Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who has sent in reviews and added this to your favorites and alerts!

Warning: There is a lemon in this chapter just in case anyone wants to skip over it. I'll block it off between the third and fourth line toward the end of the page.

Chapter 2: Let The Party Continue:

"Oh mommy…?"

Slowly, Lightning began to wake once she heard the familiar voice. It sounded like Fang's. Soon she could hear Serah and Vanille joining in, calling her 'mommy', and trying to hold back their laughter.

Once Lightning woke up fully, she realized that she had fallen asleep. Quietly she left from her bed so that Faith wouldn't wake and left from the room. She headed back downstairs. As soon as the others saw her, they started to laugh. Lightning crossed her arms as she frowned. "What?"

Vanille grinned with her hands behind her back. "Awe! That was so sweet what you said to Faith!"

Lightning looked surprised. She had forgotten that the monitor was still on downstairs so they could have heard everything that she was saying. Fang walked over and poked Lightning's chest as she smirked. "Well look who has developed a soft spot."

Lightning frowned and knocked her finger away. She sat back to where she was before. Serah sat back beside her. "It's okay. It was really cute."

Lightning looked upset. "Who told you guys to eavesdrop on my conversation?"

Fang and Vanille sat down to where they were before. Fang grinned as she leaned her head on her hand. "Well you put it out there for us to hear mommy."

Lightning became more annoyed once she remembered what woke her up in the first place. "None of you guys are to call me that."

Fang's eyes traveled between Vanille and Serah. "Wow! We tell her she's going soft once and she loses it."

Serah looked over to Lightning concerned. "Was everything all right? After a while, we didn't hear anything."

Lightning relaxed as she closed her eyes. She was still a little tired. "It was nothing. I just fell asleep after Faith did."

Fang shook her head as if she was disappointed. "Falling asleep at your own party..."

Vanille became worried. "I hope that it's not too boring." She hoped that Lightning was having fun with them.

Lightning leaned her arm against the table. "What do you guys expect? I was tired before this and you did spring this party on me last minute."

Fang waved her hand in the air. "Fine! Fine! Let's get back to it."

After some time later, the girls hear a noise. They looked over and saw some familiar faces entering in through the door in the kitchen. Vanille stood up. "You guys are back already?" The rest of the girls were also surprised to see them back this soon.

Snow grinned. "We had our party so now we decided to crash this one."

Sazh placed his hand on Noel's shoulder. "And look who we brought back."

Noel waved his hand. "Hey!"

Serah stood up happy and embraced him. "Hey! It's been a while!"

Noel embraced her back. "It's good to see you again." After they separated, Noel turned his eyes over to Lightning who was still sitting. "So…? I heard you're getting married."

"More or less," Lightning answered.

Noel half grinned, half smirked. "Come on! Aren't you happy at all?"

"I'll be happy when it's over." Even though Lightning didn't smile, the answer didn't lighten Hope's smile. Her eyes traveled over and noticed Hope step into sight. Soon he went over and sat beside Lightning.

Fang waved her hand as a signal for them to come over. "Sit! Now that we got more people, this is going to be interesting." Everyone listened and started sitting down.

Hope looked over at Lightning. "So how is everything going?"

Lightning sighed, thinking about what they had been doing before they came. "Fine I guess."

"How's Faith?" he asked curiously.

Her eyes traveled over to him as she leaned her chin in the palm of her hand. "Woke up once, but then went right back to sleep. She was asking for you."

That surprised Hope a little, but made him happy. "Really?"

Lightning looked over toward Snow who was talking with Serah. "I see you made it home okay. Snow didn't get you to drink too much did he?"

Hope smiled. "No. I'm fine. I couldn't lose him though. I don't think he's drunk enough for that yet. He still found his way back." The joke made Lightning let out a smile.

"All right! All right! Drinks all around!" Fang slid more shot glasses to the guys. "So time to think of something else to do."

Vanille grinned. "Ooh! How about a game?!"

Fang rubbed her fingers against her chin. "A game huh?" A smirk crossed her lips as an idea popped into her mind. "How about a little truth or dare?" Her eyes turned to the other end of the table. "And we'll start off with attention of the party."

Lightning sighed as she closed her eyes. Even though she knew why, she still didn't want to be the target. "Why me?"

Fang grinned. "All right Hope! Pick one. Truth or dare."

Before Hope could answer, Lightning spoke first. "If you say truth, I will kill you."

Hope was stunned. Already he was getting threatened and he didn't know why. Not wanting to press it any further, he picked the only option he could. His eyes traveled between Lightning and Fang. "Dare I guess."

Fang smirked. "You could pick truth if you want. You don't have to listen to her."

Sazh sighed with his eyes closed. "Already trying to get him in trouble I see before they even settle down. Remember what we said before."

Hope let out a small smile with a look of defeat. "Sometimes it's best not to argue, but just go with it."

Snow smiled as he placed up his thumb. "We taught him well."

Lightning crossed her arms as she glared a little at Fang. "Besides I think we had enough truth telling today haven't we?"

"No." Fang shook her head a little. "Anyway so here's what you have to do." She paused a moment, letting the suspense build. She let out a smirk and pointed her glass toward Lightning. "All you have to do is kiss the bride to be."

Hope was surprised. That sounded easy enough. "That's it?"

Fang leaned her arm against the table. "It better be a good show. If not, you have to drink."

Lightning looked upset. "You can't just change the rules like that."

Fang waved her finger. "It's not changing it. Give her the best kiss of her life."

"He passes," Lightning told her.

Fang circled her finger around the table. "If he passes then he has to drink everyone's shots. You don't have to be shy."

Lightning looked serious. "There is no way that-." Before she could finish arguing, she felt her body being leaning back, cradled in a pair of arms, and a pair of lips meeting hers. Being caught by surprise, her eyes widened. She pressed her hands against Hope's chest, thinking about pushing him away. Behind them, they could hear the sounds of cheers and oohs. Slowly they leaned down until her back was pressed the floor. When Hope lifted up from her, Lightning stared at him still surprised at what happened.

Above her, there was a grin on Hope's face. Going for it and not having to drink everyone's drinks was better than her being mad at him, if she was, for going through with it. Hope sat up and turned back forward. He looked across the table at Fang as he smiled confident and playful. "I think that I handled that well."

Fang smiled as she gave a look of defeat. "Fine you get through this one." She leaned her arm against the table as she gave a small smirk. "That actually quieted her down." On the floor Lightning frowned as she crossed her arms. Her eyes drifted off to the side. Serah kept herself from laughing at her lying on the ground. "All right you. Come back up here," Fang told her.

Reluctantly Lightning sat back up with her arms still crossed. "What now?"

Fang let out a smirk. "Your turn." Lightning didn't want to think about what she had in store...

Minutes later, Lightning was lying down on the floor. "Is this really necessary?"

"You're the one who's against picking truth," she could hear Fang's voice in the background. Fang's eyes traveled over to Vanille as she smiled. "Nice thinking. This should be fun to watch."

Vanille grinned hoping her idea would be funny. "Go Hope!"

Nervously Hope smiled before his eyes traveled over to Lightning. His eyes met with hers. "Don't worry. This will be over soon." Lightning sighed. He leaned down toward her exposed stomach, pressing his face against her skin. On her bellybutton, there was a small piece of fruit. As hard as she tried not to crack a smile, it ended up seeping through. The feeling of his moving lips was ticklish to the point that she had to laugh quietly. Around there were grins holding back laughter as they watched. Finally Hope lifted up from her and helped Lightning to sit up.

Fang smirked. "Wow! I didn't think you would actually do it."

Lightning straightened out her shirt as she looked down. "That just seemed like you gave him another challenge." Fang and Vanille shrugged. Lightning stood up and started walking off. "I'm going to step out before you come up with anymore ideas."

Hope stood up after her. It sounded like a good idea plus he could be alone with her for a little. "I'll come with you."

Fang's eyes traveled toward Serah and Snow. "Hmm… Now I wonder what else we can make someone do." Nervously Serah and Snow smiled seeing that they were her next targets.

Lightning stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a towel from nearby. Hope stepped in beside her. He smiled a little. "Having fun?"

There was a faint smile to her lips as she used the towel to wipe her stomach. "I didn't expect you to actually do that."

Nervously he smiled a little. "Well it was either that or the alternative."

"Hmm..." Lightning placed the towel on the counter. She crossed her arms as she lifted her eyes up to Hope who stood in front of her. "So what did you guys do on your night out?"

Hope shrugged a little. "Nothing much. Just talked for a while."

She arched her eyebrow as she thought back. "What was that whole thing about earlier between you and the guys? That it's best not to argue and we taught him well?"

Hope's lips curved up into a smile. "While we were out, they were teaching me the rules of marriage. One of the things they said is that sometimes it's best not to argue." He lowered his eyes disappointed. "Sometimes you just won't win."

Lightning's lips curved up into a smile. She placed her hand against his cheek. "Good advice."

He grabbed onto her hand. "Ready to go back now?"

She closed her eyes for a little before opening them to him. "Not really. I don't think I'm ready to get tortured again."His lips curved into a smile as he stepped toward her. Lightning took notice and knew what he was up to. "You do know that the others aren't that far away right?" she reminded him.

"This won't take long." Hope leaned in and kissed her.

For a few moments they forgot where they were, only focusing on each other. Soon Hope and Lightning looked over once they heard a sound behind them. They spotted Serah nearby with a smile on her face. Lightning placed her hand on her hip. "You're not here to drag us back are you?"

Serah walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. "No. I just came to grab something and take a break like you guys."

"Didn't want to get dragged into crazy stuff either?" Hope asked.

Nervously Serah smiled. "Not really." Soon her nervous smile turned into a small smirk. "So trying to get away from the party just to get some alone time?"

Lightning looked serious as she crossed her arms. "Not really. Just trying not to give them any more ideas. We should probably head back now before they send a search party after us." Hope and Serah let out grins and followed Lightning back into the living room to find out what they were in store for next.

"All right…" Vanille placed her finger to her chin. "Never have I ever…" Once an idea popped into her mind she smiled. "Ooh! I know! I haven't traveled to all the new places on Pulse and I really want to one day!"

At the table Lightning and Hope took a sip of their drinks. As the night continued to progress, they decided to switch games and try something different. Serah looked over curious at Lightning. "You've traveled to all the new places on Pulse?"

Lightning placed her glass on the table and turned her attention to Serah. "While I was still active in the military, we did surveillance all around and made sure that people are safe."

Fang smirked as an idea came to mind. "All right! I got one. Never have I ever had a kid." Around the table Lightning, Hope, and Sazh drunk from their glasses. Right away Fang noticed that Sazh did. "Oh right! I didn't mean to make you drink." Lightning gave a slight frown. Because of that, she could tell what Fang was up to. Fang waved her hand. "Sorry what I meant to say is that I never had a child that's a girl."

"Yeah right. Like that's what you really meant," Lightning replied as she drunk along with Hope.

"All right. I think that I got one." Noel spoke, following Fang's pattern. "I've never taken over the world with scientists."

Hope sighed with his eyes closed and reluctantly took a drink. "Trying to gain up on us too?" Lightning asked.

Noel smiled and pointed back toward Fang with his thumb. "She started it."

Lightning looked serious at Fang. "We have ways of making you drink too."

Fang smirked. "Bring it on then." Her eyes traveled over to Snow. "But for now, it's your turn big guy."

Before Snow could speak, they suddenly heard a sound echo through the room. Lightning recognized the small cries and whimpering and stood up from the table. "I'll be right back."

Hope stood up and followed after her. "I'll go with you."

Fang smiled at them. "Sure you'll be okay? You did drink a lot."

Lightning looked down at her. "Actually we haven't been since we came back. We switched out the alcohol for water. So much for your plan of getting us drunk."

Fang smirked. She was impressed that they slipped that little detail passed her. "There always next time."

Afterwards Hope and Lightning headed upstairs back to their room. Hope was the first to reach the bed where Faith was. Lightning closed the door behind them. Hope smiled toward Faith as he picked her up. "Hey! Why the sad face?"

Faith calmed down a little as she stared into his eyes. "Daddy."

Lightning turned off the monitor remembering last time what happened and then sat beside Hope as she gave a gentle smile. "See. I told you when you woke up, you would see him again." Hope glanced at her before turning his attention back to Faith. It didn't take long before he managed to make her smile. The fact that he did even got Lightning to smile.

Minutes later, Hope was leaning his head back against the wall as he was somewhat sitting up and Faith was asleep on his chest. Beside him, Lightning was lying down close to him. "This is nice. I guess this is what would have happened if we just spent the night in," she heard him say above her.

Lightning sat up moving in closer to him and leaned her head against his side. He was a little surprised that he had done so, but soon relaxed. "Yeah," she responded. "Thank you for helping out with Faith. I couldn't figure out why she kept waking up. Maybe she'll actually sleep through the night now."

Hope sat up still holding onto Faith with one arm. "I'm going to go put her in her room."

Lightning grabbed onto the monitor and followed Hope into Faith's room. He placed her down in her crib and placed a blanket over her. Lightning placed the monitor nearby. She leaned against the rail to check on Faith one more time. "I guess we better get back. She seems okay now."

Suddenly she felt hands placed on her shoulders and the feeling of warm breath against the nape of her neck. "Do we have to go so soon?" the voice behind her breathed anxiously.

Her eyes drifted back as much as they could. "If we don't, then someone's bound to get suspicious."

Hope leaned his head against her shoulder and on the side of her head as his arms wrapped around her waist. "Not necessarily. I haven't forgotten about what occurred earlier."

Instantly Lightning recalled what happened before he left. "What? They didn't bring you anyone to play with to your party?" she said sympathetically, but sarcastically.

A faint smirk appeared over Hope's lips. "They did bring me back here to you."

Lightning began to walk away from him. "Yeah…Play time might have to be later."

Suddenly she felt her wrist being grabbed which made her stop. Before she could speak, she found her lips pressed against his. Hope stepped forward which made her step back. Her back became pressed against the wall trapped between it and his body. As passionately as he kissed her, it was hard to pull away. More she found herself giving into that temptation of staying behind with him. Her fingers reached over grabbing into his shirt. He parted from her lips as he pressed his forehead against hers. Both were breathing heavily. The brush of his lips against hers teased her a bit. "Why can't we now?" he whispered seductively.

The offer was tempting to her. She could feel his hands holding onto hers that were on his chest. They soon moved along her arms to the sides of her body, caressing and continuing to tease her. A part of her mind was in a haze and still considering the possibility. He leaned in and kissed her again. His hands slid up against her toward her chest and gently grasped her breasts. She breathed out more once she felt his hands move. His lips traveled from hers to the skin of her neck. Her eyes remained closed as she took in the pleasurable feeling he was giving her.

Afterwards Hope stepped backwards. Lightning lifted her blue eyes to meet his emerald ones. He breathed out heavily and then turned and headed toward the door. As her body relaxed a little, curiously her eyes followed him. At first he was teasing her, but now he was just backing away. She didn't understand it. "Where are you going?"

Hope looked back at her. His hand grabbed onto the strands of his hair, resisting the urges that his mind and body wanted. "I'm going back downstairs. I thought that's what you wanted to do." Afterwards he turned and left from the room. It gave Lightning a short time to think whether she wanted to take him up on his offer or not.

In the hallway, before Hope could reach the first step on the stairs, he suddenly felt himself being pulled back. Surprised he saw her with a serious look, but a bit of yearning behind her expression. She pulled him inside of their room and closed the door behind them. Nearby the door inside, she pushed him against the wall and captured his lips with her own. Seconds later, Hope managed to pull away from her. "What happened to getting back?"

"Just let them think that we're still busy." Lightning moved back in and pressed her lips against his anxiously.

Downstairs Snow looked over toward the stairs curious. "They've been gone for a while."

Fang leaned her head against her arm as she had her elbow pressed down on the table. "I say that we continue playing."

Serah looked over at Snow. "Maybe it's taking longer with Faith than they thought. I'm sure that everything is fine."

Inside of their room, Lightning still had Hope's body between her and the wall. As they were breathing hard and had the hunger to still continue, her fingers reached underneath his shirt and pulled it over his head. Blindly she tossed it off to the side. Right after, she began working on his belt as she kissed him again. It didn't take long before she managed to take off his belt, pants, and everything else underneath. Hope was surprised by how quickly she moved. He didn't get the chance to remove anything from her yet.

Lightning turned them around and caused him to walk backwards as she walked forward. She pressed her hand against his chest and pushed him down lightly. His back fell and bounced a little against the mattress of their bed. Before Hope could move further up to where his knees weren't hanging over the edge, Lightning crawled over him sitting on her hands and knees. She leaned in and continued to kiss him. His hands caressed against her sides onto her back. Soon she felt his hands pressed against her hips and the gently squeezes that he gave. Her lips traveled down to where his neck was. She gave soft kisses and slight tugs at his skin. "Aren't you going to help me get them off?" she whispered in his ear.

Listening, his hands reached underneath her skirt and pulled away her underwear. She helped by shifting her legs to help get them off. Soon he tossed them off to the side. Lightning sat up on top of him. With her hand, she grabbed onto his member and slid him inside of her. He breathed out already feeling the moisture inside. She began to rock back and forth as she leaned forward. As she moved, her lips met with his. His hands reached up and slid the top of her shirt from her shoulders. Shortly after, he lifted it up from her body, breaking their kiss temporarily, and tossed it off to the side. Feeling his hands slide against the thin barrier of her bra, she breathed out as she closed her eyes. His hands caressed over the fabric until he reached up and pulled the straps off of her shoulders onto the side of her arms. He reached in behind her and loosened the hooks that were keeping it around her body. Lightning lifted her eyes to Hope's as they both tossed away the piece of clothing. He reached down toward the zipper on her skirt, but she removed his hand. She was still eager to continue and didn't want to break away their connection. "Leave it."

Hope listened and let his lips meet with hers again. His hands reached up and grabbed her chest. His thumbs caressed over the most sensitive areas. He could feel the sense of pleasure starting to get overwhelming. He didn't want for things to end just yet especially without her. He pushed himself up making both of them sit up. She slowed down a little, giving his body time to relax. The kisses they shared between them were passionate and intense. A muffled moan escaped from within her. Her hands were pressed against his chest closer toward his shoulders. She moved her head toward the side of his. Her tongue spread over his earlobe and neck and bit down softly. He left a trail of kisses from her collarbone down to her chest. He replaced one of his hands working at her breast with his lips. His now free hand caressed along her back down to her hips. He grabbed onto them making her body jump in excitement. Her panting was starting to become loud enough for him to hear.

Eager to get back to how they were before, she pushed him down on the bed and continued riding him. Both of her hands were pressed down on the bed. He leaned his head up slightly still keeping his mouth and tongue to her breast along with his hand caressing the other.

Soon she felt it; that overwhelming pleasure from deep inside her. She closed her eyes tight as a sudden cry left from her. Her head tilted back as she moved faster. More her body began to take over, leaving her mind behind. A few cries left from her lips. Her insides tightened in around him. His head tilted back against the bed as he closed his eyes. He let his other hand take over continuing to caress her. His breathing was beginning to become more audible, but not as much as her cries. Deep inside, she felt her release dripping down her tightened walls. Even after, she still felt a sense of pleasure that felt too good to stop. Underneath her, Hope's body was trembling. He grabbed onto her thighs as he felt his end near. His fingers tightened in on her legs. He let out a few soft moans before he felt his release. Afterwards his body began to relax against the mattress as he kept his eyes closed. On top of him, he could still Lightning moving. She continued on until she felt the pleasurable feeling subside and she could no longer feel him. As she was breathing hard, she had her hands pinning down his arms against the bed. Tired, she laid her body against his as her face became buried in his warm, moist neck. Beside him, he could still hear her breathing hard. He was a little himself. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he rest along with her.

Sometime later, the others were still downstairs talking. Out of the corner of his eye, Snow looked over and then smiled. "Hey! We were wondering what happened to you two."

Everyone looked over to see Hope walking ahead of Lightning as he held her hand in his. There was a smile to his lips. "Sorry about that." Hope looked over at Lightning still keeping his smile on. "It took longer than we thought." In return, a faint smile appeared on her toward him. For now, they would walk in pretending as if nothing had happened.

They sat back at the table where they were sitting before. Concerned, Serah looked over toward Lightning. "Was everything okay?"

Lightning looked over to her. "Everything is fine. There's nothing to worry about."

Later into the night, everyone in the living room was lying on the floor asleep. The night had come to a close with everyone drifting off. The only two still up were Hope and Serah. Serah looked around as she smiled. "I'm surprised. Everyone fell asleep."

There was a faint smile on Hope's lips. "Yeah." His back was pressed against the couch. His eyes traveled down to Lightning who was asleep with her head on his shoulder. His arm was wrapped around her waist.

Serah looked over, noticing as well. Then she turned her attention to Hope. "So you must be pretty happy. The ceremony is going to be in a few days."

Hope gave a tired smile. "Yeah."

"Hope? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Hope looked over, but then his expression changed to surprised. There was a serious look on Serah's face. It had put him on edge somewhat. She gave a similar glare that Lightning would give him when she was upset.

Serah continued on with what she wanted to ask. "Do you love my sister?"

He was surprised that she would ask that. "Yes! Of course."

Serah leaned her arm against the table. "And you're not just marrying her because of Faith?" She knew that Lightning had the same reservations when they spoke a while back.

Hope breathed in a little, thinking about his answer. He then turned his head toward Serah. "I'll admit that a part of the reason is that I want us to be a family. I lost my mother and my father died before I traveled years into the future. There was no one of my family left." Then he turned his head and looked toward Lightning. "I wasn't sure if I would have one like this again." He smiled over at Serah. "I mean you guys are like my family and soon we really will be, but in a way, it feels different when you have someone of your blood. This was really different for me."

Serah glanced toward his shoulder. She noticed a slight movement from Lightning with her facial expression. It was then that she became curious. She returned her attention back to Hope. "So you don't regret at all what happened with Lightning and having Faith?"

Hope shook his head and then smiled. "No not at all. I wanted to have a family again and it's already happened. A little sooner than I expected, but I'm happy nonetheless. Also it's as I told Lightning before, without or without Faith, I would love her regardless. I wouldn't have changed my mind. There are a lot of things that I love about her."

Serah leaned forward interested as she smiled. "Oh really? What?" Once she asked that, she noticed Hope become quiet and smile nervously. "Oh come on! It's just the two of us. You don't have to be nervous about saying how you feel about my sister and why you want to marry her. I think that it would be great to hear."

Hope knew that Serah had a point. He wasn't afraid to express his feelings. "All right. Well… there are sometimes she can scare even me when she gets angry, but in a way it's kind of cute. There are a lot of little habits about her that I love. One is the way she denies snoring when she actually does."

Serah let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah. I know that."

Hope lowered his eyes thinking while keeping a smile on. "I don't know… It's just that I can't imagine not seeing her in my life. I wake up every day and see her sleeping face. It's a beautiful sight. Something that I could get use to seeing every day. It just makes me… smile. Even if I don't smile for the rest of the day, I know that no matter what, waking up next to her everyone morning would."

Serah grinned as she leaned her head on her hands that were together. "Awe! That's really sweet what you said." When she looked down toward his shoulder, she noticed something which made her smile more. On Lightning's lips, there was a smile. Serah wanted to laugh a little, but kept it to herself. She knew that Lightning was awake and probably didn't want Hope to know that she was.

Nervously Hope smiled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to go on like that."

"It's okay. I was the one who asked you. It was really nice to hear. You should probably tell Lightning some time," Serah suggested.

"Maybe… Anyway it's getting late. I'm starting to fall asleep myself." At that point, he was ready to get some sleep after a long day and night.

Serah nodded. "Same here. I hope that the party was fun."

"It was," Hope answered. "If you want, I can set up a bed in my office in the extra room."

"Thank you for that." Serah's eyes traveled over to Snow lying on the floor sleeping and snoring. "It's probably too late to wake up Snow." Afterwards she stood up.

Hope sat up a little. He didn't want to wake Lightning up, but he knew that she probably wanted to sleep in her own bed. "Hey." Soon, Lightning woke up. She got up along with him and headed toward their room. Hope set the room aside in his office for Serah and placed a thick blanket on the floor for her to sleep on along with a pillow and extra blanket. Afterwards, both Lightning and Hope said their good nights before heading to their room.

Before they went in, Lightning grabbed onto his arm which caught his attention. Hope turned around. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. She placed a kiss against his lips. Once she separated from him, he looked surprised. "What was that for?" All she left him with was a smile before she headed inside of the room. Even though she knew the answer and could tell him it was because of what he said about her, she would leave that for him to figure out.

Thanks for reading! I'll be back to update soon!