A/N: I am very sorry for my laziness of late. I really don't have a good excuse for why this chapter wasn't finished and posted a week ago. Thank you again for sticking with me and for your reviews/favourites. I'm sorry that I haven't gotten back to many of you lately. I will try and do better!

Please enjoy this chapter.

Things were too quiet.

She learned that, lately, quiet meant trouble.

Lightning peeked her eyes suspiciously over the top of her book to catch the puppy squatting to relieve itself on the kitchen floor. "No! Bad dog!" Tossing the book aside, she got to her feet to wag her finger in front of its shocked little face, startling it into stopping mid stream. Picking him up with both hands on either side of his little rib cage, she held him out in front of her in case he decided to continue his naughtiness.

No way in hell you're gonna pee on me.

She wasn't wearing anything special, just some old jeans and a blue t-shirt, but she had no desire to go and change. Little spotted legs dangled humorously in the air as she proceeded outside. Sighing, she put him down on the grass and clipped him to the lead. "Go pee." She commanded him, her face mildly unimpressed. He looked up at her, sniffed the air, then sniffed around on the grass, dismissing her.

Sighing again, she went back inside to clean up his mess. That was the seventh time this week he'd relieved himself in the house and she was running out of paper towels. She watched carefully for signs that he may have to go, but he never gave her a heads up. Eventually he'd get it, but her patience was running a bit thin. The little puppy kept her busy; enough so that her regular morning routine of self-degradation and thoughts of Snow had been pushed aside in favour of a potty break or whatever else the little critter needed.

During the day while she was away, she kept him trapped in the kitchen with his food bowl, some water and an old shoe to chew on. The box he came in served as a makeshift bed, and she put down a couple of old blankets as well as the one he came with, to line the bottom of it. At night she found he slept the best when he was in the bedroom with her. Rarely did she have to get up with him; thankfully he was a heavy sleeper and often wasn't awake even when her alarm went off. The little ball of fluff was still settling into his new home, and she hadn't even gave him a name yet. She wanted to see his personality before choosing one.

Zack hadn't told her what to expect when he grew up; how heavy he'd be or how tall. He hadn't even told her what breed the little guy was. If Zack had it in his head that this canine would protect her out in the wild, it had to be a capable breed at the very least. That being said, she'd have to figure out how to motivate it. Unlike her handsome former delivery boy, the puppy didn't seem all that eager to please.

Pulling the last quilted sheet off the roll, she cursed. She'd not heard anything from Amodar about it, but her shipment was late. It was only a few days, but when everything was rationed, supplies became scarce. Not in almost four years had it been late. In fact, Zack had come as early as possible – and stayed as late as he could – when he ran her deliveries. Even before Zack, things had run like clockwork.

Zack...

It hadn't really sank in that she probably wouldn't ever see her dark haired friend again. She hoped that they would cross paths, but she wouldn't hold her breath. She sucked her lips in absently between her teeth as she remembered his parting kiss. It hadn't even been a real kiss, but if that little peck was any indication, he was a helluva kisser. She was sure if she desperately wanted to find him it wouldn't be too hard, but he was going to confess his love to another and she was sure she never wanted to come in between two people ever again. He was too good to be true, and she probably was as well. They probably made a sickeningly sweet couple.

Getting off her knees, she tossed the soiled sheet in the trash along with the cardboard tube and washed her hands in the sink. She heard the little dog barking boldly out in the front yard at something. It was the first time she'd heard him bark since he arrived, and the sound made her smile, amused. Finishing up at the sink quickly, she headed back outside. In the distance she saw the supply plane approaching.

Finally.

"Good boy." she praised her canine friend, patting him on the head. He wagged his tail in response. "You'd be a good little guard dog if you didn't sleep like the dead." He cocked his head to one side as she talked to him,as if he were actually listening.

The familiar plane docked and the back hatch opened revealing her boxes of supplies. The cool grass felt amazing beneath her bare feet as she stood with her dog, and she was tempted to ignore the delivery person altogether. She reminded herself that it wasn't their fault the company they worked for couldn't get their act together and meet deadlines. Who knows how long she'd have to put up with the new carrier, and knowing they'd be coming up the dock for a signature anyway, she relented and started down the slope towards the pier. She figured it would be better to make a favourable first impression.

From what she could see, the new delivery person was pretty slender and quite tall. She'd never seen a woman that tall before, aside from Fang, so she assumed it was a he. Chuckling to herself mockingly, she figured by the looks of the lanky kid she'd have to carry her own supplies. Zack had actually spoiled her when it came to her supplies. He wouldn't hear of her carrying all of it herself, and she would never have let him do it for her, so after many stubborn arguments they compromised and did it together.

When she was close enough, she called out to the newbie. "Don't hurt yourself, kiddo."

He snapped to attention and stared at her.

She got her first good look at him as well and she stopped walking, unable to believe what it was she was even seeing. Her brows furrowed and she squinted shading her eyes, blocking out the strong afternoon sun with her hand. "Hope?" she called out. The same face from the newspaper... surely that couldn't be the little boy she hugged so easily all those years ago.

He put down a small box he had in his hands and exited the plane hesitantly though the open hatch, never taking his eyes off her face. Picking up the pace as he approached her, he was running by the time he was within arm's reach. A blinding smile stretched across his face as he slid his arms around her waist, lifting her clear off her feet, crushing her smaller frame against his. "Light!"

She sputtered, and tapped urgently on his back. "Can't... breathe..." He was stronger than he looked.

"Oh! Sorry, Light." He put her back on her feet and took his arms away from her, blushing cutely, though he never let his eyes stray from her form.

Taking a second to size him up, she whistled. He wore thick black linen pants with enough fabric to make her two pairs of the same and a long tattered orange t-shirt. She actually had to tilt her head upward to look at him. His mussed hair looked neglected, but it flowed gently in the merciful breeze of the afternoon. "You've gotten so tall!" she commented with a smile, reaching a hand up to grab his smooth chin gently, turning his head from side to side to admire his maturing face. Gone were the rounded full cheeks she remembered, replaced by a handsome jawline and masculine cheekbones. His eyes were a mesmerizing shade of emerald, and they sparkled as he watched her examine him.

"Your hair..." His unmistakable voice had deepened appropriately with age. It was quite mature sounding and sent a little tingle up her spine. Passing his fingertips along the bottom of her earlobe, brushing against it ever so slightly, he caught a chunk of the artificial black tresses in between his fingers. Drawing the lock slowly through his digits, he watched it drop to her shoulder. The intimate gesture was rather unexpected, and it left goosebumps on her arms in its wake. She knew one day she would run into the silver-haired boy of her past, but nothing could have prepared her to run into him as an adult; especially as adult as he was. She refused to let her heart flutter in response to the much younger man, but she couldn't help it if it liked what it saw.

"Yeah. I did it a long time ago, and just kinda kept it out of habit." she said, avoiding any real explanation.

He was quietly staring at her shoulder, his gaze evolving from a slight sadness to a jaw tightening intensity, looking like he was struggling with something.

"Hope?" she waved her hand in front of his face. "Is there something wrong?"

He perked up and smiled softly at her, gathering her into his arms again much to her embarrassment.

"No. Not at all. I just – I'm really glad to see you, Light."

The house was so lonely without anyone but himself in it; lonely and quiet.

Quiet when he had breakfast, quiet when he got in from work. Quiet, quiet, quiet. He'd actually resorted to leaving the radio on so that it wouldn't feel so deserted when he got home. Tossing his keys on the side table where he had tossed them a hundred times before, he barely heard the familiar sound of them sliding across polished wood, same as always.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the cell phone. No calls. He hadn't heard from Hope in a couple months. He had attempted more than once to touch base with the boy, but never got anything more than his voice mail. Almost always he'd leave some sort of a message, no matter how awkward it felt to do so. Whether he was doing it because he felt guilty as hell or just plain lonely he didn't know, but he did miss the silver-haired young man.

Serah had called a short time after Hope's departure to check in as she did once a month or so. During polite conversation Snow had planned to avoid the topic of Hope altogether, but even after twenty-five years he still hadn't learned how to keep his mouth shut and he brought up the very topic he had tiptoed around. In fact, he'd even almost spilled the beans when Serah had asked why Hope had left. Although he might not have wanted to hide his feelings, he thought it wise to keep his ex-fiancee in the dark. Also, he hoped that the kid hadn't informed her of the truth. He knew there was a snowball's chance in hell that Hope had talked to the younger Farron, considering he didn't take too kindly to her. And as casually as he could, he lied through his teeth, telling Serah that Hope left Bodhum to do some travelling. It was complete bullshit, but much to his relief, the lie held firm.

Changing the topic of conversation from one painful subject to another, Snow asked Serah if she'd heard from Lightning, but as usual she never had a favourable answer.

He always asked about her studies, and if she was doing well. Of course she was doing well, he knew she was smart as a whip and wholly dedicated to her education. This last time she called, she seemed rushed and Snow could have sworn that he heard a male voice talking to Serah in the background. Snow didn't inquire after the voice; it was none of his business. Even though he had no right to wonder about what Serah had going on there in New Eden, he couldn't help but hope she was being careful.

Keeping the details of her studies to a minimum, she kept the call short, promising she'd call again soon.

Maybe he needed a vacation; a getaway to revitalize himself. NORA was as busy as ever, Yuj was in talks with several large developers on Pulse who wanted to contract them out. Their reputation was excellent and the only reason why they hadn't extended themselves to Pulse long ago was due to the lack of interest in the monster hunting business on the part of potential employees. Recently though, they had added three new people to bolster their ranks and take the workload off everyone's shoulders. Two had worked out nicely, Locke and Balthier, but the third was a loose cannon. Snow had heard some stories of the third hiree not being much of a team player and being a bit too whimsical when it came to loyalties; he seemed to be more of a mercenary than a monster hunter. Though, he'd proven his usefulness on more than one occasion and so they weren't sure what to do with him yet.

In spite of the fact he still had a full plate, people had been telling him to go on vacation for a while. He knew they couldn't afford to lose him for any extended period, so he decided he'd go and see an old friend to put things in perspective.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he found the number of the wisest man he knew and called it.

"Sazh! My man! How's it hangin'?"

"So how is everyone? I saw Hope in the newspaper. Pretty impressive if you ask me."

Sazh stood in front of his ancient coal burning grilling contraption with a spatula in hand, flipping some delicious smelling meat. When Snow had arrived at his home Sazh insisted the blond stay for dinner, promising him something like he'd never had before. He called it 'barbecue'.

Snow nodded, his smile lingering somewhere between regret and pride. "He's a good kid."

"Uh oh. What are you not telling me?" asked Sazh, closing the lid of the grill and taking a seat across from his old friend.

"Ah, man. I messed up. I messed up bad." Snow said finally, running a frustrated hand through his slightly dull locks. Since he was in the admitting mood, he'd come to visit Sazh for advice, so he might as well be completely honest. Sazh was the only one left out of their unique little group that knew Hope. "The night after Hope was in the paper, we went out for a drink to celebrate."

"Mmhmm..."

"And well, I said something I shouldn't have. I was teasing him about Lebreau hitting on him, and one thing just sorta lead to another. He kinda told me, in not so many words, that he still had feelings for Lightning, after all these years." Snow clenched his hand resting on the table, replaying the event in his mind. "I opened my big dumb mouth... It wasn't even really awful, just an offhanded comment about Lightning. He asked me what happened between us, and I didn't say much of anything... but I guess he took it and ran with it. Before I knew it, he was avoiding me like the plague. And then..." Snow paused and drew a deep breath in the name of courage. "He asked me if I was in love with Lightning."

Admitting to his mistake was harder than fighting a dozen Sie'th with one hand tied behind his back.

"And I gather you told him the truth."

"Yeah. Looking back on it now, I shouldn't have but... hey. Wait." Snow cocked an eyebrow at Sazh. "You knew? How come you never told me you knew?"

"Oh. Well. I figured that if you wanted this old man's opinion you'da asked for it." Sazh shrugged. "It wasn't any of my business, but I saw the way you looked at her."

Snow looked down at his clenched hand. "I don't know why it happened. No matter how much she hated me, I had a soft spot for her. It wasn't always like that. She used to really piss me off, but eventually I came to admire her and I wanted to earn her respect. Partly because of Serah, but what happened to her gave me a glimpse behind that mask of Lightning's. I didn't realize how important she was to me until I saw behind it.

With Serah asleep like that, I knew I had to protect Lightning. She didn't ask me to, and I wasn't convinced she needed it, but it didn't take long before I started to look at her differently than I had before."

Snow took an orange from the arrangement of fruit on the table and rolled it between his palms.

"What did happen between you two?"

Snow tried to put into words what he couldn't begin to understand. "She was scared... I think. At first..." he muttered. "I mean..." Looking up at Sazh, a slight panic crossing his features "Not of me. I didn't do anything bad to her."

Sazh nodded understandingly, he knew Snow wasn't capable of hurting anyone like that anyway. The harmless behemoth of a man looked past his friend into the distance, not seeing anything.

That was one woman who did what she wanted, not what everyone else wanted. And I could do nothing more than what she asked of me...

Snow started again quietly. "I saw a side of her I don't think anyone has ever seen. She was terrified about Serah and about what was going to happen to everyone else." Looking straight at his friend with a serious face, he continued. "You know how sometimes when you feel like shit, you think you just wanna be left alone, and then someone comes along and you realize that you never want to be alone ever again?"

Sazh regarded him quietly.

"During those times it felt as though neither one of us ever wanted to be without the other ever again. I don't think Lightning has ever needed anyone in her life, but I think... no. I feel like she needed me." He sighed. "Maybe that's just my inner hero talking again. I never knew what she wanted. I mean, we weren't so good with the talking. Even the times we got a little closer... conversation seemed pointless."

Snow's cheeks tinged with heat as he stared at the piece of fruit in his hands. Even after almost four years the recollection of their handful of moments together warmed him like nothing since. "Although, in hindsight, all that silence wasn't particularly constructive... She never told me how she felt even though I thought I had a clue. And now... I just don't know." After a moment, he saw his friend staring at him, and Snow smiled sheepishly.

"You're waiting for her."

"How can I not?" Snow simply shook his head, the dull pain in his chest returning. He tried desperately to not allow the hurt to take over him, but things came back to haunt him from time to time if he wasn't careful. It was essential he stay in the light; darkness crept so easily into his heart since those times.

"My cell phone -" he took the item from his pocket and placed it on the table, though he never took his fingers off it. "I have her family phone number tied to this phone so that when she calls... I'll be here. If I didn't have that number, she might never find me." He could feel frustration building in his gut. "But she's never called. Not once in almost 4 years. Why doesn't she call?" Curling his fingers into a fist, he brought it down on the glass and metal lawn table to send the contraption of plastic and electronics skittering across the surface, irritation getting the best of him. "Argh!"

"U-uncle S-s-snow?" Snow's head snapped towards the hesitant sound and his face softened when he saw where it came from, instantly regretting his momentary lapse of control.

"Dajh. I thought you were playing in the sand box." said Sazh.

"I'm bored now." Skinny little Dajh, who was now almost ten, waddled over shyly to stand beside Snow. The big man affectionately pulled the kid over to sit on his knee. Sazh's son looked up at the blond with wide eyes. "Are you mad, Uncle Snow?"

"Naw..." he smiled slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"I really miss someone."

"Where'd they go?"

"Away."

"Did they die?"

"Nope." At least he was pretty sure she hadn't.

"Why'd they go away?"

"I don't know, little man."

"Do you get you sad?" he queried again.

"Do you always ask so many questions?" grinned Snow, ruffling the kid's miniature afro. Dajh looked at him, cocking his head to the side, awaiting an answer. Guess he couldn't even hide it from a little kid. He sighed. "Sometimes."

Dajh threw his arms around Snow's torso. "Don't be sad! My mommy died and my dad says that I won't get to see her until I get old and die, but if your friend isn't dead, that means you'll get to see them again, right?"

Embracing the little kid, he nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. You're right."

Sazh caught his eye, arching a brow. "Pretty simple, eh?"

Snow patted the Dajh's back fondly and nodded.

"Hey, Dajh. You hungry, son?"

Dajh turned his head to peek at his dad from Snow's hug. "Mmmhm!"

"Well, go wash up. Dinner will be ready soon." Getting to his feet, Sazh walked over to the grill and lifted the lid to tend to dinner.

Dajh jumped off Snow's lap and took off towards the house.

"He's gotten so big." Snow mentioned absently, watching him run. Sazh nodded with a proud smile.

If he were thinking logically, things were pretty simple now. Serah was essentially out of the picture, their love for each other now completely platonic. Life was good and Snow was doing well for himself, and had provided the people he cared about with a stable future if they wanted it. He just had to hurry up and wait for Lightning to come back into his life, though he wanted it to be sooner than later; but eventually it would come to pass.

Hope was the only wild card.

"So that story in the newspaper... about Hope..."

"Hmm?"

"Well... our mark was some rampaging Ochu. When we got on the scene, it had a woman trapped in a shack while it freaked out, tearing the place apart from the outside. Hope went in after her, and I ran interference. It knocked the shack down straight on top of them... they should have been goners... and I thought they were. That damn thing kept me busy, but there were these tremors and some strange light, and then the next thing I knew I saw Hope carrying the woman back to her husband and kid. They both looked unharmed." he shook his head, eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what happened. "Afterwards, I looked at the wreckage and it seemed like under where Hope and the woman were trapped, there was no rubble anymore. Almost like something had cleared a path from underneath. Something went on with Hope back then..."

"Do you think it has something to do with his old l'Cie powers?"

"I dunno really. I saw him looking at his wrists, but I didn't even get a chance to ask. Then things went downhill pretty fast..." Snow trailed off. No matter what happened, he wanted to get to the bottom of many things with his friend.

"You gotta stop that, man. It's not your fault that Hope couldn't deal with your feelings. Whether you wanted to bring them to light or not is your own business. He's an adult now... and sometimes it sucks." Sazh shrugged, flipping a patty as he spoke. "It's hard to be a kid, but it's a different kind of hard to be an adult. He'll find his way. You've done what you could, and from the sounds of things, you did a pretty good job, all things considered."

Snow remembered when Bartholomew had said similar things to him about Hope. It had been hard on him to call Hope's dad after the praise he'd given Snow last time they spoke in Palompolum, but he felt a duty to the older man to at least inform him that his son had run off.

They exchanged information about the boy, and as Snow expected, the kid didn't give any reason for leaving Bodhum; just that he had to. Bartholomew informed Snow that Hope was now working for a delivery service that was affiliated with the former Sanctum government that based itself on Gran Pulse, but he didn't know much else. Hope said he was fine, and of course they both knew that was a lie.

Their conversation had ended amicably enough; Bartholomew asking Snow to stay in touch. He agreed and offered his services anytime they might be needed. He felt he owed whatever he could give to Hope's father, guilt about the situation purchasing a plot in his heart.

"Hey Sazh."

"Yeah?"

"Where's Boko?" It had taken Dajh a long time to choose a suitable name for his fast-growing yellow feathered friend, but Boko had been the first and only name he'd given to the chocobo.

Sazh looked at Snow from the corner of his eye, back down to the tantalizing patties on the grill, then back to Snow again, raising his brows oddly.

Snow's eyes widened when he realized what Sazh was getting at. "What? Boko's dinner?" sputtered Snow. Surely he couldn't be getting ready to eat Dajh's bird buddy; he was sure his face was white as a sheet.

Sazh looked at him in all seriousness for a moment, then broke out into fits of laughter. Between gasps of air, he explained that Boko was in the barn and that he was indeed alive. "You're so gullible." taunted Sazh, beginning the maniacal laughter anew.

Snow was chuckling as well in spite of himself. Maybe he was a little naive. Although, he'd go and say good-bye to Boko before he left just in case.

Snow had played Snakes and Ladders, Dajh's favourite game, with the two before he left. It was dark when he finally managed to get away. It had been a pretty relaxing day all in all and now he welcomed the quiet drive ahead of him to sort out his thoughts. It felt good to get stuff off his chest, and coming to the realization that he couldn't help how Hope felt or reacted took a weight off his shoulders. His ex-l'Cie friend was absolutely right. Hope was an adult now, and Snow had tried not to baby him through these last years in order to make sure he had a good start on being able to handle all the misfortune and cruelness that life had to offer. He just didn't expect that he would be the one to offer up the kid's first dose of that cruelty.

The muffled sound of his phone in his pocket jerked him out of his thoughts and he patted himself down looking for the phone. His heart jumped in his throat as he realized it was the Farron number.

"Shit! Shit shit shit!" he couldn't find it. Hastily pulling over onto the side of the road, he tilted his hips up to jam his hands in his pants pockets to locate the scarcely used piece of plastic. Once in his palm he yanked it out, cracking his elbow on the door frame of the car and cursed again. "Ow, shit! Ow Ow!"

Flipping the phone open, he pushed it against his ear. "Hello?" There was no answer. "Hello?" He looked back at the phone to make sure he hadn't missed the call. It was still connected, but the signal was weak. Stupid countryside... His heart thumped wildly in his ears. "Light-?" The voice on the other end cut him off.

"Snow? Are you there?" It was a female voice, but not the one he was desperate to hear. "It's Lebreau. Snow?"

He sunk back in the seat with a silent sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I'm here. What's up?"

"Are you busy?"

"I'm on my way back to Bodhum. Is everything ok?"

"Can you stop by the bar when you get into town?"

"It'll be late, I've got another hour or so ahead of me."

"That's fine."

"Ok, I'll see you later."

"Thanks, Snow."

"No prob." He closed the phone and tossed it on the seat beside him.

He would have much rather went home, but if Lebreau was calling him there must have been something wrong. And why was she using the Farron number? On the rare occasion the unique ringtone alerted him to an incoming call on the line, his heart always raced with anticipation, but now it lurched with disappointment.

You're waiting for her.

How can I not?

It was simple. He would wait until she came back to him. Everything else until then would serve to help him bide his time.

Snow pulled up and parked at the Shack when he said he'd be there and went inside the relaxed little bistro. Her last customer was leaving, and she followed him to the exit, chatting politely with him the whole time. After he left she locked the door behind him and turned her attention to the big boss man. He had taken a seat at the bar, and she walked around it, tossing the keys into a drawer and grabbing a bottle and two shot glasses from behind her. Lebreau didn't drink a lot, in spite of the fact that she owned and operated the popular drinking establishment. With Snow watching her quietly, she opened the nameless bottle of slightly green liquid and filled the glasses, pushing one towards Snow. Her features were unreadable. They'd all been busy, and he hadn't had much of a chance to have a casual conversation with her, but now he could clearly see something was amiss.

Without hesitation, Lebreau tipped the glass against her lips and the liquid was drained. Snow replicated her action and sat his own empty down on the bar. The strong stuff burned all the way down his throat and he drew in a thick breath between his teeth. She refilled them automatically, her face still blank.

"What's this all about, Bo? Did you just call me because you needed a drinking buddy?" he grinned at her.

"Have you heard from Hope?"

He cleared his throat, the grin dissipating. "Not lately."

She nodded and took another shot.

"You miss him?"

Another nod and more silence. She began quietly. "Did you know he always shot me down? I probably asked him a dozen times to go with me, but he never did. I mean, we were friends. Pretty close, actually, but I wanted more." she shifted in her seat to rest her arms on the padded edge of the bar. "He turned out to be a lot like you, but he has this edge to him I thought was irresistible."

"Irresistible, huh?" he muttered, swallowing the shot of foul stuff waiting and poured himself another. He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was going to go and he'd need more alcohol. He filled hers back up too, taking over the bottle.

"Yeah. He was different around you though. I guess maybe 'cause he looked at you like a father or something. Honestly, I thought he might be gay when I hit on him pretty hard a few weeks before he left. I was pretty insistent, but he rejected me."

Snow laughed at the thought of Hope being gay. He was a pretty boy, but Snow knew the kid had been in love with a certain pink haired woman even before he did.

"Then he came to me the night before he left. It was after closing time, but I let him in. I thought something was up. He looked distraught, and I sat him down and got him to spill it. He said that he thought you were in love with Lightning and he didn't know what to do about it. I asked him why it was his business, but he didn't answer me. He looked so unhappy, and I just gave him a hug but he turned the tables on me and he became the insistent one." Her face turned crimson. "I couldn't say no and he kept kissin' me, and we uh..." she trailed off, attempting to hide her obvious embarrassment with another drink.

Snow's eyes widened at her revealing recollection. Feeling the need for more liquor, he took two quick shots of his own. He recalled Hope telling him he needed to take care of something before coming out to Thamasa and now he wondered if Lebreau had been that something.

She looked at him sideways. After an awkwardly quiet moment she looked away and spoke again. "What's so good 'bout 'er?" She traced her finger around the edge of the little shot glass.

"Her?" he asked, regarding Lebreau even after she looked away, pinching his glass between his thumb and index finger.

"Lightnin'."

Through the encroaching inebriation, he detected a hint of bitterness when she said the older Farron's name. Hope's sordid affairs with his female friend really weren't any of his business, and he wasn't sure why Lebreau was telling him all this now. Creating a bridge to include Lightning indicated it wasn't just Hope that was on her mind.

He shrugged, knowing better than to get into this now, watching her sway slightly. Whatever they were drinking was doing a number on his much lighter companion.

"He lef' 'cause a' her, din't he?"

"I don't know why Hope left, Bo."

Suddenly her warm palm met the side of his face with a stinging slap, forcing his gaze away from hers to the floor. "Liar!" she laughed humourlessly.

He touched his hand to his slightly throbbing cheek. He could hear a tell-tale quiver in her voice.

"What's wrong wit' me?" she hid her head in her hands, sobbing. He remembered that Vanille once referred to Hope as a future heart-breaker. He guessed she was right.

Ah, hell. Snow placed his hand at the back of her head and rubbed comfortingly, forgetting all about her drunken display of violence. Understandably, she was a mess. He wondered exactly what Hope had said and done to her besides the bits he didn't want to wonder about. Snow bit back some anger at his absent young friend, but he knew Hope was hurting too. Even though Hope probably never meant to actually hurt anyone, he had. They both had. Snow offhandedly wondered if he was just as troubled as everyone else was.

He continued rubbing circles over her shoulder blades, staring at the butterfly tattoo that adorned her right side. Her breathing slowed and she twisted around on her stool to face him. Wiping salty trails of tears away from her cheeks, he smiled, his heart wrenched with the affection he held for her. She had helped him found NORA when they were young and she was a very special person to him. It hurt him to see her this way.

"I thought I could have my own hero, but she took you both from me..." she mumbled moving boldly towards him, stepping onto the round support halfway down his tall seat. Once between his casually opened knees, she wrapped her arms around his neck, the pungent smell of the liquor they'd been drinking met his nostrils as she pressed her lips sloppily against his.

"Lebreau, stop. You're drunk." protested Snow, turning his head from her lips, trying to pry her iron grip from around him.

"I'm so much better than her. I can give you wha she can't. I'm right here." slurred Lebreau slightly between the messy kisses placed on Snow's exposed neck, kissing up his tight jawline. "Take me, Snow. I won't leave you."

Indeed she was right there, in his lap. A raven haired beauty; a tight, eager body for him to lose himself in. She had no idea what she was saying. He told himself that she didn't mean any of what she said, but he shuddered against her. It had been so long since he felt the touch of a woman that wanted him and although alcohol dulled his senses, he was of strong mind. He didn't want Lebreau or any other woman. The passion he felt was not for her, and on top of that, she had been used and was left to suffer; lonely and wounded. He didn't blame her for wanting to forget everything and take comfort in something strong; he'd been there himself, but he couldn't comfort her how she wanted him to.

Draping her across his sturdy arms, he carried her easily up the stairs to her apartment above the bar. She continued to kiss and entice him; trying to break him down, and if he had been any less of a man he may have given in. They'd known each other for years, but never once had she looked at him like that. She was one of the guys, but even so, she was the one who looked after the collective as well. Even after he fell for Serah, she'd supported him when he and Serah were at odds, and she was always there to listen and provide an unsweetened, unbiased perspective. No doubt about it. Little Bo, as Snow affectionately called her, was a valued and trusted companion who he could never see as anything more. Even if she might have wished it, he would never hurt by using her to vent his sexual frustration... no matter how much he desired release.

Putting her down on the bed, he brushed her hair out of her glazed over eyes. Going to the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water, he twisted the cap off easily and told her to drink. She did as he asked without objection for once in her life. "Sleep it off. I'll talk to you in the morning." Pulling the blankets over her still fully clothed body, he tucked her in and kissed her forehead, then turned to leave. Her eyes were closed when he started to walk away, but he heard the bed creak as her hand shot out to clutch his.

"Stay with me. Please." her voice was weak and broken. He was one of the few people who ever saw her vulnerable. It had happened only once before, but it had taken her a long time to recover.

Looking back at her, he couldn't help but give in. He was a sucker for feminine weakness. "Ok, but you have to behave yourself. No groping or kissing."

She hiccupped. "Sorry. I'm jus' lonely."

"I know." Smiling at her compassionately, he moved back to her side and sat down at the edge of the bed. "Move over." he told her with a gentle shove. She did so and he wrapped a warm arm around her bare shoulders as she slumped against him, resting her head on his sturdy chest, listening to the constant, unfaltering rhythm of his heart. Tucking the covers around her once again, he pulled the loose bun out of her hair and ran his hand through it slowly listening to the sound of her breathing. It quickly slipped into a steady pattern as she passed out.

The situation may not have been ideal, but at least he wouldn't have to sleep alone tonight.