Author's Note: I don't even want to think about how long it's been since I updated this... So sorry... *hides in shame*

Well, here you go. It's not the best, but it's finished!


"You know, I was starting to think we wouldn't see you guys again." Noel said, sitting forward in his chair. "Three years without a word, a guy might start to feel forgotten."

Hope chuckled. "Get in line. At least you had Yeul; my already fragile social life collapsed searching for you guys. And Vanille found me by accident."

"So you said. That's pretty incredible if you ask me. I mean, what are the odds?"

"With our history? Higher than you'd think."

Vanille - who'd been listening intently - suddenly sat up, and put on a confused expression. She sniffed the air, and asked, "Is something burning?"

Yeul's eyes widened, and she silently fled to the kitchen part of the room. On top of the stove sat a pot that Hope hadn't noticed before, with steam billowing ferociously out of the top. He began to question his perception. That surely had been acting up for a while now.

"Do you need any help?" Vanille called to Yeul, who was frantically swatting away the steam and adjusting various dials on the stovetop, trying to save whatever it was she was cooking.

"No, it's fine." Yeul replied distractedly.

Vanille went over anyway.

"So, you tell her yet?" Noel asked quietly, nodding his head toward Vanille.

"What? No."

"C'mon, Hope. You were prepared when the world was ending. Now you can be with her, really be with her. Why don't you?"

Hope opened his mouth to answer, until he realized that he didn't have one. He bit down on his bottom lip and tried to come up with one, but all that happened was Noel giving him a "told-you-so" look. Juvenile, but nonetheless technically true. Though, on one hand, it was nice that they slipped back into their casual normal so quickly, as rare as that had been in the first place. This was the first time he'd spoken to Noel without the threat of the world's destruction over their heads.

And taking all of that into account, what startled him was so mundane it was ridiculous: his phone rang.

Snow.

"Hello?"

"Hey. So, Serah tells me you found Noel and Yeul."

Hope nodded, not that Snow would see. "In front of me as we speak."

"Goddess, I barely believe it. We've been unsuccessful up until now. You know, since Vanille kinda found us."

"Don't even get me started."

Snow chuckled.

Hope smirked a little himself, then looked Noel in the eye. "He's right here if you want to talk to him, Snow."

"Yeah, yeah."

Hope nodded, for Noel's sake, and handed over his phone. Noel wasted absolutely no time before taking up the cocky and arrogant persona he used with Snow. "You'd better be taking care of Serah big guy, or I might have to come kick your ass."

Hope could hear Snow's laughter from where he sat, and smiled. It had been a long time since he had heard that laugh. It'd been...probably nearly a perfectly rounded millennia.

"Yeah, she's fine. She's perfect." Noel listened. "Compared to the last five hundred years? Piece of cake."

Hope's eyes wandered to the girls in the kitchen. Yeul appeared a but distraught about the evidently ruined food, whilst Vanille simply pitched it.

"We can just whip something up, don't worry."

He smiled. Despite living through sixteen hundred years of hell, Vanille still had her positive disposition. She refused to let the horrors of her past phase her. Just earlier that morning, she had been trembling in horror of the demons that still haunted her dreams. But now, she was almost a completely different person. That was how she'd always been. The years hadn't taken her away. somehow, that fact made it easier for him to breathe.

"You're insane. It's been a millennia, Snow! ...I don't care, marry her before the world ends again." Noel shared a look with Hope, and rolled his eyes. "Would you stop being a nice guy for ten minutes?"

Metal clanged as Vanille and Yeul cleaned up the now dirty dishes, and searched the fridge for ingredients to use.

"We could use these to make something." Vanille suggested brightly, pulling out a few tubs of something-or-other to show Yeul.

"Really?" Yeul looked skeptically at what Vanille had chosen. "Like what?"

Vanille giggled. "I'll show you."

"No, I haven't. But I get a lot of guys down at the shop, I've been asking around. ...You'd think, wouldn't you?"

There was a pause, during which Hope thought Noel went rather pale. His friend gripped the arm of the chair, "Yeah, sure."

"Uh...Hope?"

It took him a few seconds to register Vanille's voice, and when he did, he turned to her, but remained in his seat, torn between her and discovering what took away Noel's color. "Yes?"

She held up a jar and sheepishly asked, "Could you open this?"

Hope chuckled, and stood. "Of course." He took the few steps required to reach the "kitchen" and she gave him the jar. After a few seconds of remembering to screw left and not right (which he'd been known to do), the lid popped off.

"Oh, thanks!" Vanille said, taking back the jar of...actually, he wasn't sure.

"Hey, Serah."

Yeul watched Noel as he melted back into his chair, his free hand gripping the arm. She regarded him for just a few seconds before turning back to Vanille.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I missed you, too." He nodded, "Yeah, I don't know what I'd be doing right now if it weren't for her. Probably something stupid."

Hope needed to use the bathroom. A part of him wanted to stay and hear Noel's side of the conversation, but another part said that would be kind of rude. The rest of him just had to pee.

So he went down the one hallway in search of the bathroom. As he did, he passed one door that was open. His peripheral vision told him it was the bedroom, and it also gave him something to double back and check. Aside from the regular bed, there was a cot set up on the opposite wall that had definitely been slept in. He understood immediately. Noel and Yeul weren't married, so he slept in the little cot, and she in the bed. That tugged at the sides of his mouth. Noel was many things, not all of them good by his own admission, but respectful was definitely one of them.

That having been checked out, he moved on.

When he returned from the bathroom, Noel looked a lot less petrified, and it seemed that Vanille and Yeul had successfully put together whatever it was Vanille had in mind, because there was another pot on the stove, and they had returned to their seats.

Noel handed him his phone back as he went to join them. Hope took it back, and asked, "So, how'd it go?"

Noel shrugged. "I think Snow needs a punch in the face, and I'm glad Serah's alive. Not much different than usual, I'd say."

To which, Hope laughed.

"I'm glad you're all alright." Yeul said serenely. "It's strange not knowing how things will turn out."

"You don't need a vision to tell you that." Vanille assured her. "All you need is a little faith." She looked up at Hope, with that heart-stopping smile of hers, "I had faith we'd find Hope. Then my dog sniffed him out," she giggled.

"I suppose you're right."

Noel gave Hope that "look" again. He ignored it, but did remind the others that, "Our train home leaves tomorrow. Are you two going to come back and see everyone?"

"I was thinking about that." Noel told him. "I have a job, otherwise I'd buy tickets and hop on that train with you. Believe me, though, I'm talking to my boss as soon as I can about getting a few days off."

"I hope it's soon!" Vanille practically cried. "Everyone will be so happy to see you two."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that place owes me at least a week's worth of days," Noel smirked, "I'll get us out there."


It wasn't long before the meal Vanille had concocted was finished. Hope honestly had no idea what it was. In fact, he wasn't the only one. However, they all ate it, and agreed that whatever it was, it was delicious.

The two of them left pretty late, deciding to walk back to their hotel instead of waiting for a cab. Normally, the decision wouldn't have been very safe. But for the moment, the crime rate in the world was practically zilch.

Once again, the pair avoided the elevator as a route back to their rooms. They had no choice this time, since there was now a "Closed For Repairs" sign on the door. Hope commented that unless the repairs included ripping it out and installing an entirely new elevator, he still wouldn't ride it.

They took their separate doors and began to get ready for bed.

Halfway through changing into his pyjamas, Hope remembered what Vanille had said to him that morning, how she only had those dreams when she was alone. He'd comforted her then, but was he to do the same now? Did she expect him to? He pulled his shirt on over his head and stared thoughtfully at the connecting door. Did he ask? He probably should, just in case.

He stepped over to the door and tapped gently a few times. "Hey, Vanille? Can I come in?"

A few seconds passed before her voice came from the other side of the door, "Give me a minute."

"Alright." Hope leaned against the wall and found himself once again tracing the feathery swirls on the ceiling. That is, until a sneeze began to build up in his nose. His mind went completely blank until he finally let out a sneeze. And another, and another...

"Bless you." Vanille giggled, appearing in the doorway.

Hope stayed silent for a moment longer, waiting for another sneeze. When none came, he said, "Thanks."

Vanille cocked her head slightly, "So, did you need something?"

Hope brought his hand up to the back of his neck. "Yeah, I, um... I was wondering about tonight."

"Tonight?"

He had a hard time forming the words to explain. "You know...if you needed me to stay with you or..."

Vanille's eyes darkened, but she kept up her smile. "I couldn't ask you to do that."

"I just wanted to know if you needed me." He said awkwardly. "I'm here for you Vanille, you know that."

"Yes..." Her eyes trailed off into her room, but somehow Hope knew she wasn't actually looking at anything physical.

"Well, just let me know."

He lingered, but she didn't continue, or move, so he peeled himself off the wall and started to head back to his bed.

Hope only took a few steps before Vanille grabbed his arm. "Wait," she pleaded, "stay with me."

He turned back to her, and his heart clenched. Her grip was as desperate as the look in her eyes; she was terrified at the idea of knowingly sleeping alone, essentially inviting the nightmares in.

He nodded.


I want to say the next chapter will be up sooner than this one, but I don't want to risk lying to you guys.

So, what did you think of this chapter?