Two years after the Omega incident, a year since Vincent Valentine was last seen or heard from the AVALANCHE members.

ring, ring….ring, ring….ring, ring.

I’m sorry the person you are trying to call cannot come to the phone at this moment. Please leave your message after the tone.”

Beep.

“…Vincent? Are you there? …of course you’re not you’d have answered. Either that, or you‘re ignoring me. Trying to shut us, me, out again.

It’ll be a year tomorrow since we last talked to each other. A year…

We all miss you, you know? You’ve missed quite a bit this past year. Cid and Shera got hitched and Cloud finally proposed to Tifa. Even Barret hasn’t been as loud since you left. Yuffie was a surprise, she found herself a suitor from Wutai. He caught her stealing his materia…I guess some things will never change. Red and his wife have had another litter of cubs and Marlene and Denzel are getting taller everyday… they still ask about you, asking when you’re coming back. Tifa avoids giving them an actual answer and tells them that you’ll be back once you’ve sorted yourself out.

Is that why you left? To sort yourself out? Or is it to do with what you told me a year tomorrow ago?

…..Vincent….

…..Vincent?

FOR LETHIANS SAKE VINCENT! ANSWER YOUR GOD-DAMN PHONE!

What was the POINT in getting Tifa and I to take you to EVERY phone shop in Edge until you found one in the right shade of black if your not going to ANSWER it?!

…….

I’m sorry,

…..

I shouldn’t have shouted.

But, but you just upped and left that night so quickly, I had barely time to turn around and you were gone! Not one phone call, text or anything!

You almost drove us insane looking for you. Yuffie and I were searching for you for months before Tifa finally stopped us…Do you know how many nights I stayed at your mansion, waiting and waiting? Sitting on the stairs by the front door, hoping for that tarnished handle to turn and for you to walk back in…back into our lives…My life.

What’s the point in me calling anymore? You’ve never once answered, and you never will, will you? That’s why I’m talking to your answering machine right now, because this is the closest I can get to you.

This is the last time I’m phoning you Vincent.

I can’t take the silence on the other end of the line anymore. But I needed to talk to you just one last time, that’s why I’m phoning…

Maybe its best that you didn’t pick up, if you did... Well, maybe some things are best left in the past.

Anyway, I better say this quickly.

Vincent…

Vincent, almost a year ago you told me something, but you didn’t get a chance to hear my reply. So here it is.

Vincent. I love you too.”

Click.

Vincent ended the call to his voicemail and slid his phone shut. The screen saver flashed up as it always did, it was a photo of the two of them before he had told her his secret. They were smiling and laughing, they were happy. Vincent sighed, he knew he would ever forget that day.

The AVALANCHE members were planning to spend a day at the Golden Saucer and leave the next morning, but halfway through the day the two of them managed to sneak away from the rest. After a quite few drinks had been downed and a few games won, they were in high spirits. Whilst darting around trying to find something new to do, they came across a photo booth but neither of them had enough gil for a photo (Not that Vincent was keen on getting his photo taken.) As he was searching his pockets for gil, Vincent found his mobile. Sliding it open he found that he had several missed calls, all from Yuffie. As he was checking the time his phone was suddenly snatched from his hands as she cried out “Smile Vinnie!”

On impulse Vincent smirked (he NEVER smiled) as the phone gave of a click. Laughing, she turned the phone to face them to see the photo. He had to admit, it was a pretty good photo of the two of them. She had her arms thrown around his shoulders, looking over his right shoulder with a perfect smile gracing her lips. Her eyes were shining as she clung to Vincent from behind, her fingers grasping his dark, red cloak tight. While he had a slightly bemused look in his scarlet eyes, as he smirked down the camera lens.

Everything seemed to change after that, Vincent finally got up the courage to tell her everything. He laid his tortured soul bare for her. But before he gave her a chance to say anything or even turn to face him he’d fled into the night, scared of what her reaction might have been. He’d never looked back since.

The image flickered then the screen went black. Vincent still stared at it as if he could see their ghostly impressions on the screen.

Without thinking, he slid the screen up and activated the phone. A few seconds later Vincent found his finger hovering over the “call back” button. Taking a deep breath, he pushed it. For the first time in almost a year he heard the ringing of someone else’s phone, but no one answered, instead the voicemail kicked in.

“I’m sorry the person you are trying to call cannot come to the phone at this moment. Please leave your message after the tone.”

Beep.

“……….

…………

…. It’s Vincent.

…….

My message is that to inform you all that I plan to return to Midgar, to Seventh Heaven. If you will still have me. After the way I behaved I will not blame you if you decline my return.

……

In response to your closing statements, I do still care about you all…about you. That is why I am returning. Depending on my mode of transport I shall arrive around tomorrow morning.

…..

Upon my arrival I plan to be by your side and I will never leave you again.

…I still love you by the way.”

click.

Tifa heard the sound of crying coming from the living room, quickly putting the cooking ingredients in her hands down and raced upstairs to find the source of the crying.

Tifa found her on the living room floor, on her knees crying into her hands with her phone pressed to her ear. Tifa saw the tears streaming down her face and hurried to her side.

“What’s happened? Is it Vincent? Is he alright?” Tifa asked her hurriedly.

Unable to answer she passed the phone to Tifa as the message replayed. As Vincents voice echoed back at Tifa her face split into a grin and she looked down at her. She was still crying but these -Tifa realised- were no longer tears of sorrow, but of happiness.

“What time did you get the message?” Tifa squealed after hearing the last sentence before Vincent had hung up.

“This morning, but it was sent sometime yesterday.” She told Tifa. The two women looked at each other, realisation kicked in. In unison their eyes widened and they screamed “HE’S COMING TODAY!” After a few seconds frozen staring at each other, there was a knock on the back door.

Leaving Tifa upstairs waiting patiently, she crept downstairs and peered around the kitchen door to see the smoky silhouette of someone waiting outside. The figures profile was distorted by the glass but there was no mistaking the man in the long, tattered red cloak waiting for her on the other side.

In one fluid motion she crossed the kitchen and opened the door, she smiled.

“Vincent Valentine.”

The figure whirled around, his cloak snapping behind him. His crimson eyes met hers and for the first time in decades, he smiled.