Wow, this fanfic is much longer than I expected! I guess its because I'm really getting into it now. I never would've thought I'd get to 20 chapters without anyone flaming me...thank you all so much for your support! It's so encouragaing! Expect many more chapters to come in the future!

Man, was I glad Valentine was dense at times like this!

"A nightmare...?"

"Um...what?"

"You were making noises in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare...?"

I'd been making noises?! That's never good when you're having this kind of dream...um...you know what I mean? I was just thankful that he didn't seem to suspect anything. That dream would've been an embarrassing one to explain, you know? Especially to a guy like Vince. So, instead of trying to make up an excuse of my own, I took the one he gave me and just nodded along. As well as that, I figure that if I said it was a nightmare, he wasn't gonna ask me about it. If he did, I could act 'fragile' and pretend I didn't wanna talk about it. Perfect.

"Noise? Oh no!! Um...I mean...yeah! Yeah I was!"

And with that, he bought my excuse. Nodding with a sympathetic look on his face, he asked in a concerned tone: "Are you alright?"

What kind of question was that? Even if my dream had been a nightmare, I would've obviously been fine. Kids have nightmares all the time, and they always come out fine, don't they? It's not like a nightmare can have much of an impact on real life. After the dream I'd had, I was more than alright...I'd just have to hide that for both our sakes. I'd enjoyed the dream, but in its own way it was pretty scary. I wouldn't want it to be a recurring thing.

"Yeah! Um...y-yes! Why wouldn't I be? It was only a nightmare! It can't hurt me, 'cause it's not real, right?"

I had a feeling that I'd said something wrong. No sooner had that statement left my mouth, hie entire expression had darkened, the sympathy and understanding completely gone. So..he was back in 'Vincent mode' by the looks of things. Cold, serious, and mysterious. Lovely.

"You would be surprised how the images displayed by the subconscious can warp the mind and trap your senses..."

What the hell? Yep, this was a classic case of 'Vincent mode'. He was speaking in an undertone, his ruby eyes narrowed and a frown on his lips, a black curtain of his hair hanging over half of his face and shadowing his eyes. I hadn't understood what he'd meant by what he said...it sounded like he definitely meant something, but I just didn't know what.

"What?"

"Nothing." he immediately replied, turning his head away just a little. I guess he didn't want me to understand the meaning of what he'd said. Confusing, but I guess that's just the way Vincent is sometimes: easy to follow when he wants to be, but completely mysterious the rest of the time. A total enigma. So, silence came yet again. Awkward silences...ha...they were never a good sign. I had a feeling that this one had come because he was brooding, as the look on his face suggested that he was serious, angry or upset. (It's so difficult to tell!) . Well, looks like it was up to me to get his attention. and cheer him up, and I think I had just the thing. Although inexperienced when it came to seduction and all that, I gave it a shot. (Whether it would work on Vince, I had no idea... but it's worth a shot, right?)

"Vincent...?" I questioned as softly as I could, kneeling up in order to shift onto all fours and slowly begin to crawl towards him. I stared at him, wanting a reaction so I could determine whether or not this was working, and what kind of mood he was in.

"My love...?" he murmured hoarsely, sounding weary. Thinking about it, I don't remember seeing him sleep at all...he always looked so tired. How come I'd never noticed that before? Wait..did he just call me 'my love'?! That was...nice, in a weird way. I guess I kinda liked it. Anyways, the matter at hand was to cheer him up, and I think that some sleep and a hug would probably be successful there. (Well...when has a hug ever failed to cheer someone up, hm?) An odd suggestion for a remedy, yes, but it's worth a try. Besides: a hug 'to cheer him up' was just a good excuse to be near him. Two birds with one stone.
Leaning up, I gently kissed his cheek, my arms wrapping around him. I couldn't help but notice the bags under his eyes (these were even more obvious now that I was closer to him) and the flickering of his eyelids as he fought to keep them open. I felt sorry for him right then, I remember. While I thought over my sympathies for him in my head, those blood-red garnet coloured eyes gazed down at me. Usually, those eyes would be blank and hold no emotion, but right now they were full of affection and loving. It was unusual, but a nice change too.

Eventually, I released him and sat down beside him, getting an idea. He was good at giving hints, but would he be so good at taking one? Let's see:
Looking over at him again, I patted my lap. It was time to relax him a bit and see if that helped him sleep for once.

"What...?"

I had a feeling that he wasn't going to understand! He seemed much too modest to ever take a hint like that!

"Come on! Lie down!"

He was definitely uncomfortable with the idea, but I didn't really care. Of course he'd never sleep if he didn't even try! I heard an involuntary imaptient sigh escape me as I grasped his shoulders and pulled him down so that his head was resting on my lap. I watched as he carefully analysed the situation he was in, those garnet eyes darting in several directions. From side to side, down and upwards. It was kind of funny, really.
After watching how he acted, I thought about how my body was reacting to him. My thighs felt comfortable with that warm, soft weight of his head on them as he rested there, while the rest of my body just seemed to enjoy the feeling of him lying there. Meanwhile, my heart was working overtime, pumping faster and faster as vivid memories of that dream came rushing back. I felt myself blush as I thought about it, knowing that I had to forget about it otherwise I'd end up embarrassing myself...and him, too!

"And...and you? You expect me to sleep like this, and yet I know that it is rather difficult --if not impossible-- to sleep sitting up in such a way..."

He had a point, I guess. As comfortable as this was, I wouldn't be able to go to sleep like this...but even so: this was for him! Not me! Before I had a chance to argue back, I felt my head hit the soft pillows that lay underneath, and I heard myself giggle. I'd been doing that a lot, lately! He towered over my body, just like in the dream (except for the fact that he wasn't touching/sucking on anything) , and we just gazed at each other in silence again. With him kneeling over my body like that, I just longed for him to do something...but he never did. I should've known he wouldn't, anyway. The only thing he did was briefly kiss my lips before lying down beside me. I moved against him, hoping he'd be comfortable with it as I rested my head against his chest and moved my arms to be around him, soon to feel his around me. A certain sense of security came from his embrace and the warmth of his body against mine as we lay together under the covers. Such security made me feel drowzy...and eventually, sleep took over.

His lips were pressed to mine in passionate contact, his hands racing through my hair, down, down to my back, further down to my waist. He'd woken up in the middle of the night, and so had I. He'd been awoken from peaceful sleep by a nightmare, and had been trembling in what seemed like fear. His skin had felt so cold...so I'd done my best to cheer him up. Fast breathing, his heart pounding, and covered in a cold sweat, his voice had been shaky as he'd apologised for waking me up. Since then, I'd been kissing him, hugging him, stroking his hair and things like that to try and calm him. Somehow, that'd led on to this passionate kiss and firm embrace we were in, with him on top of me. It felt right, and so we'd remained that way for a while.

Eventually, he pulled away to catch his breath, still keeping his face close to mine. "E...Elena..." he breathed against my lips, and taking in another nervous shaky breath. "Erm...I...this will sound strange, but..erm...I...I want to...to touch you..."

What...? He seriously wanted that? He sounded so embarrassed and timid, as if he was asking for something really bad.

"You're...already touching me, Vince!" I giggled nervously. Well, duh! It was obvious that he didn't mean it like that! Jeez...

"Erm...that's not...that's not quite what I...I meant, my love..." He paused to take in another shaky breath and gulp uneasily. "If you don't want that, then I...I won't...it's not as though I need to do it, I just...I..." He then stopped, leaving the sentence open. Well, it what he wanted to say seemed pretty obvious. I didn't have to do it if I didn't want to, but he just wanted to suggest it just in case I did, basically.

I felt myself trembling at the thought. That dream I had...that could come true if I wanted! All I'd have to say was 'Ok'.

"Elena? I...I've scared you now, havn't I...?"

Had I taken that long to think about it?!

"No! No, you havn't! I was just thinking, that's all! So basically what you're saying is that you wanna have...sex...with me?"

"I...I suppose...yes, you...you could say it like that...erm...but...but please don't feel as though I am pressuring you...I...I'll only do this when you're certain that you're ready..."

He was so modest...it was pretty adorable to see him blushing and trying to explain what he wanted. But he was such a gentleman that I guess admitting that he wanted sex was something difficult for him. Haha...he didn't seem like the type who could comfortably ask for that kinda thing. It was pretty sweet.

"You know...Vince, it's ok. You don't have to worry, 'cause.." I couldn't believe that I was about to say this until I heard the words leave my mouth: "I'm ready if you are."

I couldn't believe it. I'd just agreed to have sex with Vincent Valentine: withdrawn, seemingly cold ex-Turk, ex-AVALANCHE member, and saviour of the planet. Unbelievable, really. I knew one thing for sure, though: if this felt anything like it did in my dream, then I was seriously gonna enjoy this.

"Yeah. I'm ready."

"Are...you sure that this is what you want...?"

"Hm." I replied with a nod, feeling my heart beat quicken. Yeah...this was what I wanted. I guess on some level, I'd always wanted it and just never really realised.

With that, he nervously nodded, and proceeded to kiss my neck, my collarbone, the sensitive skin of my upper breasts. I could feel his lips quivering against my skin. He was uneasy and I could tell. Weirdly, he'd seemed so much more confident in my dream. It made me wonder why I'd imagined him that way...
Reassuringly, I stroked his hair and tried to calm him a little, only to feel his fingers carress my back gently. Moving upwards, back upwards towards my bra strap, where they stopped. His blood-red garnet eyes met with mine as if he was silently asking: 'Is it ok for me to do this...?'

"Don't worry, ok? It...it's alright." I told him gently, a smile on my lips to make sure he understood that I meant it when I said 'it's alright'. He nodded, and with trembling hands, undid it with only a tiny bit of difficulty, but I stopped him with a question before he could remove it.
"Hey...Vince. You done this before?" It was kind of a personal question, but I was curious!

"Actually...no...erm...have you...?"

"Nope."

"So you and Tseng never...?"

I looked away, that smile disappearing from my lips. No, Tseng and I had 'never'. We never would ever. That was the way it was. I guess I should have told him in advance or something...now I was thinking about what could have been.

"I...I'm sorry..I shouldn't have-..."

"No, don't...don't worry...haha...I must look so stupid, getting upset over what could've been instead of what 'is'." I muttered under my breath.

"And...what 'is', Elena...?" he questioned me, as we had once again gotten eye contact. He looked curious, and a little hopeful, too. Maybe he wanted the answer I wanted to give him. I hoped so. So, I smiled just a little before asking him:

"Us. We 'are'...aren't we?"