Nova wasn't even sure how to feel. This girl, this little thief that she had despised ever since she had stolen her bracelet at the parade was her sister. Of course! The bracelet! How could Nova have missed it? It all seemed so clear. The bullet that she had with her, her obsession with the bracelet, even her age. It all made sense.

    "What are you doing?!" Maggie protested as Nova pulled her into her arms and hugged her. She had thought for so long that the girl before her was gone, and she was not letting her go again. Of course, Maggie didn't seem to understand at all. She was pushing and squirming in Nova's embrace, trying to get free.

    "Get off of me, you weirdo!" she protested, and Nova reluctantly did so.

    "Sweet rot, I didn't think... I didn't even hope..." Nova muttered, "Let's sit down Ev- Maggie."

    "Did you just use my name? It's Magpie, Insomnia," she spat back, though she did sit back down across from Nova.

    "Magpie, there is  something you need to know." Magpie stiffened and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms defensively. Her eyes seemed to bore into Nova's as if she was searching for some piece of her that was metal that she could tear out.

    "Your sister, the one that disappeared, she was found. You just aren't going to like this next part."

    "I guess I always knew she was dead," Magpie sighed, relaxing into her chair. Nova could tell that she had accepted this as the truth a long time ago, just as Nova had for Evie. The only difference was that Evie seemed like she had the smallest seed of hope still in her.

    "No, Evie," Nova didn't stop herself from using her sister's real name this time, and Evie looked at her was confusion plain on her face, "Your sister is alive. She was at the trial, and we finally were able to connect her to you."

    "Then where is she?!" Maggie said, raising her voice, "Let me see her!" She kept shifting in her chair with each thing Nova said.

    "Evie, you are." Magpie froze, clearly awaiting an explanation. "When I was six, my father was a prodigy who made beautiful and powerful things, like this bracelet. He wanted to right his wrongs after making Ace Anarchy's helmet, so he made a deal with the Renegades."

    "I've heard this in some of your interviews, Insomnia," Magpie interrupted.

    "I know, just let me continue. Ace hired a shooter to kill my family. The Renegades couldn't save us, because Adrian's mother was killed that same night. The man shot my mother and father before I ran. I left my sister in her cradle and the man shot her. That was what Phobia was showing me." Maggie was finally silent, knowing the story was familiar to her own. It was her own. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you there, Evie."

    "Wait, left me?" Maggie asked. Then the connections formed in her twelve year old mind. She shook her head slowly. She didn't want to accept it.

    "Your name is Evie Artino, Magpie. I thought you were dead for the past eleven years. If I knew you were alive..."

    "What," Evie suddenly snapped, "you would have come and found me? You don't care about me. You never cared enough to even try!" Nova wasn't sure how to respond.

    "We're done here," Evie said as she stood. "Hey, can somebody get her out of here?!" She was shouting at the mirrored window, hoping somebody would take Nova out. It was better to just follow her wishes. Nova stood and went for the door. As she opened it and went out, Evie got in a last shout.

    "I hate you, Nightmare!" Nova flinched before the door could shut, and she knew that her sister could see it. Adrian and Max looked as though they had been discussing something very embarrassing. Nova didn't let the tears fall until the door was fully closed. There was no need to hold them in after that. Adrian broke away from his adopted brother and went to Nova.

    "She's a little pest, but..." Nova muttered as Adrian pulled her into an embrace. His strong arms wrapped her and she felt her sadness over her sister rejecting her seeping into him. His breath on her hair calmed her, but also fueled the tears. No, it didn't fuel them, only welcomed them. She apologized for the wet tear stains on Adrian's shirt and excused herself.

    She stopped at her desk to retrieve one of her older items and send a single message. She needed to talk with someone she hadn't sought the advice of for the longest time.

The elevators took her down to the lobby, though she had composed herself by the time the doors opened with a ding. The lobby had recovered well from her attack years ago, but it wasn't anywhere in HQ that she was going. She headed straight for the revolving doors and onto the street. The sun was lowering behind a threatening cloud and Nova could see hints of orange creeping into the sky around it. The sunset would be beautiful tonight if the potential rainclouds didn't block it.

It was a long jog to the park, but nothing Nova couldn't manage. She was in her casual clothes, rather than her now usual renegades uniform. When she entered the small hidden clearing, there was little that she didn't recognize. She had spent one or two more nights in Adrian's painted dream, but she hadn't been back here for almost a year now.

"I didn't think you would ever try to find me," a figure said as they emerged from behind the moss covered statue. They wore a larger coat and a wide brimmed hat, almost as if they had walked out of one of the pre-Age of Anarchy detective films. Despite the shadows of the trees and the hat, she could easily identify the man, either by his stance or his voice. Not to mention she had called him here.

"Leroy. I'm glad to see you." Like this place, she had not actually seen Leroy in some time. She had run into him only once since the battle at the cathedral, when Adrian had spared him for her.

"Are we going to talk about what's happening with our shadowy friend?" Leroy really didn't care to just be there apparently.

"Fine. How do you think he came back, and how am I going to kill him?" Nova asked. Leroy's scarred face twitched at the mention of killing Phobia. It seemed he had been considering it, but not thought she had. He really underestimate how much she hated that shadowy figure.

"He isn't yours to kill, Nova. You discovered this a year ago." Leroy was right. There was no killing Phobia, only temporarily banishing him. Adrian had sacrificed his powers originally to defeat the menace, but there was nothing they could do to fight him now. This was Adrian's fight, but skies, she wanted to snap his bony neck for what he did to her, what he did to Callum so long ago, how he had killed her boyfriend's mother, or for manipulating her sister like that. Phobia didn't deserve to return to existence.

"But I am going to find some way to do it anyway. For Adrian, for Callum, and now for Evie."

"Evie? You found her?" Leroy asked quickly. A little too quickly.

"What do you mean found her?" Nova asked. She studied him for only a moment before she knew the truth. He had known for some time that she was alive.

"I went through some of Ace's older things. I found a journal. He had been looking for Evie for years. He found out she was alive a few days before the Day of Triumph. He had to stop searching for her when we went into hiding."

"And none of you thought to tell me this?"

"I didn't know until a few months ago. I think I finally found her just days ago, at the parade." I didn't have anyway to be sure that Ace was right, and I didn't have the ability to contact you directly."

"But why didn't Ace tell me she was alive?" Nova protested. He was tiptoeing his way around telling her the truth about her Uncle. Finally, right when he looked as though he was about to say something, he shut his mouth and shook his head.

"What was he planning Leroy?!" She knew the answer before he said it. Her Uncle was planning to finish the job. He was going to kill Evie to keep her by his side. Look how well that worked out.

"Nevermind. Back to the subject at hand," Leroy said.

"Oh no you don't. You aren't avoiding this Flynn." She used his last name like it was a curse, as she had always called him Leroy. He clearly took the meaning very seriously.

"There is nothing more to discuss about your sister, Nova. If you've found her, that's the end of that. Phobia however..." He paused for a long moment. He looked as though, once again, he was resisting saying what he knew needed to be said. Nove knew what he was about to suggest, and she hated him for even considering it.

"No, You know that isn't going to happen. I am not going to let it." Leroy shook his head, the shade from his wide brimmed hat shifting on his hat.

"You can't have one without the other, Nova. As long as Adrian Everhart is alive, Phobia will be too, especially after the destruction of Agent N." Suddenly, this forest glade that had been the place she had long dreamed about seemed darker, gloomier. The idea of losing Adrian, it seemed to taint even her kindest dreams of this place. She needed to go. Her meeting with Cyanide had been to give her some hope, but it had done just the opposite. It had revealed the truth she didn't want, and stole what little hope she had. She couldn't trust Leroy anymore.

Nova realized it wasn't just their conversation that was darkening around her, but indeed the clouds had rolled over the city, and would likely rain soon. That gave her the opportunity to end the conversation. She simply turned without saying anything after staring at the clouds for a few moments. She didn't have to deal with this.

It occurred to Nova as she walked away that there was nowhere for her to go to avoid her problems. She didn't have a train car to flee to. No row house or bunker that she could cool off in. She only had HQ. She was valuing Adrian's offer even more now. She was glad she was moving in with the Everharts. She would be closer, a lot closer, to Adrian, and she would have a safe place other than work. Ever since Tsunami learned that she was working twenty-four seven, she had been continuously pestering her about taking some time off and how she needed rest, even if she didn't sleep.

She found one member of their team waiting for her outside the revolving doors for her. Narcissa Cronin sat on the steps staring at the sky, likely wondering about the possibility of rain as Nova had a few minutes before. When she finally noticed Nova, she stood and approached her. Nova wondered how long she had been sitting there, and if it was because she had run off.

"Nova, hey."

"Hey." There wasn't anything more said for a few moments. So much seemed to hang between them, threatening to break just like the clouds over their heads. Narcissa stood across from her and simply watched. Finally, Narcissa broke the silence.

"I can't imagine how you feel."

"I doubt anybody can," Nova noted, numb to emotion by this point. She was just done feeling these sort of things. "It really isn't every day that a sibling you thought was dead for almost 11 years just appears in your life."

"Well, I would assume one has to begin anew with them," Narcissa responded. It made sense to Nova to begin anew with Evie, especially how hostile she had been to her for valuing something that belonged to her just as much as it did to Nova. It was hard imagining her bracelet being Evie's as well, but she remembered why. The stone that was set in it now had been drawn by Adrian, and as she examined the clasp that had reappeared with Adrian's power, she knew that this bracelet meant more to her now than just her father's legacy. It was her special part of Adrian now too. Her way of believing that her parents would approve of him.

"If you could bring your parent's back, and live a life with them, would you? Would you even want to?" Nova suddenly asked. She hadn't ever heard how Narcissa's parents had died, only that they had back in the Age of Anarchy. It was apparent to Nova that she had never met them before they died, but simply knew Narcissa as Gene Cronin's granddaughter. It seemed odd to even picture her parents.

"Nova, I would give anything to be with my parents, but they died a long time ago, and after The Detonator... You know, I guess my next family was really the Rejects. After Ace's return, I finally found my place with Danna and the rest of the team." Nova caught the slight sigh in her words.

"Singling Danna out are we?" Nova teased, "Got a special place with her, huh?"

"I dunno." Narcissa and Danna had never really said anything about officially being a couple, but with how they were always bumbling around each other, Nova could guess something was going to happen sooner or later. She was glad that her old friend was finding her place.

"I'm kind of moving in with Adrian tomorrow," Nova suddenly said. She didn't know why she said it, but it felt right with how their chat was going.

"What? No way! That's awesome!" Narcissa was already giggling with joy. "You two are just perfect for each other, you know."

"Hey, it's just until I can get on my feet with my own place, but maybe by then..."

"Oh, come on," Narcissa said, "You're kidding me right? I mean, you aren't telling me you don't think living in the same house as your boyfriend is anything special? I bet you he walks around in the morning shirtless."

"Oh, come on, that's nothing special. I've seen him without a shirt on. Haven't I?" Nova tried to recount any time she had actually seen him shirtless since she met him, but none actually came to mind. She had definitely felt his muscular form plenty of times when they kissed, which sometimes turned into kissing a lot, but she had never actually seen Adrian Everhart shirtless.

"Wow. I've never seen Adrian shirtless."

It was by this point that Nova realized that she had completely forgotten about Evie and Cyanide and even Phobia. She wondered if this had been Narcissa's goal when she started talking like a stereotypical high school teenager.

"Alright, Alright. I think we need to head inside. I have a little sister, and you might be able to score a little alone time with Danna. She's usually down in the training hall about now."

"I know," Narcissa casually commented. It was clear evidence that she was indeed quite interested in their lepidopteran named friend.

Nova and Narcissa made their way to the doors and did a single full rotation just for the fun of it before they went in together laughing. They made their way towards the elevator before Nova spotted a group of three young boys chatting in hushed voices in one of the far corners. If they were trying to be inconspicuous, they were failing. They were failing poorly.

"You go ahead and find Danna. I have a stop to make before finding Evie."

"Alright," Narcissa said, "See you soon, Nightmare."

"You too, Nightmare." This was their traditional goodbye, as they had both taken on the alias of Nightmare for some time. Nova waved as they separated and she moved towards the group. She had easily recognized them as Max and the Tucker twins. As she approached, she could hear them whispering about something.

"Dude... totally into... stud." They must have picked up this final term from Oscar Silva as hung around their house more and more now that he and their sister were a thing now.

"What are you boys talking about," she suddenly interjected, once again placing a hand on Max's shoulder.

"Nothing!" This time, she knew it would surprise him and laughed as he freaked out.

"It's alright Max, it's just me." Max gave her a blank stare before shaking off his surprise. Even the twins were laughing with her this time. They had both seen her coming and hadn't warned him at all.

"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with my little sister, now would it?"

"You have a sister?" Jade and Sterling replied in unison. Apparently Max had yet to tell them the best news yet.

"Yeah, Nova just found this out today too," Max noted to his friends. The two of them looked at him in confusion.

"Maggie's real name is Evie Artino, apparently," he continued to explain. The looks on their faces shifted from confusion to a mock understanding, then back to confusion as they looked at Nova. She gave them a sarcastic smile, and they turned back to Max for answers.

"Wait, if that's true, then there might be two Eve-" Jade started before Max cut him off.

"You see, Nova thought her sister was dead. Turned out that she was here with the Renegades the whole time." It was a rushed and panicked explanation, but seemed to do for the twins, though Nova was now more curious than ever.

"What were you saying there Green Machine?" Jade, of course, perked up at his hero name, still very proud to be a 'real Renegade'. He looked as though he was ready to explain everything, when once again it was Max that spoke.

"Guys, I need to talk to Nova about this alone. You mind giving us a little space?"

"Alright, Max "Stud" Everhart," Sterling noted with a friendly punch in the arm. Max almost seemed ready to take him down at the mock aggressive move. It was something Nova would have done when she wasn't used to physical touch.

"We can give you some space," his brother agreed before they turned to walk away. Nova promptly turned to Max when they were out of earshot.

"Spill."

It wasn't a suggestion or a question, in this case it was a command. anything involving her little sister, no matter how much Evie hated her at the moment, was definitely her business. She expected full cooperation on Max's part.

"I already had to explain this to Adrian, but I think your sister might have a crush on me..." This came as little surprise to Nova. She had noted several young girls' eyes following Max's float in the parade rather intently, seeing which of them drew his attention specifically.

"And I think I might have a little bitty one on her too."

______________________________________

Greetings!

Hope you loved this long delayed chapter! Make sure to hit that star button to let me know you loved it! I had a few things going against me (school included), so this update was a little late.

Loved building Narcissa some more and can't wait to bring Phobia back into the loop! Next chapter will be out by new years day!

- M.J.S.