My beloved Pancake has returned! ^0^ *luffluffluffluff* Well, to explain, I was thinking the fire would flare up as it ignites, reaching up to Franco's face. n_nU Sorry I didn't elaborate that up for you~

And Mere, I will still keep you hanging as I figger out the ending to this and TCUASP. D8 :trollface:

And to you Franco lovers out there, I'm terribly sorry there isn't really much on Franco's POV, but I really liked doing Viv's. xD

Chapter Fourteen

(Vivian's POV)

"Alessandria?" I call in disbelief.

"What?" she hisses past clenched teeth.

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard you and Craig got together again," she snarls. "My Craig, at that!"

"But you never even cared what I thought!" Craig called out from under my touch. He struggled to get up from under Franco. "Oh, for heaven's sake, get off me, damn you!" he called, and I pushed Franco away. The Italian did nothing to go against me, and fell to the floor on his butt as Craig stood defiantly.

"This is why I came back for Vivian!" he roared. I'm kinda touched at that. "I came back for her because she was better for me the whole time!" He glanced at me with such love I don't think I can understand. "She's sweet and loyal. She was never in for the sex, or the fun of being in a relationship. She was always there for me, no matter what I did to her, no matter what happened. And I can never find another girl like her again in even a million years." He paused to kneel beside me. "Because I love her."

His voice was so fervent and so loving that my fingers laced with his, and I didn't resist as he pulled me close to kiss my hair. I don't think I've ver felt so happy in my life compared to having Craig back in my life.

"But you're pregnant!" Ercilia calls, and I turn to Craig with partial horror. That's one fact I don't think I've considered in my ecstasy.

"I was drunk, and she…did me," he said softly, and was that remorse in his tone? "I swear, Vivian, I never wanted to touch her like that."

Memories then come flooding in my vision, and I saw how he drooled at the girl on her first day.

"But why did you leave me in the first place?" I ask, my paradise fading.

"I was just trying to meet her, and you overreacted," he said. "Maybe I did so, too, but I never meant to cause you that, Vivian."

I trusted Craig once, I can trust him again. I smiled, nodding in understanding.

"But Vivian, what about me?" I heard Franco say softly. I turn to him, and I can see the hurt in his eyes as he sat there, legs splayed and half-folded, his arms over his knees, looking up at me past his long hair, hiding his eyes in the shadows.

Hurt is in my chest as I remember what had happened earlier tonight. His display of love, his warm, fervent kisses, his concern over my father, the strength he showed for the rescue of my father. And I also remember what he's done in the past few days. His understanding of me. His declarations of love. His support for me. His support for my family. His…drive to comfort me when I'm sad. Things like that. And I remember. I remember painfully.

"Franco…" I whisper sadly as I look from him to Craig and back again.

So this is what everything has boiled down to. It's not my father. It's not me and Franco, or Franco and my family, or me and Franco's family. It's not the celebration of Christmas or New Year. It's not even me. It's Craig and Franco. It boils down to me choosing between the man I have loved in my teenage years, and the man I have come to love in a few days.

I look to Craig and remember things. I remember following him in the halls of the school while he hung with his friends. I was left out. He would push my concern away. I cared, but did he?

I look to Franco and remember, too, and this time more clearly than I remember things with Craig. I remember him following my footsteps, his eyes full of concern when a large pile of snow fell over my head. I remember his friends who have come for a vacation, and he introduced me to them, his arm always around me. I remember him beckoning me to sample his special dish, and kissing me in public as a display of affection. His expression wasn't smug, but it was a loving as loving could be, and I knew the crowd could see that. He kissed my hair, breathing its sweet scent. When he returned to sit beside me and saw my expression, he thought I was down, and I saw the deepest concern I've never even seen.

Craig has never pulled me close. Craig has never had the intention of even bringing his face close to mine. But Franco has gone through lengths for me. And I loved every inch of Franco more than I have ever understood Craig.

I look to Craig again, and shake my head. I then rise to move to Franco, kneeling once more to cup his face in my hands.

"You have shown me things no one has ever shown me before, Franco," I murmur, eyes smiling. "And I will never, ever forget what times we have shared."

He raises his face, and at that I permit myself to kiss him for the firs time, and for the first time, there is confidence in my heart.

I swear I can hear people crying or sniffling as I help Franco to his feet, my gaze not deviating from his. He smiles at me, and presses his lips to my forehead, his arms around my waist.

"Vivian," Craig calls softly, and I can hear the hurt in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Craig," I say, moving to him to hold his hands for the last time. "I truly am. But we can't be; I love Franco, and…." My voice trails away. I glance at the man that stands a few feet behind me, right into his beautiful brown and green gaze, and turn back to Craig. "I mean, you already have Alessandria; I can't possibly accept in my heart that you're the one, that you love me form the bottom of your heart. Only because you gave your love to someone else first."

I look up to once-beautiful blue, and see sorrow there. He bows his head, , and his hands, linked with mine, rise, probably to kiss my fingers. Only he doesn't. He pushes me back forcefully, and I am thrown feet from where I stood.

"That's not fair, Vivian!" he roars at me, tears streaming down his cheek, and lunges for Franco.

He's no match for the Italian, although I can see Franco take damage. There are sounds of combat from my side in the dim light, and I see them fighting over me. Craig will not go down without a fight.

"She loved me first!" he spits at Franco, and knocks his opponent back with a backfist. "She was my choice of mate, and you just had to appear to make it complicated!"

Almost as soon as the fight starts, Alessandria jumps into the fray. "You can't do that to Craig!" she screeches, and I push myself off the floor so fast I get up just in time to push her away from the mass of fists and elbows.

"You don't belong in this fight, Alessa," I hiss at her. "Go home."

"Oh yeah? And since when have you been a fighter?" She pushes me with such force I fall to the wooden floor. Franco calls my name, distracted, and he's sent flying as Craig aims a backfist at his jaw. Both opponents advance upon us.

"You're a bitch you know that?" she spits at me. "You go off with some hot guy when someone's on your tail." She cocks her head to the side. "That's not fair, is it?"

"At least I'm not a boyfriend stealer!" I snarl at her, trying to get up, but she only pins me down, her legs straddling my waist.

"Well, look who just got smart," she hissed. "At least I love Craig, that's for sure."

"Why did you want him then?" I ask her furiously. "Why did you want to get knocked up?"

"Because I wanted to share more than just love with him!" she spat after a moment.

I frowned at her. "That doesn't seem legitimate enough," I say.

"At any rate, you're dead." She brought out a pocket knife flicking its blade slightly. "And what better way than to kill you in front of your parents?"

The sounds of combat stopped, and I glanced at the men's direction. They were frozen in place.

"Alessa?" Craig called softly. "What are you doing?"

"Just something that'll keep me with you forever," she crooned. "And this girl is a minor obstruction in that way."