This one's short, more of an interim chapter. Bear with me on this.

Persona is Atlus. Yada, yada, yada.

Chapter 9

Family Ties

Wes lay on the roof of his house, staring up at the night sky above him, lost in thought.

A creaking caught his attention, and he looked over to see Danielle crawling out the hatch. She looked over, and smiled. "I knew I'd find you up here."

Dani had the same icey blue eyes and silver hair, though hers was longer and pulled into a ponytail.

She sat down next to him, and he looked back up at the sky. "Something on your mind?"

"What makes you say that?"

Dani playfully shoved at him and laid down. "I know you better than anyone, Wes. You only come up here when you want to be alone to think. Call it a hunch, but I can tell that something's really bothering you. I was just worried about you."

Wes sighed. "You always could see through me, sis." He sat up, and rubbed his head. "Just...do you ever wonder if our fates are already decided, or are we free to choose?"

"Wow," Dani said, her eyes wide. "That's...deep." She sat up to look at him. "What brought this on?"

I can't tell her the truth, but I can't totally lie to her. Wes shrugged and laid back down. "While I was out earlier, something happened, and I was struck by the thought that my fate was already decided for me."

"This is about dad and Anthony, isn't it?"

Wes sighed. She really can see right through me, can't she? "Yeah. I just...don't want to follow him. I don't want that life. I want to follow my own way."

Dani just shrugged. "Then don't follow it. Choose your path in life."

Wes snorted and looked over at her. "Yeah, sure. That's about as likely as Honest Abe killing vampires."

Dani sighed and got to her feet. "You know, as long as you think like that, you'll never break free." Then she crawled back through hatch and left him alone.

Wes closed his eyes and let his mind drift.

You kept saying that we wouldn't make you become 'this.' That was what Sam had told him when he woke up. All he remembered after they walked into the office was an overwhelming anger. Then there were only flashes of him fighting the others, and Jason's Beast Persona.

Based on the ravaged condition of the area around them, he and Jason had had a massive battle, and he had lost. But what bothered him more than anything else was that he'd attacked Sam and Jennifer, nearly killing them.

"What good am I, that I hurt the people I care about the most? Maybe following dad is all I deserve."

You know, as long as you think like that, you'll never break free.

Thinking about his sister's words, Wes' mind drifted as he stared at the stars.

"Hey, ma. I'm home."

Kevin closed his door of his apartment and put the bags on the counter. "Ma? I did some shopping."

He walked into the living room and saw his mother, Julia Harris, laying on the couch, asleep. She was still in her work uniform, and even had her shoes still on.

Kevin's heart sank as he looked at his exhausted mother. Ever since his dad had run out on them when he was a baby, she had worked at least two jobs to support the two of them.

He took a step, and the floor creaked. Julia stirred at the sound, and looked up at him. "Kevin?"

Kevin forced a smile on his face, reverting to his usual humor. "Were you expecting someone else? You got a boyfriend I'm not aware of?"

Julia smiled and pushed herself up in a sitting position, patting the seat next to her. Kevin sat down, and she hugged him. "You always light everything up, Kevin. Don't ever lose that humor, okay?"

Kevin hugged his mother, and his face fell when she couldn't see him. "I do my best."

She patted his back, and released him. "Well, I guess I should get up to bed. Gotta get to work tomorrow morning."

Just like every morning. "Night, ma. Sweet dreams."

When he heard his mother's door close, Kevin sighed and laid back on the couch, putting his head in his hands. Sometimes it was hard work, keeping up the humor around everyone. Only Jason knew about his home life, and he never said anything about it.

In fact, that was how they'd become best friends for the last two years. They had that connection of having no father.

Kevin looked around his home, to the peeling paint and the water stains. Someday I'm going to get us out of here. If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to give her the life she deserves.

I know. I know. Nothing happens in this chapter. I wanted to put a little break between the action chapters, and used it for a little more character info/development. I promise the next chapter will be better.