Hope you like it, I know it's not super long but please tell me what you think of it! 

Luke's POV:

How stupid can North be? We all know that she has dam trust issues.

I know he didn't mean it; not like she took it. But sometimes... sometimes I swear his the one that doesn't think before he speaks, not me with my ADHD, which is way easier to control now that I know Sang is there for me.

The normal red-light washes across the car, silently giving us permission to enter. North now has an oh s**t expression across his face, it obviously just dawned on him.

Now he looks slightly sick. Jess is staring out the window, she has been since Sang hung up. We had to call Cupcake, there was no other way that we were getting away from Brandon on a fast motorbike in this old, but admittedly improved, Range rover.

BB, Demetra and Storm are waiting just inside the door. It surprised everyone, even Cupcake, when BB decided that North was allowed to ride on his back, after the horses decided that they didn't really like him. Storm doesn't let anyone apart from Sang ride him alone. The first time I came here, when her and Titch rescued me from the herd, he allowed me to become a passenger, if Cupcake's on the front, but there is no way that his ever going to let me on without her. I found that out the hard, painful, way. Instead, I normally ride with North or on occasion, when North and Sang aren't there, with Jess on Demetra.

This time North offers me a hand, without prompting, I use it to vault onto BB's back, sprinkles skuttling up to sit almost on the black bear's head. BB lumbers off straight away, about the same speed as I can walk, if not slower, but you don't want to walk here. Sang rescues everything. And I mean everything. Which include poisonous snakes etc, so you don't walk. And also, the lion pride occasionally appears. The only ways to be vaguely safe are 1. With Cupcake, no one attacks her or anyone with her, still don't know why, but she's like some kind of Doc. Doolittle, 2. Be on one of the fast horses i.e. Demetra or Storm as they can out run everything (almost) or, 3. Be with a very high ranked predator, for example a black bear. Hence why riding super slow BB is better than walking and risking death. Jess has the options of racing ahead or staying close, but I don't think she knows exactly what to say to Sang, so as of right now, she is staying put, Demetra and Storm walking calmly at BB's side.

"How do we explain to her... in way that forces her to accept it?" Titch asks, she looks awkward, uncomfortable, she is seriously worried about losing her 'sister'.

"We love her, she is family, all we have to do is show her that!" North havening said the only thing that is pertinent in this situation, keeps his mouth shut for the rest of the trek back to San... Our house. Because that's what we are determined to make her see that it is.

The whole place seems quiet when we get there. The monkeys that tend to climb across her roof are missing and while the sentry dogs are still outside, none of the other regulars are around. The dogs that are there, watch us as we approach, one of Jason's friends lets out a low bark, which seems to tell the dogs inside that we're back. Lucky races out, I expect Max to appear as he normally does, then remember that we had to leave him at Erica's.

Lucky heads straight for the dismounting Jess, leaping up at her as she bends to greet him. He licks her cheek quickly, then races back towards the door, I can see the twins hanging from the door frame, waiting for us. Or apparently me, they both drop onto my shoulders when I walk through the door. It's a very good job that they are almost fully grown and a species that doesn't get too big, as I doubt, they are ever going to stop sitting on our shoulders, that seems to be their favourite place. Well, Sang's shoulders are, but the three of us are quite good second places.

Samira winds around my feet briefly, before heading back towards the hospital wing that has the area Sang uses if one of us gets hurt. Jeffery and Jason don't even make appearances, which isn't too worrying, they are the ones that are most protective of Cupcake. If she even gets a paper cut, they are both there instantly, I think Jeffery once ripped up a sheet of paper, when she winced as it sliced her hand. I have to say she wasn't particularly pleased, considering it was a transfer for another injured Lion into the reserve. She had to refill in the entire sheet, which took ages, dam now I'm totally distracted, stupid ADHD.

"Lucian! Come on she's in here!" North gets my attention and we all enter the hospital door together.

I think I'm about throw up.

North's standing, gaping.

Jess gasps.

Sang squeaks spinning to face us. Her eyes downcast.

She's standing there in a sports bra. And we just saw her back. There are literal tally marks there. Lined up in neat lines. The way a coach might count how many lengths of the pool someone has done. I can see what Ben and the doc where talking about now. None of us say a word as we take her in. Her right shoulder has smear of blood across it, though the front has been sewn up, the back is still being held by her hand under a thick wad of bandages, slightly stained red. A thin silver chain filled with tiny charms hangs around her neck, the charms too small to see from this side of the room.

"Sang?" Jess questions, Cupcake won't lift her eyes. It's like she thinks we are going to reject her, now we have seen the scars. Guess I can see why, North's words earlier. Dam. The scars... I want to kill whoever did that to her! Jess moves to go to her, but I catch her arm and nudge North. Titch pauses, then steps back pushing North forwards more firmly than I did.

"Sang," she flinches at her name. "Sang... Baby," her head snaps up. North steps up to her and grips her chin stopping her from dropping her head back down. "Sang Baby, we aren't going to leave you, you. Are. Our. Family! We have told you before and will tell you a thousand times over, until you listen, until you finally accept it!" Tears fill her eyes, I'm reminded of last week, when she cried in my arms, I understand the trust issues now, because someone did that to her back. Some despicable human did that to her. No wonder she loves animals as her family! How could someone do that to my beautiful Cupcake?

"Sang... Cupcake, please just accept that we aren't..." I swallow unsure if this will set her off, but Jess beats me to it.

"S, we aren't... whoever did... that, to you, we love you, unconditionally, my sister that I never had, I love you, Luke and North love you, you could tell us to do anything, if it means that you understand that we love you. That you are our family!" Jess has tears running down her face, matching to Sang, I think North has a tear in his eye as well, I know I do. I want to cry for the first time in ages.

"But I'm so..."

"If the words broken or ugly come out of your mouth next..." I raise my eyebrows at her, then don't even bother saying them! My eyes meet hers, she offers me a tiny smile, nervous as hell, but there.

"But I'm so..." She flashes a grin in my direction, "...unprepared to have guests for Christmas day!" a chocked laugh makes it past my lips as North scoops her up. Sang tenses as his hands graze her still bare back, and shoulder. "I can walk you know North star! Plus, I might need you to ummm sew my shoulder up Ninja..." I smile, much happier now that I think she understands...

I peal the blood-soaked bandages back, examining the wound, North doesn't put her down instead he sits with her in his lap, holding her steady. She just rolls her eyes and lets him be a cave man for a while. The bullet obviously went straight through as there is an exit wound, so all I need to do is clean and stich the wound. Knowing she will refuse to take anything that will knock her out or even make her at all less with it, I take the thread that she offers me, she will already have sterilised it and the needle. The actual stitching takes moments, then it's over, a neat row, not as neat as Sang, but neat enough, of stiches crossing the wound. The blood stops. Jess automatically passes me a bandage before helping Cupcake hold her arm up so I can wrap it tightly around.

"Perfect!" Sang grins still tense as my hand skim across her bare back, I can feel the raised scars, scars that are currently pressed against Norths chest. "I'm kind of freezing in here!" Jess is instantly there, she chucks Cupcake a long sleeved chequered shirt, Sang catches it with her good arm, still in Norths arms as he refused to let her go, still "I might need a hand to get this on, my shoulder should be good in a few days, a week at most, but for now I can't really lift it very high..." I move taking it off her, holding it up so that she can slip her bad arm into the sleeve, North having finally placed her on the floor.

"I think we can help you make food! If that's the issue?" Jess laughs as Sang grins at her, suddenly it's like we never left, I get this feeling of completeness, this is where we are supposed to be.

Cupcake races off, out the door, by the time we realise she's gone, she's halfway up the house, climbing one handed almost as fast as she can climb two handed. North yells something about not climbing with her bad arm but all we get back are giggles from the one who has long stolen my heart...

Hope you liked this, I kind of loved writing this chapter, weirdly... 

Please tell me what you think! :) 

See you soon hopefully! I am really going to try and update regularly but no promises! :) more comments = more updates :)