It would be a month before Brian was deemed stable enough in both his physical and mental state for visitors to be allowed. Still the doctors were hesitant, warning Scarlett as she walked down the air-conditioned hallway that she couldn't stay long. Her father trailed behind her, coming for his weekly check-up on his mental condition since the incident in the warehouse. Of course, there was nothing to worry about. Fiorella was a strong man, and had been unconcious through most of it anyway. Amazingly, even after hearing Scarlett's story about her relationship with Brian, he'd been very calm about the entire situation. Then again, Scarlett had said nothing about his past. That was something he didn't need to know.

The two stopped at the office where Fiorella was to report for his appointment. Before she left, her father hugged her and gave her several words of encouragement. They did little to stem her worries, but she accepted them nonetheless. As he opened the door and disapeared from her sight, the feeling of emptiness inside of her was almost unbearable. How was she supposed to face him alone? How was she supposed to reopen those memories, things he'd been able to bury since he'd arrived at the hospital? She didn't want to do that to him. He'd been hurt enough. But soon enough, she found herself walking down the hall. Then she was jogging. Finally, she was full-out sprinting, unable to contain her excitement, no matter how selfish it was; she would see Brian again. Finally, after so long. That was enough to crush any worries, any misgivings she'd had.

When she finally reached the door, when she was reaching for the shimmering gold of the doorknob, she had to remind herself to slow down. Be calm. Still, when her hand closed around the cold metal and the door swung open, she couldn't keep the massive grin off her face. As the antiseptic scent of the room hit her nostrils, the sterile white walls gleamed blindingly, all she saw was Brian, struggling to sit up with some help from a kind-faced nurse.

"Scarlett!" His face lit up, and he sat bolt upright before the nurse could protest. He fell back almost immediately however, one hand clutching at his wounded shoulder as a pained groan worked its way through his clenched teeth. The nurse chuckled nervously, setting the pillows up behind him so he could sit up comfortably. She told him he needed to stay still and relax, that they would have an hour together, and what to do if they had any trouble. The nurse gave a friendly nod to Scarlett before she left, and the two were left alone.

She wasted no time in racing to his side, wrapping her arms around his neck, and crying about how worried she'd been. He gave a rusty laugh and hugged her back, but eventually had to tell her she was hurting his shoulder. Reluctantly, she detatched herself from him and sat at the chair beside his bed. She noticed the bandages on his arm, and the ones that showed from his shoulder. The wound above his eye had healed quite a bit, and the scar was almost invisible. It wasn't until he pointed it out that she noticed she was crying, tears falling steadily into her lap. She laughed, wiping them away. "Sorry. I'm just... so relieved."

"You didn't think I'd be alright?" He grinned teasingly, lifting one hand to jab her lightly in the forehead with two fingers. His amber eyes were light and happy, but he was no longer trying to hide from her the depth of his scars. There was pain there, pain that was healing, but pain that would never truly go away. There was no more agony. No more fury. His smile faded slowly, and he took her hand in his own. "I'm just tired, Scarlett. Really tired."

"You have a right to be." She assured him, squeezing his hand. "And you can rest as long as you need. I'll be with you."

After that, she went on to tell him how they'd made it out of the warehouse, since he'd fainted from bloodloss very soon after his battle with Hawk. The others had been brought back to the cells via an alternate entrance, so as to scare Scarlett and Brian into thinking they'd been sent somewhere else. Together, they'd managed to start a riot among the rest of the prisoners, and Craig's cat Crowfeather unlocked their cells. The rebellion didn't last long, since the guards were greatly outnumbered and caught off guard. Dennis was killed. Faith's body was retrieved. Police had been called to shut down the place and get Brian to the hospital as soon as possible.

"What about Hawk?" Brian asked after a long moment. The confliction in his eyes was so powerful Scarlett had to look away. Not long ago, Brian had loved his younger half-brother more than anyone in the world. Upon discovering he'd been the one responsible for the unspeakable trauma in Scarlett's past, none of that love had mattered anymore. It was replaced with hate, hate for the monsterous scum who could speak so lightly about the stolen innocence of a lovely young girl. That could never be forgiven.

"I requested he be buried in Thundera Memorial Fields." Before Brian could open his mouth, could tell her that was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever done, she spoke again. "Your brother is my brother, Brian. Nothing he did will ever change that."

His hands fisted in the covers, his eyes wavering as he tried to sort out his emotions. "Scarlett..." he finally muttered. "You are such an idiot."

"I try." She grinned, just as the nurse popped her head in, saying their visit would have to end. Sighing reluctantly, she stood up and made her way to the door. Before she walked out, she turned back. "I love you, Brian." The last glimpse her got of her before the door was closed was her bright green eyes, open and laughing.

"...I love you, too."

Several months would pass. Brian would be released from the hospital to go back to his little home in the woods. This time, he wouldn't be alone, since Scarlett had gotten permission from her father to live with him. Tam and Rowan would get married. Stan would go with Brook to her hometown, where they would start a life of their own. Craig would see Leah again in secret, before her parents discovered them and disowned their eldest daughter for her disobediance, and she would change her last name to Feather.

And one sunny day in June, when Brian and Scarlett were going to visit Thundera Memorial Fields, the two stood by the new grave for Hawk Garra. Brian got down on one knee infront of her, slipping a beautiful diamond ring from his pocket. She accepted before he even spoke the words. The wedding was simple, but perfect in the minds of both. Ben made a speech, telling the Thundera family that they had with them one of the most spectacular young men he'd ever met, willing to risk his life for those important to him. Brian seemed to be in shock, but Scarlett only grinned and agreed whole-heartedly.

It was decided that Brian would take the name of Thundera, and with the permission of Scarlett's parents, it was he who would become the heir to Thundera Inc. so that Scarlett could pursue her own dreams. Several more months passed, and the young couple was happier than either could remember ever being in their lives. There were still times when Brian would cling to the nearest object with a vice-like grip, fighting against flashbacks that threatened to overwhelm him. But Scarlett would always be there to comfort him when they were over.

Then they got a call from the hospital. Leah was giving birth.

Scarlett was by her side the entire time, squeezing her hand as she delivered Craig's children. The father didn't show up until his triplets were wrapped up in blankets and the mother left to rest in the room with Scarlett.

"Scarlett," Leah murmured, her pale amber eyes clouded with exhaustion as she looked at her younger sister. "I... I don't have the money to take care of all three of them. I can't do it on my own. Craig wants nothing more to do with me, and the salary I get just isn't enough. And before you try to give me money, mum and dad specifically said you couldn't."

Leah smiled, because even though she'd broken the rules her fair share of times, she would always try her best to keep Scarlett out of trouble.

"Then what will you do?" Scarlett asked, knowing there was no use arguing.

"Will you take one of them?" Leah asked softly, squeezing her sister's hand. "I want to split them up. One for you, one for Craig, and one for me." She smiled warmly, though her eyes were sorrowed. "There's nothing else I can do, is there? That's all they can have. Then again, we all live close by... they'll go to the same school, they'll be great friends... it'll be almost like nothing happened. They'll still be mine, in a way."

Leah fell asleep then, and Scarlett kissed the top of her head before she left. She found Brian waiting outside, and together they walked to the room where the triplets were being kept for the moment. Craig was already inside, looking at his children with profound grief and regret. As soon as they entered, his face became a mask of indifference, and he sat at a wooden chair beside the cot.

The three babies were bundled up next to eachother, their mouth slightly open, their eyebrows drawn together as they slept. Scarlett approached the bed. "Leah wants us to take one of them." She told Brian, whose face lit up at the prospect. Craig stiffened immediately, and she turned to him. "She wants you to have one too, Craig. She doesn't have enough money to take care of all three. It's the best she can do." Without another word, she looked again at the children. "But which one will you take?"

"The girl." Craig answered without hesitation, leaping from his seat. He approached the only girl in the group, a pale-skinned baby with a thin cover of black hair on her head. Already, her resemblance to Craig was showing through in her brooding expression and rather large ears. "She looks to most like me." He muttered when Brian gave him an amused glance. "Or she just reminds you of Leah." Brian suggested gently. The younger man sighed, but didn't attempt to deny it.

"What will you name her?" Scarlett asked, watching the baby's eyes flutter open for the slightest moment. They were deep green, the color of fresh leaves.

"Holly." Craig answered, picking the girl up gently and cradling her in his arms. His face was stoic, his jaw set riggidly, but his eyes were the warmest Scarlett had ever seen them as he stared down at his newborn daughter.

The child that had been resting next to Holly shifted restlessly. He had the least hair of the siblings, but what was there was a soft gray hue. His eyes opened wide, a pale blue color, and Scarlett remembered hearing the doctor tell Leah that one of them was blind. Indeed, she could see in the milkiness of his eyes and his pale pupils that this was the one. For a moment, she considered him. Then she remembered that Leah worked in this very name hospital; she would be able to take care of his medical needs better than she and Brian could.

So finally, they came to the last one, the largest of the siblings. He had skin that was slightly darker than Holly's or his brother's, so in that regard he took after Craig. His already-thick hair was golden, and when he opened his eyes to look at them curiously, they were dark amber.

"Him?" Brian asked, grinning as he looked down at the boy.

"Why, do you like him?" Scarlett asked, picking the baby up rather clumsily, but relaxing once she had him safely in her arms. Brian came up behind her, wrapping one arm around her shoulder and touching the boy's cheek gently with his other hand. "Yeah, I do." He told her, kissing her cheek softly.

Scarlett smiled. "Then... then can we keep him?" She asked, feeling like a child asking to keep a stray puppy.

"Of course we can." He assured her. "It's what you've always wanted, isn't it?"

"Yeah." She agreed, feeling a deep stirring in her chest when the little boy opened his mouth wide in a yawn. "It is."

"Two points for honesty, Thundera." Brian assumed the voice he'd always used for her when they'd first met. "How do you feel about the name Lionel? We could call him Leo for short."

"I love it." She replied,cradling the child close to her chest. "Lionel, heir to Thundera Inc."

Preview for the sequel to this story:

"Fine." Lionel snapped, glaring daggers at Jason while he stared calmly back. "Call me what you want. I don't fight to survive anymore, I fight-"

"To win?" Jason interrupted, his pale blue eyes narrowing. "I know you do. That's the problem. Why don't you understand, we're meant for so much more? You and I, Holly too- we have the power of the stars in our hands. You can't keep fighting for yourself, Leo. We are meant to use our powers for the good of everyone."

Lionel didn't speak for the longest moment, staring silently down at the sidewalk, not meeting his best friend's gaze. Rain suddenly began to fall around them, silvery drops that darkened the ground as they hit. Jason was the only one who seemed to notice, turning his head up the sky in annoyance.

"Alright." He muttered. "Alright, I understand. But Jay..." Stepping forward, the taller boy grabbed his best friend by the collar of his shirt and jerked him forward so that he was looking straight into his blind blue eyes. "I'm not a good enough person to die for total strangers." He told him, hardly noticing the way Jason's eyebrows twitched. "I might still run, if it gets too rough." His grip slackened on the smaller boy's shirt before he let go and turned his back on him. "But I'm doing it for you guys." He told him, his fists clenching. "Cause you and Holly are the only ones that will help me keep everyone else safe."

Jason smoothed out his shirt, and didn't say another word. But under the cover of the rain, he was smiling.

Yup. XD There will be a hiatus before the new one is posted. A couple weeks, more or less. It will be called 'Less Than a Pearl', and the main character will be Lionel, or Lionblaze. X3 It'll switch a lot of course, like it did in this story.

Thank you all for being here and reviewing from the very beginning. X3 I really appreciate it.

Reviewers: GlimmerIcewood, Spottedwind19, Ivypool Luva, Stargazer2000, Sparkheart Of ThunderClan, Nightkill, and Queen Of The Pens. That you guys so much!

One last review, please? XD