Have a special chapter

Chapter 1:

"Come on Serah. I need to talk to someone, and Fang is busy doing... for the life of me she must have told me a thousand times over but I can't remember what it is." The red haired woman stated as the pink haired woman sat across from her.

"Vanille... I know when people are lying. And I'm sure Fang would come back from doing whatever it is you are lying about if you tell her you need her to talk. I can't abandon Claire. She seems down and you know how she has been." Serah stated as she took a deep breath and stood up, getting ready to get the cups once the coffee was done. "And I still need to look for day nurses because I do still need to get back to work... I don't feel right getting paid without doing the work." Serah stated calmly as she grabbed the two mugs and grasped the black handle of the coffee pot.

"Serah... I need to talk about big things... I'm simply asking for one night. A single night just us. I mean Lebreau still owes you for the candy on the late night bus ride back from town... why did you even have that in your purse?" Vanille asked as she accepted the mug handed to her.

Placing the coffee pot back onto the burner, Serah just lightly shook her head taking the seat again. "Because when Claire has low blood sugar she gets really scary to everyone but me... and when I picked the habit up I was looking for a place and I don't want the Realtor to crap on the carpet... or the tiles... and you get the picture." Serah countered as she took a deep breath and looked at her friend's worried green eyes. As though she was trying to see where the truth was in her words. "You really do need to talk about something to someone don't you?"

"Yes Serah... and I would try Fang. But last I heard she is on Gran Pulse and outside of phone signal." Vanille said as she could see Serah taking a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Okay, I'll call Lebreau see if I can get her on short notice." the pink haired woman spoke as Vanille smiled at the simple comment from her friend. "Now can you go make sure Claire is up? I'll start making breakfast for us." Serah asked as Vanille bit her lip.

She knew that she couldn't exactly refuse her best friend at this point, especially with her already breaking a long hiatus away from stepping away from her sister's figurative bedside to try and help a problem with her.

"Okay." Vanille stated as she took a large gulp from the mug before she stood up, a smile on her face as she started to walk out of the room. Once she was at the base if the stairs, Vanille started to walk up them, with each step she could feel her smile being robbed from her.

She knew that the sight that will meet her would be enough to tear at her emotionally.

But she knew that if she didn't there would be so many other questions Serah would raise, and she didn't have near enough the confidence to answer. Shaking her head, Vanille turned and met with the sight she longed to be with again. The way the blanket was just along her bare waist, just caused a small tightness in her throat.

She wanted to just crawl in the bed, and hold the woman again. She just wanted to crawl in the bed and be held again. Being able to smell the strawberry shampoo she liked to use, even the faint musk from the night time workout would be what she desperately wanted.

However she couldn't go back in time to get back to that moment. The moment when everything was perfect to Vanille.

Biting her lip, Vanille walked further into the room and lightly placed a hand on the only exposed arm. As the skin touched the skin, Vanille almost jumped at the quick reaction of Lightning nearly jumping up and snapping her hand around the wrist.

"Light! It's me! It's Vanille!" Vanille yelled in an attempt to calm down the startled pink haired woman. She knew what Lightning once could do with her hands, and she didn't want to live that pain she had seen a few people go through. All she could do really at this point was pray that Lightning could connect the voice to the person before her instincts kicked in and Vanille wouldn't get the chance to talk with Serah because she'd be spending the day in a hospital getting fit for a cast.

"Vanille?" Lightning asked as she finally opened her eyes to try and see the face of who belonged to the voice. As she could see the red hair showering into view as she tried to blink the sleep out of her eyes. "What are you doing? In my room?"

"Serah sent me to wake you up. She is starting breakfast. And she probably would want me to make sure you are taking your medication." Vanille said calmly as she couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief as Lightning let go of her wrist.

Vanille could feel her throat go dry as she could see Lightning sitting up. She still maintained her habit of sleeping naked. Spinning around as to face the wall away from Lightning, knowing where her mind would drift once she had a full look. One that she knew would lead her down the path of the day trip to the hospital again.

"Can you hand me my robe? I swear you and Serah both are prudes when it comes to a naked woman." Lightning muttered as Vanille just knew would be her rubbing the heel of her hand into her eyes until she could get out remained of the sleep.

"It isn't like that Light." Vanille spoke walking towards the white robe. Just taking some deep breaths as she picked it up off the hook. Just taking another deep breath as though to savour the memory of Lightning's unique smell. The one that she longed to be encompassed by.

How she longed for those arms to be holding her once more, but until Lightning could remember what they had, she couldn't help needing to stay in this seemingly permanent limbo she had been forced into.

As she turned around to hand the robe to Lightning, she almost felt her heart drop at the feeling of the robe being snatched from her grasp. As though her goddess was leaving her all over again. "Seriously it is just subcutaneous fat that you and Serah both have. Stop being prudish." Lightning snipped as she started to tie the cord around her waist.

'Well it isn't that I'm being prudish. Your boobs are like the fifth best feature... and second I used to like to smash my face between.' Vanille thought as she quickly started to walk out of the room. Even if it was just because she knew where her thoughts would lead. Something that would possibly either end up with all of Lightning's memories coming back, or the more likely option her getting her ass kicked and possibly needing to eat through a tube for the rest of her life.

Quickly climbing down the stairs, as she rounded the corner, she nearly jumped at the sight of Serah standing there. Before Vanille could even open her mouth, Serah was already answering the unasked question of why she seemed so angry. "I heard my name and fat. I swear if Claire called me fat!"

"She was talking about boobs Serah. The type of boobs someone like me, would love to be smothered by." Vanille said knowing there was a blush covering her cheeks as she Serah began to shiver.

"Why? Why is that a thing? And why did the topic of my boobs come up? Your not going to start hitting on me are you?" Serah asked as Vanille rolled her eyes. "Because it's not like I wouldn't be flattered but... I'm more than just boobs."

"Think about that Serah. Lightning said your name. And it was about how she sleeps naked and we both clearly don't want to stare at her's. And you aren't my type. I prefer my woman to be tall, strong, can lift me over her shoulder and carry me away to ravish me." Vanille stated and started to walk towards the kitchen. "Oh and I forgot my biggest feature for women that get me going is not being my best friend. Things just get so complicated if nothing works out. I mean could you imagine how our dynamic would change?" Vanille said taking a seat as Serah started to shake her head to focus her attention on something other than her friend.

"CLAIRE! I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T TAKE YOUR MEDS AGAIN TODAY!" Serah yelled up the stairs in an attempt to get her sister to actually take her medication seriously for once. She didn't like the thought of coming home again to try and calm her sister down from having some sort of pain induced flashback.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING!" Lightning yelled down the stairs as Serah rolled her eyes and started to walk out of the hallway and back into the living room. A smile on her face as she could see Vanille sitting at the table.

A small blush on her face leaving Serah to try and decipher the reason as to why Vanille was blushing like that. Unfortunately all Serah could come up with was one of pure revulsion. "Please tell me Claire isn't your type. That is so nasty... she is my sister."

"I haven't even seen a woman naked in a year Serah. And I mean..." Vanille began as she could feel her throat tighten up at the thought of her friend rejecting something that she had once had. "Would it really be that bad if I had a thing for her? Of course only if she did swing that way." Vanille whispered as she could see her friend shiver a little.

"I'm going to try and repress this. I don't want to think of Claire in anything like that..." Serah began repressing the next bout of shivering as she clenched her eyes shut. "And if you are seriously turning towards a life of no sex... sit on top of a washing machine... or I'm sure Fang knows a few people you can call in exchange for some monetary value they'll change all that." Serah spoke softly as she opened her eyes and can see the blush dying down.

A blush being replaced with a slight amount of anger at something. "I refuse to pay... and it isn't that I want to... just life is a bit complicated right now. And I'll explain more later." Vanille said relaxing just a bit as she could see Lightning walking into the room. Her breath hitching a little as she witnessed the golden shine from the mid morning sun shining on her features. Something that was learning with each passing day that she missed more and more.

"Serah, why aren't you in college?" Lightning asked as she limped over to one of the chairs, just to get comfortable and ignore the flare of pain that rocketed up her leg with each and every step.

"I know you can make new memories Light. I told you yesterday and the day before that and so on. I graduated seven years ago and am working in a preschool." Serah corrected calmly and direct with her sister, not wanting to come off as mean to a woman she knew wasn't her full self.

The sight however pained Vanille the more she watched it. It was the same routine every morning. Her best friend answering some question she had been asked by Lightning that a void in her memory created, and like every morning Serah would answer the question coming from the beautiful lips that she once had the privileged to claim as her girlfriends... now she was just stuck in that perpetual limbo.

That was the type of hell that she wasn't proud to be in, but she knew she'd need to. If at the end of it she'd get to spend the rest of her however short life with the pink haired woman. She just hoped that it wouldn't be that short like it had proven to be so close to happening in the past.

"Did you take all of your medication Claire? Pain pills? Uppers? Muscle relaxers? Blood thinners? Everything?" Serah asked on a warpath to make sure that her sister wasn't going to be in major pain from not doing something so simple that Serah was positive that she could get a child to do let alone a woman who had been doing the same thing for an extended period of time.

"Yes Serah. I've taken all of them. All twelve. Now can we move on? It is just going to take time for my leg to just loosen up. Something that happens every morning. Meanwhile I'm curious where is the jackass." Lightning asked as she started to rub her leg a lot harder to try and ease the building pain in it.

"I know you know that answer Claire. Snow and I broke up three years ago."

"I know. I just like hearing it." Lightning spoke softly as she could see her little sister cross her arms in protest to what everyone knew was the mirth Lightning took in those eight simple words. Something that there once was a time that Vanille would have laughed at. But now she understood the pain that Snow might have felt.

"Relax Serah. I'm sure Lightning doesn't mean anything by it."

"What I'm actually having trouble with is remembering if I kicked his ass or not?" Lightning asked with sincerity that both woman recognised as genuine.

"Eighteen times. There was the breakup once I fell asleep. Then seventeen times before not asking me. So this is a step forward." Serah said walking towards the pot of boiling water. Just a smile as she started to stir the water as she grabbed an egg. "Poached eggs for you today Claire. Today we have physio, we need to go to your Neurologist for some memory tests, and your therapist so you can talk to your social isolation issues. And I've been requested to not give you any sort of red meat or caffeine today because apparently that makes you angry and irritable." Serah said as she started to pour the egg that was in the bowl into the swirling vortex of water.

Groaning a little, Lightning started to slump down on the table. "I get angry because he is a moron... meat doesn't do anything of the sort. And coffee just makes me calmer." Lightning muttered as Vanille looked towards her friend making sure she was focused as she started to move the mug towards the near permanent pain causing machine that was Lightning.

Perking up a little, Lightning craned her neck around to see Serah focusing on making breakfast. "Go on. Have a drink quick. I know you don't do caffeine withdrawal too well. And I can always get her forgiveness later." Vanille said in a hush whisper as she could feel her heart soar a little at the sight of Lightning's lips pressing into her mug as she took a gulp before handing it back to Vanille.

Almost laughing at the sight of Lightning cringing from what Vanille just knew was the sugar inside it. Covering her mouth as she could see Serah turning around and walking towards them. A plate in her hands. "There you go Claire. Eat up." Serah stated as she looked towards Vanille who raised the mug as though to obscure her face partially. A tactic Serah recognised well. "Vanille. Did you seriously give her some? You don't have to be with her all day. I do... and her doctors will kill me."

"Caffeine wouldn't cause something bad to happen. You forget Serah, I do know a thing or two about medicine. And I do know how your sister reacts to caffeine withdrawal. Or did you forget about the first time she was on military shore leave?" Vanille asked as Lightning looked towards the both of them as if trying to connect some dots she had been missing.

"What happened?" Lightning asked as Serah practically rolled her eyes that she was going to need to relive something that was already painful once.

"During the migraine segment you got into a violent fight with some mugger while you and Vanille where out getting a birthday present for me or that is what you told me which I still don't believe and you beat him. Sent him to the hospital because you had a migraine from caffeine withdrawal" Serah stated as Lightning just smiled a little at that clarification.

"How is that a bad thing? I'm pretty sure if someone did that now I'd still do that... with or without a headache." Lightning stated as Vanille started to gulp down a mouthful of the hot liquid. Just wanting to try and hide away the blush. "Besides what else would Vanille and I be doing together?"

That simple question was enough to twist the knife that was already embedded inside Vanille's heart. She wasn't sure what was going to keep her at this point. Besides that all she could really see is that the guilt of abandoning her would hurt a lot more than letting the knife be twisted. That memory was one of the best Vanille had before the person that really was unfortunate enough to picked the wrong person to mug.

"Anyway I know that it would be a lot easier for you if you just let her have some coffee. The red meat and all that fine take it, but this will be easier on everyone in the long run." Vanille stated with the assurance that she knew Lightning a lot better then Serah ever could.

"Fine but I'm burning your toast as punishment." Serah said in a huff as Vanille just smiled at the sight of Lightning brightening up a little at that one victory.

As Lightning was about to stand up, Vanille beat her to it. "Don't worry. I'll get you a cup. Black no sugar. Just eat. Because you get a lot worse when you are hungry." Vanille stated as she stared into the blue eyes. The same blue eyes she loved to just stare into for hours not all that long ago. But now she was forced to just stare at parts of her she'd rather do anything else with.

"Thanks Vanille. You are a great friend."

Author's Note:

And this is a story I was thinking of for a while... hope you guys enjoy it.