If you want to read ahead, go ahead and check my Ao3. It's complete on there.

She can't believe it. It was true. Her suspicions were true.

Wide brown eyes stare at her computer screen, her jaw agape and her brows pulled together in near disbelief. Her heart's pounding loudly in her ears, her throat is dry and tight. She can barely breathe. Her hand tightens around the arm of her chair, she closes her mouth firmly and grit her teeth as she breathes in through her nose, reassuring herself that she's still breathing.

Luz hears a door open and she turns her head slightly in acknowledgement, her gaze never leaving the screen. A pair of pale arms wrap around her shoulders and neck, a warm, sweet, and somewhat delicious smell embraces her senses. She likes it, but she can't seem to place a name to the aroma.

"What's that smell?" Luz asks, tilting her head back so that she could rest against her girlfriend standing behind her.

"Acai Berry." Amity answers softly, "Emira bought it for me."

"I like it."

Amity hums her agreement, changing the subject with a gentle gesture to the screen. "You found pictures of them?"

Luz has finally opened the CD that Willow had given her, inserting it into her computer and discovering that it was full of pictures. High school pictures, most of them taken at what Luz recognized to be Hexide, while some of the others were taken in secret, unfamiliar locations.

She assumed that they were midnight parties.

"Willow's sibling had a collection." Luz informs her, "Apparently, despite being a sketchy person, they're a very talented photographer." She clicks to the next picture, which is a photo of an event set up in the hallways of Hexide. "They were in the same grade, so they used their classmates and Seniors only events to practice their photographing."

Amity leans in, "I remember this," she murmurs, she points towards the barely noticeable banner in the background, "that was Senior Prom! Mother and Father were pestering Amelia for weeks about it, trying to convince her to get a date. She never did."

Luz scoffs in amusement. "Oh, yes she did." She corrects her, sitting up to click the next picture. "I'm surprised your family didn't know…" The picture causes a solemn look to cross both of their faces, a weight settling inside of their chests as unspoken grief hangs, unmentioned, in the air. "They weren't exactly… Subtle."

The gym of Hexide consists of various colors and people, some of them having their backs turned to the camera while others wildly dance under the flashing lights above them. The girls' have their hair styled and they wear a beautiful, glamorous gown, revealing their shoulders and collarbone. The boys' wear expensive, nice tuxedos with colors to match their partner. A few couples were same sex, evident by the clear display of affection between them.

But, front and center, stood two very familiar girls.

One has bright, unruly mint green hair with wild auburn brown roots, she's wearing a light pink dress, accompanied by black leggings and high heels. She has her arm draped loosely around her partner's waist, while her other arm hangs limply with a red cup slipping from between her fingers, she has her head tilted up and there's a warm smile of endearment on her face, her eyes are closed.

The other stands an inch or so above her, she has dark hair that's been neatly groomed and brushed back, clearly only for the event. She wears a dull green jacket, blue jeans, and black sneakers. The girl has a single arm wrapped around the other girl's midsection, her spare hand is delicately tilting the girl's chin up towards her. Her hair hides most of her face.

It doesn't look like they knew whether or not a picture was being taken, but they don't appear to care as they're too lost in each other to pay the world around them any mind.

"Amelia's date…" Amity starts, breathless.

Luz finishes for her, "...was Lucia."

Her heart sinks at the sight of her older sister being so happy. The thought of her strong, unbreakable sister being a fragile, vulnerable spot in such a heartwarming way causes grief to tear Luz's heart. Lucia had been in love, very much so judging by the pictures she's seen. She'd been in love, and that had been so brutally and unfairly taken away from her.

Movement catches her eye and she sees Amity step from behind her, she taps a few buttons on the keyboard, exiting out of the picture and bringing up the gallery. Small icons litter the screen, barely recognizable by color and shape. The mouse slides across the screen and suddenly the monitor turns black.

Amity steps back again and she glances behind her, sliding into Luz's lap and hanging her legs across the arm of the chair. Luz grumbles in momentary displeasure before resting her arms across Amity's lap, now comfortable.

Amity speaks. "I saw Lucia's grave… Amelia's is in the same vicinity." She comments gently, her words careful and tedious.

"Mother and Father didn't want anything to do with Amelia's death, including her final resting place," she absentmindedly plays with the tips of Luz's fingers to distract herself. "So Amelia's friends and old classmates got together and managed to have her buried in the same location as Lucia…" She sighs. "But they were not allowed to mark the grave. My siblings are having it processed right now."

Luz remains quiet.

"I had a feeling when I saw the tombstone, but… Do you mind me asking how she died?"

She's been wanting to tell her for a while now anyway. She needs to get this off of her chest. The only people who knew were herself and her mother, she's never had the courage to explain what happened to her friends. Luz hadn't wanted their pity, it would've made her feel worse.

"At first, she was happier than usual, so Mom and I had suspected that she'd met someone, but Mom didn't want me to mention it." Luz starts carefully, "So we were waiting for her to tell us, but suddenly, she became distant and paranoid, she always had to triple check to see if someone was following her before she left home.

"Food started disappearing too, and Mom wasn't happy because Lucia was basically stealing from her, so she confronted her."

Luz tenses, Amity gently grasps her hand and her thumb rubs comforting circles across her knuckles as an attempt to offer silent solace.

"I remember Mom shouting, and I remember Lucia begging her to calm down, saying that she'll explain everything when she can, she promised that she's not stealing for her own wellbeing…"

She's reliving the moment, the scene, the memory is playing out before her very eyes. The image of her mother yelling across the table, and the sorrowful, yet desperate look on her sister's face. She remembers the bothered and distressed air around Lucia, and the pure rage and disappointment around her mother.

"One day, Lucia just vanished all together. It's normal for her to leave and not come back for a few days, but she always let Mom know that she was safe every night. For three days, she never contacted us at all. Then, the day she died..."

Tears start stinging at her eyes, her chest and her throat restricting as pain swells up inside of her.

"She texted Mom to say… to say that she was coming home, asking her not to ask any questions because she'll answer them all in the morning. So, we were waiting for her to come home. She never did… That night, the police arrived on our doorstep and told us what happened."

She grits her teeth.

"They faked being sympathetic and insisted that Lucia had kidnapped someone, they said they were trying to save her victim and Lucia became aggressive, lashing out at them, so they… they claim they reacted in self-defense. I know Lucia, she wouldn't become violent unless someone she loves is in the way of harm…"

Realization seems to flicker through Amity's eyes, implying that they have the same train of thought.

"They never told us the girl's identity, but they told us that she had been killed too… I've been thinking about that, too. The pictures we just saw confirmed it…"

Amity interrupts, her voice soft and mournful. "We were told that Amelia resisted being brought home, became aggressive and attacked the police officer with a knife, so she was… Killed." She sits up, "I think that the girl in Lucia's story might be Amelia."

"Highly likely…" Luz agrees. "Do you think my Mom would've liked Amelia?"

Amity giggles and throws her head back with a loud sigh, "No," she answers truthfully, "like I said before, she was a sweet girl, but she had a wild side. She would have accidentally overstepped and irate your Mom."

Luz smirks, "Okay, would Eda have liked her?"

Amity hums in thought for a moment. "Definitely."

"Who would I like?"

Luz swivels her chair around as Amity scrambles out of her lap, they locate a tall woman with grey hair standing at the doorway with a cup of coffee in hand. "Eda!" Luz panics, giggles escaping her lips nervously. "How-how long have you been standing there?"

Eda raises a brow and leans up against the door, taking a sip of her steaming hot coffee before responding. "I asked a question first, Kid."

Amity steps up to stand next to Luz, her hand gripping her arm tightly. "My sister." She answers for Luz, "We were talking about our sisters, and Luz asked if-"

Eda cuts her off by raising her hand and gently gesturing for her to be quiet. Luz grips the arm of her chair and Amity's mouth clamps shut, they exchange an unsure glance. "I met your sister, Kiddo." Eda informs them with a sad smile, "The girl needed a place to crash after running away from home, so Lucia offered her a place there. She was an interesting girl, I'll say that much," she chuckles a little bit, "but to this day, I fail to see what Lucia saw in her."

Luz turns her attention back to her computer, the image previously displayed on the screen flashing through her mind. She smiles.

"Someone who cares for her..."

Amity and Eda both turn to look at her as Luz faces them again, "She found… love." She spares a small glance at Amity, who is watching her with a puzzled expression. Luz's words are soft, her girlfriend steps towards her and gently grasps her hand, interlocking their fingers. "She found someone she loved, and someone who cared for her just as much."

She wonders, just for a moment, whether or not her sister would've been okay with her dating Amity. Would she have laughed at her, meaning no harm by it, for having an attraction towards the girl? Would she have approved? Would she have liked Amity?

She hopes so.

"Alright, Kid, you're making me mushy." Eda snorts and she gestures towards the door with her spare hand, amusement in her eyes. "I don't believe your little girlfriend is supposed to be over, so I suggest the two of you leave."

Right. Despite her mother liking Amity, she made it explicitly clear that she doesn't want her over without her permission. Luz had broken that rule, unintentionally of course, and she was not about to stay around and face the consequences.

Eda would cover for her.

"Come on," Luz stands up as Eda exits the room, taking another sip of her coffee and letting the door swing shut behind her. "I'll walk you home."

Amity giggles, "It's alright, Luz, I can fend for myself, remember?"

Still, she doesn't want her walking the streets alone at night. Who knows what could happen to her? The chances of her being abducted were especially higher since she's become famous on the internet.

"Amity," Luz murmurs as she gently pulls Amity towards her, she can feel her breath, "I don't want anything happening to you… What if they catch you off guard?"

Her girlfriend sighs, "Alright, if you insist, my Fearless Champion." She taps her forehead against Luz's playfully, their noses brushing and causing butterflies to explode through her heart. How dare she be criminally adorable? This should be illegal!

Her heart needs a break.

The next day was the day of the Youtube Collaboration, they'd woken up at four in the morning and drove six hours to reach the other person's recording studio.

Upon arriving at the Youtuber's house, she greeted Amity enthusiastically and explained how they would be doing the video to her. Luz hid in the vehicle, thankful that the tinted windows hid her enough that she wasn't recognizable.

Luz remained in the car while they recorded the video, not wanting to interrupt or cause any distractions for her girlfriend considering she was told that she needed to be focused on the challenge at hand.

Two hours and a quick forty-five minute nap later, Amity finally exits the house and makes her way to the vehicle. Luz glances towards her as the car door opens, she greets her with a soft smile that Amity returns.

"So!"

Luz clasps her hands together as her girlfriend sits down next to her, "How'd the video go?" She asks, the brunette groans a heavy sigh and brushes her auburn bangs back out of her face. Amity has her hair down and it's sticking messily to her overheated skin, her chest rises and falls with tired breaths, she looks exhausted. "That bad?"

Amity shakes her head, "No, it was enjoyable," she answers as she sits back up and lets out a 'wooh', "it was tiring, though. I'm just ready to go home now."

She was tired. Luz could wait to watch the video when it's released.

Maybe.

Probably not.

"What did you guys record?"

Nope.

Luz starts the vehicle as Amity tilts her seat back to relax, draping her arm across her eyes to block out the light. "A video." Amity answers with a smirk, peeking one eye open and giggling when Luz sticks her tongue out at her mockingly. "Be patient, love, just because you're my girlfriend doesn't mean you can get special treatment."

The tanned girl scoffs in false offense, the vehicle starts moving. "Well then, would being your wife get me special treatment?"

"Perhaps, it depends."

"Okay, let's try it, we're married now." Luz states, the brunette sitting next to her lets out a boisterous laugh, her face heating up as she sheepishly covers her face again. Luz pokes Amity in the side, "Come on, we need honesty to keep a marriage."

"Ah, honesty to keep a marriage?" Amity sits up and brushes her bangs out of her face again, pulling her shoulder-length hair up into a ponytail, sighing a breath of relief when the cool air meets her neck and shoulders. "We also need trust and patience. You really wanna know?"

Luz tears her eyes away from her girlfriend and fixes her attention on the road, "No, I can wait." She lies. "You win."

"Good," Amity replies tiredly, "because I just feel like taking a nap right now…" With that said, she lays back again and closes her eyes, relaxing almost immediately.

The drive home was only ten minutes, but Luz could take a detour… Or two.