Irene sat on her bunkbed, twisting her ankles together as she packed the few possessions she owned into her bag. Cherie had officially approved her return to the cabin. Irene felt like she should have been more excited. She had imagined her face would lift into a smile, and her body would feel afloat when she heard the news, but she felt nervous and now, dreadful, of her reunion with the others. It had been three years since she had last seen them. She wondered what they looked like now, how they got along, what her son was like...

Footsteps in the doorway caused Irene to look up. Cherie was standing there, a sour look on her face. She chucked a plastic bag at Irene, which appeared to be full of clothes.

"Go change out of that filthy gown. You have more clothes waiting for you at the cabin," Cherie stated.

"I-I have a room?" Irene asked.

Cherie rolled her eyes. "Of course you have a room. It's Marc's old room."

"Old room?"

"Explanations later. Go change. We're already running late as it is," Cherie said with a quick glance at her watch.

Irene nodded and stepped into the nearby bathroom, throwing on more comfortable clothing. It was loose and warm, making her feel comforted inside. She had been wearing the same dirty outfit for weeks, anxiously awaiting Cherie's message of whether she would be joining the others or not.

Irene stepped back out of the bathroom and neatly folded her old outfit on her bed before grabbing her things. She walked joyfully down the hall, feeling as if she were fleeing a prison. In reality, she was. She'd longed for this day more than she realized. Soon, she'd be reunited with her true family.

"What did the others say when you told them?" Irene asked as she pushed the front doors open. She shielded her light eyes from the sun and crunched her feet against the snow as she walked toward the car parked nearby.

"I haven't told them it's you," Cherie said.

Irene paused in her steps. "What do you mean?"

"I told them The Tiger is coming. But I haven't told them your identity," Cherie stated.

"B-but..." Irene's voice trailed off. She had assumed that the others already knew, that they'd all agreed to allow Irene back. But now that she knew that Cherie had kept her identity secret, she began to shake with worry.

"Irene, come on. We don't have all day," Cherie said.

"They won't want me back," Irene said, her eyes staring back at the facility. Perhaps it would be wise if she just stayed there after all.

"They might not, but I want you to have a comfortable place to live. You've had a rough time lately. And...we still need information from you. I can't keep commuting here to visit you. You have a soft bed waiting for you. Will you come?" Cherie asked.

Irene took a deep breath and took a step forward. It was now or never.

...

Irene felt like she was going to vomit as Cherie pulled up to a luxurious looking cabin a few hours later. She'd spent the whole ride feeling sick, though she doubted it came from Cherie's driving skills. She wasn't sure how she'd react the others, how they'd react to her.

Her fantasies had been filled with her lifting her son up into the air as he giggled, her running up to Lillian and kissing her. But now, as she stared at the silent cabin in the woods, she doubted this would be the case.

"Take some deep breaths," Cherie said, placing a hand on her arm. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Let them punch me if they want. I deserve it," Irene grumbled.

"You're not going to thrive around here with that attitude. I forgive you, Irene, even if I don't fully know your story yet. In time, the others should as well," Cherie said, exiting the car. "I'll take your things," she said, grabbing Irene's small bag.

Irene shakily walked up the porch steps, her heart pounding. She was tempted to turn away now, run into the woods and never come back, but she wanted to see her son's joyous face again and Lillian's bright eyes.

She took a deep breath as she stepped inside. A living area was directly across from the front door, though no one appeared to be sitting in it. Irene stood, quivering, as she approached the couches with Cherie.

"Could everyone come down here? Our visitor is here!" Cherie called throughout the house, her voice echoing throughout the many hallways.

Irene listened to the noise echo, wondering how large this cabin was. It was surely an upgrade from the small cabin she'd lived in all those years before. Even the furniture appeared more exquisite.

At the sound of footsteps, Irene felt her breath catch. There was a childish voice in the distance, one Irene could only assume belonged to her son.

"Is The Tiger here?" came an all-too-familiar voice. Cassie. Irene grumbled. Cassie was not the first person Irene wanted to see, especially after she had treated Cassie so poorly while she was in prison.

Footsteps that could only belong to a child echoed against the wooden floor. Irene turned, watching in awe as her son, now almost four years old, playfully stepped forward. He looked similar to his father, Irene was ashamed to admit, but his eyes still shined a violent blue as Irene's eyes had once done years before.

"Elijah," she called out breathily, lurching for her child without thinking.

He let out a surprised screech and hid behind a pair of legs. Irene glanced up, staring directly at Cassie. She made eye contact with Irene and froze before lifting Elijah into her arms. Her son buried his head into Cassie's hair, causing envy to stir up inside Irene. She used to comfort her son like that. He used to bury his face in her hair. But she supposed Cassie had taken up Irene's profession now.

"Cherie, what the hell?" Cassie murmured, anger shining in her hazel eyes. Cassie's light brown hair was shorter than Irene remembered, and when she trailed her eyes to the hands holding Elijah, she noticed a glittering ring on Cassie's left hand. Irene paused. That couldn't be what she thought it was.

Irene glanced up as Marc entered. He came to a halt when his eyes focused on Irene. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it.

"Is The Tiger finally here?!" came another masculine voice that Irene did not recognize. She watched an unfamiliar teenage boy with a prosthetic leg enter, followed by an older man, who Irene could only assumed owned the cabin, as Cherie had explained on the way.

"Why are we so silent?" the boy asked curiously as he stared at the frozen scene.

"Coming!" came a heavenly voice that made Irene's voice flutter. Lillian entered through a doorframe, looking as vibrantly beautiful as Irene remembered her. Her hair was cut shorter than Irene had ever seen it, but she had still retained her tall, slim grace and bright emerald eyes.

A shorter Asian girl followed behind her, coming to a pause when she noticed Irene. Irene stared at the girl in confusion, not recognizing her either. As soon as Irene's eyes fell on Lillian though, she stumbled forward.

"L-Lillian," Irene gasped, about ready to run and embrace her in a hug when the mysterious girl stepped forward in front of Lillian, grasping one of Lillian's hands as she did so.

"Back off," the girl snapped.

Irene paused, staring at the unknown girl in perplexity.

"Who...are you?" Irene asked, staring at her in confusion. The last time she checked, she was much more acquainted with Lillian than this stranger.

"I'm her fucking girlfriend, that's who," the girl sneered.

The room grew completely silent. Irene felt her heart shatter. This was what she had feared. Lillian had moved on, just as she had expected. She glanced at both Lillian and the unknown girl in shock and hurt. She opened her mouth, about to say something, but she could not find the words to say anything in return.

"Mitsuki," Lillian warned quietly, her hand still grasped tightly to the other girl's.

"I don't care whatever you two had in the past. You betrayed Lillian, you betrayed everyone here. Just-just get out of here!" the girl, Mitsuki, shouted before ripping her hand free from Lillian's and taking off up a flight of steps down the hall.

"Mitsuki!" Lillian shouted. She reached forward, then let her hand drop as the girl disappeared up the stares. 

Irene stood in awe, noticing the burning stares of everyone else on her. A lot had just been revealed in the matter of a few moments. Her limbs were trembling, and she felt ready to burst into tears. This was not how she planned this reunion to go. It was supposed to be soft and heartwarming, not tragic.

"We-we need to talk," Lillian hissed, grasping onto Irene's wrist.

Irene stared at her in surprise, allowing herself to be led down the hall and up the same stairs Mitsuki had fled up. The hallway was quiet, and Irene assumed the closed door near the end of the hall was Mitsuki's bedroom.

"In here," Lillian said, leading her into a quaint little bedroom that most certainly reflected Lillian's style of decorating. It was larger than the room back at the old cabin, allowing more of Lillian's creativity to shine.

As soon as the door was shut, Irene lurched forward, engulfing Lillian in a hug. Lillian let out a gasp of surprise, remaining where she stood as Irene wrapped her arms around her, burying her head into the other girl's chest. Lillian's arms remained at her sides, much to Irene's dismay.

"You don't know what I've been through," Irene cried out, feeling tears begin to roll down her cheeks as her arms moved away from Lillian's backside and gripped onto her arms.

Slowly, Irene felt Lillian's hands move her arms away. Irene stared up at her, blinking away tears. Lillian was staring at her in concern and confusion. She grasped Irene's wrist again and led her to the bed to sit down.

"So...you're The Tiger?" Lillian asked after a pause. She was avoiding Irene's eye contact with all her might.

"Yes. Cherie didn't tell you it was me?"

"No," Lillian stated. "It makes sense why she kept it from us..."

"Lillian—"

"No, I need to talk to you first," Lillian said, finally turning to look at her. Irene's breath caught as she stared at Lillian's face. "I can't---we can't--be what we used to be."

"I love you," Irene blurted. "I love you, I love you, I love you." She'd been keeping the words in so long that they rolled off her tongue quite easily.  Lillian sat and took them with poise, barely changing her facial expressions as Irene repeated the same three words each time.

Slowly, Lillian's eyes gazed down to Irene's hands that were clutching onto the bed covers.

"Where's your ring?" Lillian asked.

"I broke things off with Miguel a while ago. I stopped loving him years ago."

"And you realized you still had feelings for me?" Lillian asked quietly.

"As soon as you kissed me under the tree that day," Irene breathed.

"But then you left. You left with Miguel shortly after that," Lillian reminded her, a bit of anger appearing in her tone.

"I was dumb. I didn't know what I was doing. I know I made a mistake. I'm so sorry, Lillian. I'm so sorry." Irene was shaking now as she held back tears. She never wanted to let anyone see her cry like this with the exception of Lillian. She knew Lillian could not judge her deep down for showing her emotions.

"Irene, I'm sorry," Lillian muttered. "Those feelings are gone now."

"You're dating that other girl. Whatever her name is."

"Her name is Mitsuki," Lillian said, her eyes flashing with a touch of anger. "If things had different, if circumstances had been different, I would have loved to hear these words from you. But when I kissed you that same day, I felt the spark was gone. It's true I still thought about you after you left. I was already ready to forgive you. But...I'm not going to be able to love you romantically again, Irene."

Irene buried her face in her hands, letting out quiet sobs.

"Please...please don't tell me you broke off things with Miguel specifically for me," Lillian pleaded, her voice sounding pained.

"Partially," Irene added. "It was for myself too, for my son...I-I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Why did you leave the Preservers, then? Why did you spy? Was that all for me too?"

"No. That was for myself. Because I'm selfish. I wanted to make sure I was satisfied with my life when I died," Irene managed to get out through her tears. "I knew this was going to happen when I came back. I knew you'd have moved on."

"Irene, I don't hate you. I still love you as a friend. I know everyone else will criticize me for thinking this, but I'm glad you're back. I was worried about you. I hope you'll fight with us when we take on the Preservers," Lillian said softly in a voice that made Irene's heart ache.

"Did you see what Elijah did when I came in? He ran away from me," Irene breathed. "Like I was a stranger to him..."

"He just doesn't recognize you, but we can show him pictures of you and him. You're back now. You can take care of him," Lillian spoke soothingly. Why, after all Irene had done to her, was she still acting kind, caring, and merciful?

Irene let out another choked sob. She blinked away tears, staring up at Lillian again. "C-Can I kiss you?"

"Irene—" Lillian warned, her tone changing quickly.

"I respect you and your new relationship. I had an idea this would happen. I'm willing to let it go, to move on, to just be friends, even if it hurts me. But can I please...just one more time?" She leaned forward until Lillian grasped her shoulders.

"No. That's not fair to Mitsuki," Lillian stated firmly.

Another sob escaped Irene's mouth.

"But...I can hug you," Lillian said, finally wrapping her arms around Irene. Irene went limp in them and buried her head in Lillian's shoulder. She still smelled sweet, like flowers and honey, like she did all those years before. Lillian rubbed a hand up and down her back and sat in the silence as the sun set in the horizon.

"I love you, Lillian," Irene cried.

"I know. I'm sorry," Lillian said, continuing to rub her back until Irene felt a bit composed again. She was glad they had gotten the chance to talk, but she wished things had been different. Living around here was going to be a lot more awkward than she expected it to be.

Lillian pulled away slowly, forcing Irene to look at her again. Her hands still hung loosely on Irene's waist and didn't seem like they were going to let go anytime soon.

"Where's Conny?" Irene asked curiously. "I didn't see him here. Did something happen?"

"Oh! He just decided to go join the military ranks early. He's okay," Lillian assured her, seeming surprised Irene had begun asking about the others.

"And...Cassie and Marc?" Irene asked.

"They're engaged," Lillian explained. "They're going to get married when we defeat the Preservers."

"When-when did that happen?" Irene wondered, wiping a few tears from her eyes. She knew Marc had a crush on Cassie early onto her arrival in the cabin, but she had been surprised to find that they were already engaged in the time she had been gone.

"Right after Cassie broke out of the Preserver prison, I guess," Lillian said. "They kept their relationship secret from us until that winter. Cassie went home for a few months after she got her family back. Apparently it all happened sometime before then."

Irene was happy for Marc and she supposed somewhat happy for Cassie as well. She bet that they didn't look at each other blankly like she and Miguel had. She had yet to see them interact, but she supposed that their relationship was much more loving than the one she had escaped from.

"Also...I'm Cassie's half-sister," Lillian admitted.

"What the hell? Is this a soap opera?" Irene asked, staring at Lillian in confusion.

"Her mom was the one that left me all those years ago. I have an...okay...relationship with my mother. I found out a few years ago, but I only just told Cassie about it and confronted my mom in the summer."

"That's...strange, but okay. So you have a mother and other siblings now and a girlfriend..."

"Mitsuki was originally living here when we all moved to this cabin. We've known each other for three years, but we only started dating this summer," Lillian explained quietly. "Will you be nice to her?"

Irene grumbled.

"Then don't talk around her," Lillian said, her hands falling from Irene's sides.

"And then who are the other two I saw?" Irene wondered.

"Francesco, the old man, owns this cabin. Wyatt is another orphan he picked up along the way. I bet Wyatt's feeling a bit confused about everything right now," Lillian rambled.

"How did Mitsuki know?" Irene wondered. "How did she know it was me?"

She watched Lillian's cheeks redden. "She-she knows about you. I had to tell her some things, you know. She's seen pictures."

"What about Elijah?" Irene asked quietly. "How is he?"

"Oh, he's doing great!" Lillian exclaimed. "He's such a fun and rambunctious child. Cassie and Marc have been raising him." She paused, noticing the disappointment in Irene's face. "Oh, but they told him they're not his real parents. He does call them 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' though."

Irene's heart stung at that fact. She still recalled the terror on her son's face when he had first seen her. She knew he would not remember her ever caring for him, but it hurt her to see him run away. Out of all the pain she had caused everyone, she'd done her best to make sure he was at least loved and well-cared for.

Lillian began tracing a few fingers through Irene's blonde hair. Irene calmed some at the motion, once again trying to hold back tears.

"Hey. I bet Cherie's making food, and she can show you to your room," Lillian said quietly. "We can talk some more later, okay? You should go see your son."

"I just need to be alone for a bit," Irene murmured, not wanting to see the faces of anyone in the cabin anytime soon. She knew the judgment that would come as soon as she stepped foot downstairs.

"You should go downstairs to Cherie, at least," Lillian said, walking her toward the door. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Irene sniffed and trudged down the steps, now feeling as if this was the worst possible decision of her life she had made.