NATALIA WOKE up alone in a strange room. It only took her a second after looking at the blue walls to remember where she was. The young woman rubbed her blue eyes and yawned; she still wore her clothes from the night before, which she remembered falling asleep in. But the blanket over her was new, and someone had removed her shoes for her. Natalia grabbed the baby blue fleece and curled up in it, she felt like she could sleep for days still. The last week had taken quiet a toll on her.

Small footsteps ran up the stairs, making Natalia open her eyes again. There was a boy at the door, smiling wide and standing proudly in his rocket pajamas. He waved, "Hi! I'm Peter."

Natalia squinted and raised her head, "Hi, Peter."

"Breakfast is ready." He said happily, "There are cinnamon rolls!"

Natalia sighed, "I'm guessing that you aren't going to leave until I get up, huh?"

Peter shook his head, "Alright…" She took her time, swinging her legs out of the bed and getting to the door. Peter stepped aside so she could get through, and followed her down the stairs.

"Are you and Uncle Lukas married?"

Natalia stopped and looked back at the boy, "What?"

"Well you were sleeping in Emil's bed together…" The boy fidgeted innocently.

"No, Peter, we aren't married." She started walking again.

"Are you going to get married?"

Natalia hesitated, "Well there isn't a plan if that's what you mean."

"Are you dating then?"

"No…"

"… Why were you sleeping together than?"

"Um, look kid." Natalia stopped and turned again, "It's kind of a complicated situation. I don't know if you're old enough for me to explain yet, okay? Sorry…"

Peter shrugged, "That happens a lot. It's fine."

Natalia nodded, and finished the trek to the kitchen. Peter went past her and took a seat at the table. She hung back, peeking into the kitchen cautiously. Tino looked up and smiled warmly, "Good morning, Natalia." He motioned at the coffee pot and pastries on the kitchen counter "Help yourself. Lukas is outside."

Natalia muttered an incoherent 'thanks' and stood in the doorway to the kitchen a moment longer. She stepped away to the porch.

The brisk morning air surprised her as she stepped onto the cold wood, its white paint chipping. Natalia brushed back disheveled hair and looked to the swinging bench. Lukas sat there, still in his clothes like her and holding a cup of coffee tightly with both hands. His face was blank, but Natalia knew better than to believe he wasn't upset.

She padded over to him and sat down, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Snowflake." He murmured.

Natalia crossed her arms and held them tight against her, "You aren't wearing your boot."

Lukas glanced down at his foot, "Hmm…"

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"Tons. But it wasn't so much a break as a crack, so I'm not worried." Lukas closed his eyes, and in a whisper added, "Besides, I've been preoccupied."

"Things have been a little crazy." Natalia muttered, "But…" She closed her mouth, refraining from speaking.

Lukas turned to look at her straight on, "What? Say it."

She hesitated for a moment, and then looked back at him, "I think you could make things less hectic for yourself…"

"How do you figure?" Lukas asked, looking back out to the sky.

Natalia glared at her feet, "Well if you took care of some… relatively unfinished business you might have an easier go at it."

"You mean with Brigitte." Lukas sighed, "Don't you think it looks a little… irresponsible to worry about that while my brother is missing?"

"Only a little bit." Natalia shrugged, "I mean, he is sixteen. And despite how angry he may get he loves you guys. He can handle himself, and he'll come back…"

Lukas closed his eyes, "Maybe so… but it doesn't matter."

Natalia glared at him, "How doesn't it matter? You've created a mess of things."

"I know." Lukas growled, "But I'm going to fix the things that are more important first." He opened his eyes and turned a cold stare onto the woman beside him, "Sorry."

"No. I makes sense." Natalia looked away quickly, "I'm trying to tell you that he'll come back though. I kinda get how he feels…"

"Overwhelmed?" Lukas snorted.

"Confused." Natalia added.

"Angry with us…"

"Misunderstood."

"He probably feels this way all of the time." Lukas chuckled a little bit.

"You'll just have to work on not being so selfish." Natalia smirked, "Maybe talk to him."

"Hey, I talked to him!" Lukas defended, "It was just difficult. We're very different people."

"Of course you are." She sneered, "What siblings aren't?"

"True." Lukas said, "Although… we might be a little more alike than we like to think."

"You're both idiots who are emotionally stunted for sure." Natalia kicked off the porch, making the swinging bench sway.

Lukas lifted his hurt foot from the painted wood, "I am not either of those things."

"Please." Natalia rolled her eyes, "Neither of you can handle yourselves. Why else would your little brother be gone?"

Lukas stood, stepping gently on his foot, "I'm going to pretend you never said that…"

"Rude!" Natalia shouted.

"…And I'm going to try and keep busy like Tino."

Natalia watched him limp away, "Keep busy my ass!" She called, "You're going to call her."

Lukas glanced back over his shoulder, "So?"

"'So?' A phone call won't make this shit storm go away." Natalia pouted, "I know that I won't forgive you for a while."

"I'm not worried about that now. But I might as well do something productive instead of brood on the porch like an old man." Lukas opened the front door and went back inside.

Natalia stared at the spot he had stood on for a while. Red hot anger and jealousy bubbled inside her. She couldn't believe Lukas was actually calling that bitch. She ran away to her brother, after all. If that didn't mean 'There's no chance of us getting together ever again' than what the hell did?

"You are an old man!" Natalia shouted, much too late to actually insult her ex. It wasn't enough to make her feel better—but what was lately?—so she got to her feet and went to the far end of the porch, pulling out her cell phone.

She dialed Brigitte's number angrily; upset that she still remembered it, upset that she was in this situation, and it was cold.

Brigitte answered relatively quickly, "Natalia?"

"It's not fair!" Natalia shouted.

"What isn't?" To Natalia's surprise true worry shone in Brigitte's voice, but that wasn't why she was calling.

"That he still cares about you!"

"Oh…"

"I mean… It's—Just… It isn't fair!" It came out whiney enough to make herself cringe. But she pouted and relished in it.

"How do you know that he still cares about me?"

"How does anyone know anything about him?" Natalia snapped, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, he was mad at you when he cheated on you." Brigitte said calmly, "And don't try to tell me that you haven't been talking with him."

Natalia was quiet for a moment, "But…"

"I'm not saying that he isn't an idiot who doesn't know what he's missing. But he's also a trouble man. Doesn't deserve any slack, and should know better! Yet… troubled."

"He isn't a child!" Natalia snarled.

"Did you hear what else I said? At all? I swear to God, Natalia…"

"…I heard you."

"He loves you! Okay? I know that you'll never believe that, but it's true. You don't have to worry about me anymore…" Brigitte sighed, "But I'm calling you when I get back, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

The line went dead, and Natalia calmly slipped her phone back to her pocket, "You say it so surely…" She murmured, crossing her arms to keep out the cold. Her dark blue eyes took in the town and bay below her. It made her smirk a little, to think of Emil running away from a place like this. There's probably no other place that he and Lukas belonged.

"Hey…" She jumped, turning to glare at the man interrupting her thoughts.

Mathias offered a sweater, "You okay? Uh, need to talk or anything?"

Natalia eyed the sweater, than snatched it away from him, "I'm fine."

The man chuckled, "Well, if it helps at all—…"

"I said I'm fine."

"I know, but I've known Lukas for a long time and things tend to work out the way he wants them to. So when things go south like this… I don't know. He knows he fucked up and he has no idea how to fix it." Mathias grinned at her, "I'll let you be though…"

Natalia watched him go, his large hand resting on the doorknob, "Hey!" She called.

Mathias stopped and looked at her, "Yes?"

"What would you do?"

"Me? Shit… Well, figure out what you want first of all. Whatever that happens to be it's worth it." He shrugged, "But I'm probably not the guy to ask." He went back inside, leaving Natalia to mull over his words carefully.

Natalia couldn't sleep; even in her own bed. As the day dragged on and she went back to her apartment, promised a call as soon as Emil was back home, and then the night came in the heaviness in her stomach grew. It was irrational, sixteen year-olds can handle themselves… most of the time.

The woman found herself drawn to her phone, scrolling through people to text who wouldn't answer her. People she wouldn't want to answer. Back and forth, up and down. Every time she slowed on one name.

Lukas.

Of fucking course.

The cliché of it made her groan. Calling him wouldn't make her feel better. He's worried sick! Maybe even looking for his little brother.

So why the hell was she calling him now? When did that happen?

"Hello?"

Natalia held her breath for a moment, grasping for anything to say, "Hey…"

"What's wrong? Did he…"

"No he hasn't texted me or anything. Um, are you out looking for him?"

"Yeah, I'm at some creepy little gas station buying beef jerky… The bathrooms were bad and all the lights are blue-ish…"

"Blue-ish?" Natalia questioned.

"Horror-movie-hospital-setting lights… It looks like some place that Emil would take a picture of actually."

"I wish I was with you." Natalia blurted, "I wouldn't be much help, but…"

"You'd be tons of help, Snowflake."

She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them close, "Don't do anything stupid."

"I won't. I am staying away from that van though…"

"Bye, Lukas."

"Bye, Natalia."

It was hard to hang up, but she managed.