A/N: This is written episodically. Mostly because this is how it occurred to me, and partially because the time within the story is quite long while the meat of the story is more condensed.

As always, statements in double quotes are speech, statements without quotes are thoughts, and single quotes are special based on their context (onomatopoeia, euphemism, quoting another, etc.).

Guys' Night, Lebreau's Lounge, Saturday...

"So. You...," Fang indicated the three men seated with her one-by-one, "want to see what we do on Ladies' Night."

Snow nodded enthusiastically while Noel was more cautious in his affirmative. Hope closed his eyes in resigned misery. Trademark audacious grin plastered amongst his stubble, Snow spoke for all of them...sort of. "Bingo! I mean, we trust the ladies, but you get to enjoy Guys' and Gals' Nights..." Here the usually intrepid man slowed to a halt.

Envisioning what Serah will do to him. Hope's uncharitable thoughts spilled from his mind and out of his mouth without a filter. "Nevermind what Light will do to all of us..."

Noel shot his friend a disconcerted look. "Yeah, um, what it boils down to..."

Fang interrupted him with a smirk. "You're jealous? How cute."

"Hey! Not jealous." Noel was interrupted again, this time by Snow.

"Speak for yourself! Besides, weren't you the one crying about Yeul being more lively than usual after going out with the others a couple months back?"

"And?" Noel's blue eyes darkened under the sting of Snow's words. "You were griping that Serah wasn't as accommodating—"

"Hey! That was said in confidence!"

"Exactly." Hope's quiet, emphatic statement cut the other men's argument short. I so do not want to know any more than necessary about their private lives!

"Huh?" Snow's grunt caused Hope to shake his head.

"Think about it, Snow. When we meet up without Lightning and the others, we talk about things we don't necessarily want to share with them in that specific way. Right?"

"Well, yeah. So?"

Noel facepalmed hard enough to hear. "Dude. Seriously?" Snow casually flipped the young man off. Before the two began another argument, Hope continued.

"Don't you think Light and the others might do the same thing? And, if so, don't you think they might be just a bit upset?"

"Heh. Sis doesn't get 'a bit' anything. It's all or nothing with her."

That comment got under Hope's skin. He snarled, "You think I don't know that?!"

"This is entertaining and all, but I need to know if you're serious about spying on your other halves?" Fang's eyes glinted in pained understanding as Hope flinched. Sorry, kid. You and Sunshine need to bite the bullet on this Not-Quite-Relationship Thing you've got going.

Not looking at the others, Snow again nodded. His enthusiasm was undiminished by logic and the near-guaranteed aftermath of getting caught. Noel nodded as well, and Hope whimpered pained gibberish.

"I'll consider that a unanimous 'Yes'." Fang smiled and winked in Hope's direction. You'll thank me for this later.

"Well, it's been fun, but I need to go. I'll let you know the when, where, and how." The Oerban placed her hands on her knees and pushed herself upright. "It might take some time." She shot a glare at the large blonde while she addressed the entire table. "Try to behave until then."

"No promises." Snow's cocky grin vanished under the dual onslaught of Lebreau slapping the back of his head and Hope kicking his shin under the table. He muttered, "Ow!"

"Don't worry, Fang. I'll keep him ready for Serah's and Lightning's beating when he gets caught." The NORA member winked.

"Whose side are you on?" Snow's indignant question caused both women to laugh uproariously.

"Ciao." The tall woman gave a casual wave as she walked away.

Lebreau leveled a glare of her own at Snow, who wilted more than a little. "I'm not letting you share the blame with these two when it's your bone-headed idea to spy on Lightning and Serah!"

"No one said they had to come."

Just as the other two men sighed in relief at the reprieve, Fang's voice drifted back. "Oh, yes they do if I'm putting my neck on the line for this!"

Hope glared at his friend. "Snow, I'm going to kill you for this!"

"Didn't you already try that?" Snow was unphased by Hope's threat.

"Seriously?" Noel sent an evil grin Snow's way. "How could you miss?"

Hope growled in frustration. "I didn't. Like an idiot, I changed my mind at the last second."

Noel snorted as he tried to not drown on his beer. Snow responded, "I seem to remember a couple of missiles interfering."

"Shut up, Snow. I was still thinking about stabbing you when I came to."

Snow decided to let the matter drop in favor of reassuring his friends. "Don't worry. What could possibly go wrong?" He opened his arms wide reminding Hope of Lake Bresha.

Without missing a beat, Hope and Noel said, "Lightning."

Fang and Vanille's Home, Twenty Minutes Later...

Fang stepped into the home she and Vanille shared, a small bungalow with a flower garden in front and a vegetable garden in back. "'Nille! I'm home."

"Fang!" The always exuberant Vanille skipped from the back of the house. "You're home early."

"Yeah, well, Snow was being a bone-head, and I didn't want to stick around long enough to be called as a prosecution witness in the trials of Noel Kreiss and Hope Estheim regarding the murder of Snow Villiers."

Vanille giggled at her wife's sardonic summation of the evening's Guys' Night. For her part, Fang pulled the smaller woman closer and wrapped her in a hug. Perfection.

"It couldn't have been that bad." The red-head's muffled voice broke the spell.

"Oh yes it was. You wouldn't believe..." Fang paused. "Actually, it was Snow's idea so you might." The brunette pretended to flinch from the poke her partner across four worlds gave her. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you true, Vanille, I need your help with this one."

"Of course. So what's Snow's idea?"

"Would you believe spying on us during one of our Ladies' Nights?"

Emerald eyes widened surprisingly wide as Vanille pulled her hands to her chin. "What? Why?!"

"Jealousy he says. He wants to know what Serah's doing when it's just us."

"What about Noel and Hope? Surely they—"

"Noel's young and insecure. He's for it as long as everyone understands it's not because of jealousy." Fang looked away with a faraway gaze. "As for Hope... He was the voice of reason, like always." Gaze gaining a calculating edge, Fang looked at Vanille. "Truth is Hope doesn't want to do this, mostly."

"What do you mean 'mostly'?" Curiosity piqued, Vanille thought of all the reasons the normally detached scientist might go along with Snow's foolhardy plan.

"Here's what I think and why I need your help. Yours, Yeul's, and Serah's..."

Vanille nodded in understanding. "Hope and Lightning are having a hard time of it, aren't they?"

"Yeah. And while Hope isn't for it, he didn't say 'No', either." Fang paused to assess her partner's likely response. "I kinda forced his hand."

Shaking her head reprovingly, the younger of the two nevertheless asked, "What can I do?"

Fang's sharp smile widened. "That's my girl. I need you to get Serah and Yeul to meet us here Thursday evening. Tell Serah we need to figure out a way to get her sister to dance. And I'm not talking that 'barely moving 'cause I have no rhythm' crap! With as graceful as that woman was on the battlefield, there's no way she didn't take dance or gymnastics lessons."

"What are you planning?" Curious green eyes stared into determined grey-green.

The taller woman snickered. "How much would you pay to see Snow or Noel tripping all over themselves to get to their ladies before any other guy on the dance floor?"

Giggling again, Vanille acknowledged, "Quite a bit."

Fang's expression turned cunning and a bit ruthless. "Now how much would you pay to see Hope and Light dancing in the middle of that same floor?"

The red-head gasped in unfeigned horror. "Light will kill him; all of them!"

A nonchalant shrug accompanied the older Oerban's answer. "Snow—Yes. Noel—Maybe. Hope—Never."

After some thought, Vanille agreed. "True. How are we doing this?"

"With allies, lessons, and lots of alcohol." The two dissolved into evil laughter. You deserve this, Sunshine.