Noel pressed the head of his cigarette against the table top. He held poker cards in his left hand and exhaled a puff of smoke. He put the cigar on the edge of the ash tray and pushed his stack of chips to the center of the table.

"Wow there, slow down my boy. I know your cocky, but not suicidal. You gotta remember, your still new to this place." Noel looked up at Chip, a skinny man with a full head of hair and sunken in cheeks. He smiled to reveal yellowed and broken teeth and every time he spoke he had a lisp. Didn't take him long to understand why they called him Chip. He was a drug addict, noel could tell that much by his rather thin appearance and nervous tics.

"Trust me, Chip." Noel said with a smirk."You taught me well." He took another whiff of his cigarette and smashed it into the tray. Everyone was in, time to make his move for the great prize. Some nice exotic drugs imported from South America. It was very difficult to get a handle on drugs like these, and yet here they were in his grasp. He looked at a man who was extremely built, and was also the reason why this game was being played. He was one of the greatest drug dealers, never been caught once by the cops. His name was Carver, and liked to deal his drugs in very childlike ways.

"Cant wait to light these babies up," Noel rubbed his hands together as everyone prepared to show their cards.

"You sound so sure about that," Said Carter.

"Oh, I am." Noel smiled at Carter,"Tonight, ill be fighting with unicorns riding dragons. Maybe they'll even let me have a few snacks."

"I think you have the wrong idea of how these drug hallucinations work. I guess if you're so sure about winning, you'll find out the great mystery tonight." He laughed and ran a large hand against his face."Okay, lets do this."

Everyone flipped their cards over to show what they had. Some had a house of three. Noel had a royal flush. Everyone groaned and threw their cards down. He laughed and clapped his hands.

"Alrighty boys, gimmie the goods." He held his hands out expectantly.

"Now, now, calm down eager beaver." Carter chuckled. "Come on into my office." They stood and left the table full of disappointed players. Noel hopped from foot to foot excitedly.

He was led through a set of two heavy wooden doors and into a large room with a mantle fireplace. It would've been a nice set up, if it wasn't rotting away. The once intricate and beautiful patterned wallpaper was torn and had water stains. In the areas that were torn large enough had graffiti words sprayed onto all visible parts of the wall. There were even a few words on the ceiling, even though Noel had no idea how the hell they got all the way up there. There was a heavy wooden desk sitting in the corner, it was the newest looking thing in this joint. There were two faded ,plush chairs sitting in front of it, and one big, fancy, rolling desk chair behind it.

"Please, sit. You are by far most my hardest working champion. You have won almost every game of poker here, and all for just a few drugs."

"Well, ya know. Anything to get a little out of the dump known as my life." He sniffed," Might as well try something newer, stronger."

"Yup," Carter chuckled," I get what ya mean." He reached behind his desk and opened a drawer. He pulled out a white bag that seemed to be chock full of whatever it was Noel was going to enjoy later. A smile crossed his face as he excitedly tapped his foot.

"Its amazing just how much a person will do for so little," Carter took a puff of his cigarette and plopped the bag down into Noels hand. "People say it destroys your life, but look at what I've built from it." Noel clutched the bag and sneaked his hand behind it into his jacket.

"Huh, yeah lucky you. I'm over here in the slums while you live fancy in them." He tapped the bag.

"Well, it doesn't always have to be like that, Joe." Carter placed a hand on Noels shoulder. "You can work for me, get whatever you want. Just run a few errands for me for a while."

Noel clutched the bag even tighter, his hand still in his jacket. He smiled and pulled his hand out from his jacket."Let me guess, do some of your dirty work?" He clutched the gun he now held in his hands.

Carter didn't seem at all surprised by this surprise.

"I knew it." He smirked."Boys, get in here." At his command a group of men walked into the room, some holding guns while others more than likely planned to use their bare hands. Noel stood unfased. He smirked back at Carter.

"I knew you were one of them cops," Carter spat angrily. "And to think I actually started to somewhat trust you. To believe you."

"Oh, what? Just cause a guy acts like he needs drugs to live, you trust him?"

"Every man has his breaking point, they soon come to rely on a form of... well, something to numb the pain."

"I never would do that." Just as those words left Noels lips, about 4 of the henchmen walked behind carter and restrained him. The doors exploded open and police officers and FBI agents flooded the room. Every one of Carters goons surrendered immediately or tried to make a run for it but made it no where. Along with the flood of cops, Chip stormed into the room.

"Just what the hell was that?" He yelled as he slipped off his fake teeth to reveal pearly whites,"You were supposed to wait until you were out of the room to make this easier!"

"Yeah, so? We got em." Noel looked down at the bag of drugs and tossed it to Chip, or Agent Montoya, whom caught it quickly. "We'll settle this tomorrow. Im tired." Noel put the gun back into his holster and walked out of the room before anyone could reject his request.

Serah:

Serah rolled onto her side and felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her closer to his heart. She smiled and opened her eyes slightly to see snow still asleep with a faint smile on his face. She cuddled closer to him and sighed. Just as her eyelids slid shut again, she remembered she had responsibilities. Being a teacher was one of them. Also, being to the school extra early was another. She shot up out of snows grasp and looked over at her alarm clock.

7:35

She sighed and laid back down before remembering what time school started, 8:00 o'clock. She shot up out of bed again.

"Shoot!" She jumped off the bed and ran to her closet. Snow moaned behind her and rolled onto his stomach to stuff his face into the pillow.

Serah heard a few inaudible words but all she could make out was,"Nooooooo." In a pouty voice.

"I'm late." She said as she slipped out of her shorts and into a pair of brown skinny jeans. She heard snow turn around again. She whipped off her tank top and reached for a white t-shirt.

"I can drive you," Snow said. She heard foot steps and spun around. Snow was smiling. "I wanna see where you work." He placed a hand on her waist and brushed his thumb on her cheek. Serah smiled back,"Thanks."

She moved to grab her shoes but his grip on her waist tightened. She blew a puff of her hair out of her face and looked back up at him.

"I wasn't done with you yet," He laughed and pulled her closer. Her breath hitched in her throat and he pressed his lips against hers. She slowly wrapped her arm around his neck, and ran her fingers through his hair. She heard a sigh come from him as he slowly pulled away. She looked up at him again and met his eyes. For both of them just waking up, his eyes were extremely bright and full of excitement. She smiled as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Well, good morning to you too." She pulled her chin back tauntingly as he tried to kiss her again. They stood there, staring at each other for what seemed like eternity when Serah was snapped back to reality.

"Crap, I have to get to work!" She pulled away and reached down for her shoes. He grabbed his shirt and slowly put it back on.

"What time will I pick you up?" He inquired.

"At 5." She smiled up at him.

"Okay, and what will you like for lunch?"

"Um..." that question caught her by surprise and she was slightly distracted by trying to get her bags and other stuff together. "You don't have to buy me anything." She put her bag on her shoulder and he slipped his shoes on.

"I want to."

"Umm... Sonic."

"Okay." He smiled,"And what will the ladies order be?" they walked into the living room and she picked up the car keys.

"Popcorn chicken and onion rings." He slipped the keys out of her hand.

"Okay." He smiled and they headed out the door to the car. Snow locked the front door and climbed into the front seat. The drive was surprisingly short, but there was little room for conversation as Serah had to give directions on where to go. They pulled up in front of the school.

"So... I'll see you at 12?" She smiled and reached for his hand. He took it and squeezed it in his large, warm one.

"Yeah, There will even be a little extra in it for you." He winked at her and she turned beck to open the door but hesitated. She turned back and kissed snow. His eyes seemed to soften even more than before and he stroked her cheek.

"Love you babe." He smiled and she smiled back.

"Love you too." She got out of the car and walked up to the front of the school building. She turned back and waved at snow. He waved back and she walked inside. She looked out the window to see he had driven off. She sighed and dreamily walked to her class, as if she were on clouds.

The bell rang, ending her daydream

Noel:

Noel slammed his hand on the alarm clock and sat up. He ran a hand through his hair and wished the night would've lasted a bit longer. He layed back down, trying to catch a few more seconds of sleep before getting out of bed.

He arrived at the police station with a cup of coffee and freshly washed hair. It felt good to have taken a shower after being stuck in a place as dusty and smoky as the Cartels lair.

"Noel Kreiss get in here now!" Agent Montoya yelled from the head officers office. He moaned and walked into the office.

"What?" He said.

"Sit down and close the door." He closed the door and plopped down into the seat.

"Now we are aware that you didn't do a few things right with that drug bust."

"So? No one got hurt. We put those guys behind bars."

"But it was done hazardously. You could've been hurt."

"No one was. Are we supposed to do a job but stop when there's one lousy rule?"

"Rules are there to protect us, Noel."

"Well, I think they aren't always the best thing. If I let all the rules hold me back, I wouldn't get anything done."

"Well, you either follow the rules or hit the road."

"Alright, I quit." He stood up. "Ill turn in my notice today." He left the room.

Noel was walking down the street with his hood pulled tight around his body. It had started raining and the sidewalk was somewhat crowded. He had gone to a cafe and eaten a big burger with fries, and he thought he had seen a familiar face. Well, he didn't see her face but she just felt familiar to him somehow. Maybe it was Yeul or one of his old friends. Maybe at last he would find them. He waited a while until the girl , whom was a waitress, had left the cafe after saying her goodbyes. He followed her, but not too close. He still wasn't sure whether or not if this was Yeul or someone else. She had stopped at a man selling some necklaces and cheap jewelery. She glanced back but he hid just before she saw him. He still didn't catch a glimpse of her face. She continued walking.

She had turned many corners and taken what seemed like shortcuts. It was slightly difficult for him to follow her, but the crowd of people began to thin and the rain hardened. She had turned another corner and Noel thought she had taken too many turns to be going home. She might have noticed that he was following her. He too turned the corner.

It was too dark in the alleyway to see anything, but he was slammed against the wall. An arm pressed against his throat and a small, shaky voice asked,"Who.. who are you?" Noel felt his heart flutter, that voice... was it really Yeul?

"I thought you were someone else that I knew." He croaked. The words from the girl seemed to gather in strength,"Well, I'm not. You could have just asked who I was, not follow me all the way out here." Her grip didn't loosen, but her voice sounded so much like Yeul. Noel cared less that she could have hit his adams apple as hard as she could have and possibly hurt him.

"Can..." he looked down at the shadow of the girl,"Can I see what you look like at least? Better to know if I was wrong than wasn't."

"Why should I trust you? You followed me out here."

"I wont hurt you, I promise. I just need to know." The girl seemed to be seriously considering. Not like she had much of a choice anyways.

"Don't try anything, or I'll make you wish you were never born." She backed off and stepped back into the streetlight. Noel looked at her, and gasped. Black hair with a blue tint framed the girls face and those bright green eyes that could seemed as if they could see right into his soul. Full of wonder and happiness. This was Yeul.

"Yeul!" He ran to her and tried to wrap his arms around her waist before he felt a fist meet his face. He fell onto the ground and heard her gasp.

"Noel?" He looked up at her to see the light glowing around her as if she were an angel from heaven. She was also the angel who possibly bruised his jaw. He didn't care. He jumped back up again and this time succeeded in grabbing her waist and pulling her close to him.

"Yeul! My Yeul." He pressed his cheek into her hair and wrapped his hands in her hair. She wriggled her arms around his neck and squeezed him back even harder, as if her life depended on it. Her face was buried in the crook of his neck, and he spun her around.

"I missed you!" Yeul was quiet. She seemed to have lost her words. He pulled her back and looked at her. Tears were brimming her eyes.

"I missed you too, Noel" She whispered. She tried to wipe the tears away but it didn't help much. Noel put both hands on her cheeks. He ran a thumb over her soft, warm cheek.

"Yeul," He smiled and scooped her up in his arms and spun in a circle again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started laughing.

"Come on, lets go back to my place and you can see Serah and Snow." He gently put her on her feet and she gingerly grabbed his hand. He followed her back home. He asked about the others, Light, Hope and Vanille and Fang. Everyone.

"The only person that we found was snow, and that was just yesterday." she said.

"Oh, and how is he?" Noel asked.

"Good, he proposed to Serah again." She smiled a big smile. "They're adorable and extremely mushy together. I was trying to hold down my puke." She laughed and so did Noel. "Im joking. They're good though. They'll be happy to see you again."

Noel slipped his arm around her waist and played with her hand. They walked in silence the rest of the way back. When they made it to the house they saw that Serah was home. He scooped Yeul up and walked up to the door. She knocked and the door opened.

Serah:

Snow and I had just gotten home with a great meal of Mc Nuggets and fries with a vanilla ice cream. A large vanilla ice cream cone. Snow had gotten out some paper plates with a pretty, flowery design on them. Very elegant. I plopped my nuggets and fries onto the plate and he did the same with his two patty burger and fries. He tried to steal a lick of my ice cream, instead of his mouth it wound all over his face. The bag had five extra hamburgers and one more side of fries. One of them was for Yeul, fries included. The other four burgers were for snow. They had plopped down onto the couch and turned on the TV when a knock came on the door.

Serah was sure the only person to come home would be Yeul, but she has a key. Unless its someone else, maybe one of the others! Serah looked at Snow and jumped off the couch and ran to the door. She opened it to see Yeul, in the arms of a young man.

"Yeul?" Serah asked. She barely glanced at the man, just stared at Yeul. "What?..." she trailed off and looked up at the man. He was grinning ear to ear and looked at Yeul like she had him under some sort of love spell. Then Serah realized. She was going to open her mouth when snow said what she was going to say.

"Noel!" He walked up behind Serah.

"Snow! Hey, look who I found." He gestured towards Yeul and they all laughed. Yeul kissed Noel on the cheek and his eyes glowed with a feeling that she hadn't had the chance to see coming from him. Serah felt a smile spread across her face as Yeul returned the look and put a hand on his cheek. So this is how they looked to other people. It was kinda cute and sweet, but awkward to a point. They were lost in their own world, Serah felt sorry for clearing her throat to bring them back to reality.

"So..." snow started to say then stopped. He felt awkward, Serah could tell. Brushing off the feeling she intervened,"Come inside you guys!" She jumped up and down, clapping her hands. Noel squeezed in through the door and they sat on the couch, not loosening his grip on Yeul. She didn't seem to mind.

Snow grabbed the bag of hamburgers,"There's a burgers for you Yeul and some fries. Umm...You can have one of mine Noel." He grabbed a plate and put Yeul and Noel's food on it.

"So, what have you done this past year Noel?"

"I was a detective. I would go undercover. In fact I recently lead a drug bust." Yeul's eyes widened.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yup... but I quit." he looked down at the ground.

"why?" Serah asked.

"I got a little too hot headed. They said I broke a few rules, but I caught the guy!" He sighed. "I got too hot headed and quit. Then I found Yeul."

"Yeah," She laughed,"He was kinda stalking me." She elbowed his chest. It felted slightly awkward at first, but before Serah knew it they were all talking up a storm.

"Oh, yeah," snow said," by the way we were going to visit Sazh and Dajh tomorrow. Do you want to tag along?"

"Sure." Noel said. Later on in the night everyone said their good nights and confined themselves to their rooms.

"Well, that was the perfect surprise." Snow said while he grabbed Serah's hands gently. He wrapped them around his neck and pulled her close.

"Yes," she smiled and rested her forehead against his cheek. "It was."

She looked up at him and titled her lips temptingly closer to his. He smiled and pressed his lips against hers, careful and slow as if she were extremely delicate. Then the kiss strengthened continued for what seemed to be an eternity.

Yeul:

He was here. Noel was here, with her. So close that she could feel the heat rising off his body. She was tempted to do so many things, to reach out and pull him closer. To bring his lips to hers and whisper how she missed him, how she felt as if... just maybe... she loved him. Instead she just sat on her bed in amazement.

Was that too odd to say? That she might love him? They hadn't even had their first kiss yet, and she felt as if she loved him. He had gone through so much for her, waited so long for her. He would have died for her. So why was she questioning if her love for him was too soon? Too rushed? He snaped her back to reality with a gentle touch around her wrist. He sat on the bed by her and took her hand in his.

"I..umm..." she didn't know what to say. She was distracted by his hand touching hers, and she just felt slightly nervous.

"I missed you." he said. His dark blue eyes gazed into her electric green ones. Even simple eye contact made her uneasy. It felt as if he could see right into her.

"I, I missed you too." She smiled nervously. She wanted to slip her hands up his muscular arms and around his neck. She wanted to mess up his hair and kiss his temple. To whisper in his ear and kiss his neck. She still felt frozen. Not knowing what to do, she stood up.

"Um.. I'm gonna change. I need out of these slacks and fancy shirt." she laughed and looked down at the ground.

"Okay," He smiled too and stood. He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Yeul sighed. She was so excited, so extremely happy. She wanted to jump around the room, laughing and screaming. But what do you do? Its not some fairy tale where they just get married, have kids, and grow old together. There had to be some way to make beginning this easier. She changed slowly as she pondered these thoughts. Maybe she was making herself nervous for no reason. Its just Noel! He doesn't want to rush, does he? He didn't seem rushed, he was calm and happy.

'No, Yeul!' She told herself. 'Just calm down. You are fine, now be happy and don't worry!' Then it occurred to her that she never had a boyfriend before, or anyone that mattered this much. Other than Caius, but he was more of a very close uncle. She slapped her cheek. Just calm down! She opened the door and walked into the living room. Noel was sitting on the couch watching some TV to pass the time. He looked up at her.

"Hey," he smiled.

"Hey," she sat on the couch next to him, an arm on the backrest behind his shoulders. He turned to face her better.

"so..." he trailed off. Yeul realized just how awkward her might have felt. She somehow felt comforted by that. She put her arm down and curled up next to him. Her legs were draped over his and he put a hand on her waist, pulling her close to him. She rested one hand on his stomach and he tugged on her hair with his other hand. They sat like that for a while in silence. Yeul yawned and rested her head on his chest. She could feel his breaths on her hair and cheek. Her eyes were drooping. She could feel Noel slowly losing consciousness as well. The hand that was playing with her hair had rested on her back and his grip on her waist loosened. She didn't feel like moving, that would cause waking him up and to be honest, she didn't want to end this moment. She stayed and dozed off. A while later she woke up on her bed. She smiled and buried her face into the pillow and fell back into a deep sleep.