This is a little later than I meant it to be, so I hope that is all right. I want to thank you all for the support, and I'll reply to the reviews soon.

Happy reading and thank you for your time.

Snow leaned back into the squeaky, hard plastic chair, biting back a moan as his tailbone throbbed. He blinked at soft laughter coming from the hospital bed, and glanced at his fiance, Serah, as she giggled at him.

"You're making a face," she said, shaking her strawberry blonde hair from her eyes. "Like you have to go to the bathroom or something."

Snow cheeks warmed and he shook his head, grinning. "No way! But these seats are made of cement or something, I'm getting butt coma over here."

Serah shook her head again, blue eyes brightening. She leaned back into the pure white pillows; ones that were once stiff and sterile, but now accustomed to her head and torso. Her left arm was linked to the IV bag that pumped in much needed medicine with complicated names Snow could not memorize. Her right hand gripped Snow's, fingers brushing his palm. Snow glanced at her frail and pale fingers, caressing them with his own, bigger ones before looking at her right arm.

Bandages wound tightly over the skin hid the dark, black brand that spread across her upper arm nearly two years ago. The same brand that doomed her to living in a hospital bed, pumped with experimental medication in order to keep her stable. The brand that kept her surrounded by blank white walls and a small television hooked to the ceiling.

Serah's life, however, had leaked into the dead room. Pictures of her and Snow together, and even a few of Lightning, sat on the end tables. Books, some as thin as her hand and others as thick as bricks, were stockpiled in the drawers and hanging around the room. And notebooks and pencils littered the free seats and any other surface, filled with her neatly written scribbles.

"Snow?" Serah asked, tilting her head at his sudden silence. She tightened her grip on his hand and Snow slowly raised dull blue eyes to her, scratching his brow.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled. "Just thinking again."

Serah nodded, looking down at her lap, then back at him. "About what happened?"

Snow grunted, not meeting her searching eyes. Serah swallowed, shaking her head. "I already told you that it wasn't your fault. I'm the one who followed you. If I hadn't-"

"It doesn't matter. I'm supposed to be able to protect you, Serah. And I couldn't. I couldn't even do that. And now you've got this-this eons old disease that we have no idea how to treat and it's my fault!" He lowered his booming voice at her wide eyes, shaking his head and glaring at his lap. "No matter what I seem to do, I fail at...at protecting you when you need it most. Just like-"

Snow stopped, shaking his head at the memory. That woman, bleeding, coughing up blood as he made small chit-chat with her. Pretending everything was all right, even though everything just wasn't.

Didn't even get her name, Snow thought, eyes darkening, She saves my ass I don't even get a name. And she just...she tells me to make sure her son is safe, but how am I supposed to do that when I don't even know who he is!

And because of it, I hurt Serah.

"Snow, please stop thinking of it that way." Snow jumped when he felt Serah's fingers brush his cheek, closing his eyes while she leaned in and kissed his forehead. "I'm just as much to blame as you. Besides, we're closer now more than ever, aren't we? In figuring out about that woman and her son?"

"I shouldn't have dragged you into," Snow said, his voice gruff. "It's my screw up, not yours."

"But Snow, that woman-"

"I could have saved her!" Snow ground out, his eyes flaring. "I was right there! She was talking to me like it was nothing, even though she-she had..." Snow trailed off, scowling and pushing the thoughts away. "I just want to make it right somehow. I want to make things right."

"And I'll be with you in whatever way I can." Snow gazed back at Serah, blinking at her bright, intense stare. "That kind of nobility-that's why I love you. You're not giving up on this, so neither am I! And with this new job, you'll have a better chance at finding him."

Snow nodded, his grin returning. "Good thing you're here, or else I'd really be lost. But maybe-maybe I'll really be able to find out who her son is. Who she was. I owe her that much." Snow sighed, closing his eyes a bit. "I need to do this."

"Don't know why." Both of them jumped at the voice, heads whipping toward the door. Snow watched Fang saunter in, Serah's nurse, Vanille, at her side with a clipboard. "That's what I don't get about you. It's one thing if you know 'em, but this kid is a stranger!"

Snow just smiled, scratching the back of his head. "I know. But I just can't help myself." He raised an eyebrow at Fang, taking in her uniform; a long white lab coat, not unlike the ones he'd seen the doctors wearing. A stethoscope hung around her neck and she even sported a pair of red glasses, although he noticed the frames were knocked out. Her wild black hair was hastily done up, strands of it sticking from the bun.

"You like it?" Fang asked, hands on her hips. "I borrowed it from one of the doctors' lockers. It's way easier to get around in this thing. Oh, and my name is..." Fang glanced down at the name embroidered on the coat, "Doctor Durum? That doesn't sound good at all."

Vanille rolled her eyes, clucking her tongue at Fang as she made her way inside. She pressed the to her chest and a warm smile graced her mouth. "Sorry you two. You know how Fang can be. Ow!" Vanille ducked from Fang's hands, said woman reaching for Vanille's bright red pigtails, hoping to give them another sharp tug.

Vanille hurried to the safety of Serah's bedside, smiling at the woman and poking her cheek. "How are you feeling today, Serah? Any better? Worse? Need something changed or...?"

Serah shook her head, returning Vanille's smile with her own and shifting her weight on the bed. She propped herself on her knees before dragging herself into a straighter position, grabbing Vanille's clipboard and setting it on the bed. Vanille blinked at her, but Serah took her hands and grinned. "Guess who got the job?"

Vanille's mouth dropped open and she squealed, turning to Snow. "No way! You did it? That's fantastic!"

Snow smiled, rubbing his chin. "Of course I did it. Was there any doubt?"

"Do you want the honest answer?" All heads turned to the doorway again and Serah's face brightened.

"Sis!" Serah nearly bounced from her bed, but Vanille and Snow held her down. Serah rolled her eyes, pouting. "Oh, come on, I wasn't really going to get up!"

"I'll come to you," Lightning said, a small smile forming. Serah giggled and took her sister's hands when Lightning reached her, nearly identical blue eyes meeting. "How have you been?" Lightning asked, throwing a stray curl of strawberry blonde hair behind her.

"Good! Great, now that you're here too! Snow got the job, sis!" Serah chuckled, unable to contain the bubbles in her stomach. "He's working with the Main branch now too! They were trying to push him into Dysley's Medicinal branch, but-but I guess-"

Serah looked to Snow, eyes searching his for the details. Snow grinned, although it faltered slightly when Lightning's blank eyes swiveled to him. "Um, right, well, I-I made a request to Mr. Estheim about being transferred to his division instead. I thought I'd get stuck in the Emergency and Disaster branch for even asking. Or with hospital security like Fang did-"

"Hey! I choose to be here. I'm not stuck!" Vanille shushed Fang, putting a hand on Fang's arm but keeping her eyes on Snow.

"Well, he told me to send in my resume, because he didn't get to see it. And he said something about some guy named Rygdea forgetting things again."

"Can we get to the point, Snow?" Lightning asked, eyes narrowed.

"Well, he took me from regular security work to private. I'll be working in the First Tower of Orphan Medical itself!"

"No way!" Vanille put her hands to her mouth, bouncing on her heels. "It's so hard to get anywhere near that place. It's been where they've been keeping all those files and incident reports since President Etro passed away. And Estheim, Dysley, and Raines keep butting heads, making it even more complicated."

Snow nodded, slowly shifting his eyes away from Lightning's unflinching stare to Serah's warm gaze. "I think I'll actually be able to find him this time," Snow said. Serah nodded, reaching for his hand and lacing it with hers.

"I know you will, Snow."

"And with the extra money, we'll be more than able to pay for that experimental medication Dr. Katzroy's got going," Snow added, squeezing Serah's hand. Snow held back a shudder though, feeling the burn of Lightning's eyes on his back.

Serah blinked at his tense hand, glancing at her sister before looking back at Snow. She shook her head and smiled, pecking Snow on the cheek before leaning back into her bed. She sighed and pulled the covers up, easily sinking back into the mattress.

"Serah?" Snow pushed himself from his chair and leaned over her, looking her up and down. "You all right?"

"Yeah, Snow." Serah curled into the fetal position, glancing up at Snow for a few seconds before her eyes slid shut again. "Just really tired is all."

"Tired?" Snow bit his lip. "But you were so energetic just a few minutes ago."

"...rry." Serah's voice was groggy and forced, and Snow fell back into his chair, resting on the rail and watching his fiance's breaths even out.

Lightning's eyes were glued to Serah's back, watching the gentle rise and fall of her body. Vanille glanced at Lightning, going in to retrieve her clipboard and scrambling away when Lightning caught her eye.

"How is she, Vanille?" Lightning asked, her voice soft.

Vanille's eyes widened and she slowly nodded, glancing at the clipboard before shaking her head and setting it on a nearby table. "Well, I can't go as in depth as a doctor, but the syndrome has been under control over the last few weeks. No real spikes in activity, but no real improvements either."

Vanille glanced back at Serah, jumping a bit when Fang leaned next to her. "I'm a little concerned about these sudden bouts of fatigue though. L'Cie syndrome rarely manifests as exhaustion. Not on this level."

"Maybe it was because she got overexcited?" Lightning tried.

"No..." Snow said, meeting Lightning's eyes when she looked at him. "It's not the first time it's happened. Sometimes she'll be eating her food and she just...falls over, fast asleep. Or when we're watching TV. Sometimes when we're talking too." Snow looked back at Serah, placing a hand on her arm and brushing her skin with his thumb.

Lightning looked away from him, clenching her hands. "And this Dr. Katzroy? He really knows what he's doing?"

"Oh-uh-"

"Sazh?" Fang piped in, smirking at the glare Lightning sent her. "He's really good at this sort of thing, from what I've seen. He's even that squirt's private physician."

"Hope is not a squirt," Lightning said, keeping her voice even. "What I want to know is if this experimental medication could really make Serah any better. Would it improve her condition? Would the... Would the l'Cie syndrome disappear?"

"It's hard to tell. Dr. Katzroy says there isn't enough data, and the experiment hasn't be around long enough to know for certain. And he's got a very small pool of subjects he can even do this from," Vanille said, wringing her clipboard's corners.

Lightning's eyes flashed and she almost broke her blank face to form a sneer. Almost. "Why charge for experimental medication? There's no guarantee, so why-"

"It's not that he wants to, Lightning," Vanille said softly. "But he has to get a lot of his ingredients from the Medicinal branch, and dealing with Dysley has been a nightmare for the past few years. If he doesn't charge, he can't afford to make it."

"Relax, police girl," Fang said, shaking her head. "He'll get it done and your sister will be up and moving in no time. Now, what I want to know is how you're going to deal with Hope once he-"

"Snow, I need to talk to you." Lightning turned away from Fang, ignoring Fang's splutters and growls.

"You don't get to ignore me, Farron. I need to finish-"

"Now." Lightning left the room without another word, straightening the collar around her blue police uniform and walking down the hall.

Snow shot Fang an apologetic glance before hurrying after Lightning. He swallowed hard, phantom pain throbbing in his jaw at their last confrontation. Never question Lightning's teaching abilities again, Snow reminded himself.

"Snow, is it all true? About your job at the Main branch?" Lightning asked when she heard Snow's heavy footsteps slow to a stop behind her.

"Um...well, yeah. I wouldn't lie about that sort of thing." Snow's brow creased. "Does it really seem that impossible that they would hire me?"

"Do you remember Hope Estheim?"

Snow blinked at the question before slowly nodding his head. "The chairman's son, right? And your little prodigy over at the Academy. I've caught you talking to Serah about him a few times, and I've seen him in the newspapers."

"But that's all you know?"

Snow shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Why do you care, sis?" He missed Lightning sneer at the word, instead looking back to the room. "I mean, so what? I'll get to know him when I start working there. He might even be able to help me find who I'm looking for. I mean, he has access to that sort of thing, right? Files and things."

Snow swore when he looked back and Lightning was right in front of him, her eyes burning into him. "Snow, do not mention you know me or Serah."

"W-What?"

"Don't let on you know who Serah and I are." Lightning crossed her arms, watching Snow. "No matter what."

Snow blinked, tilting his head to the side. "Why, though? I mean, so what if I know who you are? And Serah? Why would he care, he's probably already heard about her from you."

"He has," Lightning said, her voice hard, "but he hasn't heard one thing about you. He knows Serah's engaged, but that's the extent of it. I haven't even told him your name."

Snow's face dropped. "Aw, you're so cold sometimes, Light."

"Don't call me Light."

"I mean, you didn't even tell him who I was? But you told him all about Serah I bet, except who she's getting married to."

"Not if I can help it," Lightning muttered.

"So, why?" Snow asked again, staring Lightning in the eye. "What's so bad about you knowing me to this kid?"

Lightning took a deep breath, holding Snow's gaze. For a moment, she thought of Hope. Pictured him leaning on the walls of the Academy and telling her of this man he only knew as Snow; this man before her who Hope blamed for his mother's death.

And she remembered Hope's determination to use everything Lightning had taught him, both in skill and in attitude, to make Snow pay for what he'd done.

Lightning, however, hadn't told Hope that she was seeing this man every other week when she went to visit her sister. That the man Hope was so fervently searching for was right in his grasp for at least the last two years of his life...

And Lightning had said nothing.

"Sis?" Snow asked, eyes worried. "You all right?"

"You remind him of someone." Lightning couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. They fell and knitted together, forming a story that was steps away from being the truth. "Someone who's wronged him in the past. He's going to react negatively to you. And-"

Snow held up his hand, his eyes soft. "Say no more, sis. I understand."

Lightning blinked, raising an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Of course. If I piss off the chairman's son, that's one thing. But if he knows I'm in with you and Serah...well, he can make all of our lives difficult, I guess."

Lightning nodded, biting her tongue to keep the words, Hope isn't like that, from falling out her mouth.

"Besides, I don't want him thinking I'm trying to use knowing you to get what I want. Looks bad on both of us." Snow turned around and started back toward the room, glancing at the ceiling. "But that's just great. Now I know the boss' son is gonna hate me the second I walk through that door-hey, Fang."

Fang nodded to Snow, shaking her head when he continued muttering to himself. Fang glanced at Lightning, shaking her head when Lightning turned away and started down the hall. Fang took several long strides, easily falling into step beside Lightning. She grabbed Lightning's arm when said woman went to turn the corner, shaking her head and giving Lightning a knowing smirk.

"It's not nice to lie, Miss police officer."

"I don't recall asking for your input, Fang." Lightning's tone was brusque, but it only made Fang smile wider.

"How do you think it's going to go when Snow walks in that building and Hope tries to murder him on the spot?"

"I'm certain Hope already knows he's coming. His father is the chairman, after all. And by now, Hope's had time to think about it."

"But didn't he and his dad go to that cemetery?" Fang watched Lightning's eyes flash, but no other expression showed. Fang pressed on, "So, sure, he's had some time to think about it, but it's the worst possible time. Instead of cooling down, he's probably just angrier than before."

"Fang."

"It's only going to get worse if you keep them in the dark," Fang said. "I should know. I've been on the receiving end of it." Fang's eyes darkened, and her hand absently went to grip her upper left arm, but her voice remained easy. "And if push comes to shove, Hope could go too far. What then, Lightning?"

"He won't." Lightning squared her shoulders and pulled herself from Fang's grip. "He's not like that."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Say you're right and he just keeps stewing in this-I don't know, let's call it rage n' hate soup. That'd be all fine and dandy if Hope wouldn't be seeing this guy's face every single day. And with Snow not knowing who the kid really is either, you're just making it harder on the both of them."

Lightning growled this time, stepping toward Fang. "At least not knowing will mean Snow fights back!" Lightning seethed, eyes dark. "If he knew who Hope was, he'd just sit there and let Hope beat him to death."

"So you're doing it to protect Snow now too? Didn't know you cared that much." Lightning blinked, relaxing a bit at the offhand comment. Fang shook her head. "Like I said, this is just going to get even more complicated if you don't tell them. I know. Kai knows. And Bartholomew will probably know too. He's smart. I'm sure he'll pick up on it. I mean, Hope is his son."

"I know that."

"Then you better do something. It's not fair to either of them anyway, and Hope's a ticking bomb. Who knows what'll happen."

Lightning closed her eyes. "I know, I know. I just need more time."

"I don't think you've got much of that anymore."

Lightning didn't respond, waiting until she heard Fang's soft steps fade out before opening her eyes again. She pressed a hand to her throbbing temple, taking another deep breath and letting her shoulders slump.

"How am I going to fix this?"