• “Hey daddy, how did you and mom meet?” It was an innocent question for the most part, right? A ten year old girl with long, braided black hair was looking up at her father tiredly from where she was curled up under a table. The three of them, himself, his ex-wife, and their daughter, were trapped underneath a collapsed building.

    They'd been here for who knows how long after an earthquake had passed through the city. It had been silent for the most part, other than the soft assurances of the two adults to their daughter that they would be rescued, they just needed to hang on for the hard workers to uncover them. Neither adult had said a word to the other thus far.

    “How did we meet?” Velia nodded, and he sighed. Well, if it kept her distracted from the situation at hand. He glanced at his ex, and smiled slightly, “Your mother can tell it better then me, I'm sure.”

    Hint, hint.

    Sighing, the young woman looked at her daughter, brushing back some stray hair, “Well... Your father first approached me towards the end of our Senior prom. For the last dance... I remember the song, Dreams, by The Cranberries.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~


    “Every girl should dance at least once tonight.” Was the very first thing he ever said to her. It was Prom night, her parents had given her leave to choose her own wardrobe for once. Reva donned a crimson dress with a black over-layer, shimmering as the light glanced off the material, her hair pulled back evenly into a red and black braid.

    When her red eyes laid on him, she noticed an immediate contradiction between his appearance, and his expression. A pristine white suit with an icy blue under shirt and tie that made his complexion even more pale, matching the light blue hue in his silver hair. Everything about his appearance screamed cold-hearted b*****d. At least, everything but his handsome smile that warmed his entire face and made his silver eyes shine.

    Reva's mouth formed a thin line, eyes narrowing, “I don't dance. Especially not with those whom I don't know.”

    Beaming, he merely spread his arms out to gesture around him, “Come now... Reva, right? I haven't seen you dance all night, and everyone here knows how to dance. So, rather than saying you don't dance, it's more like you won't dance because you hate dancing.”

    “Indeed. You know me so well, yet we've never met. You must have asked someone that attends the parties my parents throw. Stalker in the making.”

    Shrugging, the handsome male grinned, “You caught me. Well, I'm not a stalker, but you are interesting. Now, how about that dance?”

    “Play with fire and you'll be burned, you know. Why don't you go find some blond to match your pretty little outfit for the last dance? I see no reason why I should dance with a total stranger.” Reva snapped, starting to turn her back on the annoyingly persistent male. She was only here because it was a required event.

    “You've only ever danced when you had to, I bet. Important people who your parents want to impress. Well, I'm an unimportant stranger who simply wants to spend the last dance of my last year with a beautiful young lady.” He bowed slightly, holding out a hand, “besides, black goes better with white then even more white, and fire melts the ice.”

    “...Very well. I'll allow you the last dance then, sir.” She reached out to take his hand, pulling it back slightly when he reached further in return, “if you tell me your name.”

    “Why, of course. My name is Tyson.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~


    “Wow...” Velia smiled weakly, shivering slightly and tightening her arms around herself. Tyson sighed softly and pulled off his jacket, wrapping his daughter up in the warm clothing item. “Thanks, daddy...Won't you be cold, though?”

    “No, sweetheart. I'll be fine, don't worry. Besides, you need the warmth more than I do.” The icy male smiled at his daughter, patting the top of her head gently. “We'll get out of this soon...I promise.”

    “'kay. Hey, if you guys met at a party... Then how'd you end up getting married?” He groaned mentally, and could tell Reva was doing the same thing. Neither of them wanted to recount their failed attempt at making a life together.

    “Well, we started going out with each other about a year after Prom. Your father asked in one of the strangest ways in the world...”

    “Hey, are you trying to tell me that you would've said yes if I had done it differently? I rather doubt it, Re.” Tyson interrupted, frowning at his ex-wife with mock hurt. She merely offered a cold smile in return and made a gesture for him to recount it, “We'd been together for three years when I proposed...Your mother's parents had just passed on.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~


    “Are you sure you want to watch this?” It was the first time Tyson had ever heard her speak in unsure tone in the entire four years they'd known each other, three of which they'd been dating. They were standing in front of her family mansion, Reva was an only child, so she inherited the family's estate.

    They were going to burn it to the ground.

    Reva had everything mapped out, down to the very last drop of gasoline and the last bottle of spirits. The estate would practically burn itself down, she only needed to ignite the fuse. Dried out grass and the flammable items would do the rest. She'd even gone as far as to make sure no animals remained on the estate.

    “Of course I do. Bring on the fireworks.” Tyson stated, casually slipping one arm around her waist from behind. He leaned down just enough for his lips to brush against her ear, “I told you, I want to be here when you gain your freedom. This is an important moment in your life, so light it up.”

    Reva relaxed against his chest for a moment before nodding, “Very well... Here we go.” Lighting a match, she dropped it onto the trail of gasoline that ran through the yard and into the mansion. The trail burst into flames immediately, spreading quickly they backed up to watch. Two minutes passed and a chain of explosions erupted from inside the building, setting off fire works when they finished. Reva's cry of surprise made Tyson grin, hand slipping inside his pocket.

    “I did say bring on the fireworks!” He stated, just loud enough for her to hear. “It wouldn't have been romantic if I hadn't added them, I hope you don't mind.”

    “Romantic? Why would you want to make a house burning romantic?” Reva asked, frowning at him as she pulled her red gaze from the flames that were quickly devouring her parent's legacy.

    “Well, because of this...” Within a blink of an eye, Tyson had gone from standing just behind her to standing a foot in front of her and holding out a small, velvet box, bowing ever-so-slightly. Reva would've hit him should he have even tried to kneel, he knew. “I was hoping this would be the best moment possible to propose to someone like yourself. After all,” He lifted his head to grin at her, “you do hate tradition.”

    “Indeed.” Reva spoke softly, taking the small case to open and smiling at the ring inside. Silver and onyx seemed to be entwine, making a band that held a red ruby. She could practically picture what his engagement right would look like. “To be wed, then.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~


    “Why did you propose in front of a burning building?” Velia asked, frowning, “That's not really romantic.”

    “That's what I thought.” Reva smiled, sparing her ex-husband a glance, “I suppose you could say, though, that it only made it that much better a memory...I never did like normal romantics.”

    “Except for the wedding.” Tyson chuckled softly, “your mother was just like any other girl when it came to a wedding. She had a wish stuck in her head, details planned out, everything. She picked the date based solely on how the moon would look in the sky.”

    “The moon? Doesn't the sun have to go down before you can see what the moon looks like?” The ten year old crossed her arms, pulling her father's coat around herself tighter.

    “Yes.” Reva spoke softly, now, pushing her red bangs out of her face. “I wanted a moonlit wedding, so we got married long after the sun went down. I had a simple dress, light blue. Your father wore a white tuxedo...”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~


    The wedding took place on the night of the twenty second of February. It took place at midnight, a cherry blossoms wedding on the night of the full moon. Something Reva had stated wanting specifically. This was done easily enough, after all they only had ten people to invite. The groom's small family and a few friends they shared.

    When Tyson asked her about her strange wish, Reva had smiled slightly and shrugged. “If the ice can surround itself with the fire and not lose it's cooling touch, then why shouldn't the fire be able to surround itself with the ice and not lose it's burning flame?”

    Tyson laughed, shaking his head before taking a hold of her hand and leading her away from the others, towards a small koi pond, “You know, I didn't think you could surprise me anymore. After all, how much more surprising can someone get after they get rid of everything they can and burn their house down?”

    Smiling, Reva tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “What? Did my sudden revealing of a love for nature too much for you? Even fire is an important part of the world around us...Many beautiful things can be born from the ashes it leaves behind, depending.”

    “I can see that now.” Was the soft reply, “And I must admit, I'm glad. I wasn't sure I'd ever come across a part of your personality that required being warm of heart.”

    They continued in silence for a moment before music started up, startling the both of them. A song, Reva recognized it as     Dreams by The Cranberries, floated through the air towards them from a hidden speaker system. Pausing, the newlyweds looked at each other before Tyson smiled and held out his hand again, much like the first time he'd asked for a dance.

    “May I?”

    “Yes, I believe you may...”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~


    Velia sighed wistfully, smiling to herself, “I want to fall in love just like you guys...When I get married, we'll never fight. I'll always listen, and talk things out before I get mad...I won't ever let our love die. Daddy was such a mess after you left, mom.”

    Neither of her parents knew what to say in response to that. They fell silent, Reva turning away to examine the space they were trapped in. There was some sort of escape tunnel that had collapsed on itself off to the right, a few cases of water that had survived all the rubble that had fallen in from the ceiling. Tyson had salvaged a few flashlights that provided light for them now, as well as the table Velia now hid under. She, herself, had been of no help what-so-ever. Her legs were trapped under a large piece of the ceiling.

    It wasn't as bad as it could be. Not yet, at least. She was hoping that the firefighters could dig them out before the structure collapsed completely on top of them...Reva could feel him watching her, now. She refused to look at him until she was sure Velia had fallen asleep. Only then, did red eyes turn to lock with silver ones.

    “Why did you leave?” Tyson asked softly, frowning. It'd been three years since the divorce, and no matter how much he went over it in his mind, he couldn't answer the one question he wanted to. Why.

    “It's complicated, Ty...” Sighing, Reva started playing lightly with her hair, unbraiding it and running her fingers through the mess to dislodge as much debris as possible before starting to re-do the braid.

    “Well, I'm not going anywhere...” Being annoyingly persistent was the only way he'd gotten where he was today...In all sense of the saying.

    “I thought...My heart is made of ice, Tyson, my entire personality is cold and demeaning. You deserve someone far better than me, as does Velia.” Tilting her head back, Reva smiled grimly. “I told you before the divorce that I couldn't possibly love someone like you. I was telling you the truth, for the most part.”

    “There is no ice that fire can't melt, Re. I knew what I was getting into the moment I asked you to dance with me at the prom. Didn't I say then, that fire melts the ice? You are a child of fire, and I'm a child of ice, but your surroundings made you cold and froze your heart. Mine made me warm, my heart like an inferno that never stops blazing. Both are dangerous.” Tyson moved closer, reaching out to turn her gaze back to him, “My heart can melt yours, just as your heart can stop mine from burning itself.”

    Reva started to open her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sound of the firefighters suddenly clear voices. They were almost free! Velia stirred from where she was curled up and looked curiously at her parents. Then, she registered the calls above them and grinned, tilting her head back to call up to them. “We're down here! Hurry! Mom's trapped!”

    “Ty...” Tyson blinked, looking back towards Reva, before following her gaze up as a small beam of sunlight suddenly shone through from above them, and promptly frowned. The ceiling was starting to fall apart again, it wouldn't hold for much longer. He immediately started trying to free Reva's legs, “Tyson, stop it. You're not able to move it alone and you know it.” She muttered, falling back into a lay, resigned.

    “You're giving up already? If things were reversed, you would kick me for admitting defeat.” His frown deepened, and he continued working. He'd almost gotten her legs free...

    “I'll finish, go get Velia out.” He hesitate, before nodding and standing to retrieve their daughter, lifting her up carefully. Long hours trapped under a building hadn't done much for her strength, he knew. He turned back to Reva to find her struggling with one last bit of debris, and immediately returned to her side to help. He wasn't met with thanks, “Tyson, get out of here!”

    The ceiling was caving in again, “I'm not leaving without you.” Tyson growled, eyes flashing as he finally moved the last piece off her legs, shifting it to the side, “Do you think you could walk?”

    “No, I can't feel them I think they're broke.” In response, he lifted her into his arms and started to move towards the hole slowly. They weren't going to make it, Reva frowned. She couldn't let him die. “Our daughter needs at least one of us, put me down and get out.”

    “Velia needs her mother, too.” He wasn't going to let her die, either. Not alone. “We can make it.”

    But the hole that had been made for them to escape was he first thing to collapse in on itself, and they were trapped again. Tyson collapsed under the shower of debris, protecting Reva's body as the small area started to fall apart on itself. Hysterically, he took hold of her head and pressed their lips together, calming only slightly when return pressed her lips against his in reply. He was surprised at how wet her face was, unsure if she was crying or bleeding.

    “You idiot.” She muttered between quick kisses, “I hate you.”

    “I love you too.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Velia Alessia walked down a path in a garden surrounded by cherry blossom trees, holding a bouquet of red and white roses in her hand. It was spring, and she had just turned twenty one. This would be her last time visiting her parents grave for a while, so she had to leave plenty of flowers to make up for all the time she'd be gone. A years worth of roses.

    After all her husband, Drake, had promised that they'd be back from Paris in a year. By then, his boss shouldn't need him there anymore and they'd be back in the states. If that wasn't the case, he would fly her and their son, Faolan, out anyways.

    “Hey, mom? Did grandma and grandpa love each other like you and dad do?” A soft voice asked from behind her. The raven haired, silver-eyed girl turned to smile down at her son.

    “I like to believe so.”


    Fin.