Paulo's old car rumbled down the quiet streets of Roseville. It wasn't the flashiest or the fastest, but it managed to get him from point to point just fine. Beside him, in the passenger seat, was Sue, who had the window rolled down and was currently enjoying the tranquil Saturday night. The fall weather was chilly, but not too cold, and the wind felt nice and crisp on her face, blowing her long, flowing hair back, making her feel alive. She hummed to herself as she looked up at the stars that were out in full force, and her tail danced around to the beat of her tune. Paulo smiled at her little antics, and took the opportunity that every red light gave him to admire her.

Sue did eventually notice this a few stops in, and she smiled back at him. "What?"

Paulo exhaled some air out his nose in amusement. "I don't think I've seen you this genuinely happy before."

"Well, maybe I have something to be happy about." She said softly, looking into his eyes. Her light brown eyes now were radiating a whole new kind of beauty themselves.

Paulo looked back at the road as the light turned green. Something was stirring inside him, something he'd not felt in a very long time. A deep, euphoric joy, as though he were being bathed in the warmth of an angel. He'd never taken note before of how wonderfully enthusiastic Sue was. In highschool, she was always trying to be the go-getter. No matter what it was, she went above and beyond everyone, going out of her way to be better than everyone else. Paulo used to think this was annoying, a one way ticket to a humiliating, and in his mind, well deserved, downfall.

Now, sitting in his passenger seat, humming along to what he assumed was a tune from one of her nerd things, he understood this to be her greatest strength. Sue would make stumbles, sometimes major ones, like with the play she wrote for Mike and Lucy, but no matter what, she got right back up and kept on going. Even now, after she had faced the music about her missteps in using Paulo to get close to her friends again, she was still holding her head high. It was true, Sue took pride in learning from a mistake, it made her stronger as a person. And more so than that, she was relieved that Paulo was so understanding, and surprised at how caring he really was.

Paulo had gladly accepted her offer, but in the end showed he saw her as more than an easy lay. In being absent from his presence, it was easy for the worst parts of Paulo to congeal in her mind. She hadn't even known any other side of him that wasn't the surface level flirtatious womanizer he projected. In truth, Sue had somewhat jadedly expected that Paulo would come to her at some point, trying to see if he could get some action out of her, but he never did. Even after she invited him over, she expected him to strip her down right there in her living room and go to town, but he'd shown hesitancy in touching her at all. Not a piece of meat to be chewed and forgotten, but a delicate flower he wanted to preserve.

And now Sue was in his passenger seat, heading to a greasy burger restaurant that he used to work at, gliding over the dark, empty streets of Roseville, and she couldn't be happier. This is why she hummed her tune.

Though she was hungry, Sue wished they could keep this moment, just for them. To cruise endlessly through the streets in that peaceful evening together. Sadly for her heart, but thankfully for her stomach, they arrived soon at the fast food restaurant, and Paulo found a spot to park near the door.

"Seems a bit busier than I was expecting for it being this late." Sue observed, taking note of three other cars in the parking lot.

"What can I say?" Paulo grinned, getting out. "Burger-Tron's gourmet burgers and fries attract all kinds of people from miles around." But his smile meant more than just a cheeky joke, it also hid the truth that he knew the owners of those three cars.

"This specific Burger-Tron?" Sue asked, going for her door, but Paulo was over there in a flash.

"Allow me, m'lady." He said in a posh English voice as he opened her door. "I have done unspeakable things to you, the least I can do is get the door."

Sue giggled as she got out, which caught him off guard. She used to cringe and roll her eyes at such awful jokes. "With me." She said, placing a finger on his chest, and she gave him a wink.

Paulo blinked and his jaw fell slack. "Okay then! I was not expecting that sort of talk out of you!" He shut the car door.

"Well, I must admit, you have given me a lot of talk I wasn't expecting from you." Sue smiled, taking his hand. "And… I wouldn't have kept asking you over if I wasn't enjoying it too. I mean, I didn't know what to expect at first… McCain and I… we never… you know?"

Paulo's eyes went wide. "You're tellin' me that I was your first time?!" Sue bowed her head, but nodded. Paulo laughed a bit and puffed out his chest. "Damn! I musta made a good impression! Of course I did, I've never met a babe I couldn't satisfy!"

"Alright, don't let it get to your head." Sue tapped his forehead and turned around to go in. "Let's just get something to eat. Greasy burgers are going to have to do for tonight."

"Yeah, but it's gourmet grease, you'll love it, trust me." Paulo said, catching up.

"Haha! I'll be the judge of that. You know, I've spent some time learning to cook… and…" Sue stopped dead in her tracks, eyes as wide as Paulo's had just been, heart racing. Sitting at one of the larger booths, it was… no, it couldn't be…

"Oh!" Cried the curly haired one with a big wave. "Susie! Over here!"

"Is she here?" Another asked, looking over the booth bench. His gray head and green eyes found her. "She is!"

"About time." A white cat grumbled. "He told us fifteen minutes! It's been longer than that."

"Susan, come join us." Beckoned a brown cat next to the curly one.

"Hey guys!" Paulo waved. "Sorry we're late!"

"You should be!" Lucy chided. "I'm about to keel over with hunger."

"It wasn't THAT long, Lucy." Mike replied.

"Easy for you to say, you ate before you came, cheater!" Lucy shot back, hunger making her more irritated.

"Now, now, everyone, we're here for Susie!" Daisy reminded them.

Sue was at a total loss. It was like something out of a dream, but one she couldn't quite remember the details of. Her friends welcoming her back, there for her, happy to see her again. Her heart was caught in her throat, keeping any words she might have been able to form stuck below it. Tears began to sting at her eyes again, but now for a whole new reason. Paulo walked back over to the frozen burmese. "Hey, ya gonna say hi? You know hard it was to get them all out here?"

"It really wasn't that hard." Abbey pointed out. "All you did was ask us to meet you here."

Sue's gaze went from her friends to Paulo, and her heart dislodged itself enough to let a few words sneak through. "You… you d-did this… for m-me?" And as her words dislodged, so did her tears. She threw her arms around the somali. "Thank you! Th-thank you!" She choked out between tears, mind now awashed with emotion.

"Well… that's not something you see every day." Mike cocked an eyebrow.

Daisy put her hands to her mouth and gasped in awe. "Awww… isn't it so sweet?"

"What can I say? I know how to please you." Paulo said so that only the two of them could hear.

Sue laughed through her tears. "Sh-shut up you b-big idiot!"

"Look, I'm all for getting a tearful hug from Sue, but can we eat first?" Lucy said as her stomach growled, and everyone else agreed.

And so Sue and Paulo found their spots at the booth across from each other, with Paulo sat next to Lucy and Mike, and Sue next to Daisy and Abbey. It was a little bit of a tight squeeze, but they'd have it no other way. Paulo took everyone's orders, brought them to the front, and went back to sit down. Everyone was already excitedly chatting away with Sue.

There were years of happenings to catch up on between the six of them. They all talked about life after highschool, going to college, getting jobs, and reminisced on old times. They laughed at how melodramatic they were, how easily avoidable all the drama was. Since then, things had become far smoother, and Sue was most shocked and elated to see Lucy wearing an engagement ring - one, she learned upon asking, that was given to her by none other than Mike. It turns out, Mike dumped Sandy after highschool, in the most dramatic way possible, of course.

As the story went, Mike moved out to Rickter to live with Sandy and her family, all expenses paid. Mike missed home, but Sandy wanted to get married to show Mike how much he meant to her, and for her to show him how sorry she still was for cheating on him with another guy (which Sue was equally as shocked to learn). But just days before the ceremony, Mike realized that he would never be happy with Sandy, and that he was missing more than just home - he was missing Lucy. Even if Lucy hated him forever, even if they would never be close again, he would rather spend his time around someone he deeply cared about that was skeptical of him, than someone that buried him with love who he felt so disconnected from.

Upon his return, and much groveling, Lucy had begrudgingly given Mike another chance at friendship, but the ultimate test of their bond came when Sandy rolled into town, begging Mike to come back, offering her heart and soul. Mike had not informed Lucy as to his activities in Rickter, so this came as a shock to hear Mike basically left her at the altar for her. But in one simple sentence, Mike apologized and rejected Sandy's offer, wanting to stay with Lucy. Nothing the model could say swayed his mind, with Mike standing steadfast in his decision in a sea of love and affection she was showering him with. Sandy returned home empty handed and broken hearted, and on that day Lucy had seen Mike as a new man, one that meant it when he said he would stand by her no matter what. It wasn't long after that that they started dating, and eventually (but not soon enough in Lucy's opinion that she kept VERY much to herself) did he propose. Lucy tearfully accepted, though she tried to hide those tears.

Sue was touched by the story, and even moreso when Lucy asked her to be her maid of honor at their wedding (she had already asked Daisy, but sadly the girl had a wedding of her own to plan). Daisy showed off her own wedding ring, one that had been presented to her by Abbey.

And they talked late into the night, thankfully for them the Burger-Tron was 24/7. Paulo excused himself to the restroom, and Abbey and Mike, who had been eyeing each other all night, glancing between Paulo and Sue, excused themselves as well. While they were going off to have guy talk, this gave Daisy and Lucy time to grill Sue as well.

Abbey walked in as Paulo had finished his business and was washing his hands. Paulo looked up. "Whoa, hey. Where have I seen this one before."

"Haha, very funny." The Abyssinian rolled his eyes as Mike walked in behind him. "You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

"So what's going on with you and Sue?" Mike asked, getting straight to the point. This put Paulo on the backfoot, who wasn't there to talk about him and Sue.

"Whaaaaat? Nothin'!" Paulo tried his best to sound surprised, and leaned uncomfortably on the low sink in an effort to look casual. "Nothin's goin' on! Just figured it'd be nice to get everyone back together."

"And the first person you thought to go to was Sue?" Abbey folded his arms. "Forgive me, but if memory serves me right, you two did NOT get along in highschool."

Outside, Lucy and Daisy had gossip of their own they wanted to know. Daisy started them off. "Ssooooo…" She said, twirling her fur as she did when she got anxious. "You and Paulo…"

"How long have you two been bangin'?" Lucy asked bluntly, poking around at Mike's unfinished fries. Sue jumped like she'd been shocked, and Daisy gave Lucy a mean look.

"Lucy! That's not very nice!" She started. "What makes you think such a thing?"

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Lucy rolled her eyes and shoved some fries into her mouth. "You guys might not have been paying attention, but I kept checking the door for those two. I saw how they were when they were in the parking lot, and I know Sue would never want a relationship with him, so that only leaves one possibility." Lucy washed down the fries with her watered down soda. "So I ask again, how long have you two been bangin'?"

Paulo was still getting his own line of uncomfortable questions, but he stuck to his guns. He refused to tell them about his and Sue's intimate arrangement. "I just hadn't heard from her, is all. I talk to YOU guys all the time, but not her, and one day I was bored and figured I would reach out. Didn't think she'd respond. She missed you guys so I put this little date together."

"Date?" Mike asked, leaning forward.

"Meet up!" Paulo quickly corrected himself. "I meant meet up."

"Sure you did." Abbey did not sound convinced in the slightest. "That's why she was crying and hugging and thanking you. Pretty close for two people who supposedly just met up for the first time in years."

Years later, and that brown cat still acted all high and mighty, like he knew everything. How dare he talk about them that way, what did HE know? "What do you care?" Paulo fired back. "None o' ya ever reached out to her! You don't know what that's been like for her! Weren't you guys supposed to be in that stupid guild or whatever with her? How come you never talked to her!"

Abbey balled up his fists and started towards the somali, but Mike intervened and got between them. "Easy now, you two. We're all here because we're friends."

"Same old Mike." Paulo gumbled, but Abbey did back down.

"Sorry." Mike said. "But I stopped playing after I moved to Rickter… and just never went back. Life just got so crazy, I guess I forgot. But it's not because Sue wasn't important. Really."

This was a reasonable answer. Paulo looked to Abbey for his. He sighed and shrugged. "More or less the same. I went to university. English degrees don't come easy… well, I had to drop some hobbies to make it work. But I never meant to hurt Susan. I am… I am ashamed I never thought to at least say hi once."

Back outside, Lucy sat expectantly. "Well? Am I wrong?"

Sue had been got. There was no denying it, Lucy was far too shrewd. The tan cat laid her head in her arms and said, "About two months. Or has it been three? I don't remember."

Lucy leaned back. "Knew it."

Daisy gasped. "Susie! What?! Why?"

Sue shrugged. "I was lonely. None of you guys ever called or texted. Just figured you forgot all about me and moved on. So I maybe sorta kinda used Paulo's boundless sex drive in order to have at least one old… er, friend, for lack of a better term… to talk to."

"Been there, done that." Lucy grimaced. "Though I only got him for one night, back in highschool after Mike rejected me."

Daisy gasped again. "You and Paulo did what?!"

"It's not that big of a deal." Lucy huffed at her annoying friend's surprise. "He was real cool about it afterwards."

"Still… you should be more sympathetic to Susie!"

"No, she's right." Sue lifted her head up. "He's… he was sweet, once I got to know him. I never took that opportunity in highschool. I mean, he set this all up for me." She gestured to the half filled booth

In the bathroom, Paulo was ready to head out. "We better get back to the girls."

"Where does this leave you and Sue?" Mike asked as Paulo put his hand on the door. "Are you two..? Well, you both seemed really close when you first got here." He gave a small nervous laugh.

That was a question Paulo didn't have a lie for. Perhaps it wasn't one he wanted to lie about. He just pushed the door open and said. "It's getting late, guys. We all oughtta head home." Mike and Abbey exchanged confused looks. They shrugged, but agreed with Paulo. Evening would be morning soon, and they were starting to feel it.

Just before Paulo arrived back at the table, Daisy asked, "So are you and Paulo… together now?"

This was also a question Sue didn't have an answer for, but fortunately Paulo had come around the corner, giving her an excuse not to think about it. "Paulo! You guys were gone forever. Abbey didn't choke you again, did he?"

Of course she still remembered that. His fault, of course, he had yelled out to the world Abbey's crimes over lunch. "Glad the two of us still remember." He said. Mike and Abbey soon rejoined them.

"Ready to go, jerkface?" Lucy asked, reaching up for her korat lover, fighting off a food coma.

Mike pulled her up. "Ready as I'll ever be. It was great catching up with you guys! And Sue, I promise I'll reach out to you. Now that things aren't so crazy, I might be able to get back into Swordsvale!"

"That would be great!" Sue smiled widely. "The guild is always open to you! And you too, Abbey!"

"Yeah." Abbey mused. "I'll see what I can do. I'd love to hop on again sometime. But if not there, I'll text you over the phone."

"Me too, Susie!" Daisy wiggled her new smartphone. "I'll text you every day!"

"And me too." Lucy said, leaning on Mike. "I missed talking to you. But you know how life is. Just gets in the way."

"It's okay!" Sue gave a thumbs up. "I'm just happy to have seen you all tonight."

Paulo paid for the meal (he insisted) and they all headed into the parking lot to say their final goodbyes for the night and head their separate ways. Mike and Lucy got into one car together, with Daisy and Abbey getting into their own individual ones. Paulo and Sue waved them off, and soon stood alone in the parking lot.

Sue turned to him, eyes glistening. "You're not gonna cry again, are ya?" He joked.

She couldn't lie. Tears of joy were welling in her eyes and she hugged him once more. Paulo put his arms around her, too, holding her close, one hand on her back, the other on her head. "Thank you so much…" Sue murmured into his shoulder. "I… I have no idea how to repay you…"

"Hey, don't worry about it! Like I said earlier, I owe ya!" He replied with a handsome grin to boot. "Now let's get ya home. It's late as hell."

Sue wholeheartedly agreed.