Even when we end the fight
Welcome home, home tonight


The sun popped through the small opening in the curtains and Perry felt herself groan as she swept one hand over her eyes to try and block out the light. Time seemed to fly and it felt like she had just fallen asleep, but Persephone knew if she didn’t get up soon her mother would come upstairs and find Reese on her floor-not good. They were still holding hands and as Perry moved to look over the side of the bed, she noticed that Reese was clutching her hand rather strongly. A smile crept on to her lips as Perry peeked over the side of the bed and glanced down at the boy who was still fast asleep on her bedroom floor.

His blonde hair, messy and in need of being washed, had fallen into his face and Perry could now see that he had a very handsome face. His jaw was strong and wide, giving him a very masculine face and Perry felt the smile on her face grow as his eyes popped open and she could see the beautiful green color. Reese smiled at her, all he could see was a bunch of red curls tumbling towards his face and those curious blue eyes. He wondered silently if Persephone had always been a curious person, even as a child. He cleared his throat and Perry only smiled as they both continued to hold hands before dropping everything and stretching their arms over their heads.


“Morning.” Reese said mid yawn and Perry only smiled at him as she tucked some of her unruly hair behind an ear and then realized-it was Saturday. That meant her father was home from work and how was she going to explain Reese?

“I would ask how you slept, but I’m sure sleeping on my floor wasn’t too comfortable.” Perry said as she smiled, blushing slightly and Reese only smirked as he moved to get off the floor and stood in front of the girl before him. They would have to find him some clothes that fit and weren’t ripped to near shreds.

“I mean my bed at home is comfier, but sleeping on the street would have been worse. Besides knowing you were beside me made me sleep soundly…” He was flirting with her and Perry only giggled as she tossed back her covers and then shivered. It was December and although they lived in the desert-the mornings were still chilly.

“I guess we should go down stairs and talk to my parents. I don’t know how they’re going to react to you being here…fair warning.” Perry said as she stood up and then stopped as Reese had placed his hands on either one of her arms and was now staring down at her.

“Whatever they say Persephone-I want to thank you for coming to my rescue. It was really brave of you and I don’t even want to think about what would happen if I’d have stayed on the street.” He was smiling down at her and Perry couldn’t say anything as his lips were coming towards her.


Perry closed her eyes, her breath growing shallow, but soon enough she was smiling as Reese’s lip pressed against her cheek and he was bringing her in for a hug. They stood there like that for a minute-her head pressed against his chest and his arms were wrapped around her smaller frame. It felt nice and it was something that Perry had never thought about-hugging a boy would be something that a normal nineteen year old girl would do. Not Perry-not under the laws of F.E.A.R, but right now they were just two kids standing in her bedroom. They were two kids that until last night had no one in their corners…now at least they had one another.


“Ready to head down?” Perry asked as she pulled out of their hug and as soon as she moved away from Reese she could feel a tug on her heart. They had known one another their entire lives, but hadn’t seen one another or spoken in fourteen of those years-yet there was still a weird connection between them.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” He was smiling at her and Perry said nothing as she just took Reese’s hand and led him out in to the hall. Everyone was up-Maggie’s room was empty, her pale white walls reflecting the sun and it was no wonder the girl got up at sunrise every morning.

“I was thinking last night-we have an attic. It needs to be cleaned out, but maybe we could clean it up today and then you could stay up there. It would be better than sleeping on my floor…” Perry laughed as they walked and Reese only smiled as he looked at the pictures that were lining the walls. Family photos-a young Perry smiling in to the camera with those buck teeth that she’d had as a kid and there was a picture of the two girls around sixteen when they had still been taken in for new identification photos.

“That could work, but first shouldn’t we just convince your parents to not kick me out?” Reese asked and Perry only smirked as they hit the stairs and let go of one another’s hands as they got close to the bottom.

“Just let me do all the talking…although they are already pretty mad at me, so maybe you should chime in every once and a while.” Perry said as Reese only looked at her and smiled.

“Why are they mad at you?” He asked and Perry stopped on the landing that over looked the living room. She could hear movement downstairs and she knew that her family was probably still sitting at the table eating breakfast.

“Because they found out that not only do I sit in my window with the curtains open in broad daylight, but I also sit out on the roof…” Perry was blushing and Reese only continued to smile at her. He knew all that because every time he saw her he wished that he had her courage to do the same.

“I know…I’ve seen you myself.” Reese winked at her and Perry only blushed more as they finished walking down the stairs and moved to enter the kitchen.


As soon as Perry and Reese turned the corner, she knew something was up because everyone was sitting at the table in near silence. Her father was sipping his coffee, dressed casually in a button up gray shirt and gray slacks. Her mother was looking over their morning paper-F.E.A.R Press and Maggie was nibbling on some toast, her blonde hair pulled back in to a high ponytail. The two kids stood in the doorway and as Persephone noticed her father glance up, his eyes filled with shock and he slowly set his coffee cup down. Her mother also noticed their appearance and she too had set the paper down and turned to face them. Maggie’s green eyes grew wide and Perry only smiled at her sister as she cleared her throat.

Obviously seeing Reese standing in their kitchen, a little worse for the wear, was a shock, but Persephone was surprised that her family seemed so upset by it. Her father’s jaw was tight as he looked Reese up and down and Perry saw that her mother was biting down on her left thumb nail-a true sign that she was nervous. Mags was still just sitting there, her green eyes wide as she looked from her sister, towards the boy and then back. Perry only smiled and placed a hand on Reese’s back as she pushed him forward and they both took seats. Perry was sitting across from her father, with Maggie on her right and Reese on her left and he only smiled at James Jones softly.


“Morning…” Perry said as she reached across the table for the juice container and poured Reese a glass and then poured one for herself.

“Persephone…what have you done?” Her mother asked, her voice near breathless and Perry had to hold back her eye roll. Everything was so dramatic with her mother and as she looked at the older woman, Persephone could see that this time was no different.

“Look, let me explain before you jump on me…please…” Perry said, her tone dipping towards the end and she looked towards her father as she said it. He continued to just sit there, staring at the two teens sitting across from him.

“Explain.” He said simply and Perry knew her father was actually giving her a chance to tell her side of things-for once. Usually it was Persephone against the world-always-but maybe things were changing.

“They took his mother and sisters last night, beat the crap out of him and left him for dead…what was I supposed to do?” She said quickly and then wanted to slap herself. That wasn’t really an explanation as it was a hurried and messy sounding story that made little sense.

“Perry…c-can I tell them what happened?” Reese spoke up and Perry looked at him. He looked terrified, he was probably scared that the Guards would be called in and Perry knew that that was a great possibility. Silently she just nodded and sat back in her chair.

“Go ahead son…I want to know.” Her father spoke and Perry was shocked by the way he addressed Reese. He was calm, his voice even had a kindness to it, but Perry could see in her father’s eyes that he was keeping a guard up.


James Jones had been a lawyer before F.E.A.R had taken over and so he approached everything with a level head and deductive reasoning. He knew Bob Frazer had been taken a few days prior and it was only a matter of time before the other members of the family would follow. What shocked James is the fact that Reese had been beaten instead of taken in to custody and placed in a work camp. F.E.A.R was becoming less of the governing system that was fair and just-they were turning into a police force that did not question the actions of their more cruel enforcers.

“My father had been taken and so it was just a matter of time before they came for us. We were ready for it and I wasn’t shocked when they knocked on our front door last night. What did shock me was that when we let them in-they ransacked our house. I knew they were looking for more supplies-my father was supplying Legion of the Black with food and weapons-but what they found was something that I couldn’t give them…my sister Meg. One of the Guards began to take her to the back…he was touching her and groping her…it wasn’t appropriate.” Reese stopped and Perry felt her mouth go dry. That had been the screaming she had heard…that had been the sobbing that would haunt her forever.

“I ran at the Guard and was quickly held back. They did anything they could to get me to the floor and once I was down I stayed down, telling them I would go peacefully. They didn’t care-they kicked me, punched me, and tossed me around like I was a rag doll. I remember being pulled up and smacked so hard that my head hit the wall behind me and when I fell to the floor I just stayed there. I laid there…playing dead while they rounded up my family and took them away.” Perry was crying…her tears falling silently down her cheeks and she reached out and placed a hand on top of Reese’s as it laid on the table.

“After they had left and I couldn’t hear the screams of my mother and sisters any more…I got up and slowly tried to walk towards the back door. I-I’d seen Perry sitting out on the roof a few times before and I knew that sometimes she sat in her window and looked out…so I was hoping that tonight would be no different. She was out there and agreed to help me-I climbed up the drain pipe and slept on her floor. I-I’m very sorry if this has upset your family, but I didn’t know what else to do…I have nowhere to go.” Reese finished and Perry wiped away her tears and looked over at him. His face was pale and devoid of any emotion, except she could see the utter fear in his eyes.

“I see. I’m sorry for what happened to your family Reese. I knew your father and he was a good man-foolish for believing in something like the Legion of the Black and the Wild Ones, but a good man none the less.” Her father spoke and Perry snapped her head to face him. He had a ghost of a smile on his lips and she knew then that it would be okay.

“You can stay here, but you have to remain hidden. Perry…today I want you, Marguerite and Reese to get up to the attic and clean it out…it will be safe up there for him.” Perry only nodded as she smiled at her father and then looked at Reese.


He looked relieved and as they made eye contact, there was a sense of longing in those green eyes of his.

Notes

Someone's got a crush! There will be a small bit of romance for this story, but it is not the focus-Persephone finding herself in F.E.A.Rs world and finding the Wild Ones is the focus.

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