Disclaimer: Still don't own it. For full disclaimer please see Act 1

And In This Dream...

By Colleen

ACT 4

SCENE 1

The final curtain had come and the play was an obvious hit. Congratulations had been given, costumes and been taken off and hung up and makeup had been removed but still Yuffie didn't move from her dressing room.

It wasn't a date; she knew it wasn't a date. She had just met him so it was just dinner, one that she was going to pay for even and yet...

Her hair wouldn't sit right after all that time in a wig and while there was nothing wrong with her clothes she found herself wishing she had worn something a little more sophisticated. Should she do more than a little lipstick and mascara?

Oh, no of course it wasn't a date.

Vincent, wearing his red trench coat over his black suit stood outside Yuffie's dressing room. Despite an almost superhuman level of patience if he'd had a wristwatch he would have been looking at it by this point as he was starting to get a little concerned over the length of time it was taking her to get ready. His mind flashed to another opening night and him walking in on Lucile while she was in the middle of changing. He smiled at the thought but it was a sad smile and walking in on Yuffie would probably get him more than just a shoulder swat. Even though she hadn't shown it yet Vincent suspected that the little actress had a temper, although that wasn't really surprising as the best ones usually did.

He'd finally decided on knocking when the door opened suddenly and Yuffie stood there, looking slightly uncertain and wholly beautiful. Vincent blinked a couple of times at the thought before shaking it off to give the lady a little bow and offer her his arm.

He swore he would never stop doing that for women, not because he was a gentleman, which he was, but because in this day and age it both startled and flattered them. The one was amusing and the other was exactly as planned.

Yuffie's cheeks took on a slightly pink cast as she closed and locked her dressing room door before sliding her arm into his.

"So," he asked her as they made their way to the door. "Where would you like to go?"

"Well, there's this little Japanese place I like a couple of blocks down. The food's good and the place is quiet," she told him.

He nodded his acceptance as he allowed her to guide their steps in the direction of the restaurant.

The place was really very nice. The dinners sat at booths thankfully and not on the floor. Each booth was high backed to allow for privacy and groups of twos and fours conversed quietly while waitresses in kimonos moved around the space bringing extra pots of tea and second servings of rice.

Vincent didn't really know much about Japanese food and admitted as much to Yuffie so he allowed her to order for both of them. She decided to go easy on him and went for teriyaki steak for the two of them. The beef meal was probably the safest thing to buy for someone who had never eaten raw fish. She would just have to work him up to it.

Of course that assumed that there would be other dinners out together.

Vincent wondered why Yuffie suddenly blushed but didn't ask. They talked about the play and how it went and the few technical problems that had occurred until the food arrived.

Yuffie prepared to smirk as she watched Vincent pick up his chopsticks, then her jaw dropped open as he deftly picked up slices of beef and piled them on top of his bowl of rice.

He looked a question at her and followed by voicing it. "What?"

"I thought you said you'd never had Japanese food before," she said, waving her hand towards his chopsticks.

He glanced down at the sticks and was still for a moment, well, stiller than usual. "Japanese, no, Wutai, yes."

"Oh," Yuffie was a little surprised, most people tended to lump Asian foods together even when they really were quite different.

Vincent arranged his food a little more and gave her that minimal smile that seemed to do strange things to her. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Yuffie started a little but quickly piled some food up with her chopsticks and dug in. She came up for air about half way into her meal and looked up to see Vincent watching her with amusement.

"It's true what they say," he said, "one should never get between an actor and food."

"Hey, being someone else all night takes a lot of energy," she said in her defence.

"True."

"So, Vincent have you..." Ever been married, she thought, are you currently married, dating or gay? Do you have kids and what could you possible like about me that made you ask me out to dinner?

Oh, no she didn't have issues did she?

"Have I what?"

"Have you been skulking around theatres for very long?" Oh goodness, earth, swallow, now.

"A few years."

"Uhhhhh."

"May I ask a question?" He asked.

"Yes, yes." Oh good Yuffie, lets do the bobble head impression again.

"Is Yuffie short for something? I don't think I've ever heard the name before."

Thud.

"Yuffie?" Vincent asked, startled. The girl had done a face plant onto the table and none too gently either.

"Ah, it's okay it's just that it's a little embarrassing." She looked up and blushed; really she did look quite delightful all pink like that.

Vincent gave himself a mental thump to the head and fought to look at something other than the blush that had spread across Yuffie's cheeks.

Worried that she may have given the wrong impression she hurriedly explained. "Not really embarrassing, actually it's just stupid."

He answered with a raised eyebrow and Yuffie gave a little sigh before continuing.

"Usually I tell people that it's Wutai for butterfly but... My name is actually Efthemia." She paused a moment. "And no, my parents didn't hate me."

Vincent mulled that over for a moment. "I'm surprised that you didn't end up being called Effie."

Yuffie winced slightly. "Yeah, I probably would have been but the little brother of a friend of mine had a terrible time trying to say it. Uffie was the best that he could manage and after awhile it ended up as Yuffie. Sometimes I'm not really sure anyone remembers what my name really is, thank goodness."

"Hmm, sounds like it would make for good blackmail material."

Yuffie looked at him in shock. "Don't you even think about it."

"I don't know. It isn't every day that you learn something so...embarrassing about a person when you've just met them."

'Vincent..." Yuffie started angrily then stopped, suddenly realizing that using his full name against him wouldn't work as she didn't even know what it was.

"Vincent, what's your last name anyway?"

Vincent blinked, surprised at himself for not having properly introducing himself to her.

"It's Valentine."

Yuffie's eyes almost crossed in concentration. Something about that name seemed familiar to her and not because it was the same as a holiday in February. She gave a little shake of her head; maybe she had heard about his car accident at some point and had just forgotten.

They continued the rest of the meal, chatting off and on about plays they had been in, had seen, or were just plain interested in performing in. When the bill came Yuffie deftly snatched it from the table before Vincent could make a move on it and slid out of the booth to go pay.

"I said I was buying. If you really have to be macho about it you can leave the tip." She told him, attempting to give him some way to defend his masculinity.

Vincent gave a little shake of his head and pulled out his wallet while Yuffie bounced off to the cashier. He stood up, opened the wallet and took a deep breath before reaching in. Money was always a difficult thing to do.

Yuffie paid the check and turned back to find Vincent still standing at the table. Apparently it took him a long time to just leave a tip. She weaved forward, intending to go back to their table when he turned and walked over to her. A quick glance around him showed that there was actual folding money on the table for the waitresses tip so she decided not to worry about it. Maybe he had just been lost in thought.

"So," he asked as he came into normal conversation range, "should I call a cab for you?"

"Nah, I usually walk."

"Then I will see you home."

"What?" Yuffie winced, high squeaky panic voice was always a great way to look cool and sophisticated in front of a guy.

"It is far too late and far too dark out and I would not be a suitable..." He stalled up for a moment while searching for an appropriate word. "A suitable escort if I allowed you to walk unprotected even if the distance isn't great.

Yuffie opened her mouth to argue, and then closed it without even trying. She could already tell by facial expression and stance that trying to change Vincent's mind would be like trying to shift the Statue of Liberty off of its base.

She gave a sigh but still took the arm that was offered to her. Really it was as if the man had never even heard of women's lib and to top that off she was more than capable of looking after herself. She might not look it but she was actually a decent martial artist and pepper spray was one of the few things that she never left home without.

Issues, her? Well maybe just a few.

One of the waitresses gave them a sappy look as they headed out the door before heading to their table to clean it up. She shook her head as she noticed that the girl had consumed her meal down to the last grain of rice but the guys bowl was still full, though a bit messy as he had obviously kept stirring it up, probably to make it look like he was actually eating it.

It must be love. Most guys she knew would have bitched and complained through the entire meal if they weren't willing or able to eat it. Either that or they would have tried to order a hamburger and fries.

She bussed the table and picked up the tip, giving it a second glance before sliding it into her tip pocket.

They were some of the oldest bills she had ever seen.

SCENE 2

Ah, could there be anything better than walking down a city street on a clear crisp evening with a lovely young woman on your arm?

SCREECH. "Watch it you idiot."

"Who you calling an idiot?"

"Sigh." Ok so maybe there was nothing like walking down a city street on a clear crisp evening with a lovely young woman while listening to two taxi cab drivers have an argument about a near miss while blocking what little traffic there was at this time of night.

Horns started to honk and Vincent gritted his teeth, noticing that Yuffie didn't seem to be looking too much happier about the noise than he did.

"This way," she told him and they thankfully, gratefully turned a corner and moved away from the blaring of horns and the addition of several more angry voices.

Yuffie gave a little sigh as the night regained its silence. She thought that maybe she should try to start up a conversation with Vincent but at the moment the quiet was too nice to break so she just let it go. She had the sudden desire to snuggle into his arms as they walked but she gave herself a mental ping between the eyes, reminding herself that she HARDLY KNEW the man.

And she was letting him walk her home.

Arrggg, why didn't she just take the cab?

"Is something the matter Yuffie?"

"Matter?" She flushed slightly. "No nothings the matter." Nothing, she thought, except I can't seem to stop being paranoid.

Hmmm, let's see, past bad relationship, practical jokes, bleeding mirrors and dangerous items in my makeup, nope, no reason to be paranoid here.

She suddenly focused on their surroundings and was surprised to find that they were walking right past her building.

"Wait, stop."

Vincent paused in mid step and looked at her.

"My buildings back there." If she continued to blush like she had been all evening long she was going to pass out from blood loss to the rest of her body.

Vincent didn't seem to notice her embarrassment as he escorted her to the entrance, waiting as she unlocked the outer doors and gave him a wave once she was safely inside.

He lingered just long enough to see her get into the elevator unmolested before he turned to head for home.

Yuffie slumped against a wall of the elevator and thumped the back of her head against it a couple of times. She knew better than to get involved with someone from work but it looked like she was going to go ahead and do just that.

Of course that depended on Vincent actually being interested. It was hard to tell with him, he almost seemed to be hiding behind the mask of a gentleman. No that wasn't quite right. She was sure that he was a gentleman but she was also sure that he was using those manners to keep himself separate from other people. Being polite was good but it could also be used as a wall between you and the rest of the world. Although, given some of the world, like the taxi drivers for instance, sometimes the wall was a good thing.

The elevator dinged to a stop at her floor and suddenly tired she dragged herself down the hall to her apartment. Tomorrow, she would think about it tomorrow.

Or maybe even next week.