*****
|Year 2006|

In 2006, Krane met Douglas and saw potential in him and his projects. Harper was 8 years old, she lived with Krane and her sisters in one of the Krane's barraks in Mission Creek, a place he was building to train the girls.

At that time, Harper and her sisters had zero contact with the world outside that shed, so they always looked forward to seeing their uncle who always brought gifts and new things for them. Victor Krane's younger brother, Vincent Krane.

Vince was a bankrupt guitarist, who aimed to make a living from his music and bet all his money on it. What over time led him to bribe agents and bands to help with his career and eventually create unpayable debts with them, not only with them but with drug dealers and other people.

Vincent was compulsive and reckless at the beginning of his career. When Krane was younger, he supported his brother and his musical career. However, with little success, accumulated debts and the passing of the years, Krane was losing patience with his brother.

One day Vincent went to Krane once again looking for money to pay his debts after he was threatened with death by some guys he bribed to get a show in Lost-Town.

It was nighttime and Harper and her sisters were already in the basement where their dorms were. Little Harper, 8 years old, heard her father's argument with her uncle upstairs.

Harper grabbed a stuffed dog that she always cuddled up to and started climbing the basement stairs.

The little girl silently climbs the stairs and tiptoes near a kitchen where Krane and Vince were.

Krane slams the table "What's your problem? I thought you said you had everything under control!" Krane shouts to his brother "I had it, I was going to get the money this time!" Vince says "With that shit you call music?" Krane scoffs.

Harper hides behind the door and listens to the conversation "You used to like my music before you became an asshole" Vince says "I never liked your music!" Krane says, Vince grinds his teeth.

"Don't make that face because I know very well who you are, brother. You're a freeloader, so much so that you only show up here to ask me for money like the idiot you are" Krane says dryly, Vince stares at Krane without blinking in anger.

"They threatened me Vic, I have my neck in the guillotine. If I don't pay they will... I'm desperate" Vince says, Krane doesn't make any expression "You're the one who put yourself in this situation, deal with it" Krane says.

Vince gasps "Do you think I had help from anyone to get here? If no one ever reached out to me, why would I do it to you?" Krane says, Harper hugs the stuffed dog, scared.

"Because I'm your brother" Vince says "There's no family ties in my business Vincent" Krane says, Vince sighs "You're a son of a bitch...." Vince threatens attack him, Krane grabs his brother's neck "I want you to shut up and get out of my house" Krane says angrily.

"Go to hell" Vince says choking "Get. Out. Of. My. House!!" Krane says gritting his teeth "I want you to disappear and never come back, do you understand?" Krane shouts.

Krane was choking his brother when Harper came out from behind the door "Uncle Vince?" Harper says before he appears in their sight, giving Krane time to release him.

Vince puts his hand on his neck "What are you doing here?" Harper asks "Go back to bed" Krane says "Can Uncle Vince put me to sleep?" Harper asks hugging the stuffed dog.

Vince clears his throat "No, do what I say!" Krane says "Let me say goodbye to them" Vince says to his brother, Krane galres at him "Please" Vince says with a broken look.

Harper looks sadly at her uncle, who was the only person in the world she truly liked and who made her feel good and safe. The only person she had the courage to say she loved.

Krane nods "Five minutes" Krane says, Vince nods and looks at Harper and gives a smile

.....

After saying goodnight to Tara and Lara in the next room, Vince goes to Harper's room.

Vince smiles and covers her with a blanket "Here you go. Is it warm?" Vince asks, Harper nods. Vince picks up the stuffed dog "Don't forget your buddy" Vince smiles, Harper chuckles.

Vince sighs loudly "Uncle Vince, sing me a song?" Harper asks, Vince smirk looking at the little girl like she was the most precious thing in the world "Of course, Little One" Vince says sitting on the head, Harper hugs the stuffed animal.

♪Oh, oh, oh, Sweet child o' mine♪" Vince sings softly and softly to her "♪Oh, oh, oh, oh, Sweet love of mine♪" Vince sings and runs his hand gently through the little girl's hair, he had a beautiful and soft voice.

"♪She's got eyes of the bluest skies. As if they thought of rain♪" Vince sings while Harper pays attention to the music "♪I hate to look into those eyes. And see an ounce of pain♪"

"♪Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place. Where as a child I'd hide, And pray for the thunder. And the rain to quietly pass me by♪" Vince stroked little Harper's hair.

"♪Oh, oh, oh♪" Vince sings softly, Harper smiles "♪Sweet child o' mine♪" Harper sings softly, Vince laughs "♪Oh, oh, oh, oh. Sweet love of mine♪" Vince sings, Harper smiles and holds his hand.

"I love you Uncle Vince" Harper says "I love you too Little One" Vince says "I wish you were my father" Harper says, Vince smiles and kisses the little girl on the forehead.

"You don't deserve a father like me Little One" Vince says with a broken smile "You don't deserve a life like that either" he says upset.

"Then take me with you" Harper says, Vince sighs "Please" Harper says with her big shiny eyes "I can't" Vince says.

Harper sits on the bed and turns to the drawer in her dresser. "What are you doing?" Vince asks, Harper takes a small wad of money from the drawer and hands it to him "It's not much but it might help" Harper says.

Vince laughs lightly "I wish that was my only problem" Vince says "It took me months of allowance to put this together" Harper says upset "For me?" Vince asks, Harper nods.

Vince gently holds the little girl's face "You deserve the world, you know" he says, Harper tries not to cry because she feels like she will never see her uncle again.

"Here..." Vince takes a red bandana out of his pocket, Harper frowns "You may not understand yet, but this bandana is much more special than you can imagine" Vince puts the bandana on the stuffed dog.

"It belongs to you" Vince says, he hands her the stuffed dog again and she hugs him tight "I don't want you to go!" Harper sobs,

"You're going to be okay Harper" Vince hugs her "You don't know that" Harper cries, Vince sighs.

Vince notices in the reflection of the mirror Krane approaching the door "It's been five minutes" Krane says "I know" Vince moves away from Harper.

Before going to bed again, Harper gives her uncle a kiss on the cheek, and he covers her again with a blanket.

Vincent then goes to the door but before he takes one last look at the door and makes the rock sign with his hand and then the love sign, Harper smiles, wiping away her tears and makes the same signs.

Vince leaves the room, looking angrily at Krane, who closes the door. And that was the last time Harper saw Vince.

*****

Returning to 2018, almost 12 years later. Harper was face to face with her uncle again.

Vince comes down from the stage and runs to his niece "Oh my God" he hugs her tightly "I thought I would never see you again Little One" Vince says "I thought you didn't even remember me anymore" Harper says.

Vince holds her face "Never say that. I would never forget you" Vince says, Harper smiles "Look at you, you're still beautiful, a beautiful woman now" Vince says "And you're still...old" Harper smirk, Vince laughs "Very funny huh" Vince says.

"Did you know Harper had an uncle?" Adam asks Chase "I had no idea" Chase says "And did you know Krane had a brother?" Adam asks, Chase galres at him annoyed.

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Later after Vince finishes his show he finds Harper, Chase and Adam in his dressing room.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you had an uncle?" Chase asks "Why didn't you ever tell ME you had an uncle?" Adam says, Chase galres at him.

"I never lied that you didn't know everything about me" Harper says "Why?" Chase asks, Harper shakes her head.

"He left when I was 8, Krane kicked him out of my life. He was the only person I felt safe in that I felt loved" Harper says, Chase looks down.

"And Krane took it from me. I thought it would be easier to deal with if I just ignored it, at least that's what Krane told me to do" Harper says, Chase puts his hand on her shoulder.

"And part of me was afraid I'd never meet him again or he'd be dead or something" Harper says, Adam looks at her with pity "He's fine" Adam says "Yeah I know" Harper smiles.

Chase holds her hand "Do you think he can help us?" Chase asks "Maybe, he's the only person I know who doesn't have contact with the authorities and could have a shelter for us" Harper says.

"Why did Krane kick him out?" Chase asks "I remember he wanted to borrow money and Krane got tired of helping" Harper says "So he's broke?" Chase asks "That was 12 years ago" Harper says.

Chase sighs "I don't know Harper" Chase says "Chase..." Harper looks at him "He's the only person in my family that I trust. And I want to have a second chance with him" Harper says.

Harper sighs, Chase presses his lips together to keep from saying "But he's a Krane" as he sees in Harper's eyes that she has strong feelings for her uncle, and the fact that she has never spoken about him before was because his absence in her life all these years was something that really upset her.

"Can we trust him?" Chase asks "That's not really the point of why I want to see him. I have too many unfinished business Chase, I need to resolve at least one of them" Harper says.

"But he's a Krane" Adam says, Chase looks at him who took the words out of his mouth. Harper sighs "He was like a father to me. And he doesn't have any power... he's harmless" Harper says.

Chase becomes reflective when he hears the phrase "He was like a father" proving that he really was important to her and she really wanted a second chance.

"But without bionics we also have no power" Adam says "Guys, I know you don't trust...a Krane" Harper rolls his eyes "But trust me. Either way we'll deal with this" Harper says.

Chase shakes his head "On one condition" Chase says, Harper looks at him "No more secrets from now on. I want you to be completely honest with me from now on and I will be with you" Chase says.

Harper caresses his cheek "I promise" Harper says "Promise you'll tell me everything. No matter how painful it is, because I promise I'll support you" Chase says honestly, Harper looks into his eyes.

"I promise" Harper says calmly, Chase smiles. Vince walks in and Harper looks at him, he smiles proudly.

Vince sighs "So, I guess we have about 12 lost years to catch up huh" Vince says, Harper smiles "Where to start? You're bionic and you're a criminal now, I'm proud" Vince chuckles.

"Yeah, life is so crazy, you have no idea" Harper says "I do, and if I had the chance I would warn you about it" Vince says, his gaze turns to Chase and Adam.

"Which one is the lucky one?" Vince asks, Harper frowns "Uh..." "No, let me guess. I know I still know my Little One" Vince smiles, Chase and Adam look at Harper who holds back a smile.

Vince sits in front of Chase and Adam "They're both strong and beautiful, but Harper is the type to see a lot and beyond appearances..." Vince galres at Harper with a smile.

"But you both have good hearts, you're heroes right...but you" Vince points to Chase "You're smart..." Vince says, Chase frowns "Capable, brave, polite...You know how I know that you are the one who loves my niece?" Vince says, Harper smiles.

Chase tilts his head "You have a harp tattooed on your arm" Vince points to Chase's arm, Vince laughs when Chase looks at his arm and rolls his eyes, Adam laughs "I think you should remove the "Smart" of you speech" Adam laughs.

Chase holds his arm and blushes with embarrassment, Harper bites her lip to keep from laughing "I'm still not used to it" Chase says, Vince laughs "I'm making fun of you, I follow the news, I know everything about you. I live at the end of the world but I still live in this century, come on" Vince says.

Vince puts his hand on Chase's shoulder "Welcome to the Krane family, Boy" Vince smiles, Chase frowns at first, it was weird to hear those words and he should feel remorseful.

But hearing the gentle tone of Vince's voice and looking at Harper and seeing the Krane family being represented by them, he smiles slightly, happy about that.

"Thanks..." Chase says "Vince, call me Vince" Vince smirk "Thanks Vince" Chase says.

"Listen, I know my brother wasn't kind to you at all and I'm sorry, really" Vince says to Chase and Adam, he looks at Harper "And I'm glad you got the family you always deserved Little One" Vince says.

"They're a lot more than I deserve" Harper says "So if you're up to date with the news you know we're not very welcome...everywhere" Chase stands up.

"Yeah I know, how did you get here?" Vince asks "It's been a long journey, I have it all written down if you want" Adam says, Chase raises his hand to his brother asking him to stop.

"We're just living one day at a time" Chase says, Harper nods "Well, maybe you've come to the right place. My house isn't too far from here, you can stay there as long as you need" Vince says.

"Are you sure everything is ok?" Harper asks "Sure, you guys are family. You're more than welcome, and we have a lot to sort out" Vince smiles.

Vince notices some people walk past the open door of his dressing room suspiciously, he feels uncomfortable and clears his throat.

"Come on, I'll take you there" Vince says, taking a jacket and a helmet and leaving, Harper, Chase and Adam accompany him outside the club.

There they see Vince walk to an impeccable red Harley Davidson motorcycle, Vince gets on the bike after putting the guitar on his back.

Chase's eyes light up when he sees the stunning bike "Woah!" Chase smiles "Do you like it?" Vince asks "Are you kidding, look at this is a Harley Davidson Softail Fat Boy 114?" Chase asks "Yeah! Do you understand motorcycles?" Vince asks "No" Chase doesn't take his eyes off the bike, Vince frowns in confusion.

"Of course you understand" Adam says "I used to understand" Chase says "Woah!" He sighs "Thanks Uncle Vince, I just lost my boyfriend to your bike" Harper smirks sarcastically, Vince laughs.

"Well, maybe I'll let you take her for a ride" Vince says, Chase smiles "Wait, are you serious?" Chase says, Vince shrugs "Cool I always wanted to ride one of those" Chase says "You will" Vince winks before putting on his helmet.

Chase looks at Harper "Yeah, maybe I like this guy" Chase says, Harper smiles.

» ♬ « ✧ » ♬ « ✧ » ✦ « ✧ » ♬ « ✧ » ♬ «

Vince takes them to his house, a chic house but not too extravagant or big. But a perfect home for a lonely musician like him.

Adam parks the car in the house's large garage, Vince parks the motorcycle to the right of the car as his truck is parked to the left.

Vince takes off his helmet and closes the iron garage door as the trio get out of the car.

"Here we are, home sweet home" Vince says heading towards the main door of the house "Wow your house is beautiful, I see you managed to get back on your feet" Harper says.

"I was just a reckless kid back then. I didn't really think about the consequences of my actions, but we learn to deal with things over time, we just need to find the right deal" Vince says, they enter the living room.

"Deal?" Chase asks "Deal, yeah. My music, my career and stuff" Vince says, Chase nods.

Newton meows from inside Adam's backpack "Do you have a cat?" Vince asks, Adam looks at the young couple who nods at him to show him the cat "Yeah" Adam opens his backpack a little revealing Newton.

"His name is Newton" Harper says, Vince chuckles "What?" Harper asks "I swore you were a dog person" Vince smirks, Harper smiles when she sees that her uncle remembers how attached she is to that stuffed dog she was "I'm both" Harper says.

They hear a noise in the kitchen "Uncle Vince, are you back yet?" A female voice asks, Harper widens her eyes recognizing the voice "You said you lived alone" Harper says "And I live, but you are here now aren't you?" Vince says.

Tara walks in and gasps when she sees Harper staring at her "Shit" Adam says quietly "Shhh" Chase says.

"What is she doing here?" Tara asks "You!" Harper says angrily "Tara, I'll explain it to you" Vince says "No, I see we were both trained to run into Uncle's arms when everything goes to shit" Tara says angrily.

"This is all your fault you Bitch!!" Harper threatens to run at her and Chase holds her back "Let me go, I've been trying use her face as a rag for 19 years!" Harper says angry "Harper calm down!" Chase says.

Tara rolls her eyes "And you've also been failing for 19 years, it's not going to happen now" Tara scoffs "Shut up..." Vince tells her "That's enough!" Vince tells everyone.

Harper lets go "What the hell were you thinking about releasing those files you idiot!" Harper shouts, Tara snorts "I was just doing what I was told" Tara says, Harper laughs sarcastically "Of course, it's the only thing you do" Harper says.

Tara grits her teeth "Why once in your life don't you start thinking for yourself!" Harper says "Great idea. My first thought is to kill you all by myself, what do you think?!" Tara shouts "Oh good luck!" Harper says

"Enough!!" Vince shouts the two girls look at him "No one is going to kill anyone under my roof!....if you're gonna do that do it outside" Vince points outside "Dude!" Chase says "I'm kidding" Vince says.

Adam pokes Chase laughing "This one with the uncle jokes" Adam laughs, Chase frowns.

"As long as we're in this house we're family. Just like you were once" Vince says "We were never family" Tara says "Indeed" Harper says "You guys had your moments" Vince says they both look at him.

The two look at each other again with a look of anger "You ruined the lives of millions of people because of that" Harper says, Chase and Adam, upon hearing the tone of the girl's voice, look at each other with pity.

Tara swallows tears "I didn't imagine that would happen" Tara says and looks down "what the fuck did you think would happen?" Harper says, without blinking with eyes full of anger.

"I don't know, but I never imagined things would turn this way." Tara says "Very stupid of you" Harper says "That's what revenge does to us" Tara says "Oh so are you sorry now?" Harper says angrily.

"No just... none of that matters anymore. And I know that I don't matter to you either, so stop pretending that my actions hurt you" Tara raises her voice at the end. Harper blinks to try to hold back tears.

Tara shakes her head and looks at Vince "I won't stay in the same place as them" Tara says, Vince sighs "I'll pack my bags" Tara leaves and slams the door.

A weird silence takes over the room, Harper sighs and looks at the ground "She's not going anywhere, she has nowhere to go" Vince says, Harper nods "I know" Harper says.

"When did she get here?" Chase asks Vince "The day the superhumans were being arrested. She came here and said she needed help because she had messed up for good this time" Vince says.

"She said that?" Adam asks "I'm not trying to clear her record but...you know Tara" Vince tells Harper, she sighs "We have more important things to deal with now" Harper says.

Vince nods slightly upset "Okay, come on I'll show you your rooms" Vince says, they go up a staircase in the center of the house that leads to the second floor.

On the second floor there is a hallway "Here is a guest room, Tara is in the room on the other side of the hallway" Vince enters the guest room with them where there are few things, just a wardrobe and a double bed.

"I'm sorry there's only one bed, if you don't mind" Vince says "Okay, I sleep on the bed and Chase and Harper on the floor. We'll figure it out" Adam says, Chase and Harper glare at him.

"Am I kidding, or is Vince the only one who can make uncle jokes around here?" Adam says "We thank Vince for welcoming us like this" Chase says "I thank you for taking care of my little one all these years." Vince says.

Harper smiles "Okay, I'll let you guys get settled, I'll see you at dinner" Vince gently pats Chase on the back and leaves the room.

Adam, Chase and Harper look at each other and at the same time the three of them go towards the soft bed in the room and throw themselves on it, exhausted.

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『••✎••』

|Adam's travel diary|

# Day fifty-five

Well, Harper has an uncle and even more shocking Krane has a brother!

But he seems like a cool guy tho, he has this scary rocker look but it's just the outside because after dinner he made us cupcakes, I like him. You can't help but like someone who makes cupcakes.

He's been really nice, he's funny, and apparently Chase has found a lot of common ground with him that they've been talking about for hours, and Harper seems happy to reconnect with him.

And despite the strange atmosphere between Harper and her sister, everything seems peaceful. A quiet one that I didn't even remember existed, it's cool.

I missed just enjoying a place without having to think about where to run the next day. I missed a soft bed although I will sleep on a mattress on the floor it is a thousand times better than a car seat

I missed sitting at the table and having dinner with my brother and my best friend and eating hot, fresh food and not just stolen packets of snacks.

It's crazy because this was the kind of thing I didn't give a shit about before but now it means everything.

I hope we don't lose it all so easily again. It's tiring not knowing where life can take you... especially when prison is almost the only option.

『••✎••』

Adam closes his notebook, he is sitting on the mattress on the floor in their room, Chase comes out of the bathroom in the room after taking a shower with a towel wrapped around his waist and using another to dry his hair that seems to be getting longer every day.

He comes across Adam staring at the wall thoughtfully "Are you okay?" Chase asks, Adam nods in silence "Yeah...it's just..." Adam sighs and scratches his beard.

"Do you feel...weird too?" Adam asks, Chase frowns "What do you mean?" Chase asks "Does it feel different...from when we left?" Adam asks, Chase looks down.

Adam scoffs "Never mind, it's bullshit" Adam says "No..." Chase says, Adam puts the notebook in his backpack "I understand what you mean" Chase says.

"Don't you feel like yourself too?" Adam asks, Chase wets his lip "Is that how you feel?" Chase asks, Adam shrugs and stands up.

"I feel worn out, but more mature...You know, when you look back and realize that you've grown" Adam says "I can see that" Chase says adjusting the bandage on his arm "Thanks but... it's a little scary" Adam heads to the bathroom.

"Why?" Chase asks "I miss Adam who would never come to that conclusion" Adam says hugging the door frame.

Chase smiles slightly "He's still there...he's just getting better" Chase says, Adam takes about two seconds to smile.

He looks at Chase keeping his smile "Thanks..." Adam says, Chase nods with a gentle smile.

"I'd hug you bro, but you're just in a towel" Adam shakes his head "Uhg!" Chase raises his hand in disgust and looks away as Adam enters the bathroom and closes the door.

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Meanwhile, Harper spots Tara sitting on the bed in her room.

Harper stops at the door and knocks lightly on the frame "If you came here to say I'm an idiot and ruined your perfect life, go away" Tara says, Harper shakes her head.

"I feel like we have to resolve this situation" Harper enters the room, Tara looks at her "No need, I'm leaving tomorrow morning" Tara says.

Harper walks to the bedroom window and looks through it "Lara misses you" Harper says, Tara frowns in surprise and looks at her "Did you talk to Lara?" Tara says.

Harper looks at her "I visited her weekly in prison. before we run away" Harper says "What? How is she?" Tara asks, Harper smiles slightly "She's great. She was undergoing psychological treatment and responding well to it and...I was even working on advanced designs for robotic limbs to replace hers once she is released" Harper says.

Tara scoffs and rolls her eyes "You guys are on good terms I see" Tara says "Of course, we're sisters, all of us" Harper says "Of course" Tara roll her eyes.

"Tara, our past. Our relationship when we were with Krane..." "dad" Tara interrupts, Harper sighs "When we were working with dad. That wasn't us" Harper says.

Tara passes her hand over her forehead thoughtfully "That was what he wanted us to be..." Harper says "It's easy for you to says that, you were his favorite!" Tara says "What?" Harper says.

Tara shakes her head "Come on. You reminded him of the woman he loved, the only one. We were just the burden he never wanted to carry" Tara says.

"That's not true" Harper says "It doesn't matter Harper. I know the truth is that I am nothing without him, since he abandoned us I have no idea what to do with my life. Krane raised me to be his soldier and nothing more, he didn't teach me how to live otherwise... So I'm sorry but I can't be anything other than that" Tara says angryly.

Harper frowns "I can help you" Harper says, Tara laughs angrily "Oh Look at you, always so nice and perfect..." Tara says, Harper presses her lips together "If you think I'm perfect you really don't know me" Harper says.

Tara stands up "Maybe you're right. You're not perfect, If you were you wouldn't have traded us for your bionic friends like you did" Tara says, Harper scoffs.

"It wasn't my fault. Why would I stay with two people who clearly despised me ?! I could only have helped you if you had let me help, which never happened because you treated me like a slave" Harper says "Just because dad always said you were unpredictable and we knew how much you wanted to get rid of us but that doesn't mean we never..." Tara shouts but takes a deep breath.

Harper frowns "Look. We saw how he looked at you, he was proud of your intelligence, and he saw potential in you and he always gave you priority. Something he never did with us, you received compliments that you didn't even want and you disdained them, if it were with us, it would mean the world..." Tara says.

"Can you imagine what it's like? Being treated like nothing?" Tara asks "I know, you guys treated me like that" Harper says, Tara smirks.

"Just to be fair, to make you feel what we felt. But at the same time you pissed us off, what made us most angry was that we still loved you. That was the most annoying thing of all because we couldn't help but love you" Tara says, her eyes filling with tears.

Harper makes a surprised face "I still remember that the first time Lara and I had any feeling of happiness since Melody left, was the day that dad said we would have a little sister" Tara says looking at Harper.

"I had no idea you guys felt this way" Harper says, Tara swallows tears "You never gave a shit, you just wanted to get rid of us" Tara says "I never wanted to get rid of you I wanted to get rid of that life, start over...don't you feel like doing that?" Harper asks.

"I disdained our father's compliments because they were empty, the pride you say he had in me was empty and perverse. They weren't compliments and approvals worthy of pride, that's why I hated that. Everything he's done to us since we were babies is something no parent should do, or be proud to teach," Harper says, her voice cracking on the last sentence as she swallows back tears.

"That was exactly what I wanted to get rid of, I wanted to get rid of that toxic and inhumane life that he wanted for us. When I saw that you wanted to continue what he started to make him proud. I was already extremely tired" Harper says.

"But it was never because I wanted to abandon you...you didn't give me a choice" Harper says, Tara sighs in defeat "Because I always loved you, no matter how much it hurt. You are my sisters, and you were my only company, you raised me more than Krane did" Harper says.

Tara holds back a smile "But you're right that doesn't even matter anymore, because he's gone..." Harper says, Tara nods "And that's why this would be the chance to start over" Harper says.

Tara shakes her head "No, it's too late to start over, I messed up too much this time, you said it yourself... how am I going to start over if I ruined the lives of millions of super humans out there" Tara says, Harper looks down.

"At the moment I wouldn't say I'm the most honorable person in the world either, I messed up and my actions would have consequences as well" Harper says, Tara looks sadly at her sister.

"Let's see this as a point of annulment, forget what we both were and try to focus on what we can be..." Harper puts her hand on her sister's shoulder "Who can we be?" Tara asks "Sisters" Harper says.

Tara sighs "You're only saying that because you're in shit" Tara says "Yes, because just in this situation for you to listen to me instead of trying to bring me down" Harper says.

Tara smiles slightly, whether or not she knew that Harper was practically the only family she had left "I missed you, Nerd" Tara says letting out a sob.

Harper gives a broken smile and opens her arms, letting her older sister hug her, Tara surrenders to the hug, resting her head on her sister's shoulder. That was probably the first sincere hug they had ever given each other in their entire lives.

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The next day, Chase was walking through the silent, fenced-in house. Checking to see if there was anything suspicious there.

Until a specific room catches his attention, he sees the reflection of the sun that comes through the window shine on a guitar resting on a chair in what appears to be a studio.

Chase looks around and sees no one around and decides to enter the room.

He approaches Vince's bright blue guitar, looking around he sees himself surrounded by a collection of guitars and other instruments including a drum kit in the corner of the room but it remains covered by a sheet.

Chase sits in the chair in the middle of the studio and puts the guitar on his lap, he sees that Vince's initials are engraved on the guitar, V.K.

Chase gently runs his fingers along the guitar strings, all the way to the guitar cable. It was as if it was calling him, when he picks up the guitar cable he takes a single note from one string.

Chase takes a deep breath and starts playing some light chords as he tries to remember a song he can play.

Vince listens to Chase in his studio and slowly approaches the door, seeing that the bionic boy is really enjoying the moment with the instrument.

Chase starts to get a little more excited playing the guitar, Vince smiles and walks in "You're almost there!" Vince says, Chase jumps slightly in fright.

"I-i'm sorry I was just..." "Relax kid, Roxy doesn't mind" Vince says, Chase looks at the guitar "Um Roxy?" Chase ask" Is the name I gave to her" Vince sits on the bench in front of Chase.

"Oh sure...not weird at all" Chase says sarcastically "Have you played before?" Vince asks "yeah, a long time ago and I had my chip so...it was a lot easier you know" Chase says adjusting the guitar on his lap.

"Got it! Give her to me a little..." Vince takes the guitar and adjusts the strings, Chase scratches the back of his head.

"Great. Try it now" Vince hands the guitar back to Chase, he plays some chords, very well.

Vince smiles "Wow look at that...I have goosebumps" Vince says, Chase smiles "No, I don't know if that's my thing" Chase says "So why do you move your fingers on this guitar like you're letting go of the biggest weight on your chest?" Vince asks.

Chase looks at the guitar, he smirks "Yeah...feels cool" Chase says "I can teach you" Vince says, Chase laughs "I appreciate it but..." "What? Are you busy saving the world?" Vince asks, Chase looks at Vince with a look of shock.

"I can't save the world anymore" Chase thinks as if it were a snap of reality crashing down on him "I only have my world to take care of now" he thinks, and takes a deep breath.

"Sorry, I was a bit harsh. My bad" Vince says, Chase shakes his head "Relax, you're right" Chase says playing with the dating ring on his finger.

"I don't see why not" Chase gets ready to play again, Vince smiles "Cool..." Vince gets up and looks for another guitar "I always wanted to have an apprentice to carry on my legacy" Vince says.

Chase smiles as Vince picks up a red guitar "Cool, maybe when we're done with the guitar we can even try drums" Chase suggests and points to the covered drums "No!" Vince says dryly.

Chase frowns "I just thought..." "playing this drum is out of the question, I don't want to touch it" Vince says looking in pain at the drum covered with the sheet

Chase frowns "Did I say something wrong?" Chase asks, Vince sighs "No, it's just...that's not my drums" Vince says, returning to sit on the bench in front of Chase.

"That drums belonged to my best friend, and he...is gone" Vince tries to distract himself with the guitar in his hands, Chase looks at the drums "Oh" Chase looks at Vince "I'm so sorry, I had no idea" Chase looks down.

"It's okay, that was a long time ago, almost 16 years ago, i guess. But...I want to preserve it the way he left it" Vince says, Chase nods "He was a brilliant drummer, and a good-hearted guy too. So much so that he died protecting what he loved" Vince says and sighs with nostalgia.

Chase presses his lips together in pity, Vince sniffs "Okay. Uh...shall we get started?" Vince asks for adjusting the guitar, Chase smiles gently "of course" Chase says, and Vince begins to teach Chase some tricks to play guitar.

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『••✎••』

|Adam's travel diary|

#Day sixty-eight

Hey Diary! We've been in the Vince house for 13 days now and it's been super fun as far as possible.

How Harper and her sister kind of made up, Tara...or is it Lara? yeah! It's Lara...no, it's Tara, I never know. The one who is not a cyborg, decided to stay here.

But Vince has been really cool, he's been teaching Chase how to play guitar. He also takes us to his shows at the club and we spend the night there until the place closes.

I like him. And apparently so does Chase, they spend a lot of time together and Harper seems happy to reconnect with her uncle.

The only times Vince isn't around is when he gets calls he says are from agents wanting to promote his music, or when he goes to his office for meetings negotiation for shows.

But apart from these moments he spends a lot of time with us, I think it might be a good idea for us to stay here for good.

『••✎••』

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Chase is back in the studio with that same guitar, he just wears an open jacket without a shirt underneath, just like he saw Vince wear at shows. Now he plays more naturally and even closes his eyes enjoying the sound and the cold material of the guitar right on his skin.

Vince walks in with a proud smile "Oh copying my style I see" Vince points to his own jacket, Chase laughs "Not quite, I just wanted to feel more comfortable" Chase says "I'm just messing with you, and I know what you mean" Vince says, Chase smiles.

"Do you want to play something?" Vince asks, Chase shrugs and runs a hand through his hair "Suggest something?" Chase adjusts the guitar on his lap.

Vince thinks for a few seconds and looks for a paper that was on a table nearby, he puts the paper on top of the speaker in front of Chase and sits down next to him.

"What is that?" Chase asks "It's just a song I've been writing for a while, if you don't mind I could finally sing it with a guitar background." Vince says.

Chase smiles "Wow okay then" Chase says "Okay, it starts with a light sound and gets heavier in the chorus okay?" Vince says, Chase nods "Got it" he says.

♬ Life is Beautiful by Thirty Seconds to to Mars ♬

0:17 ━●━━━━━━━━ 3:18

◂◂ ∎∎ ▸▸

(A/N- I needed to add this song, mainly because Jared Leto (Vince) himself sings it and I think it's incredible)

Chase starts playing the chords lightly and Vince takes a deep breath before starting to sing "♪These scars don't lie. I'm livin' in an empty time♪" Vince sings and Chase is impressed by the guitarist's voice.

"♪Fallin' through space. I'm livin' in an empty place♪" Vince closes his eyes and stops playing better while Chase continues with the low chords.

"♪ But one truth that I know. Is that life's beautiful. Life is beautiful. Life is beautiful♪" Vince takes a deep breath before the first chorus and Chase makes a pause "♪Beautiful. Beautiful♪" Vince sings louder and Chase plays with louder, more strident chords as the song calls for.

"♪Now the Holy Ghost. That the tables toast. At the very most♪" Vince sings and Chase accompanies with the guitar and tapping one of his feet on the floor.

"♪Time to rise up again♪" Vince briefly looks at Chase, proud of the music they're making. "Kings and queens. The dreamers of dreams.Warriors scream♪" Vince sings and Chase lets out a smile when he looks at him. "♪"Time to rise up again"♪" Vince smiles back.

"♪Halos glow. The devils crow. The dealers blow. Time to rise up again♪" Vince nods his head to the rhythm and Chase looks at the guitar while not even his eyes are able to follow the moments of his fingers across the strings.

"♪Kings and queens. The dreamers of dreams. Warriors scream "Time to rise up again"♪" Vince sings, Chase wets his lips, pausing briefly for the calmer part of the song.

"♪Our dreams won't die. Still fightin' for a better life♪" Vince sings putting all his feelings into the song "♪ The king of pain. Playin' a never-ending game♪" Vince closes his eyes, Chase smirks to the rhythm, shaking his head slightly.

Harper approaches the half-open door and sees the two playing and Vince singing the chorus of the song again

She sees Chase changing and when he plays he makes faces as if he is trying to reproduce the sounds of the guitar with his mouth "♪...Warriors scream "Time to rise up again"♪" Vince sings and the lighter part of the song starts again.

"♪Time to rise up again♪" Vince sings with his eyes closed "Uuuh" Chase sings lightly and Vince opens his eyes "♪Rise up♪" Vince sings softly and he smiles at Chase who is concentrating on the guitar "♪Time to rise up again. Rise up♪" Vince sings.

"♪One truth that I know♪" Chase sings fixing himself on the guitar, his voice is soft but deep at the same time, Harper smiles blushing slightly as she peeks at the two through the door.

"♪Is that life's beautiful.♪" Chase sings along on guitar "♪Life is beautiful. Life is beautiful♪" Chase sings and Vince smiles, catching air to accompany the end of the song.

"♪Time to rise up again♪" They both sing louder "♪Rise up♪" Chase sings "♪Time to rise up again♪" Vince and Chase sing.

Harper lightly bites her lip, she felt a slight shiver when she heard Chase's voice, but she felt happy instead that he felt comfortable like this with her uncle, and that he seemed to be having fun.

"♪Rise up♪" Vince sings getting up "♪beautiful♪" Chase closes his eyes and sings a long solo while playing the guitar and Vince providing second vocals "♪Time to rise up again♪"

"♪Rise up♪" Vince sings "♪beautiful♪" Chase resumes the solo "♪Time to rise up again♪" They both sing "♪Rise up♪" The two conclude.

As soon as they finish, Harper smiles and walks away from the door, leaving the two alone.

Chase sighs laughing "Wow that was amazing!" Chase says excitedly "You're very talented kid. You feel the music, it's part of you" Vince says, Chase smiles and looks down at his face red with heat.

"I'm serious, I know talent when I see it. And it's not because I taught you a lot..." Vince says, Chase laughs "That was already knowledge you had inside of you" Vince pats him on the back.

Chase smiles, proud of himself "I don't think I ever thought of you having a talent that wasn't bionic" Chase says "Well, you're lucky to have one of the best talents there is" Vince says.

"Thanks Vince" Chase says, Vince smiles at Chase and looks out the window, Chase starts to adjust the guitar strings and doesn't notice Vince's distressed look towards the window.

Vince sighs and gets up "You can stay there playing. I just remembered I have to make a call" Vince says, Chase nods "Okay" Chase says, Vince closes the studio curtains and leaves.

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Later, Chase enters the room and sees Harper sitting on the bed watching TV.

Chase walks in and locks the door "Where's Adam?" Chase asks "He's downstairs, making some adjustments to the car" Harper says kneeling on the bed.

She's only wearing Chase's shirt, which is too big for her "I thought you ware going to stay there forever" Harper smirk.

Chase takes off his jacket "Were you spying on me?" Chase asks, Harper shakes her head "No" Harper laughs "Yes you were" Chase smiles "No I wasn't" Harper chuckles.

Chase bites his lip "You and my uncle seem to be getting along huh" Harper says "He's nice, so Yeah. he's been really nice to me and I think he likes me" Chase smiles.

"Of course he likes you, it's nice to see you two together...it makes me happy" Harper says, Chase approaches her "I'm glad to hear that" Chase says gently.

Harper hugs his neck as she kneels on the bed and he stands next to her, Chase holds her waist under her shirt.

"You know, I think this is all helping me in some way" Chase says caressing her belly with his thumbs, Harper approaches him "What do you mean?" Harper says softly.

"You know, maybe I've never focused on myself..." Chase says, Harper frowns, "you saying that?" Harper says, Chase rolls his eyes.

"You know what I mean, maybe there are parts of me that I don't know yet" Chase says, Harper sighs and kisses him from his cheek to his neck.

"I know them all. All of your personality traits are incredible Chase, you should embrace them all" Harper says softly, Chase smiles.

Chase looks into her eyes "Do you love every trait of my personality?" Chase asks, Harper nods and looks at his lips "Obviously, I love you completely" Harper says, and the two lean towards each other.

Harper kisses him softly, Chase smiles into the kiss feeling butterflies in his stomach, Chase holds her face to better fit the kiss and Harper makes it more passionate.

Chase feels his heart speed up when Harper lightly bites his bottom lip, and her hands run down his body, she slowly undoes the fly of his pants. Harper starts to gently kiss his neck.

"Well I know who you are, you're the smartest..." Harper whispers in his ear, while Chase feels his pants fall down his thighs, he sighs "Yes" Chase smile, he knows what she's doing and he just loves it.

"The cutest...The funniest.." Harper says softly with a smile Chase blushes intensely at the shiver her voice gives him "Mm-hmm keep going" Chase says softly but his voice gets thicker.

"The bravest, the most heroic" Harper starts kissing and sucking his neck, Chase throws his head back trying to control himself "Fuck. Keep going, you're amazing at this" Chase says.

"In this what huh?" Harper smirks, Chase looks at her with a piercing look, clearly turned on by the way she praises him "You such a fucking Genius baby" Chase whisper to her.

Harper blushes, feeling a little weak just because he swore "I didn't even finish telling you how badass you are" Harper says, Chase breathes heavily "It's because we've barely started" Chase pushes her on the bed, Harper falls on the bed and laughs.

"How long until Adam comes back?" Chase asks quickly, hooking a finger in the elastic of her panties, climbing on top of her "Uh, I'd say about 45 minutes" Harper smirks, spreading her legs a little, Chase nods "That's more than enough" Chase says before bending down to kiss her passionately.

Chase runs his tongue over her lips. Harper wrinkles her nose when Chase runs his lips down to her neck "Oh Yeah and a exelent lover" Harper smirk "Thanks i was waiting for this one" Chase says. Harper chuckles and holds his har as he start to kiss her neckline and unbuttons her shirt.

" Yeah, you just get turned on really easily" Harper says with her breathing accelerated hearing Chase snort softly at her neck as he holds her hips "Well, nobody's perfect" Chase says looking down at her, Harper bites her lip and nods her head hugging his waist with her legs.

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A while later, Chase decided to stay in bed while Harper got dressed and went downstairs as Adam went upstairs exhausted from working on the car.

Adam went to take a shower and Chase fell asleep. Harper then decided to go to the kitchen eating crackers and butter.

Vince walks in "What are you doing here? I thought you went to sleep" Vince says "I'm hungry, what about you?" Harper says, spreading butter on the cracker.

"Uh just...." Vince looks out the window "Travelling in my thoughts, looking for inspiration" Vince sits at the table with her.

"And I found this, in an old box" Vince puts on the table the stuffed dog with the bandana tied around its neck that Harper used to carry as a child.

"Where did you get that?" Harper asks taking the stuffed animal in her hands "After my brother disappeared for the first time. I went to your house, but there was no one there after I went to find out that you were on the island" Vince explains.

"And when I found this in that empty house, I had to keep the memory" Vince says, Harper smiles "Did you go look for me?" Harper asks "Of course, I had no idea what happened to you, if you were okay, If your father had done something" Vince says.

Harper sighs "Thank you" she says she takes the bandana off the stuffed dog's neck, Vince smirk "I think I can finally tell you who that bandana belonged to" Vince says.

"Who?" Harper asks, Vince smiles "Your mom. She wore that bandana all the time" Vince says, Harper frowns "My mom?" Harper says.

"Yeah, when she ran away this was the only thing she left behind, I kept it because I didn't want my brother to have anything that would remind him of her, I wanted him to leave her alone" Vince says.

"Did you help my mother escape?" Harper asks "Not exactly, but I was close to her and my brother at the time. I still remember the day they met..." Vince says, Harper looks at the bandana seriously.

"She never talked about me?" Vince asks "Never, she doesn't like to talk about that time in her life" Harper says, Vince nods "it makes sense.I'm glad you found your way back to each other" Vince says.

Harper smiles "Melody always had a good heart, she just had a phase..." Vince says "What was she like?" Harper asks.

"She was always very intelligent, fun, intense and beautiful... You are very similar to her, I see a lot of her in you" Vince says, Harper smiles "My brother never deserved a woman like her, none of us did... except for George" Vince says.

Harper looks at him "Have you met George Stone?" Harper asks "Did your mom tell you about him?" Vince asks "Not only that but he's my brother's father" Harper says, Vince makes a surprised face.

"George had a son?" Vince asks "Yeah, his name is Finn, he's like 16 now" Harper says, Vince gets emotional "My God" Vince almost cries but contains it with a smile.

"All good?" Harper asks "Yeah, it's just...I had no idea, I hadn't seen him in a while when I got the news...he was our drummer and my best friend" Vince says.

Harper holds her uncle's hand "I'm sorry" Harper says, Vince sighs and wipes away the tears "It's okay. At least he had time to live the happy life he deserved I see" Vince says.

"Yeah, he had a nice family" Harper says, Vince smiles, Harper takes the bandana and puts it on her head, Vince smiles "Just like your mother" Vince says proudly.

Harper looks in the mirror on the other side of the room and adjusts the bandana on her head that perfectly matches her short hair, she smiles to herself remembering Melody and imagining her with it.

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In the sixty-ninth day, since they ran away and the fourteenth day at Vince's house.

Chase and Vince were playing together again "Wow boy, you're getting better and better...it makes me jealous" Vince says, Chase laughs "I learned from the best" Chase pats him on the back.

"Look if you want, it would be cool if you played with us at a show one of these days" Vince suggests, Chase smiles "I'm flattered Vince. But I don't think it's better. I don't want to risk being discovered" Chase says.

"Oh right, true..." Vince says, Chase puts the guitar aside "Well, I promised Adam I'd help him with the car so..." Chase says "Sure no problem" Vince says.

When Chase leaves the studio he passes Tara. He leaves and Tara closes the door.

"This uncle and nephew thing that's going on between you guys is really cute..." Tara says, Vince smiles "How much longer is this shit going to last?" Tara crosses her arms.

"Excuse me?" Vince says "When are you going to tell them the truth?" Tara says, Vince drops the guitar "There's no truth to be told" Vince says.

"They're not idiots Uncle Vince, it won't take long for them to realize we're surrounded" Tara says "I have everything under control" Vince says.

"That's what you say until someone puts a gun to your forehead and you give up like a coward" Tara says, Vince gales at her angrily.

"Hey, don't forget that you're just a guest here, if you don't like it you can leave. But if you want to stay here, act accordingly and don't stick your nose in my business" Vince threatens and leaves the room.

Tara grits her teeth and sighs loudly "Fucking poker face" she mutters to herself about Vince.

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

A/N- Hey guys!! This was a long chapter but one I was most looking forward to posting.

What did you think of Vince?

What's your favorite part, and what do you think will happen in the next chapter?

I really hope you guys are enjoying it, don't forget to comment and vote, see you in the next chapter 😘