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~*~Chapter Two~*~

~*~So Far Away Now~*~

The crash of the slamming door resounded through the house. Celes dropped to her knees on the floor, arms wrapped around her stomach to try to contain the nausea that welled up.

She couldn't possibly have said that.

But Locke's departure was proof that she had.

What on earth had made her say such a thing?

Such a stupid thing to fight over, too. She had teased that he cared more for the gems he unearthed in his travels than he did for her, and he had taken her seriously. It had all escalated from there....

It's just a fight, the rational part of her brain pointed out. You've had fights before, and you've both survived.

She ignored the rational part of her brain. They'd had fights before, sure, but she'd never accused him of still being in love with his ex-lover and all manner of other things.

She didn't know how long she stayed huddled on the floor, shivering despite the pleasant temperature of the house. Finally a loud pounding noise caught her attention.

Slowly she got to her feet and went to the front door, praying it wouldn't be anyone she'd have to be polite and pleasant to. Reluctantly she turned the knob and pulled the door open.

"Hey Celes! How's it..." Setzer's voice trailed off as his piercing gray eyes skimmed over her. "What happened?"

"Locke and I....had a fight," she answered, forcing the words out past the lump in her throat. She would not cry. Imperial Generals do not cry.

She stepped back as he walked in and closed the door behind him. The long gray coat he habitually wore sailed past her to land on one of the hooks in the front hall. "You had a fight," he mused aloud. "What about? I thought you two hashed out all those who-wears-the-pants issues months ago."

Even pride didn't stop the tears from welling up in her eyes again. "I s-said that he c-cared more about the t-treasures he goes after than m-me," she whispered. She couldn't seem to talk properly.

Setzer's expression was one of abject disbelief. "You said what?"

"And I said he was m-more in love w-with Rachel than me." The look on his face was almost more than she could stand. She folded into a heap on the floor, biting her lip hard to keep back the sobs.

"Celes, can I ask what led to this argument?" His tone was that of a man trying to make sense out of utter illogic.

She shook her head miserably and took a deep breath. "I asked him why he never went to the cave offshore of here, and he said because she died there, and then I was going to hug him because I can't stand it when he's sad, and he pushed me away and started talking about some ruby he wants to go find and I just..."

Setzer sighed and settled onto the floor next to her. "So you asked an innocent question, he reacted badly, you tried to comfort him, he didn't want you to, and then you started fighting like alley cats."

Put that way, it sounded so absurdly juvenile that she winced. "I don't know where he went and I don't want him to be angry with me," she whispered.

Setzer blinked. "Celes, are you twenty or twelve?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He sighed again. "Never mind. Look, I'm sure he just needs some time to cool off, okay? Come on, go wash that pretty face of yours and I'll teach you to play seven-card stud. It'll distract you. I promise."

Blindly she rose and obeyed him, not knowing what else to do until Locke returned.

Chapter List

Chapter Three: Will I Ever See Your Smile?