Hello!
Welcome to my fic, Resonance of Fate.
Just to let you know, this is my first story that has been COMPLETELY planned out. And I do mean completely. I have a full timleine that's four pages long...in bullet points! The idea for this came from a random conversation that x-Trisana-Skystorm-x and I had on our way into town. We were talking about 'what ifs'. The plot bunny then sat in my head and randomly thumped me in my head until I wrote it down. Then I read an amazing fanfic. Seriously, it's good. "The Fifth Act" by Sinnatious. Absolutely bloody fantastic. Hands down the best fic I've read in a long time, if not ever. I highly recommend you read it.
Anyway, I read that then, I sent a message to Sinnatious, asking for a hand in planning. I have to say, at least half of my plot came from Sin.
Thanks to x-Trisana-Skystorm-x for the title.
So this chapter is dedicated to Sinnatious.
Every Chapter or two, I will give a recommendations for good fanfics. If you want to nominate someone, then please tell me in a review and have it on your favourites so that I can easily find it.
My recommendations will be written at the end of the story.
Okay, so sorry for the long AN.
~Interstella
Word Count: 6522
Warnings: A serious beginning, with a fluffy end to the chapter. Creepy Hojo.
Disclaimer: Unless I'm truly mistaken, I don't own final fantasy. If I did, I might have paid more notice to physics... Specifically gravity...
Resonance of Fate
~ Chapter 1 - εуλ 1977 ~
~ Of Experiments and Family ~
The year was εуλ 1977; a year of new beginnings, a year of new hopes. And a year of love.
Scarcely could he believe that it had been but a few months since they had first met. At the start, she had been shy, keeping her distance and avoiding being alone with him, though it was inevitable really, that they would draw closer to each other, and eventually they become friends. It was surprising really how quickly their budding friendship evolved into something more - a little unbelievable really, yet for the first time in a long time, Vincent Valentine had found himself to be a happy man.
At first, being assigned to babysit a few scientists, had sounded like a very uninteresting job to say the least, but the moment he had lay eyes on her, his interest was piqued his interest. It was strange to think, that the twenty-seven year old Turk was feeling that elation that one would equate to a teenager falling in love for the first time – every time she gave him her shy smile, his heart would flutter, every second they were apart, he craved her company, thoughts of her constantly circled his head, and only dissipated when she was with him. It didn't take long for Vincent to realize that he was head over heals in love and would do anything for this woman.
Which made this situation all that more difficult.
"I'm sorry." The tears were brimming on the edge of her chocolate brown eyes, not quite ready to spill onto her flushed cheeks. She was slowly backing away from him, her arm around her stomach as if to hold back a growing nausea. Her fingers toyed with the fabric of her shirt, a nervous habit that she had long since developed. Her other hand was splayed out beside her, flailing slightly as if looking for something steady to ground her. Knees slightly bent, she looked as if she was trying to decide weather to collapse or run away.
Confused, Vincent frowned, his heart racing as he reached out to her, hand grasping only air as she backed away slowly, guilt shining in those glistening eyes. "Lu-?" Seeing his outstretched hand, she shook her head, raising her own hands defensively, as if insisting he stayed back.
"I'm sorry Vincent." Her voice shook, heavy with the building emotion, panic obviously rising in her chest. She reached the wall behind her, her hand bracing her against it as she slid down it, the tears finally falling over the edges of her eyelids. "It was my fault. It should've been me, not him." Her breathing became haggard, as she gasped for the air her lungs so sorely craved.
This only served to confuse the young Turk further. Lowering his arm, Vincent paused realizing that it would serve no purpose to pursue her when she was obviously terrified of something. "Lucrecia, what are you talking about?" Keeping his tone as calm as possible, and his voice low, he utilized his training to attempt to comfort the panic stricken woman as best his could without physical contact.
"Grimoire." The one word served to bring back unbidden memories for the man. His father. He remembered hearing from his mother that his father had worked with a young female scientist in the months before the accident that had taken his father's life.
"It was my fault he died!" sobs now wrecked her body as she doubled up on herself, as if her guilt truly was eating her up from the inside.
"So it was you... The young woman scientist that he was working with?" He asked, his frown deepening in thought. "My father died to save you..." His words drifted off as things began to click into place. Her reluctance to let him work with them, her prevailing shyness. It was all beginning to make sense to him. But... Why had she not brought this up sooner? Could it be that she had been burying the guilt this whole time? Or had she simply not had the courage to say something?
Still standing there awkwardly, not quite sure what else to do, Vincent thought quickly. Obviously her telling him this now meant that she couldn't deal with hiding her thoughts any more. To Vincent this implied that she truly cared for him, and that she honestly believed that it was her fault that Grimoire had died. But that was just his way. If Grimoire cared for you, you could guarantee that you would be protected.
"You're not to blame." finally, he decided on what to say. Sure, he could hold on to the blame that she so readily gave in to, but to what purpose? Truly she could not be liable for the other man's actions. Just as he could not be liable for hers. This was one of the first things you learned when you became a Turk. People do what their nature tells them to – regardless of outside influence. In the end, if they are truly inclined to an action, it will happen.
So Grimoire was depositioned to protect the people he cared about. Whether it be Lucrecia or anybody else, it didn't matter.
Slowly he approached her and dropped to one knee beside her. Gently, he gathered her into his arms, holding her close in a way that was reserved for her, and only her. "He did what he had to. Protected somebody dear to him. I would do the same without hesitation."
Generally, he wasn't the type to comfort people. If people wanted to cry, let them. If they honestly thought they had something to gain by the action, fine. But normally, he just found the whole exercise pointless. But with Lucrecia, as she broke down, he could feel his own heart breaking, as if he was the one shedding the tears, not her. Holding the sobbing woman close, he gently stroked her hair, comforting her the best he knew how.
And that was when she said it, between her sobs and shuddering breath, the words were spoken.
"I love you."
By no means was this the first time the man had heard them. Having his looks, he was bound to attract women, but usually, when those words were spoken, it was the signal that the relationship had gone on too long and needed to be cut off as soon as possible. The three small words would generally leave the man feeling a small amount of regret and sadness.
But this time, it was different. Hearing those words from her... His heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat, and for the first time that he could even recall, he was truly stuck for words. She had said it. She had meant it. And he found that he couldn't return them, he tried, but the words got caught in his throat, letting out only a small croaking sound, a mixture of surprise and nerves.
Vincent just held her closer and when she kissed him, he returned it with equal passion, putting the words he could not say into the action. Gently he held her close, his hand stroking her hair as she pulled him closer...
~ 0 ~
Scarcely a month later, the snow began to fall in Nibelheim. An icy stillness submerged the small town in a surreal silence broken only by the soft crunching of snow beneath his feet. Turk training had him aware of all his surroundings, his keen senses listening, smelling, feeling the world around him, knowing exactly what was near him and what dangers could be hiding beyond the next corner. Only an idiot would think that they are ever truly safe.
As he made his way towards the well in the centre of the town, he contemplated the strange request that he'd been covertly given on a crumpled piece of paper, the handwriting messy and rushed. The font was smudged in places, indicating that it had been written merely seconds before the paper had been palmed. It had been slipped it into his hand as she excused herself from the room to 'freshen up', a regretful look fleetingly flickering on her face as she walked by.
'Meet me at the well at midnight.
-L'
He could do nothing but comply, a bad feeling forming in his stomach.
As he surveyed his surroundings, the dark haired man looked up, the stars above him being something that he simply wasn't used to. He'd seen them many a times while on missions, but had never really had the time to just look at them. The pin pricks of light emanating from the sky cast an ethereal glow over the town and he took a moment to just bathe in the unique spattering of light, his feet stilling only briefly before carrying him the rest of the way to the well.
Purposely arriving a little early, he walked around the structure, to ensure that there were no dangers lurking within the numerous shadows cast by the natural light. Finding the area clear, he stood with his back against the wooden supports and settled in to wait.
He didn't have to stand there for long before she joined him. "Vincent..." She rushed up to him, her arms spread as if she was going to pull him into another embrace but at the last second, she stopped just out of reach, letting her arms fall. "Vincent," She was speaking quickly and quietly in the rushed tones people only ever used when there was something wrong. Throwing glances in all directions as if she was afraid that she would be caught, she spoke, barely looking at him before throwing more worried looks around their area.
Her paranoia caught him off guard and put him on high alert. While he wasn't quite as obvious as her, he too was constantly checking for danger.
"I'm sorry." She was breathing rapidly, her movements becoming more and more erratic as her panic seemed to deepen, causing it to creep up in his own chest. What could possibly be wrong?
"I can't-" Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and paused for scarcely a second, "We can't keep seeing each other like this." she took a step backwards, her hands close to her chest, as if worried that he may pursue her. "Our being together... It's... it's against the rules."
To Vincent it was painfully obvious that this was just an excuse, a ruse to hide the true reason for her words. Her constant glances in every direction merely enforced that belief in the man. There was something else that she was worrying about – something that terrified her enough to lie to him.
Her hand found its way to her stomach, once again toying at the thick fabric. She looked as if she was going to throw up at any moment.
Enough was enough. He had to find out what was happening. "Lu, what's really going on?" He asked, once again stepping forward to reach out for her. This time, she took his hand briefly and squeezed before dropping it, her trembling hand dancing its way to her midriff. "It's nothing. It's just against the rules. That's all." Her tone was final, like she was trying hard not only to convince herself, but him as well.
Her piece said, she then fled, leaving Vincent in the dark, his reply dead on his tongue.
~ 0 ~
For the next short while, Lucrecia, did her best to ignore the Turk, constructing an elaborate dance that was obviously designed with the intent of avoiding his presence and finding her every excuse to leave the room, sometimes as many as three times in the hour. Though he was terribly confused, and more than a little hurt, Vincent found it quite clear that she didn't want to see or hear from him. If that was what she truly needed then he decided to give her the time that she seemed to so desperately need. While he longed to reach out to her, to talk to her and understand just what was going on, he could be patient. Keeping his feelings in check, and remaining entirely professional in her presence, Vincent waited.
It was ten days after their meeting by the well that Vincent finally found the true reason why she had been acting the way she had.
"I thought you should know." She had pulled him aside late one night at the end of his guard shift. Speaking in hushed tones, she lead him into an abandoned corridor and stood beside him for a moment, keeping them both out of the prying eyes of the others.
An unreadable expression danced on her features briefly, causing Vincent to think that whatever it was she was about to tell him, he wouldn't like it. "That I'm marrying Hojo." The words were hollow, and he didn't believe that that was what she wanted, not for a moment. But the tone of her voice made it clear that there was no room for argument and Vincent found his heart freezing in his chest.
Just what was going on?
His mind spun as he attempted to come up with a way of confronting the woman about her decision, of getting her to explain exactly what was going on and why she suddenly changed in her behaviour towards him. Two weeks ago, everything had been fine between them. There were no indications that she had been so much as fond of Hojo. In fact, Vincent was sure that she barely tolerated the greasy man. And now she was going to marry him?
Something just didn't sit right.
By the time he had thought of something to say, it was already too late – Lucrecia had returned to the lab, to her 'fiancé'.
Unknown to either of them, prying eyes were peering from a distance. Light reflected off the round spectacles as they were pushed back in to place and the spy turned to leave.
Things carried on like normal for another month, Lucrecia successfully avoided and ignored Vincent in all but a professional capacity. Every attempt he made to talk to her was shot down almost instantly. Sometimes, he managed to convince himself that he saw a spark of regret in those chocolate brown eyes of hers. But as quickly as he had seen it, it disappeared. Try as he might, he just couldn't get her to open up to him.
~ 0 ~
The crash resonated throughout the laboratory, echoing off the stone walls in the empty room as loudly as an angry mother chocobos' wark. It was followed by a sharp cry, and several hushed words of anger. Being as Vincent was the Turk in charge of security, the nimble man rushed towards the commotion, making barely a sound as his feet glided across the un-carpeted floor. Stealth came naturally to a Turk, Vincent was no exception.
As a standard practice, the man paused by the door, peaking into the room to assess the potential danger rather than rushing in blind. Seeing nothing other than Hojo and Lucrecia, Vincent hesitated, watching the scene unfold inside the room.
Lucrecia was leaning against the table, her head bowed and her hand by her face. Her arm was around her stomach, once again. Hojo was stood before her, glowering down at her angrily. Neither party were aware of their observer in the shadows behind the almost closed door.
"I told you." Hojo's voice rang out, piercing the silence, "You will have nothing more to do with him! This child is now mine, and I will keep it that way. If you disobey me, I will ensure Valentine is never able to care for his child."
If it wasn't for his years of Turk training, the man would've inhaled sharply. As it was, his breathing remained quiet and steady, controlled. Yet his heart began to thump in his chest, beating at a speed almost fast enough for it to feel like it would get stuck in his throat, causing it to become a struggle for him to breathe.
'...never able to care for his child'
'For his child'
'His child'
Lucrecia was pregnant, and the baby was his.
This revelation affected him more than he could have ever imagined. Emotions began to swell within him, bobbing around like eddies in a current. He was to be a father... There was a child created by him and the woman he so dearly loved. There was no way he could allow Hojo to take that innocent child away. No way that he could subject it to that kind of a life.
Swallowing silently, Vincent brought his attention back to the room beyond the door and continued to watch, having missed half the conversation with his internal musings. Lucrecia was now stood tall, facing Hojo in a stance of defiance, hands making fists at her side and her head held tall. "This baby will never be your child." She spat, her voice steady and cold. She was glowering at the professor, shooting venom with her words. "You may have subjected me to your experiments, you may have convinced me to leave him to keep him safe. But I will never give you our child. You may have taken everything I love, but I will not let you take him too." A voice like steel, she prepared herself, able to predict exactly what Hojo's reaction would be. And sure enough, the man raised his hand and she flinched, waiting for the inevitable slap.
Vincent was inside in seconds, positioning himself between the two in a flash before Hojo could complete the action he had aimed at the woman. Catching the professors arm, Vincent used it as leverage to violently push the man away from the woman behind him. "Leaveher alone." He ordered, barely contained fury obvious in his voice. "Don't ever touch her again." His voice was low and calm, his veiled threat hanging in the air. The hand that still gripped the professors arm squeezed tightly, a further reiteration of his threat before he threw the arm aside, causing the professor to stumble a little.
The scientist righted himself and just smiled, an ugly, triumphant smile that one normally wears when he knows that he has won. "But you see, my dear Valentine. The experiments have already begun. Should I leave your... beloved" the word was said with such disdain that Vincent found it hard to believe that this man was ever anything but alone, "be now, she will die." His tone left no room for argument. This wasn't a threat, but rather a fact.
"The mako and J-cells in her body need to be kept in a perfect balance as she... develops." The look on his face became more victorious as his grin widened, "You have no choice but to allow me to continue my experiments, to bring this child to full term and continue the experiments on it, less it die a horrible and painful death."
Looking past the Turk, Hojo turned that ugly smile on Lucrecia, "You see my dear, this child is already mine, blood or no. You handed him over to me the moment you allowed me to follow through on my hypothesis. That baby belongs to me."
Taking a final victorious look at the pair, Hojo pulled on his clothes, readjusting them to normal before confidently striding out of the lab, not even glancing back to the pair.
Once he was sure the scientist had left, Vincent turned to regard Lucrecia, noting her down-turned eyes, her hand on her stomach and the shaking of her body. "Lu...?" He asked, in an unstable, cautious voice, not quite sure how to voice the feelings circulating around his body. "You're..."
Without raising her eyes, the young woman nodded, "Two months." She said, "It's... it's yours."
Finally, she lifted her head, smiling softly at Vincent, a regretful look on her face. "He said that he'd hurt you. That if I stayed with you, he'd requisition you for his next experiment – even force you into it. He told me exactly what he would do to you..." She shuddered and didn't explain what the scientist had had in mind for him. Vincent decided that he didn't want to know. He'd read enough about the professor to know that he was capable of monstrous acts.
Reaching up, he gently caressed Lucrecia's cheek, staring lovingly into her eyes, refusing to show her any of the fear he felt. The adrenalin was ebbing away, and he felt physically drained, yet emotionally turbulent.
"You could've told me." He murmured softly, stepping closer to her "I can take care of myself..." Reaching out with his other arm, he pulled her into the embrace that he had been so craving for a long while. Taking unnecessary care not to bump her stomach, he held her tight, relishing in the closeness that he had missed dearly.
"Oh Vincent," She leaned into the embrace, hands gripping tightly to the material of his suit. "I couldn't. I couldn't let you get hurt." She was still shaking, her voice trembling with fear. "He cornered me, and said that he wouldn't let any harm come to us. He injected me with something. Told me that it was to make our child stronger, faster and smarter than any other child." She shuddered at the memory, forcing down the panic that began to rise at the mere thought of what had happened all those weeks ago. "He wouldn't tell me what he was doing until after he started. He wasn't lying when he said that the mako levels in my system need to be kept steady. He's injected our baby with something. But I don't know what." The panic that only a mother could feel was beginning to take hold. Her trembling increased as she tried to pull herself closer to Vincent, in the hopes that he really could protect her completely.
Turk tightened his grip on the woman he loved. "We'll see what happens." He whispered to her, "We'll let Hojo believe he's won, at least until the baby is born. In the mean time I want you to find out everything you can on what he's doing to you and ….our child..." He still couldn't get that around his head, and even in the terrible situation they were on at the moment, he couldn't prevent the small smile that found its way onto his face. Pushing the emotion away, the Turk concentrated on their current situation. There would be time to address that later.
Laying a small kiss on his lovers head, he pulled back and looked her in the eyes, both hands coming to rest on her cheeks as he continued his instructions. "As soon as you've found something, we'll get out. We will take our child and run – however long and however far it takes. I will protect you." Pulling back, he looked into her eyes, one hand reaching up to caress her face. "Always." He promised before pulling her back into an embrace.
For the next few weeks, Vincent rarely left Lucrecia's side, causing Hojo to linger around them suspiciously. Slowly, Vincent convinced Lucrecia that he had to back off a little to convince the scientist that he had won, that they were co-operating with the madman's orders.
After a while, Hojo began to let his guard down, and Lucrecia was able to piece together exactly what his experiments entailed. What he was doing to her child, while fascinating, was sickening. The theories were intriguing to say the least, but there was no way that it was morally acceptable to preform such actions on an unborn child.
However, she had no choice but to continue with the treatments. Had she stopped, both herself and her unborn child would have died. Even if he wasn't completely human when he was born, at least her son would have a chance at life. And with Vincent's help, she would make sure that he had a chance at a happy life.
Together, they gathered Intel and made a plan.
~ 0 ~
"Let me see him!" Her screams went unbidden in the night, the scientists around her ignoring everything she had to say. Two troopers held her back as she struggled to break free to lunge herself at Hojo. The moment she had given birth, the moment her son had been born, he had been ripped from her. She hadn't even had the chance to hold the child before she'd lost him.
It had taken her barely an hour to recover enough to fight for him. Her stomach still ached, her body was still weak and sweat clung to her face, but she was a mother scorned and there was no way in hell that this man was going to keep her from her baby. "Let me see my baby, just once!" Struggling with all her might, she tried to pull herself free. It took three infantrymen to hold her back. "Please!" She begged, tears streaming down her eyes.
If she could hold him, if she could get at him, she could take him and run. Get Vincent and escape.
A harsh laugh was Hojo's only reply as he moved away. "Kill her." He waved his hand and said the words simply, as if he was ordering a cup of tea. He had no more use for her. She had given him the spawn that he required and had been a live incubator for his newest achievement. As far as Hojo was concerned, she was no longer needed.
"NO!" Her blood curdling cry almost covered the sound of the two shots being fired. Suddenly the arms holding her back went limp and the infantrymen dropped, letting her go. She fell to the ground, her body collapsing as her support disappeared. Slowly, she rose to her feet, a look of pure vengeance on her face as she started to rush towards Hojo, not even bothering to investigate the origin of the weapons fire. Just as she was starting to move, a black blur rushed past her, colliding with Hojo and throwing him heavily to the floor.
Vincent looked up at Lucrecia from his position atop Hojo, "He's in the lab." He called. "Find him and meet me by the well." He then turned his attention back to the sick scientist, holding him down and glaring at him. Mustering all of his hate in to one action he lifted his arm, he brought it down directly on the man's face. Once. Twice. Three times."You will leave my family alone." He let out an animalistic growl, glaring down at the older man with utter contempt.
Again, Hojo just laughed, coughing through the blood that was pouring out of his nose. Peering at the Turk through a rapidly bruising eye, he grinned the grin of a man that believes he's won. "You will seek me out. That child cannot survive on its own." He seemed to find the whole situation excruciatingly humorous, his laughter continued to grow until Vincent had had enough. With one final roar of rage, his fist once again connected with Hojo face, knocking the man out cold with a sickening crack as his nose finally gave in and broke.
Pausing briefly to be sure that the scientist was truly unconscious, Vincent stood, the idea of killing the man briefly crossing his mind. He dismissed the idea just as quickly, the need for haste out weighing his desire for vengeance. There would be time enough for that later. When his family is safe.
Swiftly he left the room, intent on meeting and protecting his child.
~ 0 ~
The town was small. No, that was an understatement. The town was tiny. And in the middle of no-where.
Perfect. Vincent thought, as he looked towards the small village, surrounded by green. Everywhere he looked there was nature. It was a wonderful place to raise their child, hidden in the sticks, with nothing there to attract anybody who would be likely to look for them - a farming town that had plenty to do outside in the fresh air.
A soft smile formed unbidden on his face as he looked down to the infant he was holding in his arms. A blanket was wrapped around him, covering him almost completely and all but obscuring the small tufts of soft silver hair upon his tiny head. Gently, Vincent reached up with his free hand and stroked his forehead. The ever so green eyes opened slightly to regard the adult holding him. If Vincent hadn't known better, he would've thought the child was glaring at him for disturbing his sleep.
In the five days that the small family had been travelling, the boy had only cried a hand full of times, only when he was hungry or when he needed to be changed. He was already growing to be a well-behaved baby that any parent could be proud of.
Turning around, Vincent turned that smile on his lover, reaching his hand out to help her off the truck that had brought them there. "Thank you," He turned to the driver as the truck drove off.
Still holding Lucrecia's hand, he led her into the small town.
"Where are we?" She asked, looking around at the nature around them. The town was fertile, the main export being the produce from their many farms.
"A farming town, by the name of Gongaga." Vincent explained as they continued to walk down the gravel path leading into the village.
Upon entering the town, Vincent lead them to the largest house, releasing Lucrecia's hand to knock on the door. It took only seconds for the answer, the door swinging open to reveal a tall blonde man smiling down at them. "Ah, Vincent." He said, reaching out to shake his hand. "Please," He turned his smile at Lucrecia also, "Come in."
He led them into the humble abode and into a small sitting room. In the centre of the room there was a coffee table, a red leather couch on either side of the modest piece of furniture. The tall man sat down on one of the couches, gesturing for the young couple to sit opposite him. He regarded them with his piercing blue eyes, looking them up and down as if to asses their worth. Smiling, he seemed pleased with what he saw.
"I must say, when you called, I wasn't expecting you to arrive so quickly." Turning to Lucrecia, he bowed his head. "My name is Arthur." He introduced himself. "Your husband saved my life a few years ago, so when he called me, saying he needed a place to hide out, I volunteered my services." He glanced at the baby, still asleep in Vincent's arms. "I have a home available for your use, but first we have some business to discuss."
This was a veiled request for her to leave the room. Vincent turned to his 'wife' and handed her their son. "Why don't you go outside and enjoy the fresh air?" He suggested, laying a promise onto those words that everything was under control and that she was safe.
Taking their baby into her arms, Lucrecia nodded and left the room, cooing over the infant. She trusted Vincent to do what was right for them. After everything they had gone through in Nibelheim, she had learned her lesson.
Standing outside, she raised her head to the sky, allowing the heat of the sun rest upon her face for a few moments of peace. In her arms, the baby stirred and stretched, his tiny hand reaching out of the blanket and waving aimlessly in front of his unfocused eyes. The week old child was only vaguely aware of the world around him, knowing nothing of the horrors that he had barely escaped, of the atrocities already preformed on both himself and his mother. But Lucrecia was aware of it and she vowed never to let any more harm come to this innocent life. The little one gave a soft cry.
Some say, when you become a mother, you bond with your child as it grows inside you. The theory goes that while the child shares your body, you connect with them, feeling what they feel and craving what they need. For Lucrecia, this hadn't stopped since her child's birth.
Smiling down at the boy, she shook her head, her long ponytail swaying with her actions. "Not right now, sweetheart. I'll feed you very soon." A soft laugh escaped her as the baby made another small sound, his hand still waving in front of him. She caught the hand in her own and gently stroked the small fingers with her thumb.
It wasn't long before Vincent emerged from the house, storing an envelope in his breast pocket as he approached his family.
Smiling, and almost giggling, Lucrecia walked to meet him. "Wife?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.
"It was an assumption. One I allowed him to keep." He put his arm around the woman and lead her down the gravel road.
Gongaga wasn't large enough for real roads or paths. There were only stoned walkways between the small cottages that littered the area here and there. The small dwellings were cosy and homely. While they were barely large enough for three people, they were well made and, above all, safe. Nobody would expect a rouge Turk to hide out here. In his breast pocket were the fake papers that gave them all new identities, at least on paper. There was also a work permit, allowing him to help on the farms in exchange for the necessities of life for himself and his family. Not enough to get rich by, but enough to live comfortably.
"Here we are." He gestured to a cottage, identical to all the others, and lead the way inside. Once he opened the door, Lucrecia entered and looked around. The single story bungalow housed two small bedrooms, a tidy kitchen and a room for the family to gather. After a nod from Vincent, she looked around, poking her head into both rooms.
The first had a dark red motif, the bedspread a deep shade of crimson, blending easily into the wooden floors and pale cream walls. The thick curtains were a lighter shade of red, pulled aside to let the last of the days sun in. She found it beautiful.
Next, she looked into the other room and her breath caught in her throat, her free hand reaching up to her mouth. Her dark eyes widened as she looked around, taking in the small room. Pushed up against the wall was a small crib, a simple mobile hanging from one corner. The curtains were a soft shade of blue, giving the room a light glow that blended into the matching rug on the wooden floor. In one corner was a shelf, littered with plush soft toys of various soft colours. The walls had patterns on them, letters and simple shapes.
In her eyes, it was a perfect room for their baby.
Walking into the room, she made her way to the crib, leaning down to place the child on the soft blankets, making sure that he was completely wrapped and warm. Then, she simply stood, her hands gripping the railing as she looked down at her child.
Vincent walked up behind her, gently placing his hand on her back. "It's not much... The families in the town have this custom, where if a new baby is born, those with children of their own donate the toys their children have outgrown." A way or recycling in a town that's too small to really afford unnecessary new things.
Leaning back against her lover, Lucrecia nodded, tears in her eyes. "It's perfect." She said, turning to look at him. "Thank you. Thank you so much." She pulled him into another embrace, the tears falling from her eyes. "It's perfect."
And so they settled into their new home, Vincent learning how to work on a farm, Lucrecia learning the ins and outs of motherhood. Baby Sephiroth did his part too, with dirty nappies, outgrowing clothes and slowly learning how to interact with the brand new world around him.
~ ~ 0 ~ ~ 0 ~ ~
Thank you for reading!
This story hasn't been betad, and at the moment, I'm just brimming with plot bunnies, so I'm just trying to get it all down before it disappears.
If anyone sees any mistakes, please let me know. Also, I love reviews. It gets me motivated. This isn't a cry for reviews, (well, it kid of is), but the more I get, the more motivated I am to continue.
If I don't get any, I tend to believe that nobody is interested. So if you like it, if you want to see some more, or even if you want to point out a mistake, then please let me know.
Also, I should point out that I've never actually played Dirge of Cerberus, so my knowledge of Lucrecia's personality is fleeting at best. Any tips would be appreciated.
Recommendation: The Fifth Act by Sinnatious.
Summary: Cloud has an accident with a Time materia. There are people to save, and for that, some people need to die.
Personal Score: 5/5 stars. Amazing plot with a beautiful writing style.