I'm back….. quickest I've EVER gotten several reviews. YAY! :D I appreciates!

Time seemed to slow down, for Mello at least. His eyes widened a fraction of an inch, and the car slowed down as he was suddenly lost in thought.

"Mello, you awake?" a voice asked a 7-year-old version of him.

"What do you want, waking me up like this? If you're having stupid nightmares again, then -" he grumbled. He paused as he saw tears, genuine tears, streaming down his young friend's face. "What?" he asked. The little girl fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, staring at the ground.

"...I got adopted," she finally stated. Mello knew what that meant. They couldn't plot Near's untimely demise together, or complain about homework together. They couldn't show even L up someday, as the world's greatest detectives. The simple dreams of a couple young children, shattered by an adoption she didn't want.

"Damn," he said simply, even with the knowledge that he was using a bad word. The girl's harsh little laugh showed Mello she saw the irony of her adoption. Adoption was what most orphans probably dreamed of, to have a family, a mother, a father, maybe some siblings. But there was no happiness in the girl's departure.

"Good bye?" he said tentatively, it coming out more as a question. The girl shook her head resolutely, her strange black-and-white hair flying around her head as she did so. "No," she said. "Someday, I'm gonna' come back here, and we'll still be the world's best detectives."

"Oh, okay," he said, feeling much better. Being only 7, he believed it. She did, too. "See you later, skunk," he said, using his nickname for her.

"Shut it, girly!" she snapped back, before leaving.

"One time, yeah," he said, hoping it was a good lie. He didn't exactly want to tell Matt about how he had had a best friend before the gamer, and how they had been like brother and sister, and how the only reason Mello had originally been so cruel to Matt was simply because he missed Thorn, and didn't believe he could ever have another friend. Thorn had remained just a 7-year-old in his head. He had never even pondered the idea of her being a grown-up.

"Black and white hair, blue eyes?" Matt clarified.

"That's the one," Mello said, as he pulled up at the hotel they were staying at. The sun was setting in the snow-blanketed distance, and crystalline snowflakes were steadily falling to the ground. Carrie got out of the car, and spun around. "Isn't it beautiful Matt?" she asked. Matt shrugged indifferently. "I suppose," he said, making a beeline for the door.

"Where did you meet her?" Mello asked. They were sitting at the dining room table, Matt on his beloved PSP, and Mello eating a bar of chocolate.

"Meet who?" Matt asked.

"Thorn!" Mello stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why do you need to know?" Matt asked disinterestedly. It wasn't that he was uninterested in Thorn or what Mello had to say, he was just on a really interesting level of Killzone: Liberation.

"Because," Mello said, pausing to bite into his chocolate. "If she is working against us, she could be dangerous. Extremely so," he said. And because I want to check up on her, he added in his head. Matt paused his game and looked up.

"She actually got the guards off my tail. She left just before you came. Apparently she's a double agent, on our side." Mello let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"That's definitely a good thing," he said. Matt nodded, once again enraptured by the need to off swarms of Helghasts in his beloved video game.

"Laurie, I'm home!" Thorn called out into the home she lived in. Laurie, her adopted sister, was one of the only people to call her Thorn. Everyone else called her Claire, the name she had been given upon adoption. Laurie was one of the few people Thorn truly trusted.

No response greeted her. No sound of a computer being turned off as Laurie would run down the stairs to greet her, no sound of food cooking in the kitchen. Not even her unpleasant pop music, tainting the air with its auto-tuned sounds. Just nothing. A shiver ran down her spine, and she dropped her backpack, reaching a hand in cautiously for her pistol.

"That won't be necessary, Claire," a masculine voice rang out. She recognized it instantly as Klemens, Laurie's husband, her enemy. Fear paralyzed her at the idea of Klemens discovering that she was working against him. She could die, and he might just blame Laurie, think she knew of Thorn's position, and harm her.

"No worries, I made sure my dear Laurie was out of the house. She's in government custody, the safest place to be."

"You arrested your own wife?" Thorn growled, looking around to try and find him.

He descended down the staircase, an ominous figure: gaunt face, with skin stretched tightly over bones, black hair shining with gel and the occasional silver strands of hair he tried so hard to cover up, dark eyes seemingly boring into her soul. She had never liked him, never trusted him - especially not when she was working against him.

"So, I hear you planned on destroying the Yastreb Chip at your first chance?" Thorn swallowed. For once, she was at a loss for words.

"Sister dear, you're dangerous. And dangerous things must be destroyed," he said. Thorn started backing away, still reaching for her gun. When she pulled it out, it still wasn't loaded. She tried, frantically, to even get a single bullet in the gun, but Klemens had already pulled out a small handgun, and had it aimed at her. With no option left, she backed into the door, fumbling with the handle to get it open. The quaint little door swung wide open, a draft of cold Russian air blowing in. Klemens shot just as she turned and started running. He hit her in the arm, immediately staining her turtleneck sleeve a dark color as blood seeped down her arm. She did everything in her power not to cry out, forcing herself to start running. She ran.

Matt sat on a crimson couch in the living room of their hotel. He couldn't understand why anyone would like the couch, but didn't particularly care. Besides, it matched his hair.

The moon was starting to rise, and Carrie was out partying - faithful girlfriend she was. Mello had already fallen asleep, even though it was only 9:00. Matt didn't really know what he was doing. For that matter, he didn't even know what he was doing with his life. He didn't love his girlfriend - sometimes unsure if he even liked her - and didn't know why on earth he was still dating her. What did she have to make him keep coming back? A convincing fake sob? He sighed forlornly, sitting back into the overly-squishy recesses of the hideous couch. Suddenly, there came a knock at the door. Matt didn't respond. Carrie had a key, and there was no one else who they needed to see. A knock came again, accompanied by, "Open up already!" He was uncertain as to where he had heard the voice before. It sounded rather familiar.

"Girly, if you don't open up this door right now, so help me God I will wring you scrawny, feminine neck out!" an angry and slightly in pain sounding voice echoed around the hallways. Matt stood up tentatively, eager to stop the screaming but unsure of who it was. As he made his way towards the door, Mello stumbled out of his room, garbed only in his boxers. He swung the door open, still half-asleep. Matt dropped his PSP at what he saw.

Thorn, the same girl he had conversed with, was slumped against the doorframe, bleeding profusely. She looked tired, dirty, and pissed off.

"Thorn? What… what are you doing in my house?" Mello mumbled, not fully awake. Matt was certain he'd be fuming if he was awake.

"Mello! Long time no see! What a glorious reunion! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm spending the night." Mello rubbed his eyes, and soon a glare was etched on his face.

"What? You disappear for 10, 15 years, and now you're suddenly here to 'spend the night?' Why?"

"Let's just say I got another nightmare," Thorn sighed, pushing past him and into the living room. Her foot narrowly avoided Matt's fallen PSP and she immediately slumped down across the couch, where Matt had previously been sitting.

"And now you're bleeding all over my couch," Mello sighed.

"How can you even tell? This thing is already blood-colored! Also, Mells, love the boxers. They suit you. Shouldn't you be wearing a bra too, though?" she smirked from her position holding her arm on the couch. Mello blushed a little bit, realizing what he was wearing. At her last comment, Matt swore if he was an animation (LOL. If. XD) he could see smoke coming out of his ears. He stalked out of the room, presumably to go get himself some proper clothing. Matt was left alone in the room with Thorn, whose blood was beginning to drip down onto the stained, beige rug.

"So… how about them Yankees?"

OK, so this was a strange chapter. Sorry if anyone was out of character, but it was fun to write - even if not so much to read.

Cynical: Yes, we already know you think you're a failure as a writer. Do you want to say anything else self-degrading and just BEGGING for your reviewers to come shower you with praise?

Me: I WAS JUST DEFENDING MYSELF! Though the showering with praise ain't half bad… XD

Cynical: *facepalm*

REVIEWERS!

HimuraRen: Many thanks for 1st review! And from saving me from my unpleasant comrade, Cynical. XD Love the trench coat! Yes. Thorn is secretly Murtagh's dragon. Murtagh can go all protective older brother/owner/whatever if Thorny starts dating Matt! XD … Please do not short-circuit your computer from drooling all over it from thinking about Murtagh, that would be most unpleasant and something you would do XD

evil-tea:Yes. Thorn is James Bond! XD "The name's Thorn. Umm… yeah. Just Thorn." Russian is fun…. for some reason I got the feeling I shouldn't go ranting on the glories of communism… *sigh*

CrimsonTears57: Thank you for the review, it makes my ego grow! XD Not that it needs that much growing anyways… I parade around claiming I'm awesome regularly. :) But I have continued! So yays!