Refresher: "'Course I will love.", Fang smiled laying in the bed next to her.

-Lightning's Bedroom-

The next morning, or at least what she had thought to be morning, Claire Farron woke up with a severe ache and felt the warmth of a body next to her. Although the night had been so clearly etched in her head before, she now couldn't remember a single moment of it all. She let her eyes flutter open and stared down at the figure laying in her arms. It was her sister Serah. The thick iron smell of blood hit her nose then, instantaneously sending a flood of memories through her head. She saw Serah curled up in her arms bleeding furiously from all the scars on her face. Claire felt her eyes getting hot with tears and immediately squeezed her sister tighter causing her to stir.

"Claire?" Serah whispered lifting her head up to face her sister. "Oh Claire! You're okay!", Serah cried pushing her head back into her sister's chest and squeezing her tightly.

"Serah.", Lightning grunted in reply. "I'm fine. Are you okay? Did Vanille take care of you?", Lightning asked, taking the focus quickly off herself.

Serah continued squeezing her sister, and Claire subconsciously wondered if the young girl was going to intentionally ignore her. "I can't walk.. And everything's still sore.", Serah quietly answered. Lightning wrapped her arms even tighter around her young sister. "What.. What happened last night Claire?", Serah asked hesitantly still not lifting her head up.

Lightning's jaw tightened as the words flooded back even more memories through her head, and a soft ever-present pain was felt between her legs. She pressed her lips tightly together and shut her eyes pushing back tears. "I-", Lightning choked out.

Before another word came out of her lips the door of the room was gently pushed open and the wild looking Fang walked in sneakily. "Nice to see you awake Farron. Both of you I mean.", she whispered walking in the doorway even further.

Claire instantly took this opportunity to gently nudge Serah off her and walk out of the bed.

"Claire!", Serah begged in protest.

"Aye, where ya think you're headed kid?", Fang asked grabbing Lightning's arm as she brushed past her.

The menacing look coming from Lightning's deep blue eyes made Fang release her arm immediately and hold up her hands in defense. Claire walked out of the room slowly and towards the living room expecting to see her wife asleep on the couch.

"Up on the roof Farron.", Fang said from her bedroom shaking her head.

Claire didn't bother with a thank you as she ran through the house, up the stairs and through the second floor to the second set of stairs that led to their balcony.

"Take it easy will ya?", Fang screamed from downstairs.

Claire saw the back of her wife's beautiful shinning orange hair glistening in the light from the sun setting. She paused a minute wondering how she had managed to sleep so long and also to catch her breath and admire the sight then slowly walked through the screen door and wrapped her arms around Vanille and kissed her cheek.

"Mornin' beautiful.", she whispered into Vanille's ear with a smile.

Vanille grabbed Claire's arms and twisted her head to the side to hide her blush.

"More like late afternoon.. Please tell me you're all right? I barely slept last night I was so worried.", Vanille asked grabbing Claire and pulling her to the empty seat on the bench next to her.

"It's morning for me. Everyone's acting like I died. Can't I go two seconds without someone asking me if I need help?", Claire asked sitting down next to Vanille, pulling her into her lap and watching the sun slowly going down from their safe haven on Pulse.

"I.. I just know what happened… with Snow and, I'm worried.", Vanille admitted slowly, trying to watch where she was stepping with her words.

Claire shut her eyes tight, trying to wipe away the memories Vanille had just made her relive but failing to do so. She felt that spot between her legs, along with her inner thighs, throbbing again in pain at the thoughts.

"Pretty beautiful aye Farron?", Claire heard Fang's deep accent asking behind her and was thankful for the break in her thoughts.

"Yeah, gorgeous. We should go get some food hun. You must be starving.", Vanille wondered not noticing Claire's silence.

After a few more moments of no response Vanille turned her head to the side to look at her wife, and noticed Fang eyeballing both of them from the side.

"Claire?", Vanille asked turning her body to face her wife.

Claire let a tear slip from her stoic face and shook her head before blinking a few times.

"Oh, yeah uh.. The sun's real beautiful.", Claire half-answered keeping her eyes and head towards the sun.

Vanille took a quick look at Fang in question, and Fang shook her head at the young girl with a stern look on her face. In reply Vanille nodded and put on her best smile, then kissed Claire's neck with a soft giggle.

"No silly, how does dinner sound?", Vanille asked with her lips glued to her wife's neck and cheek.

"Uh.. Food.. sounds good. I'm gonna go shower.", Claire answered quickly getting up without bothering to say goodbye to Vanille or Fang.

The two girls watched Claire leave and waited for the door to shut.

"You gotta ease up a bit love.", Fang said sitting down next to Vanille and wrapping her arms around her.

"I can't help it Fang she was raped! She could have been killed and you want me to just relax? You want me to blow it all off and act like nothing even happened?", Vanille demanded standing up now.

"Never said that sweetheart, and you shouldn't get that tone with me. I brought her here last night, don't go forgetting that.", Fang stood up right beside Vanille and easily towered over the girl.

"That isn't my point Fang, and you know it isn't. She's a fucking rock, she won't let me in, she won't let anybody in!", Vanille screamed at Fang immediately beginning to cry.

"She's just not like you and me. You just gotta give her time, and you of all people should know that Vanille.", Fang tried comforting the smaller orange-haired girl.

Serah's voice grabbed the attention of both girls. "I'd also recommend something along the lines of not screaming at the top of your lungs when she's just downstairs.", She added looking at Fang and Vanille with a sympathetic look stumbling her way onto the balcony.

Vanille took a look at Serah, who looked even worse than the night before, and began crying even harder. The light from the sun illuminated her face showing just how swollen and bruised everything was. The dark blacks and purples, and even the lighter shades of yellow bruises looked even more defiant than they did last night. One of her eyes was almost entirely swollen shut, and the whites of it were blood red.

"I need a ride home. Any takers?", Serah asked, sighing as Vanille continued sobbing over her bloodied face .

"Home? What are you talking about love, you are home?", Fang questioned, as she grabbed Vanille and held her tightly in her arms.

"I guess that's a no. I'll be back soon.", Serah limped off down the stairs irritated and slow.