Merry Christmas to all.

( Based on an established Vincent and Tifa relationship )

Snow Falls Sweet
by Jess Angel

Snow falls sweet upon her hair - captivating.

Glimmering eyes of fine burgundy see me…

and she treads delicately, her voice singing - speaking my name…

Greeting - welcoming my arms.

Strands the softest chocolate caress my cheek.

Quietly, I sigh… and so does she.

"Vincent?" The brunette buried herself further into his warmth.

"Hm." The familiar sound of his voice reverberated, deep and soothing, and he loosened his arms around her waist.

"…Nothing." Tifa let her eyes slip closed, savoring the moment again.

The raven-haired man leaned down, his lips brushing her ear. "Speak."

She smiled and nuzzled his chest, ticklish. "Nothing," she softly insisted.

His hold tightened, and slowly, he kissed her ear a second time.

Tifa squirmed again. "Vincent! Please…" She was caught in his grip - giggling. "Okay… Okay! I give!"

He reluctantly allowed the young woman to step back and regain her composure - though slightly disappointed he had to stop his fun. To make up for the loss, Vincent contented himself in observing her straighten tousled brown hair and readjust maroon-colored gloves.

Tifa brushed off her matching winter coat in a finale and then sent her companion a half-hearted glare. But the former Turk took it all in stride, extending her his leather encased hand. And the false anger diminished as soon as he held her hand in his. The two began to walk underneath the light shower of intricate snowflakes, the white ice giving way and crunching beneath their feet.

Eyes of crimson glanced sideways at her, and Vincent slowed their pace. "You were saying?" he readdressed, a hint of teasing tracing his tone.

The brunette laid her head on his shoulder, smiling as she spoke, "After that little stunt you pulled, I'm afraid to even ask…" She stopped - her hand still linked in his - then moved in front to face him. "I have a feeling I'd lose too easily if you used tactics as underhanded as those."

Tifa could tell he was curious as to what she was referring and decided not keep him in suspense any further. "I was wondering," she paused, "…if you wanted to play a game." Her fingers slipped from his grasp, and she coyly backed away, both hands now behind her back. She added a cheeky smile for effect.

Vincent arched a dark eyebrow but remained rooted in his place. "Game?" He eyed her as she continued to move away.

"Mmhm." Tifa slid behind the trunk of a nearby tree. She peeked her head out momentarily to give him a wink.

Slightly irked at her disappearance and piqued at her coquettish behavior, Vincent indulged the pretty brunette by advancing towards her hideaway. He surmised the wink to be the initiation of the so-called game she had so clearly explained.

The ex-Turk swiftly curved around the thick wood, letting his golden claw trail along the dry bark. It appeared the little minx had scampered off. Only her blossomy scent faintly haunted the surrounding space…. The dark-haired gunman called partly out of annoyance and concern, "…Tifa?"

It seemed all the Turk training in the world hadn't been enough to prepare him for the next split-second - more specifically, the object that raced his way. A good-sized snowball smacked the Great (mind you, also the somewhat distracted) Vincent Valentine - Former Turk and Gunslinger Extraordinaire - square in the face.

A small sputtering sound escaped the gunman's lips along with specks of the white winter element that had been falling from the sky nearly all day. Traces of snow dotted his brows and decorated his ebony mane. He turned to the chortling female clutching her abdomen as if in pain.

"Tifa," he growled.

The martial artist turned away unable to face him any longer. "Vin-Vince, you should've seen… your face!" She continued her laughing spree and fell back into a fit of giggles.

Her mirth, however, was short-lived.

"Vincent!" Tifa let out a cry of surprise and indignation as a cold lump of snow whacked her in the rear.

Vincent released a deep laugh then ducked behind the tree as she hastily returned fire. Carefully, he crept away from the temporary haven and watched amused as Tifa hunched down and clumped together pieces of ice, her magenta hued scarf swinging in her face. Sharp ears caught the frustrated curses uttered under her breath, damning the heavy coat and swaying neck warmer that hindered her movement every which way. His fist tightened around the second prepared snowball, and the former Turk took aim.

Triumphantly, Vincent surveyed his target lose her grip on a handful of ammunition. He then dodged to the next tree while forming and collecting new weaponry along the way. The dark-haired man chucked several more spheres of snow, hitting the struggling brunette perfectly each time.

…He was really beginning to enjoy this game.

Tifa finally gave a strangled cry, furious. She dropped the few snowballs she had managed to retain and jerked both coat and scarf away. With her newfound freedom, she commenced to run towards her oppressor simultaneously firing like crazy. Tifa Lockheart would not surrender without a fight.

No longer shielded by the protection of trees, Vincent attempted to charge forth through the onslaught of snowballs that blocked his way. "Give it up, Lockheart," he called, mere feet away.

A clump of snow hit her shoulder then knee.

"Never!" she returned defiantly, taking wobbly steps backwards. Her last snowball missed altogether as he executed a graceful dive and pinned her to the ground.

"Give it up," he repeated, his mouth hovering dangerous centimeters above hers. The gunman met her claret eyes, and she felt herself already at his mercy. Sweet breaths visible in the chill air mingled in the short space in-between…

And Tifa Lockheart gave in.

His lips crushed against hers hard and demanding, and she could do nothing but respond, her fingers threading into his dark hair, tugging him closer still. "Vincent…" she sighed as he moved to nip at her neck and nuzzle the flesh there. Tifa shivered at the contrast of the cold at her back and the heat above her. And he stole her lips once more, the second kiss exacting lighter pressure. The feeling was almost feathery.

Vincent drew back to see snow-dusted eyelashes flutter open.

A dazed Tifa parted swollen red lips. "You cheated."

Vincent allowed the smirk to form. "Mmhm."

He pulled them both to their feet and recovered her fallen belongings. Vincent then proceeded to snugly button up her winter coat. The scarf too was wrapped tightly about her neck. Tenderly, he kissed the top of her head and began to back away. "…Rematch?"

She grinned at him. "You're on."

Vincent started to quickly depart from her bundled form.

"…Hey!" The female fighter realized his intention. She struggled to strip herself of the restricting garments. "Vincent Valentine, you cheater! Come back here!"

Snow falls sweet upon her hair - captivating.

Glimmering eyes of fine burgundy see me…

and she treads speedily, her voice speaking my name…

Seeking my arms… and my defeat.

Naturally, I'll inevitably succumb to her kisses of strawberries and cream.

But until then, I smile, while snow falls sweet.

·:·. Fin..·:·

"Love is a moment that lasts forever…"
Julie Wittey

Final Fantasy VII and its characters © Squaresoft, Inc. n.k.a. Square-Enix, Inc.