Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ My Happy Ending ❯ Thanksgiving Romance ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter 15: Thanksgiving Romance

“Now it's crystal clear

I'm falling for you

Now that I can see the mystery's revealed.

Now I'm coming clean,

I can feel my fears release,

Now it's crystal clear

I'm falling for you.”

-Jaci Velasquez “Crystal Clear”

A few weeks passed, and it was Thanksgiving Day. Raye and Brad both rose very early in the morning to begin the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, and they were expecting company, one of them being Nokomis, Raye and her brothers' grandmother from Cosmo Canyon.

Nokomis was the mother of Raye's mother. Her husband died when Raye and Brad were small children, and she lived alone in the Canyon. She was, however, quite fond of Bugenhagen, the elder man who kept the observatory and heard the voices of the Planet, and they were friends for many years. The two were quite close since practically childhood, although never romantically involved, and Nokomis took Bugen's death hard. Raye used to spend summer in Nokomis's care until her mother died, before the young woman had to take responsibility at home. After that, she didn't really have the time to visit her grandmother, which was something Raye always felt bad about, but she would try to stop once in awhile during deliveries to visit. Still they would always make it a point to close up shop around the New Year and go to the Canyon to participate in the New Year's festivities.

The other visitor to the Shields' household was a surprise. Unbeknownst to Brad, Shera was making a visit to the Shields' residence for dinner. Raye talked with Shera over the past few weeks, and the other woman was arranging to come over from Kalm to see Brad and meet the family. The redhead could hardly contain her excitement as she stuffed the turkey while Brad took out the pies he baked the night before and peeled the potatoes for later. She knew Brad would be totally thrilled to have Shera over, especially since he called her and she told him she had `other plans'.

A little while later, Rick came down the stairs, grabbed a bite to eat and hopped into the new truck to pick up Nokomis from Cosmo Canyon. Rick got used to the smoothness of the vehicle, finding that the best features were the power windows and the CD player. In fact, Rick liked this new truck much better than the old one, just as Raye predicted he would, and he eventually returned to speaking terms with his daughter.

The other boys woke up and came downstairs, but the young woman and her brother were too busy bustling about in the kitchen to cook a big breakfast. Jamie made some oatmeal for himself and the other boys, and after eating, Raye divided the chores, and they all got started on cleaning the house.

As Raye placed the turkey in the oven, she couldn't help but to think about Cid for some reason. What was he doing for Thanksgiving? Should she call him and invite him over for dinner? It was still early, after all, and he could make it just on time.

Wait, wait…hold on. Why would she even consider that? Besides, Cid probably had a family and other plans of his own that day, and anyway, it would give Brad an even bigger excuse to tease her, and she was not about to let her little brother get the best of her. No siree, nope.

Truthfully, Cid was back in Rocket Town working on the Tiny Bronco. The pilot had no family, nor did he have any friends, save for his drinking buddies down at the tavern, and even they weren't that close to him. He tinkered with one of the new components and used a socket wrench to fasten it in place on the engine. The grey puppy, which Cid came to call `Captain', lay in the corner watching the pilot work. The dog seemed to know when it was time to play and when it was not, and he already developed a routine with the rocket scientist. Cid hated to admit it, but he was already attached to the animal without knowing exactly how or even why, but somehow he knew for sure he really didn't want to give the dog away. Cid rather liked Captain because he was quiet, smart, and he seemed to have an uncanny understanding of him. Captain became his companion, but even a dog could not replace Shera, nor would he be a suitable replacement for any kind of human contact.

Cid paused in his work and sighed. He could hear the faint bustling of Rocket Town as people warmly welcomed friends and family into their homes. A chilly breeze carried the scent of turkey dinners all across town and straight into Cid's nostrils, making him salivate before thinking about what he was more than likely having for dinner: leftovers.

Today was just like any other day to him - get up, go work on the airplane, choke down his lousy cooking, and go to bed just to wake up and do it over again. Any time in between was often spent smoking and occasionally getting shitfaced down at the pub until the odd hours of the night and somehow finding his way back home and into his bed where he would wake up to the emptiness of his house and the worthlessness within himself. Often his routine changed so little that it was hard to tell when the week began and the week ended, and the only way to tell the difference was Raye's occasional part delivery or a phone call from her inquiring if he needed anything.

Raye - what was she doing right now? The pilot stood up and stretched, and Captain followed suit as he trotted over to his master. The grey animal looked up at him with brown puppy eyes, and Cid couldn't help but to lean down and pet him. This was some Thanksgiving, alright; no companions but his dog, a broken down airplane, and cold left over food in the fridge that Cid wasn't even sure was fit to eat. He was sure that Raye and her family were going to have a great spread of food on their table: succulent turkey, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, salad, corn, green beans, and to finish everything off, probably pumpkin and pecan pie. Cid shook his head.

Dammit, Highwind! Stop thinkin' about food!

This was the first Thanksgiving he had to spend alone. Shera would often stay with Cid for Thanksgiving, and she would make a small feast for the two of them. From what Cid understood, the thought of spending the holidays with her family left a sour taste in her mouth, and her family made no effort whatsoever to invite Cid to join them in the festivities. Shera's family found Cid to be loud, obnoxious, rude, and highly cynical, but Cid didn't give a rat's ass. He found them to be just as distasteful: stuck up, condescending, and a little controlling over Shera. The grudge against one another was mutual, and Cid always felt the less he saw of her family the better. Over the years, however, Shera would not go and see her family for Thanksgiving or Christmas, mainly because she didn't want to leave Cid alone and depressed.

Cid had no family of his own to visit. His father had left when he was little, and his mom died back when he was a cadet in flight school. He had no brothers or sisters, and he thought he might have some cousins somewhere, but none of them ever took the time to pick up a phone and call him. He was alone, but Cid was used to that, or so he previously thought. When Shera was around, he never felt alone, but the lack of her presence in his house made him realize what alone really was, and that depressed the hell out of him, especially on a day like today.

The pilot lit a cigarette and stood in the door of the hangar. It was almost December now, and the weather got drastically cold over such a short time. It had not snowed, yet, but the air carried a biting chill to it, causing the pilot to shiver in his jacket. His empty cerulean eyes looked up at the sky, and he knew all too well that the winter snows were just around the corner. How long had it been since Shera left? Middle of September? He still hadn't quite gotten used to her being gone, and today made that realization even clearer.

Cid sighed, crushed the butt of his cigarette beneath the heel of his boot, and made way toward his house. The air was cold, and Cid decided he needed to find something warmer to wear if he was going to work up in the hangar.

“C'mon, boy,” he called to Captain. “It's gonna be a cold night.”

Later…

Back at the Shields' house, it was already afternoon and the family could smell the turkey cooking in the oven. The house was cleaned and spotless, the boys were downstairs playing games, and Rick decided to kill time down in the shop. Nokomis, who just arrived, sat at the kitchen table talking with Raye and Brad.

“So, how is my little Nina?” the older woman asked Raye.

“Aw, you know, same ol', same ol',” Raye replied.

“I see,” Nokomis replied.

“Aw, she's being modest,” Brad chimed in. Then he began to taunt his sister. “Her boyfriend Cid's been coming around.”

“He is not my boyfriend!!” Raye yelled as she pummeled her brother.

Nokomis began to giggle in her gentle, elderly tone. The woman looked to be about in her early seventies with red tinted grey hair. She wore a traditional outfit from Cosmo Canyon, which was a woven dress with native designs around the hem, and a bracelet dangling around her left wrist. She had a gentle and wise disposition, and she loved all of her grandchildren very much, but she was especially close to Raye.

Brad continued to tease Raye about Cid. “Aw, come on! You can't tell me you don't think he's hot! Besides, you told me once you were attracted to blonds and older men! Cid's a blond, and he's older! You got a good deal there, Sis!”

“Will you shut up?!” Raye indignantly yelled. “He is rude, he smokes like a chimney, and he's obnoxious.”

“Yeah, but from what I gathered when the truck broke down, you must've had a lot of fun out there. Come on - you know you did. You never stay up that late rebuilding a carburetor with even me!”

Nokomis continued to laugh at her grandchildren's' argument, remembering how her grandchildren's' parents met.

“Now, Raye,” the woman started. “Has your father ever told you about how he met your mom?”

“Er, didn't Dad say he met her while delivering parts there?”

A nostalgic smile played across Nokomis's lips. “Is that all he told you, my Nina?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Raye said.

Nokomis smiled. “Ah, Mai absolutely hated your father when they first met.”

Raye's jaw dropped. “Really? How come?”

“She thought he was rude and obnoxious.”

Brad laughed. “Seriously?” Then he turned to Raye teasingly. “Well, then, I guess you and Cid are a match made in heaven.”

“Shut up!” Raye yelled, punching her brother in the arm.

“Ow!” the younger brother yelped, still laughing.

Nokomis looked at them amusedly. Raye reminded her so much of Mai…

She turned to Raye and said earnestly, “Nina, you really never know what fate has in store for you. Your father loved your mother so very much, but he admired her from a distance, and the same went for your mom. But I knew all along how they felt, even when she first laid eyes on him.”

“How did you know?” Raye asked curiously.

“I could just tell,” Nokomis replied with a mischievous smirk.

“Wow…that's so romantic…” Brad breathed.

Raye shot a look of disbelief at her brother then burst out laughing. “You sound like a friggin' school girl!”

“What?!” the younger sibling protested. “It's romantic! I like that sort of thing!”

Raye slapped her hand to her forehead. “You know, you always say that I need to be more ladylike - I think you make up for the both of us you know.”

“Oh, shut up! You know that's how you and Cid are gonna wind up!”

Raye gritted her teeth. “Dammit, it is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Children! Settle down!” Nokomis interjected. “Raye, you sound like you really do not like this man at all. Tell me, what is so bad about him?”

Before Raye could give an answer, Brad interjected. “Cid's not a bad guy, contrary to what Raye says, in fact he's…”

“…he's rude, horrible, and a smart ass,” Raye finished. “And he annoys me.”

“Bullshit! When you were over there when the old truck broke down, you said you actually had a lot in common with him! Don't cover the truth, Raye! You really do like Cid!”

“Not in the way you're describing!”

“Shh…settle down,” Nokomis piped, chuckling. “Raye, you tell me what you think of him.”

Raye was caught off guard. What did she think of Cid?

“Well…errr…I…dunno,” Raye said truthfully. “I mean, I guess he's an alright guy, and we did get off on the wrong foot and all…I didn't like him at first…”

“Booyah!” Brad yelled. “So you admit it!”

Raye was getting rather agitated, causing her to become indignant. “I did not admit to anything, you ass! I was trying to say that he seems like a…ah…well, a decent person, and that's it.”

Nokomis nodded with an almost knowing look on her face. “So that's it, then? Just a `decent man'? Nothing more and nothing less?”

“Nothing more, nothing less,” Raye firmly said.

Brad rolled his eyes and sighed. His sister was in such denial that it was pathetic. She couldn't even give her own grandmother a straight answer. There was a lot more that she had told him when she picked him up in Costa del Sol that day - a lot more.

“Okay, then,” Nokomis said. “Then we shall speak no more of him.”

Raye smirked satisfyingly. She would sooner cut her own throat than to admit that she actually liked Cid as an acquaintance.

Nokomis stood up. “I think I will go and check on the other boys.”

The elder woman walked out of the kitchen and went downstairs, leaving Brad and Raye alone.

“You're pathetic, you know that?” Brad remarked.

“What?” Raye asked. “That's all there is to it.”

“That ain't what you told me a few weeks ago. Did you forget about our conversation?”

Raye rolled her eyes and went to the oven. She gingerly took out the turkey and began to baste it. “I only told you that I got along really well with him that night, better than he and I expected, and I told you that I'm not pissed at him anymore. Everything I said to grandma is what I said to you.”

Brad snorted. “And then some.”

“What is this, `and then some' business?”

“You specifically said, and I quote, `I actually had a pretty good time with him. Cid's not as bad as I thought he was, and I think I'm beginning to like him a little.' That's exactly what you said, word for word.”

“I most certainly did not,” Raye indignantly scoffed. “You only hear what you want to hear.”

“Whatever,” Brad said rather condescendingly. “I'm going downstairs.”

Brad left the kitchen and went down to where the rest of his family was. Downstairs was actually what they called the `ruckus room'. The area was a large finished basement that had a television complete with a couple of gaming systems, a half bathroom, couch, coffee table, chairs, and an upright piano off to the corner. His grandmother sat in one chair watching Mark and Thomas play some kind of fighting game while Brain and Jamie coached, yelled, and pointed at the screen from behind.

As for Raye, she was finishing the turkey and starting all the side dishes. The doorbell suddenly rang, and Raye dashed to answer it, knowing that it had to be Shera.

Raye opened the door. “Hey! Come on in!”

“Hi!” Shera replied cheerfully.

“Come this way quickly,” Raye instructed as she led Shera toward the kitchen, “so I can surprise Brad.”

Shera smiled broadly. “So, we managed to keep this from him?”

“Hell yeah! He has no clue. How was your visit to your family?”

Shera sighed. “I'll put it like this - I'm glad it's over.”

Raye laughed. “That bad?”

Shera nodded. “Let's just change the subject please.”

Raye giggled. “Well, what do you want to talk about, then?

“Well…I was wondering how I will surprise your brother.”

“He's downstairs…” a mischievous smile played across Raye's full lips as she devilishly pondered something. “You know, I could have you hide out in the office, and when I get ready to bring out the turkey, you bring it!”

“Oh! That's an excellent idea!” Shera said beaming. “He'll be blown away.”

Raye led the other female to the office and had her sit down in the chair at the desk.

“Okay, then,” Raye said. “You stay here a minute while I go call everyone to set up the table and finish cooking. You won't be here long, I promise.”

Shera smiled as Raye walked out, closing the door behind her. The glasses-clad woman was quite nervous about meeting the family, and she wondered how they would get along with her. Shera could already tell that Brad and Raye were warm people and that this family was nothing like hers at all.

As Shera was nervously pondering, a tall man walked into the office. He was older, rather built, with dark brown eyes and chocolate brown hair speckled with flecks of grey. Brad bore a striking resemblance to him, except for the eyes, as Brad's were green like his sister. He stopped and looked down at the woman in surprise.

“Well…hullo, there,” the man said pleasantly. “Where'd you come from?”

Shera looked down shyly and smiled. “Um…I came to see Brad as a surprise.”

Rick nodded and simpered. “Ah, I see. You're Brad's girl, aren't ya?”

Shera flushed about ten different shades of red. Brad's girl? Was that what everyone assumed she was? She wasn't officially dating him or anything, but it was true that they were spending a lot of time together. How would she explain this one?

“Er, well…” she began, still reddening.

“Oh, I see,” Rick said, noting the rather embarrassed look on her otherwise fair facade. “So it's just dating right now. Still, glad to have ya over! I'm Rick, by the way, Brad's father.”

Shera smiled. “Shera. Shera Smith.”

“Oh, and I won't tell him you're here,” Rick said winking.

Shera tittered. Rick seemed like an honest enough man and he was nice and easy-going much like Brad.

“Well, thank you. Raye and I have had this planned for over a month.”

“Brad tells me you're…an engineer? Is that right?”

“Yes. Well, I was…”

“How come you're not anymore?”

“Oh, I wanted to try something new and different for a change,” Shera explained, not wanting to delve too much into details with someone she hardly knew. “I felt it was time to move on.”

Rick nodded. “I can understand that. Brad tells me that's caused you to start over as well.”

“Yes, pretty much. It's so hard, but I hope to have my shop open soon.”

Rick patted Shera on the shoulder. “Well, don't you give up, Shera. It's hard starting over, but you always manage, and with a little time and patience, everything works out in the end.”

Shera nodded and continued to talk with Rick for a bit as Raye and Brad hustled about the kitchen to get everything ready for dinner. Nokomis helped Raye with the finishing details as Brad placed the side dishes on the table before going downstairs to summon the boys. When Raye was sure it was safe, she went down to the shop and discovered her father talking with Shera.

“Dad! I see you met Shera!” Raye said in surprise.

“Sure have,” Rick replied, “and I have to say, Brad picked a real cutie.”

Rick winked at Shera again, and she glowed as Raye let out a small bark of laughter. The older man stood up.

“Well, I s'pose I'll be joining everyone out in the dining room,” he said as he left the office. “That turkey's smellin' like it's nice and ready.”

Raye grinned. “Oh yeah, it's ready. Listen, don't tell Brad, yet.”

Rick smiled and ruffled his daughter's red hair. “Don't worry. I promised Shera already that I wouldn't.”

Rick left the office as Raye and Shera followed suit. Rick continued into the dining room where everyone else was waiting while Raye quickly turned off the heat to the oven, pulled out the deliciously cooked turkey, and transferred it from the roaster to the platter, the meat so moist and tender that it practically fell off the bone.

“Alright,” Raye whispered to Shera. “Get a hold of this, and wait for a moment. When I open the door, come on out.”

Raye stepped out into the dining room to make sure everyone had taken his or her seats.

“Hey, sis, come on!” Brian whined. “We wanna eat!”

“Then eat you shall!”

Raye opened the kitchen door, and Shera walked out with the turkey platter in her hands and a beam spread upon her face.

“Is everyone hungry?” she asked a radiant smile across her face.

Brad's mouth fell to the floor, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of her standing right there in his dining room.

“Sh…She…Shera?!”

The female engineer began to laugh as she placed the platter in the center of the table. “Yes, it's me, Brad.”

Brad stood up from the dinner table, walked over to her, and caught her up abruptly in a warm embrace while Raye, Rick, and the rest of the family looked on in delight. Shera blushed, and she shyly stood on her toes, her lips caressing Brad's clean-shaven cheek.

Startled by this gesture, Brad flushed, grinned like a complete idiot and immediately pulled out his chair for her. “Here, sit down, sit down!”

Shera sat down at the table next to Nokomis, and Brad scooted her up to the table.

“Now, Bradley,” Nokomis gently said. “Shouldn't you introduce your friend to the rest of the family?”

“Oh! What am I thinking? Shera, this is our grandmother, Nokomis.” Then the young man went around the table, pointing to each of his siblings. “Then we have Thomas, Mark, Jamie, Brian, you already know Raye, and my father, Rick.”

Everyone let out cheerful greetings as Brad retrieved an extra chair to place on the other side of Shera so he would be sandwiching himself between her and Raye. He went to the kitchen to grab another plate as Rick carved the turkey and began to serve it to everyone. The sided dishes of stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, and salad circulated around the table, and Shera deducted that she had never seen so much food in her life. Brad returned and sat down, beaming the whole time.

“I thought you had other plans,” Brad said to her.

The woman smiled. “I only said that because I wanted to surprise you. Actually, Raye and I planned this.”

Brad turned to his sister. “You knew about this?!”

Raye delightfully glowed. “I sure did, and the look on your face just now was priceless.”

“Hey, now, let's not forget that I kept a little secret, too,” Rick said, a sparkle playing in his chocolate brown eyes. “Shera was hiding down in the office when I came across her. She asked me not to tell.”

“Oh, my gawd,” Brad started. “You guys…”

Nokomis touched Shera's arm gently. “So you are this woman that I keep hearing so much about?”

“Good things, I hope?”

Nokomis smiled sincerely. “Oh, yes indeed. Brad likes you very much.” The elder woman looked at Shera closely, and then she looked at Brad with warm approval. “She has a kind soul.”

Shera was a little taken aback at Nokomis's gesture as Brad blushed. His grandmother had a strange habit of looking into people's eyes and telling whether they had a good soul. The funny thing was that she was actually correct every time. The woman could smell dishonesty, evil, and mischief from miles away, and when Raye and Brad were little, they didn't get away with a lot. Both siblings swore up and down that their grandmother had eyes in the back of her head or that she was psychic and their mother was the same way.

“Hey, Shera,” Thomas said innocently. “Are you and Brad gonna get married someday and have kids?”

Brad inhaled a bite of his food and nearly choked to death on it as Shera's face alternated between shades of red and sheet white.

“Er…well…” she began.

“Thomas! That's a little personal, don't you think?!” Raye scolded.

Brad swallowed hard on the bite of food, his face remaining scarlet from utter mortification. “Yeah, seriously! Where the hell did that come from?!”

“Thomas,” Rick began. “Don't go `round asking stuff like that. It's not nice. And Shera, I'm sorry he embarrassed you.”

Thomas looked crestfallen. “I was just curious…”

Shera smiled a little. “No, Rick, it's fine.” Then she looked at Thomas. “We'll see…which one are you? Mark?”

“No, I'm Thomas.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. We'll see what happens.”

Brad almost beamed when she said this. So maybe there is a chance!

Thomas smiled at Shera. It was obvious that she wasn't used to identical twins sitting before her, and Mark and Thomas were as identical as they could be physically, but their personalities could not be any more different. In fact, Shera wasn't even used to such a large family since hers was rather small by comparison. Still, this clan made her feel at home and welcome, and even with her own kin she did not often feel the way she did now.

Every person finished eating, and Shera could hardly believe that there was not a whole lot of food left. Not a stomach was empty in the Shields' household, and gradually, everyone began to drift off to sleep, claiming couches, chairs, and rooms as resting spots. Raye, Shera, Brad, and Nokomis were the only people left awake, and the older sister was clearing away the table.

“Let em help you with that,” Shera offered.

“No, nooo!” Raye protested. “You don't have to do this.”

“It's alright. Really, I don't mind,” Shera insisted as she also began clearing things and taking them to the kitchen.

Once the table was clear, wiped off, and the tablecloth replaced, Raye and Shera did the dishes leaving Nokomis and Brad out in the living room alone. Brad sat back in the armchair deep in thought.

“A gil for your thoughts, Bradley?” Nokomis broke.

Brad sighed. “Aw, it's nothing, really.”

“You seem to be in intense thought for it to be just nothing, dear.”

“Well,” he began. “I was just thinking about Raye and what we all talked about earlier. She isn't being honest with herself.”

Nokomis nodded. “Is this about that man again?”

“Yeah…see, she didn't like him at first, but she told me word for word that she didn't think he was so bad. Yet when I bring up this subject, she denies even liking the guy even after she told me she did.”

“Well, it depends on your definition of `like', Brad? How she likes him may be different from how you think she likes him. Tell me, how do you interpret this?”

“Well, it's hard to say with Raye,” Brad explained. “You know as well as I do she's a hard person to read. I mean, Cid seems compatible enough with her personality, and she said that they actually had a lot of common interests and things, and what's more suspicious is that she spent all night rebuilding a carburetor with him when I know for a fact that it only takes my sister a few hours to complete a task like that.”

Nokomis shrugged. “Well maybe it's strictly a platonic thing and they were just having fun.”

“Well, Raye won't even admit to being platonic friends with him. She's too proud for that, and I don't see what the big deal is.”

“Perhaps she is embarrassed because she knows you'll give her a hard time about it.”

“Well, she knows she can tell me anything, and I only give her a hard time because that's what brothers do.”

“True, but I must ask you one thing, Bradley: why does this matter so much to you? Raye is a big girl and can take care of herself.”

Brad sighed heavily. “Because, Grandma, my sister is an awesome person, and I just want to see her happy. She…she hasn't had a lot of attention from the opposite sex since her last experience, and I know it's because she's afraid. The thing is, Raye goes out of her way to deliver something to him when we could just pay someone else to send it. Then there is the fact that I saw Raye the other night copying quick and easy recipes out of my book and placing them into a box that she took with her to Rocket Town a few weeks ago.”

“That doesn't mean anything,” Nokomis said.

“Well, considering the box never came back since then, I have reason to assume that she gave it to him.”

Nokomis nodded thoughtfully. Then she smiled. “Perhaps she was doing him a favor or something. Friends do favors for one another all the time, you know. I used to do things like that for Bugenhagen a lot before he passed on. Your sister is indeed a good person, and perhaps she just cares for him only in that way. This is just the beginning, and only time can tell how she really feels.”

Brad didn't say anything, but he agreed with his grandmother. Maybe he was blowing things out of proportion too early. It was still fun to tease Raye about Cid, though, just to get a rise out of her. But he knew deep down that if this were any other man he was teasing her about, she wouldn't get nearly as worked up, so there was definitely something going on. Maybe time would tell whether Cid and Raye liked one another deeper than acquaintances, but there wasn't any reason why Brad couldn't speed it up a little. Then his mind played into the devilish, little shit stirrer he was. Oh, he would have so much fun with this!

Later that evening…

The sun had set, and the house was warm and welcoming. Raye was cutting a pie and putting slices onto a plate for her brothers. Shera took two pieces, one for her and one for Brad, out into the living room. The rest of the family was downstairs, except for Rick who was going over the work for the next day, and Raye joined her siblings downstairs to watch a movie on TV, but Shera and Brad preferred to be alone since she made such a long trip over to see him.

The female nibbled on her pecan pie and sat close to Brad on the couch.

“This pie is excellent,” Shera commented.

“Thanks,” Brad returned happily. “I made it yesterday.”

Shera was almost startled by this remark. “You made this pie?”

“Sure did.” Brad proudly replied. “In fact, I do a lot of cooking in this house. I mean, my sister does, too, but I think I enjoy it more. I can be creative with food, and Raye says I have a real flair for culinary stuff.”

“I can honestly say that I have never met a man who cooked anything, aside from grilling on a barbeque,” Shera said.

Brad laughed. “Or just pouring a bowl of cereal?”

“That, too.”

The young man sighed. “I love to cook and work with food. You know, I would actually like to attend culinary school someday. I hear there is a terrific one in Costa del Sol.”

“Ah, yes, there is. I splurged one night and decided to eat there, and I was quite impressed with the food,” Shera admitted. Then she looked at Brad perplexed. “Culinary school, huh?”

Brad laughed uncomfortably. “Yeah, well, I was never really your typical guy, you know, but I always thought it would be fun to become a world-class chef and have a dish named after me.”

Shera laughed. “A dish named after you? So what would you want this dish called, and what kind would it be?”

Brad pondered on this a moment. “I really never thought about that one to be quite honest. I would have to say that maybe it could be…hmm…a massive thirty-ounce Porterhouse sirloin served with a baked potato topped with everything and a salad, and the platter could be called, `Chef Bradley's Gut Buster Steak' - or something.”

Shera giggled hysterically at his silliness. “The `Gut Buster'? A thirty-ounce steak certainly is a gut buster! Even a nine ounce sirloin served with all that just kills me.”

“Well, you're just a little wimpy thing, though.”

Shera chortled a bit at his teasing. “Well it all has to go somewhere.”

Brad moved a little closer to her. “Wherever it goes I sure can't tell. You sure you even eat?”

He was flirting with her again. Shera flushed just a tad pink and laughed embarrassedly. “Well…these are just clothes you know…”

Brad wanted to say, `And what's under those clothes?', but he decided to keep his mouth shut.

“And you look…really good in them,” he said awkwardly. It was a lame cover for what was really on his mind, but what else could he say? Then he looked at her, more like gazed at her, the awkwardness killing him. Her actions with him made him confused. Was she interested in him, or was this nothing more than a platonic friendship?

Shera sat uneasily next to Brad, wondering what she should do next. She couldn't deny the fact that she thought he was handsome and that she liked him, but was she ready to take a step in this direction? Shera knew that Brad had to be wondering how she felt about him, and the woman felt bad for stringing him along, albeit unintentionally.

“Shera? You want to go for a walk?”

“Sure.”

The two stood up, and Brad got their jackets off the coat rack. Already the city was cold, and they had to bundle up well if they were going to walk anywhere. The man opened the front door, and the companions strolled down the front sidewalk, turning onto the street. There was a park just a few blocks down, and Brad just wanted to be alone with Shera for a while, away from the house and away from his family.

“So, are you going to go shopping with Raye tomorrow?”

Shera nodded. “Yes, that was part of the reason I came, too. I wanted to go shopping and get some ideas for a theme in my store.”

“Well, Raye is good for that kind of thing, that's for sure.”

There was an uncomfortable silence, and Brad decided boldly to try something. He slipped his hand around Shera's and held onto it. The gesture surprised her, but she did not let go. Instead, she enjoyed the warmness of his palm and the intimacy of his touch. Was this even right? Whether it was or not, it was definitely something she was not used to, and it made her feel good.

The two continued heading toward the park. Once they arrived there, Shera and Brad slowly idled along the sidewalk until they came to a small playground.

“You know, I haven't played on a swing since I was a kid,” Brad said nostalgically. “I remember when I lived in the slums when I was little, the other kids and I would go over to Sector 6 and play on the slide and swings there. We used to swing as high as we could go and jump out of it, soaring through the air and landing hard on the ground.”

A smile played on Shera's lips as she imagined a boyish Bradley Shields flying through the air with skinned knees and tousled hair.

“Really?”

“Yeah…we used to measure our jumps to see who went the farthest.”

“Did you win?”

Brad thought for a moment, and then he chuckled. “You know, I can't remember!”

Shera giggled amusedly. “You know, when I was a little girl, I used to be very good at double dutch.”

“Double dutch? Isn't that where you have the two jump ropes instead of one?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I never could figure out how the girls in my school did that. I tried several times, but no matter how much they taught me, I never could get it. I usually just wound up getting tangled in the rope.”

Shera snorted, and then she teased Brad. “So, I take it you played a lot with the girls, then? No wonder why you're so sensitive.”

“No!” Brad replied indignantly. “I…well…I got along with girls just fine, but I didn't play with them as in play dolls or some other gay ass thing that little girls do. I just wanted to know how in the hell they did that whole double dutch thing. And I'm only sensitive because it's just my nature!”

The female smiled amusedly at Brad as they came to a swing and sat down, and Brad regrettably let go of her small hand so she could grasp the chain that held on the seat. They were alone in the playground, and it was silent. Brad looked down at his feet while Shera looked perturbed up at the ever-gray and polluted Midgar sky. Suddenly Brad broke the silence.

“Shera…why…why did you come to see me?”

His voice carried a heavy tone of seriousness.

“Well, why not?”

“I dunno. I mean, you probably have better things to do, and you could be working on your shop or on new dresses.”

“I needed a break from that. Besides, you come to see me all the time, and I wanted to return the favor. That and Raye invited me to go shopping tomorrow, and I would love to get to know her more.”

“Is that it, then? To return a favor and go shopping with my sister?”

He sounded disappointed, and Shera realized that her remark came out completely wrong.

“Brad…I…I didn't mean it like that. I really did come here to see you too. I think about you a lot.”

“Yeah? I think a lot about you, too. Nonstop it seems.”

“You do?”

Brad snapped over and looked at Shera seriously. “Well of course I do! I mean, I care about you! I worry that you might work yourself too much. I worry that you don't have enough food or that some asshole will break in and hurt you. I know I probably shouldn't be so worried, but I can't help it.”

Shera was taken aback by this. She wasn't used to having anyone worry about her. Not even her own family seemed to be too overly concerned with her well-being. They figured she would make it just fine on her own, and she would. Nevertheless, for Brad to care enough about her in this way touched her. She looked up at him with her dark chestnut eyes, he matching her gaze with intense emerald.

Shera swallowed hard. He staring at her like that was making it hard for her to resist, and the more she got to know Brad, the more she developed feelings toward him. He talked to her all the time on the phone, stopped when he had a minor delivery, and he always listened to what she had to say, never interrupting her, taking an interest in her. Shera wasn't used to such attention, but the woman found that she was easily falling into the routine.

“Shera…” he began. “Look, you…it's obvious how I feel about you. I mean, I think you're a terrific person - sweet, quiet, pretty… I just wish I knew…I wish I knew what you think of me.”

Apparently, this was a hard subject for him, too; he was nervous. Shera liked many things about Brad, but what should she tell him?

“I think highly of you, Bradley,” Shera said. “I enjoy having you around - you make me feel…so warm, and I'm not so down when you're here. I…I think you're…well, I think you're the nicest man I've ever gotten to meet. I like your personality, the way you treat me, your sense of humor…” Shera blushed. “And, truthfully, I think you are…well…you're really handsome.”

The woman looked down at her feet, her eyes locked on the toes of her boots.

The intensity of the situation was almost killing the man, and he sighed.

“But how do you feel about me?”

Shera remained quiet. She was falling for Brad and hard. He was so irresistible and sweet, and she couldn't figure out how it was that she could be getting over the Captain so…quickly. Maybe the emancipation of herself made her realize that there are more options than Cid, or maybe it was that she never really loved Cid in the first place. There was a fine line between true, romantic love and infatuation. True, she still had feelings for her Captain, and she probably always would have a small part of her heart just for him, but the reason she left was to move on and live for herself. A part of that was letting go of the Captain so that she could move on.

“Dude, your life has just begun, so live it!”

Raye's words echoed in her mind, and she decided a long time ago that the redhead was right. Shera was going to live her life, and the first thing she was going to do besides open her shop was to do what any woman wanted: fall in love.

In that moment, Shera decided what and whom she wanted.

“Brad…I, ah…” she trailed, but the words stuck in her throat. Finally, she got quiet and said barely above a whisper, “I'm falling for you…”

Brad's eyes widened. Did she really say what he thought she did? Was she really falling for him?

“You're…what?”

“I said…I said I'm falling, Brad,” Shera ventured a little more boldly. “I mean, I didn't want to admit it, and a part of me…a part of me still…but I have to let go of everything and leave it behind so I can move forward.”

Brad looked concerned. “Look, Shera, don't move too fast with this if you don't want to. I mean, don't let me influence your judgment. I shouldn't have pushed you…”

Shera shook her head. “No. You didn't push me. This is what I resolved to do when I left everything behind. After a conversation I had with Raye, it was set in stone. I am moving on and living for me. This is my life, my decision, and a part of my decision is you.”

Brad looked at Shera earnestly. “You really are sure? I mean - !”

The next thing Brad knew, Shera's soft, full lips were planted on Brad's. He closed his eyes and kissed her back, gently, the intensity and longing for this moment pounding in his ears, and he could have sworn he could hear his watch cease to tick.

They kissed for what seemed like eternity before Shera reluctantly pulled back and pushed her glasses onto her nose. Brad looked at Shera, clearly in disbelief that the shy, young, female engineer could be so bold. The woman shivered a little as a cold breeze blew against her face.

“Let's get you home,” Brad said softly as he stood up.

Shera stood up with him, the young man placing his arm around her shoulders. The woman returned by circling her arm around Brad's trim waist, and the two walked holding one another as they headed back for the Shields' house where Brad would make hot chocolate for two and curl up on the couch with his new love.