Not many places are open after midnight. But the warm neon lights of Scandalica City's Hungry Monster Diner are a beacon in an otherwise dark city. A call for the night owls, the third shift workers...

...midnight snackers, connoisseurs of the late-night dining circuit...

...or distressed fathers, and traumatized daughters. As if a milkshake and a cup of black coffee can soothe the terror of such a night.

They have been sitting like this for nearly thirty minutes. In a gauzy silence but for the sounds of bubbling soups, sizzling meats, and an occasional car drive by.

Hazel doesn't feel particularly hungry nor thirsty; it is hard to allow room for anything other than the knot of worried dread that sits at the pit of her stomach and refuses to unwind.

She simultaneously wants her father to say something and doesn't want him to say anything at all, because she fears his judgment and anger. Most of all, his disappointment.

The way he hangs his head and refuses to meet her eye, and the agitated movement of his fingers through his hair, as if he's trying to soothe a headache, is telling enough—he is full of it.

She can recall, vaguely, her father trying to embrace her as they watched Erik get laid onto a stretcher and packed away in an ambulance, but she had pushed him away. Her focus had been on Erik.

Her one foray into teenage rebellion ended so, so, badly. She knows this is outcome her fault. Maybe, on some level, she wants to be yelled at just to get it over with because she feels she deserves it.

Finally, Adagio looks up, straightens his shoulders, and crosses his arms. She mirrors the gesture, bracing for a scolding.

"Hazel."

"Dad."

Their voices are equally tense.

"I need you to tell me what happened tonight."

She scoffs, "Aren't you going to yell at me first?"

He levels a concerned, displeased, look at her, "I'm not. It doesn't mean you aren't in a lot of trouble for sneaking out, but certain things need clarity for the incident report."

Incident report?

She scoffs again.

"What do you even do, Dad? Have you always been some kind of secret agent? Why did you murder Erik's father? What's going to happen to him?"

"You aren't in any position to be asking questions, young lady," Adagio says sternly, his voice rising, and stating the obvious, "You were grounded, and you lied about going to Ros's. What you did was incredibly dangerous. I have never been so worried in all my life for your safety...I could have lost you."

Hazel jumps on the defensive, naturally, because of all her father's grievances, but especially the lying part, "Yeah, and you've lied to me all my life!"

She reaches out and finally does take a drink from her shake, with a petulant sip. She swallows, wipes her upper lip of any chocolate froth, and glares, "I thought I had a good man for a father, not a killer! How can I even love someone that does that for a living?"

She regrets her words immediately at the sudden stricken look on her father's face and averts her eyes—the silence settles between them once more.

"Sorry," she mumbles a few moments later after it seems her father has decided not to retort to her outburst, but she can see he's holding it in, "It's been a bad night."

She eventually starts talking about Erik, and the night's events, what she can recall with clarity at least. Everything happened so fast. She fails to mention she passed out at dinner, just because she doesn't want her father to kill Erik, which he'd proven that he could do easily if he wanted.

She didn't believe Erik's intentions at first, but over the course of the night, he demonstrated that he did care about her and regretted dragging her into the situation. After all, Erik had saved her from imminent harm twice in the warehouse district.

Adagio listens, never interrupting for clarification or a follow-up question.

"I hope he'll make it though," she adds, after finishing the series of events, and goes into a thousand-yard stare with a fresh tear rolling down her cheek. She has cried so much this evening. For herself, for Erik—his loss and his uncertain future.

Adagio can see Hazel is more upset about the boy's well-being than her own. His daughter has always had a soft heart, something he's positive that she inherited from him. He knows how hard it is to temper; it has taken him years. But still, after all this time, he still can't stand to see her cry.

He just wants to give her a hug, but he can tell she doesn't want it right now.

It's about time to head home.

He had taken her to the diner to decompress, process a bit, and hoped that she would confide in him. It's late, and they are all tired. Unfortunately, the incident that night will keep him up far later than her.

It's only when they are right at the front door, that Adagio clears his throat. Hazel turns and he grabs her into a fierce hug, thanking the Platinum Diamond above she is safe now, and unharmed. Hazel finally returns the embrace, he can feel her chest heave, her arms tighten around him, and hears a muffled, "I still love you, Dad."

The relief Adagio feels at hearing her words is astronomical.

Who exactly is Alerik Denhilov?

Adagio only knows impersonal facts from a database. Birthday, gender, family. He is beyond tired, but hasn't managed to fall asleep yet. He's been to the office, and already touched base with Agent Jackal and the SCPD about the apprehension of Miaslava Denhilova.

Now, he is waiting for this boy to wake up after returning from trauma surgery. This conundrum of a boy. Luckily, Alerik arrived at the hospital before he could bleed out and after talking to the surgeons, Adagio found out that no vital organs were pierced by the bullet. The boy is incredibly lucky to have survived without lifelong physical issues.

It is a blurry, incomprehensive return to consciousness. One moment, a memory or a nightmare of being on the cold, rough, cement and then a strange, stale room and soft surface. Erik gingerly wipes his eyes of sleep, and brushes his hair away from them to see and get a better idea of where he is, wondering where Hazel...

Hazel! He shoots up, his mind kicking into a frenzy, trying to remember if Hazel had been all right. He remembers seeing blood on her face...saying her name...

Though the whole 'shooting-up-in-bed' idea wasn't a good one; pain floods up his abdomen and side. Damn, it hurts. He winces and clasps his arm to his chest, which also hurts since he fell onto it pretty hard.

Through the pain, he finally notices there is someone else in the room with him.

His stomach, which already hurts, twists into a panic because the only reason he can fathom as to why Agent Coda is there is because Hazel has been hurt and her father is going to personally strangle Erik to death.

"Hazel...is she....?"

A bemused, almost vacant expression passes the SCIA director's eyes before he says, "Hazel is fine. You should be worried about you."

Erik knots his brows in confusion, so Adagio continues.

"You're injured, it will take a while to heal, not to mention...

Your mother is detained, likely to face prosecution for attempted murder—"

"My mother is sick!" Erik interrupts. He is angry with his mother, which is not in question, but locking her away and throwing away the key doesn't do her any good.

"She needs help, not punishment," he explains as his chest tightens. He knows sometimes she'll talk to people who are not there. He has always thought maybe it was just a habit of her coping with Papa's death. She'll sometimes call for Erik but uses his Papa's name. He chalks those instances up to her moments of confusion.

He would be lying to himself, though, if he says he isn't relieved to be away from her. She treats Erik badly when she mistakes him for Papa. She has always been so demanding; she expects so much of him and he tries, so hard. He's always tried to appease her because he just wants to see her happy. Her being happy would mean less misery for him and his sister.

He can probably count on one hand all the times he has seen her smile. He knows now, that it probably will never happen again.

"What happens to her is out of my hands. But you..." Adagio sighs, "You don't turn eighteen for nine months. You and your sister will likely be separated until then by social services, and even when you can apply for her guardianship, you'll have no money to support yourself since your mother's assets are frozen."

Erik's stare turns cold, "Why are you here?"

His words are let out in a huff of pent-up resentment and suspicion, and how could they not? No good in his life has ever come from the involvement of Agent Coda—he man is a harbinger of misery.

Adagio knows this too.

Despite his heart of steel, Hazel's clear affection for Erik has changed it regarding the boy. He can see the struggle, and despite it all, the boy does try to do the right thing. He's not a traitor like his father, he is not unstable like his mother. He is not dangerous like either of them. He cares for people. He is kind. That is who Alerik Denhilov is.

"I'm sorry."

Adagio never thought he would be in a position to say it, but it is all he can say after receiving that cold glare.

An apology doesn't mean he is forgiven; he understands that he can certainly never be forgiven for what he has done.

His reasons were sound, and he doesn't regret it but that means nothing to a kid that loved his Dad.

He approaches with his business case in hand, unlatches it and sets something on the bed in front of Erik.

Erik stares down at Lucretia. It was always just a piece of decoration that sat in their little house back in Ruskslovia. A four-part-nesting doll.

He'd never known its true significance. His mother never told the truth about it; he only knew it was special enough that she would chase it across oceans. He's always thought himself a failure because he let the likes of Agent Coda abscond with it.

And now it's returned to him.

"I know I'm the last person you want to talk to but I might have a solution you would consider rather than being split from your sister," Erik's attention is piqued at Adagio's statement. The man points sheepishly toward the room's door, "I can discuss it later if you'd like, but speaking of your sister...she's here now and would love to see you."

Erik doesn't know what Agent Coda could mean—what possible solution he could have that would be a good outcome? Of course, Erik doesn't want to leave his little sister alone in the care of strangers in regional services. They couldn't handle her anyway.

He looks down at the doll, knowing it's his ticket to something extraordinary when he comes of age and needs to support himself and Elenoire.

Agent Coda did not have to give it back to him.

"ERKI!" It's a shrill, prepubescent shout of relief and glee.

Erik perks up at the sound and even more so when he sees Noire barrel through the doorway with a smile on her usual gloomy face.

She's carrying his backpack, which she must have nicked from his room and stuffed with her toys when their mother took her to one of her 'associates' residences the night before. To keep her safe. Mia always liked Elenoire more than Alerik, and made no attempt to hide it.

Erik doesn't know how Agent Coda found Noire, but doesn't doubt he has the resources to.

He greets her in the native tongue, "Hello Elenoire, did you actually miss me?"

His sister puts her hands on her hips and replies in the same, "Who else am I to pester? I'm glad you are not dead."

He actually cracks a smile at her sarcastic quip. He usually ignores them, but she is all he has now. He has to be a proper big brother; he can't let her be taken from him.

He meets Agent Coda's eyes and gives a slight nod of consideration.

They'll talk.

Hazel doesn't go back to school. She's grounded, of course. But she doesn't want to go, to sit in Lit class and see Erik's empty seat. She bides her time doing homework that Ros brings everyday after school or meaningless re-organization of her trinkets and jewelry. Well, the ones Harrison hasn't swiped and hidden from her.

She bets Ros is probably dying of curiosity to know what has happened and Hazel will tell her cousin...in time. The only place she goes, the only person she really talks to, is the therapist. Her father insisted.

She wants to ask her father every day about Erik's status. She knows he is alive, at least, but nothing much else. That ball of worry hasn't quite unwound itself from the pit of her stomach. She just...remembers how he looked at her, and touched her cheek. Even in considerable pain, he was more concerned about her in that last moment they had together. To apologize.

But she knows it will probably upset her father if she should ask. After all, Erik brought her into a dangerous situation in the first place. That, she could not deny. But she blames herself for the situation too.

Even throwing darts doesn't bring her the fun it used to. She lines up a throw and lets each dart release, noticing her aim has improved. It's one of the few activities a grounding doesn't prohibit. She's taking it quietly, one day at a time. This is her punishment.

It's hard not to think about him. To analyze every moment she can remember up until he was sped away to the hospital. Her therapist says that can be normal when one feels extreme guilt. It's like that picture of dominos that get bigger—where one little thing can set off a huge chain of events.

Hazel's decision to sneak out that night ended up with Erik taking a bullet.

She hears her name being called from downstairs. Breakfast is ready.

It's more like Brunch, actually, but it's never too late in the day to enjoy Adagio's homemade pancakes—a rarity due to his work schedule.

Hazel notices there's more plates set out than needed.

Adagio begins to take his seat with a small smile. It's the first time she's seen her father smile in weeks.

"Dad, introduce us to your imaginary friends," Harrison demands, also noticing the extra pancakes.

A genuine chuckle rumbles out of Adagio.

"Your mom and I, we were waiting for some paperwork to go through before we told you kids, but...we're going to be having some houseguests for a few months."

"What?! How many?! I'm not sharing a bed!" Harrison isn't keen on the idea but Hazel is. Her social bar is low, she could use someone to converse with that's not her little brother.

"Are we being a host family for some transfer students?" Hazel asks. She's entertained the idea before but has never signed up for it at school, considering her Dad's rule about not having people in the house when he wasn't around.

A laugh-snort from her mother in response only confuses her.

The doorbell rings and Adagio sits, "Perfect timing. Hazel, please greet our guests and invite them to eat breakfast with us."

She doesn't know who to expect but of all the people in the world, the last she expects is....him!

He looks healthy, still pale, but that is his normal complexion. He's smiling and leaning against the exterior. A familiar scent of cologne surrounds her and she feels like she will cry from sheer relief at seeing him again.

"Erik!" she exclaims.

"Hello, Haschel. I missed you."

Hazel cannot stop herself, she moves forward quickly, feeling like a magnet drawn to metal. She leaps into Erik's arms, and he catches her with a labored exhale. Her face breaks into a smile so wide it could crack her cheekbones in half.

"I can't believe you are here! You...I'm so happy that you are..." she stumbles over her words, letting them all tumble out of her as gasps of tongue-tied delight onto Erik's face. She blushes and pulls her head back just a little in case he's getting the wrong idea. She doesn't even know what the 'wrong idea' is. They both know they like each other. A Mystery of the Heart no longer.

Erik lets out a small laugh, but never takes his eyes off her.

Hers widen suddenly after thinking about his presence, "What are you doing here?"

"Your father...has invited us to stay with your family until my birthday. It is significantly a kind gesture. I thought it your idea but looks like you didn't know of it at all."

Hazel is rendered momentarily speechless at the realization that her father was the one to suggest Erik stay with them, that Erik would be the 'houseguest', even more so, that Erik agreed.

She can't help but to squeeze him tighter. Erik laughs again, but not in a way that mocks her. It's just sort of happy and light. Then he leans forward and gives her a chaste peck on cheek.

"I..." Hazel feels a lump form in her throat but that knot of worry in her gut has all but dissipated, she is so happy he is all right. "I...missed you too."

They hear an exaggerated-sounding cough.

Hazel's eyes snap open and finally registers the little girl who shares a resemblance to Erik, standing behind him and looking indignant at being ignored.

"I'm sorry!" Hazel squeaks and slides out from Erik's embrace. He simultaneously whirls around and looks mortified, as if he has been caught doing something he isn't supposed to.

She bends down to his sister's eye level and holds out her hand "We haven't been properly introduced, I'm Hazel. Hazel Hart. We have fresh pancakes inside if you are hungry."

"I know who you are," the girl says, and it reminds Hazel all the world of Ms. Denholm, but then her face, it transforms into something warm she's used to seeing on Erik. With a grin, she takes Hazel's hand, "I'm Noire. Pleased to meet you!"

After a swift handshake, she scampers inside for pancakes.

Erik raises his brows in a way that Hazel understands—its a universal language of an exasperated older sibling. She takes Erik's free hand in hers, as he drags his luggage inside behind him.

She gives him a smile and he returns it, locking his dark eyes with hers, and squeezing her hand. He may have seemed like a mystery when they first met, but something about his demeanor is much more open now.

Free.

She doesn't know what will happen in the coming months but feels a sense of hope and relief for the future. That her father can show trust, that she can continue forward, and that Erik is close by to face it with her.

Thanks everyone for reading! if you feel like you missed some sections, the last 4 chapters are marked NSFW and didn't appear in the feed to those who have it unselected, so read at your discretion. I do have an epilogue and a sequel for this story so stay tuned!