Chapter One: Loyalty

((Author's Notes: This fic is a part of my Irony of Fate AU. If you are interested in reading my stories in chronological order, this one happens following Battlegrounds and Life After Death. You can read it on its own, though, as long as you keep in mind that this is an AU with a lot of history behind it. You won't notice most of it til the later chapters, though, and I don't feel it prevents one from following the main story in any way. Thanks for checking it out, and I greatly appreciate any and all feedback! ~ JenesisX ))


Professor Hojo was elated as he squinted at the computer monitor in front of him, a wide smile on his aged face. This was exactly what he had been waiting for! For many months, he had been using his access to Shin-ra employee health records and screenings almost daily, hoping to come across just such a specimen. And suddenly there it was, right in front of him. A healthy young woman in the early stages of pregnancy. Perfect!

He was even more excited because of who it was, recognizing the woman to be a fine representative of her gender. A very fine one, he thought to himself with a lusty smirk, nearly giggling with delight. When he pondered who the father might be, the most likely candidate only further supported his decision to move forward. It was finally time!

He printed the woman's recent health screening results and placed them in the pocket of his lab coat, realizing he likely had access to them before she did. The former President Shin-ra had been so kind to him, unlike that spoiled brat son of his who was now in charge of the company. The girl was probably not even aware she was pregnant, he thought, hoping to use her shock to help convince her to accept the opportunity he was offering she and her unborn child. He couldn't wait to get a hold of the specimen and determine the gender of the fetus. He preferred for it to be male, since women were such weak and emotional creatures, but he would work with either. Each had their own distinct possibilities after all.

Almost giddy, Hojo turned and left the lab with a spring in his step, much happier than he had been in the last few months since Lucrecia had managed to escape from the laboratory and send him that damn letter. If everything went as planned, this new experiment would more than make up for it.

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Elena sat on her bed, holding a single piece of paper in her hands and staring at it in complete shock. She felt like she had been blindsided by a large, fast moving truck. She had been completely unprepared to read the information confronting her, and had almost been struck dumb. What she had fully expected to be just another routine annual health screening revealed that her entire life was about to change.

She was pregnant.

Elena liked babies, having grown up with a large number of younger siblings, and always wanted to have children of her own some day. But not now, when she was still so young and unprepared. Not so unexpectedly. Not when it was going to cost she and her partner so dearly…

Oh gods, how am I going to tell him?

She held a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself, suddenly feeling on the verge of panic. No one was even supposed to know they were involved with each other, though they had eventually told their two closest friends. But as far as she was aware, no one else knew. If they were found out, he would be heavily disciplined at best, demoted and possibly fired at worst. She couldn't let that happen to him… He'd worked too hard, sacrificed for too long. And she loved him too much. She knew she had to safeguard him and his reputation, no matter how painful it might be.

But what was the alternative? She knew that not having the baby was not an option for her. She simply couldn't do it. But what could she do? Quit and disappear without a word, never to see the man she loved again? Inform him and give him permission to walk away from the relationship, and their child, forever keeping their secret to herself? Those options were just as terrifying, and tears began to trail down her cheeks as she continued to stare at the results as if hoping they might change before her eyes.

She had begun debating whether or not to text her lover, to ask him to stop by as soon as he was able, when there was a knock at the door. She jumped at the sound, turning to stare in horror.

"Oh no…" she whispered to herself, her blue eyes wide, hastily shoving the paper under her pillow and wiping away her tears. She was not prepared to face him just yet. She had no idea what to say. She wasn't ready to handle the inevitable loss of the best thing that had ever happened to her. She needed more time to think! She sat frozen, paralyzed by fear.

When the knock repeated, she finally stood on trembling legs, straightening her blouse and hoping it was not obvious that she had been crying. She crossed the room with trepidation and slowly opened the door, forcing a smile she did not feel onto her face.

When she saw who was standing there, however, her smile instantly faded into a frown of confusion and concern. What in the world…

"Good afternoon, Elena," Professor Hojo said, wearing a wide grin that made her feel oddly exposed. "May I come in?"

"Um… hi. Sure, I guess…" Elena stammered, still in shock and unsure of what else to say. The question had almost sounded like a demand. The Professor was an important man in the company, and though she could not fathom why he would have come to see her, she assumed it must be on important business.

Hojo instantly stepped past her into the modest apartment, a bit too eagerly for her comfort. She closed the door, turning to face him as he very obviously looked her up and down, a crooked smile on his face. She shivered, disgusted, but tried to keep her expression neutral.

"What can I do for you?" she asked him, wishing he would stop looking at her that way. It was making her skin crawl.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, completely ignoring her question. "Anything… unusual going on lately?" His leering grin returned, and he continued to stare from behind his thick glasses as if undressing her with his eyes.

Elena froze, her eyes widening. "Wh-what do you mean?" she asked, taking a few steps away from him. Hojo may have been elderly, but she could almost feel the danger radiating from him, already regretting having allowed him inside her apartment. She'd heard whispers and rumors about the old man ever since she was hired, but had never spoken with him personally before. Now, she was quickly getting an idea what everyone, including her partner, had been talking about. She reached into her pants pocket, comforted by the feel of her PHS, knowing that she could easily summon help if needed. She regretted that she had already changed out of her work uniform and left her gun in the drawer of her dresser.

"Let's not play games with each other," Hojo said, taking a step toward her, flagrantly violating her personal space. "Have you gotten your health screening results back yet?"

Oh my gods, he knows! But how?!

"I… yes…" she replied after a brief pause, blushing and looking down at her feet. So the news was already out… Had he come to fire her? But why would the head of the Science Department come to see her at her home in order to deliver such news? Wouldn't Rufus have summoned her to his office? Or more ironically, wouldn't the responsibility have fallen to Tseng as her direct supervisor?

"Good, good," Hojo went on, his nasally voice excited. He certainly wasn't acting like a man about to deliver bad news. "Then I don't need to waste my time informing you that you are with child. Excellent!" He clasped his wrinkled hands together before him, looking quite pleased, his dark eyes burning into her. "I'm assuming this was unexpected?"

"That's none of your business!" she exclaimed, jerking her head up to glare at him, her face flushing crimson. "In fact… I'm sorry, but I think you need to leave." She tried to sound strong, as if she meant it and would be able to enforce it, but cringed inwardly at the way her voice wavered, the way her hand shook when she pointed toward the door.

"Now now, don't be rude, girl," Hojo said, his smile instantly fading into a deep frown, danger flashing behind his cold black eyes. "I've come to offer you an opportunity that will help you and your baby immensely. Why be just another single woman with an unwanted bastard child, when you could help advance my research and give your baby amazing advantages in life they will never otherwise have access to?"

"My baby is not an unwanted bastard child!" she shouted, subconsciously lifting one hand to cover her stomach. Already, she felt highly protective of the new life she carried within her.

"Then who is the father?" Hojo asked smugly, taking another step forward, smirking cruelly.

"Again, none of your business!" she exclaimed, now almost as angry as she was afraid. "You need to leave, now, before I call one of the other Turks!" The risk of being rude to a high-ranking member of the company no longer mattered to Elena. All she cared about was protecting herself and her unborn child, and getting the creepy old scientist away from them both as soon as possible.

Hojo laughed mockingly, shaking his head, coming so close to her now that they were only inches apart and standing nearly eye to eye. "Now you listen to me," he said, his voice a harsh whisper, his breath stale and rancid. "I am trying to help you… And I am not accustomed to taking no for an answer when I am offering someone such an opportunity. I will find out who the father is, one way or another, and I can decide whether or not I'll use that information at any moment. I have a feeling you don't want that to happen… You had best think this over, and think it over well, child. I'll be back to speak with you soon, once you have had time to… reconsider."

The threat behind his words was unmistakable, and Elena was suddenly so terrified that she couldn't form the words to respond. Professor Hojo looked her over one more time, then turned and abruptly left the room, practically slamming the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Elena quickly locked the door before collapsing to her knees, trembling and sobbing into her hands with fear and despair.

What am I going to do now…

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Tseng was sitting in his office behind his desk, drowning in piles of tedious paperwork, when he heard his PHS receive a new message. Glad for the distraction, he removed it from his jacket pocket and gave in to a slight smile when he saw who had sent it. When he opened it and actually read the text before him, however, his smile instantly vanished.

"Stop by as soon as you can, I really need to talk to you."

He frowned curiously, a bit of worry entering his mind as he reread the message several times. They always had to be very careful to keep their communications vague, in case someone might happen to see them, but he had never gotten a message quite like this from Elena before. He was able to read far more into those few words than anyone else might, instantly sensing that it was something very important. Thankfully, his shift had actually ended a short time ago, and he wouldn't have to wait long to find out what was going on.

Tseng rose from his desk chair, pausing for a moment to stretch the aching muscles of his back and neck. He headed for the door, pleased to have an excuse to escape the mountain of paper work until tomorrow, but a bit unnerved as well. He turned off the light and locked the door behind him, making his way to the nearest elevator and selecting the proper floor. A short time later, he had exited and traveled the long hallway of one of the residential floors of Shin-ra Headquarters, stopping and pausing before the familiar door near the end of the corridor.

He looked both ways, checking the area to be sure no one was watching before knocking. He waited, unable to shake the uneasy feeling her message had inspired, listening as she unlocked the door. A moment later, she opened it just a crack and peered out at him, visibly sighing with relief before opening it the rest of the way and letting him inside.

"Were you expecting someone else?" he teased, smiling softly. Elena's expression remained grave, however, and he noticed that her eyes were red and swollen. He stepped toward her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, tilting his head in concern. "I got your message… Is everything all right?" he asked, though he feared he already knew the answer.

Elena pulled away from him and walked across the room, and he thought he heard her choke back a sob as she sat down on the red leather couch in her living room, curling her knees up against her in a protective ball at the far end. It was so out of character that he could only stand and watch, blinking as he tried to figure out what might be bothering her.

"Elena?" he asked, taking a few steps forward but not moving to join her on the couch, sensing that she wanted her space and feeling a bit rejected. She usually couldn't wait to see him and would have instantly been in his arms once the door was safely closed, their professional lives shut firmly on the other side. She sighed heavily, and he watched as tears began to slip down her cheeks as she hugged herself tightly, refusing to even look at him.

"I have a problem," she said quietly, letting the tears run freely down her face to drip off her chin. He wanted badly to go to her, but was left unsure of how to react, never having seen her this upset other than when she had thought he was going to die in the Temple of the Ancients.

"Tell me so I can help you," he coaxed, keeping his voice calm and his expression just slightly concerned, though inside he was now quite alarmed by her behavior. What could possibly have her so upset, he wondered. Had a family member passed away?

"You can't," she said miserably, starting to cry harder, rocking herself as if searching desperately for comfort. He felt a muscle in his jaw twitch as he fought to maintain his composed exterior. "I'm pregnant."

Tseng felt as if the floor had dropped out from beneath his feet. He had been a Turk for more years than he cared to admit, and had been faced with near-constant unusual and dangerous situations. His life had been in serious jeopardy more times than he could ever hope to remember. Almost nothing surprised him any more, and he was highly adept at masking his reactions even if something did, no matter what was thrown his way. That ability was a large part of how he had risen to be the leader of the division, and why it was often he who was sent on the most important of assignments. But still nothing could have prepared him for this.

Feeling his composure slipping, Tseng turned his back to her, needing a moment to digest the information. Even after so many months together, he still found it difficult to let her see through the emotionless mask he wore, because after long years of tight control he was unused to letting his feelings show. He blinked rapidly, closing his eyes and fighting to calm his racing mind. He felt as if he had been punched in the stomach, and for a moment found it difficult to draw his next breath.

"You don't have to worry," she was saying behind him in a small, tearful voice, sniffling every so often. "I won't tell anyone… I know what would happen to you. I'll… I'll write my mother, see if I can come home before it starts to show. I won't… ask anything of you. I'm so sorry… I never meant for this to happen, but I love you too much to let you get hurt because of me..."

Tseng quickly turned back to face her, allowing the sting of her words to show clearly in his expression, so taken aback was he. "What kind of a man do you think I am?" he demanded, his quiet voice filled with hurt, wavering ever so slightly. "Have you learned nothing about me in all this time?" That she would even suggest such a thing wounded him more than she would ever know, the ache in his chest nearly as bad as when Zack had slashed him open with his sword.

Elena slowly dared to look up at him, cringing at how offended he looked. "But… your job… everything you worked for! I told you I would never do anything to put your career at risk, and I meant it. You can't just…"

Tseng sighed heavily, all thoughts of keeping his cool exterior in place long gone. He felt nearly overloaded with the strong mixture of emotions, briefly closing his eyes again and reminding himself to keep breathing. It was not the first time he had been called upon to be the stronger one in a difficult situation, and though inside he felt nearly sick with worry, he fought to retain his composure. For her.

She was still crying, looking to him in desperation, as if she was praying he held the solution to all of her problems. For just a moment, Tseng felt woefully inadequate and helpless, but it did not take him very long to decide what he had to do. He crossed the room to reach her side, sitting close to her on the couch and gently wrapping an arm around her, their eyes meeting as he studied her closely.

"How could you think I would just abandon you?" he asked, his dark eyes intense, trying and failing to bite down on the hurt. "Elena… I've told you I love you. I've told you I never said those words to another woman. Why…?" He hated the way his voice cracked at the end of his sentence, feeling uncomfortably exposed.

"Because you don't have a choice!" she cried, torn between keeping him from harm and wanting to believe he would instead rescue her. "You could lose everything…"

"There is always a choice." He reached out and placed his hand on her wet cheek, suddenly feeling quite protective of her, trying to push aside his own wounded feelings. "Look at me," he said, his voice quiet and gentle.

He watched as she slowly raised her tearful blue eyes, gazing at him with guilt and despair written all over her face. She looked so young, so vulnerable. Keeping his hand against her soft skin, he did his best to hide the nervousness he felt, wanting more than anything to comfort and reassure her.

"Listen to me," he said, forcing a calm into his voice that he didn't really feel. "You are not alone in this... I am equally as responsible. Yes, my position here is very important to me, and I am a bit concerned about how this will effect it, but I also have my priorities in order. I wish by now you realized… that you mean far more to me than any job ever could. I swear to you, Elena, on my honor, that I will not leave you. I will always be here for you… and our child."

Elena began to cry new tears, but this time, she almost looked relieved instead of so desperately sad. He gently eased her closer, watching as she laid her head against his chest with a weary sigh.

"But what are we going to do?" she nearly whispered. He could feel her trembling in his arms, and soon his shirt was covered with many small wet dots where her tears had rained down upon him.

"I will speak to Rufus," Tseng told her, still holding her close as she slowly began to relax. "I have been with this company for long enough that I should have enough influence…"

"You really think he'll understand and not do anything to you?" she asked hopefully, absently playing with one of the buttons on his shirt.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, realizing that in truth he had no idea how the President would react to his indiscretions. He had never even been so much as disciplined before, always one to play by the rules… or cover his tracks well enough when he didn't. "But I am certainly going to try. Better he find out from me now than learn of it later from someone else…"

"Oh, gods… That reminds me," Elena said, suddenly tensing a bit against him and glancing up with apprehension in her eyes. "There's something else I need to tell you…"

"What is it?" he asked, hating how transparent his concern was by now. His nerves were definitely a bit shot at the moment. Please don't tell me we're having triplets…

"Right after I got the test results… before I even had time to really think about things, much less contact you, Professor Hojo stopped by." When she said his name, Tseng felt her tense even further, and he frowned in confusion.

"Hojo? What did he want? Why would he come here?" The very idea of the disgusting old man anywhere near Elena made his skin crawl.

"He… already knew I was pregnant. He kept leering at me like I was a piece of meat. It was horrible... Then he said he could offer me and the baby a 'great opportunity' with the Science Department…"

"What…?" Tseng could feel the tension building in his body with every word she spoke, his dark eyes narrowing dangerously. What did that idiot think he was doing? Was he seriously going to try to take advantage of the situation for his own purposes? Tseng didn't lose his temper often, but he could feel the slow burn of anger rising within him like a poison.

"I told him to leave… and he threatened to find out the identity of the baby's father when I refused to tell him. I was so scared! I'm really worried he's going to expose you, and come back to try again…"

"He won't if he has any sense," Tseng said, his voice taking on a much harsher tone, his accent growing heavier as his emotions rose. "I will speak to Rufus about him as well, and make sure he is dealt with. He will not bother you again. And don't worry about me, Elena. I can certainly handle him personally if I need to…"

"Thank you," she said quietly, looking up at him as if he were some kind of super hero. How he hoped he could live up to her expectations…

They lapsed into a comfortable silence then, still pressed close together but each alone with their thoughts. Tseng started to practice his speech to Rufus in his head, realizing it might well be his most important act as leader of the Turks. There was far too much at stake this time for him to be at anything less than his best performance, the least of which was his position. He was just starting to trail off into angry thoughts of confronting Hojo when Elena's quiet, girlish voice suddenly interrupted him.

"Tseng?"

"Yes?" he replied, shaking himself back to reality and looking down into the clear blue eyes of the one he loved.

"How do you feel? About the baby, I mean. I just realized I never even asked you…" She frowned with worry, visibly bracing herself against him as if expecting the worst.

He said nothing for long moments, always one to carefully collect his thoughts before speaking. Especially when what he had to say was so important… Tseng knew well that once one spoke the words, you could never take them back, and no amount of apologizing could ever truly erase something foolish said in haste. It often made him seem cold and unfeeling to others, but Elena knew him quite well by now, patiently awaiting his reply.

"I… never expected I would have a family," he began slowly, averting his eyes as he spoke. "I have been married to my career for so long, I had time for little else. By now, I thought I was likely too old to begin to consider it."

"You are hardly old," she scolded him, shaking her head. He favored her with a brief, slight smile before continuing.

"I've never even had a relationship I would have considered serious enough for such possibilities… until I met you. I admit that I haven't really given the matter much thought, because it honestly didn't cross my mind as something that might happen. I'm sorry… I fear I'm still a bit in shock and not entirely sure how I feel yet. But I do know that I love you, and that I am fully dedicated to our relationship."

Elena lifted a hand and softly caressed his cheek, as if she understood just how hard it was for him to share his deepest feelings, even with her. He could only hope she saw past the awkwardness and realized how strongly he meant every word. Tseng leaned down and kissed her softly, then sat back a moment later and glanced at his watch.

"If I go now, I should be able to catch Rufus before he's done for the day," he told her apologetically, hating to leave her side at such a time but realizing it was something he needed to do as soon as possible. "I don't want to delay this conversation, especially given what Hojo said to you…"

"All right…" Elena said shakily, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Tseng rose to his feet, then reached down for her hand to draw her after him, pulling her into a protective embrace and holding her close as if trying to draw strength from their love. "Please be careful," she said, kissing him one last time before walking him to the door.

"Don't worry," Tseng assured her, hoping his air of confidence was convincing, replacing his mask of professionalism with just a bit more effort than usual. "Everything is going to be fine. I'll be back as soon as we are finished."

As he left her apartment and headed for the elevator, Tseng wondered why, if that was true, he was filled with such an unusual sense of foreboding.