AN: Last chapter before the epilogue! It's long, so enjoy! (or not enjoy :P)

SL

SL

SL

You've held your head up

you've fought the fight

you bear the scars

you've done your time.

Listen to me:

You've been lonely

too long.

-"Dust to Dust" by The Civil Wars

SL

SL

SL

After Sora tried dancing again only to break down in grief…

It had been about two months since she had stepped into the gym's dance studio and quite honestly, she didn't think she'd be returning to it anytime soon.

'So much for those new dance shoes.'

Sora morosely sighed yet again. Her heart was still so tender especially with her uncle bringing up the engagement with Yuri every so often. After the last outburst, she got the feel that he wasn't going to mention it for a while.

Not that he'd given up on it.

'I know he said that it's good for me, but I just…I can't accept the idea.'

Listlessly, she flipped the magazine page in the doctor's office. Her check-ups were cautionary given that she was in a short coma-like state some months ago. It wouldn't do for her to not be healing on schedule.

Yet another thing her uncle was adamant about…

"Sora-kun," came a soft voice.

The redhead looked up and smiled at the older woman. She remembered how nice and patient the nurse was with her during the first days out of the coma. "Kisa-san. How are the grandkids?"

"Fine, just fine." The woman smiled, though to Sora it looked a little sad. "The youngest lost a tooth yesterday. She was so frightened, poor thing. It took a while to explain that another one would replace it. But enough about me." She sat next to Sora with a solemn face. "How are you doing?"

Sora blinked at the rather serious tone. "Uh, fine as well. Thank you. Physical therapy's been going along pretty much three times a week."

The woman's dark eyes were sympathetic. "Not that therapy, dear."

"Kisa-san," Sora started out slowly, "I don't understand. That's the only therapy I'm going through."

The older nurse scrutinized Sora's face and with some surprise she realized that the young woman really didn't know what she was subtly referring to.

"Oh my dear child. Your uncle never told you?"

A little frustrated, Sora slightly bit out, "Kisa-san, just say what you're hinting at."

"Not here," Kisa protested, but Sora responded quite sternly that she want to know now instead of much later.

Sora was tired of not knowing things that happened while she was in a coma. 'I thought Leon's death was the only thing I missed.' But by the gentle way the older nurse sighed and then took Sora's hand, Sora was suddenly filled with trepidation.

'What else did I miss?'

"My dear," came Kisa's voice with that hint of woe within her professional talk, "you miscarried."

Sora was stock still. Miscarried miscarried miscarried…

"I was pregnant?" she whispered in shock.

Kisa sadly nodded. "You were at least a month in, but I would say more towards two." Her slightly wrinkled hand ran over Sora's in comfort. "Because you were still unaware of your surroundings, the doctors deferred to your uncle about your surgery options. One would take longer and be done in increments and the other was faster for the overall healing process, but very intense, especially in your condition at the time."

Kisa sighed. She disliked being the bearer of bad news.

"Your uncle signed off on the second surgery, knowing the risks but I supposed the pros outweighed the—"

"My uncle knew I was pregnant?" Sora sharply interrupted.

"Well, yes. He said he would not hold the hospital responsible should anything happen." Finding it hard to keep professional in her speech, Kisa said, "But sweet child, when the unfortunate did occur, he said that he would rather tell you himself. You were still out of sorts when you woke up; it seemed to be a reasonable request."

Sora felt numb. "Reasonable…"

Yes, Sora supposed he had reasonably risked her pregnancy so that Yuri's child could be the first one she bore when they were married.

She felt like she was seeing her uncle in a new light.

But he never asked her about who Leon was to her. He seemed to be understanding in her feelings for Leon even though he didn't know who he was to her.

Perhaps her uncle thought it was some other man's child?

…She found that she really didn't know and didn't care about what her uncle had thought. In the wake of this new information, she felt her numb state fading as her throat ached once more.

'He had left me a child.'

Her body trembled like the treacherous thing that it was. She could have had a babe some months grown in her womb by now. 'A babe with his silver hair or grey eyes.' Or maybe even both features. Either way they were features she would never see given that Leon was dead. But with the babe, she could have seen something of him in their child…

She lost her gift before she realized she had it.

Her hand slipped out from under Kisa's as she brought her arms around her torso. "No," she pitifully bemoaned, "No…"

Kisa pulled her into her arms and Sora clung onto the woman as a new level of grief overcame her.

'Leon, please forgive me!' she inwardly pleaded as her body struggled to breathe and thick tears fell from her eyes. 'I didn't know-I didn't know!'

She fell into a deeper depression soon after.

SL

Many weeks passed by in a melancholic way.

May checked up on Leon every so days after finding out Sora had been pregnant. While they didn't have concrete evidence of that, Leon seemed to be pretty certain that's what the meaning of the plaque was.

May couldn't find a counter argument to it.

She knocked on his apartment door. "Open up, it's your nanny!"

She may jokingly say it, but she really did feel like it. He sort of withdrew within himself; she just didn't want him doing anything harmful. She heard the stories of his mental breakdown when his sister died. Apparently, he had seen her ghost following him to the dance studio or even within the actual place.

According to one of the older performers who had been around for that, Leon had stared next to him sometimes, making the performers wonder if he was seeing Sophie dance.

May didn't know but he had also fallen into a strange state after Sora's supposed death. He withdrew from competing and rarely spoke. It wasn't until May came around to kick his butt into gear that he actually started to speak and function somewhat normally again.

In any case, May didn't know what he'd do in his present state of mind.

The door finally opened. May was not surprised that he simply unlocked it and then walked away. She was used to the treatment by now. She let herself in.

"I brought some take-out."

May put the food bag on the table near the kitchen and then went to look for him. She faintly heard some snipping; the sound took her to the bathroom.

Her jaw dropped when she saw long locks of silver hair all over the floor.

"What are you doing?!"

He did not stop in his task, snipping off another portion of his hair. The answer was obvious enough to see though the reason was not. He couldn't explain it really, but he could state it simply. This morning he woke up, started brushing his hair when he realized that it wasn't important.

It was a vanity thing to feed his ego.

The thought rubbed him the wrong way for what man has the right to be worried about something as frivolous as an ego issue when he had been a bastard to the only woman that ever loved him?

He ignored her feelings.

Snip.

Wrote to her not to bother him with her presence.

Snip, snip.

All the while she was still mourning the loss of their child and trying to tell him what had occurred but he stubbornly pushed her away.

Sniiiip.

"It was bothering me," he simply said in response to May's exclamation.

SL

After his spontaneous haircut and the clean-up following, he finally sat at the small dining table where May was eating her order of take-out.

"You've got a few screws loose," she muttered before slurping her spaghetti.

Leon sat down in front of the order May got him but did not eat it yet. May warily looked at him, taking in the very short hairstyle. "You messed up on some parts."

"What brings you here?"

She rolled her eyes. She thought it was funny he still continued to ask. "I'll fix your hair afterwards," she addressed instead. "It looks like a cheap wig."

Something flitted through his eyes. "That's fine."

"No it's not." She paused to take a bite of her meatball. "Sora'll freak when she sees you like this."

"She's coming?"

"No," May breezily said, "I'm referring to when you go see her."

He sat back in his chair. "Who said I was going to?"

May looked about the place, seeing some boxes in the living room and a lot less stuff about. "Why are you packing?"

She didn't seem to want to answer his questions. He sighed. "I do not think I can stay here anymore."

She took in the bags under his eyes and the drooping of his shoulders. 'Maybe it's for the best.' If there were too many memories here she was surprised he hadn't left sooner.

"Eat up. You'll need the energy."

SL

A month passed.

Sora shifted in her seat as Yuri looked over the final draft of their papers. It had taken a while to get him to understand that she was serious about the divorce. She had even threatened to make their problems public when he finally, though reluctantly, agreed to go through with it.

Privately, of course. He had a reputation to uphold.

She nearly rolled her eyes, but Yuri was looking at her at the moment.

"This is a lot you're giving me."

She nodded. 'Like anything less would have made you happy.' She was signing over most of her stock her father had left for her in return for a divorce. Next to attention, Yuri liked money so she thought that the deal would be enough to entice him.

"There is a stipulation though." She leaned over a little to point at the document. "You have to agree to annually give at least 20% of the revenues from the stock to the foundation."

Ideally she wanted a higher number, but the lawyer Layla found her had helped her figure out the figures.

Yuri nodded. "Even so, after all this you will be practically penniless."

In her bank account and on paper, that was true. She was only keeping a few stock and none of the major ones. The money for the lawyer ate up her immediate funds, but she did have some investments tucked away that will help her in the future.

But as of now, yes, she wouldn't have much if he signed the papers.

The price would be worth it.

"I've survived on less," she murmured.

He looked at her. "Your time in America?"

She gave a small nod. When she ran away before her eighteenth birthday she had saved enough for a plane ticket and for a rental agreement. Ever since she was sixteen her uncle had been telling her about her engagement until she felt so trapped she left the country altogether.

She had been fortunate that she had found some work at a nearby fast food place, but the pay was not the greatest. Before she started getting gigs for performing she had rationed her food and money for months. Soup kitchens had been helpful and she was glad she did not have an overly large pride that prevented her from going there for some meals.

People didn't know it, but she was tougher than she looked.

"Will you sign then?" she asked, returning his attention to the main issue.

"…You can have this stock," he pointed at and made a note on the contract, "Otherwise. Yes."

The back of her mind was snide to note that the stock was one of the smaller ones, but she pushed it away. After this new revision was printed out, he was finally going to sign.

That was what mattered to her.

SL

It was going on three months since their divorce and Yuri was surprised that Sora was still in Japan. He only knew because he was starting to have lunch with Layla again and the two women were close friends. Though, he couldn't get any other information other than that.

Layla said she would give him another chance.

He wasn't willing to press his luck.

While Yuri wondered about Sora's lack of action, the young woman herself was busy selling clothing she didn't want anymore and putting her small house on the market. Moving to another country took a lot of time and energy, not to mention money.

She wanted only the bare minimum to carry for now.

Layla offered to bring her other stuff over later, but even then, Sora didn't want to inconvenience her friend. She was already borrowing some money from Layla; she didn't want to seem needy. She had contacted May and the dancer was willing to share her place until Sora was back on her feet.

What the black haired beauty forgot to tell Sora was that she had given Leon her address in Japan.

So when Sora was running about her house, packing stuff in boxes and sorting out what to keep and what to sell, her doorbell rang. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Coming!"

Her ponytail messily swished side to side as Sora jogged out of the living room and over to the front door. Having expected the movers or even her family friend with his truck, Sora's eyes widened when she saw Leon at the door.

Involuntarily, their last encounter flashed across her mind, causing her to shrink back a little. After that initial response, she took in his short hair and tired eyes; she recalled that she asked May to get him to see the plaque and she swallowed, wondering if his fatigued form was a result of that information.

"Hello," she said in a small voice. It seemed like such a ridiculous and pointless thing to say, but she couldn't think of what else to say.

He took in her reactions, not blaming her for half hiding behind her door. Many things ran through his mind. He thought about saying 'hello' back, he considered asking how she was now that her divorce has been in effect for three months, or even asking if she wanted him to leave.

What finally did catch his attention were her bangs.

"I like the side bangs."

She blinked out of her nervousness with that, her fingers coming up to touch her hair.

"I do too," she said without really thinking.

She never did like the evenly trimmed bangs from before, but she didn't feel right about going back to her wild bangs. She wasn't that teenager anymore, nor could she hope to return to that time.

"Why'd you cut your hair so short?"

He tucked his hands into his pockets. "It was getting too heavy."

His somber tone struck a chord. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Oh."

Her arms hugged herself and he didn't like how vulnerable she looked then. Slowly, cautiously, he stepped forward, seeing how close she would allow him to be. She flinched, he stopped two feet away from her. His hand came up and carefully, he had it hover a few centimeters from her cheek.

"Forgive my ignorance," he murmured, his eyes forlorn and the saddest she had ever seen them. "I had not known…No. Even without the knowledge, my behavior towards you," he shook his head at himself, "it is inexcusable."

Her lips quivered. "So am I supposed to be forgiving you or not?"

He helplessly shrugged.

The action made her trembling spread. Despite the hurt from the competition, despite his harshness and bitterness displayed, she recalled his embrace and the security to be found in his arms. She felt her old mental wounds resurface, and now that he was in front of her, she found herself wanting to repeat things she had said to him in her mind.

There was now a chance to hear a response instead of having to imagine it.

"I lost our child," her voice quivered.

His hand near her face shook slightly. So his conclusions had been correct.

Her body trembled hard and tears went down her face. His hand finally touched the side of her face and he brought his forehead to hers, not daring to touch her any more than he already was.

"Not you," he lowly said in an uneven voice, "I cannot bear to see you carry this loss."

"But it was my fault," she cried, not caring if her voice was cracking and her eyes were red and puffy, "I was not strong enough to hold her—or—or him" her voice cut off as she wept. Her arms unwound themselves from her torso and her hands gripped his shirt.

His hand kept her head up as he stared at her grief stricken face. He could have spared her this pain. Had she never met him, had he never danced with her that one time in the studio…Had he never spoken up when she talked during those early weekend practices.

"The fault is mine," he rasped out, his throat the tightest since her supposed death. He could not stay away. He could not ignore her energy and kind spirit. "You were never meant to be with someone like me."

And for his selfishness she was marred with unending pain.

Her eyes were so blurry with tears she could barely see him, but his tone, his words, and the shaking his hand was doing as he touched her cheek…all of it made her heart ache even more.

"Don't," she sobbed, her hands gripping his shirt even harder as if she feared his retreat. His hand shook so badly it was easy for her to drop her head against his neck and press herself into him. "Don't ever say that."

As she continued to cry on him, she felt his body shudder until he could no longer keep it all inside. He wrapped her in his arms and his cheek lay on top of her head. The sound started quietly, but she could soon hear what she felt.

He half sobbed, half choked out his apologies into her hair.

"Forgive me…forgive me…"

She cried even harder.

SL

After the emotional visit, Leon left for America.

They had not spoken again after they calmed from their shared grief, but there was something hanging there as he ran his hand through her hair and she kept herself in his arms, her head on his shoulder and her hands on his chest.

They had parted when the movers arrived, Sora quickly running inside to wash her face and Leon meanwhile stepping aside to let the men take the boxes marked for taking. He stayed long enough to raise a hand in parting and then left her home.

He was in the way; besides, his purpose in coming had been fulfilled.

But as he sat on the plane, he thought on their embrace and the smell of her peach lotion replacing the old raspberry and cream scent. All the changes made him feel lighter for some reason, though he had assumed they were now parted for good.

What he had not registered was the tentative hope he felt inside.

SL

Three weeks.

That's how long May had been missing.

There was nothing wrong, he saw the articles about May teaching classes and her hunt for a new partner, however she had not come over to his place as she had before.

Not even an irritating phone call.

It was all very strange.

That's why he had been startled to hear his phone sound off one Sunday afternoon as he looked for dance studios for rent online.

While he was no longer instructing at his old studio, many of his students said that they would switch over to his if he ever opened one up. Right now he was instructing as an individual and borrowing the nearby gym's dance room for the lessons, but they've had to reschedule lessons sometimes depending on the room availability.

It was aggravating to not have a set class time, but they were making do with what they had.

Capping his pen and putting it next to his notepad, he got up from the table and picked up his phone. He immediately pulled the device away from his ear as May's voice thundered over the line.

'There she is,' he wiry thought.

And he had been slightly concerned.

He quirked a brow as she started telling him what time he was expected to meet her and her friend—"Ken Robbins," she added, "Orange hair, blue eyes, you know the guy that helped me carry your crap back to the hotel?"—at some restaurant in under two hours.

"And why should I be doing this?"

He heard her exasperated huff. "Be-cause I'm looking for a new partner and you said you'd be willing to train him in our old routines! Ken's got some skills, he just needs more experience." She paused for a moment to say something to whoever was with her. "I'm being nice by letting you scope him out and see if you'd want to train him instead of just plopping him on your lap!"

He really wasn't in the mood for an outing, but he did owe May.

"Fine."

SL

A quarter to 8PM, Leon was sitting across from May and Ken.

They were finishing up their meals and discussing the prospects of Ken being Leon's replacement. Honestly, Leon was not sure just by talking. He would have to see the young man perform and told the carrot top those very words.

The young man nodded his head eagerly. "Of course. What time would be convenient for you?"

"I am available this Saturday afternoon."

They shook hands and the plans were set. 'Well that was fairly simple.' He didn't think a whole meal was necessary for them to have done this.

May discretely looked at her watch. She tsked and her foot tapped against the wooden floors. 'Just where in the blazes is she?' She was already missing the dinner. 'Don't tell me she chickened out at the last minute.' May frowned. She could give her a quick call and—

May's eyes darted beyond Leon's shoulder and she grinned at the figure approaching.

'About time!'

Quickly, May kicked the side of Ken's shoe, signaling for their departure.

"Ah, well. I need to go—" at May's clearing of the throat, Ken amended, "we need to go. Thank you for meeting us here."

"Here's for our meal," May cut in, slapping some bills on the table and no longer being discrete as she pushed Ken out of his seat. "See you later!"

Leon frowned, turning his head as he followed the two's quick departure.

He froze upon seeing familiar red hair.

Sora was also looking at May's departure, but there was confusion written all over her face, especially with the downward turn of her mouth.

"Is she coming back?"

Leon, having been transfixed by her white dress with lavender and magenta flowers scattered about it, slightly shook his head to regain focus.

"I do not think so."

'Why that scheming woman!' May told her it would be the four of them so she didn't have to worry about being nervous. She placed her hands on her hips in the classic 'indignant woman' stance. "She invited me and she left!"

The corner of Leon's mouth twitched. "Same with me."

His voice brought her attention back to him. She realized that she was now in a restaurant with him after five plus years and he was already done with his meal. May told her she could come after her shift so that's why she thought it would be alright if she was running late.

Her hands came off of her hips and now folded in front of her.

"I uh, didn't mean to interrupt."

His grey eyes met hers. "Please," he gestured towards a seat.

She bit her lower lip. "I'm not troubling you, am I?"

He stood up. "You know that if I did not want you hear, I would have said so." He stepped out of his seat and pulled out one for her.

His action made her shy.

She stepped over and sat, letting him push her towards the table a little and then gave him a nod and a small smile. Leon hailed their server over and asked for a menu. Sora fiddled with the clasp of her handbag, not knowing where to start.

"I take it your move went smoothly?" he asked.

"Yes," she gratefully responded, "May's been helping me out." A glass cup was placed in front of her and the plates of May and Ken taken away. She thanked the server for that and then turned back to Leon. "I did not want to contact you until I was settled in."

"Ah." May had been busy helping Sora. That would explain her absence.

"…by the park. It's nicer than the place I used to stay at," she took a sip of her water, "you should come by some time."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, her eyes widened. Having recalled their last miscommunication problems at the competition, she was quick to fix her wording.

"Not that I mean anything behind those words!" Her fingers gripped her purse a little tighter. "I just simply meant it as a polite invitation—but not that I'm not willing or ah, against—" her face flushed as she tried fixing the fix-up words, "It's just a nice place, is all," she finished, not wanting to further embarrass herself.

By the flicker of amusement in his eyes, she took it that he did not take any offence.

"On that note," he started with a faint smile, "you are free to visit me as I have moved as well."

Sora relaxed. With an easier smile, she lifted her glass of water.

"To fresh starts," she caught his eye and he knew she did not mean only their living spaces. He picked up his glass of wine and raised it up.

"To fresh starts," he repeated.

Their glasses clinked.

SL

After the dinner, he offered her a ride back.

She accepted the offer, another sign to him that she was willing to be civil with him. Not that she had ever, in the time they had met again, been uncivil.

No, that dishonor went to him.

He frowned as he stopped at the light. He couldn't say he was surprised by her manner, but he felt conflicted about it. 'She is much too forgiving.' Shouldn't he need to do something before he was allowed to be around her?

Or was he simply making life more complicated than it needed to be?

The light turned green. The car moved forward.

"Oh, at the next light you'll need to make a right."

He acknowledged her comment. 'Near my place,' he idly noted. There were a few different apartment places around his complex.

"Which apartment building is it?"

"The one with the willow tree out front," as they made a right, she pointed up ahead, "right there, next to the park."

The car continued to move, but he felt like his mind went blank.

"I live here as well," he finally said.

She laughed a little. "What a coincidence!"'

"More like May interfering," he dryly assessed. The woman needed to mind her own business sometimes. He will admit, her interfering was helpful at times, but the apartment and tonight's little get together had been unnecessary moves.

He pulled up by the curb. "I will need to park. It will be more convenient if you step out here."

She smiled. "Ok. Good night and thank you, Leon."

SL

The next week was filled with some encounters of Sora about the apartment complex.

He passed by her as she was going to the laundry room.

Two days later, she was off to jog in the park as he was returning from teaching an early morning class. He was coming out of his apartment more often, wanting to catch another glimpse or share some words with Sora.

It wasn't until the middle of the following week as he was going down the stairs to eat out and she was shifting her grocery bag to one arm to unlock her door that they realized how close their places actually were.

"You're above me," she said with some humor.

Leon stilled for a moment, the words bringing a flash of an old memory of her face below his as he hovered above her on the bed. He had not been the only one to read a little more into those words as he spotted some pink along her cheeks.

Instead of trying to take back her words, she merely cleared her throat. "I'll ah, see you some other time."

He gave a nod, not trusting his voice at the moment.

He had a feeling May was responsible for Sora's apartment location as well.

SL

The third week in, Sora couldn't stand it anymore.

Resolutely, she slipped off her oven mitts, walked out of her place to climb the stairs to his and firmly knocked on his door.

He soon opened it and gave a slow blink at the apron still on her.

"I want you to come over," she said with no prompting.

His eyes stayed on hers, reading the flickers of desire, longing, and the shining hope she had for second chances, though it was usually in giving people another chance.

This time, she was silently asking him for a second chance.

"You are not the one that needs to ask," he murmured. He was more than willing to give her anything she asked; she deserved it all. He, on the other hand…

"I asked." Her arms stubbornly crossed themselves over her chest. "What's your answer?"

For a long moment, nothing happened.

She frowned despondently when he went back inside. However, he came back with his keys in hand and closed his apartment door.

She unfolded her arms. "I hope you like lemon chicken."

SL

Two months and a half in, and they were in a routine of sharing meals together.

For breakfast, she went up into his place.

Lunch was always changing since she had work and he had his classes to teach. Once in a while, they were able to meet up and eat in a diner or café nearby.

For dinner, he came down to her place, though he helped in cooking it.

What once started as conversation over meals was slowly, but gradually changing shape. Talking continued, for heavens knows they were in need of catching up over the five years they had been apart. There was also the learning of how the other has changed.

Some things were small, like Sora's table manners when once before she'd sit cross legged on the chair with her elbows on the table. Or Leon's slight change in tastes as he was now a fan of broccoli and beets.

Others were not so small, such as the way Sora's eyes were no longer as bright as they once were. The years had taken their toll on her, but he was comforted by the fact that some light was still there.

It was merely harder to see some days.

Sora noticed that he was no longer the unshakable pillar of confidence she had known him to be. He has been made humbled throughout these recent months as dance studio after studio denied him their places for him to rent out. In the past, his reputation would have easily gained him ten dance studios. The incident with Yuri was coming back to bite him harder than he had anticipated. But even then, he continued with the search.

Leon's persistence and endurance were more attractive to her anyways.

Along with the shifts and meals, there was the touch of a hand here, the brush of fingers as they passed food items to the other, and the lingering looks of one to the other.

There was a building tension between them that happened so slowly and subtly, she had not been shocked when, that night after dinner he stole her last bite of pumpkin pie and she came out of her seat, seeing a piece of the filling on the corner of his mouth and slowly licked it from his lips.

His sharp eyes zeroed in on her pink tongue as it went back inside her mouth. He came out of his seat, his mouth targeting what his eyes had been watching.

She had not protested when his lips moved over hers frantically, desperately, and his tongue blindly seeking hers as it ran along the seam of her mouth. She moaned then, when she let him in and his hands touched her with searing fire and his mouth, oh, how he was consuming her, taking her air and making her hungry as if she had been starving and thirsting on some dry, rocky island for far too long.

She was on the table now, his sure hands having lifted her up and were now under her blouse, so warm and rough she whimpered at the pleasure dancing along her spine. His narrow hips came closer to her and pressed against her in that old familiar and delicious way.

The sensation thrilled and terrified her.

Her mouth ripped away from his, panting in her pleasure as well as her alarm.

It had just hit her then, what they were surely about to do and unlike their interactions at the competition and in her hotel room, there was nothing to stop them from doing it. She was elated, but scared; happy, but insecure.

'I…I don't know.'

During her thoughts Leon took in some air, watching the conflict on her face.

He felt many things and none of them were good. Leon pulled away. "I have overstayed my welcome." He gave her a nod and wished her a good night.

Before she could remember how to be articulate, he was out the door.

SL

It took her two days to work out what happened that night.

They had stopped the meals those 48 hours in the wake of that one dinner. Leon thought he took it too far when she was not ready. He didn't think his presence would be welcomed at the moment and when she failed to appear for breakfast, he assumed that he had been correct.

However, that was not the case.

Sora showered and changed into some casual, but nice clothes, slipping on some low heels with her jeans and floral blouse. She thought over what she was going to say as she took the stairs, hoping he was in right now.

She knocked and waited.

Waited some more.

A few minutes more…

'I guess he's not home yet.' She deflated a little and turned around only to nearly bump into his tall figure. Her hands laid against his upper arms for balance and she kept them there, having felt that she had his attention with the touch.

"I'm sorry about two nights ago."

He stayed silent for a moment. "I had gone too far," he stated and then inclined his head in an apologetic bow. "The fault is mine."

"I wanted more," she said, clear as day. His eyes widened a little at that, but she pressed on, needing him to understand what happened. "You really didn't go too far, it's just—well," she swallowed as the words were caught in her throat, "I don't trust myself."

He frowned at that, trying to get what she was conveying to him.

"My body," she went on, "ever since it lost," her voice hitched a little, "since the miscarriage, I've felt nervous, you know?" Her fingers gripped his arms more as if that would help him understand. "Like it can't hold anything and it'll just keep doing that and I don't want it to do that, especially not now when you're here and I'm not married and we're talking and connecting again, not that any of that means I'm assuming, or pushing, that we're going to be together and have a kid or two, but in general—in the future, I guess this is what the nervousness is—and you never really know what can happen…" she trailed off, feeling like she was rambling out nonsense. "Does that make sense?"

His eyes, during her jumbled speech, slowly softened as understanding came.

"Would you want to be with me?"

She rapidly blinked at that. Out of her entire ramblings, that's what he got out of it? "I-I, just," she stammered until she paused in her talking to clarify his question. "In what way?"

His hand came up to cradle her left hand. When his thumb rubbed her empty ring finger, she took a sharp breath in. "The way I had wanted us to be," he softly murmured, keeping his eyes locked with hers, "before the cab accident occurred."

Her eyes glistened. "Really?" she whispered.

"Really," he sighed, resting his forehead on hers. He still has the ring he had been planning to give to her for the proposal.

The tears slipped out. "I didn't know."

He brushed the tears from her cheek. "We didn't exactly discuss such things back then."

She let out a short laugh, the sound watery from her choked up feelings as well a bit of frustration for her past self. 'How would things happen if Leon had proposed?' Seeing as she had been in an engagement, she probably would have told him about that, which undoubtedly would have ended with them in a verbal fight more likely than not…

"Don't think about it," his voice cut into her thoughts. "There's no use in thinking about the 'what ifs'."

She was silent for a bit. "Would you still ask," she hesitated, but then steeled her nerves, "Even though, I, you know…There's that risk."

He lifted his head from hers and pressed a light kiss on her forehead. "You will not go through pregnancy alone," he softly promised, "I will be here and May will most likely come in as usual."

She felt her heart lighten with this talk, though she still held some reserves. In all honesty, she wasn't certain she would ever be free of them, but at least for now she felt comforted by his words and reassurances.

He felt her lips briefly connect with his and then she broke it off, her arms still around his shoulders.

"Do you want to help make some lasagna?"

He tilted his head. "I did not know you knew how."

She slipped her arms off of him. "I don't but it's in the cookbook I bought."

"This could come out wrong," he said with a shake of his head.

She threaded their fingers as they walked down the stairs to her place. "True, but at least we'll have tried it and then we can fix our mistakes the next time we make it."

"There is that."

"If it burns," she added with a grin, "the pizza place nearby does delivery."

SL

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AN: Epilogue will be next and then this story will finally be completed! :D

Thank you for being so patient! Even though it takes me a while to update, this story has been one of my favorites to work on! :3