Disclaimer: I really don't have anything against the French, ok? In fact one of my very dear friends lives in France; this stuff just worked for the story. Viva la France!

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Claire sat in the dimly lit library, with her head resting down on the large oak table. She didn't really have any work to do here, but she came anyway since this is where she told John she'd be. There wasn't any where else to go, and she just couldn't stand to be at the house right then. She didn't want to deal with him at the moment. So, here she was, in the campus library that was as dull as tombs this evening. At least it gave her some breathing room, though she couldn't put off the inevitable for much longer, as it was nearing closing hour. The old librarian gave out the word to scatter, so she reluctantly gathered her things and made the trek home.

Turning the key in the lock, she pushed open the door and realized that she was returning to an empty home. "John?" she half-heartedly called out, knowing that she'd receive no answer. He really left. Oh, he'll be back soon enough. This will all wash over and he'll be here when I wake up, she thought to herself. She deposited her bag on the counter and proceeded to get ready for bed before slipping into a fitful sleep.

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"Hey man, what's going on?" Andy asked after sleepily answering the knock on his door.

"Can I crash here tonight?"

"Yeah, sure thing." He moved out of the door way, closing it after John walked through. He appraised the man standing before him, the man that he had come to consider his friend over the last few years. "What did you two fight about this time?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he responded gruffly. He moved over to the couch and unceremoniously slumped himself onto it, closing his eyes.

Andy wanted to ask more, but stopped himself and turned around to go back to sleep.

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Claire woke up and turned over groggily, noting that she was still alone in the bed. She frowned as she figured he never returned during the night. She flung herself out of the covers and padded across the room to peak into the living room. Not on the couch, either. Where is he? Where would he go? She pondered to herself... Andy's. She hurriedly got dressed and dashed out of the door.

I'm going to kill him as soon as I see him. Yes, just a nice clean sweep, maybe that will get him out of my system and I won't have to put up with all of this anymore. You know, I should just go off to Paris and not even give him another thought. He's too much trouble. Oh, but he's such good trouble sometimes. Oh, and the way he looks at me...no one else has ever looked at me the way that he does. He really keeps me on my toes, that's for sure. He's so intense and he can make me feel like the most special and beautiful and wonderful girl in the entire world; when he wants to that is. Oh, god, ok I'm here. Just relax, breath in, breath out, and relax...he might not even be here anyway.

She raised her milky white hand and tentatively knocked. The door creaked open and Andy quickly stepped out when he saw her, cracking the door shut behind him. They stood awkwardly in the hallway for a moment before either of them spoke.

"He's here?"

"Yeah, he's here." He took in her haggard appearance, so unlike her, and sighed. This is going to be a loooong day, he thought to himself.

She raised her eyebrow. "Well, can I see him?"

"He's still sleeping. What happened anyway?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"No. He didn't say anything after he asked if he could the stay the night."

"Oh."

"Look, is someone gonna tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't know why this became such a huge deal. I'm going to Paris for a semester exchange, and I told him about it last night. He got really upset and just became an ass."

Andy couldn't suppress his laugh when he replied, "Isn't that how he always is?"

She shook her head, "No, this is different. It built up to this huge and horrible fight. He left for a while and when he came back he said that he was leaving...wait, I thought that he said he ran into you yesterday at Pierce's?"

"He did, but he was pretty quiet for the brief time that I saw him. He just wore his famous scowl and I usually keep my distance when I see that."

"I need to talk to him..." she broke off when she heard a few not so quiet vulgarities being spoken inside.

"I should probably find out what happened...probably best not to come in for a minute - " She nodded in agreement and he disappeared back inside, leaving the door slightly ajar. She strained her ears to hear the conversation.

"You need to fuckin' clean up this place, man. Why would you leave an empty beer bottle on the floor with a towel draped over it?"

"Just so a sorry ass like you would step on it,"

"What the hell where you doing out there with no shoes on anyway?"

"Uh, getting the paper." Andy quickly changed the subject "So, tell me what's going on."

John scoffed. "You know, the usual. Queenie was mad that I didn't lick her boots." Andy leveled him with a look, finally John relented. "Her Majesty informed me that she's running off to Paris." He paused. "You know what, good riddance, too. Let her find herself a little froggie man to rule over. A little prick she can control, one that will kiss her ass in a stupid nancy boy accent. She's so fond of those guys, isn't she? She can cut his dick off – wait, do the French guys even have one?"

Andy looked exasperated as he ignored that last question and asked "What is this really about?"

Claire held her breath outside the door, biting back anger at his earlier tirade.

John heaved a sigh, answering "I just told you."

"So, you're mad that she's leaving?"

"Wow, you're really smart, Sporto. You should go on Jeopardy."

"She's not leaving forever, right? What's the big deal?"

John looked at him like he had sprouted another head. "You think that she's really gonna come back to me after she's there? She'll be at all of those Parisian parties, barfing up the best champagne and getting hit on by richie assholes. Yeah, I think she's really gonna miss Shermer after all of that." He started pacing around the small living room. "Besides, look at us, man. We're not exactly the most functional couple, are we? I mean we don't fit into the same worlds. I break my back working all the time while she goes to school and her daddy gives her an allowance for her half of the rent. That's another thing – her parents hate my guts. I'm the guy that's tainting her." He smirks at this. "Well, ok that part is a perk." He heard a sneeze outside the door and whipped his head around. He took a few strides over to the door and pushed it open, revealing a petite redhead looking quite sheepish.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came looking for you. What the hell are you doing here?"

He narrowed his eyes, "Have you been listening this entire time?"

She shifted her feet, not answering.

"And that's what you were doing when I got up," he accused to Andy.

"Yeah, well, I can see you two need to talk so I'll just be...uh, not here." He disappeared into his room.

"Well, we gonna stand in the hallway all morning or are you gonna come in?" She followed him inside, looking anywhere but at him. She finally whispered "I missed you last night."

His eyes softened a bit before he answered, "I missed you, too."

She gazed up at him. "So, this isn't really the end, is it?" He merely kept watching her and she added "I don't want it to be the end."

"I don't want it be, either." A very heavy silence hung in the air as the two stood uneasily in front of each other.

"Do you think that it should be? Would it be best? To say goodbye to all of the fighting?" Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat to try to gain more control.

"Goodbye to fighting?" he echoed. "Goodbye to the making up..." he said hoarsely.

"Goodbye to the suspicions," she added, ignoring his comment.

"Goodbye to going to bed together..."

"Goodbye to yelling..."

"And to waking up together -" She could feel her firm resolve start to slip. He took note of this as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. His touch always did make shiver, and now was no exception. She nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck and she heard him exhale a contented breath. They stood frozen like for a few moments.

He finally broke the comfortable silence, "This still doesn't change the fact that you're leaving. Or the fact that we seem to keep going in this same pattern."

"I know. Let's not think about it. Let's just keep these next couple of months for ourselves, and not worry about anything. These two months will be just for us...a little longer for us to be together without reality setting in. Then we'll deal with it all. We'll pretend like I'm not leaving and like we don't fight all of the time. We'll just pretend. Ok? Please?" she pleaded.

He looked down at her with heart breaking tenderness and mustered up all of the confidence that he wasn't feeling and simply answered "Sure, princess. We'll have two more months."

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A/N: I don't know how this chapter turned so 'La Boheme' but, eh, I like it. What you think?