Serah watched the rhythmic rise and fall of Snow's back and tried not to hate his ability to fall asleep the moment his spiky blond head hit his pillow. Moonlight streamed in through the half-open window of the hotel, the curtains stirring as the breeze brushed past. A pale blue light flashed on the opposite side of the room when the shifting curtains cast the moonlight on the first of the thirteen crystals Snow had found. Every night Serah closed the crystal's satchel before going to bed and every night, it was somehow opened so its intermittent flashing could continue. Once she had thrown a pillow at it, but the resulting crash had only caused Snow to awaken and…not understand. There were a lot of things Snow didn't understand these days. She wondered if he ever really had. Mog wasn't with them at the moment. The inquisitive moogle had gotten himself into a mess Snow was working on getting him out of. But seeing that Mog's capture placed him where he could keep an eye on the next crystal, neither he or Snow were in any hurry to get him back. The crystal winked at her from the satchel and Serah bit back a sigh and began the careful process of extricating herself from the bed. Snow was a light sleeper. Valuable when they were on the road but inconvenient when their accommodations were more luxurious. One foot made it to the floor, followed by the other, and with a glance over her shoulder at the slumbering Snow, Serah rose from the bed.

"Mmmmph," Snow grunted in his sleep and Serah froze, praying he wouldn't roll over, reach for her, and find her gone. She didn't want another lecture about leaving his protection. Never mind that he could leave her whenever he wanted. Turning to face the bed, she tentatively touched her pillow, her gaze never leaving Snow's back. Shifting the pillow so it might convince him—at least temporarily—that she was still there should he roll over, she retreated from the bed.

"Gmmph," Snow grunted a second time, reaching behind him and patting the pillow standing in for Serah. His lips curved in a smile and guilt trickled through her before she turned her back on him. Maybe she was being too hard on him. He was only doing what he thought was best. She'd wanted to come with him. Even if he hadn't really given her a choice. She'd wanted to come. It was just…Serah stopped at the half-open window leading out to the balcony she and Snow never used and leaned against the wall. The breeze intensified and she shivered, reaching for the gauzy material the hotel used for curtains even though it would be of little use against the cold. Wrapping herself in the curtain, she closed her eyes as the image of Noel conjured itself before her, his hair coated with snow as they made their way through the Bresha Ruins.

"Just keep moving, Serah. It'll help you forget about the cold," the young hunter said over his shoulder, running ever onward. Serah shivered uncontrollably and retorted,

"Noel. Look at what I'm wearing. Moving isn't going to make me forget about being cold."

"Kupo!" Mog chimed in, swirling around Serah's head. Even the faint heat from his bobble felt warm to her. Noel stopped, one hand scratching the back of his head before he turned to look at her.

Serah alternately blew on her hands and rubbed her arms, but neither action did much to relieve the cold seeping deeper and deeper into her skin. Mog soared back and forth between the two of them. Chin in hand as he studied her, Noel looked her over several times and said,

"I guess you're right it isn't practical attire. Not for this time period anyway." Serah snorted and rubbed her arms vigorously.

"Remind me to take it up with Lightning next time we see her." Noel's answering smile faded as she shivered again. Something flickered in his eyes and just when she was about to suggest they start moving again, he crossed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. A muted cry of surprise escaped her before she was too distracted by the warmth enveloping her to notice much of anything else. His skin was as cold as her own but his embrace was still strangely warm. Gradually her shivers subsided, the snow accumulating in Noel's hair(and her own)and Serah found herself staring at the largest circle of Noel's necklace. Mog was mercifully silent, flitting around the two of them without even a hint of a "kupo." She was warm—as warm as she could be with snow still softly falling around them—but she couldn't make herself step away. Noel's necklace took on all sorts of textures and definitions she had never noticed before and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but his arms slipped from around her and he took two steps back. As if nothing had happened.

"We should keep moving," he said, his head tilted slightly as he gave her a faint smile and took off, running deeper into the ruins.

"Kupo?" Mog whispered. The softness of his voice sent shockwaves rippling through Serah, but Noel's figure was growing smaller and smaller in the distance and bereft of his arms, the cold was seeping back into her skin at an alarming rate.

At the hotel window, Serah shivered and drew the curtain more tightly around her, while she temporarily banished Noel's memory. Temporarily was all she could manage. Everywhere she turned, there was something that reminded her of the hunter she had left behind in Academia 4XX. The cry of a chocobo unfailingly conjured Noel's face at the Serendipity races. His addiction had surprised both of them. It hadn't been his fault—they had needed the Casino Coins after all—but his enthusiasm for the races had been both charming and infuriating. After ten races, he knew the odds on each racing bird better than the Serendipity tellers. He was so engrossed he hadn't noticed when she slipped away with Mog to play the slot machines. But he had been able to walk away on his own. She hadn't. She could still hear the distinctive beep of the Serendipity slot machine, the definitive stop as the symbols aligned, the thrill of Victory and Super Victory mode.

"Serah? Serah." Serah pulled the lever, her eyes alight as she watched the characters fall into place on the screen in front of her.

"It's no use, Kupo." Mog's voice sounded as if from somewhere very far away and Serah pulled the lever a second time.

"Serah." The voice was like a fly, irritating with its persistence, and Serah actually swatted at the air in the attempt to make it go away.

"Just one more," she murmured, pulling the lever for the third time since Noel's arrival. The hunter sighed, crossing his arms and watching as Serah continued to play the slots. Her lips curved slightly at the corners. The swatting had worked. Noel rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, his gaze flickering to the ridiculously dressed Casino attendant. There was a knowing look in her eye and a certain smugness to her mouth before she dropped his gaze and greeted the newest arrivals. Noel sighed and leaned down to peer into the machine. Serah pulled the lever despite his nearness.

"How long have you been playing this?" His brows arched as he read her total number of turns. Serah shrugged.

"How long were you at the races?"

"Too long. Lightning did well for us." She smiled before she could stop herself. They had quarreled over their name for the Silver Chocobo for at least fifteen minutes. The teller had been most insistent their chocobo couldn't be entered in a single race if it didn't have a name other than "Silver Chocobo." Mog's not so humble suggestion they name the bird after him had been ignored. Serah had suggested "Snow," expecting Noel's response that it was a silverchocobo, not a white one. He'd said "Yeul" to return the favor, which she had instantly dismissed. It was Noel who thought of "Lightning," though. Three 9's slid into place on the screen and Serah hummed along as the victory music played. Noel's brows rose so high they threatened to merge with his hairline. The jackpot of 250 Casino Coins spilled out but neither of them seemed to notice.

"I won us enough to buy the Chaos Crystal," Noel said.

"Noel, I'm in Victory Mode," Serah retorted, willing the Moogles and Chocobos to keep aligning.

"I've already bought it," he continued, his gaze lifting to the moogle floating on the other side of the machine. Mog shook his head. "We should go. Those paradoxes aren't going to resolve themselves."

"Victory Mode," Serah repeated, turning to look at him for the first time since he had appeared. One finger pointed to the screen while another reliably pulled the lever when prompted. Noel stared at her as she turned back to the machine, her mouth curving up at the corners.

"That's it. Time to go." Serah's gaze didn't even stray from the screen. Noel leaned down, glanced at the screen that held Serah captive, and pulled her from the machine.

"Noel! I was in Victory Mode!" Serah protested, turning back towards the slot machine happily waiting for someone to pull its lever. Struggling under Noel's hold, Serah looked pleadingly at the hovering Mog. Hesitantly the moogle floated towards the waiting lever only to stop when Noel shook his head.

"Mog!" Serah cried, squirming under Noel's grasp. Mog hung his head, emitted a soft "kupo" and retreated to what he thought was a safe distance. Serah struggled for several more moments, glancing over her shoulder at the tantalizingly flashing screen. Noel didn't even seem like he was trying to keep her from breaking free.

"Noel, please, just five more minutes," Serah pleaded, ceasing to struggle and fixing him with the look that had always succeeded in getting Snow to give in to what she wanted. Something flickered in Noel's eyes but his grip remained unshakable.

"You've played enough."

"Five minutes, I swear." Serah widened her eyes and allowed a slow smile to spread across her lips. Again his eyes flickered and then he shook his head and leaned back into the machine.

"You're cashing out."

"No, Noel, don't…" Even with only one arm, he was able to keep her back with ease and Serah briefly contemplated biting him. The screen flashed at her one last time over Noel's shoulder and then it was over. At a nod from Noel, Mog collected Serah's winnings and zoomed away to the counter, chortling over the amount of gil in his possession. Serah stared after the winged creature for several moments before her gaze rose accusingly to Noel. For the third time his eyes flickered but his grip remained firm.

"Noel Kreiss, you…are…a…meanie," she whispered. Noel's shoulders lurched and one corner of his mouth raised as if to smile before he straightened it.

"'Meanie Miss Farron' would know, wouldn't she?"

"I was…"
"In Victory Mode, I know," he said before she could finish. Serah beamed at him.

"You dounderstand!" She clasped her hands together and made a move towards the slot machine. Noel's grip tightened to the point of pain.

"I understand that you need a change of scenery." Serah opened her mouth to protest further only to have Noel hoist her over his shoulder and march her out of the Serendipity casino. Laughter followed the two of them, especially since Serah had been unable to stop herself from shrieking at him to put her down, but Noel had been resolute.

The memory was more embarrassing now than it had been when it happened. Noel had theorized there was a spell cast by Serendipity on its patrons that made them behave…irrationally. She wanted to believe it. It was fortunate Serendipity existed in its own plane, its own time and space. She didn't trust herself to go back there again. Ever. Her fingers twitched against the hotel curtain as if to pull a lever and a noise of exasperation escaped her.

"Damn slot machines," Serah muttered. Her lips curved into a smile as she remembered the pathetic beeping noise Noel would make to annoy her after the Serendipity incident. She had spent an embarrassing amount of time working on her chocobo impression in order to repay him, but it hadn't had the same effect. Chocobo music annoyed Noel, not chocobo sounds. Which was understandable, really, since that song was almost impossible to get out of your head once it got stuck there. What was Noel doing, right now, in Academia 4XX? Watching over Hope? His talents were wasted as a bodyguard. She suspected he was bored out of his mind. She missed him. She really missed him.

Sighing, Serah stepped away from the window, letting the flimsy edges of the hotel curtain trail through her fingers. Noel was going to haunt her, no matter what she did. She shouldn't have left him. She had known it the moment she and Snow vanished from Academia 4XX and into this time period. But she had always wanted to go on an adventure with her hero. It wasn't her fault it hadn't turned out the way she imagined. She sighed a second time and returned to the bed, seating herself on the edge beside Snow. He was lost in sleep, his hair a spiky mess, his stubble seeming to thicken with each breath. She smiled at the sight of him…but the smile soon faded. After wanting to be with Snow for so long…it wasn't…it wasn't what she expected. He did his own thing…all the time…without consulting her…or asking her to come along with him. She knew he wanted her with him—he wouldn't have asked her to come otherwise—but he seemed to only want her around when it was convenient for him to have her there. Snow still thought he had to protect her. Even the idea of her defending herself hadn't occurred to him, would never occur to him. She wasn't…she wasn't a partner with Snow. Not like she had been with Noel. Her fingers closed over the replica of Cocoon hanging around her neck. But they were engaged. "It's on hold for now," Snow's voice echoed in her mind. It stung. Just as it had the first time. Noel said he couldn't do what they did. Stay apart, do their own thing, even though they loved each other. But now that they were "together"…Snow was still doing his own thing.

Moisture gathered behind Serah's eyes before she closed them briefly and took a deep breath. Touching Snow's hair, she ran her fingers through the spiky blond strands, waiting for him to wake up.

"Gmmph?" Snow mumbled, one hand raising to halt the movement of her fingers as his eyelids fluttered open. "Serah?" The hand not grasping hers touched the pillow still nestled into the curve of his back and his brows drew together. Serah smiled and let her hand fall from his hair while he rubbed at his eyes and tried to bring the hotel room into focus. "What is it?" He asked, his gaze scanning the room and determining they were in no immediate danger. Serah studied him for a moment, her gaze holding his.

"I have to go back."