A/N: Hi everyone, long time no see. I hope everyone is doing well. Apologies for the lack of updates as I didn't know what to write since the last chapter. A scene came to me in a dream to help fill out the rest of the chapter. It's still quite difficult to get back into the groove of writing stories but I promise you, I'll work my way through it. Now, with that out of the way, please enjoy the next installment of Home Is Where the Heart Is!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Summary: The age of gods and fiends is over. The age of man began in the New World. Heartful and happy, Claire Farron is ready to live peacefully once more until an anomaly from the heavens struck the apple tree. Confused and fueled by curiosity, she pressed onward and discovered the last person she never wanted to see again; him. R&R!


Home Is Where the Heart Is (Part 2)

"What do I do? What do I do?"

These exact words repeated in her mind for the twentieth time with no signs of slowing down. Her heart madly drummed, syncing with the ticking clock pinned on the wall. The strawberry-blonde paced in the brightly lit living room as sun streaks highlighted the Time Guardian's cracked and chipped armor. She rested a finger on her chin, giving it a few taps to decide on her next course of action. First, Claire thought of calling the police, which seemed like the right thing—or sane—thing to do. Next, she thought of Serah, who was her second choice should the first choice fail. The younger Farron always remained level-headed, putting reasoning before action. Made sense. She'll know what to do. Her thoughts raced again, and her heart thumped even harder, and before she knew it, Claire returned to square one. Great.

Her heart almost leaped out of her chest when the man moved his finger, followed by a painful groan. If his eyes opened, Claire feared her heart might stop.

"Think, Claire, think." She said aloud, eyes hopped to the phone. "He doesn't belong in this world."

Already, her feet transported her to the crème-colored glossy red phone in the corner. Picking up the receiver, she pinched it between her ear and shoulder and turned to face Caius again; the man remained in the same position. Claire swallowed deeply and dialed the numbers to the police department; fingers skipped across the arched buttons with haste. Her heart continued thundering. With an expelled breath, Claire calmed herself, making a mental note that panicking won't do her any good. In the present moment, she had to stay focused. Listening carefully to the dial tone for the fourth time, she hoped someone would pick up already. Her patience waned.

"Lightning…?"

Slam! His arms crashed onto the wall and caged the woman in just like prey. Her heart skipped. Straightening her back, the strawberry-blonde returned the handle back into its cradle and bravely wheeled around, facing the Time Guardian. His eyes described his emotions; confusion, loss, hopelessness, anger, and rage tangled into a deadly concoction. But, for a man who didn't like to speak, his eyes spoke volumes instead. Putting on her best poker face, Claire stood rooted to the ground even when her knees wanted to buckle. The man's eyebrows knitted in pain, prompting his body to slump forward, angling closer and closer to her. Instinctively, Claire held his arms, stopping him from pancaking her into the wall.

Breathing in deeply, she bravely voiced his name, "Caius?"

The name ran across her skin like jagged glass, evoking heart-wrenching memories of that fateful day. How could she forget the moment her heart tore in two? Imagine. Imagine the moment the heart sprinted so fast it might explode or moments it slowed down to the point it could stop at any moment. Imagine cold, numbness spreading through the body, stemming from the heart. Feelings of being human are temporarily robbed and replaced by nothingness. The heart constricted, wanting its host to suffer as much as it did. As if the body hadn't suffered enough, the mind, one of the cruelest organs in the body, played tricks, plaguing the rest of the body with hopeless verses.

Caius gripped her round shoulders with little strength he had. His fingers shook.

Summoning his voice, he said, "You're… alive."

"O-Of course, I'm alive," Claire answered. Her eyes sank to her fingers, waiting for the moment he'd turn into sand. Fate was cruel enough to do that again, after all.

Caius whimpered, feeling the sides of his ribs throb with each exhaled breath. "How… did I get here?"

"I don't know," She answered truthfully. Claire was equally confused as he was. The age of gods and magick was no more. So what kind of trickery was this?

He drew another breath. "I… I must go."

While his heart wanted one thing, his legs surrendered to gravity, abruptly pulling the woman down with him. He heavily breathed, feeling every fiber in his body scream in agony. Caius had no recollection of why his body felt the way it did, but one possibility flashed through his mind; he participated in a battle. Yes, that must be it. Releasing another groan, the sides of his head throbbed. His mind felt hollow but heavy, flooded with fractured memories and emotions from eons past. Caius shook his head, attempting to focus. Claire frowned, watching the man wrestle to stay composed from whatever demons he internally faced. She didn't need magick to tell her the man suffered.

She drew a deep breath, fingers clenched on his arm, and slowly threw his arm over her shoulders. Claire helped Caius off the floor with one big huff, gingerly transporting the Time Guardian back to the couch, watching his body sink into it. Now what? Stepping back, she accidentally knocked over the man's chipped sword. Thud! It sounded. Her eyes narrowed. She remembered the battles she endured during their cataclysmic clashes across the land, shaking the earth's foundations or sending deathly magical beams into the sky. Flecks of steel burst when their swords crossed. Droplets of blood painted the ground where they stood when steel glided effortlessly across exposed flesh, wounding the host but never enough to bring them to their knees.

"Goddamn it." She pinched the area between her eyes. "Back to square one, again. I should call Serah."


The younger Farron pulled out a tray of blueberry muffins from the stove, marked by its distinctive sweet smell.

"Hello, yummy!" She happily exclaimed and twirled in place. "Let's see if this new recipe is as good as it claims from the blog. I doubt it, though."

Serah's eyes shifted to the small tablet on the counter. The author of the blog claimed it was the best recipe in the New World, unmatched. Serah had her reservations, obviously. Placing the warm tray onto the marble counter, she was about to reach for one delicious muffin before her actions were interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. Serah skated over to the white phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Claire greeted, feeling her heart spring into the back of her throat. She winced and continued, "You're not going to believe what happened."

"Yeah? I'm listening." The younger Farron responded as her fingers twirled on the coiled receiver line. Goodness, those muffins look delicious. I'm going to eat you, just you wait!

Claire composed herself and said, "Caius is alive."

The thought of muffins dissipated. Serah blinked. "Say what now?"

The older Farron nodded. "It's true," she said in a whisper. "He suddenly appeared and… And I don't know what to think. This world isn't ready for the likes of him."

"Calm down," Serah said through the receiver. "What's he doing now?"

"He's passed out on the couch." The woman peered into the living room. Caius remained stationary. Leaning against the wall, she continued, "Any bright ideas on what to do?"

"Honestly? I'm as clueless as you are. What will you do when Klaus sees him? Knowing him, he'll bombard you with questions."

That was one thing she wasn't looking forward to at all. But, on the other hand, Klaus was driven by curiosity, and he could ask questions for days. "Please, don't remind me. I'll… I'll think of something."

"I bet." Serah nodded, sensing her sister's uneasiness. Serah never knew the full story of what transpired between Claire and Caius, and she wasn't going to prod for the backstory, either. A small smile appeared on her glossy lips. "For now, stay calm and focused, alright? Think about Klaus's birthday party. Maybe you can hide Caius in the guestroom?"

That sounded like the best plan right now. "I guess I can do that." Her shoulder slumped. "Afterwards, I need to prepare for the party before Klaus gets home. Don't forget to stall him."

"Roger that. I'm good with stalling." Serah smiled.

"Good to hear. I'll see you later then,"

"Gotcha. Bye!"

She placed down the handle and rubbed the sides of her temple. Okay, she could do this. All she needed to do was drag Caius's deadweight into the guestroom down the hall and lock the door. Sounds simple enough. Really, out of all the days Caius had to appear, it was today, on his son's birthday. Was it a coincidence? Maybe. Shaking her head, Claire traveled back to the living room with a mission. Sailing to his side, Claire once again threw his arm around her shoulder and slowly walked down the hallway. With each step they took, she listened to his rough breathing as if his lungs were lined with sandpaper.

Reaching the closed door, she unlocked it and journeyed to the sheetless bed, dumping the man on it. The mattress gave a little bounce, reminding her that this was probably the first time the bed was used. At least she didn't have to feel guilty about buying an extra bed; after all, Claire bought it at a discounted rate at the warehouse clearance sale. Who could say no to that? Well, whatever. Quickly ducking out of the room, her next mission was retrieving his cursed weapon. Holding it, Claire grunted, surprised by the sheer fact she was unable to lift it! The woman blinked. Oh, that's right. She was no longer a demi-god with crazy strength with magick racing through her body like before. She was a regular human now. Biting her lower lip, the best she could do was drag it across the polished wooden floor, leaving an unsightly trail of damage in its wake.


"Balloons, check. Decorations, check. Gifts? Done." Claire's eyes hopscotched across the room, taking note of last-minute preparations before the party started. Finally, her eyes dropped to the two-tiered chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and four colorful candles by its side. The frosting was a bit lopsided but eh, good enough. Baking wasn't her forte.

Wiping the sweat off her brow, everything was perfect! Washing her hands, Claire waited for the doorbell to ring. Perhaps on cue, at four-thirty sharp, the doorbell chimed, prompting the mother to trek to the front door. She greeted the guests with a smile before her legs were caught in a child's embrace, followed by nuzzling. Every time he did it, she smiled. This mother thing was still new to her, filled with ups and lows; through tears and tantrums, Claire couldn't love him any less. Yet, every time he smiled or laughed, the expression made her heart flutter and her soul swell with a mother's love, a type of love she had experienced once, a long time ago. She wished her mother was here to see this.

Claire placed a hand on his head. "Did you have a good day at school?"

Klaus nodded excitedly. "Yes! My class sang happy birthday to me, and I got all sorts of presents!"

Quickly peeling off her, Klaus dove into his backpack and pulled out presents wrapped in glossy and matte gift paper. Klaus pulled out one of the gifts. It was a Cactuar toy with a candle on its head. At a press of a button, the arms and legs moved as a song played from its mouth. Klaus danced and bopped happily. Serah giggled.

The younger Farron looked at her sister. "He had a lovely time at school. His teacher told me everything."

Claire nodded. "Why don't you two come in? The party can't start without the birthday boy."

Klaus picked up his belongings and skipped inside, eyes growing to the size of oranges at the sight of his colorful home decked in ribbons and balloons. He screamed—well, squealed—at the sight of red balloons stuck to the table. Klaus gave it a couple of pats before dashing off to a Carbuncle balloon taped to the dining room chair. Serah watched her nephew zipped about. Relieving Serah of the paper bags cradled in her arms, the older Farron headed to the counter. Serah followed.

Slightly turning her head, she made sure Klaus was out of earshot.

Diving a hand into one of the bags, she spoke, "How is he?"

"Weak," Claire answered, pulling out a bar of chocolate then a lettuce head.

Serah softened her eyes, diverting her gaze away from her sister. "What do you think he's doing now?"

"Probably dead asleep," Claire answered, pulling out two glass bottles of milk from the bag. "As long as he doesn't come out from his room or Klaus goes into the room, everything will be fine."


At six-thirty PM, Serah dimmed the lights and pointed her smartphone at Klaus seated at the birthday table. Her sister stood behind her bouncing boy, fitting him with a birthday hat. Klaus was in awe by the size of his birthday cake and intense frosting. He didn't blink once his mother pulled it from the fridge. Claire smiled and started to sing, hands clapping in sync with the birthday tunes. Klaus eagerly bounced, barely containing his excitement to blow out the candles!

The sisters watched Klaus puff up his tiny chest before blowing out the candles in one mighty swoosh. Serah and Claire clapped jubilantly and embraced him with a loving hug, sandwiching the boy. He loved the attention. Kissing his cheek, Claire smiled, and Serah pulled away, heading to the gifts hidden in the closet. She remembered how difficult it was to sneak into the house without Klaus noticing during the weekend. Everything was a joint mission, just like old times.

Klaus couldn't wait to dig into his birthday cake, watching his mother cut the cake into hug slices he would stuff his face into. That's the life! Hearing footsteps from behind, Claire turned to the side, expecting to see Serah's face but instead, her face turned white. Klaus turned as well, blue eyes landing on the strange man dressed in black and purple.

Caius stood in the kitchen with eyes locked onto Claire and the little boy and the sliced birthday cake in front of him. Not a single soul moved. The young mother's heart stormed inside her chest to the point the organ viciously rammed against her rib cage, wanting to escape its imprisonment. Klaus blinked. Swinging his legs off the chair, he slowly walked to the man in black.

When Claire snapped out of her stupor, she shrieked, "Klaus! Get back here!"

Klaus was never one who listened to instructions. Instead, the boy reached out to the man's hand. The moment their fingers touched, images exploded through the boy's mind, showing him bursts of a vibrant world, a dying world, and this man with his mother on the beach with black sand. Another flash revealed a piece of paper with his name written in a language he did not understand. Klaus pulled away. His little heart thumped and thumped. A wave of strange emotions washed over him as if he knew his man.

"…Daddy?"

Claire swooped and cradled her little boy. Serah cautiously entered the kitchen, heading to her sister's side.

"Stay calm," Serah advised, a hand rested on her sister's trembling arm.

Caius looked at the other pink-haired woman. "Water…"

"O-Of course."

Serah sailed to the sink and grabbed a glass of water. Filling it up, she returned to the man. Caius's hawklike gaze never left the little boy. When he was touched, he experienced flashes—his memories—played before him. So many of those memories he believed were lost, yet somehow, this little boy awakened them. And perhaps the most puzzling piece to come out of his mouth was the word, 'Daddy.' Did… did he sire the boy? When? Caius remembered battling the Valkyrie and defending the Seeress till his last breath. However, how could he explain the sensations bubbling in his chest? Inside felt tight, constricted by an invisible serpent when his memories projected the moment he embraced the Warrior Goddess in his arms. His memories rang as words formed at the tip of his tongue, waiting to speak the exact words he did to her many moons ago.

The age of gods and magick was no more. The Warrior Goddess was alive with her son and younger sibling. And most surprising of all, he was alive. So what on earth was going on?