I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

This is my first VincentXLucrecia Fic. It's sort of a challenge between me and Aerith Mon-Kishu. The challenge is: Prove that Vincent is Sephiroth's father, so our stories are probably going to have similarities. I'm curious to see how this will pan out, so bear with me please^^ If anyone is familiar with my stories, then you probably know I'm terrible at planning and mostly just start and see where I end up...that's why the Angel's Heir was so bizzare XD

So anyways, I used some stuff from the cutscenes from Dirge of Cerberus, and used them along with my own ideas.

So anyway, let's get on with it!

Love Child

Chapter I: The Beginning of the End

Vincent walked hastily down the hallway toward the helipad. He'd been given the assignment of looking after a particular scientist who was currently working on a top secret project. A certain amount of excitement welled up inside of him as he thought about how privileged he was to be chosen for the task.

The person he'd been assigned to assist in particular was Dr. Lucrecia Cresent, one of the youngest scientists on the team and also one of the most brilliant minds ShinRa had to offer. She was a member of a three-person team, consisting of herself as well as Dr. Gast and Dr. Hojo. Vincent was more than ready to meet her and get started with his mission.

He was headed to the small village of Nibelheim, located on the Western Continent. There was a secluded manor there where the team was conducting their research in private.

"Shinra Manor." Vincent muttered as he read over the notes he was given in briefing. The manor would be his home during the duration of his visit and he was halfway excited to be staying there; it would be a nice break from his dull grey apartment at the ShinRa building and the small town could serve as a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of Midgar. He was going to treat it like a much needed vacation on his off-time.

As the helicopter buzzed over the dark Nibel Mountain Range, Vincent felt his nerves spike up. He leaned over the window and watched as they landed, not on a helipad, but just an open space barely large enough for them. A sloppy, wet springtime snow had fallen recently and the helicopter kicked it up into a miniature blizzard as Vincent stepped to the ground. Grabbing his bag, he headed for the house, only to be greeted by a man in white lab coat who was being blown around by the wind, shielding his face from the debris with a clipboard.

"Dr. Feramis Gast!" The man introduced himself eagerly, reaching out to shake Vincent's hand. "It's a pleasure!"

Vincent said nothing as he followed him into the house. As they entered the dry, still warmth, Gast turned to him once more and extended his hand again. "Perhaps I should have waited until we were inside. I am Dr. Gast."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Vincent Valentine."

"It's a pleasure to have you supervising our project." Gast offered a sincere smile and Vincent was obliged to return it. "Let me introduce you the rest of the team." He led him to a library located at the far end of the house.

Gast entered first, so as to present him formally to the group. "Ah, Lucrecia!" He looked around, "Where is Hojo?"

"Oh, he's retired to his lab." Her voice was wonderful to Vincent's ears; it had a musical upswing and it made him eager to see her face.

"What a pity…Well, at any rate, I'm pleased to announce that our associate from the Turks has arrived." Gast turned and patted Vincent's shoulder, prompting him to enter.

As Vincent entered, he was immediately met with the sweet, angelic face of Lucrecia Crescent. He'd expected her to be lovely, but he found her far lovelier than what had been prior described to him. Her long brown hair was tied almost carelessly back with a faded yellow scarf and she was dressed elegantly in a blue ruffled blouse and a dark blue asymmetrical skirt over which she wore a white lab coat. Around her neck hung a silver pendant and her left ankle was adorned with a silver anklet, which sparkled beautifully against her crimson kitten heels. Of course, her looks were of no consequence when it came to the point of his business there, but it certainly didn't hurt.

Vincent instantly realized that he was gawking and corrected himself promptly. "Vincent Valentine, reporting for duty, ma'am…I've been assigned your protection."

Lucrecia's face fell. She dropped her head and felt her heart slam against her ribs. "No…why would they…send his…?" She gasped softly.

Confused by her reaction, Vincent leaned toward her, "Excuse me?"

Lucrecia remembered herself promptly. "Oh, I apologize, this is the first time I ever met anyone from the Turks." She took a breath, "Lucrecia Crescent, pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Valentine."

Her face softened into a tender smile which at first seemed forced, but as she continued to smile, it soon became real.