Wow, thanks for the reviews! *hugs* Really, they make writing the story worthwhile. I'm still getting used to posting chapters (it's kinda hard, or is it just me?). There seems to be no way to undo something, so if you mess up on a chapter or it doesn't look right, you have remove it and do it again… Sorry if there are any mistakes . I tried real hard to catch them all. Now there was one reviewer that was anonymous, so let me take care of that:

BH: I hope Light can too! Though there is tragedy, maybe somewhere in this chapter, you'll have a reason to smile : )

Disclaimer: FFXIII isn't mine (except for the copy I own, lol), but the plot is :D

With that taken care of, read, enjoy and review! Next chapter will be about Hope and where he is…which will be harder to write :\

Serah was past fretting and wringing her hands. Her nails were bitten down to the quick, despite the many times Snow had gently batted her hand out of her mouth. "Relax Serah, maybe they just went to the movies or something," Snow said, rubbing her small shoulder. She looked up at him, a skeptical expression on her face.

"Lightning? Movies?"

Snow looked stupefied for a second. A tiny grin brightened his features. "Maybe Sis took him training…you know, to spend time with him."

Her blue eyes blazed and Snow fought the urge to run as he was reminded of her sister. "Snow—"

"Yes dear?"

She balled up her fists, but her anger evaporated at the anxious-to-please look on his face. She sighed. "It's snowing and 12 a.m. And Claire can spend time with him here!"

Snow took in her frazzled state and pulled her into a bear hug. You're always so easy to stress after a cold. That's why I'm here for you. "Ok baby, I'll go look for them." He kissed the top of her pink head and scooped her up. "And you will rest on the couch until your hero comes back, got it?" He maneuvered his way out of kitchen and into the living room to the dark brown couch. The TV was on, a video game paused. Snow carefully set his wife down, feeling her hand linger on his arm. Swallowing his uncertainty, he moved closer to turn off the TV and prayed to Eden that Lightning and Hope were alright. He went back to Serah and took her hand; she smiled weakly up at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but caught the slight turn of the silver doorknob. That's probably them.

He quickly dropped her hand and hurried to the door, completely unprepared as the pink-haired soldier stumbled through the door in a daze.

"Lightning!"

Her strawberry-blonde hair was in tangles, splayed around her shoulders; the black sleeve on her left arm was pushed down, revealing a growing bruise—she had a similar bruise on her other arm. But what terrified Snow the most as he rushed forward to catch her were her eyes; her cerulean eyes were wide as if searching for something she knew wasn't there, overflowing with tears, running down her slightly-blue cheeks—her gaze bore holes into him as he quickly shrugged out of his trench coat to try and quell her shaking. He was vaguely aware of Serah falling to her knees next to him as he vigorously rubbed Lightning's arms, looking out the door.

"Wh-where's Hope?" Snow asked cautiously, glancing back down. Why's she staring at me? "Light?" He cupped her face; her bottom lip was shaking and he felt the heavy, thick coil of dread make itself known in his stomach. He had never before seen Lightning in such heartbreaking distress and with Hope missing, he feared the worst.

A cold breeze blew in, bringing in a few snowflakes. Serah scrambled to her feet, slamming the door closed and was back on the floor next to her sister. "Claire, can you hear me? What happened?" she cried. "Who did this to you? Where's Hope?" She covered her mouth as Lightning let out a short piercing cry. Snow, unable to stand seeing the older sister so vulnerable, wound his arms around her, practically crushing her against his chest.

Fluffing out his afro, Sazh heavily stepped down the stairs, drawn by the heart-wrenching sobbing. What's got Serah in such a fit? He turned around the wooden banister, spotting the hulking Snow crouched down and hunched over. Serah was knelt right next to him and though her face was streaming with tears and cries were definitely escaping her mouth, it didn't take much to figure out the main source was coming from someone else. And Sazh approached the crying heap more cautiously. Then that leaves Lightning…but Lightning? Givin' off such a racket?

Snow looked up, at a complete loss. He didn't know how to handle the crying Farron sisters. But Sazh knew what to do. "You've got to separate them; one feeds off the other." Seeing the usually-stoic soldier in the arms of Snow was something Sazh that thought he'd never see—but then again seeing the usually-stoic soldier sobbing was also something that didn't occur every day. Furthermore, he was a bit surprised that Hope hadn't taken the opportunity to comfort his heroine. Plucking Lightning up, he started to lead her away. To everyone's amazement and shock, her cries quieted almost instantly.

"We don't have time." She carefully dislodged herself from Sazh's arm and made her way to the stairs with the slightest of all limps.

Snow blinked. Serah sniffed, staring after her sister. "She knows where Hope is. We'll find him." Serah looked at her husband, wanting to believe his words. But Lightning's actions spoke louder and that meant it wasn't going to be easy.

Scratching the blond stubble on his chin, Snow picked up his coat from the floor. "Sis was really just crying, wasn't she? I didn't make that up…"

"No, believe it or not, she's human just like the rest of us." Serah rocked back on her heels, clasping her hands together. "And Hope's really missing…"

"I'll go make some coffee," Sazh offered.

Why couldn't I've held you to me? Why did I let you get torn away from me so easily? Lightning washed her face, removing the trace of tears. Why didn't I hear them? She felt like crying again, remembering the way he had clung to her arm and wishing she'd done the same—anything to have returned the warmth.

She had changed in the last months. She was still Lightning, but she had friends who she could trust enough to steadily open up. They made her realize she had something to give—bits of Claire.

A week earlier

Serah's laugh rang out and she held her stomach. "Oh flop, the cookies!" she exclaimed. "How long has it been since the timer stopped ticking?" She rushed to the oven, yanking it open and forgetting all about Snow's flour-powdered face.

"Haha kiddo, that was a good one," Snow laughed good-naturedly, reaching for a bowl. Hope beamed proudly.

"Good. Then that means you don't have to get me back, right?" The grin slipped off the teenager's face as he realized that was not what it meant. Snow's arm pulled back.

"No, you see…your oaf over there didn't reset the timer…" Lightning bent over her sister to crank the dial back. "Watch it!" She stumbled back as Hope scooted into her and then ducked as the yellowish batter flew past him—there was a clatter as the bowl fell to the floor and the sound of heavy footsteps thudding away.

He felt something drip onto his head and slowly looked up to find the batter where Lightning's face used to be and couldn't stop himself from doing the unthinkable. He giggled. Instantly two icy blue eyes locked onto him; Light wiped the thick gooey liquid off her face. "Uh-oh."

He dashed away from her. "It wasn't me, it was Snow! Snow threw it at you!" He felt Death draw near as her hand grasped the back of his black shirt. I'll see you soon Mom! His foot crunched on the plastic bowl and Lightning took the chance to tackle him onto the flour-dusted floor. He gave a high-pitched squeal as little bursts of pain attacked his stomach and sides. "You're a horrible tickler—ow!"

"You stupid little rascal!" Lightning roughly slapped away his hands, keeping him from protecting himself. "You couldn't," she pinched his arm, "keep your silly little games," she found a delectable pinch-sized amount of fat on his stomach, "with buddy ole' Snow, could you?"

Hope laughed, even with all the pain signals his brain was receiving. "I wanted to share."

Serah calmly washed out a bowl and filled it with water, smiling as Snow hid behind the island counter.

"Well, I'll share this with you!"

"Ow-hey-OW, don't you love me, Light? You don't want to hurt a poor little boy, do you?"

The younger Farron struggled not to slosh the water as she turned to the counter. Lightning, just having finished with dumping the egg whites over Hope's hair, started to straighten up, wiping her hands on her dark brown shorts. Serah bit her lip and with all her strength, splashed the cold water over her sister's exposed backside.

Ignoring the sharp intake, Hope sputtered as droplets of water splattered onto his face and groaned as he felt globs of slime slide down his head. He wiped his eyes and when Light came into focus, he quickly propelled himself backwards on his arms and legs. Though her drenched self and batter-clumped hair wanted to make him laugh, the outright fury and indignity in her eyes wisely advised that he avert eye contact and make himself as small as possible.

Serah let out a nervous giggle when Lightning slowly turned around. "I-I thought I'd just join in the fun…" She shrugged, taking a step backwards. "Come on Claire, it's just water—"

"Baby, I got this! Run!" Snow jumped out from behind the counter, spreading out his arms. "Light, I was the one who threw batter at you! It's me you want!"

With Serah nowhere to be found and Snow futilely trying to block his sister-in-law's punches and kicks, Hope eyed the first batch of cookies. No one can ignore a cookie-giver. He smiled, believing he had found a way to resolve everything.

If I just give her dry clothes then she won't be mad at me. Serah snagged a towel from the tiny hallway bathroom and darted into her sister's room. No uniform outfit today… She opened the closet door, pulling out the first long-sleeved shirt she saw and snatched a pair of black sweats.

Lightning was about to deliver another punch when a pair of arms suddenly encircled her. Snow carefully lowered his arms, wincing as his shoulder popped. He observed the scene with disbelief; Hope was hugging Lightning and though she looked like she might object, in the clever boy's hand were clutched three cookies. The soldier suddenly seemed pacified as Hope offered her a chocolate chip cookie to munch on—Snow was reminded of a wisely naïve child hand-feeding a dangerous wild animal. Good job buddy.

"Hey Light, I got you some…" Serah stopped short, a soft smile on her face. "Um Claire? Here are some dry clothes…sorry for getting you wet."

Lightning patted Hope's platinum egg-matted hair, gently prying his arms off. "I think I'll shower first." She squeezed between Snow and the counter and stopped to kiss Serah's forehead. "Don't apologize, it was just water." She continued her way to the stairs.

"Hell…what was in those cookies?" Snow chuckled, reaching up to fold his hands together behind his head. Serah sighed happily and placed the clothes on the only barstool that wasn't covered in muck.

"It wasn't the cookies…it was Claire." She turned to smile at the fourteen-year-old. "Thanks Hope."

Serah played with the bracelet around her wrist. Great Fal'cie, please protect Hope until we find him. She rubbed her finger against the rim of the cup; she was never much of a coffee drinker. Sazh entered the kitchen. "I called Lynn, but she said she didn't see anything suspicious at the market: Light and Hope came through, they left around nine. But they were the last customers."

"So if they were followed, it wasn't from the Meryl's." Serah forced a tired smile onto her face. "Was Lynn upset at being called so early?"

Sazh frowned at the light blizzard that was taking place outside. Any tracks would be gone by now. "She was…grumpy at first, but who wouldn't have been? Though she cleared right up when I told her what had happened. Seemed sorry that she couldn't tell me more. Snow ain't back yet?"

"No…and I'm starting to get—"

The front door opened. "Worried," Serah finished quietly. She slipped down from the barstool. "Snow…" She watched as he solemnly set the objects onto the counter; she moved her hand to hide her quivering lower lip. A can of sliced peaches, pancake mix, a ruined box of raisins…

Snow looked down. "It was all I could find," he whispered dejectedly.

"Oh Snow!"

Sazh looked away as the two embraced.

"Tears won't help us find him."

Everyone turned to stare at Lightning, who had a sleepy Dajh on her hip. Her eyes zeroed in on the items on the counter and Snow seeing her eyes harden, quickly stepped in front of them. She took a deep breath, rocking Dajh as he started to fuss at being woken up. "We have ninety-six hours and I already called Lt. Amodar. Mika seems to be the one behind this."

Serah was the only who gasped. First you moon over my sister like some crazy addict for years, and when you finally realize that you've never had a chance, you set out to ruin her life? I will cut off your—

"Ninety-six hours…so we have four days. And what's the reasoning behind this?" Sazh asked. Lightning narrowed her eyes, setting the little boy down.

"Because we were l'cie, says we murdered Cocoon and now we have to pay."

"Wait, but if it's Mika…doesn't that sound a little over his head?" Serah frowned.

"Hey I've got a great idea, how about you tell us who this guy is? Ow…" Snow rubbed his shoulder.

Serah rolled her eyes. "He's this big nerd who joined the Guardian Corps around the same time Claire did. He was nuts about her, always asking her out, leaving flowers and notes on her locker; only thing is, she ranked up while he didn't. And then he just dropped off the face of Cocoon, settling for eerie stalker status instead."

"Did Light maybe encourage—"

"No!" Serah shivered in disgust. "She never gave him the time of day. He was a creep."

"He didn't have a backbone and was completely submissive to authority. He couldn't have come up with this on his own." Lightning rubbed her temples. "We need to…" her voice faltered at the touch on her arm. It was Sazh.

"I know right now that all you want to do is run out there and look for Hope—believe us, we all want to do that. But it's 3 am, there's not much we can do. So I say, we get some sleep, even if it's only four hours…then we can start planning." Sazh kept his hand on her arm until she reluctantly nodded.

Serah looked up at Snow, hugging his arm. "I'm going to stay with Claire," she said. Snow placed his hand on her back.

"That's a good idea."

She watched her older sister straighten out the covers, her gaze wandering over to the few pictures decorating the nightstand. Pictures that she had taken and placed there. And you didn't take them down. Nervously, she cleared her throat and timidly approached the bed.

"What're you doing here?"

She took a seat on the bed, pulling up a leg and then putting it down again, remembering that she was wearing a skirt—she saw her sister give a slight smirk in the corner of her eye. "Well you went through a pretty traumatic ordeal tonight…seeing someone you…" Seeing someone you love get taken away from you. But she wouldn't say that; she didn't know if Lightning loved anybody. Well she did know; it was just no one else did. Including Lightning. "…Care about get taken away…" She watched Light stiffen and sighed sadly. "Claire, I know you—"

"Just stop it Serah." Lightning raked her hair back and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. You'll find me…I know you will, Light. Lightning turned around. "I'm going to take a hot shower."

Rubbing her eyes, Serah unbuttoned her shirt and unzipped her skirt. She padded over to the dresser and pulled out one of her sister's old shirts. Turning off the light and crawling under the covers, she pulled them up to her chin and stared at the pillow next to her. I know you love him, Claire. I've seen the way you look at him…almost like a mother…almost.

Yes…I will.