Author's Notes: Post DoC by maybe a month or so. To Broken by Seether (featuring Amy Lee). And I once again feel bad about not giving Reeve the best possible ending. I think I should really finish DoC at this rate, don't you?

Some information for blue moons: This is a situation where there is a second full moon in a month. It isn't common because the lunar cycle is 29.5 days and I'm sure you can do that math. Blue moons don't happen in February, but on years when February has no full moon there are double blue moons. This theme is probably timed well since there was a blue moon on May 21st for the US time zones (GMT -3 to -10). Europe and everything to GMT +10 will be having their blue moon on the 30th of this June, and GMT +12 area will be having theirs on July 30th. There hadn't been a blue moon occurrence since 2004 for the record (there was one before that in 2001 on Halloween no less for everybody but EST). I actually looked into all of this. I'd suggest to people in those areas lucky enough to see the June or July blue moon take it, because the next one won't be until late 2009 early 2010.

Theme: Moon

Blue Moon

There had probably never been a more beautiful sky over Edge. A full moon like a pearl rested on a background of sable silk scattered with diamonds. It was a romantic way to look upon it, but it was well deserved. Normally the evening sky was cloudy at this time of the year. Normally dust and soot from the ruins of Midgar would mix into a haze to hide the sky enough to make the moon more of a glow than a thing. Tonight was different though. This was one of those rare nights when the rain clouds had parted after washing dust and dirt from the air. A rarity that had even the overly busy WRO President away from his work.

Tonight the man stood on the balcony outside of his temporary office and stared up at the full moon. It was the second this month. And, contrary to what people said about the color, it wasn't blue. In fact, it was the exact same color it had been pretty much every other time he'd gotten a real chance to look at the moon. There really wasn't anything special about it either. Just another full moon in another lifetime full of them…

To think that only a few weeks back or so he'd been afraid that he'd never even get to see another one.

"Reeve."

A smile was forced onto his face as Reeve turned to regard the blond in his office. He bowed his head a bit in respect to the man as he reentered the office, gesturing to the seat across from his own.

"Please, have a seat Cloud…"

"I prefer to stand, thanks."

"Understandable," Reeve sighed as he moved to his own seat. The bad thing about it was that no matter how comfortable the leather thing was, it always had stacks of paperwork before it.

"Why did you want to see me?"

The older man leaned forward on his desk, a hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Cloud was going to make this difficult and that was hardly fair on the part of the swordsman. Even now, after all they'd been through, after the end of the world three times over and more, Cloud wasn't all that trusting of him. It was understandable of course. Neither did Barrett in all honesty. Yes, he wasn't exactly Shin-Ra, hadn't exactly worked happily for them, but some old wounds didn't close, even in three years. But really, considering the last few months the blond should have at least dropped the hostility for one meeting.

"Yes," he nodded, not voicing those feelings. "There seems to be a rather large increase in the number of dragons in the mountains of Nibelheim…"

"I'm a delivery boy Reeve. Taking two short breaks to keep the business going doesn't mean I'm at your beck and call."

"I know, but…"

"Have Cid do it."

Really, for having opened up during the past year, for having accepted his lot in life, Cloud still could be rather… difficult to work with if you needed a favor.

"Captain Highwind is currently working to help with the disposal of Omega. Unlike Meteor, we cannot leave it up there. For all we know it could crash down at any time. Gaia might be merciful but even she can defy her own gravity for only so long."

When Cloud opened his mouth to speak again Reeve shook his head. "Barrett cannot handle a full grown dragon, not even with the help of Nanaki. Tifa no longer fights and Yuffie has business to attend to in Wutai. Cloud, I would not be asking you unless there was no other choice. I have even spoken with the former President Shin-Ra regarding the lending of his Turks to this, but there have been several renewed threats against his life by extremists so they are rather preoccupied."

The blond sighed and finally seated himself across from Reeve. While he wasn't exactly frowning, he didn't exactly look happy. Everyone knew that Cloud enjoyed feeling needed, but he'd fight the whole way as you dragged him kicking and screaming (figuratively of course) into the situation.

"And Vincent?"

"Is indisposed at the moment…"

"So you don't know where he is?" Cloud countered, easily reading between the lines of the statement.

Which was true enough of course. While Vincent had opened up more after the Omega incident just as Cloud had after the Geostigma, he was still an evasive and private person. Not that Reeve could blame him. He had, after all, dragged Vincent into the whole thing. The former Turk probably hated him for all of that. And Reeve probably deserved it.

"Will you do this or not?"

The blond actually flinched back at the harsh tone from the normally patient man. None the less he nodded and stood. "Have someone phone me the details. I've got some sleep to get if I'm heading all the way there with Cid busy."

Reeve nodded and was silent as Cloud left. Once he was alone again the man rose and returned to the balcony and the beauty of the full moon.

"Vincent… why are you avoiding me?"

The question went unanswered in the quiet of the night.

--------

He hadn't seen a blue moon since he was maybe ten years old. Half a century since he'd had a chance to see a night like this. Days were different back then. The sky was clearer, the stars brighter, life better. Or it had been in ways. Fifty years ago he'd had a father. Fifty years ago the world hadn't been in danger far too often in far too little time. Fifty years ago there hadn't been a Sephiroth or a Hojo or a Weiss to mess up his life.

Then again, fifty years ago, there hadn't been him either…

Vincent shook his head and turned away from the moon and back towards the man who was pouring the drinks. Cid was still rambling on about something or other, but in the buzz Vincent really wasn't paying attention. At least there had been some advantages to losing Chaos. He could get drunk again…

"…bashtard thinks he's better than, than us and all that shit. Hav't seen my damn wife in two weeks," the pilot slurred slightly as he slid Vincent's shot glass back across the table. While the gunner hadn't exactly been keeping up with the conversation he had easily picked up where Cid was going with this.

"He's doing what he thinks is best."

"'Sy for you ta say," Cid countered, gesturing with his own drink and causing some to splash onto his shirt. Of course the gruff man didn't even notice. "He don't even got ya workin'."

"There is a reason for that," Vincent pointed out, moving a bit further from Cid's shot glass. He was yet to be drunk enough to appreciate liquor on his leathers.

"Ya're hidin'," Cid said, grinning and leaning across the table. "Wh'zat?"

"I don't hide."

And in Vincent's mind that was perfectly true. In his own little mind he'd never hidden a day in his life. Merely relocated to a location with less pressing matters other than his thoughts. Too bad he couldn't find a suitable place that removed him from his thoughts as well. Maybe that would make all of this easier.

"Y're hidin'," Cid declared again. There would be no dissuading him. "Ya did tell meh not ta tell Reeve where y're at."

"That is different."

"Not much."

"Enough."

The pilot shrugged and finally downed his shot, though there was barely anything left in the glass at this point. Not that Cid cared. Once the glass was slammed down on the table the blond grinned and stood, albeit shakily.

"Ya keep tellin' yaself that. I gotta get shome sleep. Work 'n' all."

Vincent nodded and waved the pilot away with a small gesture of his gold claw. At this point he was quite content at the thought of sending the one who counted as his best friend away. While he was more social the gunner still needed time alone.

Once the blond was gone the man turned his attention back to the moon outside. The galley had a very good angle on the beautiful thing.

Blue moons were a rare thing to see, even at his age. His mom had told him all about them before she'd died. About how people said that things that were rare and special were said to happen once in a blue moon. She talked about how the moon wasn't actually blue. Told him stories about how sometimes there was two in one year. Told him lots of things about the power of a blue moon, not that he'd believed any of it.

She said that true love was something you found only once in a blue moon…

At least he was starting to believe her in that matter.

"Reeve…"

A name whispered as a picture of a laughing and happy man, talking to Shelke. A picture Yuffie had taken and given to Vincent in secret. A picture that both broke him and made him happy at the same time. Because at least Reeve was happy. It was all he could ask.

"Be happy Reeve…"