So I apologize, for this isn't a new chapter-just the second half of the last one. But I'm on my way to putting up the next chapter!

Happiness bubbled up inside her; she skipped down the hall, pulling out a hairpin when she reached her sister's door. She picked the lock, hearing a satisfying 'click' and opened the door, making sure to close it behind her.

"Oh Claire," she sang, looking around the room. Neatly made bed, no clothes on floor…oh wait…a bra. Of all things to have laying out. Humming quietly, she picked it up and mindlessly tossed it into the hamper in the closet. The shower shut off, steam escaping from under the door. She waited by the door, listening to her sister rustle around. What she didn't expect was to hear her suddenly retch, but she didn't panic, knowing it was a reaction from seeing or rather feeling Hope throw up on her. She must still be thinking about it. The toilet flushed and Serah thought it was the opportune time to let her voice be heard.

"Hey Claire? We're all going outside to build a snowman; you're required to come up with us." She bounced on her toes, waiting for an answer. "Ok?"

"Mhm," was the sound that came through the door.

"Dr. Wright's coming back tomorrow, he says the military wants to check us out. Hey just out of curiosity, did I summon an eidolon?" It was her first time mentioning it, but it was something that hung heavily on her conscience. It only wanted to protect her; she was responsible for its death. Those pillars…it's a miracle we even survived.

"Is Hope ok?"

Of course. "Yeah…though he's pretty bummed for…well, he thinks you're mad at him." It was quiet, until a muttered curse broke the companionable silence and Serah looked at the door.

"Hey Serah, you still out there?"

"Uh-huh."

"Umm…do you think you could…look around on the floor or the bed? I must've dropped my bra somewhere."

Serah swallowed, glancing at the closet. "You sure it's just not under the rest of clothes?"

There was an impatient sigh. "Yes, I've looked."

Aw, why couldn't it have been dirty? Because Claire's too neat to leave stuff lying around. "Oh," she said, trying to keep her voice cheerful. "Yeah I see it, one second." She tiptoed over to the closet door, sliding it open slowly, wincing; it wasn't exactly the quietest execution. She nipped the bra.

"Serah, what's taking so long?"

She knocked on the door. "Nothing, I was just…" Shoot. "Why're your boobs bigger than mine?" Embarrassed by her own question, Serah rubbed her face. Way to go Serah. Just the question to ask. Now she's going to tell you to get out.

"…Well…I'm older than you." She did sound slightly puzzled, but also caring as if to say, you're still growing.

Serah smiled. "Three years isn't that much of a difference."

"Mhm. They aren't…that big…are they?"

She looked down at the bra. "For your athleticism…they kinda are."

Her sister was silent for a minute and Serah was a bit surprised herself that they were even talking about this. But it was a pleasant surprise. Aren't sisters supposed to talk about this kind of stuff? Worry suddenly gripped her; her sister could bashfully modest at times, almost to the point where it was kind of annoying and strange. She fights in a mini skirt, but would she ever wear one outside of work? She has a belly piercing, but does anyone ever see it? No, she didn't need to be saying anything that would make Claire more self-conscious. "But really, you've got a stunning fig—"

The door opened and bra was snatched from Serah's fingers. Her blue eyes widened. "Sis…" The big bruises on her stomach didn't help the cause, but her eyes were attracted to the pink stitches on the right side of her waist. "Does it hurt?"

"Hm? I'm fine." Lightning turned away from her, picking up a sweater, unintentionally showing the correlating stitches on her lower back.

"Claire…something impaled you…"

"Serah, don't worry about it." The soldier turned around and gently pushed her sister out the door and closed it. "I'll be ready in a second."

She really was ready in a second, opening the door to find her sister rummaging through her drawers. "Is there a reason you're going through my stuff?"

Serah gave a gleeful squeal, pulling out pink gloves and a pale pink hat. "So you didn't throw them away," she said triumphantly.

Lightning towel-dried her hair. "I only said I did."

"Yeah," Serah said, still smiling brightly. "You can wear it now."

"Serah, there was a reason I said that."

Serah's smile faltered a bit. "I know you don't like it, but I think it matches—it fits your hair color. Besides it was one of your Christmas presents…"

Lightning rolled her eyes, but her sister wouldn't stop smiling and she didn't want to say no and end up being the reason of her sister's disappointment. She snatched the articles from her outstretched hand. "You're a pest; now get out."

"Ok!"

The fresh powdery snow proved hard to run in; the afternoon sun's rays bounded off the pristine white and blinded poor Dajh. He gave up and fell face first into the snow.

Breathing was getting difficult, but Hope kept wandering around the house, keeping low to the ground, his eyes peeled for any splash of color against the wintery scenery. He moved around a rusty barrel, freezing when he spotted someone crouching underneath scraps of sheet metal propped up against the house. A turn of the head revealed that it was Lightning. Her cold, piercing light blue eyes instantly locked onto him and thoughtlessly, he moved towards her, joining her under the metal.

"Oh you'd never survive in war," Lightning mused, poking her head out, searching the horizon. Hope opened his mouth to protest; he had been sneaking around. "First thing, you never blindly run to join your comrade if you've been separated for a length of time. Who knows?" She looked at him—even with a pink hat she looked fierce. "I could've turned on you." She once more stood sentry, scanning the nearby area. "Second, you never run willy-nilly into a secure area without making sure your own area was secure before you left. You could have potentially endangered me."

Hope's eyes widened. She was right; he hadn't thought that far ahead. I could've gotten us 'killed'. "I-I'm sorry Light. I'll do better next time. I promise."

She gave a curt nod. "Was anyone following you?"

"N-no…I mean, if they were, they were pretty good at it." Mentally, he was beating himself up. He was supposed to be aiding her, not hindering her. He didn't want to let her down.

"Did you listen like I told you to?"

"Yes." The snow acted like an amplifier and a muffler at the same time, because everything was subdued, a louder person could be heard from further away. Like Snow. Although the big man had been smart; his whole attire was bleach-white. A blue-eyed hulking wolf.

Lightning sighed and sat back, rubbing her thigh. "Doctor's orders to stay in bed and I'm out here in a war zone." As if to prove her point, there was a frantic screech and shrieks of terror. "We have to move."

Hope perked up, eyes darting nervously from left to right. "Where Light? We'll be out in the open."

Lightning narrowed her eyes, creeping closer to the wall. A slender finger was pressed against her lips; Hope froze. They were too close to the opening—anybody walking by could see them. "We still have time. Get down."

Hope wormed himself onto his stomach, childishly averting his gaze; if direct eye-contact couldn't be established, then he couldn't be seen. Crunching footsteps neared their hideout; they both held their breath. The person would have to be incredibly stupid to not check such an obvious spot. Maqui walked aimlessly by before rounding the corner.

Lightning let out her breath, a dry smile ghosting her lips.

"What's our game plan?" Hope asked, sitting up. Light nodded.

"Remember that old warehouse where the town used to hand out the food rations and supplies? It's in Cocoon's direction."

"Yeah." He frowned. "But…how do we know it's safe? Who's to say someone hasn't already staked it out?" It would be suicide to just run in there. And it would be quite a run.

"We can't stay here forever and besides, you don't think we're strong enough to fight whoever's hiding there?" Light smiled at the determined glint in her young protégé's eyes. "Got my back?"

"Hell yeah I do."

"Then let's go."

"See anyone?"

Serah hauled her slim weight up onto the rusty metal roof, joining Snow, who was crafting snowballs like a mad man. "Nope, everything's all clear." She crawled to the edge, squinting in the light. "Do you think anyone will find us?"

Snow scrambled forward, fingers reaching out to frantically grasp a rogue snowball. It fell over the edge and went 'piff'. Serah blinked before remembering she needed lip balm. She fumbled in her pocket for the red tube, getting slightly irritated when her gloves made it difficult.

"They gotta. It was against the rules to venture out in front of the house. So they all gotta come here sooner or later." He grinned devilishly, digging out the giant shovel handle, practically designed for their very purpose. "And we'll win. Oh we'll win alright."

"Whatever you say." She smacked her lips together, giggling at the sound. "Hold still, you need some too."

Snow looked at the little smiling strawberry printed on the tube. "Oh no, I'm fine, but thanks." He patted his face. "But remind me to put some lotion on my face when we get back inside."

"Poor Snow."

"Nothing to fret about—I'm in my element." He gave a cocksure grin and they settled down amid the snow, waiting for someone foolish enough to penetrate their fort.

Lightning took a cautious step forward, staring at the little motionless body in the snow. "Dajh?" she asked carefully, reaching out a hand. She gently touched his shoulder. "You ok?"

The little head lifted, brown eyes looking up at her. "Shhh! I'm trying to scare my Daddy." The boy promptly stuffed his face back into the snow.

Hope rubbed his hands together. "I don't think that's such a good idea. I'm sure his face is freezing."

"You're wrong Hope, my face isn't frozen, look see?" Dajh rolled over, picking up his wool hat. "I'm lying on it."

"There they are!"

Lightning quickly turned around. Lebreau and Maqui were in the distance. "Run Hope!"

Serah jumped up excitedly. "I see Light and—wow, the whole gang's after them!" She grabbed the shovel handle and tugged it over to the edge. Everything's in place now. The roof started shaking and clattering dangerously with Snow's footsteps as he climbed up from the ladder.

"Hey I found a push broom down there, so when they try and get up here, you can sweep off the excess snow." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a white ski mask. "Can you help bury me?"

Serah beamed, clapping her gloved hands. "So you are going to take my idea!"

Snow sauntered to the edge, taking his wife into his arms and hoisting her up. Battle cries could be heard. Serah wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling slightly giddy at the height. "Teamwork baby." He jumped off.

"Keep up with me Hope!"

Just like old times. It was hopeless; he'd never be as good as her. Even with a hurt leg and knee-deep snow, Lightning was still impressively faster. He forced his legs to not give out, pounding through snow, causing flurries to fly up in his wake.

Hope, who had been a good couple sprints behind Light, saw it unfold before she did. Snowballs had already started to rain down and while Light managed to avoid them, she never expected anything to suddenly leap up in front of her.

Her mind did a double-take as a massive mound of snow suddenly popped up to attack her; her eyes widened in confusion, but the bigger problem was that there was no way she could swerve around it. Soldier mode kicked in, and running faster, she prepared herself to jump.

Airborne and flipped, her hands came into contact with what felt like a shoulder—she used it to give herself an extra boost, trusting her body to execute the gymnastic moves she was known for. Her landing was unstable, going down on one knee as soon as she touched the ground.

"Hey, it's a snowball fight—no fancy stuff!"

Snow? She didn't time to turn back to give him a piece of her mind for blocking her like that; Hope was helping her up. "C'mon Light, Serah's on the roof—we can totally get her. Don't worry about Snow, I'll get him later."

Upon entering the warehouse, they both stopped, nostalgic memories sweeping in from the surroundings around them.

Little lights…just like in Oerba.

The old dilapidated, rusty buildings, the village with the mysterious white snow-like matter, overrun by tormented cie'th and wandering spirits. The broken bridge that led to nowhere.

Hope looked down, feeling oddly alone. "Hey, let's go. Serah," Lightning reminded gently, tugging on his hand. I know how you feel and maybe we can do something about it later.

"I miss them too," she said quietly, jogging up the wire-mesh stairs. Somewhere outside, Sazh hollered about the disrespect younger people had for the old folk.

Serah turned around, laughing nervously when she saw the two people on the opposing team. "Hey guys," she greeted, taking a step backwards. She glanced at the well-formed snowballs in their eager hands. She had no luck. A gunner and boomeranger. Both had exceptional aim.

"Snow!" she called.

"Duck baby!" was his instant reply.

She dropped to her knees, unable to dodge fast enough from the cold missiles. She yelped as one got her in the face, leaving an icy sting.

A cloud of revenge descended upon them; a barrage snow arching down. How in the… Lightning whipped around, allowing Hope to huddle beneath her.

Serah wasted no time, jumping off the edge onto Snow's back, who took off at full-speed for the house.

"Light, what're we gonna do?" Hope asked, panic rising in his voice. Sure he knew it was just intense roughhousing, but that didn't make the adrenaline rushing through his veins any less real. Faced with the imminent 'danger' and the playfulness of a teenage boy, Hope latched himself onto Light, shaking her. "Light, Light," he wailed loudly. "If we don't do anything, we're gonna die by snowballs! I'm too young to die!"

His antics caused the soldier to smirk wryly and feeling rather silly herself, she decided to play along. Really, who's judging me? She grabbed his shoulders, his eyes large and intent on her face. She snorted. "Don't look at me like that, I can't think straight and if I can't do that, we are gonna die. You understand?"

He nodded and tightly shut his eyes.

Lightning poked his forehead. "You're a dork, you know that?"

They were alerted by tumultuous clanking and thudding as four pairs of feet rushed up the fragile and untrustworthy stairs. Lightning rushed over to the edge, Hope right behind her, almost knocking into her.

"I'm no Snow," she muttered. The jump wasn't too incredibly high, but it was enough to cause more damage to an already injured leg. Hope tugged on her hand, pulling her away.

"C'mon, we can jump off the back—there's a huge snow pile!" He flashed her a grin, darting away.

Dressed in comfy clothes, she dangled her legs off the counter, white fuzzy slippers slipping off her feet. She pouted and looked down at her bare toes. "Hey Snow?"

The big man reached his arm over the top of the fridge, opening the cabinet to pull out a bag of marshmallows. Tossing the bag onto the counter, next to the box of graham crackers and chocolate, he ambled over to his wife—before he could get close enough, she stuck out her foot, wiggling her toes. Frowning, Snow looked down, grabbing her small foot, placing it against his abdomen. He tapped her ankle, looking quite displeased.

"Now Serah," he said firmly. "Would you care to explain why your naked feet don't have any slippers?" He took a step closer, making her pull her leg in a bit. He looked down at her, squaring his shoulders. "You know that's a criminal offense…don't you?"

Oh my… Serah looked up, feeling her heart beat nervously against her chest. Why doesn't he ever seem to get nervous? Her blue eyes were wide with wonder and innocence. She tilted her head, finally giving a small, coy, smile. "A nice man like you, I was wondering if you could help a lady out. You see…my slippers fell…" Her voice trailed off as he leaned closer. His hands were on her waist, her arms around his neck.

A cold chill suddenly swirled into the kitchen—Snow was on the other side of the kitchen, tending to the marshmallows before Serah could blink.

Lightning closed the door, giving her sister an odd stare as Serah quickly crossed her legs and sat up, her face flushed. What's wrong with her? She paid no attention to Hope, who had begun to brush snow off her.

Her peripheral vision told her that her sister was still staring at her, so Serah started to swing her legs back and forth, kicking the cabinet behind them. "Your slippers are on the floor," Lightning commented, taking off her coat.

"Huh? Oh yeah… I was going to ask Snow to pick them up for me…"

"You want some hot chocolate?"

Hope looked up, nodding and ran off to get changed.

Light peeled off her snow-encrusted hat, raking her damp hair back. "You guys are cheaters."

Serah smiled widely. "Apparently, so are you. Do the others know you two left?"

Her sister shrugged. "I don't how they couldn't have seen us. Hope's bright orange jacket and this attractive pink hat…you know, we don't exactly camouflage well."

"S'mores?" Snow offered peaceably. Lightning narrowed her eyes and Snow swallowed. He knew exactly what the glare was for.

"You," she said lowly, throwing her hat at him; he flinched from the sodden impact. "I almost broke my leg trying not to ram into you—are you crazy?"

"I was hoping you would crash into me," Snow admitted, fiddling with the graham cracker.

Serah groaned internally. Hon, that's the not kinda thing you admit.

"But instead you jumped right over me…"

"Oh I can't believe this, care to explain further?" Lightning asked, waving her hand in the air. She folded her arms in front of her chest, shifting all her weight onto her right hip.

Snow set the s'more down, having had the chocolate melt on his thumb; he resisted the urge to lick it off. "We were having fun…I thought maybe I could grab you and find out if you're ticklish… Family stuff…" He looked down, wondering why he felt as if he'd done something bad. "Serah said it made her happy when you laughed." He chanced a look at her. "It probably would've made us all happy."

She wanted to find something about what he said that irritated her, something that ticked her off, but wanting to hear her laugh? Whatever. "Next time, don't block me. And don't ever think about tickling me."

Serah clapped her hands. "Way to go Sis! No punching," she laughed.

Lightning wasn't a drinker. Of course it was to say, it didn't mean she didn't drink; it was just extremely rare. But spiked hot chocolate never hurt anyone. And it did wonders for her aching side and the annoying throb in her leg. Relaxed and content, stretched out on the couch, a nice easy fire going—she didn't even mind the fact that Hope was slouched against her, nestled between her legs, back against her stomach. She took another warming sip, carefully setting the mug on the coffee table. No, she didn't mind at all. She barely registered the pair of green eyes staring up at her, asking for a small sip from her mug. She smiled and hummed, closing her eyes.

"You know better than to ask," she said softly, rubbing her eyes. "Now if I fall asleep, can I trust that you won't take a sip? It'll be no problem for me to get up and put the cup away and if that happens, I can't guarantee that I'll come back and that you'd get your spot back."

Hope was quiet, losing himself in the loving way Light stroked his hair. He closed his eyes, trying not to picture his mother, but he was exhausted and felt more clingy than he cared to admit. He thought about his age and as a boy, how long did one need his mother? Fourteen years old, only four years older than ten—when he thought of it that way, he didn't feel very much like a teenager. I grew up too fast. He was stuck. His childhood had been interrupted, robbed and now he was stuck. One moment, wanting the unconditional love and protection from a mother who would always be there, and the next, wanting the honest love and acceptance from a woman who seemed to fit his every growing need and want as a protector, a mother, a role model and an attraction that wasn't growing any weaker.

It was too much to think about and the steady heartbeat of Lightning lulled him into a dark, dreamless sleep.

Lebreau and Maqui were stretched in front of the fireplace; their idea had been to dry off their clothes, however, a nap presented to be a better one. Dajh was sprawled next to his babysitter, the tiny chocobo roosting next to him. Snow and Serah were curled in the recliner or rather, Snow was curled in the recliner and Serah was draped over him. Both were semi-awake, waiting for Sazh's return.

The pilot came back, looking somber. Snow grinned, not having seen his face. "The spike was a great idea—I've never seen Light so relaxed."

Sazh rubbed his forehead. "Poor girl's gonna get a rude awakening. Called Bartholomew; he's on his way. And let me tell you, he'll rage in here like a bull. Only reason he didn't show this morning was because of a conference call. Good thing I guess is that he's hyped from the media, you know how they be tellin' them crazy stories—got everything all twisted and in a knot."

Serah looked at the blank TV. "What is the news?" she wondered. "What have they been telling everyone?"

"Nothing good, I can assure you that," Sazh said, crossing his arms. "Kid got kidnapped due to the lack of parental supervision, was tortured and experimented on and whose current condition is unknown—all the stuff a father doesn't want to hear. It's why we can't put off the military for much longer; the public needs to what really happened and I for one, would surely like to know what the hell was going on."

Snow groaned, resting his forehead against Serah's shoulder. "Yeah and as soon as the GC is informed, Sis learns about Lt. Amodar's death." Everybody else groaned too. "How long till he gets here?"

"Can't say. He didn't say where he was staying, but we are on the outskirts of town…still I'd only give him half an hour max."

Stretching, Serah arched, reluctantly rolling from Snow's lap. "Then we have no time to lose." She glanced at the clock; it was a little after five. "I think we should meet him outside, see if we can't cool him off before he steps foot inside this house."

"You think Lightning will get angry that we didn't tell her about Amodar?"

Serah shook her head. "We didn't know either, ok? It'd be for the best."

Lightning stirred as Hope gave a slight twitch. Serah tiptoed over, kneeling down beside the two. "Hey sis," she whispered. Sleepy eyes opened, a frown naturally forming. "It's time to go; he's almost here. We're gonna meet him outside. Sound good?"

"No," Light mumbled honestly. "I don't feel like being yelled at."

Serah's heart broke. "Aw Claire, maybe it won't be so bad—after all, we got him back. It's not like we let him get kidnapped."

Lightning yawned, lifting her arms up, giving a startled jolt when Hope shifted. She seemed momentarily confused. She patted his head and looked back at Serah. "No, but I did tell him his son was safe and sound when he actually wasn't. I lied."

Serah rolled her eyes. "Only because Snow started it."

"Hey, what was I supposed to do?" Snow whispered loudly. "Hey sorry, actually I don't know the whereabouts of your son—"

"Yes because it's not our duty to act guilty about it," Serah countered.

"Time's ticking," Sazh pointed out.

"Right." Lightning slowly sat up. Why'd I ever let him sleep in such a position? Hope grumbled in response, turning over—Light immediately leaned back, her face twisted in agony. "Etro, he's on my leg," she growled quietly. Snow walked over, bending over and scooping the teenager up. Serah helped her stand up and Snow placed him back down again, putting a pillow under his head.

"I don't want to get my ass chewed."

Sazh chuckled and Snow guffawed, risking patting the soldier's back. "Don't worry Light, I'll stare him down before he opens his mouth."

"I'm sorry Selfina, I'm going to have to cancel our dinner plans tonight—I know, I know, it really hurts me too, I can't put into words how it wounds me, no no, I'm not being sarcastic at all, it's just the lack of food and the knowledge that I have to meet this really sick bastard—how'd you know? Yeah it's William, but don't tell him I said that, I could get a scolding from admin." Dr. Wright scanned his ID card; the blinking light flashing green, granting access. He nodded to the receptionist, making his way down the hall. "Ok, I'm gonna have to let you go now, get those papers notarized and I'll see if we can't do breakfast tomorrow."

Sliding his card once more, he opened the door, which led to viewing room of the holding pen. The one-way reinforced mirror panel showcased a horrific, deformed, human-like creature. "Holy Maker, that thing is…not the prettiest thing I've ever seen. Now may I ask Professor, why this meeting was necessary?"

"I'm sorry to be taking up your time, but for the meeting tomorrow with Hope, I've decided this creature needs to be present. You see, Angeal was trying to—"

Wright turned around, finally looking at the handcuffed red-haired man. "I can't have you scaring my patient with this monster."

William glanced at Mute; the cie'th was bellowing, though nothing could be heard. "It's not my intention. I was against this idea from the beginning, but the boy's DNA has been altered—it's the source of his spasms. We need to go back to Asnida—its magnetic field is enough re-awaken a l'cie's powers. If we don't fix this problem, this mutant and many others will be able to access Hope's magical power and the consequences would be dire."

"Start back from the spasms."

"Angeal's whole plan was to harness the powers of the strongest l'cie; he wanted to physically possess it as well as breed an army of unstoppable mutant cie'th. To say quickly, Hope requires a DNA sample from this creature in able neutralize the spasms."

"Which are occurring because?"

"He's incomplete for a lack of better terms."

"I just saw him this morning."

"Oh he was normal I bet. He's still recovering. Wait until his body is strong enough to handle what's happening to it. He'll become Gran Pulse's strongest army."

Wright frowned. "I'm failing to see how this all relates—"

William sighed. "You can give powers to…this species of cie'th, but you can't take them away again. You heard of the legends of Asnida, right? Mute here is the result of numerous generations generously bestowing their 'magic' in hopes of creating the perfect guardian; unfortunately, he can't seem to use them.

"He's been injected with Hope's blood, so now he possesses his powers as well, though needs him to access it. And by accessing it, I mean he'll have hands on everything, making him quite dangerous. I don't know the extent of the possibilities, but in order to balance it, Hope needs to receive Mute's blood."

"And what happens then?"

"Well, nothing really. The power will be beyond his years to use, but he'd have the makings of becoming a perfect guardian."

"And Angeal…?"

"A perfect guardian has more than one eidolon. Angeal wanted them all. You could say he was quite obsessed."

"I'd really like to get home. Just one more question. If Hope would have all this power, how did Angeal plan on taking it from him?"

"Like I said. He's just a kid, he'd have a difficult time using it; Angeal's plan was to kill him and take a sample of his blood and hope that with enough experimenting, he himself would be able to use it. And if not, he'd inject it into cie'th. And then he would go after Lightning, Snow and Sazh. Until he had everything."

Wright pinched the bridge of his nose. Most of it was definitely going over his head. "Do they all have the potential of becoming, what'd you call it—a perfect guardian?"

"No…only Hope. I just told you, he was the only one compatible."

The doctor nodded to the soldier standing guard. "You can take the professor back to his cell. I'm going home."

"You never answered my question. So will Mute be allowed to be present?"

"…I'll sleep on it."

His eyes fluttered open; it was dark, a few glowing embers fizzing in the fireplace. A blanket had been thrown over him and he pulled it over his shoulder, snuggling against the pillow. Where'd everyone go? He heard the light snores from Maqui and felt slightly reassured. He closed his eyes again, listening to the snow sprinkle against the house, carried from the gusting wind; a murmur of voices arose before fading away. Comforting, hushed voices, familiar voices—

"HE'S MY SON!"

His eyes shot open.

"Hey how about you lower your voice? My son's sleeping in there," Sazh said.

"It just won't work like that and I won't have any part in it—once again, you're failing to consider his feelings." Lightning tried to keep her cool, and in the frigid evening, it shouldn't have been hard. A shiver ran up her spine.

Bartholomew growled, taking a step closer. "Just let me in, that's all I'm asking."

Sazh raised his hands. "We understand that and I can relate to how you're feeling. If somebody ever kidnapped my son again, you can bet I'd be hounding them. But you're hounding the wrong people and I think you know that. Hope's safe, he's recovering as we all are—but you can't barge in there and snatch him. We've got a couple things to attend to in the morning; you're more than welcome to join."

"Safe? Don't think I got my days mixed up, I remember exactly when I called the first time," he said vehemently, jabbing a finger at the soldier, "and you told me he was ok—when you had no idea where he was—I trusted you Farron! You know how it felt to turn on the TV and see a picture of my missing son? To find out he was kidnapped a-an-and experimented on? Experimented Farron!"

"Dad?"

The world crashed and Hope took a step forward, squinting in disbelief. His father was standing right there, the moon's light reflecting from his glasses. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Hope!" Relief flooded across his face.

Lightning narrowed her eyes, sensing Hope's discomfort; she took a risk and side-stepped in front of him, taking a protective stance as Bartholomew tried to embrace him. She turned her head to the side, staring harshly at the ground, instantly apprehensive about the reactions she'd get. I just stepped in-between a father and his son. But she followed an emotional impulse. Defending the subject from presumed unwanted contact. Still, she knew she stepped over the line and as Hope fisted the back of her sweater, she prayed he wouldn't push her away. Prayed that she did the right thing. She bit her lip, hating how everyone was watching her.

He wanted to scream his outrage—but bit his tongue when he noticed how she was averting her gaze; this was something she wasn't used to doing. And since Hope hadn't moved away from her, he could safely assume his son would've just stepped back, had she not stepped in.

"I didn't lie for lying's sake, Sir. …It just wasn't the right time to tell you."

"Why were you yelling at her?" Hope asked quietly. He carefully stepped around her, looking his father in the eye. "They weren't only after me; they were after all of us. Just think if I'd been with you Dad and they came after me…would you have been able to get me back? Would you have found me in time? Or would you be late, like you always are? In which this case, I'd be dead." Hope looked down, the familiar prickle behind his eyes building up. "Even though I really want to…Dad, I can't trust you to save me."

"Son…"

His fists curled. "You could've saved Mom! If you were there, they wouldn't have purged us!"

Lightning grabbed his shoulders, pulling him against her. "Hope, that isn't fair," she admonished gently, shaking her head. "Nothing can change that. I'm sorry."

"But he's right…" Bartholomew extended a hand to the soldier; she straightened up and shook it. "Forgive me. …I'll see you in the morning." He nodded at Hope and slowly turned around.

Serah let out a breath and wordlessly went back inside.

Lightning laid her hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk to him?" she asked.

Hope watched him walk away. Dad… "No…"

Sazh nudged everyone inside. "Come on soldier girl, your lips are blue."

Lightning returned the gentle hug from her sister. "Going to bed now?" Serah asked, hiding her own yawn.

"After a warming shower, maybe."

Serah squeezed her sister's hand. "Wasn't too bad, right?"

"It could've been worse," Lightning agreed. "Goodnight."

"Night Claire."

Once in her and Snow's room, Serah pounced on the bed, promptly plopping on the pillow. The bed dipped heavily as Snow lowered himself on; she giggled, stopping immediately when Snow got up again. "I was just kidding!" Serah said, raising her head.

"Huh? I'll be right back, I forgot something."

The soothing steam loosened her weariness while the hot water washed it away. Now more than ready for sleep, she turned the handle, pushing pink wavy tresses back. She dressed quickly, opening the door, shivering, audibly groaning when she saw Hope standing in the middle of her room, looking meek.

"Snow said I had to sleep in here," he explained timidly, looking at her from under platinum bangs. It was obvious he didn't know why he was sent there.

Lightning gave another groan, covering her face. "I'm sorry Hope, it's nothing against you." I'm just really exhausted and now I have to listen to you suffer while you sleep. "Come on," she said mildly, pushing him towards the bed. She went as far as to tuck him in before returning to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

She turned off the light and made her way to the swivel chair beside the desk, curling up and resting her head on her arms.

"Light, please don't stay there."

"I'm not."

"I'm sorry, Snow wouldn't let me back into my room—I can sleep on the floor—"

"Hope, just shut it." Lightning extracted herself from the chair, crawling over Hope and lying on top of the covers.

He could smell the faint fruity scent of her shampoo and conditioner; he rubbed his eyes. "Hey Light?"

She responded with a hum.

"I-I'm sorry for…throwing up on you."

He felt her shudder. "Forget about it and don't ever mention it again. Ever."

He sighed and tucked his arms against his chest, keeping his wrists close to his body.

Sometime during the night, the soldier's arm curved around the boy's slim waist, bringing him closer when the troubled breathing began. Panting, shortened breath, distraught and agitated movements; Lightning leaned over his shoulder, studying his face, watching his eyelids flicker back and forth. He suddenly jerked as if hit, causing a spike in her heart rate. He trembled, a broken voice begging for it to stop.

Great Fal'cie… Lightning sat up, pulling in a leg, reaching over to shake the dreaming boy. "Hope." She grabbed his arm.

"Let me go!" he cried. Lightning gasped when his whole body started convulsing, a wretched sobbing as he suddenly lashed out, giving a frightened scream—Light took the opportunity to yank him up, supporting his shoulders, one hand cradling his face.

"Hope! Snap out of it, you're safe, I'm here," she consoled. She stroked his cheek, wiping away wetness. What am I supposed to do? The strength went out of him and she let him collapse against her, his forehead against her collarbone. One hand still on his shoulder, she rubbed the back of his head, twirling strands of silver hair around her finger.

It was gone. He wasn't in the cell anymore, no heavy chains to keep him prisoner, no one to stand over him, no hand to raise against him. He didn't have to wonder if he would make it, lying on the cold ground, burning with a raging fever; if he would ever see the sunlight, caged underground with black, concealing windows. It was over. He closed his eyes, willing his fingers bury themselves amidst her clothing. "Thank you," he whispered quietly. "I knew you'd find me, I knew you would…I believed in you, but I…I didn't believe in myself, I didn't think I would make it." Reassurance flowed through him as Lightning re-adjusted her grip. "There were times…I couldn't remember...I would just be laying there, knowing that somewhere…someone was looking for me…and Light, I was so scared... I just wanted to go home," he sniffled. "But they wouldn't let me."

She looked through the window, holding him tighter when he gave a sudden jerk. "You're safe now," she promised, rubbing his arm, attempting to loosen up the tense, tired muscles. "You're safe now…" What's happening to me? Am I the same Lightning? The same Claire? Am I just…opening up?

There was a time where I would've maybe smiled, given you a reassuring, encouraging word, a gentle pat on the head—but now? I can't let you go. And…it scares me. I don't know why. I want to take care of you, I don't want to babysit, I don't want you following me around everywhere, but I need to know you're there. I now know what it's like to have someone you can trust, someone who's willing to be there for you, someone who understands that it takes time…I…I can't be alone anymore. And that scares me too. Because people can leave. She didn't realize she was crying, she didn't realize Hope was staring up at her, boundless worry in his blue green eyes.

Her heart-shaped face, aqua eyes of a calm ocean. It was one of the rare moments where Lightning faded to reveal Claire. A sad smile grew on his tear-streaked face and he leaned up, pressing his nose against hers. "You're safe too.

That snowball scene, maker, it was a blast to write...xD Fallen slippers and a dominant Snow? Well then...