Chapter Eight

Vincent cautiously made his way down the stairs that led to the entrance hall, all the while wondering if this was for real. He hadn't actually dared to believe that Lucrecia had feelings for him. But she did, evidently.

And it would be a lie to say he wasn't looking forward to their walk through the snow, because he was. Very, very much.

He'd taken the toque, but hadn't put it on quite yet, intent on asking Lucrecia who it's previous owner had been. She had seemed quite attached to the warm, fleecy item, and Vincent didn't by any means want for her to part with something she held dear. It hurt him to see her sad.

Rounding the corner, he walked towards the entrance doors of the manor. In front of him stood a bundled up Lucrecia, glowing smile lighting up her face. Vincent instantly forgot any questions he had meant to ask her, and walked slowly towards her, marveling at her beauty. He thought fleetingly why such an intelligent, attractive women would want to have anything to do with him. Sure, he wasn't your average Turk, a womanizer and a killer. Well………..he was a killer. He had killed many people in his ten years working for the Shinra. Some deaths, he had deeply regretted, but others……he just…..he just hadn't thought much of it. It was the way he had been trained. Cold and heartless. But something inside him wouldn't conform to that standard. He just……couldn't.

And now, seeing Lucrecia in front of him, he was glad he hadn't. He was glad he'd stayed nice. At least for her.

"Hi Vincent!", she greeted him brightly, and then, to his utmost surprise, enveloping him in a gentle hug.

"I'm so happy you came! Shall we?"

She looked at him expectantly, and he nodded, extending his arm out for her to take. She did, and they walked through the doors and into the magical winter scenery outside.

It was breathtaking.

The thick blanket of snow that had settled over the grounds of the Shinra manor over that past week sparkled in the pale sunshine. It seemed that no one working inside the manor had been outside lately, so the fresh snow was untainted by any human footprints, save those of a lone creature.

They had walked halfway across the grounds, arm in arm, until Lucrecia stopped and turned to face him.

"Vincent? Why aren't you wearing the toque?", she inquired curiously, looking down at the item he still held in his free hand. Her eyes settled back onto his face, studying him intently.

"I….Oh, my apologies", Vincent stammered, now aware that he had forgotten to put it on. Then he remembered what he had wanted to ask her.

"But…..Lucrecia. I saw your reaction when you gave this to me. It must have belonged to someone……..you cared for dearly. Are you sure you want to……give it to me? I mean, I don't think I'm nearly as important as--------"

He was hushed when Lucrecia put a gentle finger to his lips, signaling for him to be silent. Vincent gave her a confused look, but stopped talking.

"Vincent. Please. Please don't finish that sentence. Yes, this toque belonged to someone I care for very much, but……..", she stared down at the object lovingly, reminiscing old times. Oh Shey. What she wouldn't give to see him again. But…..her feelings for Shey were no match for those she had for Vincent.

"……But I believe….you've grown on me more than Shey could have ever managed", she trailed off, suddenly realizing that she had spoken her deceased friend's name out loud. Blushing a bit, she averted her eyes and gazed at the sparkling snow. Now she'd have to explain it to Vincent.

"Who is…Shey?", Vincent probed gently, hoping she'd open up to him a bit. He knew near to nothing of her past, even though they had known each other long. He found his past to be uninteresting and dull, but he was quite interested in hers.

"Shey…..", Lucrecia started, beginning to walk again, Vincent matching her pace. "…..Was my best friend. We spent all our free time together. He treated me as if I was the most precious person on the face of the Planet, and I returned the kind treatment by loving him as the brother I never had. We were never romantically involved, but……….as we grew older, I could sense that he wanted me to be more for him than just a childhood friend. But…..I didn't feel the same way for him. And in the end, he realized it and didn't push it……..so we stayed best friends, even though he knew that nothing romantic would ever blossom between us."

Vincent hesitated, but then gingerly took her arm back in his, she didn't resist, so he asked a further question.

"Where……is Shey now?"

He instantly regretted asking the question. The look of sadness and sorrow that appeared on Lucrecia's face was almost too much for him to bear.

"He……he's……returned…..to the Planet", Lucrecia murmured softly, fighting to hold back the tears that threatened break through. "Along with……my parents……it was horrible……I was…..fifteen. They were murdered…….right before me eyes……the monsters still haunt me today….."

She didn't know why she was telling Vincent this. It had just all spilled out. She had never told anyone about that fateful day. Neither her friends, nor Hojo knew that her life had been completely destroyed before she had entered university. They all thought she had led a normal life, as an average girl. Vincent was the first to know that that was not how it had been.

And before she knew it, she began to sob. All the pain and terrors of her past becoming too much for her to bear. She had longed for someone to reach out too, but had never dreamed it would be Vincent.

In her anguish, Lucrecia felt strong, protective arms wrap around her, and pull her into a warm embrace. She wound her arms around Vincent as well, and clung to him, sobbing her heart out. It felt so good to let all her fear and frustrations go.

Vincent held Lucrecia close to him. Planet knew he felt for her. He really did. They were practically in the same boat. He had lost both his parents as well, and had been devastated just as Lucrecia was. And guilty. Survivors guilt, perhaps. Guilt that he couldn't do anything to prevent their deaths.

"Lucrecia, it's alright. Cry. It will help. I know. I've lost both my parents as well. It took time for me to realize that there was nothing I could have done. Life works in mysterious ways. Experiences like these will make you stronger. Shhhhhh."

Vincent attempted to sooth her, to stop her tears. He liked it so much better when she was happy. It lifted his spirits as well.

"I-I know…..b-but it's just s-so hard……", Lucrecia sobbed into her chest. She knew what Vincent said was true, though it would take time for her to come to terms with it. But perhaps, after this, it would be easier.

She snuggled up against Vincent, feeling protected and loved in his embrace. He cradled her in his arms, whispering soothing words to her. The two of them stood in the snowy wonderland, relying on one another for strength.

Love.

Yes. She felt loved. And she returned that feeling. She loved him back. It was something she hadn't felt when she spent time with Shey. Sure, she had adored him, but it was a love of friends, or perhaps one of siblings. Not this. Never this.

Maybe she should tell him? She had made it more than obvious that she had affections for him. Perhaps, her confession would spur him into a confession of his own…….

"Vincent?", she murmured, lifting her head a little to gaze into his gentle, crimson eyes. He looked down at her in return. "I think……I think I….."

"Wait….."

Vincent swallowed, and moved up his hand to guide Lucrecia's head back onto his chest.

Come on, Valentine. Be a man. You can do this. It'll be completely embarrassing to have the lady confess her love to you first. Right? If that's what she was going to do……..he hoped it had been. Because there was no backing down now.

"Lucrecia……", he placed his head on hers, staring at the picturesque mountains in the distance.

"Lucrecia……I……love you".

There. It had come out. He had said it. He had laid his feelings out openly for her, unafraid of rejection. Or perhaps, he was afraid. Trembling slightly, he waited for her to answer.

He felt her stiffen in his arms, and give a small gasp. His heart sank. Perhaps she didn't feel the same way for him after all.

He jumped as a warm, gloved hand reached out and cupped his face.

"Vincent…….."

He waited for the verdict patiently. But how patient could one be?

"…..You stole the words right out of my mouth."

Vincent gulped and looked down at Lucrecia. His Lucrecia. He could call her that now. A relieved smile spread across his features. So he had been right after all.

"I…..I love you too."

He sighed, reveling in those short, four words. He would be lying if he said he hadn't been waiting for her to say them. And now that she had, he was beyond happy.

Lucrecia looked up at Vincent in wonder. She had thought she would have to be the one to initiate this. Vincent was always so shy. She hadn't in the least expected him to confess his love to her without her doing it first. But she was happy it had been the other way around. For now she knew that both felt the same way about each other.

He loved her.

Planet, had it been long since she had heard someone say that to her. Twelve long years without a soul saying that they cherished her. That they cared. She didn't doubt Vincent had waited long as well. Ever since……..

She bit her lip, and the familiar feeling of guilt welled up inside her again. Images of Grimoire filled her mind. It had been her fault. Her fault that Vincent had lost his father. But………gazing at Vincent, his shy smile and trusting character, reaching out for love.

She couldn't let her guilt get in the way now. She'd tell him. Eventually.

Any other day.

But not today.

Because now, she was determined to make this moment last.

The End

Hey everyone! So I decided to write the authors note at the end of the chapter this time. As you guys have probably noticed, I changed the name of this story. That's because the name Thank You For Loving Me was just a random title that popped into my head, with the result that I didn't know how to tie the title to the story in the end. And when I write, I always need to have a title that has something to do with the story, otherwise I don't consider my story to be well written. But that's just me…..

Anyways…..

Thanks for all the reviews and sorry for making you guys wait so damn long. I know that waiting was probably a pain in the ass and I'm sorry. But I had to wait a bit till new ideas popped into my head. I mean, I had some, but I just didn't get the time to type them all up.

I have a few more Vincent/Lucrecia ideas, and I'll think about posting them if I can manage to elaborate on them.

So thanks for sticking with me, and hope you enjoyed the story!

Cheers!

Kyyrin