Author's Notes: Because I cannot allow Reeve happiness for long… Inspired by the Barenaked Ladies' song Have You Seen My Love? But using that song to figure out who the person he's dining with is useless.

Theme: Where?

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The First Mistake

More than anything Reeve had always known that his greatest flaw was dreaming. It was a foolish thing he had taken to since he was a child. He'd dreamt of being a hero. He'd dreamt of everyone remembering. He'd dreamt of his mother being proud. He'd dreamt of being happy. Maybe, just maybe, those were the things he had been reaching for in building Midgar. The things that had caused him to start the WRO. The things to blame for this current nightmare.

For a nightmare it could be considered tame really. A finely set table with rich linens. Candles flickering with each breath he took. The remains of dinner growing cool on the forgotten plates. A wine glass that didn't seem to empty no matter how many times he would turn to it for comfort. The sweet sound of a violin flowing through the room, through him. Yes, in visual terms, it wasn't much of a nightmare. Except for the empty chair across from him and the ring that was most likely cold resting upon a picture. How long had it been since the seat had been emptied? Since his heart had shattered?

When had the place started to empty anyway? He was so sure that his question had come with two hours to spare until closing, but from the emptiness of the room it had to be later. There were employees cleaning tables and carefully righting chairs onto tables. Apparently none had the courage to come and offer him his check yet, but could he blame them? They really couldn't be expected to rouse him out of this stupor. He wasn't sure he wanted to be forced to accept it anyway.

"Sir?" one finally asked, their voice soft and low. Seems the collective mind that was the waiter/ress force opted to pick the sweetest, nicest of their number to confront him. As if that would do very much good.

At last Reeve looked up from his private little nightmare to the young woman. Her smile almost made the whole thing surreal. As did the way she slowly, nervously, held out the bill. So it was time to go then? Shame really. From a pocket he produced his wallet and put several hundred gil on the table.

"Be sure to split the remainder with the other young woman that waited on me," he finally said, standing and returning the wallet to his pocket. His eyes lingered on the ring left behind, and the picture the other had once carried in their wallet. A picture of them. Together. It was bit faded, but it had been taken just after Meteorfall. What more could he expect? Both picture and ring were dumped into his pocket before turning to the waitress who hadn't moved since he'd laid down that 500 gil.

"The person I was dining with… you did not happen to notice where they went did you?"

She mutely shook her head. Upon the calculation of what kind of tip Reeve had provided her and her coworker she had been too shocked to move. What if he corrected it? That would be horrible.

"I didn't think you would have," he said with a sigh before turning and heading for the door. What did he do now? Go home to the surely empty apartment they had shared? Avoid it for fear that his love was there? Go back to the home he hadn't been to in a year? In the end he opted for an inn. Home could wait for a little while longer…