It had been a week since Cinder had taken Harry away from that bastard of an uncle, and he was healing up nicely. Cinder had come to check up on him every day. He had been a little shy at first...but he had gradually began to open up to her, and by the fifth day, he was even talking back to her, so she was no longer having one sided conversations.

And after an entire week had passed, and most of Harry's injuries had faded completely, leaving only a few scars behind, the medics told their boss that Harry was free to leave the medical wing if he wished. Cinder was glad to hear this. She could get Harry acquainted with the base, and introduce him to some of her more...un-hated minions.

So, at the end of the week, Cinder entered Harry's medical ward, and stepped inside.

"Hello, Harry." The criminal smiled warmly at the grin the little boy had whenever she came into his room.

"Hi, Miss Cinder." He said, still quiet, but not shaky, like he was when she first brought him.

"Are you feeling up to seeing more of the base?" Cinder asked. "I'd very much like to show you around." Harry looked down at his bedsheets, as if contemplating it, then back to his savior.

"Um...Okay..." He said softly.

"Good." Cinder said with a smile. "Can you stand yourself, or should I help you?" Her answer came when Harry swung his little legs over the floor, then stepped down, albeit slightly wobbly. Cinder approached his side and took his hand into hers to help him steady his balance. And with that, the tour began.

Cinder was impressed with just how much attention Harry had been paying to her as she explained the various rooms, which ones were off limits, etc. He was an incredibly well mannered child... Of course, his miserable excuse for an uncle had probably beaten this behaviour into him...

Cinder's fist that wasn't holding Harry's hand clenched tightly, and she gritted her teeth, glad that she had given the bastard what he deserved...

"Hey, Cinder!" Cinder stopped at the familiar voice, and a small smile came to her face. Turning to the source of the noise, she nodded at the familiar faces of Emerald and Mercury, who were approaching her.

"We haven't seen you in a while. What's up?" Emerald asked. Then, she noticed that Cinder was holding hands with a little boy. And when she got a good look at the child, her eyes widened, and a massive grin creeped across her face. "Oh my GOD, he's ADORABLE!" The girl squealed. Mercury chuckled and shook his head.

"Looks like someone's going soft." He teased.

"Shut up." Emerald said flatly as she quickly turned to him, then back to Harry, all while still grinning.

"Um...Th-That wasn't very n-nice..." Harry replied softly. Emerald giggled.

"Right. Right, sorry about that." She playfully ruffled the boy's hair.

"Softy!~" Mercury teased in a sing-song voice, prompting Emerald to snap her head in his direction with a glare that said "I am gonna kick your ass later." The oldest male of the group chuckled, then turned to Harry. "So, who's this little guy? And where'd he come from?"

"His name is Harry. I...rescued him." Cinder said, smirking darkly.

"I know that look. Killed a guy, didn't you?" Cinder nodded in response to Mercury's inquiry. "Heh...thought so. I'll bet it was the same guy who hurt the kid, wasn't it?"

"Yes, he was in...rough shape when I saved him from his uncle..."

"I'll never get why people would hurt family members." Emerald growled. "Bastard deserved to die..."

Harry looked down, trying to cover a couple of the scars on his face with his hands.

"Hey, no worries, kid." Mercury said calmly. "Think of those scars as a symbol of what a man you are. Seriously, just you wait until you get older. Girls dig the scars."

"Don't tell him that!" Emerald chastised. "What if he tries to give himself more scars?!" Mercury rolled his eyes.

"Do you seriously think he'd be that stupid?"

"Well...no...but better safe than sorry!"

"Whatever, Em."

"I told you not to call me that! Multiple times!"

"Well, it's been wonderful seeing you two, but Harry and I must finish the tour now."

"Aw...Bye, Harry. " Emerald waved.

"Later, buddy." Mercury nodded.

"B-Bye." Harry said with a small wave. And with that, the leader of the organization led Harry away. After they had neared the end of the hallway, however, Cinder stepped on something slippery, losing her grip on Harry's hand and causing her to clumsily roll across the floor like a wheel until she slammed facefirst into the wall, comically flattening herself up against it, with her limbs gone spread eagle, before regaining her previous width and pulling herself off of the wall to reveal an indent in the shape of her body. The woman clutched at her head with one hand and muttered death threats under her breath,

"A-Are you okay, Miss Cinder?!" Harry asked, concerned.

"Yes...I'm used to this sort of thing..." The crime lord replied, rather unphased by her misfortune. "...Hello, Stevie."

"Hiya, Cinder! Who's the little guy?! Can I hug him?"

"No. No you may not. If you do, I will burn you from the feet up."

"Okay!"

"Harry, this is Stevie. ...Stay away from him if you can. Trust me."

"Okay." Harry didn't know why, but this Stevie guy rubbed him the wrong way.

"Hey, Cinder, Can I-"

"Whatever it is, the answer is no." Cinder said calmly as she led Harry away.

"...Go to the medical room to heal this wound I got when Emerald stabbed me?" Stevie finished his sentence once Harry and Cinder were out of earshot, then promptly passed out due to blood loss.

And so, the tour had finished. It had taken the entirety of the day to show Harry around, much to Cinder's surprise...and then the little boy yawned softly. Cinder smiled at him fondly, then decided now would be a better time than ever to show him a little surprise she had set up for him...

"Are you tired, Harry?"

"N-No...I'm fine..." Harry was clearly struggling to keep his eyes open while he said this. Cinder smiled, then bent down and picked him up in her arms and held him. Harry snuggled up closer, enjoying the unusual warmth of the young woman's body. He barely registered it when she started carrying him...and before Cinder had even reached her destination, he had already fallen asleep.

Cinder felt a slight twinge of disappointment, as she had wanted to see his reaction to the surprise...but she supposed she could wait until tomorrow. Shrugging, she finally reached her destination. She opened a door in the hallway, and stepped into a decently sized room, with a large bed, a few dressers, a nice blue carpet...

It was Harry's new bedroom.

The criminal gently placed the child on the bed so that his head was resting on the feather pillow she had asked one of her minions to "borrow" from a nearby furniture store, then tucked him in so that the queen-sized blanket, "borrowed" from the same store, was just under his chin. Cinder took a few moments to look at the sleeping child, and smiled when she realized that he was rather adorable when he slept. The young woman turned around and walked out of the room, making sure to turn off the light as she left.

Once she got out into the hallway, Cinder's smile faded, and she looked confused and frustrated. What the hell was happening to her?! She was supposed to be a diabolical criminal mastermind, not some nanny to a kid she just happened to stumble across...some kid who desperately needed to be loved...and was just so cute-Cinder pounded her fists against her head in frustration and growled as she walked down the hallway. She briefly considered changing her attitude towards the kid...but immediately knew that she could never bring herself to do that after building up his trust in her...But she was getting way too attached...She wasn't fit to be his caretaker! She was only eighteen, for crying out loud! Harry was such a sweet child, and she was a criminal. It just wouldn't work! But...why did she feel so warm inside whenever she was around him? Rubbing her temples, the young woman sighed, and decided to get some sleep. Maybe she'd be able to come up with something in the morning...