Chapter 1: Doctor's Orders!
Flames. They engulfed everything.
The town of Nibelheim burned with the intensity of a thousand suns, illuminating the night sky. People were screaming, panicking; and, should they cross his path, he cut them down mercilessly.
The only thing that matched the raging inferno was his rage. His anger. His hatred.
Lucrecia could feel it all. She tried to scream for him to stop, but no voice came out.
Running to him was like running in water with the currents against you, but Lucrecia tried. By the gods, she tried.
This was not what she hoped.
Her blood ran cold when he slowly but surely, looked up from the carnage he wreaked. His eyes were steeped in madness, darkened by sleeplessness and revelation. His eyes were that of a monster, a feline predator. They narrowed, and he smirked. Then he turned away, sword in hand, with bodies sprawled out in his wake like Hades himself swooped by.
Lucrecia jolted awake. Chocolate eyes were wide with fear and anguish, and all she could do was lay on the cold tile floor of the lab. There was no way she could stop this, and she knew that this was the future Jenova planned for her only son. Silent tears fell down her face, her auburn hair falling further past her eyes as she cried.
She was going through many emotions. So many, she could hardly keep up with them. But most of all, she felt guilt and shame. This was all her fault, after all. She allowed this. She allowed for Hojo to do these experiments on her while pregnant, she allowed him to whisk away their only child to gods know where, most likely to do more experiments. Most of all, she didn't listen. Vincent had tried to stop this. He expressed his concern for her and her unborn son, and it got him killed.
That's two lives you've taken, she thought sullenly.
"...so sorry…" she sobbed. "...I'm...so sorry…"
Lucrecia turned on her back and shook with sorrow. She brought her hands to her eyes and screamed, letting it all out, confident no one would hear her all the way in the basement level of the Shinra manor.
Before long, her tears dried up, leaving her feeling empty and cold. She just laid there, staring at the ceiling, thinking about dying, but she's already tried that. Jenova wouldn't let her die, so maybe disappearing would suffice?
She sat up, eyes puffy. Disappearing sounded nice. No one would miss her anyway. Not anymore. The last person to give a shit died months ago, and he laid rotting on an operating table in a room adjacent to her current location. She stood, almost robotically, and started walking out of the laboratory, not even bothering to shut the lights off.
Lucrecia disregarded the black bats that flew above her head as she passed through the basement, navigating her way to the spiral staircase leading up into an eastern manor bedroom. A brief remembrance played in her head, of her most recent suicide attempt. Where she fell from the top of the staircase hoping with all her might that death actually stuck this time.
To no avail, obviously.
She remembered how she sat down beneath the table she had laid Vincent on, babbling how she couldn't take much more, like the bloody fool she was. He was a corpse and she was speaking as if he was still alive, and then she apologized profusely until finally, she passed out after moving to the main lab and had that terrible glimpse into the future.
Natural light burned at her retinas, but she didn't care. Lucrecia had stumbled out the secret basement entrance and wandered like a zombie out the mansion.
Spring was in full bloom in Nibelheim. The scent of blooming blossoms hung heavy in the air, but it was also still really cold. The small village was placed at the base of Mount Nibel, a barren, monster ridden mountain range that no one dared cross unarmed. Rumors even suggest that the souls of the dead cross over the mountain to get to the afterlife.
Did you cross? She wondered, before resuming her walk out of the village.
In a daze, she didn't realize she was about to crash into someone until it actually happened.
"Hey!" Cried the girl, a pretty blonde teen with sparkling blue eyes and an orange sundress.
Lucrecia had seen the girl around before. She was a resident of the town, a girl named "Hailey", if she recalled correctly. The townsfolk spoke of her, and Lucrecia heard it in passing. "You're one of those Shinra scientists that's been hanging around the mansion lately!" The young girl beamed. "I just knew that they came out a few people short. Say, where's the handsome guy in the suit? He didn't come out either-"
Lucrecia fell to her knees. The mention of Vincent overwhelmed her once more, threatening to have another sobbing fit right in the middle of town. Hailey knelt down beside her and took her hand, concern filling her face. "You okay, miss? Did something happen in that mansion?"
The question was innocent enough, but the exertion of more emotions exhausted Lucrecia, and before she could speak, she was falling forward into the young girl's arms. Hailey was shouting for help, but the world spun too fast for Lucrecia to keep up. Her ears were ringing, muffling the sounds of chatter from good samaritans coming to help, her vision going dark before, finally, she was out cold once again….
—
Hailey Quant was out doing errands for her father when she bumped into the Shinra scientist. The woman was easily ten years older than she, Hailey being at the fresh age of sixteen. She was unbelievably gorgeous, but damn, did she look like a mess. She looked like a zombie with puffy eyes, probably from the pollen.
The woman barely registered her "Hey!" when their shoulders collided, her basket of medicine and other goods falling to the ground.
Despite this, Hailey smiled. "I just knew that they came out a few people short! Say, where's the handsome guy in the suit? He didn't come out either-"
The woman fell to her knees suddenly, shaking as if she tried desperately to hold something in. Hailey knelt down with her and gulped, finally seeing the anguish on the poor woman's face. She had said something that triggered this reaction, so she chose her words carefully this time.
"You okay, miss? Did something happen in that mansion?"
Bad move.
The woman's eyes rolled up and she fell forward into her lap. She was unnaturally limp, and she wasn't responding to anything Hailey said, so she called for help.
"Hey! Someone help over here! This woman just fainted!"
Three boys her age jogged toward her, all three of which she recognized.
Rainn Strife, Cole Lockhart, and Zander Dickens were the boys' names, but Rainn especially caught Hailey's eye. He was the tallest of the three, with spiky blond hair pulled up in a loose ponytail that fell past his shoulders as he knelt down. Hailey felt her heart flutter when he effortlessly picked the woman off her lap and ordered Zander to grab the woman's legs. Cole was left to offer a hand to Hailey to help her stand.
"What happened to her?" Asked Cole.
Hailey shook her head. "I-I don't know. She looked dazed, then I said something, and she looked like she was gonna cry, but then she fainted."
Rainn furrowed his brow in concern. "We gotta get her to doc's ASAP."
"You good?" Zander asked. Hailey nodded.
The boys carried the woman away, her white doctor coat dragging in the dirt. Hailey looked down at her scattered things. She decided to pick them up and take them home, tend to her father, and then run over to the doctor's office to check on the lady.
When she got home, her father, Mr. Quant, was limping around, much to her dismay. "Papa! Doc says you gotta lay in bed, okay?"
The middle aged man looked up at his daughter. "I heard an awful ruckus out there. What happened?"
"A scientist lady from the spooky manor fainted in the middle of town. Rainn and his friends carried her to doc's. Once I'm done with dinner, I wanna go over there to see about her, if that's okay," she sat the basket down on the bar as she spoke. She then helped him back to bed.
"Of course," he replied. "You're a budding young lady. Don't let this old man stop you from doing the things you want to do."
Hailey nodded enthusiastically. "Okay! I'll start dinner then!"
—
After putting her father to bed, Hailey scampered out the door, her ponytail trailing behind her. Dusk was setting in, meaning Doc's office would close soon. Meaning, she had to hurry if she wanted to check up on the Shinra lady.
Doc's office was located on the west side of town, just across the street from the inn. It was a small, easily missed home, but Hailey found it right away; being a resident of Nibelheim and all. She carefully went up the wooden steps and went to knock, but the door opened suddenly, revealing Rainn Strife walking out. He noticed her quickly, so no accidents happened.
Hailey felt her heart flutter at the sight of such a cute boy, feeling her cheeks flush as she fought to find the appropriate words for greeting.
"Oh hello," Rainn greeted with a kind smile.
Hailey gulped. "Uh, hi," she muttered, her eyes darting from his gaze bashfully.
"She's resting in the room to the back, but she hasn't woken up since earlier. Doc says she might not for a couple days," Rainn explained, scooting past her as he held the door for her. Hailey ducked under his arm and muttered a word of thanks.
When she had hold of the door, he let go and jogged down the steps. Hailey sheepishly waved and whispered "Goodbye" as he waved back, giving her a confident smile.
She almost swooned.
Get ahold of yourself! She shook her head and tapped her cheeks. Hailey put thinking about her encounter with Rainn on the figurative back burner and stride into the doctor's office. It was cold and smelled of anesthetics, and really, really small. It had a homey feel, with a reception desk to her left and a small waiting area to her right. The receptionist looked up from her book, brushing a strand of orange red hair from her face. The name tag on her desk read as "Wanda Cole".
Hailey gladly followed her to the back room, which was just across the room from the entrance.
They had taken the Shinra lady's clothes and cleaned her up, giving her a fresh set of scrubs and hooked her up to some fluids. Still out cold, the mysterious woman looked peaceful almost, but the dark, puffy circles were still prominent. Not to mention, she was also very pale, as if she hadn't seen the light of day in months.
"The doc says she suffering from extreme exhaustion and that it also looks as if she's had a child recently. You said she suddenly became distraught, right?" Ms. Wanda asked.
Hailey nodded. "Yeah, I could see it on her face," she replied, walking over to the woman. She oh so gently picked up a few strands of the woman's hair, admiring its length, color, and shine, not realizing that her ward had, in fact, awakened and was now staring at her.
"Excuse me," the Shinra lady muttered quietly.
Hailey jumped at the soft sound of her voice, immediately dropping the strands of her hair she was admiring. "Oh my gosh! Uh, sorry I was just admiring your hair!" Hailey exclaimed, blushing in embarrassment.
The woman turned her head away, a sullen look on her face. "...Don't be," she mumbled, barely audible.
Ms. Wanda just stood there, blinking. "The doctor said you probably wouldn't wake up for days. It's a wonder you're awake now, just hours after collapsing," she explained.
"Hn."
"Um…uh...what went on...in that spooky mansion…?" Hailey inquired.
"Nothing of your concern."
Hailey sighed. "W-what's your name?"
"Lucrecia."
Hailey beamed, happy to finally have a name to a face. "Uh...Miss Lucrecia…?"
Lucrecia looked her way, but said nothing. Hailey immediately felt anxiety about her question and averted her gaze. "You're very pretty…"
Lucrecia sat up and and pulled the IV out of her arm. "I'm leaving," she said flatly, throwing her legs off the side of the bed in order to stand. Both Hailey and Ms. Wanda panicked and protested. "Y-you can't!" They chimed in, standing firmly in the doorway.
Lucrecia frowned. Chocolate brown eyes burned with annoyance, and but both girls stood their ground against her glare.
"I cannot, with good conscience, let a patient of mine walk away unhealthy," piped up a cheerful, elderly voice. Both Hailey and Ms. Wanda moved to the side, letting a short, bushy haired man through. He pushed up his round spectacles and cleared his throat. "You're a Shinra scientist, yes?" He questioned.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Lucrecia muttered.
The doctor ran a hand down his white coat. "Then you must be smart, yes?"
Lucrecia opened her mouth to speak, but closed it immediately, a pained expression washing over her pretty features.
"I...I guess," she said finally, after a moment of intense silence.
The doctor nodded. "So, what would your initial prognosis be for your condition?"
Lucrecia said nothing in reply.
"So you see, you'll be staying here for the next week on complete bed rest. Minimal movement. At least until your body finally gets the rest it so needs. After that, I want you to preoccupy yourself with something other than work, am I clear?"
"What?"
"Ms. Lucrecia, I've birthed a many a baby in this town, and I know the signs of post-partum depression, even if they're not as outward as you thought they would be. You're a little heavier than when you first came to this village, but you have no child. Am I to assume you...lost the baby somehow?"
Lucrecia said nothing, but she looked sad and bitter and on the brink of tears. "Among other things…" she choked out finally, gulping down the lump in her throat.
Hailey wanted to hug her so bad, but knew a hug couldn't fix the shattered soul that was Lucrecia. To think that she lost a baby, no wonder the poor thing was a mess. Hailey couldn't imagine what it was like. But she smiled. "Nevertheless, we will prevail!" She exclaimed suddenly, grasping Lucrecia's hand.
Lucrecia looked up at her in surprised confusion. "Uh…what?"
Hailey began to sweat under pressure. "Um! I want to help you!"
Help?
The doctor chuckled. "Hailey is rather quirky, no? She should be good company in the next week."
The doctor and his receptionist both filed out of the room, leaving the blonde and brunette alone together. Hailey began to sweat profusely and instantly let go of Lucrecia's hand. "Uh, sorry! I'll leave you alone now!"
Lucrecia watched the teen flee from the room, her orange sundress flowing behind her. Confused and left alone for her thoughts to process, she looked down at the hand the young girl was holding. There was nothing significant wrong with it, but Lucrecia wondered for a moment on why that girl had such a firm grasp, like she was telling her to "hang in there".
For a fleeting moment, Lucrecia felt her heart flutter.
—-
Throughout the night, Lucrecia couldn't sleep. Memories of a time long gone plagued her, and as happy as she was then, it only pained to see them now. She wished so desperately to disappear, but no amount of sneaking away would accomplish that. She probably wouldn't even get far without passing out again.
Another suicide attempt, maybe?
Hailey's beaming face flashed through her mind, the girl's sandy blonde hair bouncing as she bounced, her sky blue eyes sparkling with the innocence of youth. Lucrecia sighed, lacing her fingers together in her lap.
It's been four months since my son was born. I-I wonder...will I ever see him again? I never even got to hold him, much less give him a proper name.
Lucrecia shook the thought away. What would she have named him had she gained custody of her baby? She was no more capable of being a parent than Midgar's own resident homeless guy! She was jobless, homeless, and severely depressed. Not to mention the amount of blood on her hands. She wouldn't DARE touch something as innocent as her infant son.
With a hefty sigh, she laid back down and closed her eyes, hoping that Death has mercy and took her in her sleep.
—-
The next morning, bright and early, Hailey headed over to Doc's office, humming and skipping with a basket of freshly baked cookies. She wore a white top that fell past the shoulders this time, with a white apron embroidered with delicate flowers over a teal colored skirt. She had her hair up in a tight little bun, and it bounced as she skipped along the cobblestone road.
When she arrived, she was pardoned to pass by the receptionist.
Lucrecia barely even looked her way when she uttered, "You again?"
Hailey chirped, "Yup! And I have a gift!"
"Hn."
Hailey stifled a sigh. "I made some cookies, but I didn't know what kind you liked. Uh, here! If you wanna look through 'em! There's oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia, sugar cookies, and-"
"I'm not hungry."
Hailey's shoulders fell slack. "I'm-I'm sorry...am I annoying you?" She asked, feeling disappointed and anxious. Lucrecia looked even more sad and tired than she did yesterday, which Hailey didn't even think was possible. Hailey guessed that she didn't sleep last night, and would wager that she hasn't eaten at all today. Lucrecia's silence bugged her; it made her think that her hunch about she being annoying to Lucrecia was true.
She was only trying to help.
Hailey fidgeted and gulped. "Um…"
"What?"
Lucrecia sounded agitated. Hailey had to cheer her up somehow, or maybe she should just leave?
"I hope you get better," she murmured, setting the basket down on the side of her bed.
Hailey heaved a hefty sigh and exited the room. From the corner of her eye, Lucrecia watched her leave, the disappointment and sadness evident in her body language.
Gods, what an innocent child...
Lucrecia inhaled through her nose and out her mouth. Feeling defeated, she laid back down and curled into the fetal position. I feel like shit…
—-
"Papa? I think Lucrecia hates me."
Hailey sat on the cloth couch and heaved a sigh. She had went straight home after her encounter with Lucrecia, but she wasn't going to give up on the woman just yet. Something told her that if she did, she would never see her alive again, and Hailey couldn't bear that.
Mr. Quant had lost her mother to an illness, so Hailey had missed out on having a mother for most of her life. Of course, she wasn't looking for a mother figure, she just couldn't stand to watch someone suffer, not like Lucrecia was.
Mr. Quant peered at his daughter, who looked so troubled about her ward's predicament. He had not met this woman she speaks of, but he has seen her around. In fact, just two and a half years prior, he had watched a group of Shinra scientists and their Turk bodyguard move into the old Shinra manor just on the outskirts of the town. A lot of questions were raised, but they assured nothing serious was going on. Hailey was crushing on the suited bodyguard then, saying that he handled the briefing of the citizens well and sounded "so cool".
No one dared to peek in on them, even though it was suggested amongst the town youth. No doubt that bodyguard was there to handle any unwanted intruders.
No doubt something odd had went down in that mansion.
Just four months ago, one of the Shinra scientists emerged with an infant child and stayed in the Inn in the town square, and was gone by dawn the next morning. Word around town suggested human experimentation, claiming that the infant had odd colored hair and eyes. Another rumor claims that it was just a bad argument between husband and wife, and that the husband ran off with the baby. Many other rumors were raised, but none of them made sense.
"My daughter," he finally spoke, leaning on his cane, "what ever went down in that mansion must have been heart wrenching for her, so you mustn't ask her questions about it, okay?"
Hailey frowned. "How do you-"
He chuckled. "I know my daughter. Your questions can be a wee bit invasive at times, and being nosy isn't always a good thing. Approach her differently, and try to understand her situation a little better without prying too much."
Hailey nodded and stood. "Thanks, Papa! I'll see what I can do!" She quickly made for the door, a wide smile on her face. Before turning the knob, she stopped and said, "Oh! And I'll be back before dinner!"
And so she left.
Mr. Quant smiled. It's good to see her trying to make friends…
—
Hailey marched back to doc's, determined to get a conversation out of Lucrecia. Even if it was just small talk, she had to figure out what Lucrecia likes and doesn't like. She had to get her mind off of the trauma she faced somehow, some way.
Lucrecia hadn't even touched the cookies Hailey had brought over, much to her dismay. The woman was laying on her side, her back to the teen. "Miss Lucrecia? I want to be your friend," she declared, putting her hands on her hips in a determined manner.
Lucrecia sat up and examined the teen. She had her chest puffed out with a forced look of determination. The energy Hailey emitted exhausted her, but Lucrecia just shook her head. "Anyone who befriends me dies, so I'd highly advise against it," she explained.
Hailey wasn't having it. "Nope! I refuse to die before my unborn kid!"
Lucrecia cocked her head sideways. "You're pregnant?"
Hailey immediately waved her hands in front of her, her color turning to a deep red. "No no no no! I'm just saying that cuz no mom wants to die before their child! And I do intend to be a mom someday…"
Lucrecia cracked a slight smile at the teen. "I see. I wanted to be a mom too, but…"
Hailey scratched her head. "Sorry about that. It must have been devastating to lose them like that…"
Lucrecia blinked. Does she think my son is dead?
"Oh, no. My baby isn't dead, it's just that I...I'm not allowed to see him," she explained.
Hailey frowned. "That's dumb! Who would take a baby away from its mother and revoke her rights to see them? I mean, you birthed him, you should have at least a say in it all! Unless you were truly unfit to be a mom, but you don't look like you're incapable! You seem like you'd be a great mom!"
Lucrecia blinked. "I don't know about that...I couldn't imagine having me as a mother…."
"No! You'd be a great mom and that's that! If I were you, I'd march up to who ever has your baby and demand to see him!" Hailey exclaimed, putting her hands back on her hips.
Lucrecia sighed. If she could, she would, but her baby was most likely back at Shinra Manufacturing HQ, which was all the way on the other side of the world. Any sensible person WOULD demand to see her baby, and she did, at one point. But Hojo, gods damn him, Hojo had told her that she wasn't allowed to see their son. Gast, no doubt, had been the one to whisk the infant away soon after that, with Hojo following some months later.
Hojo never once cared about her. He only ever saw her as a tool for him to use.
Her lips formed a thin line as a sudden wave of bitterness swooped in. Hailey was eyeing her in concern, but Lucrecia just shook her head. Hailey was right. She SHOULD find a way for her son to be returned to her.
"...I'll do it."
"What's that?"
"I'll do it. I'll try to cope, until I can find a way to get my son back."
Hailey grinned. "Oh my gods! I'm so happy!"
She gave Lucrecia a big hug, squeezing her tightly. Lucrecia just sighed and patted her lightly on the back. "When I recover, I'll need your help," said Lucrecia.
Hailey pulled away. "Oh?"
Lucrecia heaved a sigh. "In the mansion, down in the basement, I have some research that may be crucial to getting my son back. Will you go down there with me?"
Hailey smiled. "Of course I would."