Everyone was happily chatting amount themselves as you made your way to Ignis' house. Each person seemed to be wrapped up in the conversation, except Noctis. He seemed to be distracted as he walked with his head down as if he was thinking. You slightly smiled at him as you released Ignis' hand.

At first, Ignis gave you a curious look as you started moved over to walk by Noctis. But then as he watched you start to talk to Noctis, he understood and just smiled at you. He knew, just like Noctis knew. That if anyone could get either of them to talk and cheer up, it was you. Sure,Prompto could also get Noctis to cheer up. But not like you could.

"So...did you have fun tonight?" You asked as you watched him carefully.

"Yeah." He quietly responded as he kept his head down.

"Yeah I did." He repeated as he only briefly glanced your direction before looking back down.

"For a guy who had fun, you sure don't look like it." You replied as you kept your eyes on his face.

"I'm fine." He replied without looking up. "I'm just tired I suppose."

"Did Lady Lunafrea say something to upset you?" You asked as you watched him.

He quickly looked up. "Of course not.... What a minute? How.."

"I saw her face when you kissed." You quietly said back with a smile.

Noctis looked away again as he tried to keep you from seeing his face. You smiled at him as he tried to hide his cheeks as they turned bright red. You knew that he liked her. But you hadn't realized how much until then.

"Her messenger told us that she only wanted to talk to you for a moment." You said as you watched him. "I'm glad she was able to stop by to catch up to you at the carnival. Even if it was only for one song."

He gave you a quickly side glance before he looked back down as he smiled shyly as if lost in thought. "Yeah. Me too."

"Is she still in town?" You asked as you smiled at him. "Perhaps you two could hang out at the citadel or perhaps even go for a walk at the park. You two must have loads to catch-up on."

"She's actually going to be staying at the citadel for a few days." Noctis said as he slowly looked up at you. "But she has to go back at the end of the week."

"That's awesome." You said with a smile. "Did you want us to take you back so that you can hang out with her?"

"She's not there right now." He said as he dropped his gaze again. "She said that she had to meet up with someone first, before she headed there."

"Well, let us know if she gets there early. We would be more than happy to take you to meet up with her again." You said as you smiled at him.

"And I'm glad that she'll be here for Winter Break." You said as you slightly leaned against his side before you straightened back up.

"Yeah." He said as he looked back up at you and smiled again. "Me too."

"Well what do we have here?" You heard a deep voice say from in front of you.

You froze in your tracks as you slowly looked up and saw four guys all dressed in jeans, boots and heavy leather jackets. They all smirked at you as they came walking out from the alleyway that was hidden from the street. They each had something in their hand that looked like it would hurt if they struck any of you with it. You quickly got in front of Noctis and started to push him towards crossing the street. The others started to follow suit as Ignis and Prompto got in between the girls and the four guys as they started to guide them to the other side of the road.

"Let's give these gentleman some room and head over there where there is some more space and light." You suggested as you quickly looked up and down street before pushing Noctis in that direction.

Suddenly you felt someone grab the back of your shirt as they yanked you away from Noctis.

"And where do you think your going princess?" Said a gruff voice from the person now pulling you back hard from Noctis.

You quickly reach in your pocket and grabbed your phone and tossed it at Noctis.

"Here!" You shouted at Noctis. "Call my dad!"

Noctis caught your phone after you tossed it at him. Then he watched as you quickly dropped to one knee and did a leg sweep and took out the guys legs from behind as your leg hit the back of his knees. Noctis stood there for a moment as he watched the guy fall backwards on the street. Then he quickly unlocked your phone and dialed your dad.

As the phone rang he turned back around and saw Ignis and Prompto trying to defend Gwen and Iris as two of the other guys tried to grab them.

"Hello? (Y/n)?" Noctis heard coming from your phone.

"Ignis! Prompto! Watch out!" Noctis shouted as he slightly lowered the phone as he watched the thugs start to swing their weapons at them as they tried to hit Ignis and Prompto in an attempt to knock them out of their way as they put themselves between the attackers and the girls.

"What's going on?!" Noctis heard your dad shout from your phone.

Noctis then quickly put your phone back up to his ear. "We're being attacked by five guys."

"What?!" Paul almost screamed. "Where are you at?"

"We're about a block away from the condo. We were on our way there when they came out of the alley." Noctis explained as he watched you get back up on your feet as you kept your eyes on the guy you knocked down.

"We're on our way. But keep heading this way if you can. We'll meet you." Paul said through the phone.

"Got it." Noctis said, then he hung up.

"Come on! Let's go." Noctis shouted as he grabbed your hand and started running for the condo.

"Roger." Ignis said as he ducked an attack from one guy who tried to hit him with a pipe as he swung it really hard at his head.

"Go with Noctis, Iris, while I take care of these two." Ignis said over his shoulder to her.

"Okay." She said then quickly took off after you and Noctis.

The man stumbled a few feet away as he tried to steady himself again. Ignis turned and did a leg sweep to the other man. That guy fall back hard onto the concrete and cracked his head off of the hard ground. All that man saw after that, was stars as he laid there rolling around as he tried to refocus his eyes again.

Then as the first one regained his footing. He quickly turned back around and went after Ignis again. Ignis got into his kick stance as the guy came running up to him. But right as the guy tried to swing the pipe at him again, Ignis summoned a single dagger. He quickly hurled the dagger at the man's hand which successfully hit only the pipe. The force of the hit was enough to knock the pipe out of the guy's hand and send it flying across the sidewalk.

The guy stopped in his tracks and stared at his hand in shock as he tried to figure out what happened. Only to turn back to face Ignis and have a foot come flying at his head that knocked his head off to the side. The kick was so hard that it knocked the guy out instantly as he flew off to the side. The last thing from him was a grunt as he hit the curb. Then after seeing this, Ignis turned and started after you and Noctis as he grabbed Iris' hand along the way.

"There in a jiffy." Prompto had said at the same time as Ignis.

Prompto had quickly moved himself and Gwen out of the way of another guy that had tried to grab her, by wrapping his arm around her waist and spinning her away from the attacker. Then as soon as the guy stumbled right beside him as he tried to stop. Prompto jammed his elbow down hard onto the guys back. Which resulted in the guy falling straight down onto his face and breaking his nose on the ground. As he fell, Prompto turned and quickly grabbed Gwen's hand. Then they both took off after everyone else.

"You little shits! You're gonna pay for that!" The last guy shouted as he got mad after seeing all of his buddies going down

Then he practically sprinted after Prompto and Gwen as they ran. You looked back and saw this. You then released Noctis' hand and turned around and ran towards the guy. Then in the blink of an eye, you warped right at him and slammed both of your feet right at his chest which threw him backwards by about ten feet. You landed on the ground in a heap after hitting him and sending him flying.

He flew back and slammed right into the guy that grabbed you and the guy whose nose was now broken. They grabbed him and prevented him from falling any further. Then the three of them glared right back at you.

"Is that how you want it to go princess?" The guy who had grabbed you said back to you.

"Fine. You want to play rough. We can play rough." He said as he cracked his knuckles as he started walking towards you.

SHIT! You thought at you quickly got back up on you feet.

You then quickly took off after the others as you saw the three men come flying after you. You didn't look back this time as you ran after the others as they all raced to the condo. You ran down the street and around the corner before the condo building came into view. As you came around, that was when you saw your dad and Korn racing towards you, followed by several other security team members.

"Where are they at?!" Your dad shouted at you as he saw you running towards him.

"Three of them are right behind me." You said as you ran straight into his arms before you stopped. "The rest are on the next street."

"You heard her!" Your dad shouted to the other team members as he wrapped his arms around you.

"Yes sir!" They shouted.

Then they took off running. They started running faster as they came around the corner and spotted two out of the three who were still pursuing you. Next thing you heard was shouting from them as the guards were catching up to them.

"Are you okay?" Your dad asked as he lifted up your chin so that you were looking at him.

"Yeah." You quietly responded after seeing your dad's concerned face.

"Thank the six." He responded with great relief as he gave you a slight squeeze as he still held you in his arms. "I want you to go with Korn to the condo. I'll meet you there once we're done here."

"Okay." You replied as you gave him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek in return.

Then after a kiss on the head, your dad released you and took off running towards the adjacent street as he headed in the same direction as the guards. You turned around and followed Korn as he led you and the others to the safety of the condo. You looked back and saw your dad round the corner as he raced after the guards. You nervously smiled after him, as you continued to jog away.

Then just as your turned your head towards the others, you heard a sound that stopped your heart. You stopped dead in your tracks and quickly looked back towards your dad as the loud bang of a gunshot resounded through the air as it echoed off of the buildings. Then your whole body went rigid as you heard the sound of a body collapsing to the ground. Suddenly you couldn't breath anymore as you stood there shaking from the sound. Was that your dad?

"(Y/n)!" Korn sounded. "We have to go. Now!"

You were getting ready to turn back towards your dad, when Ignis grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the building. "We don't want to get caught in the crossfire love."

"But..." You said as Ingis dragged you through the garage entrance.

"We can't assume anything." Ignis said as he squeezed your hand as you both ran through the parking garage. "We'll just wait for him to report back to us."

You heard his words. But it didn't make you feel any better about the situation. Your dad was once again in the middle of danger and there wasn't anything that you could do about it. You glance back one more time towards the garage entrance before turning back around again as you joined the others.

Korn quickly escorted everyone to the elevator and opened up the door. Once everyone was onboard and the door closed, everyone finally started to relax. Well, almost everyone relaxed. Prompto quietly held Gwen in his arms as she silently sobbed and trembled as she tightly gripped his shirt. Noctis hugged Iris as he tried to keep her calm as she looked like she was about to freak out. And Ignis held you as you both stood still as you faced him as you thought about what had just happened.

"Do you think they are the same ones from before?" You quietly asked as you fought off the fear of being captured again.

"I don't think so." Ignis said as he held you close and rubbed your back. "They weren't organized enough to be trained professionals. I would say that they are more than likely just a neighborhood gang."

"Why would you say that?" Korn asked as he watched his nephew.

"Well for one, professionals wouldn't make their presence known like these guys did. Professionals usually stay well hidden so that they have the element of surprise." He said as he thought about what he saw. "This way they can take out more people without rousing any suspicion."

"I hadn't thought about." You said as you slightly rubbed your hand across his chest as you remembered how they came out. "Plus, their weapons were just random things you can find in any alleyway. The guys from before never actually showed us their weapons. Not until they had to anyway."

"Wait a minute?" Gwen asked as she looked at you and Ignis. "Is this just like when you were attacked at the school?"

Everyone quickly gave her a stunned look.

"And what attack would you be talking about?" Korn asked as he watched her carefully.

"What?" She asked as she gave everyone her 'are you stupid' looks. "Did you honestly think that a secret like an attack during a school dance wasn't going to get out? If you tell us not to talk about it. We will naturally all know everything that happened."

You slightly smiled as you dropped your gaze. She had a point there. No secret was really a secret in a middle school. Especially one that' involves someone getting attacked at the school during the school dance. Everyone would have been too excited to not to share the story and what they knew about it or thought they knew about it.

"Well despite whatever exciting story everyone might have come up with for that night. We can assure you that there was nothing pleasant about that incident that night." You said as you gazed as her.

"Well, not once we walked into the gym that is." You said as you looked back up at Ignis. "Before then was amazing."

Ignis smiled back at you. Then he pulled you in tighter and gave you a kiss on the head as he remembered the dinner that everyone had had in the home eco class. Jim had cooked for them personally as a treat for everyone. That was one of his favorite memories.

"That it was." Ignis responded as he held you.

DING! Went the elevator as it came to a stop at the top floor.

After the door opened up, everyone walked out of the elevator and into the front foyer of the condo. You couldn't help but slightly blush as you remembered the last time that you had been there. That had been the most intense afternoon for you and Ignis. He had taken you to so many new heights that day that you could almost feel yourself flying on cloud 9 again, just from the memories of the sensations.

"Are you okay?" Ignis asked you as he watched you space out for a moment.

"Yeah." You quickly said as you dropped your gaze as you tried to look at anything other than him.

You knew that if you looked at him that you would be thrown back into that passionate afternoon that the two of you had shared. Not you hadn't enjoyed that moment. Far from it. But you didn't really want to get all hot an bothered and not be able to do anything about it because of everyone there. That afternoon, it had just been the two of you. Which is how you had been able to relax enough to let him take full control the way he had.

"If you like, we could slip away for a moment if you need to gather your thoughts." He said as he watched you get slightly uncomfortable.

Your breath caught as you thought about being alone with him again. You weren't sure if you were going to be able to keep yourself under control if there wasn't someone else near you. And especially at the condo. Where he had so easily brought you over the edge and into pure ecstasy as you had made love multiple times.

Would it really be a bad thing though, if the two of you just stepped away for a moment? You thought as you slowly looked back at him.

Your breath caught again as you met his eyes. For you saw the same lustfully look being reflected right back at you with his emerald green eyes. It seemed as if you weren't the only one struggling with controlling yourself. The thought instantly made you heat up.

"Perhaps for a moment." You heard yourself say as if in a dream.

Instantly you saw the heat flash in his eyes as if you had just lite a furnace in him. You felt his body slightly tense up as his fingers slightly tightened their grip on you. The motion was just enough to make you slightly tremble under his fingers. Which only added more fuel to the fire for him as he felt himself heating up more as he started to yearn to feel your bare skin again.

"Come along you two." Prompto said as he guided Gwen towards the door that led to the staircase that went up to the living area.

"Right." You said as your slowly released Ignis.

"Do you still have your movie collection?" Noctis asked as he started walking towards the stairs as he walked beside Iris as the followed Prompto and Gwen.

"We do." Ignis replied as he walked over and took his shoes off.

You followed suit. Then you followed him as everyone walked through the doorway and headed up the stairs. Then you smiled to yourself as you heard Iris and Prompto Ohh at the living area. You knew that sound all to well as you walked up the stairs and joined them standing there admiring the living space.

Noctis just slightly chuckled at Ignis. "This is exactly what I pictured this place would look like all these years."

Ignis gave him a stunned look. "You've been here before."

"Not in a very long time." Noctis said back as he looked at him. "The last time I was here, there wasn't any real furniture upstairs. You had your play area up there. Remember?"

Ignis glanced up at the red couch with a slight smile. "I wouldn't call that a play area. It was simply where my books and games were kept."

"And your toys?" Prompto asked with a mischievous smile.

Ignis narrowed his eyes at Prompto. "What few toys I had, yes."

"And what kind of toys did the famous Ignis play with?" Prompt asked as he walked over to the couch. "A play kitchen set perhaps. Or was it more action figures? Or many a train set?"

"Well if you must know. I mainly played with...." Ignis started to say before Korn interrupted him.

"Pardon the interruption." Korn said as Mary came walking out with a tray full of mugs.

"But would anyone like a hot chocolate?" She asked with a big smile. "It's a bit chilly outside and I know that chocolate always helps me relax."

"I would love some." Gwen chimed in.

Then she stepped up and took a mug. Everyone gave her a surprised look. She took the mug in both hands and raised it to her face. Then she closed her eyes and gave it a huge smile before she took a drink. Then she smiled again as she dropped it back down.

"This is amazing." She said back over at Mary.

"Thank you. The secret is to add real chocolate." Mary said as she winked back at Gwen.

"I'll take one. If that's okay?" Prompto asked nervously.

"Of course." Mary said.

Then he reached over and grabbed one. Then Noctis and Iris reached over to grab one as well.

"I'll grab us some wafers to go along with it." Ignis said as he headed towards the kitchen.

"I'll go get us some napkins." You said as you started following Ignis to the kitchen.

As soon as he entered the kitchen, he went out of sight as he went around the corner as he headed to the cupboards. You soon followed, only to have him grab your waist as you rounded the corner. He whipped you around and press you hard against the wall as he hungirly capture your lips. After the initial stun, you quickly gave in and wrapped your arms around his neck as you met his hunger. He deeply exhaled as he felt himself giving into the hunger as he pulled you up against him and off your feet as he wrapped his hands around your legs.

You wrapped your legs around him as you moaned from his motions. You could feel your whole body heating up drastically from his touch. Then you felt his need for you as he pressed himself against you as he was starting to lose his fight with himself. You looked up as you tried to catch your breath. Then you gasped as he latched onto your neck as he pressed you harder into the wall.

"We should stop." You said as you could feel yourself getting wet from his heat.

"We should." He returned before he pressed into you again. "But you smell so exquisite tonight. And you taste better then any hot chocolate or cotton candy."

You moaned softly as he kissed your neck again. Then you both paused as you heard laughter coming from the living room area. He then leaned back so that he could see your face. He leaned into you once more and watched you squirm from hunger for him. Then he gave you a slow hungry kiss as he slowly lowered your legs back down to the ground again.

"Perhaps later we could finish where we left off." He said breathlessly as he pulled away.

"Yes, please." You returned as you gave him a quick kiss on the lips before dropping your hands down to his before he pulled back again.

Ignis gave you a still heated look. "Later it is then."

He then released your hands and walked over to the pantry and grabbed the cookie wafers. You found the napkin holder on the kitchen island and picked it up. Then the two of you walked back out to join the others. They smiled at the two of you as you came back out.

"Your dad texted and said that he's on his way up." Korn said as you walked up to them.

"Really?" You asked as your heart leaped.

"Yes." Kron said with a smile. "The gunshot we heard wasn't from him. It was from one of the security guys. Apparently he shot one of the guys that attacked you in the leg to get him to stop."

"So he's okay?" You asked as tightly gripped the napkin holder. "My dad's fine?"

"He is." Korn answered with a nod.

You smiled and simply nodded back at him as you felt your whole body relax. For once your fears were not the worse. But you were started to see what you mom really had to worry about when he went to work everyday. And it was starting to make sense why they argued about it so much.

You then handed each person a napkin, while Ignis handed out the wafers to those who wanted one. Then you placed the extras on the coffee table and grabbed your mugs from Mary. You were enjoying the hot chocolate when you happen to notice Sara out on the balcony as she stood by the railing as she looked out over the city. She seemed to be a bit down as she stood by herself. Then you happen to notice that the fireworks were starting.

https://youtu.be/fLgELEJNz7U

"Shall we?" Ignis asked you as he took your hand.

You looked back over at him and smiled. "Wouldn't miss it."

As you walked outside you could hear the other residents from the building as they all stood on their balconies watching the show. You could even hear a few as they cheered from the other buildings and from the streets below. You walked out to the pools edge and stopped right where you had the first time that you had stepped foot on the pool's deck. Ignis walked up behind you and wrapped his arm around your waist as you stared out over the city and watched the magnificent light display.

Everyone else walked over the other side of the pool to get a better view. But you noticed that Sara stayed where she was. She had glanced up for a moment at everyone. But then turned back to watch the show.

"I never knew it looked this beautiful from the heart of the city." You said as you laid your head back on Ignis' shoulder as he held you tight.

"It's more beautiful with you here now." He said as he pulled you tighter.

You smiled broadly as you leaned back more into him. Then you closed your eyes, as you felt his lips gently rub against your neck. You placed your loose hand on his and interlaced your fingers with his. He tightened his grip on you as he heavily exhaled. Then he gently placed his lips on your neck and gently kissed you.

You started to fall under his will as you could feel his love for you through his touch and warmth. You never wanted this moment to end. You gripped his hand harder as you slowly turned your head towards him. You slowly opened your eyes as saw him giving you the same loving look that you knew you were giving him. You smiled, then closed your eyes again as he leaned down and gently kissed your lips once again.

Time seemed to stand still as you kissed him under the beautiful fireworks display. The sound of the fireworks seemed to matched your heart as it fluttered in your chest with each kiss that you shared with him. The heat may not have been there, since you were surrounded by everyone else. But the love was, as you both seemed to simply enjoy each kiss as if it was your last.

Then you heard the sliding glass door open behind you. You pulled away from Ignis and saw your dad come through the door. You smiled at him as he closed the door. He smiled back at you as he walked over to the two of you. You were glad to see that he looked like nothing had even happened. You almost forgot for a moment that he had just chased down the guys that had attacked you.

"Is everyone okay?" He quietly asked as he placed one hand on Ignis shoulder and the other on your back.

"We're good." You replied with a smile. "A little shaken up perhaps. But we're good."

"Glad to hear it." He replied with a smile.

Then he gave you a kiss on the head and patted Ignis on the shoulder before walking away. You watched him walk over to the other side of the pool and check on everyone else. They all smiled and nodded at him as they talked. Korn shook his hand as they greeted each other again.

"Your dad truly is a resilient man and a perfect role model isn't he?" You heard Ignis say as he pulled you closer as a cool breeze came across the deck.

"Yeah." You replied before you finished off your hot chocolate. "He always has been."

"Perhaps I should take some lessons from him." Ignis said before he finished his hot chocolate as he released you.

"I might learn a few things from him." He said as he took your empty mug from you and placed both of them on the table by the pool deck.

"Perhaps." You absently said as you watched your dad look over and see Sara standing by herself.

Paul nervously swallowed as he looked at Tracy as she leaned on the railing as she watched the fireworks covering the night sky. He was in awe as the lights seemed to shimmer off of her sweater, giving her a heavenly look as she stood there. He hadn't seen her looking more beautiful then she did at that moment. He slowly made his way over to her as he felt like his whole body was gliding over to her.

She glanced over at him as he approached. But she didn't smile. Instead she dropped her gaze before slowly looking back up at the fireworks. She had heard that he was fine.

But after hearing the gunshot from up on the balcony as she tried to see where you were running from, she couldn't bear to look at him right now. She had felt the fear all over again from the day that she escaped. All of her teammates were shot that night as they fought to get her out. She felt her heart break as she looked up and realized that they never got to see this one last time before they were taken away from the world.

She closed her eyes as her heart shattered. She could once again see all of their faces as they had smiled at her, moments before they put the plan into action. Her body started to tremble as the tears started to fall. She tightly gripped the railing as she fought to stay on her feet.

Then she felt two arms wrap around her and pull her close. She pulled her hands up to her chest as she felt all of the hurt start to surface again as she mourned for her team and her friends. He pulled her closer and placed his head on her shoulder as she silently cried. He never said a word. But his embrace said everything that she needed to know.

He understood everything that she was feeling. He had been there twice before. Once after losing his whole team during the same mission. Then again as his team whole team was taken out as the empire targeted him in an attempt to take him out.

After a few moments, she slowly turned around and looked up at him. He slightly smiled back at her as he gave her a loving look as he searched her face. She slightly smiled back as the last few tears rolled down her cheeks. Then she reached her hands up and wrapped them around his neck.

Paul smiled back at her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her gently to him. Then he slowly leaned down and closed his eyes as he kissed her gently on the lips. She closed her eyes as she let the feeling of his lips take over. Then she started running her fingers through his hair as they gently kissed.

He paused for a moment as he deeply exhaled before he returned with a gentle kiss again. He didn't want his body to take over. He had to keep himself under control for the time being. There would be plenty of time for that later.

She pulled away and looked back at him with a smile. Then she brought her arms down and placed her hands his chest. He smiled at her as he ran his hand through her hair as he moved it behind her ear. She smiled back.

Then she slide her hands under his jacket as she wrapped her hands around him. Then she laid her head against his chest. He held her close then gave her head a kiss before he also turned and looked out over the city as the sky lite up. They held each other, each lost in their own thoughts until the grand finale.

All you heard was the explosions of the fireworks as they lite up the night sky as brightly as the morning sunrise. You smiled to yourself as you enjoyed the crackling and bursting sounds as they echo through the air. You leaned back into Ignis's embrace as he held you. He tightened his grip on you as he gave you a kiss on the cheek.

Then as the last firework flashed across the sky, you slightly giggled at him as he leaned more into it as he slightly dipped you down. Then he pulled you back up as you both laughed as he stood back up. You both looked at each other and laughed slightly as all you heard was the cheers from the people below you.

"Cool it you two." You heard Korn say in a joking voice from across the pool.

You both glanced over and half laughed, half smiled at him. Only for your heart to stop again as you watched Mary suddenly lurch back onto Korn, which sent him flying back as well as he held her. You stood there in shock for a moment as you watched the two of them go flying into the pool from the force of the hit. Then as if in some action film, you watched everyone start to run for the safety of the condo.

******Author Note******

Fireworks and gunshots can sound a lot alike when they are fired off around the same time.

So what do you think would be Ignis' favorite toy as a child? I was thinking more of a legos and erector sets kind of kid. So that he could build and create things. But then again, the science kits and strategy board games would work well for him too. Let me know what you think. You never know, it might end up in the story somehow. ;)

I do hope that you enjoyed this chapter either way and will return as we find out what happened to Korn and Mary. So until then....

Thanks for reading. :)

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