Chapter 18: Can't Fight The Moonlight

Under a lovers sky

Gonna be with you

And no one's gonna be around

You think that you won't fall

Well just wait dear

Til the sun goes down

All I need's the starlight, starlight

There's a magical feeling so right

Here to steal your heart tonight

You can try to resist

Try to hide from my kiss

But you know

But you know that you

Can't fight the moonlight

Deep in the dark

You'll surrender your heart

But you know

But you know that you

Can't fight the moonlight

No, you can't fight it

It's gonna get to your heart

Can't Fight the Moonlight – LeAnn Rimes

The next day Yuffie came over to their room at 10:30. Aeris couldn't understand why she felt the need to get there so early. The dance didn't start until 8.

But it turned out that Yuffie's father had sent over a crate of products he wanted them to try out.

"He's investing in a beauty products business and he wants us to try out the merchandise before he invests!" Yuffie said. She pulled out several objects.

"Look… face-packs, make-up, feet massagers, face saunas!" Tifa said, examining them all. Aeris looked at Yuffie.

"OK, your dad is officially the coolest dad alive."

"Isn't he? Well come on, let's try it all out!"

By midday the three girls were sat wearing face-packs with feet in one of those massaging foot baths.

"I have never felt cleaner." Aeris said as she examined the packet of face-packs. Yuffie grinned.

"I know. All we have to do is give each product a mark out of ten and we get to keep this lot!"

"When are you heading home?" Tifa asked.

"The 20th. Hopefully Dad will be able to take some time off and we can hang out for a while. He's always busy, but he says he'll take Christmas day off." Yuffie. She caught their gazes and shrugged.

"He's running three major companies and is Mayor of Wutai. He's not exactly got time to catch a movie whenever I feel like it."

"He's Mayor of Wutai?"

"Yeah... only we don't call it that in Wutai. He's Lord Godo."

"What does that make you?" Aeris asked. Yuffie grinned, going red.

"Lady Yuffie Kisaragi…"

"Lady Yuffie?" Tifa and Aeris said, bursting into simultaneous laughter.

"I know, I know… it doesn't really mean anything. I basically just have to appear at any big events with my Dad. Charity events, stuff like that."

"Lady… Yuffie…" Aeris and Tifa giggled, leaning on each other for support. Yuffie threw a towel at them.

"Stop it! It's not funny!"

"Yes, it is!" Tifa gasped. She and Aeris looked at Yuffie and then at each other and burst into laughter again. Yuffie rolled her eyes.

"Geez, you're SO immature."

"Sorry." They said, becoming serious again. And then Tifa said,

"Of course we're not royalty so we can be immature in public!"

Yuffie merely threw the nearest object at her head.

At 5:00 Yuffie and Tifa decided it was time to get dressed. Aeris frowned.

"The dance doesn't start until 8."

"Aeris, you have to clean up, get dress, do your make-up, do your hair and a whole bunch of other stuff. Three hours is no time at all."

"OK… well, you two start and I'll go and get us a coffee to go." Aeris said, slipping out of the door before either of them could stop her.

Aeris found Cloud and Reeve in the café and joined them as she waited for her coffee.

"Hey guys."

"Hey. You look different." Cloud said, narrowing his eyes at her. She grinned.

"I've just spent the day being cleansed, moisturised and pampered."

"What a coincidence, us too!" Cloud said sarcastically. She kicked him.

"You're a dead man, Strife."

"Quite probably."

"Well I have to go get dressed." Aeris said, taking her coffee's from the counter. Reeve looked at his watch.

"You need three hours?"

"Apparently so. I don't pity you two. I'm just friends with them. You're dating them!" Aeris said, smiling.

Cloud and Reeve picked up Yuffie at 7:30. Vincent hadn't arrived, but Aeris told them to go ahead.

"I'll meet you there." She told them.

As she waited for Vincent, she checked her reflection to make sure everything looked OK. Tifa and Yuffie had done her make-up and hair for her and she had to admit they'd done it well. The dress looked great, her make-up was perfect and her hair was hanging loose, but Yuffie had attacked it with a pair of curling tongs. The result was long hair with the occasional twist in it.

Aeris pulled out her shoes and put them on. As she did so there was a knock at the door. It must be Vincent.

"It's open, come on in." She called as she put on her shoe.

Smiling, she looked up. And the smile vanished, as if it had been wiped off her face by a passing wind. It wasn't Vincent. It was James.

"What do you want?" She asked, standing up. James blinked and stared at her.

"Wow… Aeris, you look… are you going to the dance, then?"

"James, what do you want?" He shook his head and took a deep breath.

"I just want to talk."

"I don't have time to talk. I also don't want to talk." She told him sharply. He looked at her with those blue eyes, the eyes that would have made her melt once. Not anymore.

"Aeris, please… there's so much I have to say."

And then Vincent appeared in the doorway behind James. James turned and saw him. He looked from Vincent to Aeris. She smiled at Vincent.

"Hi…"

"Hello." He said, frowning. She walked past James to him.

"Let's go."

"Aeris, wait!" James said quickly, following her out into the corridor. She paused and turned to him.

"James, I'm going to give you some advice. Get over it."

"What?"

"You heard me. We're over. Get over it. And more importantly, get over yourself."

Aeris turned back to Vincent and smiled.

"Shall we go?"

As they walked under the lampposts light to the dance, Vincent asked,

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. By the way, you look great." She told him. He gave his smile and looked down at her.

"So do you. You look amazing."

Aeris felt her cheeks rush red. When they got to the hall where the dance was being held, they found it was decorated in white and blue. It looked incredible.

"Wow… this is so…" Aeris said. Vincent nodded. His hand was around hers. Aeris couldn't help thinking what a big hand it was. Very protective. He had taken her hand after the argument with James and hadn't let go since. Her hands were covered with elbow length gloves, but that didn't seem to matter.

They found Tifa and Cloud at a table with drinks. As they sat down, Cloud grinned at Aeris.

"Looking gorgeous!"

"Thanks. You too." Aeris said, smiling at him in his tuxedo. Tifa giggled.

"Yuffie is making Reeve dance. Poor guy."

Aeris and Vincent both turned to see Yuffie dragging Reeve onto the dance floor. Reeve looked incredibly embarrassed.

"He didn't know what he was letting himself in for." Aeris said pityingly.

They all sat around the table for some time. It was amazing how comfortable she felt with these people. Even Vincent seemed to be relaxing. Tifa said,

"How comes you two were late getting here?"

"Well… we had a run-in with James." Aeris said, putting down her glass. Vincent's face had gone hard. They all looked at her. Yuffie asked,

"What happened?"

"He came to our room and said he wanted to talk. I told him there was nothing to talk about and then Vincent came so we left."

"No, first you told James to get over himself. Then we left." Vincent interrupted. Aeris smiled.

"Yeah, that's right."

"I bet that was satisfying." Reeve said. Aeris raised her eyebrows with a smile.

"It really was." The music changed and a slow song came in. Tifa and Cloud went to dance, and so did Yuffie and Reeve. Aeris looked at Vincent.

"Do you want to dance?"

He nodded and took her hand.

Slow dancing can't even really be described as dancing. It's just swaying in time to music. But that's not really important. What was more important was what Aeris was feeling. With Vincent's arms around her, leaning on him unleashed a whole loaf of emotions that Aeris had never experienced. And she wasn't the only one.

Vincent felt completely numb. That was the only way to describe him. Numb. He looked down at the top of Aeris' head as they danced and felt his heart lurch. How did she do that? Make him feel so… alive?

The song ended to be replaced by a faster one. Aeris and Vincent stepped apart. She felt red in the face.

"Do you want to go outside?" She asked. The hall had a garden through a pair of double doors. They went outside, relishing the feel of the rush of cold air on their faces. There was a patio, surrounded by railings. Aeris leant against them, looking out across the gardens. Vincent stood a little way back, watching her.

"Aeris?" He said. Aeris didn't turn but she replied.

"Yes Vincent?"

"Why did you ask me to the dance?"

Aeris didn't answer. She swallowed hard and turned to him.

"Don't you know already?" He tilted his head to one side slightly, surveying her.

"Tell me." Aeris frowned and curled his hands up into fists.

"You really don't know…"

"Tell me why." Vincent said again. Aeris suddenly felt furious with him. Standing there, so calm and collected…

"Isn't it obvious?" She said loudly. Vincent didn't speak, just kept watching her. She threw up her hands in despair, running them through her hair.

"Aeris-"

"I asked you to the dance because I love you, you idiot!" She shouted.

Vincent's eyes widened. Aeris breathed hard and said,

"I love you. It's stupid and irrational but it's true. You drive me crazy and you're unpredictable and I always want to be with you because of that. And… and you didn't even realise and you're just standing there looking at me and… God! I can't stand it anymore!"

And before Vincent could she had covered the short distance between them and pressed her lips against his. For several moments the world stopped. It was as if everything living was holding its breath.

Aeris pulled back. The realisation of what had just happened struck her and she turned to run away. But before she could move Vincent had put a hand on her wrist and had pulled her back, kissing her again.

As they sat in the dark garden Vincent said,

"Come with me."

"Where?" She asked, standing up.

"My apartment. There's something I need to show you."

A/N: Get those dirty thoughts out of your minds! It's not THAT kind of something! Anyway, please review!