Author's Notes: Sorry about updating so late! Things have been very, very busy. Thank you for sending in reviews and adding this to your favorites and alerts! Usually I give a heads up, but I neglected to mentioned that after this chapter will be one more chapter before this side story ends. This chapter will definitely be longer than the last one.

Warning: So with an answer to the last review, yes there will be certain scenes of a lemon kind in this chapter and the last one of the story. As usual, I'll use lines to put where the beginning and end of it will be just in case anyone wants to skip over it. I think this one is the most graphic I've gone with and probably the last one I'll do for a very long time.

Chapter 8: Surprise!:

After a few days had passed, the sun began to set over the city of Palumpolum. Hope headed toward the window near his bed. He gazed over the sight below him and out in the distance. A faint smile crossed over his lips. Things were over now so soon he could go home to see his family. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Once he hit call, he pressed it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey," the voice responded on the other line. "Since you're calling I'm assuming that you're done with everything or either you're calling to tell me that you're stuck there for a few more days."

As the voice on the other line spoke, he sat down on the bed. A smile went across his lips. "Don't worry. It's good news. I'll be heading back to Academia tomorrow afternoon. Until then, I was wondering if we could speak as we did before."

"That won't be possible," the voice replied shortly after.

The news surprised Hope. "How come?"

"I'm not at home," the voice answered.

More, he wondered what was going on and if everything was okay. "Where are you?"

"Since you told me that you would be away for a little longer, I spoke with Serah. Since she had some free time, I decided to go down to New Bodhum and spend time with her." As she spoke, Lightning sat down on the edge of a bed in one of the bedrooms.

Hope relaxed as he smiled. "That's good to hear. Then maybe I could see you once on my phone."

"Not yet," she told him.

He was surprised and curious as to why. "Why not?"

"Just not yet. I rather you see me in person." She figured it was best to see what she was up to instead of giving a hint over the phone.

Hope was interested in what she was up to. "How come?"

"Just trust me." It was all she had left him with.

He closed his eyes, giving up for now. Whatever she was up to, he would trust that it was worth waiting for. "All right."

"You must be tired. We can talk tomorrow when you head back. We can meet you at home."

A smile crossed over his lips as an idea came to mind. "How about this? How about I go to New Bodhum instead?"

The suggestion surprised her. She didn't want him to have to take an extra trip. "You don't have to come here."

"It's all right. I know how much you want to spend time with your sister. I have a few days off now so going to the beach wouldn't be so bad." He wanted her to be happy and knew that staying with her sister would.

Lightning's lips curved into a smile. "All right."

Over the phone, he noticed that she sounded a little happy. It made him happy as well. "All right. Then I'll see you tomorrow."

Afterwards they each hung up. Lightning placed her phone on the bed as there was still a smile on her face. She was surprised that he was going to come down to meet her, but most of all she was happy with what he was doing for her.

Early the next morning, Hope was awake and walking around the city of Palumpolum. He still had a few hours before he could head back to Academia and instead of sleeping in, he decided to travel around the city that he hadn't been in a long time. He felt that he already slept enough the night before. The city didn't completely remind him of his old home on Cocoon before it fell. It was built more advanced, but not as much as Academia. Along the way, he spotted a toy store. It sparked the memory of what he told Faith. He remembered that he promised to get a new toy for her. While he still had a few hours to spend freely, this would be a good time to find one and he could surprise her with it. Once deciding, he stepped inside. Behind the counter, a short, stout, middle aged woman noticed him come in. Her lips curved up into a smile. "Hi! Can I help you find something today?"

Hope smiled back at her. "Hi! I was just looking for something."

"Anything in particular?" the woman asked in a cheerful voice.

Hope nodded. "Yes. Something for a two year old girl. She just turned two not too long enough and she's kind of getting tired of the toys she already has."

The woman nodded back as she smiled. She understood his situation. "I see. Well I can show you where we have toys that are safe for two years old." She led him toward the back of the store. As she pointed out the different things they had, something else had caught his eye. On the shelve he saw a rabbit like doll that almost came up to Faith's height. He wondered if that would be something that she would like. He had never given her a doll before. Taking a chance, he picked it up from the shelf. "I think I'll take this one."

The woman looked back at him. "All right." He followed her back to the counter and rung up the doll for him. Then an idea crossed her mind. Her eyes lifted up to him. "You know. I could wrap it up as a gift for your little girl. It could be a surprise for her."

In response he smiled. He thought it would be a good idea plus it could be added fun for Faith to rip the paper off. "Sure." She placed the doll in a box and gift wrapped it for him within minutes. After everything was settled, he left from the store. He didn't expect to find something for Faith as soon as he did, but was happy that he did. As he walked, he noticed something along the way. His eyes traveled over surprised. His feet stopped in front of a familiar place. It wasn't long before a smile crossed over his lips. He didn't realize right away that he was walking in the same neighborhood with the place that he talked about with Lightning a few nights before. He found the bakery where they had brought sweets before. That's when the idea crossed his mind. He could not only surprise Faith but Lightning with something as well.

Before he could walk in, he noticed something else out of the corner of his eye. Nearby, there was another shop with jewelry outside of it. Curious he went over and looked to see what was going on. The store didn't seem like the fancy stores that he was used to seeing, but it seemed more antique. Inside he searched around thinking that maybe he could come across something interesting. At the counter there was an older man standing behind it. On top of the counter he noticed a small compact with a gold chain attached. It had a dark blue orb in the center on the top with a few arches of sliver metal decoration over it. He noticed there was a button on the side. "Ah! I hardly ever see people looking at that one."

Hope returned his attention back to the object that caught his eye as he held onto it. "What is it?"

The man's lips curved into a smile. "You can put images inside of it and project it out almost like a photo album."

Hope was surprised to hear that. "I didn't think anyone has created something quite like this."

Even though the man smile, disappoint showed through his face. "I thought that people would be buying them up, but that wasn't the case... It seemed too complicated for them. This place is where unique things are made."

Hope looked over at the man curious. He was still interested in the object plus he thought he could figure out how it worked. "How does it work?"

The man explained it to him. After he heard it, Hope thought it was easy enough to figure out how to work it plus he knew who it could be a gift for. "Would you like to buy it?"

For a few seconds more, Hope thought about it. It could be fun to work on and it wasn't a bad price. He placed it on the counter. "Sure." As he stood at the counter, he noticed something else out of the corner of her eye. There was another necklace that was slightly moving. There was something different about it. His finger caused it to twist. As it twirled in a circle, the scenery inside of the square frame kept changing. He was surprised. He hadn't seen a necklace like that before.

The man noticed that something else had caught Hope's eye. A bit of excitement came to his face. "Ah! You found that one too. You really have an eye for unique things. It was something someone else created. When you turn it, it changes what you see. One minute you'll see a night sky then at the next turn you could see rain."

Hope was impressed by the invention. "Wow." He observed it more to see how it worked. Then he placed it on the counter thinking that it was interesting enough. "I'll take this one too."

The man gave a toothy grin. "Ah! That's great!"

After Hope brought the necklaces, he headed over to the bakery next door where he picked up a couple of boxes of sweets to bring home.

Hours later, Hope returned to Academia first to drop off his things that he brought with him. Afterwards he packed a few things to bring for the night in New Bodhum and took the next ship he could there. He was able to arrive later on that night. He walked across the beach to reach Serah's and Snow's house. Once he got there, he knocked on the front door. It was a little later in the night and he hoped that someone was still awake. He had let Lightning know around the time he would get there. Seconds later Serah answered it. She greeted him with a warm, welcoming smile. "Hi Hope!"

Hope greeted her with the same smile. "Hey Serah!"

Before he could walk in and speak with her further, Serah stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance and pointed further along the side of the house. "I think you might want to head further down."

He gave a curious look. "How come?"

All she left him with was a smile. "Just trust me."

"All right." He still wondered why, but listened and turned away from her.

Serah leaned against the doorway with her arms wrapped around herself. "Good night Hope. Glad you made it here safely."

Hope glanced back at her as he kept walking. The confusion still didn't leave him as to why he couldn't use the front door. "Good night Serah. Thank you." Soon she disappeared and he headed further down to the room attached to the house. There was a door that led to it. When he stepped inside, he became curious. The room was dark and seemed like no one was there. "Hello?"

As everyone sat on the bed, Serah looked curious as to why Lightning and Hope had become quiet. Her eyes traveled between both of them. "So what happened next?" Lightning and Hope looked at each other. What happened next was clear on their minds, but it wasn't something to say out loud. Their minds traveled back to that moment in silence.

Hope continued to search around as he walked further inside. He placed his bag down on the floor. Soon he saw a bathroom door open. Lightning stepped out of it as she leaned against the door with her arms crossed. "Hey." Once he saw her, a look of surprise appeared on his face. She seemed different. Her bangs hung off to one side of her eyes covering over it. Her hair that had hung over her shoulder had become straightened and longer. There was a long sleeved robe wrapped around her that stopped at the top of her legs. Lightning walked toward him, but then turned her eyes aside when she stopped in front of him. What was on her mind, she began to change it. Her eyes drifted to the side. "This is silly," she muttered. Retracting from her decision, she was about to head back to the bathroom, but then felt a hand grab hers. Slightly she turned back to Hope.

Hope stepped back as she stepped forward. He overheard what she said and wondered what she was up to. An encouraging smile curved his lips. "I'm sure that it's not. What were you trying to do?"

Lightning crossed her arms over her chest. "It was silly. It was just an idea that was put in my head."

"I'm sure that it's not," he tried to assure her. "Now what was it?"

Lightning lifted his eyes to him. "It was…" With what she had planned, she felt a little nervous at the pit of her stomach about saying it out loud. Her eyes drifted to the side. "It was supposed to be a surprise."

More he began to get eager as to what she was up to. "I want to know what it is. Surprise me."

xxx

For a few seconds, she stared at him. By the look he gave, she could tell that he wanted to know. It made her unsure if she wanted to take back what she had planned. This was something that she didn't usually do and a first attempt at trying. Finally coming to a decision, she then stepped back from him still facing him. Her eyes lowered while her fingers untied the straps from around her robe. Afterwards, she placed her hands on her hips.

Stunned he stared at her. Underneath he could see the black, laced bra and underwear that she had on. He was at a loss for words. Reacting on body alone, he went to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He slipped the robe off of her revealing completely what she was wearing. He took her hand in his and rotated her, which she followed, taking the full view of her in. He observed as much as he could. Feelings of desire began to grow inside of him more than the night before he left to go to New Palumpolum and more than the night they spoke on through screens. This time he could be with her in person.

Before she could ask what he was thinking, he placed his hands on her arms as he leaned in. He pressed his lips against hers. His body stood at a close distance from hers. Tonight would be a night just for them. His hand caressed along her back until it had reached the arch. His lips kissed from hers to along her cheek to the crook of her neck. He kneeled down as he placed a trail kisses along her chest and stomach. He teased as he kissed along the lining of her underwear at her waist. Her finger ran through his thick, silver hair. Soon after, he stood up and returned back to her lips.

Minutes later, he stepped forward as she stepped back. Her body leaned back against the bed. Her eyes followed as he came over her with his hands against the mattress. His lips had met with hers again. His hands caressed along her body and grasped at the barriers covering over her chest. She breathed out as she closed her eyes. Things began to get heated between them. Her fingers reached up and unbuttoned his shirt. She removed it off of his broad shoulders.

Both of their bodies lifted off of the bed as she followed along with him. Hope stood behind her as he kissed her softly on her neck and shoulder. The straps of her bra slid down her arm by his fingers. The material brushed lightly against her skin. She removed her arms from through the straps. His hands caressed along her waist and moved further up toward her chest. Softly his fingers grasped over the soft material. He reached behind her and unhooked the back of her bra. Soon, it dropped down at her feet. Her arm reached up as her eyes drifted to a close and placed her hand on the back of his neck. Breath escaped from her lips as she could feel his fingers rub over the sensitive areas of her chest. Behind her, she could feel his hardness from inside of his pants pressed against her hips. More she could feel the heat from her body growing especially further down. She relaxed against him in bliss. While he continued kissing her skin softly and caressed her with one hand, he reached down and removed the rest of his clothing with the other. Soon she felt him pulling at her underwear. She shifted her legs letting them fall down to the ground.

Hope leaned against her which made her lean forward. Lightning crawled onto the bed. Before she could move further in, she felt as he placed his hands at her waist as a way of stopping her. Curiously she looked back at him. His stomach leaned against her back. He placed kisses against her upper back and between her shoulder blades. He used his knees to spread her legs further apart. Soon she felt it; the opening between her legs being filled by him. She breathed out as she closed her eyes. She could feel her body rock forth and back as he pressed in and out. His fingers traveled upwards toward her chest and caressed her. Again she could feel the heat inside of her growing. His fingers slid between her thighs and rubbed against her highly sensitive flesh. Heavily she breathed out. The pleasure inside of her grew stronger with every touch. The strength from her arms escaped from her, causing her upper body to lean toward the mattress. Her fingers clutched onto the covers tightly. The pleasure was overwhelming. No longer could she hold back her cries. Her body began to tense. Her legs made an attempt to close in, but it was no use. His knees were keeping them apart. Her body felt as if it was on fire. Her nails dug as deep as they could into the covers feeling as if she could rip them any second. The ecstasy was almost too much, but it felt so good at the same time. The sound of her voice and look of pleasure on her face was intoxicating. It made him want to keep going. He continued to move, pushing in as deep as he could. As much as she tried to control the sound of her voice, it was no use. Her cries continued to grow louder. She turned her head burying most of her face into the mattress. From there he could still hear the sounds. He noticed her lips move as if she was murmuring, but couldn't hear what she was saying. Around him, he could feel her walls wrapping around him tightly. A rush surged through her body. At that moment she released what her body had to give, but the feeling of pleasure stayed with her.

Minutes later, Lightning felt her body shift. Hope sat on the bed moving her onto his lap. Her body continued to move on his as she kept her eyes closed. Her mind was focused on keeping the feeling going. His hands reached up and caressed her chest. Underneath her chin, she then felt the tips of fingers brush against it and gently grab on. She turned her head back as much as she could. Lightly, the tips of her fingers brushed against his jaw line. "Hope…" she let out in a soft whisper. Her mind was still covered in a haze along with his. Hope's lips had met with hers. The two kissed until he started to shift again.

Her back leaned against the bed and he came over her on his hands and knees. It was easy for her to tell that he was continuing and was yet to finish. His lips met with hers again. His hands brushed against her hands and arms lying back on the bed near her head. He moved back inside of her and continued on as before. As he was going, an idea crossed Lightning's mind. A way she knew he could finish. She pressed her hands against his chest which he looked surprised. Soon he felt himself pushed down on his back on the bed. She sat at his waist placing him back inside of her. She moved back and forth against him with her hands against his chest. His fingers moved along with his lips to her chest. They caressed onto the hardened center of one as his tongue slid across the other. Again, inside of her, she felt a sense of pleasure building along with him. The feeling between them felt intense. Sound escaped from his lips along with hers. His hands reached over and grabbed onto her hips causing her hips to bounce a little. His hands slid up further toward her waist following along with the rhythm of her body. Through pure bliss, their lips had met for a few seconds. Again, he could feel her tighten around him which made him throw his head back onto his pillow and close his eyes. All around his body felt tense and trembling. She was starting to feel the same. As she let out one last cry, again her body had released around him. Shortly after, his body could no longer hold back as well. Loudly he let out a moan before his body could relax. He had experienced his pleasurable release.

Everything had slowed down to a stop. Heavily, they both breathed out. Lightning moved from over him and let her body drop back on the bed laying the opposite way on the other end of the bed from him. She grabbed onto the blanket near her and covered herself from her chest down to the top of her legs. She trapped part of the blanket between her legs. Hope continued to lie down with his eyes closed. The only sound that filled the room now was the sound of heavy breathing. Lightning opened her eyes as she looked up toward the ceiling. Her fingers could feel the heat and sweat coming off of her skin. Her body had been pushed to the point of exhaustion during their time together, but she kept going. In the end she thought it was the best experience she had with him yet.

Minutes later, after being somewhat rested, Hope sat up. His body still felt hot and sweaty. He turned himself and lied down beside Lightning. He took some of the pillows he had with him. Both of them settled once everything was straightened. Their eyes had met as their breathing began to slow down a little. He placed a kiss on her shoulder and buried his face into her arm. A smile escaped from his lips. "That was…" He wasn't sure what word he could use to describe what happened. A lot of words came to mind, but what was the right one to say?

"What?" When the wait felt too long, she asked.

Hope lifted his head as he kept his smile on. "How were things for you?" He was interesting in getting her opinion first before he told her his. Maybe it would give him a better idea for choosing a word.

Her eyes searched his. Her hand caressed along his cheek. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. "Not bad. It was pretty good." Even though she told him that, another word better than 'good' was flashing in her mind.

He leaned against her as he closed his eyes. "Same here although I hope that you didn't wake anyone in the house."

Slightly she pushed him off as she gave a faint frown. "I wasn't that bad."

Hope let out a grin. "I beg to differ." He nuzzled his nose into her neck. "Are you telling me what you really think? Are you sure that it was just 'good'?" He wondered if there was another answer that she was holding back on.

"I guess you'll never know." She wasn't sure if she wanted to let him know yet.

He groaned as he buried himself further into the crook of her neck. "I guess I should go away more often."

"Maybe not often," she replied.

Upon hearing those words, he lifted his head as happiness dwelled through him. "Ah! So you do miss me while I'm gone."

Her eyes drifted away from him. "I wouldn't go that far." Hope let out a sigh as he closed his eyes. There was look of disappointment. He sat up which made her curious. "Where are you going?"

He grabbed onto his pillow as he gave a sad smile. "I'm going back down here. The only thing I'll have to hold is this pillow here." He was about to get up, but felt a hand grab onto his arm.

Lightning pulled him back down. "Don't be so dramatic. I wasn't serious." Soon she turned on her side away from him. "Fine. Maybe it was more than just good." He wrapped his arms around her relaxing with her comfortably. Then she noticed as he began to kiss on her shoulder and neck. His hand caressed along her side against the blanket. She turned her head a little toward him. "Aren't you tired?"

A small smile crossed over his lips. "Not so much. I'm surprised. Things are quiet around here." He began to look around. "Where did you put Faith anyway?"

She turned on her other side toward him. She rested her head on her arm as she looked serious. "You just now noticed your daughter was missing?"

"No. I just thought that you put her somewhere else to sleep. Even before I had the chance to ask, someone came in and distracted me with her surprise," he pointed out. "Where is Faith?"

"Serah volunteered to keep her for the night. She wanted to spend a little more time with her before we left for home in the morning." Her eyes lifted up to him. "Besides, it gave us a chance to be alone."

A question formed in his mind as he smiled. "What made you want to do a surprise like that anyway?"

Her mind thought back. "It just happened. Serah and I were walking around with Faith when she noticed this store that sells clothes like the ones I had tonight. She started joking with me saying that I should get something as a surprise. At first I thought it was silly, but then we went back passed it after we had lunch. Before I knew it, we were in the store and I was still listening to Serah while she's telling me what I should pick out."

Hope let out a smile. "Well I'm glad you did. This is one of the best surprises yet."

"It better be although..." She turned away from him as a little frown came across her lips. "I guess that's the only thing you noticed."

It surprised him that she seemed upset all of a sudden. "What do you mean?" When she didn't answer, his eyes drifted to the side, thinking. "The only thing I noticed?" It didn't take long to figure out what she meant. His eyes turned to her as he smiled. He leaned against her, placing his lips to her neck. He closed his eyes as he embraced her. "Your hair is very nice." His fingers brushed against the strands over her shoulder. "You should wear it like that more often."

A faint smirk appeared on her lips. "You really did notice or are you just saying that now?"

"I noticed, but it's as I said before. Before I had the chance to say anything, you surprised me. I guess you could say I was at a loss for words." His hand rubbed crossed her side over the blanket. "I glad that you did. It wasn't silly at all. In fact, you could surprise me like that again if you wanted. I wouldn't mind. Ever." As she lied facing away from him, a smile seeped through her lips. Maybe she could forgive him for not saying anything sooner plus he really did notice. It wasn't so bad what happened between them despite her slight feelings of embarrassment and nervousness at first. They both came out happy in the end and it was something worth trying again. While they lied in an air of silence, a thought crossed over Hope's mind. As much as it was comfortable lying with her, he figured that it was the best time to present her with something as well. "I guess that reminds me."

Curiously, Lightning looked back at him. "What?"

A small smile appeared. "You weren't the only one who brought a surprise. I brought something with me too." He slipped out of bed which she wondered what he was up to. He went into his bag he brought in with him. A few seconds later, he moved back in beside her. In front of her eyes, she saw a box that he held up in front of her. It was wrapped with a bow.

Her eyes traveled over to her to him with wonder. "What's this?"

"Just open it." He didn't to spoil anything.

Lightning listened and took the box from his hand. She unwrapped and opened it. On a golden chain, she held up a necklace with a square frame. Inside she was a field with a bright, blue sky with white clouds. "What's this?"

He smiled as he pointed to it. "I thought that this was neat." He began to twist the frame. "It shows you different sceneries like this might show you night."

When she watched, she saw a scene of night as a star fell from the sky in the distance. He twisted the frame to the other side. There it showed a nice sunset. She grabbed a little more onto the necklace. It was interesting enough with not knowing what it could show next. "I see." She managed to place hook the necklace behind her neck. Her eyes returned to him. "Thank you."

Hope leaned his head on his hand as he smiled at her. "I actually brought a gift for Faith as well."

At first Lightning was a little surprised, but then grew curious. "What did you get her?"

"You'll just have to wait and see like she will."

xxx

For now, Lightning decided to let it go and wait to see. After things had turned quiet, Hope leaned in and kissed her. Her eyes drifted to a close. His hands slid along the smooth skin of her legs toward her thighs opening them up more. As they kissed on and off, his body moved over her more. Her legs hung on back sides of his waist. Minutes later, she breathing out deeply as she tilted her head back. She kept her eyes closed. Once again she could feel as he entered inside of her. Her body rocked along with his as her hands grabbed onto his shoulders. They carried on as they were before.

Serah waved her hand in front of Hope and Lightning to catch their attention. They snapped out of what they were thinking and looked over at Serah. "Hey! You guys just zoned out on me."

Hope and Lightning glanced at each other before turning their attention back to Serah. "Sorry about that," they replied.

Serah smiled and decided to move on. "It's okay. I remember when you guys left the next day."

The next morning, the sun was shining in brightly through the windows. The cool breeze off of the ocean was flowing in through the open windows causing the curtains to flutter. Hope was lying asleep on his stomach asleep as the blanket covered him from the waist down. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The air around was warm with a touch of cool whenever breeze blew through. When he woke up fully, he realized that he was alone. He turned his head searching around as he wondered where Lightning went. He rested a little more before he got up.

Further into the afternoon, Serah and Lightning walked in the door of Serah's house. Serah was holding onto Faith as she turned to Lightning. "It was nice getting out before you guys have to leave. Are you sure you don't want to stay here for a few more days?"

Lightning reached over and took Faith from her arms. "It's all right. We'll be back to visit again soon."

Serah gave a small smile. She was a little disappointed that they were going because she had enjoyed the time she had spent with her sister, but knew they had to go home eventually. "I guess. It better be soon."

Lightning glanced at Faith before returning her attention to Serah. "She didn't give you any trouble last night did she?"

Slightly Serah shook her head. "No. She was pretty quiet. She slept the whole night."

Lightning turned her eyes over to Faith. Lightly she pressed her finger to Faith's nose, making her head tilt back a little. "I see. You stayed on your best behavior." Faith let out a laugh which caused Lightning and Serah to smile in return.

Another thought came to Serah's mind which she remembered. "So I saw when Hope came in last night. It must've been nice having him back."

Lightning looked down as Faith was grabbing onto her fingers. "Yeah."

An interested smile appeared on Serah. "So? What happened last night?"

Lightning hesitated for a second thinking of what she could say. She couldn't give her the real answer. Then she gave a slight shrug. Her eyes traveled from Serah to Faith, not letting their eyes meet just in case Serah became suspicious. "Nothing really. We just stayed up a little then went to sleep."

Serah thought they would have had a better reunion, but at least they got to see each other. "All right." Then Serah became curious. She noticed something hanging around Lightning's neck. "What's that?"

Lightning followed her eyes and looked down. "What? This?" She held the golden frame in the palm of her hand. "It was something that Hope gave me yesterday." She twisted the frame. It shows different scenes to Serah. The last one she seen was snow falling to the ground. It brought a smile to her face. "Wow!"

Lightning noticed what she was staring at. "Where is Snow anyway?"

"He ended up sleeping in." Serah thought about waking him up so that he could say goodbye to the others, but it was a struggle getting him to so she left it alone. Behind them, Hope opened the door to the house. He was glad that he found all three of them there. He stepped inside. Serah was the first to notice. "Hey Hope!"

Lightning turned around. Faith looked surprised, but it was soon replaced with an excited smile. She leaned over as her hands reached out. "Daddy!"

A grin crossed over his lips. He was a little surprised by how happy she was to see him, but happy nonetheless. He took Faith from Lightning's arms and held her up toward his shoulder. "Hey! Did you miss me?" She continued to smile as her fingers were in her mouth. He smiled and asked again. "Did you miss me?"

With her fingers in her mouth still, she spoke. "Yes..."

"Did you have fun staying here?" Hope's question got Faith to talk more to him. She tried to speak of the things she did.

As Serah watched, she couldn't help but smile. "Awe!"

A silent laugh left from Hope as he listened. Once Faith grew quiet, Hope looked over at Serah. He gave a grateful smile. "Thanks for looking after her."

Serah smiled and touched Faith's arm. "It was no trouble at all. It's not often that I get to see her." Soon she stepped back and her eyes traveled over to Lightning. Once she got a good look at her, a slight frown tugged at her lips. She went in front of Lightning and brushed the strands of her fingers, straightening them. "Awe sis! You messed up your hair with how I put it. You've been keeping up with how I had it before, but it's now messy. What did you do to it?"

Lightning's eyes traveled over to Hope who in return just smiled. It was a little funny watching her sister fret over her hair, plus the private joke they shared between them. She then turned her attention back to Serah. "I guess I slept kind of hard."

Serah looked surprised. "You must have or toss and turned something fierce." Again Lightning's eyes traveled over to Hope who just gave a shrug. There was nothing else he could say besides the truth which neither one of them would reveal. Finally after straighten her hair, Serah embraced her. "Have a safe trip back. Hope to see you soon."

In return, Lightning embraced her back. "We will."

Serah let go of her and looked over at Hope. Hope smiled and grabbed onto her hand. "It was nice to see you." Serah grinned which made him curious and surprised. "What?"

Serah looked over at Lightning as she thought back. "I remember when I first saw Hope after ten years when we were time traveling. He grabbed my hand, but then got so embarrassed after he realized he did."

Lightning stepped beside Serah with her arms crossed. "What? Never held a girl's hand before?"

Nervously, Hope smiled. "It was just... I was happy to see a familiar face after everyone had disappeared. I wasn't sure where everyone had gone at the time so it was nice to see Serah again." He looked down realizing that he was holding onto Serah's hand still. He began to get nervous again. "Sorry."

Serah looked over at Faith and bent a little toward her. "And I'm going to miss you too."

Hope's eyes traveled over to Faith. "Say goodbye to your Aunt Serah." Faith continued to stare at Serah unsure of what she wanted to do. Serah held out her arms waiting and hoping that she would come to her. Hope lifted her little arm and waved it. "Say bye bye."

A few seconds later, she leaned over and went into Serah's arms. "Bye."

Serah was glad to hear Faith response to her. It made her smile. "We should spend time more often. You don't have to be so shy around me." Faith leaned in and wrapped her arms as much as she could around Serah's neck. Serah was surprised that she did so. She wasn't used to Faith reacting that way toward her. In return, she wrapped her arms around Faith as much as she could. Soon she gave her back to Hope and said goodbye to the three.

Hope and Lightning walked off into the sand. Hope turned his attention to Faith. "When we get home I have a surprise for you." Curiously Faith looked at him.

Also curious, Lightning looked over at Hope. "So what's this surprise that you have for Faith? You want to tell me now?"

Hope smiled. "You're still going to have to wait until we get there. Who knows? I might have another surprise for you as well," he hinted. Lightning wondered what he meant by that. He had already given her a gift, but did he really have something else? Her fingers latched onto the frame as she continued to wonder.

Thank you for reading! I'll try to update more sooner. The next chapter will be the last one of the story!