A/N: You ever have stories that you have mentally prepared one way but they end up writing themselves another way? Yeah...that's this story for me.

Disclaimer: Still don't own. No pixelated penises in the near future. Sorry.

Kandi grabbed Akalara's hand and dragged her into the gym. "Green Girl, it's actually recommended that we exercise," she told her with a grin. "Walking will help keep us in shape and it also helps to strengthen your pelvic muscles to make delivery easier."

"I don't feel like it!" Akalara snapped, tugging back. "You've been trying to get me to do this for weeks! I've thrown up seven times already and it isn't even lunch time! Walking on a damned treadmill is going to make it worse."

"Could make it better," Kandi offered, handing her a bottle of water. "Come on. Try it for five minutes and if you still feel like shit, I will permit you to go back to your room and wallow in your self pity."

Akalara snatched the water and took a sip, grudingly following her friend to the hated machines. "I really, really hate you," she grumbled. "I can't believe you have only been sick that one time. That is so not fair."

Kandi giggled as she stepped onto her machine and began a fast walk. "I guess my baby loves me more than yours does," she teased. Akalara growled at her as she started a slow, sluggish pace. "I'm kidding! Jesus, you're a tempermental bitch when you're pregnant."

"And you are as perky and annoying as a Wutain ninja," Akalara snapped back, her eyes turning away from her friend to eye the other occupants of the gym. She grinned wickedly. "Well, well, well...if it isn't the cue ball in for a round of sparing."

Kandi flinched as she looked over at Rude, watching as he removed his shirt. God, she loved that tattoo that stretched across his upper arms and back. He used to lay on his stomach and just let her trace the outline of it to her heart's content. "Open gym, Ak," she said softly, sticking the buds of her iPod in her ears. "It's funny how often you run into someone you know, huh?"

"Sarcastic bitch," Akalara said, stopping her machine. "My five minutes is up. I'm going back to bed."

"Ak!" she hissed. "Get your ass back on that treadmill and give me half a mile at least!"

"Fuck off, you sadistic dictator," she grumbled, grabbing her bottle of water and walking away. "I'll start exercising when the need to vomit goes away. Until then, if you need me, I'll be in my bed. Ta."

Kandi rolled her eyes. "I'll check on you later," she called, easing her speed up to a steady jog. Nothing too jarring, but just enough to get her heart pumping a little more than the brisk walk. The view to the sparing mat, however, was already doing a good number on the beating of her heart.

Despite what may have happened between them, Kandi could not deny the fact that she was absolutely, positively sexually attracted to the big, bald, shirtless man grapling with his unfortunate opponent. Rude was built like a god. His arms were bigger than her thighs and rippled with the defined muscles he worked so hard to obtain and maintain. The muscles of his back flexed as he pushed his opponent to the ground, pinning him easily. And his chest. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his chest. Firm pectoral muscles, decorated with two silver rings on each nipple. And washboard abs didn't even begin to justify exactly what Rude had above the belt. And beneath it...well, the ears and the nipples were enough to prove the man liked piercings. But she was privy to the knowledge of some of his other piercings.

She slowed her machine down to the steady walk again as she took a sip from her water bottle, placing the cool surface to her flushed cheeks. The exercise had little to do with the redness in her face. Kandi watched as Rude took a towel and tossed one to his opponent, wiping the sweat from his body. He glanced over her way and she saw him visibly stiffen at the sight of her. She sighed loudly, glancing down at her iPod and switching to a different song. It had been three weeks since Kuja had told her he was in love with her, and Rude had still not made any attempt to speak with her. Nothing was ever going to be the same with them. She had lost him as a lover...and a friend.

And that hurt.

Biting her lip, she glanced back at him, gasping in shock as she saw him walking toward her. He stopped in front of her machine, reaching for the iPod in her hand. He purused her song selection and stopped on one. She felt her heart stop as U + Ur Hand by P!nk was replaced with Far Away by Nickelback.

Rude removed his sunglasses and stared into her eyes as the lyrics filled her ears:

This time, This place
Misused, Mistakes
Too long, Too late
Who was I to make you wait
Just one chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know,
you know, you know

That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll enver go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore

On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of hell to hold your hand
I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything but I won't give up
'Cause you know,
you know, you know

That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll enver go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore

So far away
Been far away for far too long
So far away
Been far away for far too long
But you know, you know, you know

I wanted
I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed
I need to hear you say
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I forgive you
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore

The song ended and Rude reached up and plucked her earbuds out of her ears, gently wiping the tears that had fallen unbidden from her eyes. Damn those hormones. He smiled slightly as he stroked her cheek. His touches were not as gentle as Kuja's, but they were so unmistakenly 'Rude', it warmed her heart.

"Hey."

"Hey," she whispered back.

"Can I...take you to lunch?" he asked hesitantly, unsure of her response.

She thought for a moment and nodded. "Sure," she said, stopping her machine and stepping off. "I'd like that."

Kandi entered the locker room and flipped out her cell phone, dialing a number that had become so familiar over the passed few weeks.

"Hello, my red canary."

She smiled and giggled at his pet name for her. "Hey Kuja," she answered sweetly. "What're you doing?"

A heavy sigh. "Tedious work," he answered. "Lady Rhianna is still convinced I have more manipulate materia. I suppose she is having pleasant dreams about me on her own now."

Kandi laughed at that as she kicked her shoes off into her locker. "Ah, well, you do have a very sexy quality about you, you know," she told him in a low voice.

"I'm glad you think so," he said with a low chuckle. "What about you, my love? What are you doing?"

She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Actually, I was calling to let you know I'm going to lunch with someone," she told him softly.

Silence; then, "Oh? Who?"

Kandi bit her lip. "Rude, actually," she answered. "It's not a date; we just...well, this is the first time he's spoken to me since I found out I was pregnant, Kuja. We were friends before anything else, and I don't want to lose that."

He was quiet for a moment and she could almost visualize his brow furrowed in thought. "I understand, Love," he said and she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he, in fact, did understand. "But you know you do not need to ask my permission."

She giggled. "I'm not asking permission, Kuja," she retorted. "I was giving you a courtsey call to let you know where I would be at since I am the incubating vessel of your 'spawn'. I didn't want you to freak if you couldn't sense the baby."

Kuja was indignant. "I'll have you know, I do not 'freak'," he told her.

"Uh huh," she said rolling her eyes. "Whatever, Wizard Boy. Listen, I'll call you later. Are we still on for tonight?"

"Of course," he replied and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Have a pleasant luncheon, my love."

"Thanks, Kuja," she said. "Bye."

"Good-bye."

"I meant it, you know," Rude said as they sat down at a booth at Midgar Bread Company.

"What?" she asked, taking a bite of her soup.

"The song," he explained. "The lyrics. Everything they said, that's how I feel about you."

She studied him, reaching up and removing his sunglasses off his face. "I hate those things," she told him. "You hide behind them and I don't like it."

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry," he said, taking her hand in his. "Come back to me."

"Rude," she said softly. "I was never with you. I mean, you were clear in what you wanted, and that's what we had. We were fuck buddies. Nothing more."

"But the song," he exclaimed. "Don't those words mean anything?"

Kandi sighed and looked up at him. "You can't even say the words yourself, can you?" she asked. "You use a love song from a popular band to tell me how you feel."

Rude griped her hand tighter. "Kandi, can you honestly sit there and tell me that you never felt anything for me?" he asked, his eyes searching hers pleadingly. "We've been together for a long time. What does it matter if I use a song to tell you how I feel?"

"Because they're not your words," she told him. "How do I know you mean them?"

Dark brown eyes narrowed at her. "And I suppose Kuja can do better?" he spat out.

"Kuja has told me he loves me," she replied, staring at him. "We're actually together, Rude."

She watched the hand griping the table turn white in anger. "Do you love him?" he asked calmly.

Kandi shook her head. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I know I like him and I enjoy being with him. He makes me feel...special."

Rude released the table and ran a hand over his face. "And I didn't," he stated, looking at her with pain in his eyes. "I'm a complete ass for not telling you every day what you meant to me; what you still mean to me."

"Rude...don't..."

"I love you," he interrupted and she closed her eyes against the tears threatening her again. These hormones really sucked. "I didn't tell you, because I thought that with everything happening with Gwen and Seph's wedding and Zack and Akalara having a baby and getting married, that you would want that. And I wasn't ready for that."

"You're still not."

"What I'm not ready for is to live my life without you by my side," he corrected. "I want you and no one else. You are the only girl for me. I love you, Kandi. Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me?"

Kandi turned her eyes back to his. "I don't..." she began, her voice wavering. "I don't...I don't know!"

She lept from her chair and grabbed her jacket, pulling it on. "I have to go," she said. "I can't deal with this right now."

Rude stood up and grasped her shoulders, pulling her to him. "Don't go," he murmured into her hair. "Please. Stay with me."

"Rude," she sobbed, pushing away from him. "Please, let me-"

His lips slammed into hers with bruising force, silencing her protests. Her knees went limp as she was enveloped in the familiar strength of his arms, his hard chest pressed firmly against her breasts, his mouth assaulting hers with the fiercness she would always associate with him.

She broke away and ran out the restaurant, reaching into her pocket and whipping out her cell phone. Dialing a different number, she sobbed into the phone. "Can you meet me somewhere? I need to talk to someone."

Squall studied the red-streaked guardian as she tore a paper napkin to shreds. He'd offer to buy her something to eat and she had declined, so he knew something was wrong with her.

"Are you in love with me?" she asked.

The SeeD captain spewed his iced tea from his nose at her question. "Oh gods!" he gasped out, wiping his nose with a napkin. "Uh, no, can't say as I am."

Kandi heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God," she said. She looked into his gray eyes. "Kuja is. We're together now."

"Great!" he said with genuine happiness. "I mean, if that's what you want, Babe."

"I don't know anymore!" she said, burying her hands in her hair. "Rude just told me he's in love with me, too!"

"Oh," he said, patting her head like she was an unset puppy. "That...sucks. What're you gonna do?"

Her forehead hit the table. "I don't know," came her muffled voice. "I mean, I'm having Kuja's baby."

"Yeah," Squall said. "But do you love him?"

"Yeah."

"Do you love Rude?"

"Yeah."

"You're fucked."

"Jesus, thanks Squall!" she said, glaring at his smirking face. He started chuckling softly at her glare. "This isn't funny, damn it. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Squall sipped his iced tea again, handing her the lemon when she gestured to it. He watched as she sprinkled salt on it, and began sucking on it, not even flinching. "I don't think I'm the one you need to be talking to about this, Babe," he said with a grin. "I mean, I'm not one of the bastards vying for your attention."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You took me out on a date a few weeks ago, remember?" she asked. "How is that not vying for my attention?"

"Is it so bad to want to take one of your hot friends out to dinner?" he asked suavely. "No strings attached?"

Kandi smiled and licked the lemon juice from her fingers. "I guess not," she said. Sighing, she brought his fingers to her face. "What am I going to do?"

Squall shrugged. "Well, you're with Kuja now, right?" he asked. She nodded. "You need to talk to him definitely. Or you could talk to Rhianna. Or Kagome. Akalara, Gwen, Zack, Reno-"

"NOT Reno," she interrupted. "He's a spazfuck and he's biased because he's Rude's best friend."

"True, but you still need to tell Kuja what you're feeling," he told her. "You gotta be honest with him, Babe. You owe him that much beings you guys are together and all."

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. "You're right. Damn it, I hate it when you're right, stupid rapist."

"Whatever," he laughed. "You liked it."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so what of it?" she teased. She reached over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for meeting me here. I needed someone to talk to and you made me feel better before."

"Hey, anytime, Babe," he told her with a grin, squeezing her hand. "I'll be here for you, anytime you need me, okay?"

"Thanks, Squall."

He studied her again, watching as the wheels turned in her head. "So...you gonna talk to Kuja?" he asked.

She nodded, chewing on her fingernails. "Yeah," she replied. "I'll talk to him."

A/N: Another chapter and I still don't know where this is going. However, if it keeps up in this direction...well...(grabs tissues).