She was widely adored and admired for her skills with a sword and her gentle grace and beauty, but her heart belonged to one man.

That man was the silent demon himself: Vincent Valentine.

Lillian had worked at Seventh Heaven for months but never had any man had as much of an affect on her as he.

It was him who helped her escape from the laboratories those months ago, and it was at his house that she collapsed at the door of after several days of running and fighting off fiends, with a body that was already torn and battered from the abuse which she had endured at her former prison.

She remembered her first sight of the sable-haired man, his ruby-red eyes glowing in the night as they bore down on her. He was lovely, and she felt hypnotized by him. She knew from that moment that she would do whatever he said, even if it meant returning to the lab that she had just escaped.

His first words had been an inquiry of her health, and she remembered the feeling in her soul as he had spoken them. His dark voice had the power to make angels fall, or melt and purify the iciest hearts.

Ice Queen.

That had been her nickname, given to her by the scientists who raised her because of her ability to kill mercilessly. She would kill many of the other experiments, against orders to stand down, and not be affected. She might even laugh—her sense of humor was often perceived as sick.

Nothing had affected her until Vincent.

Lillian's past self was not completely diminished from her current persona. Cid had pointed out that she had an unusual sense of humor on more than one occasion, and the Turks had as well.

Only Marlene, Denzel, and Vincent had seen her lighter side.

"Tifa put Lilly in charge tonight."

Lillian heard Cid's voice from above the clamor of the bar, and she looked up to see him walking in with none other than Vincent.

The black-haired girl quickly went to get their drinks, only to be interrupted by loud cursing. She looked up to see two drunken men engaged in battle. Immediately, she took action. She leaped over the bar and grabbed both men by the tusks of their hair. She bashed their heads together, causing them to groan with mingled pain and confusion. While they were still out of sorts, she led them both to the door and pushed them out.

Then, wiping her hands free of them, she returned to the bar.

"D*** girl, you were tryin' to break them?" asked the blonde pilot.

"If you had been paying attention, you would have noticed that I struck their heads together; it was an attack meant to bust their skulls, shut their brains down, or give them both massive headaches. Today, I was aiming for the headaches. When the hangover comes around, they won't remember a thing. The pain will all blend together." Lillian stated, matter-of-factly, not even sparing the man a glance as she wiped down the bar.

"Where did you learn that?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Lillian replied with a wink and a smile, "and I don't like to kill friends, so… information classified."

"Guess who came for a visit!"

Lillian turned to see a young ninja bounding into the room with the characteristic wide grin on her face. "Since no one was answering my phone calls, I decided to pop in and see everyone!" She pranced up to Vincent and wrapped skinny arms around his waist.

Lillian's smile was instantly wiped off of her face, and she bit down on her lower lip to keep herself from saying anything that might hurt Yuffie's feelings. Instead, she forced a smile upon her face while, underneath the bar, her hands were clenched into hard fists.

Yuffie laughed, joyful, and pulled Vincent close.

That was the last straw. Lillian's fist came down and pounded on the counter on the inside of the jar, rattling the surface.

"Holy s***, what in Gaia's name was that sound?"

He and Yuffie looked around, clueless, for the source.

"I don't know," Lillian lied, slowly unclenching her fists. "Maybe I should check on the kids."

She hurried out of the bar and up the stairs into Cloud's office.

Minutes later, she heard a voice that she would never mistake for anyone other than Vincent.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Of course," Lillian responded tightly. "The children are safe, the bar is doing well, and everything is fine. Why wouldn't everything be alright?"

Then, a gentle hand touched her arm and turned her around. Their faces were inches apart, and Lillian's breath caught in her throat as she stared up at the tall, handsome man.

He reached into his cape and pulled out a single white rose.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lillian."

She looked from Vincent to the rose, her heart swelling. "Thank you," she replied breathlessly, taking the rose. "I wasn't expecting this… I'm sorry, I have nothing for you. I'll get you something on my way home from work tonight."

A slight smile graced Vincent's lips, and he put his second hand on her other arm as if trying to tell her that she was all that he needed.

Lillian closed her eyes, readying herself for a kiss.

Then Yuffie's voice was heard, yelling from downstairs, and ruining their moment.