What about …

"I want you. I need you," Zack whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek. "But I'll never love you."

Maura leaned back to look at him. Those gorgeous glowing blue eyes of his met hers, and he smiled slightly, a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. Her anger simmered over, and she slapped his ivory colored cheek, staining it with a bright red handprint.

"I deserved that," he responded, placing his fingertips against the angry red mark that was beginning to throb. "I thought I was shallow enough that you could see right through me from the beginning. You should have known."

Another biting slap landed on his face; this time on his opposite cheek to give him a matching set of handprints. Now he was beginning to get irritated. It was her fault she fell in love not his. His eyes met her jewel like green eyes as his hands grasped her arms and gently pushed her away. He hadn't wanted to break her heart, but some things can't be helped.

"Good-bye then," she said suddenly, standing up to make a hasty exit. She bumped into someone and mumbled a quick 'excuse me' keeping her head tucked down as tears filled her eyes while she virtually ran from the busy night club. How embarrassing. Crying over the likes of him – Zack Fair. For him to break up with her in such a public place also was humiliating but seemed appropriate. He always did like to cause a scene and have all eyes on him.

It was indeed her fault that she was hurt right now because she had known the type of man he was. Not only had his reputation preceded him, but he had flirted openly and without shame right in front of her because that is just the type of womanizer he is. He was never subtle about his intentions toward other women or his lack of them toward her.

Maura burst out of the door of the club, breathing in the cold night air greedily. She had not realized she had been holding her breath. A pitiful, strangled sob escaped her throat and echoed through the freezing night air. She couldn't break down out here. Something cold and wet hit her cheek and she felt several more drops fall into her thick russet colored hair that hung in long loose curls down her back. Great-even the sky was crying. This would help improve her mood. She pulled her coat tightly around her against the cold that was quickly becoming a very wet cold. Her eyes stayed glued to the wet sidewalk to avoid the swiftly gathering puddles as she hurried home. She didn't see the man right in front of her until the toes of his black shoes came into view. By then it was too late to stop before she barreled straight into him. She looked up into clear arctic blue eyes with fringes of red bangs hanging over them. 'Oh, great. Another asshole. And the wonderful evening continues,' she thought to herself as she glared at Reno.

"Maura? Are you all right?" he asked, avoiding touching her because of the caustic look she was giving him. He was surprised he hadn't burst into flames yet by the way she was looking at him.

"I'll be fine. I'm just in a hurry to get home out of the rain," she said which of course was only part of the truth. She looked back down at the sidewalk, prepared to continue on her way.

"I'll walk with you," he offered, stepping back at her extraordinarily vehement protest of one word - NO. She was usually so soft spoken the harsh display of anger from her stunned him. She raised her eyes to his again and he could see that she was crying. Oh, now he knew what the problem was.

Maura attempted to hide her tears from his piercing blue eyes, but it was too late. She gave him a weak smile before apologizing for bumping into him and sidestepping him so she could continue on her way home. She could hear him walking behind her, but she did not turn around to yell at him to stop following her. Not only was she too weak to protest, she wouldn't mind the company right now – not even from him. He could be irritating and flirtatious, but she hoped he wouldn't try to take advantage of the situation to get her into bed. If anything, maybe he would just annoy her in an attempt to make her laugh. Not a single word was spoken between them as they hurried to her apartment to get out of the ever increasing rain. She unlocked the door, leaving it open for him to enter. She went through the kitchen, putting the tea kettle in the sink to fill it with water while she kicked off her soaking wet high heels and threw her coat on the floor. Leaving him standing in the foyer to drip on the floor, she rushed to her bedroom to get them some towels.

"Here, Reno," Maura said, throwing a towel at him. "You can go to my bathroom to change. I left something in there for you. I know it's women's clothes but they're dry and you'll be warm."

"I know of a way you can warm me up," he said, throwing her a lopsided grin. He's not wasting any time pouring on the charm.

Reno walked out of the bathroom looking as ridiculous as he felt in the too short sweatpants and the tight black t shirt, but he knew it was this or go naked. He wouldn't mind the naked part but she would and he really didn't feel like being kicked back out into the freezing rain. He was thrilled that for once he had been in the right place at the right time and had bumped into her, literally. He was walking toward her living room when he saw that her bedroom door was not completely shut and he could see her reflection in the mirror on the dresser. He couldn't stop watching as she pulled the drenched black dress over her head revealing her perfectly smooth, creamy white back and a tight round ass. He bit his lower lip to hold back moan of lust as he stared at her naked body. He wasn't able to stop the groan that left his lips when she turned and he could see her lovely round breasts that would be the perfect handful.

"Reno? Are you okay?" she asked, throwing a t shirt over her head.

"Uh, yeah! I just tripped on something," he lied then actually did it. He cursed under his breath as he rubbed his sore toe, kicking the book under the coffee table. He looked around the room at the packed bookshelves that lined every wall except the one dominated by a fireplace. Why did a woman who was so pretty feel the need to be smart too? "Awesome," he murmured to himself when he saw all had to do was flip a switch to turn on the gas logs in the fireplace. "So much better than the old fashioned way. Pffftt…wood. Who needs it?"

Maura heard the tea kettle begin to whistle so she ran to the kitchen to fix their tea to warm them up. She was dressed in sweatpants and a t shirt herself when she came to the living room with the steaming cups in her hands. After handing him his cup, she settled down beside him. She grabbed the brown fuzzy blanket from the back of the couch to throw it over the both of them so they could get warm faster.

"Reno, do you think some people just aren't meant to be loved?" Maura asked in her typical straightforward but polite manner. The woman was quiet and somewhat shy, but she had the ability to nail people's ass to a wall with a simple question. She had the gift of saying so much in few words; a gift most women don't have. Most women think they can make a better point by the sheer volume of words they hurl at a man.

"If you're referring to yourself, no. You'll find someone who loves you if you quit looking in the wrong places and in the wrong men," he replied in an equally forthright manner.

"What about you? Why haven't found someone to love?" she inquired candidly, staring straight ahead. She could almost feel his blue eyes as they studied her face with unabashed curiosity. She could have answered that question, but she wanted to hear his answer.

"Seriously? It would take a special woman to put up with my brand of sarcasm. I take being a smart ass to an art form. Abrasive, short tempered, and always looking for a fight," he said candidly, giving a fair assessment of himself. "Who would want to curse their kid with this red hair?"

"Oh, I don't know. I've always liked the color of your hair myself," she murmured, reaching out to run her hand through his spikey crayola red locks. The human porcupine, even the rain couldn't keep those quills down. She flipped her hair, drawing her attention to her long dark auburn curls. "Besides, what's wrong with redheads? Fiery, passionate, hot tempered and hot blooded. They make great lovers." She leaned toward him, licking her lips suggestively.

"Okay, now you're just being a tease," he snapped, pushing her back from him with a hand on her forehead.

"What about Cloud?" Reno asked, raising the cup to his lips to take a sip.

"What about Cloud?" Maura retorted, raising an eyebrow at him over coffee cup. She knew what he was getting at by throwing the name of the cute blond at her, but she wanted to irritate him.

"He's good looking. Quiet and shy like you. He's very loving and sincere," he went on extolling the virtues of the wonderful Cloud Strife, and she agreed with them all. "You could fall in love with him, couldn't you?"

"Not if you already have," she quipped, receiving a gentle tap on the forehead that stung slightly. She quickly took a sip of tea to cover up her smile.

"What about Vincent?"

"The brooding silent type still pining over a dead woman after all these years. Tragic and pathetic. He's good looking but a little too dramatic for my taste."

"Don't be cruel," he chided, slapping her on the hip since he couldn't reach her behind.

They both laughed at that. They didn't realize they were steadily getting closer as they faced each other on the couch.

"Rude?" she ventured. It was her turn to name drop.

"That would be a quiet relationship. Too quiet. Silence is golden, but it would be platinum between you two," Reno joked, flicking her nose.

"Sephiroth?" They stared at each other for two seconds then in unison shook their heads. "No. He's got that aggravating god complex."

"What about Genesis?" he inquired, moving closer to her without realizing it.

"Is he even straight? How many straight men do you know who can spout off a whole love sonnet at a moment's notice? And he's so pretty. I just want to run my fingers through that gorgeous red hair, but he'd probably stab me for doing so" she giggled.

"I suppose you're right," he admitted, his shoulders collapsing in defeat. Their list was almost done.

"What about Angeal," she stated rather than asked. He was a bit on the serious and sullen side, but he seemed dependable and able to carry on a real relationship. He struck her as the type that when he loved, he loved deeply and without limits. The fact that he looked like an older, more masculine version of Zack, who happened to be his prized pupil, might be part of her motivation for being interested in him. Maybe that wouldn't be a good idea either. She guessed she was out of options. She looked at the gangly man with the gorgeous ivory complexion sitting beside her who appeared to be deep in thought as he sipped his tea. Her gaze shifted so that she was staring straight ahead and looking away from him. She dared to ask, "What about you?"

"Me?" Reno spluttered, choking on his tea.

"We're examining hypothetical possibilities right? What about you?" she repeated, staring at him with her emerald green eyes.

Reno thought for a moment, leaning forward to place his cup on the coffee table in front of him. 'Why not me?' he wondered silently avoiding the inquisitive stare of the woman next to him. Why shouldn't he try to love her? She was quite lovely with her emerald green eyes and dark red hair. Her creamy white skin looked like it would so soft and smooth under his fingertips. The cutest little sprinkling of freckles covered her nose and cheeks. She didn't seem to talk a lot and he had never heard her complain. She had done it again; inadvertently pushed him into an uncomfortable corner with a single question.

"Never mind. It was just a stupid question," she sighed, standing up to take both of their empty cups to the kitchen. She stopped when he reached out to grab her wrist, his fingers tenderly yet firmly holding her still.

"What about you?" he asked, staring up into her eyes. "Would you really want me?"

Maura stared into the stunning blue eyes that were usually full of mischief but now were full of something akin to hopeful longing. She sat back down, putting the cups back on the table. Her fingers moved to his face, touching his ivory cheek that began to turn the prettiest shade of pink. She chewed on her bottom lip to resist the urge to press her lips to his lovely pink lips. He was a thin, almost awkward looking man; noting but arms and legs with that wild red hair on top, but his face was quite handsome, and she could get lost in his mesmerizing blue eyes. He had the most beautiful mouth she had ever see on a man; full pouty lips the color of ripe raspberries and perfect for kissing.

"What would you do if I said yes?" she asked, placing her hand on his cheek as he leaned toward her.

Maura closed her eyes in anticipation of the kiss, surprised and disappointed when it didn't come. She opened her eyes to look at him to see a small smile of satisfaction on his lips. "What are you thinking about?" she whispered, rubbing her nose against his.

"What you looked like when I saw you in the bedroom," he answered, pressing his lips against hers before she could say anything else.

Maura started to tremble in his arms as his mouth moved against hers. Her hands moved into his hair, her fingers twisting into the coarse, spikey mane. A quiet moan escaped her as he kissed her with a light touch and undemanding manner. "Wow," she murmured, when he leaned back to look at her.

"I think so too. Can I do it again?" Reno asked excitedly, his crystal blue eyes studying her face.

"Please do," she requested, pulling him back to her. She reveled in the gentle almost chaste kiss. It was like getting her first kiss ever all over again. It was sweet and poignant; more exciting in its innocence than some of the arousing tonsil inspections she had shared with Zack. She wouldn't have expected Reno to kiss like this.

"What about me?" He ran his fingers through her hair as he looked into her glittering green eyes.

"Yes, I want you. Kiss me again."