A Rose By Any Other Name

  *

  The quad glared at the latest repaired version of the generator. Late afternoon was quickly approaching and they were hesitant to face another failure before retiring to start again the next morning. Throughout the day, Yuffie and Red had continuously sent Natalie and Vincent sidelong glances. It was as if they could sense something had changed and couldn't put a name to it. Even Natalie felt the difference between them. A distance that wasn't as great. A coldness that wasn't as chilling. An expression that wasn't as guarded.

  Vincent crossed his arms. "You mentioned conversion rates," he reminded. "Should we venture back to the Library and search the book stocks before giving it power?"

  Yuffie scrubbed at the back of her neck. "Screw that. I'm going to go to Rocket Town and drag Cid's good-for-nothing ass here to do it himself. Come on, Red. Let's go."

  Natalie absently waved as Red and Yuffie moved away and out of the clearing toward town. She tucked an errant curl behind an ear. "I don't know. We're running low on parts . . ." She met Vincent's minute scrutiny. "I suppose we should, to be safe. I did do a bit of a rush on the 'cram job', so it would be a good idea for me to refresh it all."

  Vincent smirked. "That you understand enough to do what you have makes me wonder just how much of a 'cram' it was."

  She waved the complement aside, wrinkling her nose as she glared back to the generator. "If I understood it as well as you think I do, we wouldn't be having our current problem."

  "Oh? Then why have we been able to get further than Cid, an engineer?"

  "Well, because . . . I . . . I mean . . ." Natalie laughed and looked over to meet Vincent's mildly amused expression. "Touché. I concede. I'm a genius. Happy?"

  Vincent's eyebrow twitched the same as his lips. "Hm."

  She laughed again and took up his hands, caressing smooth golden surface and slightly calloused skin both. "He doesn't believe that I believe me. That's liable to cause a problem." And she could have sworn that she heard a chuckle from him. "I'll do better at cutting myself some slack. Is that what you want to hear? But that means you need to do the same for yourself."

  His eyebrow twitched higher.

  "Don't play innocent with me, Mr. Valentine," she scolded. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. No more looking back at what you've done or not done. You can't change what has already happened. So, the less you look back, the less you trip over your own feet." She smiled. "Or mine."

  Vincent's smirk returned. "Yes, Professor."

  Natalie's smile blossomed to a laugh, and she moved closer as she released his hands and began absently smoothing and straightening his red cape and black silk shirt. "I'm sorry, Vincent. I seem to slip into my role of Professor a bit too easily, don't I? I suppose I like to lecture." She peeked up at him to notice his continual yet slight smile. "You would tell me if you minded, wouldn't you? Seems to me that you're as tactless and blatantly honest as I am."

  "They say honesty is the best policy," he reminded.

  "True." She fully lifted her gaze as she wrapped her arms around his neck, stepping still closer. "What about stubbornness?" she asked, expression serious. "I can be stubborn, too. Believe me. It took a lot of determination to track you down and get you to admit I existed."

  Vincent's lips twitched as he rested his hands on her hips. "I knew you existed. After all, you returned each day to usher me into another private and well-guarded section of your life. I suppose that was what first intrigued me: your willingness to impart such secrets to someone who ignored you."

  "Well, I must say it is nice to finally know for certain you listened," she told him, a solitary finger coiling a bit of his hair around it. "Though it would have been polite for you to have at least opened the lid to make some comment or other. We lecturers enjoy commentary, you know."

  Vincent slightly lowered his head, and his breath tickled her face. "I was hoping you would go away," he said a bit roughly.

  Natalie chuckled and then stood on tiptoes to give him a feathery kiss while whispering "I didn't, did I?" against their soft warmth.

  Vincent's arms tightened around her--

  "What the hell?!"

  Natalie gave a startled jump and sharply turned, stepping backward onto a stone and tripping in the process. Vincent's agility and quickness of flight was the only thing which kept her from toppling into the rushing river below.

  Natalie murmured a "Thank you" as she hung suspended in his arms, keeping her gaze carefully averted from the group that had stumbled upon their intimate moment.

  Vincent set Natalie on the ground before moving to stand protectively in front of her. His eyes held a quiet warning.

  Cid was about to comment when Cloud cut in. "We heard from Yuffie and Red that you've been working on a generator, Vincent." He looked beyond the couple. "That must be it."

  Natalie rested a hand momentarily on Vincent's back before stepping forward with a glance toward her most recent attempt at success. "Yes, that's it. Unfortunately, we're a bit on the hesitant side to turn it on. I think the conversion rate is wrong."

  "Conversion rate, huh?"

  Natalie looked over at Cid Highwind. He had moved to the piles of rubble positioned around the current generator to rummage through the pieces. His attitude was condescending, just like his tone, and it tweaked her temper. "Yes, conversion rate. You, I believe, are the engineer, Mr. Highwind. I wouldn't think that particular detail would need to be explained to you."

  Cid snorted and glanced over at her and Vincent with a crooked smile. "You must be the broad who thinks she can cure this one. I thought you were a reporter."

  Natalie arched an eyebrow. "I do a multitude of things, Mr. Highwind. One of them seems to be pulling your butt out of the fire by inventing something in two days that you still haven't done in two months." She felt Vincent place a warning hand on her shoulder. She pressed her lips together.

  Cloud, Shera, and Tifa watched the altercation with silent amusement.

  Cid stood slowly, eyeballing her and Vincent as he took a long drag on his cigarette. He blew it out slowly before gesturing toward her. "You've got an attitude, lady."

  "Of course I have an attitude! I have been working for two days straight trying to learn enough about mechanics and electrical engineering to get this blasted thing to stay running longer than an hour. My expertise is in the sciences, Mr. Highwind, so perhaps you would care to look over the schematics and take over where I left off? That way I can concentrate on solving Vincent's current problem and not yours."

  Cid's expression shifted to something akin respect. "Two days? You've learned enough about electrical engineering to design, build, and get this contraption running in just two days?" He tossed his cigarette down to squelch it with the toe of his boot. "You deserve an apology from me, professor. I was an ass."

  "Yes, but I have run across several of those in my lifetime. Most are worse than you. Don't give it another thought." She looked over at Vincent. "Can you walk me back to the inn? Thank you."

  Vincent took her hand, guiding her along the path away from Mt. Nibel as the others mutely looked on.

  "You shocked him," Vincent finally said.

  "I shocked myself. Of course, I should have known that was going to happen. I get cranky when I'm tired."

  "Or embarrassed."

  Natalie flushed. "Do you blame me?"

  "No. They trod into a delicate situation with the grace of a--"

  "A Midgar Zolom," Natalie said, twinkling eyes glancing toward Vincent.

  He smiled slightly. "I would say that is aptly put."

  She wrapped her arms around his claw and rested her head against his upper arm. Vincent reached over to caress one of her hands as they walked on in silence.