1. Chapter One

Author's note: Hey, it's me! I finally decided to write a Leon fic since there aren't that many out there. After all, he is droolworthy! This is a different take on how Leon really came across the red Blade Liger. Hope you enjoy!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER ONE

Rain fell from dismal gray skies upon the funeral party for Morgan Blackwell's father as the tears fell from her eyes much like the rain did from her black umbrella. There was plenty of grief that resided within her heart, but there was still some room for revenge on those who had killed her father. She knew who was responsible, although there were those in the Backdraft that insisted that her father's death was the result of nothing more than an unfortunate accident. But she knew that it had been no accident that had killed her father. It had been a flesh and blood human being.

A hand on her shoulder broke her from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Captain Stigma Stoeller standing nearby, a man that had been close friends with her father. Years ago, they had fought together before Stigma had retired, and it had been her father that had brought him into the Backdraft. And from the grief shining in his own eyes it was obvious he missed him just as much as she did.

"Please accept my sympathies, Morgan," he said, his deep voice offering her some comfort. "He was one of the best of men to have as a friend."

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the handkerchief she still held onto. "Thank you, Captain," she replied with a small smile.

He returned the smile, noticing that everyone had left but them. "You know better than to be so formal with me. After all, you're almost like a daughter to me."

Surprisingly, a laugh emerged. "Even though I used to call you Uncle Stiggy when I was small."

"And I trust you will keep that to yourself, young lady," he replied with a laugh of his own.

Her smile faded as her eyes fell on his casket which was being slowly lowered into the ground. "I just don't understand why anyone would want him killed," she said, fighting against the tears that threatened to emerge.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "How about we go get something to eat?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

To anyone else, it would seem like he was comforting her with a kiss on the head, but he was actually whispering in her ear. "Will you promise to eat something if I tell you what may have gotten your father killed?"

She struggled to hold her composure as she realized he didn't want anything to seem out of the ordinary. "I suppose so," she replied, allowing herself to be led away to his car. Once inside, they were driven into the city to a small coffee shop where they could find a little privacy to talk. "Okay, Stigma. Spill it," she demanded once they were seated.

He asked himself for the hundreth time if he was doing the right thing by telling her this as he knew what she would do once she knew what had happened. But he hoped that her common sense would keep her from doing anything too rash that might have her joining her father. "You know the Blade Liger your father was working on? Those higher up in the Backdraft, after seeing the test run and pleased at its results, wanted to use it against the Blitz team with you as its pilot. Your father wouldn't have it and threatened to take the zoid and go to the Zoid Battle Commission and tell them everything."

Understanding dawned, and her head sunk into her hands, her auburn hair falling around her shoulders. "He died because of me," she groaned.

He reached out and took one of her hands in his own. "Don't say that, Morgan," he insisted. "That's the last thing your father wanted you to feel. He came to me shortly after as he knew that something was going to happen and asked me to look after you in case he couldn't. He told me that once you found out you would see it like this. But he died because someone killed him, not because of you. And I sincerely hope that you don't intend to track down his killer all for the sake of revenge."

A fire had started smoldering in her hazel eyes, but she sighed as she looked at the hand holding hers, setting her other one over his and squeezing it gently as she saw the concern in his blue eyes. "At one time I had thought about it, but I realize that it would be foolish of me to even think about it. But someone has to pay, Stigma, for taking him away from me."

He looked deeply into her eyes, an idea suddenly coming to him. "How about you make them all pay?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she questioned, her voice betraying her confusion.

"Take something from them that is very important to them," he suggested.

She immediately understood what he meant as the fire blazed once again in her eyes. "When?"

That evening, she walked into the hangar and stood for a time looking at the red Blade Liger, a zoid that her father had been very proud of as they were very hard to find. Those that were present in the hangar paid her no mind as they merely thought that she was remembering him in her thoughts, but little did they know what she had planned. She was going to do this alone, despite Stigma's protests as she didn't want him to suffer for helping her, and they had said their goodbyes to one another earlier that evening.

Climbing up into the zoid's cockpit, she quickly fastened the restraints as the zoid came to life with a mighty roar that sent everyone there into a panic. She mobilized it towards the hangar doors, which she blasted open and ran through before activating the boosters that pressed her back into her seat as it raced across the desert, her own heart beating furiously from the adrenaline pumping through her.

She knew that soon a force would be mobilized to bring her back, which is why she was determined to gain as much ground on them as she could before they had time to regroup. Glancing down at a piece of paper in her hand, she looked upon the directions to a secret hideaway that Stigma had told her would give her some refuge from the Backdraft as no one knew it was there. Only problem was, it was a long ways away from her current position.

An alarm sounded in the cockpit, and she pressed a button to see a force of Rev Raptors pursuing her. She cursed as she realized that she couldn't keep up this speed forever as the boosters were only meant to be used as a quick fix, not as a solution to a long range problem. Spinning the Blade Liger around, she prepared to face her opponents as she saw the dust rising that signaled their approach.

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Leon appears in the next chapter! Promise! Thanks for reading and please review!

	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids just my character.

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER TWO

Not very far away, a Shield Liger trudged slowly across the desert, the pilot inside not really paying attention to where he was going as he nodded off to sleep at times. He had just fought a hard won battle earlier that morning, one of the very few he had won since he had left the Blitz team, and was tired as he wondered where he would rest tonight.

It had been hard for him since then, living day after day and experiencing one battle after another in his quest to become a better warrior. There were times when he had come close to giving up and returning to his father and sister, but Bit's words kept him going on even though what little money he had from his battles with the Blitz team was almost exhausted. If he suffered any more damage to his Liger then he would be left without a zoid as he may not have enough to pay for repairs and still eat.

Seeing a dust cloud just over a nearby hill, Leon directed his zoid in that direction as he was curious to see what was going on, even though it was obvious there was a battle going on. When he crested the hill, his eyes widened when he saw the lone zoid fighting off numerous Rev Raptors, an unfair fight in his eyes, and he scanned the area to see if there was a judge nearby. Seeing none, he acted before he thought and spurred the Shield Liger into action as they raced down the hill towards the battle, a small part of him wondering if he was nuts to go off charging into an unknown battle like this.

Morgan breathed heavily from exhaustion inside the Blade Liger, wondering when the flood of Rev Raptors was ever going to stop. She had cut down so many of them she knew they had to be suffering, but they just kept coming and she didn't know how much longer she could last against them.

She saw two of them lining her up in their sights, and she activated her shield just in time to keep the shots from reaching her, becoming dismayed when she saw the shield energies were draining low. Summoning forth what little energy she had left, she rushed towards them and extended her blades to cut them both in half before spinning around and blasting down two more with her cannons. Feeling a blast catch her in the side, she cried out in surprise and prepared to counterattack, but watched in wonder as it was cut down suddenly from an unknown source.

Looking around, she saw a blue Shield Liger join her in battle, taking down many of the enemy but becoming damaged as well in the process, his selfless act of sacrifice giving her enough energy to take down the rest of them. When she was sure that no more were left to fight, she moved her Blade Liger over to the other Liger and jumped down to the ground to check on the pilot.

Opening the cockpit, she looked inside to see a handsome man about the same age as her with brown hair that was fixed in a strange style that was attractive on him. She tried shaking him after seeing that his eyes were closed, and it took a few minutes for him to come around enough for him to become aware of her presence, his gray eyes looking at her but not really seeing her.

She stepped inside and grabbed his shoulders when she saw he was threatening to pass out again and shook him. "Come on, wake up. Can you hear me?"

Leon managed to wake long enough to see someone in front of him, although he couldn't quite focus his eyes on her as he mumbled something unintelligible. The fight had taken a lot out of him, more than he had thought and now he was paying for it.

She took his head in her hands and kept it supported as she saw he barely had enough energy to stay awake. "What's your name?" she asked, noticing a cut near his hairline that had started bleeding and taking her handkerchief out to press it over it to stop the flow.

"Leon," he answered thickly, putting his hand over hers to see why she held a cloth to his head and weakly attempting to remove it.

His touch was warm and caught her off guard. "No, don't touch it. It's just a scratch but you may have a concussion. Please try to stay awake, Leon," she pleaded as she touched her hand to his face, not wanting to be alone just now.

He felt the touch and finally managed to focus on her, his breath taken by the vision before him. He brought up his own hand to touch her cheek, whispering one word before he passed out again. "Angel."

Her eyes widened as she feared that he had left her. "Leon?" she asked, shaking him again desperately. "Leon, don't do this. Come on, we've got to get out of here! Leon!" she cried, tears spilling from her eyes as she pounded her fists on him weakly. "Leon, please, I won't leave you out here! Wake up, dammit!" Receiving no answer, she sat back against the console and buried her face in her hands, sobs shaking her shoulders.

Leon stirred and opened his eyes to see the disturbing sight before him, and he found enough energy to sit up and touch her hands gently. "Hey, what's wrong? Why the tears?"

She straightened suddenly and wiped at her tears, embarrassed to be discovered during a moment of weakness that was brought on by her grief over her father's death. "Do you think you can make it over to the Blade Liger if I help you? This is a dangerous place for us to be and we need to leave."

He smiled. "I think so. May I ask your name?"

She returned his smile, amused that in a time of such urgency they took the time to find out each other's name. "It's Morgan."

It took some time, but she eventually helped Leon into the Blade Liger's cockpit, becoming exhausted herself as he had suffered from a sprained ankle which left her to do a lot of the work. But she didn't mind if it meant that they could be on their way away from here and onto safety.

Leon had fallen back asleep, and this time she left him alone as she started off on the long journey to her destination. The desert landscape passed by slowly at first, soon giving way to greener terrain as she neared their destination, but stopping when she saw a vehicle blocking the road with someone standing beside it.

Opening the cockpit, she looked to see who it was, her eyes widening. "Sanders?" she asked, surprised and confused as to why he was here.

"It's about time," he called up to her. "I was getting worried. I assume that you didn't get away all that easily?"

"No, I didn't" she replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Captain Stoeller sent me to give you this to let you have access to the path to the house which is hidden by a distortion shield." He tossed her what appeared to be a small controller with two buttons.

She looked it over before returning her gaze to him. "How is he? Is he all right?"

Sanders smiled. "He's fine. He would've been here himself to give you this, but his absence would've been noticed whereas mine would not. Which means I better return quickly just in case. At least I can tell him that you are all right."

She returned his smile. "Send him my love as well. I miss him already."

Sanders bowed towards her and leapt inside the vehicle to speed away back to the Backdraft Headquarters. Morgan watched him leave, wishing that she had gotten the chance to know him better as he seemed to be very loyal to Stigma.

Sitting back down, the cockpit closed around her and she pressed the button on the controller to see a portion of the trees on her right disappear, revealing a path large enough for a zoid to travel on. Starting down the path, she remembered to reactivate the shield before she got too far and continued on her way through the trees, the glint of sunlight reflecting on something glassy catching her eye. A smile spread across her face as she drew closer to see a lake, the path turning to skirt it before eventually ending in front of a cozy log house.

Once stopped, she turned and leaned back to wake Leon who was still sleeping deeply. "Leon, wake up," she said, shaking his shoulder. "Time to wake, sleepyhead."

Leon eventually stirred into wakefulness, but barely enough to be called alert. Truth be told, she was just as tired and barely managed to help him down from the cockpit and into the house using the key Stigma had given her. Finding a small bedroom downstairs, she helped him onto the bed after turning down the covers and removed his shoes, reminding herself to be careful with his injured ankle.

With that out of the way, she shed a few of her clothes and collapsed on the bed next to him, her strength failing her as sleep crept up on her and pulled her under into the land of dreams.

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Hope you're enjoying this so far! Thanks for reading and please review!

	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: Same as before people!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER THREE

When she awoke the next morning, she found herself staring into gray eyes that were at first unfamiliar to her, but her memories came flooding back along with a fresh batch of tears that she had refused to give into during the time after her father's death. The first sob caught her unawares, and she turned her face into the pillow to hide her grief from the stranger lying next to her, knowing what he must be thinking but unable to stop them once they had started.

Leon had at first been confused when he had woken up to find Morgan lying in bed beside him, but like her he had remembered everything as soon as he had tried moving his foot and feeling a sharp pain cut through his ankle. But nothing had prepared him for the sudden bout of crying that had her whole body shaking, and concern filled his eyes as her sobs tore at his heart.

"Morgan, it's all right," he assured her as he laid his hand on her back. "You're safe now. The battle's over," he said, thinking that it was the battle that had scared her.

Her tears subsided as she turned red eyes filled with surprise towards him, his generosity catching her off guard. But she let him think what he wanted as she didn't want to tell him just yet why she had been fighting by herself. "I'm sorry, Leon," she said as she sat up to wipe her tears away with her fingers. "You don't know me from a hole in the ground, and here I am crying like a child."

He smiled as he eased himself up into a sitting position. "It's okay. Considering the odds you were up against, you were probably running on pure adrenaline and coming down like that is rough."

She suddenly remembered his injury and moved down to the end of the bed to take a look at his ankle, grimacing when she saw how swollen it was and covered in patches of blue and purple with a little green and yellow mixed in. "Looks wonderful," she commented. "There must be a first aid kit in here somewhere. Don't move while I look around and find one."

"Don't worry, I won't go anywhere," he replied with a chuckle.

She smirked at him and dashed into the bathroom to check around, crying out in triumph when she found one and walking back into the bedroom to sit beside him on the bed. She had wet a washcloth and used it to clean the blood off his forehead, having to hold back his hair to see how deep it went, which wasn't that far, and a band-aid fixed that problem easily. His ankle presented a bigger problem as he wouldn't be able to walk on it, much less move it, and he needed something to act as a crutch until he could.

But then another problem arose, one she could take care of when she heard his stomach growl hungrily followed by hers. They both were surprised and embarrassed but laughed it off. "I guess I'd better see if there's anything to eat before anything else," she said as she took a cloth bandage and wrapped his ankle tightly.

"Yeah, I guess we're both pretty starved," he replied as he watched her, finding her ministrations curiously captivating just as she herself was.

Morgan knew he was watching her, and she couldn't keep the blush from coloring her cheeks as she fought against looking at him. "Thank you for what you did yesterday, Leon. It was a very brave and unselfish thing to do."

"I couldn't just let you fight them all by yourself," he answered. "It was an unfair fight."

She looked down at his bandaged ankle, rubbing her thumbs across the top of his foot. "But you lost your Shield Liger. And it's all my fault." His foot jerked in her grip, and she looked up at him to see him trying his best not to laugh. A slow smile spread across her face and she continued tickling him before he stopped her by grabbing her hand and pulling her back onto the bed to dig his own fingers into her sides. She howled with laughter, her pleas for mercy only garnering even more torture.

Finally he stopped and lay there beside her, patiently waiting for her giggles to stop which only sent her into further fits of laughter. "I didn't know it was that funny," he said.

She was holding her aching sides as tears of laughter ran down her cheeks and into her hair. "I'm sorry, Leon," she finally gasped. "I should warn you I'm very ticklish."

He smiled evilly. "What, like this?" he asked, moving in for the kill.

"Leon, please don't!" she squealed at the top of her lungs, grabbing hold of his hands with her own to stop him.

He eased back down beside her, keeping one of her hands in his own and bringing the other one up to softly brush strands of hair that had fallen across her face during her struggles. Gazing into her hazel eyes, he suddenly realized that he wanted to kiss her, but kept the thought from turning into action as he wondered if it only came from a need created by their ordeal together. That and the fact that she may not welcome it.

But nothing could've been farther from the truth. His touch had been feather-light, but it had felt like a bolt of lightning had struck her and had jumpstarted her heart. She had sensed the change in him and knew what he wanted as she wanted it just as badly, but when he let go of her hand and sat up, she buried her disappointment as she sat up herself and moved off of the bed.

"How about I go find us something to eat? Would you like to come with me?" she asked.

He smiled. "No thanks. I'll just stay here. I think that little scuffle tired me a little."

She wondered if that was the real reason, or if he wished to be alone because he wasn't interested in her after all. Maybe she had misjudged his reaction to her. She hid her chagrin behind a smile. "If you want, I'll bring it in here," she offered.

He nodded his head. "That would be great. Thanks," he replied, watching as she left and feeling rotten as he had seen the flash of hurt in her eyes. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, but he was just being cautious as he didn't want things between them spiraling out of control so fast only to be brought to a screeching halt once they realized they never really liked each other that much in the first place. It was amazing that he had just met her and already she had his emotions in a turmoil as she was a very beautiful woman, and his body was reacting to that as well as the more deep-seated feelings that were beginning to stir inside his heart.

And that was what scared him most of all, the thought of giving himself to someone so completely and having them throw it back in his face in the end. Or worse yet, to fall in love with someone and find out that they're not who he thought they were. But there was only one way to find out, and that was to do a little asking of his own.

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Hmm, playtime's over and now it's time to fess up! But will she tell him who she is? Stay tuned!

	4. Chapter Four

Author's note: Thanks for reviewing, Tempest Child!!! I have your fic, "Without You", on my favorites list! You're my first reviewer on this one! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER FOUR

Morgan was pleased to see that there was plenty of food for them to eat, and she wondered if Stigma was to thank for that, and thinking of him made her realize the situation she was in. This was her first time out on her own by herself, and she wondered if that was the reason why she was so drawn to Leon. Was she feeling this way towards him simply because she needed someone to look up to and Leon just happened to be there in the right place at the right time? Or was she feeling the stirring of something more profound than that?

The questions led to thoughts she didn't want to think about, and she busied herself with fixing a light breakfast since it wouldn't do no good for both of them to eat something heavy after having nothing to eat for so long. She sliced various fruits and arranged them on a platter along with a pitcher of orange juice which she carried back into the bedroom only to find Leon gone, but he soon appeared in the doorway of the bathroom and limped back in to sit on the bed.

She set the tray between them, and they began eating, both of them quiet as neither of them knew what to say. "I hope this is okay," she said. "If you'd rather have something more substantial, I can fix it. The cabinets are stocked full of food."

Leon eyed her as he bit into a slice of apple. "It seems as if someone knew you were coming here."

She kept her eyes averted as she was unsure of what to tell him. "It was my father's house. He died not long ago," she said, telling him some of the truth but not all.

That answered his question as to why she was so emotional earlier. "Why were you being attacked like that? I saw no judge nearby and no one just gangs up on one warrior like that. It was obvious they were after something."

She sighed, wishing that he would stop asking so many questions and making her lie to him like this. But a little voice told her that if there was anyone to blame it was her, and she wondered why it was so hard for her to tell him the truth. And she knew it was because she didn't want to lose his friendship, although if he were to find out later then she would surely lose him, and the pain would be even harder for her to bear.

"The red Liger was something he had worked on for years, and the Backdraft have been trying to get it for some time since it's so rare. They finally got it when my father died and I took it back from them that night," she answered, hoping he would be satisfied with that.

He sensed that she was holding back something, but decided not to press her further as she seemed in enough distress already. "I'm sorry about your loss," he said.

"It's all right," she said, putting down her food and rising to her feet, her appetite diminished. "I think I'll go take a look upstairs and see what's up there. I'll probably take a room upstairs as my own, that way you'll have this one to yourself."

She started to leave, but he reached out to take a hold of her hand as he rose to his feet, making sure to keep his weight off his ankle. "Morgan, please," he said as he pulled her back to look into her eyes. "I didn't mean to pry."

She sighed, her heart beating out of control from their nearness to one another. "Leon, I wish I could tell you everything, but I can't right now."

He nodded his head once. "I see. You don't feel comfortable enough to open up to me. It's all right."

"No, it's not that," she quickly explained. "It's just that...I don't want to lose you right now," she added. "You're all I've got, and I really need someone I can trust. This is my first time being by myself, and I guess I'm a little frightened."

He smiled and touched his hand to her face, his thumb caressing her cheek. "Whatever you need, just ask. I'll do my best to help you."

She returned his smile, the brightest he had ever seen, and threw her arms around him to embrace him tightly, sighing when she felt his arms come around her and hold her close. It felt so right for them to be together, leading her to wish that they would never part, but they did and she pulled away with a smile to walk out of the room to begin her exploration of the house.

Leon merely chuckled to himself and sat back down onto the bed as his ankle had begun throbbing painfully with every beat of his heart, which was very fast after holding her within his arms. And he couldn't help but wonder how he was going to keep his emotions in check with them being confined here until he was healed.

Finding a room upstairs, she quickly browsed through various closets and drawers and found a change of clothing, planning to take a shower as she guessed it would help her get her mind off Leon and the feelings he stirred within her. He was very handsome and caring, and a good warrior at that, things that she had always hoped she would find in a man someday. But never had she expected him to be so perfect.

Soon she was done showering and rushed back downstairs to find him asleep, and she picked up the platter of food they had shared to take it into the kitchen. Then she turned on the television for a while, and after seeing nothing on that caught her interest, she stepped outside to look at the lake. A path led from the house to the shore, and she saw a gazebo sitting near the water's edge, wondering why Stigma had built it there.

Walking out to it, she sat on one of the benches and watched the play of sunlight across the water, as well as listening to the sound of the water lapping against the shore from waves stirred up from the breeze. But what took her breath away was the beauty of the mountains that overlooked the lake, its crystal clear reflection pictured on the lake. And seeing the snow that capped the peaks, she wondered what snow was like as she had never seen it in her lifetime.

When she returned back to the house, she found Leon still asleep and woke him after seeing how late it was getting. He turned sleepy gray eyes towards her, and she couldn't help but run her fingers lightly through his hair as she knelt by his bedside, smiling when his own lips turned up in a smile.

"Would you like some dinner?" she asked, enjoying the feel of his hair sliding across her fingers.

He nodded. "Unless you put me back to sleep," he murmured.

She stopped and withdrew her hand, but he reached up and caught it, holding it in his own for a few moments. "It felt wonderful," he sighed.

She chuckled. "I better watch myself around you, Leon. I just might spoil you. Although I must admit I wouldn't mind it."

He laughed. "Neither would I."

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before she rose to her feet to go fix them something to eat. She managed to pull together a meal of chicken and vegetables on rice, pleased when Leon told her how delicious it was. Afterwards he disappeared in the bathroom to take a shower, Morgan hanging around to make sure he was okay. At one point she thought she heard something and knocked on the door a few times, calling his name. Receiving no response, she cracked open the door to see him standing in the middle of the bathroom with nothing on except a towel around his waist.

Her eyes wide, she quickly shut the door and rushed back to the bed, sitting there with one of the pillows cradled against her body, the end covering just enough of her face except her eyes. He stepped out into the bedroom, and she buried her face within the pillow to hide the painful blush that rose to her cheeks, looking up when she felt his hand on her head. She was surprised to see him smiling.

Leon saw the surprise written on her face, but he knew she wouldn't be so happy if she knew the real reason why he was smiling. Standing there fresh out of the shower with a towel wrapped around him, he saw the quick flash of appreciation that had crossed her face before she had left. And to know that she had liked what she had seen filled him with a masculine pride he had thought he had lost after losing so many battles.

"Leon, I'm so sorry," she apologized in a soft voice, thankful he had put on the clothes she had found for him to spare her any more embarrassment.

He sat down on the bed next to her. "Don't worry about it," he replied. "It's all right."

She looked over at him, a small laugh escaping. "It's just that I thought I heard something and I was worried that something might've happened to you."

He ran his fingers through the silky auburn strands of her hair, smoothing it down her back as well as giving her a bit of a back rub at the same time as he gazed into her dark hazel eyes. "You were worried about me?" he asked, thinking of how beautiful she was and how badly he wanted to kiss her right now and end his torment. It was pure torture to want someone so badly and yet want to take things slowly until the time was right for him to make a move, but at this moment his resolve was failing miserably.

Morgan's breath caught in the back of her throat at the feel of his touch, closing her eyes and sighing when she felt his hand on the back of her neck, lightly caressing it and sending delicious shivers down her back. When she opened her eyes, she saw his face mere inches from hers, and her heartbeat quickened in response.

He was going to kiss her. Now.

But a little thought kept her from making it happen, even though her body and soul cried out for it, wanted it with a longing that was sweet pain in itself. She couldn't allow things to go too far between them for fear of rejection once he found out about her past.

She touched her hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating just as furiously as hers and almost giving in, but she remained firm even when she saw the confusion in his eyes give way to pain then acceptance. "Goodnight, Leon," she whispered, rising to her feet and walking out of the room, stopping in the doorway long enough to look upon him before leaving to go towards her own room.

But she didn't make it that far as the weight of her decision bore her down onto the steps, where she gathered her knees close to her chest and laid her head down on them. They had only known each other for today, and yet it felt like much longer, like they had known each other forever. She needed him more than anything else in her life, but she couldn't help but wonder if she was just clinging to him out of grief for her father's death. For his sake, she hoped not.

Leon couldn't help but feel like such a fool for letting his emotions get the better of him, and he vowed never to be so careless again where she was concerned. Settling back onto the bed, he reached over and turned off the lamp at his bedside, filling the room with shadows and moonlight as he tried to get some sleep.

Then he heard footsteps coming into his room and felt the opposite side of the bed sag as weight was put upon it, and he was even more surprised to feel an arm come around his waist as a head laid down on his chest. The scent that filled his nose told him it was Morgan, and it was quite an experience to feel her body pressed against his.

"Morgan, you know this is a bad idea, right?" he asked.

He heard her sniff. Damn, she had been crying.

"I know," she answered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "But I can't stay away from you, Leon. I don't know why, but I can't."

He sighed and pulled her closer so that her head rested just beneath his chin, and he brought his hand up to brush her hair back from her face while his other hand caressed her arm. "This is crazy, isn't it?"

She laughed and sniffed again. "It is," she agreed. "It doesn't make sense. But I think I should be here in case you need something so I can get it for you."

He wanted to tell her that he had what he wanted right here in his arms, but refrained from it as he kissed her hair. "Thank you," he replied.

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Man, this is turning out to be sappy! But do you think I care? NO! ^.^ I happen to like Leon very much, thank you. Thanks for reading! And please review!

	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids, just my own characters.

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER FIVE

Morgan awoke early the next morning, her head still pillowed on Leon's chest and his arms around her as she lay there listening to his even breathing wondering what he was dreaming about. He stirred in his sleep a bit and laid his hand on his stomach. She took her own hand and laid it on his, lightly caressing it and taking it in hers to hold it to her lips for a light brush of her lips on his skin as she looked up at his face, realizing that she was beginning to fall for him. Bad.

Shaking her head, she released his hand and moved off the bed without waking him to walk into the kitchen and grab some water to drink. She needed to get out of here for a short while, find somewhere where there were people and things to do to distract her from her thoughts of Leon. Even now, thinking of him lying there, she wanted to crawl back under the covers and stay close to him. It was a thought she could entertain for hours, but was dangerous to do so.

The phone ringing broke into her thoughts, and she was thankful for the distraction. She picked it up on the second ring, not wanting it to wake Leon. "Hello?"

"Morgan?" asked a voice she thought she'd never hear.

"Stigma?" she cried, her eyes wide with excitement, and she stepped outside into the cold morning air, her breath leaving little wisps of vapor in the air.

"Is everything all right?"

Just a few words, but they nearly proved to be her undoing as she wanted him to be here to talk to her and help her. But she was a child no longer that needed support from an adult as she was an adult herself now and able to take care of herself. "Everything's fine," she answered.

"You're not getting lonely, are you?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"No, actually there's someone here with me."

"Who?" he asked, his voice reminding her of her father's whenever he was concerned.

"A pilot who helped me escape. He sprained his ankle really bad in the battle, and I brought him here to patch him up. But he needs a cast put on it and crutches so he can walk."

Stigma was silent a moment. "Here's the name of a doctor in the town nearby who can help him. I'll call in a favor to him, and he'll give him whatever he needs."

She remembered the name of the doctor and decided that was going to be first on her list for today." Stigma, thank you so much for everything. How about you? Are you okay?"

"Never better," he replied. "Just stay there for as long as you like. I don't mind. And if you need money, there's some in a box in one of the drawers of the desk in my study."

"Stigma, no!" she protested. "You've already done enough!"

"Morgan, I promised your father I'd look after you, and that's what I'm doing," he answered. "Well, I'd better go. It's dangerous enough calling you. Take care and remember I love you, okay? Maybe I'll see you soon."

"I love you, too," she said then listened as the connection was severed. She walked back inside into the bedroom to see Leon still in the bed, a mean idea popping into her head. She got back into bed, not bothering to be quiet about it, and smiled when she saw him stir awake. But before he was fully awake, she stuck her feet under the covers against his and nestled her cold body next to his.

"Morgan!" he shrieked. "Damn, if you aren't cold!"

But instead of pushing her away like she thought he would, he instead held her closer much like he did last night. She chuckled mischievously at first then quieted when he ran his fingers through her hair and caressed the back of her neck, almost going back to sleep.

"Who called?" he asked.

She barely heard him as she was drifting back to sleep. "A close friend of my father's who knew I was coming here. He called to check on me to see if I was okay." She sat up next to him. "How would you like to try and go into town today? I figured it would be best for both of us to get out a little bit."

He heard the unspoken words in her statement saying that it would be best for them to be around other people other than each other. But he guessed it would be a good idea to test their feelings towards one another in public. "Sounds good to me," he replied.

"My father's friend is going to call in a favor to the doctor there so he can look over your foot and maybe give you some crutches to help you walk. Plus maybe we can do a little shopping."

Like any other man, he balked at that word. "Shopping?" he asked.

She eyed him strangely. "Yeah. Like for supplies and maybe a new change of clothes for both of us."

"And just where are you going to get the money for this?" She opened her mouth to answer, but he cut her off. "I know, your father's friend, right?" She nodded. "What's with this guy?"

"I used to call him my uncle when I was growing up, and he promised my father that he'd take care of me if ever he were to die," she replied. "Enough questions. Let's get ready so we can go."

Leon sighed. "Typical female. Mention the word shopping and they're instantly ready to go."

Growling playfully, she pounced on him and began trying to tickle him. "You take that back, Leon!"

"If the shoe fits!" he replied, easily fighting her off as he was stronger than her.

She gasped in outrage. "Why you--ah!" she cried when he flipped her onto her back and pinned her against the sheets. Both of their breaths came hard and fast, their eyes looking deeply into the others, and she loosened one of her hands to bring it up to touch his face. She saw his eyes close then reopen, desire filling their gray depths just as it washed over her body when she became aware of the press of his body on hers.

"Leon, why are we doing this?" she whispered. "We both know that it's dangerous to let anything happen between us, so why do we tempt each other like this?"

He breathed deeply to try and gain control over his emotions which were running rampant throughout his body. "We don't intend for things like this to happen, they just do. And it's up to us to keep things from becoming out of our control."

She didn't want to think of how much she would like for things to get that way with him. "Well then, I guess we'd better leave then, cause if we stay here then something's definitely going to happen," she said as she ran her fingers across his lips.

"Keep doing that, and we'll both find out what might happen," he said, reluctant to move but doing so anyway and watching as she left the room, rubbing his face with his hands. "You might just be the death of me yet, Morgan."

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Hope you're enjoying this! I promise they'll get together soon! Thanks for reading and please review!

	6. Chapter Six

Author's note: Thanks Ryan for the funny review! Do you mind if I use it in my fic? It sounds exactly like something they would say. And thanks to everyone else who reviewed! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER SIX

Soon they were ready to leave in the sportscar that she had found parked near the house. In fact she had almost stepped on it with the Blade Liger since she was so exhausted when they arrived and didn't see it.

She took it easy on the dirt roads, but once on paved roads she revved the engine and flew across the pavement, laughing when she saw Leon hanging on for dear life. They arrived in no time and immediately stopped by the doctor's office who admitted them and looked at Leon's ankle, eventually placing a support boot on his foot and giving him a pair of crutches to use.

Their next stop was a clothing store where Leon picked out a new set of clothes that looked incredibly sexy on him, as well as making him look like a tough warrior, which she had no doubt in her mind he was. She, on the other hand, chose a pair of denim jeans and a comfortable ivory sweater to wear since she wasn't a zoid warrior, and they both wore their new purchases since their current clothes were dirty and torn from battle.

At Morgan's insistance, Leon got his hair cut into a shorter length that suited him much better, and after that she began to notice the heads of various women turning his way whenever they passed. She would glare at them until they turned away, Leon smiling to see her reaction as it pleased him to see it.

Soon they both were hungry, and they stopped in a restaurant to grab a bite to eat. A comfortable silence descended upon them as they enjoyed each other's company. Instead of feeling a desire to go their separate ways, they stayed together and acted like two people who were discovering each other for the first time, which they were.

The waitress brought them their drinks, and Morgan couldn't help but notice that she readily responded to Leon's order but barely paid attention to hers when it was her turn. Strangely enough, she wanted nothing more than to drag him back to the house and show him how she was feeling at this moment. But maybe it was selfish of her to think that way as he may like to have his freedom to see other women once he left her.

Leon saw the troubled expression on her face. "Hey, what are you thinking about? I hope you aren't upset at the way all those women have been acting."

She shrugged as she swirled the liquid around in her glass with her straw. "Just so long as you aren't enjoying it and letting it go to your head."

He looked over at her, seeing her auburn hair tied back in a ponytail with a small amount left out to cascade down her shoulders and a few strands falling loosely around her face. Never had he seen someone so beautiful in all his life, and it was then he realized how much she meant to him. He took her hand in his and held it tightly with both of his. "Morgan, you are the only woman I want to look at me that way as I don't want or need anyone else in my life except you. Those other women don't have anything on you as you are the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on."

She was surprised and touched deeply at his confession. "You really think so?" she asked, a smile lurking at the corners of her mouth when she saw him nod as she fought against smiling like a little schoolgirl who has just found out her crush likes her. Thankfully the waitress returned to refill their drinks, and this time it didn't bother her when she got an eyeful of Leon as she knew that he didn't get any satisfaction from it.

She settled her eyes on him after the waitress left, all traces of giddiness gone. "Leon, have you thought about what you will do after you are healed up?" she asked.

He took a drink and leaned forward with hs elbows on the table. "I haven't really thought about it. I left the Blitz team to find out what kind of zoid warrior I was, and instead I found you. Only problem is, I don't have a zoid to fight with and I can't afford to repair the Shield Liger."

She worried at her lower lip with her teeth. "You could have the Blade Liger," she suggested.

His eyes widened. "I couldn't possibly," he breathed.

"Leon, I'm not part of a team, nor am I a free agent warrior like you. What would I possibly do with a zoid like that? Use it as a lawn decoration?"

That brought a smile to his face. "Still, it was your father's. Don't you think you need to keep it?"

"I think my father would want anybody but the Backdraft to have it," she answered. "Besides, it seems suited to you. Maybe you can take it for a run sometime."

He appraised her thoughtfully. "Maybe."

The rest of their lunch passed comfortably, Morgan learning about Leon's family, his sister's firecracker personality and his father's compulsive spending. He told her about Bit and Brad, and about the battles he had fought after leaving the team as well as remembering the first time he had met Bit Cloud.

She couldn't help but wish that she had been there to experience it all with him so she could share in something of his life, but if things progressed as she hoped they would then they would have the opportunity to share in a future together. But there was the problem of him not knowing she had been part of the Backdraft, and if she ever told him then she knew he could easily drop out of that picture.

Soon they finished and stopped by the produce shop to pick up some supplies such as snacks and things to fix for dinner. Then they piled everything into the car and headed back to their hideaway as she liked to think of it. Once there, they put all the groceries where they belonged and laid their remaining packages on the bed.

Morgan gestured for Leon to follow her outside to the gazebo, where she showed him the beauty of the mountains which were tinted gold by the setting sun. They sat there for some time, enjoying each other's company and listening to the breeze playing through the treetops, her eyes on his face the whole time.

"You know, it's no wonder you turned every woman's head today," she said, the words surprising her. "You are quite handsome."

He moved over so that he sat next to her on the bench. "Thank you," he replied, propping his elbow on the frame and laying his head against his fist as he played with a strand of her hair with his other hand.

She moved closer to him. "But not only are you handsome, you're smart, caring, very easy to get along with..."

A single eyebrow raised when he saw a smile spread across her face. "Is that all?"

She shook her head. "Not by a longshot," she replied. "I could go on for days, but I think your head's big enough as it is."

He stopped the inappropriate thought that ran through his mind before it went any further. "Oh, it is?" She nodded. "And just what are you going to do about it?" he challenged her.

Her laugh was low and seductive. "Make it a little bigger by saying that you're the sexiest man I ever laid eyes on," she replied, leaning forward to brush her lips against his neck and hearing his sharp intake of breath.

"Morgan," he groaned, moving his hand so that it rested against the side of her neck. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?"

"Mm-hmm," she replied, pulling back slightly. "Why do you think I'm doing this?"

"Don't you think we need to take it a little slower?" he asked.

This time she sat back, disbelief written all over her face. "Leon, am I getting mixed signals here? I thought that after today we were ready to move away from being just friends."

He leaned forwards towards her, trying to take her hands in his but she kept them away from his reach. "We are. It's just that I don't want us going so fast that we'll jump in the bed together and have at it. I need to know if this will prove to be a lasting relationship or if it is just desire that's between us."

She sighed impatiently. "I would've thought you would've figured that out by now," she said, rising to her feet and walking away. "Honestly, waiting to be with you is just like wishing for snow. Both of them will never happen."

Leon watched her disappear towards the house, his heart heavy after hearing her words. Why was he so reluctant to initiate things between them? He wanted her so badly he fairly trembled from it, but maybe that was part of the problem. If he was to ease this ache he had for her, perhaps everything else would fall into place for him. In order to find out how he really felt, was he going to have to take the plunge and have faith in their feelings for one another?

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Oh, the humanity! Will they ever get together?! Hee-hee! Maybe! Thanks for reading and please review!

	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids or Leon, though I wish I did. *sigh*

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER SEVEN

That night Morgan slept in the bed upstairs by herself, finally going to sleep cuddled around a pillow as she tried not to think of how much Leon's rejection hurt her. When next she awoke, she noticed that the light that filled the room seemed a funny color, and she eased out of the bed to walk up to the window and pull aside the draperies. What she saw made her eyes widen and for a moment she was unable to say anything as she took in the sight before her.

Everywhere she looked there was snow. The branches of the trees were lined with it, a delicate tracery of white against the dark trunk. Small birds hopped through it, no doubt wondering where it had come from as they looked for food. A gust of wind caused a shower of flakes to fall from the roof, and she watched entranced as they floated to the ground.

Then she came to her senses and all she knew was that she had to get out there before it disappeared. Grabbing some clothes and hurriedly pulling them on, she all but flew downstairs into Leon's room, jumping onto the bed and waking him with her cries of "Leon, it snowed last night! Come on, you've got to see it!"

He sat up in the bed, the covers falling down around him, and the fact that he was shirtless didn't even faze her as she was so excited. Surprised to see her here and in a state of high excitement, he could do nothing else except smile and take in the view as he had expected her to be angry with him after what happened between them. Then she started pulling on his hand, and he had to pull back to keep her from yanking him onto the floor. "Easy, Morgan! Give me some time to at least put on some clothes."

That put a stop to her, and she blushed as she was embarrassed, but it didn't last long as she darted from the room and ran outside to stand in the snow and twirl around like a little girl. The snow came up to just below her knees, and she tilted her head back when she felt the flakes falling from the trees once the breeze stirred them, the cold air staining her cheeks and lips pink as her breath plumed towards the sky.

She felt something hit her, and she spun around to see Leon laughing at her and packing another snowball in his hands. "All right, Leon, you asked for it," she said, packing her own snowball and throwing it at him, but missing.

"Ha! I can't believe you missed!" he crowed. "Some thrower you are!"

"Don't worry! I'm just warming up!" The next few shots she scored on him as she dodged some of the ones he threw and getting hit by the others. Soon he abandoned the snowball fight and took to chasing her as best he could with an ankle injury. But she was slowed down by the snow, and eventually tripped on something underneath, laughing as she landed on her back.

Leon appeared and held out his hand to her, chuckling as he helped her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

She nodded her head, still laughing. "I'm all right. Isn't this beautiful?" she asked, looking out across the lake at the mountains. The sun was beginning to come out and made everything glimmer from the snow.

He reached out and turned her head back to face him, brushing a few wet strands from her face as he looked upon her flushed face with her bright eyes, and he knew that he was in love now if he wasn't already. "Not as beautiful as you," he said.

She saw the way he looked at her and her heart pounded even more fiercely within her as she hoped it meant what she thought it was. But she thought of yesterday when she had seen that same look in his eyes and he had turned her away. "Leon, don't do this," she murmured.

He smiled. "If I remember your words correctly, you were wishing for two things to happen. Now that one of them has happened, don't you think that the other should?"

Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn't known that he had heard her, and she felt guilty for saying them. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you heard."

"It's okay," he laughed, brushing his thumb across her cheek and leaning closer to her, hearing as well as feeling her nervous breathing.

She saw them coming ever closer to one another, and she realized that she was trembling all over in anticipation and more scared than she had ever been in her life. His lips brushed lightly over hers at first then more sensually when he heard her moan his name, causing his lower abdomen to ache painfully. Her hands came around his neck as his arms enclosed her and pulled her against him, his lips sliding across hers then his tongue as he deepened their kiss. "Leon," she moaned as she felt a similar ache settle in the bottom of her stomach, and gasped when his kisses moved down to her neck which drove her insane with wanting. "Leon, please," she groaned.

Leon had had almost all he could handle as he fought against taking her then and there in the snow, although that would present quite a problem. "What?" he asked, his voice husky with desire. "What do you want?"

The wanton longing he saw in her eyes almost did him in. "I want you," she whispered, gazing into his gray eyes which now looked at her hungrily as she touched her fingers to his lips, soon pulling them close to touch her own as they became lost in each other's kisses. Soon they broke away to walk inside the house, remembering to shut and lock the door before heading towards the bedroom, all the while shedding their clothing until they fell on the bed. And for the next hour they explored the ways that two people could show their love for one another, following that with a short nap that gave them even more energy for more exploration.

Before long, their growling stomachs alerted them to the fact that they hadn't eaten yet, and she walked into the kitchen to prepare something for them to eat. Leon came into the living room where he started a fire in the fireplace and had it crackling invitingly by the time the food was ready, and they shared their meal at the table before moving onto the sofa that sat in front of the fireplace. Discovering that it was a fold-out sofa, they removed the cushions and pulled out the bed, Morgan running into the room to grab the comforter and throw it onto it before joining him. They lay there for a time, simply enjoying being held by one another as he ran his fingers through her hair, watching the silky strands fall to her back.

He had wondered if by easing this ache she stirred within him would help him see things clearer where she was concerned, but it had only awakened a deeper yearning within him for her, something he knew he would never be able to satisfy. He needed her like he had never needed anything else in his life, and he smiled at the irony of life sometimes. He had left his team to become a better warrior, but instead had found her, a woman who had helped him become a better man as she had given him back his pride and had made him realize that there were more things out there to enjoy than zoid battles.

She stirred in his arms, and he pulled her closer to kiss the top of her head, the words he wanted to tell her so bad on the tip of his tongue. But then she turned her face towards his for a soft kiss so achingly sweet that it touched both of them all the way down to their souls.

"What is it?" she asked, noticing that he seemed to be quiet, and she became slightly worried that maybe he was regretting what they had enjoyed with each other.

"Nothing," he answered. "Just enjoying lying here with you."

She smiled as she trailed her fingertip across his chest, the smile slowly fading. "Do you regret what happened between us?"

He looked down at her, his gaze guarded as he wondered the same about her. "Do you?"

She brought her hand up to touch his face. "No, absolutely not. It's just that you were so quiet, I wasn't sure."

"You have nothing to worry about then as I don't either," he replied, pulling her close for a kiss to assure her of that.

She sighed as she settled back against him, listening to the pop and crackle of the fire. "Where does that leave us then?" she asked, her tone not so serious this time.

"What do you mean?"

She smiled. "You said that you would fulfill my wish as it had snowed. Well, snow melts away and never comes back except when the time is right. So, are you going to be the same way?"

He sighed. "Morgan, what I feel for you will never go away. That's why I was so hesitant to rush into things as I wasn't sure if what we feel for each other would last past this one time."

She raised up so that she could look into his eyes. "But?" she prompted.

A smile spread across his lips. "But now that we have had this one time, I have found that I want this to last between us. I know that we haven't known each other that long, but you have done more for me than I thought possible, and I wanted to thank you for that."

A slow smile spread across her face. "How about you show me how thankful you are?"

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Awww! They're finally together! But what will this mean when he finds out about her past? Thanks for reading and please review!

	8. Chapter Eight

Author's note: Thanks, Ryan, for the wonderful reviews! Not too much going on in this chapter, I'm afraid, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER EIGHT

By the time morning dawned, most of the snow had melted except in places where the trees cast shadows upon the ground, and Morgan faced the new day with a happiness she hadn't felt in a long time. She was pleased that she had gotten to see it snow, but the greater part of her joy came from her love for Leon, and she knew that as long as she held that love close to her heart there was nothing she couldn't face.

Except one thing. The small matter of her past, which perhaps wasn't so small considering she had lied to him about where the Blade Liger had come from, and she knew that she had to tell him soon before things progressed to a deeper level.

She felt a pair of strong arms pull her close against his chest, and she readily melted into his embrace as she laid her arms across his. "I see most of the snow's gone," he pointed out.

"I hate to see it go," she sighed. "But I have you here to keep me happy now, don't I?"

"Mm-hmm," he replied, pulling her hair aside and kissing the back of her neck.

She laughed as a shiver raced down her spine. "So what brought you out here so early this morning?"

"Besides you?" he asked, releasing her and bringing his hands up to massage her neck and shoulders. She nodded, her head drooping forward as she relaxed. "Isn't that enough?"

Stepping away from him, she turned to plant a finger on his chest. "You are such a sweet talker, Leon," she teased.

He laughed. "I can't help it if it's true," he replied, pulling her close for a kiss. "Actually, I thought we might take a walk together to get out of the house for a bit."

She arched one auburn eyebrow over one hazel eye. "Cabin fever, hmm?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I guess so. Not that I'm saying that I don't enjoy spending that time with you," he hastily explained after seeing the other eyebrow join its twin. "What I meant was...oh, brother, why do I get myself into these situations?"

Not wanting him to suffer any longer than he deserved, she laughed and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I love you, Leon!" she cried, drawing back in surprise when she realized what she had just said, her hands covering her mouth.

He was just as surprised as he had wanted to tell her that since last night, and was happy that she felt the same way, allowing them both to share in a laugh as an awkward silence descended between them. "I love you, too, Morgan," he finally said.

Her eyes widened, and she giggled nervously before leaning forward to kiss him. "I think I've got a better idea to cure your cabin fever. Follow me!" she said as she took his hand and led him over to the Blade Liger, watching as she saw his eyes widen in appreciation of the zoid.

It seemed to sense Leon's presence as it turned towards him with a low roar that rolled over them and gave them both an idea of its power. "It's unbelievable!" he exclaimed. "No, it's awesome!" he cried, seeming for all the world like a little boy with a new toy.

She couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she watched him walk around the zoid. "It's yours if you want it," she called out to him.

He stopped his inspection and looked towards her, his face belying his astonishment. "No, I couldn't," he replied, although his eyes fell once more on the red zoid. This was the type of zoid he had always dreamed of piloting, and it was here within his grasp, being offered to him by someone who he loved very much. Strangely, he felt as if he didn't deserve such a powerful zoid, but he knew that with the Blade Liger he could realize his full potential as a zoid warrior.

Feeling a hand on his arm, he looked to see her standing beside him. "Leon, please. I want you to have it. As I said, what use have I for a zoid like this one when I'm not even planning to fight in any battles? Besides, it seems to like you."

A grin spread across his face, and it was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds as he picked her up off her feet and swung her around a few times, laughing as he heard her squeal of surprise. Before he met her, he had rarely found a reason to laugh, and it was just another reason among a long list of why he loved her so much. "And what about you?" he asked once he set her back down.

Breathless, she waited a moment before answering, and then she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "You'll do," she replied, smiling when she heard his exclamation of protest. "How about you take it out for a run?" she suggested.

He smiled and looked up at the zoid. "How about it, Blade Liger?" he asked.

The zoid responded with a loud roar that chased away every single bird and squirrel nearby.

Morgan sat on the porch steps waiting for Leon to return from his test run with his new zoid, wondering if he was hungry as it was past lunchtime and trying not to worry since he was gone so long. But then she heard their return and rose to her feet as they came into view and stopped, Leon getting out carefully as his ankle was still tender. "So what did you think?" she asked him.

"He's awesome!" he exclaimed. "His speed is unreal, and his blades are the ultimate weapon to have in a battle!"

She laughed. "I'm glad you like him. Now, I imagine you're hungry. I've fixed us something to eat for lunch--Leon!" she cried out in surprise when he pulled her up against him for a passionate kiss, his lips devouring hers before pulling away to allow them both to catch their breath. "What was that for?" she asked. "Not that I'm complaining."

He smiled. "I missed you," he said, holding her face in his hands as he kissed her again, this time more softly. "What would you say to meeting my family along with the Blitz team?"

She became nervous as she had never thought that she would be meeting his family one day. "I guess so," she answered uncertainly.

His smile faded as the last thing he wanted to do was to push her into something she didn't want to do. He was just excited after thinking about introducing her to his father and Leena and didn't stop to think about how she would feel. "If you'd rather not go..." he prompted.

She saw the disappointed light in his eyes, and she could've kicked herself for putting it there. "No! I mean, yes! I'd love to! I guess that I'd gotten so used to having it be just us two together, I never thought about meeting your family one day. Do you think they'll like me?" she asked.

He laughed at her nervousness. "I think they'll love you," he replied. "Let me go call them and see if they're there first. I can't wait to introduce you to my father," he said as he disappeared inside.

She followed him, shaking her head as she knew she couldn't refuse him anything.

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Oh, boy, is she in for a treat! Who knows what will happen once they arrive! Thanks for reading and please review!

	9. Chapter Nine

Author's note: Man, I haven't had a review on this one for a while. Has everyone deserted me? *looks around and hears nothing but crickets* I know Ryan has been reviewing my other zoids fics so I guess he likes those better. ^_~ Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I guess I'd better include it this time, but you all have read a thousand of them by now so you know the drill.

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER NINE

As soon as Leon spoke with his father, they gathered their things and left in the Blade Liger to travel to the Toros Base, where she would be meeting his family as well as his former teammates. She was becoming nervous just thinking about it, because if she did tell him about her past, which she would eventually have to do, there would be more casualties involved than just him. And she wondered how his family would react to her once she met them.

"You're awfully quiet back there," Leon commented from the front of the cockpit.

"Just enjoying the scenery," she replied.

He moved so that he was peering at her from around his seat. "You don't sound like you are," he pointed out, his eyes looking into hers.

She looked away from the directness of his gaze. "I guess I'm just nervous," she finally admitted, turning back to him when she felt his hand touch her face.

"You have nothing to worry about," he reassured her with a smile. "Just be your usual charming self, and I know they'll love you."

She smiled back and leaned forward to kiss him. "With you by my side, I know I'll be okay 'cause I love you so much."

He laughed softly, a sound that touched her heart deeply. "I love you, too." Then he turned back to the front, leaving her alone with her doubts once more.

They stopped over in a small town to grab something to ease their parched throats, Leon going inside and Morgan staying outside to stretch her legs and let the breeze play throughout her hair. She heard footsteps coming up behind her and assumed it was Leon, turning around with his name on her lips only to stare wide-eyed as she looked upon Stigma Stoeller instead.

The Backdraft warrior had never been so glad to see someone in all his life as he had been worrying about her ever since he had arrived at the cabin and had found her gone. Anger and relief warred inside him, and eventually relief won. "How are you doing, Morgan?" he asked.

She was having conflicting emotions to deal with herself as she wasn't sure if he was here to bring her back to the Backdraft or if he was here of his own accord. "Fine," she answered, keeping her voice neutral. "What are you doing here?"

"I came looking for you once I saw you were gone," he answered. "What do you think you're doing out here where they can find you?" he wondered, some of his earlier anger surfacing.

She became a little defensive after hearing the tone in his voice. "If you must know, we're going to visit someone."

"Why?" he asked.

"What, did you expect me to stay cooped up in that cabin forever?" she countered.

"If it means your safety, yes," he shot back just as heatedly. "Morgan, you know I promised your father I would look after you," he reminded her as he stepped closer to her and took her hands in his.

Her anger faded as she realized he only wanted what was best for her. "I know, but I can't just hide forever from them, Stigma. I have a life that I would like to enjoy as well, a life that I wish to share with someone special."

He raised an eyebrow. "And this someone would leave you by yourself knowing the danger you're in?"

She sighed. "He doesn't know everything about me just yet," she admitted.

He nodded his head. "And just when are you planning to tell him?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she answered unhappily, bringing her eyes up to look into his. "I'm scared, Stigma."

His heart melted to hear the tremble in her voice, and he gathered her in his arms to offer her whatever she needed, hearing her sigh as her arms closed around him. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

He smiled. "You know I would do anything for your father," he replied as he pulled away from her.

She didn't know why, but she giggled a little. Perhaps it was her way of getting through a difficult moment. "I know."

"Morgan?"

She jumped at hearing Leon's voice and turned to see him standing behind her holding a bag of groceries. "Is everything all right?" he asked, eying Stigma warily as he was wondering what she was doing in a stranger's arms.

"Leon, this is Stigma Stoeller, the friend of my father's I keep telling you about that has helped us out," she introduced him.

The younger man's eyes didn't change but he walked forward with an outstretched hand to offer a handshake, which Stigma accepted. "Thanks for all you have done for the both of us," he said, not entirely sure what was going on but not about to embarrass himself by flying off the handle at someone who had given them everything they ever needed without being asked.

"It was my pleasure," Stigma replied. "After all, her father and I were close friends, and he asked me to look after her in case he died." Then he turned towards Morgan. "I am happy to see you in the care of someone who cares about you just as much as I do. I will be able to rest at night knowing you are in good hands. Farewell to the both of you."

She watched as he walked away, wondering what Leon must be thinking and dreading to see his reaction, but was surprised to feel a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"He seems to be a good man," he said, sensing that he had just come upon the tail end of something very important that had just happened.

"He is," she agreed. "He has looked after me ever since I was little. I think of him as an uncle more than anything since nobody can replace my father, although Stigma comes close."

"I wonder what he was doing here?" he asked.

She sighed. "I imagine he had come to the cabin to check on us, but once he found out we weren't there he came looking for us out of concern for me. But I think that now since he knows I'm in good hands, maybe he will stop worrying about me."

Looking into her eyes and seeing the love she felt for him, he decided to put aside his feelings of unease. "Maybe. Now how about we get going? It will be getting dark soon."

The sun had just disappeared behind the horizon when they arrived at the Toros Base, both of them glad to have an end to the trip as their stomachs were growling hungrily by now. They brought the Blade Liger inside and jumped to the ground to see that they had a welcoming party waiting for them, Leon leaving her side long enough to meet his sister, who had taken off at a run towards him, and he met her in an enthusiastic hug. Soon they were joined by his father, and Morgan could see where Leon had gotten his good looks from as she stood by the Liger with a nervous smile on her face.

Leon had never been more happy to see his family since he had missed them terribly these past few months. "Dad, Leena," he said after they separated. "There's someone I'd like you to meet." He led them over to his beloved, taking her hand in his own and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "This is Morgan. Morgan, this is my sister, Leena, and my dad."

Standing in front of them, she had never felt more like hiding in a hole somewhere than she did right now, but she put her brightest smile on her face as she greeted them in return. "Nice to meet you. Leon has told me a lot about you both, and the team as well." That sounded good enough.

"Happy to meet you, Morgan," Leon's father said. "You can call me Doc. Everyone else does. Now I know you both are starving so let's go get something to eat."

Leena darted off after Bit, exclaiming that he wasn't going to hog all the food tonight, and Doc rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Those two," he lamented. "If you would like, you can have your old room, Leon, to stay in. And I know you both just got here, but I've taken the liberty of planning on going to the beach for a vacation. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Leon laughed. "That sounds great, Dad. I think you'd better go before Bit and Leena tear each other to pieces. We'll be along shortly."

The older man took the advice and left them alone. Leon turned towards Morgan, who took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

She smiled her agreement, but she could only hope it didn't get any worse.

********************

Hmm, a beach trip, huh? There's a lot of things that could happen there, I wonder.... Oh, well, thanks for reading and please, please review!

	10. Chapter Ten

Author's note: Well, still can't read any reviews, but I can still update! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER TEN

Dinner went well as everyone else was too busy being occupied with other things to ask questions about their relationship, which Morgan knew they would eventually. They would want to know about how they met and about her past as well as their future together, and she wondered what Leon would tell them if they asked him. Up until know, she had never given their future much thought as she had merely been living day to day, thankful just to be able to enjoy them with someone so special that she loved with all her heart.

At times, she would look up from her plate and see Brad's eyes on her, and she wondered why he looked at her so intently as it embarrassed her to a certain degree. Thankfully, Bit and Leena's bickering over each other's food kept his attention diverted somewhat as he had to watch and make sure he wasn't involved as well.

Leon never made any advances towards her romantically during that time, leading her to wonder if he was just shy about it in front of his family, or if he was having second thoughts after coming back to them and had no need of her anymore. And after seeing him slip easily back into the routine, she became somewhat depressed as she missed her own family.

It was enough to make her leave, and she hastily excused herself as she walked out into the hallway to sink back against the wall and onto the floor, her breaths coming deep and quick as she needed to catch a breath of air. Drawing her knees to her chest, she propped her forehead against them as she fought against giving in to the tears that threatened to emerge. She could only imagine what they were thinking after running off like that, but she couldn't face seeing the love that Leon's father and sister felt for him without thinking of her own father. And it had cut deep, reopening wounds she had thought were closed.

Feeling a hand on her chin urging her to look up, she did to see Leon's concerned eyes gazing into hers with such love and worry she felt awful for doubting him even for a second. Two tears slid down her cheeks, paving the way for even more to come. "I'm sorry, Leon," she whispered, allowing herself to be pulled into his comforting embrace as she gave way to her tears.

"It's okay, Morgan," he murmured against her ear, feeling her hot skin against his neck as he wondered what had gone so wrong as to bring this on. Then he looked up to see his father and Leena standing nearby with the same concerned expressions on their faces, indeed everyone was there standing in the hallway. Suddenly it hit him what was wrong, and he could've kicked himself a thousand times for not thinking how it would affect her.

Rising slowly to his feet, he brought her up with him and led her down the hallway to his old room which had been prepared for their arrival. After setting her down on the bed, he went to shut the door and glanced outside to let everyone know everything would be okay and he would see them shortly. Then he returned to her side and lay down beside her, combing his fingers through her hair and brushing his thumb against her cheek to wipe away her tears.

"Morgan, I'm so sorry for not thinking," he said softly. "I should've known better than to push you into this so soon after losing your father."

She sniffled as the last of her tears subsided. "It is I who needs to be apologizing," she said, her voice still shaky. "I can only imagine what everyone is thinking right now."

He raised up to kiss her cheek. "Nonsense. You're just tired from traveling and this bunch can be a lot to handle when you're not prepared for it. Was there anything else wrong?"

She smiled sheepishly. "It's silly," she said.

"Tell me," he urged her.

She laughed then grew serious as she gazed into his eyes. "I thought that after coming back to be with your family you may not need me anymore," she admitted in a small voice.

His eyes stared into hers for a moment before he gently pushed her over onto her back and moved on top of her to catch her lips in an unbelievably soft kiss which sent a thrill coursing throughout her body. She held him close to her, not wanting him to leave just yet, and when he finally pulled away to look into her eyes she touched his face with wondering fingers. "Is that proof enough that I need you?" he asked.

She smiled as she nodded. "I love you, Leon Toros," she said, bringing him back down for another kiss. They suddenly pulled apart when they heard something outside their door, and he stepped silently over to it, yanking it open to see two members of the Blitz Team fall inside with another standing outside with his arms crossed.

"Hello, Bit, Leena," Leon greeted them in a sour tone.

They both jumped to their feet and stood there with sheepish grins on their faces. "Sorry, Leon," Leena apologized. "We were just making sure everything was okay."

"That's not what I heard," Brad spoke up. "If I remember correctly, you both wanted to see if they were--mmph!"

"Like we said, we were making sure nothing was wrong," Leena explained as Bit kept his hand over Brad's mouth and having a hard time as Brad was fighting him.

"Sure, I believe you, Leena," Leon replied drily, stepping outside and closing the door behind him. "If you both would do me a favor and relax whenever you're around Morgan? She's not quite gotten over losing her father, and at times you're both nervewracking when you're around one another."

All three immediately calmed down after hearing his words. "Poor girl," Leena lamented, and the other two merely nodded their heads in sympathy.

"Now, I believe we're leaving for the beach in the morning so we'd better get some rest." Bit and Brad left, but Leon held his sister back to speak with her a moment. "Leena, I didn't mean to be harsh," he began.

She waved him off. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I just wish you had told us beforehand so we could've avoided it."

"I know, and it's my fault," he admitted. "I wasn't thinking too clearly myself. I was just so impatient to have her meet you all I didn't think of what it could do to her."

She smiled. "She makes you that happy?" she asked, genuinely happy for her older brother that he had found someone.

He nodded, his own smile the widest she'd ever seen on him. "I don't know what I'd do without her."

"Then I wish you both the best of luck," she said, raising up to kiss his cheek. "See you in the morning, big brother," she said as she walked away to her room.

"Good night, Leena," he returned before going back inside to his beloved to see her already asleep, and he shed his own clothing to ease down in the bed beside her, kissing her cheek and whispering, "I love you," before settling down to sleep himself.

The next morning they were all up and packing their things for the trip to the beach, Morgan excited as she had never been to the beach before. Soon the call for breakfast came, and they all converged at the table to attack the piles of pancakes and french toast that Jamie had prepared, and she got the feeling that no one else here knew how to cook, just how to eat it all.

Stuffed, she sat back in her seat with a sigh of contentment. She felt so much better after last night since she knew everything would be all right, and at the same time she felt bad because everyone had acted like they were walking on eggs around her. And she knew it was because of what Leon had said to them last night.

"That was delicious, Jamie!" she exclaimed.

He looked over at her, his face surprised. "Thanks," he replied, thinking that was perhaps the first compliment he had ever gotten on his cooking.

Then she sighed as she sat up a little straighter. "I also wanted to tell everyone that I apologize for my behavior last night. But I'm feeling much better now, and there's no need to act so carefully around me."

They all looked to each other, embarrassed that they had been so obvious. Then they looked to Leon, who shrugged and looked at her. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked, taking one of her hands underneath the table and holding it within his own.

She smiled and jumped out of her seat to sit in his lap. "Of course, I'll be okay!" she cried. "I wouldn't have said so otherwise, silly!"

Brad, Leena, and Jamie laughed, but Bit sat there looking intently at the couple as if he were waiting for something to happen. When it did, he grinned and began chanting a little song designed to torment young couples. "Morgan and Leon, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G..."

"Bit!" Leon cried as Morgan laughed along with everyone else.

"Bit! Leave them alone!" Leena seconded. "I think it's so romantic!"

Hearing a strange sound coming from Doc, they looked to see him sitting there with a starry-eyed expression. "I can't believe it! I'm going to be a grandfather!"

"DAD!" Leon shrieked as Morgan's face flamed redder than her Blade Liger.

*********************

Hee-hee! That was a little idea Ryan gave me in the form of a review. Thanks for letting me use it, even though it wasn't quite the same as yours! Thanks for reading!

	11. Chapter Eleven

Author's note: Thanks to all who reviewed! Especially, Schala85!

If anyone out there is a Stoeller fan, which I am ^_^, go read "Night Striker" which Biowolf is posting for her. It's a great fic and will only get better as it goes on!

And Ryan, you give me so many ideas, I think I should put you down as a co-writer of this fic! Love ya!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Shortly after breakfast, everything was piled inside the hover cargo and they left the Toros Base bound for the surf and sand of the beach, spending the time between in different ways. Morgan and Leon caught a nap together while Brad sat watching TV and sipping his coffee, trying to hear through the yelling and screaming of Bit and Leena. Soon Morgan walked into the same room Brad was and stretched out on the couch across from Brad, yawning as she was still sleepy, and as she lie there she would glance at him from time to time and see him looking at her strangely.

Finally she turned to look at him, and he turned his eyes back to the TV. "Do I know you, Brad?" she asked. "You keep looking at me, but I know I've never seen you in my life."

He appeared embarrassed. "You just remind me of someone, that's all," he replied. "Sorry if it bothers you."

She smiled. "Not at all," she said, sitting up. "So, is this person a love interest of yours?"

He was saved from answering as Leon came into the room. "There you are," he said, lowering himself down beside her and kissing her gently. "I wondered where you disappeared to after I got out of the shower."

"I wanted to take a little tour of the place, but decided I'd be better off staying here seeing as Bit and Leena are at it again," she said.

As if on cue, both of them came tearing through the room, two miniature tornadoes chasing each other screaming at the top of their lungs. "Bit! Give me back my doughnut, right now!"

"No way! Not until you promise not to take my cookies, Leena!"

Then as soon as it started, it was over as they moved on to torment someone else. "Some things never change," Leon said, shaking his head.

Before long they arrived at the beach, leaving the hover cargo parked outside the city limits. Leena had already established that she wished to go into town to browse through some of the beach shops to shop for new bathing suits, and everyone else decided it would be a good idea also. Bit suggested that they take the motorcyles that had been sitting around collecting dust, and Brad, Leena, and Jamie agreed wholeheartedly with excitement.

Morgan looked to Leon, wondering why he didn't share their enthusiasm. "What about you, Leon?" she asked, wanting to ride on one but not without him.

He saw the excitement in her eyes and smiled. "I'm sorry, Morgan, but that's one thing I don't do anymore."

"Oh," she murmured, crestfallen. "Well, I'll just ride with you and your father then."

He laughed and embraced her. "You can go ahead and ride with them if you want. I won't mind."

She pulled back away from him. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," he assured her. "Now go on before they leave you behind."

She hugged him tightly and kissed him firmly. "I love you, Leon! Thanks!" she said as she ran off after them. "Wait up, guys!"

They stopped long enough to let her catch up, and she walked with them the rest of the way to the hangar where the bikes were kept. "I'm surprised to see you here without Leon," Brad pointed out.

"I wasn't going to, but he insisted I come along," she replied. "I wonder why he won't ride one?"

"He had an accident on one when he was younger and was hurt pretty bad. It scared him so much that he's never gotten on another one since," Leena supplied.

Morgan dwelled on this while the guys prepared the bikes, making sure there was enough gas and that they ran well enough to be dependable since they hadn't been used in a while. Satisfied with what they saw, Leena hopped on one with Bit and Morgan chose to ride with Brad, leaving Jamie by himself, and they sped out of the hover cargo into the city. Morgan had never felt such exhilaration in all her life as the wind whipped through her hair, and she was glad that she had thought to tie it back in a ponytail to keep it from getting too snarled. Only problem was, she was forced to hold onto Brad to keep herself from flying off the back, and she felt a little uncomfortable having her arms around someone other than Leon.

The streets were nearly jammed with traffic, especially the road that ran parallel to the beach itself since various hotels lined the sides, and they cruised at a slow pace, stopping at whatever shops caught their eye. Morgan was astounded at the number of T-shirt shops that sold all kinds of merchandise, some of them cute and some of them causing a blush to rise to her cheeks. As they continued on their way, evening drew upon them and the streets became lined with walkers, mostly young girls out to show themselves off with clothing that barely covered their figures, but there were some guys out there looking for a good time as well.

Some of the girls were actually making eyes at Brad, and she couldn't blame them as he was sexy in his own right, but couldn't compare to Leon in her eyes. At one point, she and Leena had gone inside one of the shops that sold all manner of items, specifically ones meant to be used by couples, and Leena dropped a few suggestions her way as to which ones she should get. Morgan was mortified that Leena would speak about her brother in such a manner, but it gave her some ideas to think on.

When they walked back outside, they saw Bit and Brad talking to a few girls who were practically falling over them. Leena bristled a bit at seeing this. "Look at Bit, the rat," she fumed.

Morgan looked at her in surprise. "Leena, don't tell me you have a crush on Bit," she said.

Leena flipped her hand nonchalantly. "No chance there," she replied. "I'm just surprised he would speak to a piece of trash like her."

The other woman giggled, seeing that Brad seemed to be suffering through all the attention. "Watch this, Leena," she said as she walked outside and sauntered up to him. "What's going on, Brad?"

He appeared somewhat surprised at what she was doing but caught on quickly. "Just talking to these young ladies here," he replied. "Find anything good inside?"

"Oh, yeah, I did," she said. "Just wait till we get some time alone tonight. You'll find out then, I promise you," she added as she ran her fingers up his arm and touched his jaw in a suggestive caress.

Leena had to fight to keep from laughing. If these girls hadn't taken the hint by now, then they were as blond as they looked.

One of them crossed her arms in front of her. "Excuse me, but I don't get the feeling you're his girlfriend. I've been watching him all day and I've seen nothing that tells me you're together, so I decided to come find out myself. And I would have if you hadn't walked up."

Morgan smiled. "Oh, so I came just in the nick of time," she purred. "You were going to tell them about us, weren't you, honey?"

Brad was trying his hardest to remain calm during this little show, but as it turned out it was having an adverse effect on him, especially since she was playing it to the fullest. "Of course, you know I was."

The girl stepped closer to them, almost thrusting her face in Morgan's. "Well, if you are together, then why don't you show us how serious you both are?"

Morgan's eyes widened. She hadn't counted on it going this far. "Child, you don't want me to show you how serious we are. You're likely going to be running back to your mommy and crying your eyes out cause you know you'll never be the same afterwards. Besides, we're in public, and we'd likely get arrested."

Leena and Bit snickered, his eyes wide as he wondered what would happen next. The girl bristled, but remained calm. "Well, if you won't, then that just tells me that you aren't his girlfriend and that means he's mine for the taking."

Morgan's eyes flashed to Leena, who smiled and winked at her. "Oh, all right you asked for it," she said, moving over slowly in front of Brad. "I'm sorry about this," she whispered before catching his lips in a heated kiss that had catcalls sounding all around them. She had sat on his lap so that everyone would get a good view, and she moaned as she felt his hands on her back holding her close as she slipped her tongue inside his mouth, deepening the kiss as she threaded her fingers through his hair and held him still. She managed to make it believable enough and yet still keep it from becoming personal, but one thought did cross her mind, a thought that she couldn't keep held back.

Damn, but if he wasn't a good kisser.

She pulled away from him and wiped the corners of his mouth with her finger, smiling provocatively at him, and seeing the dazed look in his eyes. "How was that?" she purred.

Brad couldn't help but wonder if he was going to be able to sleep at all tonight. Damn if she wasn't the hot vixen! But he knew that it was only just a show and tried not to think too much into it, although the pressure between his legs told him differently. "Keep doing that, and I'll have to rent us a room right now."

She laughed at that, her laughter growing louder as she saw the girls walking away. "You should've seen the look on their faces!" Leena exclaimed. "But, wow, that was a hot kiss! I can see why Leon hooked up with you!"

Morgan blushed and covered her face with her hands. "Please don't tell Leon!" she begged. "This will hurt him for sure if he finds out!"

"Don't worry, our lips are sealed," Leena assured her. "But that was great, though!"

Bit and Jamie stood by looking at each other helplessly. "Why couldn't we have been that lucky?"

****************

Poor Bit and Jamie! But what a moment between Brad and Morgan! Uh oh, I hope that this doesn't get to Leon! But you know Bit and his big mouth....

Thanks for reading and please review!

	12. Chapter Twelve

Author's note: Finally, an update! About time! Thanks for all the reviews, guys! As for why Morgan did what she did, let's just say she had a moment of insanity. That and I needed something that would really have the potential to break them apart. Not that I'm saying I will! :p

I guess I'd better make like Bit and keep my big mouth shut! ;)

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER TWELVE

Morgan glanced back towards Brad, now feeling uncomfortable around him after what she had just done to him, especially since they didn't even know one another and it wasn't even like her to do such a thing. She felt rotten for even doing it as she knew that it reflected badly on her feelings towards Leon, and she hoped that he never found out although if he did, she more than deserved what was coming to her.

She moved off his lap and stood beside him, a troubled expression on her face. "Brad, I'm so sorry about this."

He smiled and waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Besides, it accomplished what you wanted it to, didn't it? And I must admit that it had some side perks as well," he added.

She blushed furiously. "But I feel so bad, especially since I love Leon so much. How could I have been so stupid to do that?"

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she looked over into Leena's lavender eyes. "Morgan, we all know how much you love my brother," she said. "Which is why we're going to keep quiet about this, aren't we, Bit?" she emphasized.

He held his hands up. "Hey, what're you looking at me for?" he asked. "I know how to keep a secret."

Leena, Brad, and Bit all glared at him. "You'd better or else we'll have to put duct tape over your mouth to keep you quiet," Leena threatened.

"Hmph, I'd like to see you try," he returned, earning a good chasing from Leena.

At that point, Leon and his father showed up as they came walking up to them. "Leon!" she cried as she ran towards him, jumping into his embrace and holding him tightly as they shared in a long kiss together, happy to see each other again.

Doc Toros smiled as he watched them. "All right, team, I've made reservations at a nice restaurant Leon and I found so we'd better hurry if we're going to have any time to get out on the beach."

Leena stopped chasing Bit at the mention of food, and Morgan decided it would be best for her to ride with Leon and his father as they all rode to the restaurant. Lucky for them it was an all-you-can-eat buffet, and they stuffed themselves full, all except Morgan and Brad of course, Brad because he never ate a lot and Morgan because she was still feeling guilty.

After they were finished, they walked out onto the white sandy beach, Morgan taking the time to savor the feel of the sand between her toes and the smell and sound of the waves crashing against one another as she watched everyone else except Leon enjoy running along the beach. Leon came up behind her and held her against him, nuzzling her hair aside to kiss the side of her neck softly with his breath teasing her ear. She shivered all over, and almost lost it then and there when she heard his laugh. "What's so funny, Leon?" she asked lightly. "You know what kind of effect you have on me."

"I know," he answered, his teeth nipping gently where he had kissed, drawing a tortured gasp from her as her body ached all over for him. "Which is why I love teasing you like this."

"Leon," she groaned, turning in his arms and taking his face in her hands. "You are a very cruel man, do you know that?" she asked as she trailed soft kisses up and down his neck, pleased to hear his sharp intake of breath.

"No more than you are," he replied, closing his eyes as he fought against fulfilling his desires right then and there on the soft sand. "You just wait until we get back to the hover cargo."

She pulled away far enough to gaze into his eyes. "Why don't we go now?" she suggested. "If we leave now, we may have enough time to get there and have some time alone together."

He smiled as he brushed her hair back away from her face. "It sounds tempting, but I don't want to take the truck and leave Dad with no way back except for the alternative. I wouldn't want to put him through that kind of torture."

She giggled at the image that brought up. "I know what you mean," she replied, turning when she felt a hand grab her arm. "Leena!" she cried as the younger girl dragged her away from Leon and towards the ocean waves that washed on shore.

"Come on, Morgan, you're supposed to have fun when you come here!" Leena exclaimed. "How about helping me find some seashells?"

Morgan laughed but looked back at Leon, who she saw walking towards Brad, Jamie, and Bit. "I only hope you keep your mouth shut, Bit Cloud," she muttered to herself.

Leon stopped to stand beside Brad, who was watching Bit and Jamie play an impromptu game of football with some other guys they didn't know. "How's things going with you, Brad?"

The mercenary shrugged. "I can't complain. Things have been going pretty well so far."

"Looks like Bit's doing a good job. The Blitz Team has been racking up the wins, that's for sure," he pointed out.

Brad nodded, his eyes glancing over to where Morgan and Leena were. "You've got quite a woman there, Leon," he said. "I hope you don't ever plan on letting her go."

Leon eyed the other man out of the corner of his eye. "Why, are you interested?" he asked carefully.

"Not a chance," he replied with a laugh. "There's someone else that I'm interested in right now. Morgan reminds me a lot of her, mostly in looks."

"Oh, I see. You wouldn't be talking about the leader of the Fluegal Team, the one they call the Red Comet?" Leon asked with a smile, laughing when Brad didn't answer. "I love Morgan very much, but there's something she's holding back, and I wonder what it is. I've tried asking her, but she doesn't want to tell me, and it bothers me that she doesn't feel she can confide in me."

"Maybe she's afraid that she'll lose you because of it," Brad pointed out.

Leon sighed. "If it's something in her past, I can forgive her anything as that's all it is. It's in her past and I can't change that, I'll just have to accept that as a part of her." He was silent a moment. "However, there was something that happened on our way to the base that was strange."

"What was it?" Brad asked, now feeling worse for allowing Morgan to kiss him when he knew how much Leon loved her. He had just as much a part in this as she did as he should've stopped her no matter what the stupid girl thought. And he was a little upset at Morgan for butting in when he could've handled the situation on his own, and in the end it just made a bad situation even worse.

"There is this friend of her father's that keeps watch over her as he had promised her father he would before he died. But she won't tell me who he is or what he does, she just insists he's a friend of the family. The only thing I know is his name."

"What's his name?" the mercenary questioned, a little intrigued himself at what she was hiding.

"She said his name is Stigma Stoeller."

"Stoeller?" Bit's voice came from in front of them as he walked back towards them with Jamie in tow.

"You know him, Bit?" Leon asked.

"You could say that," Bit replied. "He's part of the Backdraft organization that promotes unsanctioned battles. He pilots an awesome zoid called the Elephander."

Leon was quiet as he thought this information over. If Stigma was part of the Backdraft, then what about her father? Had he been part of the organization as well? And was that who she was escaping from when he had come across her in the Blade Liger?

Then it all made perfect sense. Her father had developed the zoid but didn't want to use it for some reason, so they killed him. And for that, she took the Blade Liger and escaped, and that's how he found her.

Bit saw Leon leave and walk towards Morgan, and he bit his lip nervously as he wondered if he had just opened his big mouth again.

*******************

Oh, boy! Now that Leon knows of what's been bothering Morgan, what will he do? Will he forgive her not opening up to him, or will the more destructive secret come out into the open? I'll never tell!

Bit: No, but I will!

Shelly: Ahhh!!! Bit, what're you doing here? It isn't bad enough I've had to put up with Thomas, now I have you bugging me! What did I ever do to deserve this anguish and torment?! *sob*

Thomas: Fine! If that's how you feel, then I'll just leave! Come on, Bit, let's go. It's obvious she doesn't appreciate what we do for her. If it wasn't for me, then she wouldn't have gotten half the reviews she did on "Dragonflame".

Bit: You got that right!

Shelly: Fine, leave then! And don't let the door hit your @$$ on the way out! *Slams door behind them* Man, am I going to miss Thomas. Maybe if I write that fic about him like I promised then he'll forgive me. Maybe not. *sigh* Besides, he's probably on his way over to Dracou Malfoy's since she's writing a fic about him, which is wonderful! Oh, well!

Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading!

	13. Chapter Thirteen

Author's note: Thanks everyone for the wonderful reviews! Man, is Thomas in trouble for leaving or what? Ryan's threatening to get into his Gundam and come after him and Bit, and Schala85's Klary's gonna join him as well. I guess it's a good thing he's in Dracou Malfouy's cage. ^_~

Everyone fasten their seatbelts as it gets better from here! Hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I guess I'd better put this in here this time. Nope, I don't own zoids. Just Morgan.

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The whole time she and Leena were searching for seashells, Morgan had tried to keep a discreet eye out for Leon to see if anyone told him of what happened. But when she saw him approaching them, her heart leaped to a wild beating inside her as she was bracing herself for the inevitable to happen. "Leena, your brother's coming this way," she whispered. "Do you think he knows?"

The young woman risked a glance. "I don't think so. He looks pretty calm. But in case he does find out, I'll stand beside you to make sure you both stay together."

"Thanks, Leena," she replied.

"Find any shells?" Leon's voice finally reached them.

Morgan turned with a smile that tried to cover up her nervousness. "A few. They're pretty small though."

Leon returned her smile, his own expression troubled. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked Morgan as he took her hand in his.

She almost stopped breathing. "Of course," she returned as they walked away a short distance. "What is it?"

He really didn't know how to approach this, but he guessed the direct way was the best. "Morgan, I found out from Bit who this Stigma Stoeller is. He's part of the Backdraft Group, which means your father was also, wasn't he?"

She tried not to let her relief show as she was no longer worried about how to handle this after having something worse to worry about. "He was," she answered. "He developed the Blade Liger to defeat the Liger Zero in battle, only the Backdraft wanted me to be the one to pilot it since they thought it was time I joined their ranks. He fought against it passionately as he didn't want any harm to come to me, but they still held true to their views.

"He vowed then to leave and go to the Zoid Battle Commision with everything he knew, saying he was taking me with him as well as the Liger. Not long after he was found dead, and the doctors pronounced it a natural death as opposed to foul play. But I knew better and so did Stigma since my father had told him of what he had done, and that's when he begged Stigma to watch after me, to keep me safe at all costs. It was Stigma's idea that I take the Liger and leave, which led you to me."

Leon gazed into her eyes for what seemed like forever before he released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "If that's all it was, then why didn't you tell me in the first place?" he asked quietly.

She took his hand in hers and raised it up to kiss it softly. "Because I was afraid I'd lose you, Leon. The Backdraft are not very popular as they fight without any rules, something that could very well end up killing the pilot. I thought that if you knew about my past with them, then you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me. And even after being together for only a short time, I knew that I didn't want to see you walk away from me after seeing me as I once was." Then she turned hazel eyes glistening with tears to his. "I'm so sorry, Leon. I know what I did was wrong....Can you ever forgive me for lying to you?"

He touched his hand to her face and drew her into his embrace, her head tucked underneath his chin. "Your past is a part of you, Morgan, a part that I cannot change. The way I see it, you were an unfortunate victim of an organization that makes its own rules just to spite those who would fight fair. Since you never fought for them in any battles, then I see no reason why I can't forgive you."

She pulled away from him just enough to look at his face, searching for the answer in his eyes even though he said he forgave her. Then she threw her arms around his neck and held him close, her heart overflowing with love for him. "Oh, Leon, I don't deserve you. I love you so much."

His soft laughter teased her ears. "I love you, too," he said. "Although I happen to think that you do deserve me, and that's all that matters."

Brad, Bit, and Jamie watched in silence as Leon took Morgan aside to speak with her, not even noticing Leena's presence when she came to a stop near them. "What's with them?" she asked.

"Leon just found out that Morgan may have something to do with the Backdraft," Brad answered. "I guess that's what he's talking to her about."

Leena's eyes widened in shock. "Morgan? No way! She's nothing like them!"

"Doesn't matter," Bit added, his voice a little harsh. "There's a chance she may be trying to steal my Liger from me again."

"Oh, come off it, Bit! Not everything's about you and your Liger! She wouldn't do anything like that! Besides, she's had her share of chances to do so, and if that's what she was going to do then she would've done it by now," she retorted.

"But how do we know we can trust her? She didn't tell Leon who she was, which means she might still be working for them. And what about earlier today? If she truly loved him, then she wouldn't have done what she did," he fired back.

Leena's fists clenched and she thrust her face into his. "You're just jealous, Bit Cloud, because she kissed Brad instead of you!"

"Am not!" he shouted.

"Are too!" she shouted back just as loud.

"AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

Brad shook his head as he crossed his arms in front of him. "Will those two ever stop?"

Jamie sighed. "You know what they say. Love makes the world go 'round."

"What was that?!?!" both Leena and Bit screamed as they faced Jamie, his own scream joining them as they chased after him up and down the beach.

Brad sighed and eyed Leon and Morgan once more, a smile appearing when he saw them embrace each other. Then his smile disappeared as he felt a pair of arms slide around his shoulders.

"Hey, Brad, I see you're alone," a female voice purred beside him.

He looked to see the owner of the slurred voice, and his eyes widened as he saw it was the girl from earlier that had tried to become such good friends with him, and judging from the smell of her breath she had had more than her share of alcohol so far. "What are you doing here?" he asked her as he tried to break her hold on him.

"I came here to see you, babe," she replied. "I saw that your girlfriend wasn't with you, so I decided to come and say hi."

He finally succeeded in removing her hold on him, but in the process sent her tumbling to the sand in a drunken pile. Embarrassed, he tried to help her up, and after a few tries she managed to stand on her own but still swayed a little from time to time. Then he saw at the same time Morgan and Leon walking towards them and the girl perking up at seeing her with another man.

"Oh my, isn't she the little slut?" she mused with a little laugh.

"Hey, watch what you say about her!" he corrected her. "After all, you're the one throwing yourself all over me, so what does that say about yourself?"

Apparently she didn't hear him or she chose to ignore him. Either way, she started off towards them, and he reached out to keep her from ruining things, but she was stronger than she looked as she pushed him away from her, breaking his hold on her to stalk towards the happy couple, the light of revenge blazing in her eyes. This little worthless piece of trash embarrassed her in front of everyone, and she wasn't about to let it go unpunished.

Hand in hand, they walked back down to the others with the biggest smiles on their faces which told them things were okay between them. But then Morgan stopped in her tracks as her smile faded when she saw someone heading towards them that she had never hoped to see again.

Leon glanced back at her with a confused expression on his face. "What is it?"

She swallowed deeply as it was none other than the girl from earlier that had been bugging Brad so bad, and her mind chose a good time to stop thinking as she couldn't think of a way to get out of this. And when she made eye contact with the girl, it was definitely too late then to do something.

"Leon, how about we go back to the hover cargo after all? I'm not feeling too well all of a sudden," she said, cringing inside as it sounded so lame but it was the only thing she could think of to get him away where Brad could take care of the girl and it would all blow over without any damage done.

He was beyond confused now at her sudden fierce need to leave. "Morgan, what's going on? Why is it you want to leave all of a sudden?"

"I told you, I'm not feeling well," she insisted. "I think it's something I ate earlier." And she wasn't joking as her stomach was tied in knots from anxiety as she knew that the shit was about to hit the fan, and she would be powerless to stop it.

*******************

Well said! The shit will definitely hit the fan in the next chapter! What will happen is anybody's guess. Will Leon find out, or will he be kept in the dark? Hee-hee! Stay tuned!

Oh, by the way...Thomas, I miss you!!!

	14. Chapter Fourteen

Author's note: Thanks everyone for the wonderful reviews! I'm not going to say too much here as I know you're all dying to see what happens. Enjoy!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Please, Leon! Can we go?" she pleaded. No, no, she kept saying over and over. Not like this. Not like this!

"Morgan, I don't see why you're in such a hurry all of a sudden to leave," he pointed out, becoming worried at her frantic behavior.

"It's because she's done something she doesn't want you to know about," a voice slithered up to them.

Leon eyed the girl in surprise then glanced back at Morgan. "Do you know her?" he asked.

Morgan shook her head, her whole body trembling as she wished that something would happen so that this nightmare would end soon. "I have no idea who she is."

The girl laughed. "Oh, what a convenient little lie. One lie to cover up another."

"Look, I don't know who you are, but I suggest you leave Morgan alone. If she says she doesn't know you, then I believe her. Besides, it's obvious you've been drinking a little too much, so why don't you just go sleep it off and stop causing trouble?"

"Well, then if you won't believe me then why don't you just go ask your friends? They'll tell you everything, and I guarantee you two won't be holding hands after that. See ya!" she called as she walked off, her steps a little unsteady.

Leon watched her leave, his expression cloudy as he thought things over. He hoped that there was no truth to her words, hoped that she was lying with all his heart as he couldn't take it if Morgan had done something to betray him. But as the girl said there was one way to find out, and he continued walking over to Brad just in time to see Bit and Leena following an exhausted Jamie back towards them as well.

Morgan could almost feel the noose tightening around her neck as she saw the look Bit cast her way, a look filled with distrust, and she knew that if anyone would tell on her it would be him. Then she realized that if she had any chance of saving herself in Leon's eyes then he had to hear it from her instead of someone else.

Taking a deep breath, she stopped before they came too near them, and she saw Leena's worried gaze on her as she smiled reassuringly at Leon's sister.

He looked back at her, his heart nearly breaking at the silent submission in her eyes. "Morgan?"

She gave his hand one final squeeze before releasing it altogether. "There is something I need to tell you, Leon, before we go any further. I don't know what this will mean for the two of us, but do know that I love you and I always will for as long as I live."

He turned towards her, looking for all the world like a scared little boy. "Morgan, you're scaring me. You mean to tell me you knew that girl after all?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that I knew her, but we crossed paths earlier today and our meeting did not go well," she began.

"What do you mean?" he asked, unable to comprehend what was happening as he felt as if his whole world was about to come crashing down around him. She looked so scared standing there, and he wanted to tell her to stop and not say anything as he felt it best he not know what she was going to say. But part of him wanted to know before things went any further between them, not that he wasn't hurting enough already.

"Leena and I went inside a shop this afternoon, and when we came out that girl was throwing herself all over Brad, and he seemed uncomfortable with how to handle the situation. So I decided to give him a hand and try to make her go away by acting as if I was his girlfriend. I said a few things in a way that suggested we were together, but she refused to go away until she had certain proof."

He turned cold all of a sudden like he had lost all feeling inside. His emotions were cut off as all he wanted now was to hear from her what had happened. "What kind of proof," he asked, his voice flat. "What happened?"

Tears filled her eyes. "Leon, please," she whispered, unable to say the words that would drive a wedge in between them and create a rift between them that could never be healed.

"What happened?" he demanded a little more forcefully.

"Go ahead and say it, Morgan," Bit called. "Tell him that you kissed Brad."

"Bit!" both she and Leena cried, Leena kicking him in the shins.

Leon's face drained of all color as he heard the one thing he had not ever wanted to hear in his whole life as his heart busted into a million pieces. "Morgan, tell me it isn't true," he pleaded. But her tear-filled eyes so full of apology told him all he wanted to hear, and all of a sudden all he could see was red as anger surged forth to cover the pain of her betrayal. The last thing he wanted to do was to take it out on her, but he needed a physical outlet to his anger, and as his eyes fixed on the one person he had never thought would betray their friendship, he growled deep in his throat and lunged straight for Brad. "You bastard!" he cried, swinging a right hook and connecting with the mercenary's jaw.

Brad fell to the ground but didn't get up as he knew that Leon was only venting his anger as he just as quickly walked away from them. He immediately forgave his friend as he knew he would've done the same thing had he been in his shoes, but he knew that Leon would never forgive him.

"Leon!" Leena cried as she knelt down by Brad's side to see if he was okay, not receiving an answer from her brother as she watched him walk away. "Bit, how could you!"

"Hey, she brought it on herself," he replied, looking over at Morgan without sympathy as he still believed her to be part of the enemy.

Tears flowed down Morgan's cheeks as she heard Bit's words, knowing they were right but still feeling hurt at what had happened. Then she felt Leon brush against her roughly, a sure sign that he was pushing her away, and she placed her hand on his arm to try and stop him one last time. "Leon, please, I'm sorry," she began, but he yanked her hand off of him and pushed her back away from him, not caring that she stumbled to the ground near Brad.

"Whatever you have to say, don't. There's no way I can forgive you for betraying my trust, Morgan. I thought you loved me, but I guess I was wrong. And you know something? The snow melts just like my love has, and I seriously doubt it will ever come back. Goodbye, Morgan." Then he turned and walked away from her and out of her life, not wanting her to see the tears that ran down his cheeks as well.

Seeing his retreating back, she saw her life walking away from her as well, and she struggled to her knees with a cry of protest before feeling hands on her shoulders pulling her back down. "Leon!" she sobbed, feeling herself held against a hard chest with strong arms comforting her, and she knew without looking that it was Brad that was holding her. "Leon," she whispered as she turned her head into his shirt and cried like she had never cried before.

Leena looked down on them both with tears in her own eyes, finally having to turn them away before she broke down as well. And as she saw Bit standing there with a self-satisfied smirk on his face, she was quick to rise to anger. "I can't believe you would be so selfish, Bit," she spat in contempt. "The one chance Leon had to be happy, and you destroyed that for him. Do you feel better now? Did you ever stop to think of how he would feel? He was the one who saw what little potential you had, and he left the team because he believed in that so that you could develop it. And how did you repay him? You destroyed his heart. If there was ever a time when I hated you, Bit Cloud, it is now." Then she walked in the same direction Leon had gone, Jamie following her as he cast an angered glance towards Bit as well.

Bit glanced over at Morgan only to receive the same glare from Brad, and he turned away with a sigh as he followed the others.

***************

Oh, Bit and his big mouth. But she was going to tell him anyway, Bit just sped up the progress a little. How many people think Morgan should go after Bit in the Blade Liger? Hee-hee! You people are mean! ^_~ If I was her, I'd do it, too!

If you wanna read an excellent fic, there's one called "Nothing I've Ever Known" by Zinou. It's a Brad/Naomi/Leon pairing with the two guys fighting over Naomi. And what's better it's written in first person which is awesome!

Okay, Thomas, I'm glad you're happy in your cage. And that you got the girl. *sniff* But I will soon be starting your fic, probably after I finish this one. I'll stop bothering you now.

Thanks everyone for reading! C-ya!

	15. Chapter Fifteen

Author's note: Yay! The site's finally up! Thanks so much for the reviews! Yeah, Bit really screwed things up in the last chapter, but he has no interest in Morgan whatsoever so he's just being an insensitive putz. ^_~ But there might be someone else that's interested.... Enjoy!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Morgan sat there in Brad's arms for what seemed like hours before she finally found the strength to stand up, and he rose to his feet beside her dusting off the sand from his clothes like nothing unusual had just happened. He knew their little scene had attracted a lot of attention, but he didn't care. If they wanted to look, then let them look.

He saw her wiping her cheeks dry and sniffling a little, and he touched her shoulder gently. "You all right, Morgan?" he asked.

She nodded her head. "Thanks, Brad, for being there. I know it's all my fault and I shouldn't even be crying like this."

A thin smile stretched his lips. At least she knew that she was the only one to blame in this mess unlike some females who always blamed everything on the guy, even if it meant lying to save their own skin. She could've done that to him, said that he had kissed her against her will, but he had to admire her courage to tell Leon the truth even though it had cost them their relationship. "You still lost someone who you loved very much, and that always hurts no matter who's at fault."

She glanced up at him, and she looked a pitiful sight with her hazel eyes puffy and red from crying and her hair disheveled a bit, and he fought the urge to find a way to ease her pain. He had told Leon that he wasn't interested in her, but he had begun to think that if she and Leon ever broke up then maybe he might approach her eventually as he liked her genuinely, and he had meant what he said when he spoke to Leon about her earlier.

She smiled hesitantly and stepped closer to him to touch his cheek where Leon had punched him. "I'm sorry about that," she whispered. "None of this was your fault and it was stupid of me to bring you into this. I never should've even kissed you in the first place."

He laughed. "Well, I certainly enjoyed it. It was the most pleasant surprise I'd ever received in all my life."

Blushing, she turned from him and began walking away back towards where they had parked their bikes with him following. "What will you do now?" he asked her.

She sighed heavily. "I guess the only course left for me is to leave and return home."

"Leave?" he repeated, surprised. "Morgan, I'm sure that Leena will explain everything to Leon once they return to the hover cargo and things will return to normal."

"It won't be that easy Brad," she answered. "I've betrayed any trust he had in me, and without that there can be no relationship between us. Not only that, if he finds out that I kissed you as a result of a dare by some girl then it will make him feel ten times worse."

"How's that?"

"It means that I thought so little of his love that I would destroy it all because of a stupid mistake." She sighed again. "It is over between us and nothing will ever be able to bring that back."

Soon they were back at the hover cargo, and she couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach as it was tied in knots and her emotions were a jumbled mess that was hard to unravel. If she was to leave then she had some things she had to pack and they were in Leon's room. She could only hope that he wasn't in there, although a part of her wanted to speak with him again before she left for good.

Brad laid his hand on her arm encouragingly. "If you want, I'll drive you back to the Base to get your Blade Liger after you get your things."

She smiled and shook her head. "There's no need. He deserves it more than I do, and I want to make this up to him, and leaving him the Blade Liger is the only way I know to repay him for all that I have done to him."

Swallowing deeply, he took her in his arms and kissed her forehead. "Leon is a fool if he doesn't want to make things work between you two. You are a special person, Morgan, and at one time I know he saw that in you. I just hope he can remember it even now when things aren't the best for him."

She hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she said. "I would like to have a ride back home in the morning though. I wouldn't want to ask you to take me home in the dark. I think I'll go up and try to talk to him at least. He deserves an explanation from me after Bit blurted it out so quickly. I wonder what I ever did to him to deserve his hatred all of a sudden?"

"After he found out you were with the Backdraft, he thought that you might be trying to steal his Liger from him," he replied.

She couldn't believe that all this had happened because of Bit's worthless Liger. "Well, he can just stick his Liger up his ass along with his head for all I care. Besides, I know the Blade Liger can defeat him, no problem."

He laughed. "Once I get a hold of him, I'll be damn sure he gets what's coming to him. Leena had some good points, and I hope he realizes what he's done."

She smiled. "I hope he does," she replied as they walked up to where their rooms were. They passed Leena on the way, and Brad stopped to speak with her to let Morgan continue onto Leon's room.

"How is she?" the young girl asked, worry evident in her lavender eyes.

"She's calmed down a lot," he replied. "She knows this is all her fault and there's no one else to blame but her. And because of that she's leaving in the morning and letting him keep the Blade Liger."

Leena's jaw dropped to the floor. "She's what? Leon would be stupid to let her go just like that, especially after that."

Brad nodded his agreement. "Where's our hero, Bit?" he asked wryly.

She made a face. "Who knows? I hope he's somewhere thinking about what I told him and feeling like the jerk he is."

Somewhere nearby, Bit sat alone out on the grass, thinking back on what had happened that day and feeling incredibly rotten after Leena's harsh words had sunken in. She was right. If it hadn't been for Leon then he would've never gotten the spot on the Blitz Team in the first place and he wouldn't be here now with everyone hating his guts and cursing his name.

But they could never understand the bond between him and the Liger. They were partners, two halves of a whole, and he was never going to let him be stolen from him again, no matter what it took. And for that reason he had done anything he could to drive away the beautiful young woman that had captured Leon's heart before she showed her true colors and revealed herself to be working for the Backdraft. He had to get her away from there before she took the Liger Zero from him.

But he hadn't thought about how much it would hurt Leon, and he knew he would never forgive himself for tearing out his friend's heart like that. Of course, Leon would forgive him for what Bit had told him as Leon had to know what she had done. It was just that everyone else hated him now for what he had done.

Especially Leena.

It had hurt to see the hatred in her eyes and hear the coldness of her voice when she had spoken to him.

But in order to clear things between them, he had to swallow his pride and admit he was wrong, something he had never had to do before. Especially to her.

***************

Well, at least Bit's seeing how wrong he was to do what he did. But what will Leon have to say to Morgan once she sees him again? Will he push her away or will he forgive her? Stay tuned, and the chapters should be coming faster as I've finished it already. Woo hoo! That means more time for my Thomas fic!

And thanks so much guys for reviewing that one, too! I can't believe how much you like it, so I must be doing something right! C-ya!

	16. Chapter Sixteen

Author's note: Thanks, everyone for reviewing! You know how Bit is, always thinking of himself and his Liger, oblivious to what's going on right under his nose. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Morgan stopped in front of the door to Leon's room, laying her hand on the hard surface as she rested her forehead against it. One step through this door and there was no turning back. It was either face him and admit defeat or turn and run like a coward from her feelings for him.

Breathing deeply, she rested her hand on the handle and turned it gently, pushing the door open and stepping inside. She was surprised to see it was unlocked, and perhaps that was a good sign that he was ready to talk now. It was pitch black dark inside, and it took some time for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light, but when they did she could make out his form lying on the bed with his back to the door.

"Brad, go away," his voice called out, rough with emotion.

She stepped closer to the bed. "It's me, Leon," she whispered, sitting down on the edge of the bed at his feet. She heard the rustle of the bed and light suddenly filled the room as he turned on the light at side of the bed, and tears filled her eyes again as she saw his own eyes were red with crying. His clothes were disheveled like he had been tossing and turning as was his hair, and she couldn't help but fall in love with him all over again as she did everytime she looked into his eyes. "Leon, I'm so sorry," she sobbed as she fought to hold back the tears that threatened to come.

His own eyes became moist as he looked upon her anguished expression, and he knew that she had been hurting just as much as he was. He didn't understand why she had done what she had done, and he had thought that he could never forgive her, but after seeing the love she still felt for him he realized that he still loved her just as much as he had when he first met her. And that he would forgive her anything although he still hurt deep inside. "Morgan," he breathed as he held a trembling hand out to her.

Surprised, she took it and let him pull her up to lie beside him, although she chose to lay her head on his stomach instead as she felt she didn't deserve his forgiveness. She cried for a bit as his fingers combed themselves through her hair, and from time to time she would hear him sniff, and she could feel the heat of his body through his clothing as well as feel its trembling. What she had done had taken a terrible toll on both of them, both physically and emotionally, and she would never be able to forgive herself for doing that to him.

"Why, Morgan?" he finally asked, his voice broken. "Why would you do something like this? Did I not love you enough? I thought we were happy together."

She sniffed and wiped at her tears as she sat up. "Leon, I have never been happier in my whole life. You're all I ever want for as long as I live, and I know that I've destroyed it with one stupid mistake."

He closed his eyes to shut out the pain he saw in her own. "Would you rather be with him? Was that why you kissed him?" he whispered, finding it hard to even be able to say it. But he had to know. He had to know if there was anything between them.

She gazed at him in complete shock. "No! Absolutely not! I don't love him, nor am I even interested in him. It was just a stupid act gone terribly wrong and I know I'm the only one to blame for it. She dared me to do it, and I took her up on it so I wouldn't lose face in front of everyone."

He clenched his teeth to bite down on the anger that surged forth. "It's obvious you thought more of your pride than my love then," he pointed out bitterly. "I'm sure everyone else would've understood if you had backed off, and I'm certain Brad would've found a way to handle it on his own from there."

"I know," she cried. "And I hate myself for even doing it. I also know that there's no way we can resolve this without hurting each other even more. Which is why I'm leaving tomorrow morning. I still love you with everything I am, Leon, but I know that having me here pains you even more as I'm sure that any trust you once had in me is gone now. That and any love you once had in your heart for me."

He took in a deep, shuddering breath as he looked into her swollen eyes, unable to think of anything else except how beautiful she was. "That's just the problem," he said quietly. "No matter how angry I am with you, and no matter how badly I'm hurting, I still love you, Morgan. I want to be with you as well for the rest of my life, but with this still fresh between us, I know things will be difficult for us. I think that separating would be in the best of both our interests as it will give us some time for the wounds to heal."

She nodded quietly as two more tears raced down her cheeks. "I understand," she said. Then she felt his hand caress her cheek, wiping away the tears, and she looked up to see him draw her gently towards him as they both lie down on the bed beside one another, both of them gazing into each other's eyes. She ran her fingertips across his face, brushing her thumbs slowly across his cheeks. "I love you so much, Leon," she whispered then moved to tuck her head underneath his chin so she wouldn't be tempted to kiss him, for if she did then their parting would be even more painful than it was already.

He brushed his lips across the top of her hair as his own eyes teared. "I love you, too, Morgan," he replied softly, holding her tight against him and hoping that he would be able to live without feeling her beside him or seeing her lovely face. Her laughter had been the music of his heart, and he wanted nothing more than to be able to forget all that had happened and just let things be the way they used to be. But he couldn't as the pain was still too fresh in his mind.

They fell asleep like that in each other's arms, and when she awoke he was still asleep, his breathing steady and deep which told her he was sleeping deeply. Easing out of his embrace, she quietly gathered what few things she had and was almost about to walk out the door before she felt a hand on her arm spin her around and soft, warm lips assaulted her own. Moaning, she wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to him to allow him to deepen their kiss, her head spinning out of control as was her body as she needed him so badly.

But it would do no good for either of them to give in to their desires, and she managed to push him away from her long enough for her to get her emotions back under control, although it was difficult when he stood not a foot in front of her with nothing on but boxer shorts. "Leon, please don't do this," she breathed. "It's hard enough to walk away from you without reminding me of how much I need you."

He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a moment. "All I want is to make sure you remember that, so that when we next see each other you'll come running back to me. Or it could be the other way around if you wish," he added with a smile.

Returning his smile, she couldn't help but be intrigued by his offer as she suddenly wanted to show him how much she needed him and how badly she would miss him. It was the sweetest love they had ever made to one another as they both knew it would be their last for a time, and when she finally walked out of his room they both had tears in their eyes. He had told her he would stay here as he wouldn't be able to watch her leave without wanting to call her back, and she said the same as she would want to return if she saw him standing there.

Brad and Leena were waiting for her in the hangar and so was someone else: Bit Cloud.

Seeing the cocky young warrior, she wanted so badly to knock him to the ground and stomp on him until he couldn't be seen for the dirt covering him, but she knew she had no right to be angry with him as it was her fault this had happened. She only wished that he had let her be the one to tell him.

"Bit," she greeted him flatly as she stopped some distance from him.

He seemed to waver a little about something and looked to Leena, who balled a fist at her side and growled menacingly. Eyes wide, he snapped to attention and bowed before Morgan. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, Morgan, for what I did. It was selfish of me to interrupt where I wasn't needed, and I hope you'll accept my apology." Then he glanced back at Leena again. "How was that?" he asked.

Brad had his arms crossed in front of him. "I suppose it's good enough," he replied. "Although you didn't grovel at her feet and beg like you were supposed to."

Bit sniffed a little. "A warrior has to have some standards," he said, screaming when Leena began chasing him around the hangar.

"Bit Cloud! Get back here right now!"

Brad shook his head. "You ready?" he asked.

Morgan sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be. If I don't do it now, then I won't do it at all."

They got onto the bike, and Brad started the engine before they left the hover cargo, Morgan looking back and squinting her eyes at something. Was that Leon standing at the window to his room? But before she could be certain, they sped off down the street and towards her house where she would stay for a while until she and Leon crossed paths again, the wind scattering the tears that fell to her cheeks.

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Well, things didn't go as bad as you thought, did they? Even though they still decided to go their own ways and give each other some time to grow a little. But their parting might present an opportunity for someone else to step in....

Thanks for reading! C-ya!

	17. Chapter Seventeen

Author's note: Hey, an update! Man, what being on vacation can do to a person! And a request from Biowolf! What an honor! Let's see...a Hiltz fic...oh! I think I might have an inkling of an idea! But we'll see! And Ryan, I hope you have Naomi on a leash after this chapter! Hee-hee! And thanks so much to everyone else who reviewed! Luv ya!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

They soon arrived at their destination, and she steeled herself against the flood of memories that assaulted her when she stepped inside and looked around. Brad saw this as well and busied himself with looking around at the place as he was impressed with its beauty. "This is a nice place you've got here," he commented.

She smiled. "Thanks, but it's not mine. It's Stoeller's."

His eyebrows raised a notch as he whistled appreciatively. "Man, this guy must be rolling in money if he can afford a place like this."

"Actually, I think it's been in his family for some time. He's just done some remodeling to it. If you like I can take you out back and show you the view of the mountains and the lake."

"Okay," he replied, not wanting to show his further surprise, but after seeing the beauty of the scenery he couldn't help but be amazed at it. "This is the type of place I'd like to live in someday," he breathed. "This is wonderful!"

She laughed. "I'm glad you like it."

He walked up so that he was standing next to her with both of them looking out across the lake. "So, how did things go between you and Leon?" he asked. "I noticed you both stayed in the room until this morning."

"We did," she agreed. "We both decided it would best to take a break from one another for a while and let our wounds heal. We still love each other so much, but if we were to try and make things work when he couldn't trust me it would just make things worse. I guess this is his way of testing me to see if I wanted to have a chance at a relationship with someone else."

Brad glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "He wouldn't have been talking about me, would he?"

She sighed. "He did mention you. He asked me if I was interested in having a relationship with you, and I told him I wasn't. That he was the only one I wanted to share my heart with."

"So what was that kiss all about then?" he demanded, becoming a little angry that she had kissed him in such a provocative manner without even being the least bit affected by it.

"Brad, that's all it was. A kiss," she answered, wondering where this was coming from. "Did you think that there was something else there that led me to do it?"

He was silent a moment as he didn't really want to answer that. If he did then it would mean examining emotions he didn't want to right now. "Just forget I said anything," he said as he started to walk away.

But she grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Brad, please, answer me," she pleaded, wanting to hear it as his silence had told her more clearly than words that he had thought there was something there.

He looked into her eyes and lost all resistance as he looked into their hazel depths, and for perhaps the first time she saw him lose some of his calm and collected demeanor. "What do you want me to tell you, Morgan? That after you kissed me I could think of nothing else for the rest of the night? That deep down I hoped that Leon would find out and that maybe I might have a chance with you? Dammit, Morgan, I'm just a man! I'm not made of stone, and I have feelings, too!"

She was taken aback at his outburst, even more surprised to learn that he had wanted her and Leon to break up. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "I guess I didn't think of what effect it might have on you. But we barely knew each other and I thought you would think nothing of it since it was apparent from what you told me that you were interested in someone else."

He sighed heavily. "I don't know anymore," he admitted. "You could be her twin, Morgan. You both have the same color hair and build. The only difference is the color of your eyes and your personality." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe I'm just acting this way because you do look so much like her. Hell, I don't know."

She stepped closer to him and laid her hand on his arm. "Brad, I don't know what to say. I'm flattered that you would think so much of me, but I love Leon."

"I know," he answered, clearly frustrated with the current situation. For some totally insane reason, he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her until she forgot about him, but he had no right as he considered Leon to be a good friend and didn't want to do anything to betray him either. And he would only be causing himself more heartache as nothing could ever grow between them as long as she loved Leon. But, oh, to feel her lips underneath his again....

Before he knew what he was doing, he had taken her face in his hands and lowered his lips to hers, brushing them across hers softly at first then more demandingly when her hands clutched at his shirt, bunching the fabric in her hands as she pulled him closer.

What the hell was she doing?! Her mind screamed for her to stop this madness right now, but the feel of his lips on hers proved to be her undoing as she had forgotten how his kiss had felt. It felt different from Leon's, more passionate and uncontrolled as was Brad's nature if he would only let it show, and she became lost when his tongue swept through her mouth, drawing forth a tortured moan from her.

It was then she realized what she had held back the first time they had kissed. His kisses drove her wild with wanting, and she knew it was only desire that prompted her to allow him to kiss her. She loved Leon with all her heart, but there was something about Brad that drew her to him. She didn't know what it was, but it awakened something within her that urged her to throw caution to the wind and just run with it.

She pulled him closer to her, so close she could feel the furious pounding of his heart against her chest, gasping for breath when he broke away to kiss along her neck, and she dug her fingers into his hair to hold him close. "Brad..." she breathed. "Please...we can't do this."

"God, Morgan, I want you so much," he panted huskily against her ear, his lips caressing the outer edge, and she closed her eyes tightly to try and keep her desires under control. It drove her insane to hear in his voice how much he wanted her, and she wanted him just as badly, but she couldn't do this to Leon. Not now. Not ever.

"Brad," she repeated a little more firmly, and he released her so that they could put some distance between them, and as a result her thinking became a little clearer. "You can't imagine how much I want you, too. But it would only cause more harm for us to give in to each other. I can't betray Leon like that when I have done so much already."

He stood there trying his best to control his breathing as it was out of control from his raging desires, and he knew that she spoke the truth even though he wished that they could throw all caution to the wind and see what could be between them. But she had more to lose than he did, although he had just as much to gain if anything ever developed between them.

But he nodded his head instead, not trusting himself to say anything more as his resistance was slowly wearing thin, and turned and walked away, leaving her there shaking like a leaf in the wind as she lowered herself to the ground and pulled her knees close to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. Why did things have to be so complicated? Since when did desire become stronger than love?

Since she had no answers to these questions, she sat there for a time staring at the mountain's reflection on the water until the sun's setting light tinted them a golden orange. Only then did she rise and walk back inside to an empty house that once had held such love for her.

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Well, I guess I don't have much to say after this chapter. It seems the first kiss they had shared meant something to them both after all. But don't worry, she'll stay with the one she truly loves. And guess who makes an appearance next chapter? Thanks for reading! C-ya!

	18. Chapter Eighteen

Author's note: Hey, another update! And so soon! And Zinou reviewed my fic! Thank you so much! Your fics are awesome! And Schala, I saw that you posted another YGO fic! I'll read them whenever I get a chance. My husband has started playing on the computer more often, so the only time I get a shot at it is in the morning. Biowolf, I've started on your fic, but I'm not sure if I'm happy with it as so far it's from his point of view. I don't want to disappoint you or anything, especially since you requested it!

Oh, Shelly, when will you ever shut up! Now! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The next months passed slowly for Morgan as she stayed within the confines of Stigma's house, rarely going out except for supplies or for a small shopping spree, and hardly did she find any joy in anything anymore since that day. Whenever she went into town, she would check up on the the standings of the teams, and was happy to see that the Blitz Team was doing well. Never had she heard anything of Leon, although Stigma had told her once that the Backdraft had been unable to locate the Blade Liger, and she wondered if Leon was putting it to good use.

Then came a time when she just didn't care anymore, and she stopped going into town except for food runs and it was only for that and nothing else. Without Leon in her life, she found it harder to wake up everyday and face every one of them all alone. But then something remarkable happened that changed her life around: Stigma had quit the Backdraft and was going to stay with her along with Sanders.

She had cried openly that day when he had shown up on the front porch, telling her the good news, and since then she had slowly become herself again, something he had been glad to see. He knew all about Leon and the circumstances that had broke them apart, and she wondered why she had never heard from him. Had he found someone else to love that deserved him more than she did? If he did, then she couldn't blame him as they had been apart for some time.

Finally the time came for the Royal Cup Tournament, and Stigma suggested that they all go watch the Tournament together in town along with a new addition to their club, a woman named Pierce who Stigma seemed to be very taken with. And of course Morgan couldn't help but tease her "uncle Stiggy" about it until he blushed furiously.

The Tournament contestants were named, and Morgan's jaw dropped to the floor when she saw the Blade Liger in the tournament along with a red Gunsniper, the team being identified as the Fluegal Team. Her heart raced furiously as she wondered if it was Leon's, but it had to be as it was the only one in existence that she knew of. And when they fought the Blitz Team, she was amazed at the abilities of both Ligers, and she recalled her statement to Brad when she said the Blade Liger could beat the Liger Zero anyday. But she was proved wrong when Bit defeated him with his Seven Blade Attack.

The rest of the Tournament was pretty exciting, especially the finish when the Liger Zero faced off against the Berserk Fury. She had seen the Shadow Fox taken down and worried that Brad might be harmed since she knew it was him that piloted the awesome zoid, but was relieved to see he was okay. After a nail-biting win, the Blitz Team finally walked away the victors, and she couldn't have been happier for them. As a matter of fact she planned to try and get up with Brad later to see what he was doing as it was obvious Leon didn't care enough to come looking for her.

She excused herself from their table and went to grab something to drink, but a familiar figure caught her eye sitting at a table alone, and she approached the person, her eyes widening when she saw the clothing he wore. There was no doubt that it was Leon sitting there with a content smile on his handsome face, and it was like a knife through the heart to see him so happy when she had been so depressed all these months.

He looked up and caught her eye, his smile fading slowly, and she wondered if maybe he wasn't happy to see her. Had he moved on and forgot about her? Well, there was only one way to find out, and that was to ask him.

Walking slowly towards him, she watched his face for any sign that he might not want to see her, but seeing none she quickened her pace a little and soon found herself standing near his table. "Is this seat taken?" she asked.

"No, not at all," he replied. "Please, have a seat."

His voice sounded even more mature and sent that familiar thrill through her that she always got whenever she heard it. "So, how have you been?" she started, her mouth suddenly becoming dry. She couldn't believe that they were sitting here holding a normal conversation and so far it looked as if he thought of her as nothing more than a friend now, a memory of something wonderful that they had shared so long ago.

"Good," he answered. "I can't complain. The Liger and I have been getting along really well lately. Thank you for leaving it for me."

Oh, Leon, her mind cried. Why does he have to be so formal? What happened to them running back into each other's arms and professing their love for one another? "You're welcome," she said, glad that her voice was remaining steady although her insides were quivering out of nervousness.

Little did she know that he was having the same thoughts. He was holding himself back out of respect for her feelings as he hadn't heard from her either during all these months they had been apart, and he wondered if she had found someone else as well. "So, how have you been?" he returned.

She was quiet a moment as she wanted so badly to tell him the truth, that she had been lost without him ever since they had parted ways and that she wanted him back in her life again. But she wasn't going to do this here as she didn't want to break down in front of him like this. "I've been good," she replied. "Stigma quit the Backdraft and has moved back in. I'm glad because the house was getting rather quiet without..." She had started to say without him, but caught herself before she went any further.

But he knew what she was going to say and now knew that she had not been with anyone else since then as he had seen some of her sadness shine through, and his heart softened to see it. He, too, had suffered during their separation, but he had had battles to keep his mind off his heartache as he had buried himself in it, perfecting his abilities to the point where he ended and the Liger began. It was a constant reminder to him of her love, and he had never stopped loving her, although he had stayed away out of respect for her need to be alone.

"Morgan," he said, starting to reach for her hand but stopped when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hiya, Leon," a female voice called to him.

Morgan looked up to see an incredibly beautiful woman standing there, and she knew that this was the woman Brad had spoke of that looked so much like her, and apparently the other woman thought the same thing as she eyed her curiously. Then the thought entered her mind that Leon must've found someone, and she was the lucky one.

Suddenly the room became stifling as she figured that he had fallen in love with someone who favored her in more ways than one, and it hurt to see the two standing beside each other.

Leon wondered what was going through Morgan's mind as she had suddenly become quiet and just stood there staring at Naomi with a blank expression. "Naomi, this is Morgan. Morgan, this is Naomi, my partner."

She even had a beautiful name to match her beautiful face! How dare she! How dare he! And now he was rubbing it in by saying she was his "partner"! How she wished she had claws so she could rip both of them apart!

But she did none of that. Instead she muttered a quick greeting and apology and just as quickly walked off, her eyes stinging from unshed tears. Here she had been so lost without him all these months and he had been lounging in the arms of another woman! Why did life have to be so unfair?

Leon watched her go with a mixture of confusion and indecision as he wanted to go to her but had no idea what was wrong with her. Why did she just walk off like that without an explanation?

Naomi was just as confused as she watched the young woman storm off. "What's with her?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "I have no idea."

She looked back at him, even more curious when she saw that it was apparent that he had loved this woman at one point, and she remembered what he had told her about her one day. "That was 'the' Morgan you've told me about? The one you were so crazy about?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's the one. But I didn't expect things to turn out like this."

Naomi laughed as everything suddenly became clear. "I think you better go get her, silly! You've got some explaining to do if she's thinking what I think she's thinking."

"And what's that?" he asked.

"Come on, Leon," she said. "She thinks you and I are...um...together? I guess that would be the word."

Sudden understanding dawned on him and he buried his face in his hand as he groaned. "I can't believe this." Then he jumped out of his chair and ran after her, hoping that she hadn't gone too far.

*****************

You'd better get her quick, Leon! You never know that Brad might be lurking nearby. Next chapter: a happy surprise for them both! Thanks for reading! C-ya!

	19. Chapter Nineteen

Author's note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! This is the last chapter! *sob* It's not fair! I'm glad you all enjoyed this fic so much! Especially Schala85, Biowolf, Aries, and Ryan. I enjoyed all your reviews! You guys kept me going!

Wishing For Snow by Shelly

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Morgan couldn't half see where she was going from the tears that blinded her, but she knew she was outside when she felt the suns rays warm on her face, and she stood there for a moment to calm herself down. It hurt, the thought that Leon had found someone else, but what was worse was that she looked so similar to her they could be sisters. It would've been different if he had chosen someone that looked nothing like her, but it still hurt all the same.

"Morgan!" she heard her name called and knew it was his voice. He had followed her out here apparently. Hadn't he drove the knife in far enough already?

She started to walk away from him, and he ran up to catch her arm in a gentle grip. She ripped it out and whirled around to face him, her eyes red and filled with tears. "What do you want, Leon?" she demanded. "It's not enough that I've seen you with someone else, you've come out here to rub it in further? Let me tell you something, Leon! After I left, I became so depressed that I rarely stepped foot out of the house except for food and supplies. And what have you been doing? You've been lying in her arms, probably whispering the same words you whispered to me before, haven't you?"

He stood there patiently, waiting for her tirade to end. "Are you finished?" he asked.

Struck speechless, she didn't know what to say.

Walking up to stand before her, he took her head in his hands and wiped her tears away with his thumbs, smiling when he heard her sharp intake of breath as he was pleased to see he still had the same effect on her he had always had before. "Morgan, I haven't been seeing anyone during all these months. Naomi is my teammate on Team Fluegal. There's nothing going on between us."

Her breath seemed stuck in the back of her throat as she digested what he had said. Only teammates? Then they weren't...? It was too much to hope for, and she was afraid it wasn't true, that he was only saying that because he wanted her back. "Please, Leon, don't play with me," she whispered. "I don't think I could take it."

But then she was silenced as his lips touched on hers softly, teasingly, and she drew in a shuddering breath as her entire body trembled from the force of her emotions. "Leon," she moaned as she threw her arms around him and enthusiastically kissed him back with tears running down her cheeks and salting their kiss with its liquid. It was like old times again as they stood there in the sun kissing one another for what seemed like forever, and he finally broke away to look deep into her eyes.

"Do you think I'm playing now?" he asked.

She smiled as she felt the first stirrings of joy within her heart. "Depends on what you want to play with," she said.

He laughed and began kissing her neck. "How about we work that out tonight?" he breathed against her ear, and she shuddered deliciously in anticipation.

"Mmmm...I would love to, Leon," she replied, becoming disappointed when he pulled away from her.

"Morgan, if there was one thing I learned from our separation, it was how much I love you and want you with me. I want you to be with me for the rest of my life, and I know only one way to do that." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box, handing it to her and watching her expression when she opened it.

What she saw brought new tears to her eyes it was so beautiful. It was a diamond ring the size of a carat set in gold.

She turned joyful eyes to him, and he took the ring and box from her to kneel down in front of her. "Morgan, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked.

She covered her mouth with her right hand as he slid the ring on her left hand, unable to believe this was really happening, and she held her hand up to admire its sparkle for a moment before crying a resounding, "Yes!" and throwing herself into his arms to hold him close. He picked her up and spun her around a couple of times before setting her back onto her feet, both of them looking up when they heard the sound of applause.

The entire Blitz Team stood by with Naomi watching them with smiles on their faces, Morgan laughing when Leena rushed up to her and hugged her enthusiastically with tears in her own eyes. Then she looked at the ring, exclaiming how pretty it was and how happy she was for them both.

Stigma, Sanders, and Pierce came walking out to see what all the commotion was about, and they were soon sporting smiles as they were told what had happened. Morgan hugged Stigma tightly as he was incredibly happy for her, and soon she saw Brad appear near her and she embraced him, too, not really knowing what to say after the moment they had shared between them.

"It's good to see you," she said once she saw they were alone for the most part. "I'm glad you're okay after seeing your zoid get trashed."

He shrugged. "No big deal. At least we beat him." Then he looked at her hand, not bothering to touch it for fear of what might happen. "I'm happy for you and Leon. He couldn't have asked for a better wife."

She looked deep into his eyes. "Are you really?" she asked seriously.

He raised his eyes to hers and she saw the faint tint of sadness in them. "Yeah, I am," he said instead, although he really wasn't. He had refrained from seeing her since they had last seen each other, and he had hoped that one day she might come and visit the team. But she never did, and after seeing that this was her and Leon's first time back together, he could've kicked himself for not visiting her before.

She gave him a look that said she knew better, but she let it go as it would do no good for them to dig up old wounds which in his case had never healed. And she wasn't about to tell him that she was on her way to find him when she had spotted Leon. "Wish me happiness?" she offered.

He swallowed deeply as he struggled to keep himself from losing control around her once more. He had missed her deeply, and had even entertained a relationship with Naomi at one point, but knew it would be futile as it would only remind him of Morgan every time he looked at her. "Morgan," he began, but she cut him off by embracing him again.

"Brad, please don't do this on the happiest day of my life," she whispered in his ear. "Please?"

He closed his eyes to shut out the pain her plea was causing. "Morgan, you know I would rather it be me putting that light of happiness in your eyes instead of him," he admitted.

She let go of him and when he saw her she had tears in her eyes. "I know," she answered. "And maybe if things had turned out differently, I would be here with you. But this is what I want, although I will always remember you. And I know we will see each other again as I'm sure we'll be visiting each other."

He nodded and she walked away before anything else was said between them, returning to her beloved's side and accepting his affectionate kiss. He watched them for a moment before turning to walk back inside, running across Leena in the process. She turned to look at him strangely as she thought she had seen tears shining in his eyes, but it could've been a figment of her imagination as she returned to the crowd of well-wishers, happy that her big brother was finally getting married.

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Oh, they're getting married! Happy endings galore! Except for Brad.... Anyway, thanks for reading! I'll see you all on my other fics!

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Wishing For Snow by Shelly3