Wow! I'm so happy with the welcome the first chapter for this story received! Thank you so much for all of the kind reviews.:D Now, updates may come slower for this fic, since I have Springkink entries due this week, and subsequently this month(the mature ones will be posted on the lj community stated in my bio page), and school starts the week after the next for me. I will try my very best to keep up with all of my stories, so there's a great chance that 'Love Game,' will be updated next. Anyway, I'll stop talking and let you all get to reading!

…

Asking for Trouble

…

"He's so cute!"

"The baby or Vincent?"

"The baby, of course, Tifa."

Her old friend smiled and nodded. She'd always enjoyed teasing Yuffie when it came to her crushes, and now was no exception. "He has Zack's eyes, doesn't he?"

"The baby's are a darker blue…" Yuffie stated, cradling the tiny bundle gently. "Come on, Miles, open your eyes again for aunt Yuffie."

Tifa glanced at the infant enjoying his afternoon nap. "He's perfectly comfortable sleeping in your arms and he won't wake for a while." Her eyes darted over to the large gift Yuffie had brought with her. "You didn't steal the stuff in there, did you?"

Yuffie glared at her and shook her head as she stood and placed the baby back into the bassinet he had been using for his naps the last few days. "Nope. Bought it all with my own money. I haven't gotten my sticky fingers on anything else since I met that Vincent guy."

"Wow. He did you some good. Though, Yuffie, what's going on between the two of you?" Tifa asked, beginning to unwrap the gift after Yuffie had handed it over.

"We're just hanging out. I don't think we're friends yet, but he's curious about me. It's like he wants to do research on me and why I am the way I am," Yuffie replied.

"He's a married man," Tifa said quietly.

"It's not like I'm on love with him. We just met," said Yuffie, narrowing her eyes darkly. Well, that piece of information just put a damper on her mood. She was a very observant person—it came with being a thief—but he hadn't been wearing a ring the two times she had seen him. Hmm, maybe he had taken off his ring so that she wouldn't know he was married and would then try to seduce her…

Tifa gave her a curious look. "You have a sinister look on your face."

"He said that we should have lunch one of these days," said Yuffie with a small growl. "I don't know what to think. He saw me picking some pockets and suddenly he's interested in me?"

"What if he truly just wants to be your friend?" Tifa asked, smiling as she pulled out various sets of baby clothes from Yuffie's gift box.

The shorter woman shrugged and slouched back onto the comfortable couch. "Why would a respected lawyer want to be friends with a spoiled thief?"

"Maybe he sees something in you that makes him want to be your friend. Not everyone has an ulterior motive for getting close to you."

Yuffie gave Tifa a look.

"Well, fine. Your ex did, but not everyone does!" Tifa protested. "You're an amazing friend, you're loyal and kind, and you try to make others happy."

"That's true," Yuffie said modestly, a grin starting to grow on her face. She'd always loved spending time with Tifa, since the other woman had such a heart of gold and could easily cheer her up. "So… should I tell Vincent to buzz off if he calls me for lunch?"

"Yuffie, he's married," Tifa stressed once more. "Maybe you shouldn't reply to his call at all."

They both looked up when the front door to the spacious condo opened and Zack walked in with Tifa's favorite take-out, a smile on his face.

"How are my girls?" he asked with a wink.

Yuffie grinned and Tifa glared as he set the bags on the table before moving over to check on the baby.

"Hey, Zack, since you and Vincent seem to be friends, why is it that he doesn't broadcast that he's married?" Tifa asked, giving Yuffie a pointed look.

Zack finished tucking his son into the bassinet and turned to look at the two women who were trying for nonchalant and failing. Being a lawyer hadn't been his first career choice, but he had always been good at reading people, and his wife could be an open book a lot of the time. It was why it had been so easy to fall in love with her. "Why do you ask?" he questioned, taking a seat next to Tifa and pecking her cheek.

Yuffie fidgeted with the laces of her knee-high sneakers. She'd known Tifa for a long time, but not Zack, and even when he was a sweet guy, he was also Vincent's close friend. "He said we should have lunch together." She finally caved.

Zack raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Vincent Valentine, workaholic , asked you to have lunch with him?"

Yuffie nodded. "But he hasn't mentioned anything about having a wife. I mean, his she wasn't even at that Christmas party a few days ago, right?"

"Well, it's plain and simple: they're distanced from each other," Zack said evasively. Vincent trusted him, and even when it was Tifa he was talking to, he didn't always give his old friend's business away, either. "Look, the best advice I can give you is to talk to him about it if he does call to ask you for lunch."

"Wouldn't that be a date?" Yuffie asked, frowning.

Zack shook his head. "Not necessarily. He's a respected man, and he's not much into doing wild things—though it's entirely different from when he was younger—so dating another woman while he's still married would be the last thing he would do. We're lawyers and we know how much we can screw ourselves up for doing something like that."

Tifa smiled gently at Yuffie and the disappointed glint in the younger girl's eyes. "I guess you just have to tread carefully here," she said with meaning.

Yuffie looked up at her and nodded, smiling once more. "I need to get going. I promised my dad I would go with him to one of his stuffy lunch meetings," she muttered, getting to her feet. "Thanks for listening to me, Teef." She hugged Tifa and then turned to Zack. "Same to you. I'm happy to see that one of my oldest friends found herself a guy who can value her and make her happy."

Instead of shaking her hand, Zack pulled her into a bear hug that nearly took her breath away quite literally. "You're always welcome in this house." He set the short girl down and wasn't at all surprised as to why she had captured Vincent's attention. She was cute, spunky and cunning. If Vincent hadn't still been married, Zack would've been the first to urge them to 'hook up.'

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for lunch?" Tifa asked as she walked Yuffie to the door.

"I need to get to that meeting in the next ten minutes," Yuffie grumbled; she'd always liked cutting it close.

"Okay. Take care of yourself and thank you for all of the beautiful clothes for Miles. And if you need anything, just give me a call and I'll be your ear or your shoulder," Tifa said kindly.

"Thanks, Teef. I'll probably take you up on your offer pretty soon," Yuffie said with a wink. She waved and then dashed out the door. Tifa turned back to her husband and smiled when she saw him holding the baby, murmuring quietly into the boy's dark hair. "What do you think?" she asked him, motioning towards the door.

"I think she needs to be patient. Vincent and Lucrecia aren't getting any better and he may be signing those divorce papers soon."

"You think so?"

Zack nodded. "It seems to me like neither of them want to fix their relationship."

"Yuffie is my friend, Zack, and I don't want him to hurt her," Tifa said, moving towards their breakfast table to place their food on plates for lunch.

"Vince isn't a bad guy. He's just… out of the dating game. He fell in love with Lucrecia a little before senior year at high school and he married her before going to college. He hasn't seen any other women in this time so he's pretty much new to the dating scene," Zack defended, cradling their baby in one arm.

"Well, so is she! The difference being that he's nearly ten years older than her."

"He's only eight years older and he doesn't even look like it."

Tifa raised a thin eyebrow at him.

"Look, whatever they decide to do, it's none of our business, sweetheart," Zack said, wrapping his free arm around her waist and moving in for a long, ardent kiss.

She smiled against his lips and pulled away. "I'm immune to your charm now," Tifa said, pushing away from him.

"Yeah, right. If you were really immune to me, this guy wouldn't have come along," Zack replied, cocky.

Tifa laughed and shook her head. "We should get to lunch. Miles and I have a doctor's appointment later."

Zack nodded and resorted to eating with one hand, since he refused to put the baby down.

Smiling slightly to herself, Tifa still felt worry gnaw at her chest. She didn't know if having a baby had set off her maternal instincts onto some super magnified level, but she was feeling protective of Yuffie. She didn't want her to get her heart broken once more by a man older than her. She didn't deserve it.

Setting her thoughts aside, she smiled at Zack in reassurance when he paused in his eating and gave her concerned look. Maybe she would have to keep a closer eye on Yuffie from now on.

…

"Thank you for seeing me."

"I didn't expect to hear from you, and I must admit that your phone call surprised me. You've distanced yourself so much that I contemplated making an appointment to see you."

Vincent refrained from rolling his eyes. "I'm not the only one who helped with that distance."

Grimoire smiled grimly and then nodded. "You're right. We both didn't put much effort into having a father-son relationship, myself more so, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about you, son."

"I know," Vincent replied in a low tone.

The older man gave him a penetrating look. "You asked to see me, Vincent. Is something wrong? Have you and Lucrecia decided to desist from the divorce?"

Vincent shook his head, sending his short bangs into his eyes; he'd need a trim soon, he mused vaguely. "Lucrecia… is not interested in reconciliation, and we both agree that we should file for divorce as soon as possible."

"Did she admit to being unfaithful to you?"

"No. I asked her upfront if she wanted to leave because of another man and she assured me that it was not the case. She may want us to meet for dinner in order for us to discuss how we can make this as smooth as possible. She's working with Shinra now, so the last thing is she wants is an entire scandal surrounding our divorce."

His father nodded. "What is the problem, then?" asked Grimoire, sitting straighter in his chair and putting away the paperwork he had been working on before his son had arrived.

"I… expected to be more broken up over this. Instead, I've found myself thinking of another woman," Vincent said in a low voice.

Grimoire sighed and gave his son a scrutinizing look. "It's only natural to want to move on."

"But so quickly? Besides, the person I'm talking about is about eight years younger than I am."

The older man let out a rough laugh. "She's nineteen?"

Vincent was not amused by his father's reaction. "I'm not saying that I want to be romantically involved with her. I'm just saying that she intrigues me the way Lucrecia did before we became involved."

Grimoire was quiet as he thought of what to say to Vincent. "Who is she?"

"I would rather not say," Vincent muttered, feeling petulant even at his age.

"Did you come here for advice or to just hear my opinion about it all?" Grimoire asked.

Vincent frowned. "Aren't they one and the same?"

His father shook his head. "My opinion would be that you have a right to move on with anyone you see fit, and who you believe will make you happy. My only advice would be that you need to wait until your divorce is finalized. The last thing you want is for the scandal and rumors to turn on you, claiming infidelity. Do you have any idea how it will affect your Firm and clients if this were to happen?"

"I've considered that," Vincent stated calmly. "But I'm jumping ahead of myself. This girl interests me, but I'm not sure if I would want to get involved with her, or if she would be interested in me."

"Tell me who she is, Vincent."

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "Yuffie Kisaragi."

Grimoire was quiet for a second before bursting into laughter once more. "Godo's daughter? Are you mad?"

"Apparently I am," Vincent replied in a flat tone.

"Godo and I have been friends since before you were born, Vincent. Which means that I know him and I know how protective he is of his daughter. He's not going to approve of just anyone she brings home, and he will probably demand that he be from Wutai. Besides, the girl is trouble personified."

"Yes, I've confirmed this first hand," Vincent replied. "Which is what interested me about her in the first place."

Grimoire sighed as he looked at his one and only son; his pride and joy, despite their differences. "You've always enjoyed the troublesome ones. Must I remind you of how you met your first girlfriend?"

She had punched him for accidentally brushing her bottom. And really it had been an accident. He'd never forget Elfé and the fact that she had had to move away only a few months into their relationship. Lucrecia had also taken a while to warm up to him, but when she had, the two had been inseparable. 'Where did all of that go?' Vincent wondered to himself.

"Sometimes the spark fades away," his father interrupted his thoughts.

Vincent looked up at him. "Is that what happened between you and my mother?"

"It was one of the things that happened to us. Our biggest problem was wanting different things," Grimoire admitted.

"Did she ever come back after she left?"

The older man met eyes nearly identical to his own. "She did. Though our arguments were so explosive that the last time we were face to face, I told her not to come back. I didn't want you to ever hear us talking to each other in such a way. I wanted you to retain your innocence, even after your mother abandoned us."

Vincent swallowed before nodding. "I… will not presume to know what went on between the two of you, but I understand that sometimes it is better to withdraw than continue on in a farce."

Well, he certainly had a unique way of looking at relationships, Grimoire mused. Despite all that he had tried to shield his son from, it was obvious that it hadn't been enough. He still cursed his ex-wife for having shared in screwing up their son's future relationships. "Does this girl make you feel alive?"

"Among other things," Vincent said with a wry smirk. Amazed, annoyed, confused… there were plenty other things he felt when he laid eyes on Yuffie and shared in her antics.

"Give Lucrecia her divorce, and once the papers have gone through, get to know this girl. I don't want you to remain trapped in memories from your past the way I did. I—I do want you to be happy, Vincent," Grimoire said, somber.

"I will keep your advice present in any of my future decisions." Vincent stood and straightened his suit; he then raised his hand to his father, who shook it. "Thank you, father."

Grimoire smiled and nodded. "Be careful with Kisaragi's princess, boy. I've heard many things about her, and while plenty are amusing, others are worrisome."

He wondered what those things were, but he had no desire to ask his father. He would get it from the source itself. "We should have dinner sometime soon."

Grimoire followed him to the door. "I would like that very much."

"Goodbye, Grimoire," Vincent murmured, reverting to his usual, distant treatment of his father.

Despite his words, the man smiled slightly to himself. "Be safe, son," he whispered as Vincent began to walk away.

…

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, a glaring contest arose between her and Vincent's assistant.

Yuffie shifted the potted plant in the crook of her left arm and walked over to Elena. "I'm here to see Vince."

Elena raised a pale, arched eyebrow at her and gave Yuffie a condescending look. "Do you have an appointment? He's very busy today and has no time for petty distractions."

The dark haired girl scoffed and moved the flowers to her other arm. "Look, unless you want to find out firsthand what it feels like to be cracked over the head with a flower pot, you'll let him know I'm here."

"Please do," Elena taunted. "Then I'll sue you for all you're worth. The perks of working at a law firm, you know," she said smugly.

"Well, in that case I'll just hire Vincent to represent me. I've heard he's quite good, so I highly doubt you'll win," Yuffie countered.

More glaring ensued.

"Is there a problem here?" A deep, smooth voice startled them both.

Yuffie turned, her easy grin returning to her face, and she didn't miss the way Elena paled at the sight of the man. Hmm… "Tseng?"

Tseng inclined his head once. "Miss Kisaragi. It's been a while."

The short woman nodded cheerfully. "It was quite a meeting, wasn't it?"

"The last time we saw each other, you were eleven and had learned a new knot-tying trick…" he trailed off.

Yuffie smirked. "It's been that long?"

"It has," Tseng nodded. "What brings you here today?" he asked, glancing at Elena, who looked highly uncomfortable.

"Oh, I came to see Vincent, and Elena, who by the way is a very amiable person, was about to announce me," said Yuffie with a dangerous grin directed at the blonde.

Elena forced herself to not blush when both Tseng and Yuffie looked at her expectantly, but she had a feeling that her cheeks were still a faint pink, giving her embarrassment away. She stiffly reached for the phone and announced Yuffie while the short woman chatted away with Tseng.

"He'll see you now," Elena nearly ground out.

"Thank you," Yuffie said, grinning. "She's such a good assistant… maybe you should steal her away to work under you."

Tseng cleared his throat at the clear innuendo in the younger woman's tone and this time he did notice the mortified look on Elena's face. "Take care of yourself, Miss Kisaragi."

"Thanks, Tseng. Don't work too much!" Yuffie returned cheerfully before prancing through the door of Vincent's office.

An awkward silence stretched between him and Elena, until finally she smiled. "I suppose you have a busy day, sir?"

Tseng nodded but remained where he stood, wanting to say more to her, but unable to think of something that wouldn't sound inane or incredibly boring. He came up with nothing and wondered briefly if he was boring. "I hope you have a good day, Elena."

"You too, sir," she said, watching him walk away. Once he was safely back behind his office door, Elena let her head drop onto her desk with a small groan. Oh, how she absolutely loathed that Kisaragi girl.

…

Vincent watched her step into his office, carrying with her a pot of beautiful white orchids in her hands.

"I've decided that I'm going to be your friend."

Her greeting was unexpected; he smirked. "And as a friend you had to bring me flowers?"

"Well, I would've brought you a peach blossom sapling, but then I asked myself where you would plant it, and I decided that it was a bad idea."

Vincent found that he honestly believed her. He watched as she strode over to his desk and placed the plant at the corner of the glass, away from his files and computer. Then she moved to his side and leaned back against his desk, looking at him expectantly. "Thank you," he said after a moment of silence.

"You're welcome. Though… I had some issues with your assistant. I think she hates me," Yuffie said, nonchalant.

Vincent raised a brow at her in amusement. "Elena is a great assistant and she is usually very polite with everyone. I wonder why the animosity between the two of you has grown at this rate."

"I think it's just a matter of clashing personalities. Don't worry yourself, Vince," Yuffie said with a wave of her hand. "Have you taken your lunch break yet?"

"No. I haven't had the time," Vincent said, returning to writing into a file before placing it over a stack of others. "And I don't have the time to leave my office today, Yuffie."

She pouted in an all too alluring way that had Vincent looking away. "Well, I guess we can order something from this place I know and have it delivered," she said, her grin coming back.

"Fine," Vincent conceded.

Before she could grab her phone and search the number for her favorite place, it began to ring, filling the quiet office with the cheerful beat of a song that made Vincent smirk and Yuffie blush and shrug.

'Cause we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl.'

"Ciss?" Yuffie asked, answering her phone. She listened and made noises of understanding for a few minutes. "I'm set for tonight. Yes, and please call Tifa and let her know, alright?" She nodded and grinned. "Okay. See you tonight!"

Vincent gave her a curious look but did not pry as to what she would be doing later in the evening; it really wasn't his business. Instead, he continued his work and waited for Yuffie to order their food. She then moved from one end of his spacious office to the other, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the view. From there, she moved towards a table where he kept some of his books for research, glancing at them and huffing in boredom.

Vincent tried not to watch her every movement, but there was just a raw energy that seemed to be contained in her small body, just waiting to explode. "Important plans for tonight?" he asked, after the silence had stretched thin.

Yuffie nodded. "A girls' night out," she replied, not giving him any other bit of information.

"What do you do with your free time?" Vincent asked, standing to retrieve some files from file cabinet near the table that held his books.

"I try not to get into trouble. But it's easier said than done," she said, sitting down on the edge of Vincent's desk and typing quickly into her phone. "So, if I can't steal for charity… I fight for it."

That stopped Vincent in his search. "You fight for charity?"

Yuffie offered a quick grin and nodded. "I participate in a fight club kind of thing. There, we raise the money and give it to the charity we choose."

"And by 'raise' you mean… bet?"

Yuffie cleared her throat and refused to meet his eyes. "Of course not. There's like a grand prize thing for the winner."

"And Tifa knows about this?" Vincent asked, walking over to stand in front of Yuffie.

"Are you kidding me? Before she went off and got married and pregnant, we used to participate together. I had to fight her once…"

"And who won?"

"It was a draw." Yuffie sniffed in annoyance.

Vincent smirked. "Do you generally win?"

She nodded, smile turning smug. "There are a few times that I come in second or third, and though the prize isn't as big it still feels good to come out on top of the many others. Then I donate the money anonymously."

He hummed lightly and watched her fidget, cheeks turning pink under his scrutiny. When she finally looked up, Vincent felt his lips twitch at the perfect innocent picture she made with her soft face. He knew better though. "And your father knows about this hobby of yours?"

"Dad is busy running Wutai, so he rarely knows what I'm up to. Unless I get caught and someone presses charges. That's why he hired Rude when I was small. He's the one who takes care of me and can sometimes stop me from doing stupid things. Other times he just makes sure I don't hurt myself."

Vincent found it sad that her bodyguard was the one who knew her better than her own father but he forced himself to not dwell on that situation. It hit too close to home. His phone intercom buzzed and Vincent answered, Elena informing him that the delivery person had just arrive with their lunch.

Yuffie ran off before he could say anything to her, and Vincent took the moment to check for his wallet; he sighed in relief when he felt the heavy weight still in the inside of his coat. Yuffie returned and set the food on a clear space on the table he used for research, and motioned him over. "I ordered Wutain food," she said, removing a couple of boxes from inside of a bag, handing him sealed chopsticks. "You know how to use chopsticks, right?" she asked smartly.

Vincent just nodded and took the boxes she offered. "We're… eating straight from the box?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Don't go pretty-boy on me, Vince. I know you're not so formal every hour of the day and you don't have to be formal with me."

They sat down at close enough proximity that Vincent's eyes wandered when she crossed her legs. She was wearing shorts that bordered on being too short and he had tried to ignore them from the moment she had arrived. He had more self-control than this, he mused in annoyance. They ate silently for a while, darting looks from their food to each other from time to time.

"Why didn't you tell me you were married?" Yuffie asked out of the blue.

Vincent nearly dropped his box of cold noodles. "How do you know I am?" he asked, calm and unruffled.

"Mere coincidence. Wouldn't your wife mind that I'm taking up your time and pulling you out of your office randomly?" She watched Vincent as he patiently chewed the food in his mouth before he looked up at her, eyes unreadable.

"My wife and I are… no longer together," Vincent said in a nonchalant tone.

Yuffie's eyebrows raised as she stopped digging pieces of chicken from her box. "Why?" she asked after pausing.

Vincent gave her a mild glare. "You keep some of your life private, and so do I. I do not wish to talk about this now."

She let out a hum and shrugged. "That's fair enough, I suppose. But still, isn't it bad for your image or something to be seen with a woman who isn't your wife?"

Vincent set down his food and took a drink from his bottle of water. "I've never been much for what people have to say about me. I have built my reputation in the courtroom, and that's why I'm hired. Aside from that, my clients are serious ones who know better than to take the trashy gossip magazines seriously."

Yuffie grinned. "If I were in your shoes, I'd be able to tell my clients that most of the crap in those magazines is true."

Vincent didn't know whether to be amused or appalled at her words. "So… have you decided to not go to school during your free time?"

"Well, that's random," Yuffie muttered, feeling slightly miffed. Was he implying that she was a lazy bum who did nothing but steal in her free time? "I was homeschooled most of my life, so I finished my studies a year early. I went to the University of Midgar for two years and received a degree in business administration. My father wants me to take over the businesses he began to build before he practically took over running Wutai."

"Impressive."

She tried not to glare, but it annoyed her that he hadn't thought her capable of doing anything productive with her life. He didn't even know her. And that was the problem, wasn't it? Yuffie sighed. "You said you were busy today, right?" she asked, removing her chopsticks from her food and closing the box.

Vincent frowned at her sudden withdrawal and set his food aside. "I didn't mean to offend you," he said, quick to realize what may have bothered her. Yuffie stood and before Vincent could stop himself, he reached over and took her hand in his, drawing her a step closer. She had very soft hands.

She smiled and her fingers tightened around his for a moment before she withdrew slowly. "It's alright. I'm used to people thinking that I'm privileged and spoiled… mostly because I act like I am."

Vincent stood and towered over her in a non-aggressive way. "And it doesn't bother you?"

"Usually it doesn't," Yuffie muttered; but then again, it had stung when he had said it. Damn. She wasn't supposed to be getting close to a married man, even if he and his wife were separated. Besides, Godo would probably flip out if he received any kind of rumors. "But I really should go. I need to get ready for the little show tonight," she said with a slight smirk.

Vincent nodded once. "Thank you for bringing me lunch," he murmured, eyes carefully skimming her dark eyelashes and the warmth in her chocolate brown eyes. Her lips quirked into a genuine smile when she noticed his eyes on her.

"Don't worry about it, Vince," she said, beginning to step back.

Vincent's hand closed around her wrist and pulled her closer again; close enough to smell the sweet floral scent of her hair, and the sweeter smell of the chicken she had been eating. He smiled and his other hand reached up to brush away the fringe falling over her eyes. She stared at him, wide-eyed and with color entering her cheeks at his tender action. "We should… 'hang out' more often," he said, lips lifting at one corner.

Yuffie giggled and nodded. "We should. Though I have to admit that the fact that you're married is a little off-putting."

Vincent sighed and nodded. "It's a situation that will hopefully be resolved very soon."

"Maybe until then you and I should refrain from 'hanging out,'" she teased.

He merely grunted and continued his earlier inspection of her youthful features. He had to admit that her lips were what drew his attention the most, so moist and soft looking that he found himself inching closer to her.

Yuffie sighed and debated with herself on whether she should allow him to kiss her or not. What would be the harm? She'd never been one to easily fall in love, but this man in front of her, so handsome in his tailor made suit and with strange, crimson eyes was tempting her right now. She'd had her share of negative experiences in her short life, so he made her cautious. But she couldn't deny that she was drawn like a moth to a flame. "Are you sure you want to take that plunge, Vincent?" she asked, cheeky.

"I've been known to take risks from time to time. It's one of the reasons why I became a lawyer."

"I'm as dangerous as they come," Yuffie whispered, her hand bracing against his chest. "I'm not as innocent as I look, either."

"This is something I believe," Vincent replied, continuing his descent.

He could feel her soft breath fanning over his chin, so tempting, and her eyes were wide but inviting all the same. Vincent didn't know what it was about her that was tempting enough to make him forget all that he stood for as a lawyer. And just as their lips grazed gently, sending a tingle down his spine, the door to Vincent's office opened and Zack walked in. They stepped away from each other as the tall man slowed his gait and stared in surprise at them.

"Sorry. I think I was interrupting something?" Zack asked, bewildered.

Yuffie smiled at him and shrugged, grabbing her purse. "I was on my way out," she said, nonchalant.

Vincent returned to being cool and collected as he watched her walk off towards the door and Zack. She stopped next to the taller man and turned to look back at him before she winked. "Thank you for lunch, Yuffie."

"Anytime, Vince," she said, grinning. Then she was gone and all he had been able to glance had been the silky dark strands of her hair.

"Seriously?"

Vincent's eyes narrowed in annoyance as Zack closed the door and walked over to him.

"What are you doing, Vincent?"

"I was having lunch," Vincent replied snidely.

"No, I mean… what are you doing with her? You're usually such a stick in the mud when it comes to having fun. Why are you interested in doing something dangerous now?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Vincent said, beginning to pack away the food that had been left over.

"Well, I thought that as your friend and associate that my opinion counted as something, but I guess it doesn't," Zack said flatly, turning to go.

"I didn't mean to snap at you, but this is my personal life," Vincent said, not wanting to drive his closest friend away.

"Well, you had plenty to say to me about Tifa before I married her," Zack said, rolling his eyes as he took the seat Yuffie had been occupying.

"That was because the both of you were still in school and marriage seemed a bit sudden."

"Says the man who married his high school sweetheart straight out of high school," muttered Zack.

"And that's exactly why I wanted to warn you that maybe it was too soon," Vincent reasoned.

Zack smiled and shook his head. "Fine, fine. I get it, but this is an entirely different situation, Vincent. You're still married, and Yuffie is like a wild bird, not made to be contained. You'll only hurt each other in the long run."

"How can you possibly be so sure of that?" Vincent asked in a low tone, leaning back in his chair and crossing his ankle over his knee, lost in thought. "For all you know we could be good for each other."

"True… but this situation is still complicated—"

"I think you're the one blowing all of this out of proportion," said Vincent as he stood and moved back to his desk.

"Tifa will hurt us, if you hurt Yuffie."

"Ah, and the true cause of your worry comes to light."

"In case you've forgotten, Tifa is a master martial artist. She could wipe the ground with both of our asses if she wanted to," Zack said with a wide smile, following Vincent.

It was a frightening fact that Tifa was that strong, but he also knew that both Zack and Tifa were overreacting. "I appreciate your worry, Zack, but I will do as I please with my life. After all, I have lived longer than you."

"By three years," muttered Zack.

"It still means that I've lived more and have more experience than you. Believe me, Zack, when I say that I will take responsibility for any of my actions," Vincent said, opening up his laptop so that he could continue with his work.

"Well, if you say so. I just hope that you know what you're doing," Zack said with a heavy sigh. "I'll have my notes on the Stevens case for you in an hour."

"Good. We're going to be meeting with Tseng in two hours," Vincent said, not looking away from his computer screen.

Zack stood and walked out of Vincent's office, not feeling reassured at all. Somehow he had a feeling that Vincent would find nothing but trouble with Yuffie. While he loved his wife to death, he'd always wondered about her choice of friends, since they were such a strange bunch. Pausing outside the door, Zack gave Elena a curious look when he caught the evil scowl on her face. "What's going on?" he asked her.

"I can't stand that girl. She's so… so…" Elena grit her teeth, unable to come up with a civilized enough word in front of her boss' friend.

"Better get used to it, Elena. I get the feeling that we're going to be seeing a lot of her around here from now on," Zack said with a small frown.

Elena let out a resigned sigh and swallowed down the unprofessional groan of irritation. What did a respectable man like Vincent Valentine see in a girl like Yuffie Kisaragi?

The blonde realized that she really didn't want to know.

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Yay! Chapter two and we're moving forward at a believable pace, right? I proofread this late last night and I was tired, so please excuse any errors you probably came across while reading this chapter. Ah, and before I forget, I decided to name Zack and Tifa's baby Miles because in every search I found, it meant either 'merciful,' or 'soldier,' which I thought was fitting either way. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, since I had fun writing it. Take care and I hope to see you soon!