by my side. But you must promise me, you will not get too attached. A boy like you needs a stable family. Unfortunately, I can't be the one to give that to you. I can't be the one to watch over you as you grow. But for some reason, I want to give you something for you to remember me by."

Lina stroked Nate's back with her thumb comfortingly. Nate laid his head against her shoulder, holding in his tears. He understood her, but he seemed to not be able to let go of wanting to be with her.

"So I have decided, I will teach you self-defense. No weapons. No killing. No fighting. Just mere self-defense. Yes, there is a difference between fighting and self-defense," Lina told him, "I need someone to protect this family. Protect Shilo and the children when it is needed the most."

"Why are you suddenly telling me this, Lina?" Nate asked, fear running through his eyes after he felt surprised by knowing Lina will be teaching him something.

Lina shrugged and said, "No reason. Now go. I'm a bit tired."

Nate looked over at Lina worriedly before he reluctantly left. Not long after, Mia appeared into the room and stared at Lina.

"I heard you talking to Nate," Mia said.

"I know. My senses are heightened from my training, so I was able to hear you next to the door before you strided away when I told Nate to leave. But for some reason, my heightened senses have become irregular. It goes on and off," Lina explained.

"I guess I've got to run some tests on you to know exactly what the problem is," Mia started, "But for now, I would like to know what is wrong. Why are you acting as if you are going somewhere permanently?"

Lina let out a sad smile and sighed.

"Right before I came back, I found the rebellion is starting to form up with all the GeneCo's organ replacement patients. You know, the ones with overdue payments. I found out some repo men are getting killed. It seems like it wouldn't be long for them to come knocking on Shilo's door to be their representative. Very soon, I might have to be involved with some gruesome bodies to deal with. I don't know if I will come back out alive if it happens," Lina explained. Mia's eyes turned hard, well, as much as it could. Her stoic behavior had tensed up after hearing Lina's explanation.

"So it begins," Mia said flatly, "I've known beforehand, but all of it was to get some answers from Luigi Largo. I never suspected it to be true."

Lina laughed and tapped her finger to her head.

"Time to use your noggin, Mia, because I already have the fighting side to deal with," Lina stated. Mia sighed and shook her head.

"Guess it's time for us to be prepared for the ultimate test of survival. With the right cards, all of us may survive. And if not, we will at least have Shilo and the children to live for us," Mia said, "I will give this news to Shilo. Why did it take you so long for you to tell us?"

Lina rolled her eyes and said, "I had visitors."