**Hello again, everyone. So, you were probably wondering what Vincent would do if left alone with the seductive Lulu… Well, you're about to find out! Hope you enjoy it! We'll be leaving Edge in the next chapter or two!**
Chapter Nine: Trustworthy
Back in the room, Lulu was busily preparing eggs at the stove in the kitchenette. Vincent eyed her warily as he made his way to Yuffie's bedside and sat down. He brushed his fingers against her face, and her chocolate eyes fluttered open.
"Good morning," he said softly.
"Mmmmm… Now that's a face I wouldn't mind waking up to every day."
"It'll be here," he replied, "as long as you desire."
Yuffie grinned. "Forever, d'uh!" She sat up and kissed him, then stretched and sniffed the air. "Aww, Vince! You made breakfast?"
"Actually, I did."
Lulu stood at the foot of Yuffie's bed, a plate of eggs in one hand and a glass of juice in the other. She wore a pleasant smile on her face, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. Yuffie's smile melted away.
"Oh. I forgot about you," she grumbled, throwing the covers off herself and sliding out of bed. She took the plate and glass and shuffled to the table. "Thanks," she offered sullenly. Vincent watched her eat from where he was still seated on her bed, wondering how he would manage to dissolve the tension between she and Lulu.
"You're welcome," Lulu's too-cheerful voice rang. "I hope you like eggs."
"That's why I bought 'em," came Yuffie's agitated response. Lulu did not appear to let Yuffie's words ruffle her and, instead, turned to Vincent.
"And what would you like to eat, Mr. Valentine?"
Yuffie snorted.
"I'm not hungry," Vincent replied, making his way to the table. "But thank you."
It was awkward for the three of them sitting together at the breakfast table; worse, probably for Vincent, who was caught between his loyalty to Yuffie and his need to help Lulu. He would have to get this over with soon, but how? Where could he take Lulu that she would be safe?
They discussed this briefly while they ate, but a viable plan eluded them. How could they make a move without being spotted?
As she wiped the last bit of egg yolk up with her toast, Yuffie's head suddenly snapped up. "I've just had the greatest idea EVER!"
Then she shoved the eggy toast in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully for a moment while Vincent and Lulu waited.
"What if…" she started, still chewing. "We did a make-over?"
Lulu and Vincent blinked.
"Yuffie, I don't think that's exactly high priority right now…"
"No, dummy. I mean… What if we all wore disguises so we could get out of town without being recognized?"
"Hmm, that's not half bad," Lulu said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
Yuffie forced a smile. "Glad you approve. I stole that wig and dress from Cloud – did Tifa ever tell you that story, Vince? – anyway, I still have the whole outfit."
"Yuffie, if you think I'm going to dress up as a woman, you are much mistaken."
"That would be… interesting," she giggled. "But no, silly, I meant for me! I'll go out with Tifa or something and do a little shopping. We'll bring the disguises back here, and we'll slip out of town with no trouble!"
Lucrecia was smiling at Yuffie now; and the smile appeared sincere. "I think it's a great plan, Yuffie. Thank you for thinking of it."
Yuffie seemed to lighten up a bit after the compliment. She and Lulu seemed content to stand elbow to elbow while they straightened up the kitchen together. They took turns teasing Vincent who had rolled back his sleeves, slung a dish towel over his shoulder, and commenced scrubbing the skillet in the sink.
"He looks so domestic," Yuffie whispered – knowing full well Vincent could hear every word.
"Maybe you should pick up a pink apron while you're out shopping."
For some reason, Vincent felt mildly disturbed at the way they seemed to be bonding. But why?
Someone knocked on the door. Vincent froze a moment, then remembered Tifa was coming by to get Yuffie. Before opening the door, he grabbed Cerberus out of the cupboard where he'd been storing it (out of Lulu's sight, just in case).
"Who is it?" he asked dully, standing aside the door.
"It's Tifa!"
Vincent unlocked the door and pulled it open.
"Hi, Vincent!"
"Welcome, Tifa."
"Hey, Yuffie. Oh… You must be Lulu?"
"It's nice to meet you, Tifa. I'm a size six, by the way."
Tifa laughed. "Good to know. Well, we should probably get going before the crowds strike. Are you ready, Yuffie?"
"Yup! Let's go!"
Tifa said good bye to Vincent and Lulu, then headed out to the hall. Yuffie started to follow her, then stopped. "Whoops! I forgot something. Wait here for me, 'kay?"
She ran back in and jumped at Vincent who caught her easily. "I'll be back soon," she whispered, clutching him tightly around the neck. "I'll miss you."
Vincent squeezed her tightly. "I already miss you," he said. "You'd better get going, or Tifa might suspect something."
"Oh…Right…" Yuffie slid from Vincent's arms and landed gently on her feet.
"Is something wrong?"
"I forgot to tell you… Tifa already figured us out."
"Hmm… Interesting."
"You're not mad?"
"Should I be?"
"No, but… I thought we were going to keep it on the down-low."
"As I said before, whatever you want is fine with me."
Yuffie smiled. "You want people to know, don't you?"
"Most men like showing off their girlfriends in public. Why should I be any different?"
"You're the sweetest vampire in the world, Vincent Valentine," she whispered before kissing him.
"Ahem!"
They whipped around to find Tifa and Lulu staring at them. They shared a quiet laugh then, before Yuffie and Tifa went out to shop.
"You guys are pretty cute together," Tifa laughed just as they were leaving the inn. "I wasn't so sure about it before, but I think you're a good match."
"Thanks, Teef. I think so, too."
"So…" Tifa's voice grew more serious. "How are you handling having Lulu around?"
Yuffie shrugged. "I trust Vincent. And Lulu is actually pretty nice."
"You aren't nervous about leaving them alone together?"
As if she needed the reminder. "Okay, so I'll admit it bothers me… but we're all on the same team. Vincent and I already talked about it, and he promised me I had nothing to worry about."
"He's nothing if not honest," Tifa mused about Vincent. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."
"Yeah. I hope not."
Meanwhile, back at the inn, Vincent busied himself cleaning, greasing and loading weapons. He set an open duffel bag on the bed and filled it with guns, ammunition, material and accessories. Lulu watched him intently from her seat at the table, head resting in her hands.
"You haven't changed that much, really, have you Vincent? On the outside, maybe, but… you're still very much you."
"I don't know what you mean," Vincent said shortly without breaking stride.
"You were always very mature, very thoughtful. You never did anything without planning ahead… well, until you met me… I mean, Lucrecia."
At this, Vincent paused. He turned slowly toward Lulu and his face turned hard. "Let me make myself perfectly clear. I have no interest in reminiscing about my past. That is especially true with regard to my relationship with Doctor Crescent. I would… appreciate it if you didn't bring it up again. As far as I am concerned, you and I were strangers until yesterday."
Lulu closed her eyes slowly and covered her face with her hands. Vincent could hear quiet sobbing.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I know I promised to leave it alone, but… Vincent, tell me the truth." She rose from her chair and moved closer. "Is there any chance at all, no matter how miniscule, of the two of us… rekindling what we had before."
"You and I never-"
"I know you don't believe this, but I am as much Lucrecia as the original! There is nothing about me that didn't come from her! Please, Vincent, look at me… Look into my eyes and tell me you still feel something."
Against his better judgment, Vincent allowed his eyes to meet hers. He stared into them for a long moment before abruptly pivoting to continue packing. He felt a hand fall onto his shoulder.
"Vincent…"
No, he thought firmly. I won't turn. I won't.
"Vincent… help me…"
He spun around just as she hit the floor. She had passed out again. But why? She'd eaten a protein-rich breakfast under an hour ago, gotten plenty of sleep. This wasn't making any sense.
As he crouched to examine her, he noticed a strange gray patch of flaking skin on her neck. It was like nothing he had ever seen before and he wondered if it had something to do with her fainting.
Gently, he lifted her onto the bed before finishing his preparations. He had decided they would go north, to the city of the Ancients. Nobody would think to look there – he hoped. Then again, could he really expect Lulu to live alone there? It would only be until her pursuers stopped coming after her – but how would they know when it was safe? Perhaps it never would be and she would be forced to live in isolation for the rest of her life.
The thought saddened him. Lucrecia had been a very social woman; she loved parties and people. He could already tell Lulu had inherited this trait from her. Was it right to ask her to leave civilization behind? She would survive, but at what cost? And was a life alone really worth living?
He pushed the thought from his mind then and went into the kitchen. By now he was regretting turning down Lucrecia's offer to cook him breakfast. He found an apple among Yuffie's junk food and ate it slowly while going over the final touches of his plan.
He stole a glance at Lulu then and smiled slightly as he realized he had passed his own test of loyalty. Then he let his eyes fall shut and it was Yuffie's face that appeared to him in his mind's eye.