Frozen solid wouldn't have been appropriate, considering his feet were numb. The mockery of him later for refraining from removing the gauntlets of his shoes could never do the justice… because wearing the metal plating didn't matter in this weather. It was just that cold.

Lifting one leg high, Vincent studied its downward plunge into the knee high thick layer of snow. The destruction of flakes beneath his boot was a rhythmic pounding, something to focus on besides the bite on the exposed skin of his cheeks and nose. Tilting his head downward, the attempts to hide his face from the onslaught didn't seem to help any.

If there had been wind, surely the storm could have been worse. Vincent had paid attention to the weather, surprisingly enough, even if he barely remained within his apartment to do anything but sleep the day away.

Yuffie had confronted him with his strange habits, concerned that he was leading a life that nobody would want to hear about. He listened, but didn't necessarily hear while she continued ranting at him in his apartment. Of course there had been some consideration as to why he refused to kick her out, but an answer eluded him. It was she, however, who had to swallow her own words.

Vincent had merely slipped into the former role that he had lost after that horrible confrontation with Hojo. Reno and Rude gladly accepted his legendary return, hailing him the "best of the best". The nicknames he could ignore, but the honor was something else entirely. He could have wished his life had remained the same, but then his fate would have changed as well. One little change and someone's whole world could transform upside down.

Vincent Valentine never fought change, unlike some people he knew. While the others, especially Cloud, had discovered difficulties, Vincent had taken it in stride. Surprising from a man who had slept for thirty years. Vincent snorted, watching has his breath misted about his face. There were so many possibilities with his life, where he could end up. Maybe there was that chance for a happily ever after for him, or maybe he would continue treading on the lifestyle he was currently leading. Change came in unexpected and unusual ways, he only had to steal a glimpse of it to either accept or deny.

"Vincent!"

The gunslinger turned, wincing as something cold struck his cheek only to begin melting down his flesh. Blinking away the stray flakes, he stared at Tifa, standing triumphantly near a snow pile, a gorge now in its smooth surface. In her gloves, another ball of white danger was being formed- all the while the innocent smile remaining on her face.

"I thought I'd check up on you, seeing as you never answer your phone though you're always home."

Vincent stepped back, nearly falling into the snow behind him as he debated her simple, yet powerful statement. If she had known his avoidance, why visit him in the middle of a blizzard?

"…Tifa."

She laughed, playful and bright only to regard him like an amused mother. "I really don't care about your excuses Vincent," she shrugged, packing the snow a little more tightly within her hands. "I know you always say not to worry, but I do, you know? Kind of hard not to when a friend of yours refuses to return your calls, no matter how many times you try."

Those calls were still on his machine… and he had listened to all of them. Some more than others, though he refused to admit how replaying them all on a restless night relaxed him into slumber. Bowing his head, he stubbornly kept his eyes open as the snowflakes landed along his thick lashes.

"I am sorry," He muttered.

"Hey Vincent?" she called. Vincent's head snapped up, only to greet a cold, wet blop of snow. Reaching up with his gauntlet to wipe it from his face, he glowered at her giggling eyes. "You need to live a little."

"If you mean by a snowball fight, I think you're mistaken," he said dryly.

Her eyes lowered in defeat, the smile gone from her pink lips. His heart instantly sank, knowing for certain that he had failed her in some way, something he had promised himself never to do. And yet, he already had, after her constant calls- one every night even just to leave the message to wish good dreams. Not once had he pried the receiver away from the counsel just to wish her a good evening as well.

Another promise broken to another one he cared about.

Bending down, he handled the snow carefully and quickly- in fear that it would just melt in his hands. He was rusty and considering the forever remaining gauntlet on his left forearm, the snowball was a little less than impressive by any means. Children could most likely do better than his attempt.

"Tifa."

She looked up then, and he threw. It had been hesitant, afraid of her reaction to his sudden desire to be with her; even it was merely child's play. Tifa had managed to dodge it anyways, her smile reappearing as if he had promised to give her the whole world.

Something simple as a snowball could honestly make someone happy and it stunned him. Deep down, he could feel the adrenaline and excitement bubbling upwards as well. The job he had took up seemed to devoid his whole body of the former emotion, and Tifa always had an endless supply of happiness she enjoyed sharing. Vincent merely had to be the one to accept it.

He crouched, prepared to become defensive as she readied another one from the vastness of snow. The cold could be ignored now, but not because he was focused on the ready snowball in her grasp- instead, it was the relaxed look on her face, something apparently barely witnessed since Cloud had moved into his own apartment.

"Yuffie informed me of Cloud's departure," Vincent rumbled, striking up a conversation as he ducked.

Her voice chimed through the crisp weather, "How much has Yuffie told you nowadays? You're keeping tabs with her, but not with me?" The edge was minimal, but still coating her words to create a wound. Vincent winced as he threw another one, hitting his mark right in the middle of her black coat. She stared at it in surprise, as well as he, before Tifa quickly began preparing a counterattack.

Moving away from their sidewalk playground and into the yard of his apartment building, Vincent took up post behind a thick mound the plow had conveniently erected. Tifa snuck up behind a thick bush on the opposite side of the yard. He could see her moving between the gnarled branches as she set about to create ammunition. Vincent's hands began working on auto pilot, his mind slightly noting the better quality of his snowballs than the first.

"She broke my door in," he stated, loud enough for her to clearly hear him. Tifa's head poked above the bush, her eyes wide with awe. "Informed me that I needed to get a better life than the one I am leading," he finished with a grunt. It wasn't the only thing she had screamed at him about, and with the way his mind processed frustrating topics, the new life was the least of his worries.

Tifa was the top of the list, especially when Yuffie claimed that the martial artist waited for his calls every night. The ninja couldn't be right, could she? Of all the people for Tifa to count on, with all her other friends, why did she wait by the phone for his call? Even when she should have understood that it wouldn't come.

Now here she was, in the middle of the night, heading over to his apartment to see him. If he hadn't been out, she might have been unable to enter- especially if he fell asleep. Though, some part of him knew she would be waiting on his doorstep when he left to convene with Reno and Rude. She had always been waiting.

Smirking, Vincent snatched the nearest snowball and threw, only to miss by inches as she disappeared behind her makeshift fort in time. It landed a few feet behind her, leaving a dent in the perfect scenery.

"What life is she expecting you to go looking for?" She asked softly.

Vincent frowned, leaning against the ridge of his defensive post. Tifa was hopeful that he would find a new life as well, why was suddenly everyone on his case? First Yuffie, now Tifa- one of the very few Vincent trusted with his secrets.

"I'm not sure," He admitted, relieved that she had accepted the topic he wished to enter.

A plop on his head signaled her arrival and he glanced up at the beaming face above him. She now had the higher ground, with an arm load of weaponry. Debating his options quickly, he discovered he only had two- accept his defeat or go down trying.

"Maybe she's just concerned because you've tuned all of us out… did she honestly break your door down?" The skeptical amusement at the thought of Yuffie quite literally breaking the hinges off the door caused a brief hesitation and Vincent took the opportunity.

Vincent bolted, running for Tifa's side of the battlefield while throwing one of his pre-made snowballs in the process. His attention, however, was focused on the flying snow rather than the dangerous layer along the ground. Trudging through it at top speed only sent his body rocketing forward without his feet following. Sinking into the white powder, he groaned as a thick handful of snow managed to slip its way down the collar of his cloak. Shuddering at the icy droplets melting along the flesh of his back, he clamped his mouth shut. The last thing he needed was the humiliation of his teeth rattling from the cold.

"Vincent!" Tifa called, and he could hear the crunch of the snow underneath her boot. She popped into his view, mocking concern fleeting across her face. "You are very bad in snowball fights," she admitted, laughing as he lay, sprawled in the snow.

Growling, he lunged forward just enough to snatch her arm and bring her down with him. She cried out in laughter while landing beside him with a grunt. Together, they sat breathing heavily from their play.

"…Are you cold Vincent?" Tifa questioned, and suddenly her hand was there; warm against the ice of his cheek. Her glove had been removed, probably just to test the temperature of his skin, but the outcome would have changed- would have been different, if she had just kept the blasted mitten on.

The desire just to relax underneath her touch was intoxicating, if only to let her hand remain where it was on his face. She had never touched him before, unless it was an awkward goodbye embrace. He was fond of those, even if they were for departure. Just the feeling of someone he protected within his arms made his world seem a little brighter- even if Chaos found it necessary to feed later on in the evening. It wasn't to last like he had wished, and she pulled away to stare at him in horror. His eyebrow rose involuntarily- asking the silent question he was so fond of.

"You're freezing! Vincent, you might catch the flu out here like this," she scolded, rolling onto her feet to help him up. Vincent gratefully took the support as she pulled him upwards until he was standing on his own.

"I am perfectly fine Tifa, no need to worry," he insisted. His teeth rattled, and he cursed his misfortune. He didn't need to hear the lecture to know that she had heard the enamel clanking together. Her hands rested on her hips as she waited for him to admit defeat to both his shivering body and probably to the snowball fight as well.

His gaze flickered to the double doors leading up to his building, the brick dark in the night atmosphere. "My apartment," he explained, nodding upwards. It was somewhere up there.

Tifa turned away from him, her cheeks reddening a little more than the snowflakes could do. "I know. I took the liberty to hunt you down." She caught his stare, though he wasn't quite sure what was being expressed.

"You searched for me?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Sort of, Yuffie was the one to point me in the right direction. I managed to find myself wandering here one day, and spotted you walking on the opposite side of the street." Vincent bit his tongue, wincing in response as he thought it over. The last time he had actually ventured out during the day was two weeks ago- just to get some groceries. Chaos could handle raw fiend meat, but Vincent needed actual food.

"How long did you follow me for?" He asked smoothly.

The pause was long enough for her to begin walking and Vincent followed, more curious about the answer than to where they were headed. "Until you came back here… you were really distracted. Who's the lucky girl?" She nudged him playfully while traveling up the three steps for the door.

The change he had not been expecting was staring him down right before his very being. A change that Cloud nearly missed months ago, and the change everyone was making. Cid had moved with Shera to someplace warmer- though the location was still unknown. Yuffie had left stealing behind her, and was beginning to accept the role of princess. Cloud had moved out of Tifa's home and into his own, watching over the kids on weekends. Nanaki had taken up a teaching position somewhere, explaining the history better than anyone ever could. Barret had traveled on to start his own oil business instead of hunting it on his own. And Tifa- she had not only kept the bar, but was entering the restaurant business as well. Everyone had changed, and received a changed life in return… except Vincent.

Until now, now it was before him, and he was petrified to take it. A change was fragile and needed acceptance. Taking a leap was out of his comfort, especially when the change was so drastic in his eyes.

"Tifa," he struggled, searching for words along the sidewalk. It was more difficult than attempting to see black-ice. Then her glove slipped into his and he stared, realizing he couldn't look away even when she caught him in his surprise.

"Let's get you inside," she said softly, pulling him along to the elevator. "I don't want you to catch a cold." The button glowed once pressed and the doors instantly opened, waiting for them to enter.

He tried to keep himself in one corner to let her have roaming abilities of the small box they had placed themselves in. Tifa continuously glanced at him from the corner of her vision, something he could spot easily from old habits. It concerned him, and yet the butterflies were jumping within his stomach. Was the change something he really wanted, or even could want?

"Floor?" She asked, scanning the buttons intently, her hand running along her hair in attempts to keep it behind one ear.

"Six."

When the elevator doors reopened with a high pitched beep, Vincent stalked out- nearly leaving Tifa behind with his long strides. The silence was forever bounding except for the occasional jingle of his keys as he withdrew them from a pocket. Tifa kept pace, nearly shoulder to shoulder as he turned another corner straight for his door.

"I must apologize, but I wasn't expecting company," he said quickly as he unlocked a plain white door, just like the others along the hall. He let Tifa walk in first, chuckling as she stopped in the doorway to let her eyes adjust. Vincent brushed past her once closing the door, engulfing them even further into the night. She gasped as he began rummaging for the light switch- a little mechanism that he barely used.

"Vincent!" She whispered and he glanced up from his search, freezing when spotting her shocked expression. "You're eyes!"

Stiffening, he turned away to stare at his reflection in the black screen of the television. A pair of red burning embers stared back, seemingly bodiless as they glowered at him. Keeping his eyes low so not to startle her, his fingers brushed along the wall in his continued search- wincing as the lights blared on. "I apologize for startling you," he said sincerely, finally looking up as the unnatural light filtered into the room.

"No."

His head shot up even higher, blinking in surprise. Her lower lip slipped into her mouth and she stared at a pile of clothes situated near her. "Vincent, do you remember how Aeris helped Cloud move on?" She eyed him and pointed an accusing finger at his chest. "Get out of that wet cloak while I talk, we'll hit two birds with one stone that way. You're still shaking."

If his stubbornness prevailed, there would be no story. So with feigned reluctance, he unbuckled his cloak and tossed it over the back of a dining chair that had somehow managed to escape the cluster of its others to end up in the center of his living room instead off to the side. Tifa grunted her approval and began wandering his apartment, stepping through the walkway into the connecting kitchen before looking at the cluttered dining table with amusement.

Vincent's eyebrow twitched when she glanced to the door behind him. "Bedroom and bath," he clarified and she looked away. Could there have been something else in her expression, something that he was searching for? Unlikely.

"Cloud loved Aeris," Tifa continued, stepping around a bottle of cream on the carpeted floor.

"It wasn't too difficult to spot," Vincent mused, settling down on the sofa pushed against the wall. Tifa scurried after him, settling down a ways while tucking her legs beneath her.

"When you love someone, it's hard to let them go."

Vincent grunted, his thoughts instantly shifting to Lucrecia. "You do over time."

Tifa eyed him, "Are you speaking from experience?"

"I suppose I am. Why?" He sat up, adjusting into the cushions as he stared straight ahead into the other plain white wall.

"Just wondering, I mean, you had Lucrecia-,"

"I never had a chance with Lucrecia," he corrected sharply. "I was young, believed I did, but it was an impossible dream. I woke up."

Tifa giggled, stifling her laughs with a hand. "Literally or figuratively?"

"Both."

Sobering, she smiled at him- another genuine smile as if his presence meant the world to her. To him, the whole evening had been simple and childish yet every smile she sent his way was another sputter of his heart. Amusing, that these reactions could be so powerful to someone like him.

"…Vincent? You've been staring at me for the past three minutes."

Anything away from her quickly became more appealing. Until the hand that had touched him before returned to rest against his chin- forcing his head to turn and his gaze to meet hers. There were tears brimming in her eyes, but she made no move to do anything to stop them.

"When you love someone, it's hard to let them go. There's almost a tearing in you heart as you watch the distance become greater and greater… until they disappear. What would you do Vince, if that special someone came back into your life, if only for a day?" She stared at him desperately, clinging to the words that had yet to be spoken from his mouth.

His stomach dropped, his brain slowly connecting the dots; the waits for his calls, the random visit in the middle of the night, her spunky behavior whenever he was around. It was all beginning to make sense; a beautiful and wonderful sense that was starting to harden into a flawless diamond. Vincent's throat rolled in a swallow as he contemplated, weighing his options with care. If he said one misplaced word, Tifa's whole life could spin out of control.

"I would do everything possible to make the day last forever," he said gently. "No matter how much it took."

The martial artist paled considerably, and Vincent's assumptions became true. He fought the smile- the true smile that was beginning to form until it was impossible to hold back any longer. His lips curved upwards clearly and Tifa inhaled.

"You're smiling!" She whispered and the contagious smile went to her.

"I have been blind," he chuckled to himself, gaining a questionable look from Tifa doing so. "And I suppose I never paid attention to change like I had assumed."

"…Vincent?" Tifa called out.

The gunslinger twisted to face her and leaned in, capturing her surprised lips with his own- the smiles softening as he pried her mouth apart with a gentle nudge. Her hand, trembling slightly brushed along his shoulder and up to the curve of his jaw- resting there as if he could possibly disappear in the next few seconds. Gently pulling away with a relaxed sigh, he regarded her flushed face.

"Vincent-," she began.

"Don't," he ordered, covering her mouth with one of his fingers. "I'm not cold anymore… and besides, I have quite a few conversations that I owe… I just hope that they will not all be over the phone."

Tifa Lockhart smiled.

A/N: Now, why can't all snow days consist of this much fun? A small little oneshot that was floating around inside my head. I hope you enjoyed and, hey! Drop a review on your way out!

Yours Truly,

J