~*Jerome*~

"So Lone Wolf is your dad?" Mitch's voice brings me back to reality.

"Can we not talk about this right now?" I look at Mitch. "I really don't like the guy."

"Alright." Mitch sounded like he wanted to talk about it more, but I'm thankful he didn't continue with it. Instead he turned his attention to Frags. "Frags, is Craft ok?"

"I don't know," Frags says with a shrug, "Star made me leave right after we got him bandaged up."

"How was Star coping with it?"

"I think he started breaking down when I left the room," Frags says with a small sigh. "I feel terrible. I should've stayed and helped Star."

"Don't." Woofless stands up and places a hand on Frags' shoulder. "You did what you thought was right. None of us thought that Kaydee would've done that. Not Sniper, not Wolf, not you, and not me. He's going to be ok." I've never seen him act like this. Mitch's brows furrow in confusion, but he says nothing.

"Boys please move your PDA to elsewhere." Sniper's voice echoes from somewhere behind me. "And don't try to trick me. I saw what happened last night. Or at least, the beginning of it." Woofless and Frags' faces turn red and they step away from each other. What was that about?

Mitch's eyes move from the blushing duo to over my shoulder, and surprise paints over the look of confusion on his face. "D-dad?!"

"You let him out of the room?!" Sniper's voice had a tone of worry in it.

"He was getting restless," I state calmly. "He promised not to move from where I put him."

Sniper lets out an aggravated sigh before standing beside me. "Hello, son."

"You're alive." Mitch's face was pale, and his voice sounded distant. "Thirteen years; thirteen years of me wandering around the wasteland blindly because I thought my dad was dead!"

"Hey, hey!" I run over and wrap my arms around him. He was shaking like a leaf.

"I'm so-"

Mitch interrupts his father. "All this time you were here, relaxing!" Tears were streaming down his face.

"I'm sorry," Sniper repeats himself. "It was the only way you could learn."

"Learn what exactly?" Mitch snaps.

"Who you are." Sniper's voice was steady. "And who you're going to be."

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll find out eventually." Sniper sighs softly before looking at Woofless and Frags. "You two. Ask Wolf to help you gather supplies."

"Why?" Woofless looks at Sniper in confusion.

"We can't keep you all here for very long without drawing other unwanted guests to our doorstep."

"You're kicking us out?" I stand up and look at the brazen man with shock.

"For the safety of everyone here, yes. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was the best option for all of you."

"Where are we supposed to go then? We're not welcome back in the City!" Frags exclaims.

"Over the mountains there are more towns and cities that survived the war. They're all in better shape than the city you're used to. They can help you there."

"How do you know?" I furrow my brows in confusion.

"She told me," Sniper says with a smile.

"Who's 'she?'"

"Me," a strangely accented woman's voice echoes in the room.

~*Star*~

I sit by Craft's bedside, and cry. That's all I can do right now. I shouldn't have let him go out there...

I should've been hit with that knife.

Why are you so stupid, Vikram?

He wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for you.

This is all my fault.

Craft's cough brings me back to reality and I look up to see his blue eyes looking at me. My face heats up in embarrassment. How long has he been watching me?

"Don't cry." He reaches over slowly and wipes a tear off my face with his thumb. "I don't like it."

"How long have you been awake?" I murmur, not meeting his gaze.

"Long enough," he whispers before moving my face to look at his again. "Why are you crying?"

"It's my fault you're hurt. I should've-"

"No." Craft's brows furrow. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself."

"I was supposed to be out there, Craft! I should've been the one who got hurt! Not-" before I could finish talking Craft pulls my head toward his.

"None of this was your fault, Star," he whispers into my ear. "This is all Kaydee's doing." I fight back tears and clear my throat.

"Vik," I whisper back.

"Hmm?"

"My name is Vik." Craft's eyes widen with surprise before he smiles fondly.

"Vik suits you better than Star," he murmurs before rubbing his thumb along my cheek, and making a small smile grow on my face. "My name is Lachlan."

"Lachlan," I repeat the name quietly to myself, and he nods. "I like it."

The smile on his face grows before he moves slightly closer to me. "Can I have a kiss?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Cra- Lachlan lets out a soft chuckle before I lean over and close the gap between us.
_______________________

We're almost done here....

Anyways,

:)

Much Luv,
Mickey-Kenzie