You took a deep breath and adjusted your swim cap. You didn't glance at the other swimmers this time. You already knew that you were up against some of the best swimmers that you had ever hit the water with. And they had already proven it by the speeds that had been set in the last couple of races.

Noctis and Prompto had both qualified on their 200-yard freestyle. But just barely. Where Ignis had had a fight on his hands as he made it with his 200-yard Individual medley. And now as you stood by the block once again. You were hoping to do the same.

"Swimmers make ready for the women's 200-yard Individual medley."

"Seems like a great day for a race." You heard familiar voice say from the lane to your right.

You did a quick glance over and saw a slight smile from the girl before she looked at her block again as she put on her goggles.

"You better give me challenge." You heard Gwen say from your other side as she put her on as well.

"You better do the same." You replied back as you slide your goggles over your eyes. "I wouldn't want to be at Regionals without you."

"Nor would I." Gwen replied as she reached down.

"Then you better bring it." The other girl replied. "Because I'm not about to lose to either of you today. Either of you"

You gave the girl to your right one last curious look before you focused back on the lane. "We shall see."

"Yes we will." She replied in a voice that suddenly became very familiar to you as she adjusted her goggles over her eyes.

"Swimmers on the blocks."

You made one last adjustment to your goggles then you climbed onto the starter block. Then you took your track start stance on top of the block. You took a deep breath as you got a good footing as you prepared to grab the edge.  Suddenly you heard the cheers from the teams.

"You got this Gwen!"

"Go for the win (y/n)!"

"Bring home the win Nicole."

Nicole? You thought out of shock.

"Swimmers take your mark."

Could it be? You thought with a smile as you bent over and grabbed the edge of the block. I won't disappoint in case it is.

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK went the horn and set everyone flying off the block in near perfect prone dives as everyone shot off of the blocks for their start.

You don't really remember if there were any other swimmers in the water once you entered the cool water. Since the only two you were concerned with where on either side of you. And it seemed to show as stroke for stroke the three of you seemed to be in total sync with each other as you swim down the lanes. Even turn for turn the three of you were neck and neck.

It wasn't until you made your final turn that you saw any change in the three of you. For the minute that you hit the wall, you drastically increased your speed. This was followed by them doing the same. But shortly after reaching the halfway point, you saw Gwen start to fall back.

You did a quick glance to your left and saw that the other swimmer was still right with you though. You couldn't help but to smile to yourself as you pushed yourself even harder. If this was indeed Nicole, then you would give it your all. And it was that drive that pushed you faster as you flew to the wall. And with a touch of your fingers on the pressure plate, the race was done.

You quickly pulled off your goggles and turned around to look at the times. Your heart leaped as you saw your lane first, then the lane on your right, and then Gwen's lane. All three of you had qualified. You beamed as you climbed out of the water. Gwen smiled at you as she walked over after getting out herself.

"That was incredible." She beamed. "I had forgotten how fast you can be."

"Thanks. But there's only one person I know who can push me that far." You said to Gwen before you both turned around and looked at the other swimmer as she climbed out of the water.

"Isn't that right Nicole?" You asked the girl as she took off her goggles.

The girl then smiled at you with that familiar smile. "You truly are the fastest person I know in the pool. But at least I almost had you that time."

You gave her an even bigger smile as you gave her a hug. "That you did."

Then the three of you laughed together as you walked to the side of the pool as Noctis and Prompto walked over for their 50-yard freestyle. They gave you a curious look as they approached the three of you. But then when they got closer, Noctis gave you a smile as Nicole took off her swim cap. Prompto on the other hand seemed to be stunned as he watched her long brunette hair fall out of her swim cap.

"Now this is a surprise." Noctis said with a smile. "How you doing Nicole?"

"I'm good your highness." She replied as smiled at him. "It's great to see everyone again. Is Ignis here too?"

"He is." You said as you smiled at her. "He's just getting ready for the diving part now."

"So he's still diving?" She said with a smile. "That awesome. I was hoping to see him dive again. I miss watching him dive at the Rec Center."

"Do you still swim for them?" You asked as Noctis and Prompto got their goggles ready.

"I do." She said with a smile. "But it's not as much fun without you guys being there I'm afraid."

"Yeah." You said as you dropped your head. "Sorry about that. I guess we got caught up in the whole high school thing."

"It's okay." Nicole said back with a smile. "I know you guys have bigger and better things that your working towards."

"Hey! What are you two doing?" You heard one of your assistance coaches say as they ran over to the your group. "You two should be by the starter blocks."

"Oh yeah." Prompto said as he nervously rubbed the back of his head. "I guess we got distracted."

"We were just greeting an old friend." Noctis said in flat tone to the coach. "But we'll head there now."

Then he looked at Nicole. "We can talk more during the diving competition."

"Yeah." Nicole said to him with a smile. "Go break some records your highness."

Noctis nodded at her before he turned and started for the blocks. Prompto gave her a nervous smile before he turned and followed Noctis. You couldn't help but to smile at them. You were glad that Noctis remembered her. And you knew that Ignis would be happy to see her as well.

"So who's the blond kid?" Nicole asked you as they guys walked away.

"Oh. That's Prompto." You said with a smile as you watched them get behind their blocks. "He just started hanging out with us this year. But we've known him since we were kids."

"He's kind of cute." Nicole said as you watched them climb onto the blocks.

"And he's fast." You beamed at them as they reached down and grabbed the block.

"And he's taken." Gwen said to Nicole in a low tone followed by the horn sounding and sending them flying off of the starting block.

"Oh." Nicole said as she glanced at Gwen with a nervous look. "Okay."

You had missed Gwen and Nicole's interaction since you were cheering for both guys as they flew down the lane as they pushed each other. They were out in front but were being gained upon by one swimmer. You shouted at them both as the other swimmer was gaining on them and was quickly closing the gap. And after a quick turn at the wall, the whole room seemed to be on their feet as the three swimmers raced to the finish.

You couldn't tell who was more stunned after a heart stopped finish that looked like all three of them had touched at the same time. But as you looked at the times you saw that Noctis had a tie for first place with the other swimmer and Prompto was a fraction of a second behind both of them. You couldn't help the tears that you got as you beamed at them as they climbed out of the water. The three of them all smiled at each other and shook hands as they made their way back over to you.

"Now that, was incredible." You responded and you reached over and have Prompto a hug.

"I thought I was going to die towards the end there." Prompto said with a smile as he returned with a strong hug before he released you.

"Well you did kill your old time." You beamed back at him as you step away from him and turned to Noctis.

"And how does the fastest Prince in Insomnia feel?" You asked as you reached over and gave Noctis a hug.

Noctis wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you closer. You wrapped your arms around his neck and slightly laughed at him. You couldn't have been happier for him. And he couldn't feel better then holding you again.

"It feels incredible." He said in your ear just before he unintentionally dragged his lips across your neck as he dropped his head closer to your neck as he tried to pull you closer.

But the moment that his lips touched your neck, you jerked away from him. The motion startled Noctis and he released you with a start. You closed your eyes for a moment as you tried to get control of yourself again.

"Are you okay?" Noctis asked as he looked at you as he went to touch you.

But he stop within inches of you. He was afraid that you might jump out of your skin again at him. But you didn't notice him as all you could feel was Keith on your neck again as he had his hands all over you and his teeth digging into your neck. The notion made your skin crawl as you could feel him touching you all over again.

You shook your head as you tried to clear Keith back out again. "Yeah. It's just a chill from the cold water and the air."

"Are you sure?" He asked as he gave you a concerned look.

"Well yeah." You said as you quickly turned away from him and started to walk away. "The pool deck is always colder then the water after all. We better hurry up and get dressed before the diving competition starts."

Everyone glanced at each other with confusion as they tried to figure out what had just happened. But you didn't turn around. Instead you headed straight for the locker room and right to your locker. You didn't want your friends to see you like this. In fact you didn't want anyone to see you like this. But especially Noctis and Ignis.

Because even after everything that they had done for you up to that point. It still hadn't been enough. You had failed them. Because even with all of your training, you hadn't been to fight him off. And if you couldn't even save yourself. Then how were you suppose to keep Noctis safe if something happened?

The thought of your short fall and how you kept freaking out every time anyone touched your neck was starting to piss you off. But you couldn't stop it. And it was starting to drive you crazy. Because you couldn't fight it off.

Here you were a well trained fighter who had escaped the Nif and capture several times. But you were still so weak that you couldn't even protect yourself when it counted. That asshole had taken advantage of you just like your counselor had done. Nothing had changed. Even after everything, you were still that stupid little kid who was too weak to do anything.

You clutched you hands into tight fists as you started to feel your temper and frustration start to take over as you walked through the locker room door and towards your locker. The tension you felt was starting to get to be to much as you felt every muscle getting tight as your whole body tensed up. You ran your hands through your hair as you gritted your teeth as the emotions started to take over. You growled through your teeth as you could once again see Keith's smug face sitting in that classroom when you and Luna had talked to Navigation team.

Then you stop dead in your tracks right by the locker that was opposite of yours as the frustration was driving you to the point that you couldn't stand it anymore. You had to get him our of you head. Before you went going crazy. And that's when the frustration seemed to take over as you quickly swung your arm out and slammed your fist against the locker. The sound startled Nicole and Gwen as they stepped into the locker room right at that moment.

They looked at each other in horror. Then they quickly ran through the locker room as they tried to figure out what that sound was as you repeatedly hit the locker three more times. And right as you stopped is when they finally found you standing there panting with a fairly decent size dent in the locker under your fist. They nervously glanced at each other.

But then they both nodded at each as they both silently agreed that they weren't going to stop now. Not until they talked to you. They then slowly made their way over to you as you stood there panting as you focused on the pain in your hand as you fought to get Keith's face out of head as he smirked at you. But as they moved, you slammed the locker one more times in the exact same spot as the pain was finally enough to get him out of your head through the pain in your hand.

"Hey?" Nicole said in her sweet voice as they continued to walk over to you. "You know if the locker pissed you off that much, you can always use another one."

You froze for a moment as you realized they were right behind you. You dropped your head as you felt your temper start to deflate like a ballon. You then slowly dropped your hand and walked over to your locker. After you opened up your locker and pulled out your bag, you grabbed your warm-up suit and started to put it on.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" Nicole asked as they walked up to you.

"It's nothing." You said as you pulled your pants on.

"I think that locker would beg to differ." Gwen said as they came up and sat on the bench near you.

You looked away from them as you pulled your jacket on. You didn't want them to see you like this. But you knew that they would be worried either way. So after you pulled your jacket on and put your bag back in the locker, you paused for a moment.

"I just had a rough break is all." You said and locked up the locker again and started to head back out. "You might want to hurry if you want to watch Ignis dive. I think he's starting it off for the guys."

"(Y/n)! Wait!" Nicole said as she ran up to you and grabbed your arm.

The instant her hand grabbed your arm, you flickered back to the Atlantis when Keith grabbed your wrist. You quickly whipped your arm away from her and thrusted forward with your other hand as you went to strike back. But you stopped with your right fist in front of her face.  She immediately released you and stood there in shock. Her heart was now pounding from almost being hit by you. You stood there frozen with your fist right in front of Nicole face.

You stared at Nicole as she gave you a frightened look. But it wasn't out of fear of you hurting her as much of it was her being afraid for you. You took short breaths as you tried to calm down as you stood there panting as your whole body was on edge now. You had almost hit your childhood best friend.

What the fuck is wrong with me? You screamed to yourself as you felt your body start to shake from the tension. I almost hit my best friend.

"I'm......I'm sorry." You quietly said as tears started to run down your cheeks. "I have to go."

And before they could stop you, you ran out of the main door to the locker room. You ran towards the main entrance of the high school and started to head for the door when you heard your dad shouting at you. You quickly came to a stop. You knew better then to try and run away from him. That would only end with you being caught by some poor security guy as your dad hunted you down. You knew that all to well from when you had tried to runaway from home after your brother had died. Of course the only reason that you had tried to leave then was because you couldn't stand seeing your parents fight about his death.

"(Y/n)!" He shouted as he ran over to you as you stood still by the front door. "What are you doing out here? Your suppose to be in the stands right now. The diving competition is about to start."

"I........I......." You started to say, but the tears started to pour down your cheeks and your throat closed up before you say anything else as you started to cry.

Your dad slowly walked up to you and placed his hand on your back. "Hey kiddo. It's okay.  Your safe now."

You quickly turned around and wrapped your arms around your dad as your broke down. Your dad slowly wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into him as he closed his eyes. He had to fight back his own emotions as he felt you trembling in his arms as you sobbed. He hated seeing you like this. And especially when he had a feeling he knew what was wrong. But how could he help if you weren't unwilling, or perhaps even unable to talk about it.

He pulled you in tight and gave you a tender kiss on your head as you cried in his arms. He wasn't sure what had happened to trigger your reaction like this. But he had seen you jump back from Noctis on the deck a few moments before you walked into the locker room. And he knew that it must have started there just based on the everyone else's reaction to you walking off.  Which was why he left the stands and wondered out to the locker room doors in case you came out.  Which is how he saw you run out the door.

Your dad slightly smiled as he ran his fingers through your hair as he tried to calm you back down. Suddenly you heard Nicole and Gwen calling for you as they came running towards you and your dad. You felt your dad slightly shift as he lifted his head and looked away from you. But he didn't let you go. Instead he started to slowly rub your back as he comforted you.

"It's alright girls." Your dad said to them. "I got her. Thank you for looking for her though."

"Is she okay Mr. (l/n)? She just flew out of the locker room for no reason." Nicole asked as she gave your dad a distraught dad look.

"She'll be fine Nicole. But I really appreciate your concern for her." Your dad said to her with a smile. "You should head back to the pool though. Your wouldn't want to miss Ignis' dives.

"I should...." You started to say in a low tone.

"It's okay......we can stay out here for a moment until you've calmed back down again. Mary's recording the entire thing for Ignis anyway. So you can always watch what you missed with him later." Your dad said as he continued to hold you and rub your back. "He'll understand"

"But I....?" You started to say again.

"You need to relax." Your dad said in a deep voice. "You not doing anyone any good when your worked up like this. Especially to yourself."

"But he's counting on me." You quietly said as you grabbed a tight hold of his shirt.

"And he will understand." Your dad returned. "Besides, if he sees that your upset.  It will only cause him to worry. So wait until you're calm again. Then perhaps later you can have him help you work through it. He helped you before. So why not try it again?"

"How do you do it?" You asked as you felt your body starting to calm down again.

"What do you mean?" He quietly asked.

"How do you keep pressing forward without having a meltdown?" You asked as you clutched his shirt as you clasped your hands into fists. "After everything that's happened. How do you keep going without losing it?"

"Well, now that would be simple." He replied as he released you with one hand, and placed it on your chin and lifted your gaze up to meet his. "It's because of you."

You loosened your grip as you looked into his (e/c) eyes and saw his lovingly look as he smiled back at you as he moved your hair behind your ear. "You're the reason that I'm still here and still alive. And it's because you did what no one could.  You saving me and the others. Without you, I wouldn't be here to hold you like this again and comfort you when you need me the most."

You felt the tears starting to form in your eyes again as he spoke. "Dad..."

"So let me repay you by looking over you and protecting you until I no longer can. Or at least until you no longer need me to." Your dad said with a slight smile as he cupped your chin in his hand and wiped away your tears with his thumb. "Because your the only reason I haven't completely lost it. For each day that I get to spend with you is like a blessing for me. And as each day goes by, it gets easier to deal with what life throws at us. So let's take it one day at a time. And eventually, everything will get better. Okay?"

You looked up at him and gave him a smile. "Okay."

"That's my girl." He said as he gave you one last hug. "So, are you ready to head back in?"

"Yeah." You smiled back at him as you wiped away the last few tears.

"If we hurry, we might still catch his first dive. It looked like there was quite a few divers this time." Your dad said as he lead you back to the pool.

Where is she? Ignis thought as he looked around pool area and the bleachers as he scanned the crowd for you.

"Your up next." Ignis heard Coach Rick say. "Are you ready to go?"

"Just a moment." Ignis absently replied as he continued to look for you.

"Hey. I'm sure that she's fine. She probably just needed a break." Coach Rick said as he watched Ignis before he looked over and saw you walk back into the bleachers and over towards the rest of the team. "See. What did I tell you. She's taking her seat now. And before your first dive too."

"Indeed." Ignis quietly replied as he carefully watched you as you took a seat right by Noctis and the others.

"Well there you are." You heard Angie say. "I was beginning to think that you left or something."

"Hey. Sorry for the delay. Did I miss anything?" You asked as you sat down beside Noctis.

"No." Noctis quietly answered as he watched you sit down. "They just got done warming up."

"Good." You said with a smile as you looked at the boards and caught Ignis' eye.

"Are you doing alright?" Noctis asked as he reached over and grabbed your hand.

"I am now." You said as you watched Ignis smile at you as he seemed to finally relax as you smiled back at him.

"I'm glad." Noctis replied as he interlaced his fingers with yours.

You turned and looked at Noctis and could see the concern on his face. You smiled at him and leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment as your lips seemed to calm his fears.

"I'm sorry I jumped earlier." You said to him in a low voice. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright. I'm just glad that your feeling better." Noctis said as he tightened his grip on your hand.

"I'm getting there." You said as you wrapped your fingers around his arm with your lose hand and laid your head on his shoulder.

Ignis smiled at the two of you as he got on the 1-meter spring board for his first dive. He felt a bit better knowing that you were with Noctis. Even though he wished it was him. But he knew that Noctis was just keeping you company and that he would be there shortly.

I'll be there soon. Ignis thought as you nodded at him.

He smiled and nodded back at you before looking back to the board as he dropped his shammy by the edge of the pool. But first. I have a competition to win.

And win he did, by a huge margin. The only person who came even remotely close was Trish. But since she was competing against the female divers only, it didn't count against him. In fact her scores were just as high as his which meant that both of them qualified to compete during Regionals.

You couldn't help but to smile at Coach Rick as he was floored by the results for them both. You almost felt bad for the other divers. They truly didn't stand a chance against them. But they did their best anyway.

"That was amazing as always." You said to him as he walked over to you.

But as you walked up to Ignis with his jacket, he seemed to more excited to see you then he was to get the medal for winning the competition. For he beamed at you as a you walked over and place his jacket over his shoulders. He slowly pulled it on as he searched your face. He could tell that something had happened just by how everyone had been acting.

"Thank you. But more importantly, are you alright?" He asked as he reached over to you and cupped your chin with one hand as he wrapped the other around your waist.

"I will be." You quietly responded as you glanced down.

"You know I'm here for you, right?  You can tell me anything."  Ignis said as he tried to encourage you to open up to him.

"I know.  And I will.  Just not yet." You said as you leaned forward and rested your head on his shoulder.

"Then I'll wait for you." Ignis said as he moved your hair behind your ears.

You couldn't help the huge grin that came to you face as he gave you a gentle squeeze. He had once asked how it was that he had caught your attention. But now, as he held you close. You could asked him the same question.

"Your really are amazing. You know that." You said as you turned to face him again as you placed your hands on his shoulders.

"And so are you my love." He said back with a smile.

Then he leaned down and gave you a quick kiss. You smiled when he slowly moved back and started to rub your back. You knew he meant every word that he said. And it was knowing that, that you made you calm back down again.

"Alright." Prompto said as he came walking up to the group . "Now that Gladio's all set for his race. Are you ready to warm up Noct? Hey (y/n)? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for the women's 100-yard Butterfly?"

"Oh shit!" You said then you quickly released Ignis and turned towards the dive tank to do some warm up laps. "I gotta go warm up. We'll talk later. I promise "

"I'll be waiting." Ignis replied as he watch you race off.

The rest of the meet went very swimmingly, if you will. With each of you qualified for your individuals. Gladio and you on the 100-yard butterfly, Ignis on the 200-yard backstroke, Noctis on the 200-yard free and Prompto on the 200-breaststroke. And you were all thrill that both your team and the guys all qualified for 200-yard medley relay. But both teams fall short on the 400-yard freestyle though.

But you weren't disappointed. The fact that you all came in Fourth place was pretty amazing to you. Considering the other teams seemed to only have free-stylist in them. Plus you figured that everyone was exhausted by then since it was the last race of the meet.

And as a celebration of the hard fought victories, King Regis invited everyone over for dinner. And this time neither you nor Ignis had to cook. Not that you would have minded. I actually might have had fun with it considering the entire kitchen staff was nothing but a buzz of excitement over the news.

So much so, that you and Ignis found yourselves in the kitchen after dinner, chatting with them about it. And this time it wasn't just Ignis that they were going crazy over as he talked about his dives. But also for both of you since you got it for the IM as well. You couldn't help but to laugh and smile at them all as they seemed to be busting at the seams with excitement for both of you.

After awhile, your dad and Korn came to rescue to the two of you before Marge smothered you in her huge hugs. And with a kiss on the cheek from both to her, you finally left the kitchen unscathed. Well apart from being exhausted from all the excitement. And after you gave Noctis a kiss on the cheek, all four of you headed out the door and started walking down the stairs.

But just before you split up to head to your cars, Korn called you over. "Might I have a word with you?"

You both gave him a curious look. "You mean both of us. Right?"

"No, just you." Korn said with a nod.

You gave Ignis a nervous look. Ignis just shrugged his shoulders. Then gave you a peck on the cheek.

"Call me tonight. Perhaps we could get together tomorrow for a movie or something?" He said with a smile.

"That sounds great." You smiled back.

He nodded back then headed for the car. You turned back to Korn and walked over to him as he stood with your dad. They both gave you a slight smile as you approached. You got really nervous now since they both looked like they drew plotting something.

"You wanted to see me?" You nervously asked.

"Yes." Korn answered as he pushed his glasses back on his face with his middle finger. "I need your assistance with a personal situation. And I can't think anyone else will be able to do the job."

"Okay." You replied as your curiosity was pegged now as you watched Korn get very serious. "What ever you need . I'm more then willing to help."

"Good." Korn replied as he crossed his arms. Over his chest and rested his chin on one hand. "For you see this is a very important task. But I know that you can handle."

"Okay." You replied as you gave him a confusing look now. "I understand that part."

"Just tell her already." Your dad said as he shook his head at Korn.

"Fine." Korn said as he dropped his head. "I need you to help me plan Ignis' birthday party. you see it's next week and he'll be turning 18. Which as you well know is a huge deal when you work for the royal family. Because part of the day will be his birthday celebration. And the other part will be his official coming-of-age ceremony were he will have to go through the trial of the crystal."

Your jaw slightly dropped as you took in everything that he said. Sure you knew that Ignis' birthday was next week. But you didn't think that he would have to go through the trial just yet. And especially on his birthday.

"Don't you want to wait on that so that he can do it with Gladio?" You asked as you got nervous.

"It is always done on the day of their 18th birthday." Korn said as he waved his hand. "And Gladio's birthday isn't for another couple of months. To which he will go through the trial himself on that day."

"Are you sure he's ready?" You asked as you were starting to get nervous. "I heard the trial is pretty challenging and can even hurt."

"Ignis has been preparing for this day for most of his young life." Korn said with a smile as he dropped his hands. "And we are both very much aware of the challenge that he faces. We ourselves have both gone through it."

You dropped your head and nervously started rubbing your hands together. "If you say so."

"But that part is not for you to worry about. Leave that to King Regis and myself." Korn said as he placed his hand on your shoulder. "Instead, I need you to help me out with the birthday party itself. Because I'm afraid that the only friends of his that I know, are the ones that work within the confines of the citadel itself. Do you think that you could help out with the guest list I and some of the other preparations?"

You looked back up at Korn and smiled. "I would love to."

"Thank you." Korn said with a smile. "You can start preparing tomorrow if you like. I thought that I heard him mention something about a movie? That would give you the perfect opportunity to find out some of the details that you'll need for his birthday."

"Yeah." You beamed back. "Sounds great."

"Until tomorrow then." Korn said as started walking towards his car.

"See ya." You said as you smiled big at Korn as you waved back to him as you walked to the car.

So Korn wanted your help with Ignis' birthday party. Well he was in for a treat. You would throw the best party for him. One that would show them all how much he means to everyone and how much he has done for everyone. Because in your eyes, he was long over due for some well deserved praise.

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

Party? Heck yeah! Oh and for those who don't know. Ignis' birthday is February 7th. (10 days before mine. ☺️) And Gladio's is April 2nd. Incase you keeping an eye on the time frame wise.

But with the celebration, Ignis will have to go through the trial of the crystal. Will it prove to be to much for him? Or will he be able to endure through the support of those around him? We shall see.

Thanks for reading. :)

***********************