I have realized that I am best at writing stories with some hidden relation of some sort so if you don't like children, romance, or secret parentage, this story may not be for you. Enjoy!
*EDIT I had to make a couple of unnoticeable changes, most importantly Reece's age….
"Love can bloom from the strangest of places" …. I remember my mother telling me this as a child but never fully understood her meaning until I was much older. By then, she was long gone. Love was something that fueled the most brutal armies toward battles. A force that brought the hardest man to his knees. A feeling that made a careless young woman grow up and take responsibility in the wake of tragedy and chaos…. Love is what kept me going and will always cause me to fight for justice, sanity, and truth…
Reece POV
I beeped the horn to my green pickup truck loudly before flooring it through the red light. It was 3 am and I would be damned if I wasted anymore time by sitting at an empty red light waiting when there wasn't a car in sight. I looked over at my toddler asleep in the passenger seat and realized that I should probably be more careful. Even after a year, this whole "Mom" thing was still kicking my ass. I had no idea what I was doing.
Rain began to trickle down as I passed a huge billboard reading "Welcome to Edge" along with city limits and population numbers. I slowed down as I peered up at the sign. I was finally here. After all this time of searching and trying to connect the pieces to this long drawn out puzzle, I had finally arrived to the final location. Lucy began to stir and I quickly sped up to avoid waking her. The drone of my engine lured her back to sleep and she was once again motionless.
I couldn't help but smile at my baby. She was beautiful. Yet, unique. I had never seen a child like her in my entire life and I doubted I ever would. Her blonde hair fell into her eyes and I brushed the strands back to reveal her long, closed lashes that curled up to her eyebrows. She didn't look a thing like me. Her hair color matched my own but I was sure it would probably change once again to a different shade. That is what usually happened in one-year old's much to a mother's dismay, although I prayed that it wouldn't.
I searched for a building that we could rest in for the night but found nothing. The inn was closed. I drove past a park with homeless people staring at me. I stepped on the gas harder. Finally, I saw some lights in the distance and slowed down to read the sign. "Seventh Heaven". I paused and squinted to see inside the building. It looks like a bar…It was a bar. I sighed deeply and continued to drive. I sure as heck wasn't dragging my sleeping baby inside a bar. I might not be mother of the year but I sure was no heathen.
Feeling defeated, I pulled into an abandoned parking lot and parked. The doors clicked as I pressed the lock button and slowly, quietly lowered my seat to recline beside Lucy. Slowly, I reached over and puled her into my arms. I silently prayed that this trip had been for nothing and that I would finally get the answers I sought so desperately. I had been told that I would find him here and I wasn't leaving until I did.
Story Mode
"Welcome to Seventh Heaven, how can I…oh she isn't allowed in here", Tifa said as she turned to see a woman walking hand in hand with a baby girl barely old enough to walk. The woman ignored Tifa and instead walked faster into the bar, sweeping the infant up into her arms in one fluid motion but careful not to drop her manila folder.
"Excuse me, she can't…" Tifa started, but was quickly interrupted. "Please, I am not here to drink or anything I just need some help." The young woman looked at Tifa desperately and Tifa placed the glass she was cleaning onto the bar counter. "What can I do for you? If it is about a delivery, Cloud isn't here at the moment…" "No, I… I am looking for someone and some of the people here in Edge told me you might know them." Tifa could feel her inward struggle but continued to wait for the girl to speak. After a long pause, the girl finally spoke. "Do you know Vincent Valentine?"
Tifa's eyes narrowed and she looked a bit confused. "Who is asking?" The girl reached out her hand to Tifa with a smirk. "My name is Reece Roughwood. This is Lucy." Reece put the child down as Tifa slowly dried her hands on her pants legs. Reluctantly, she took the girl's hand. "Tifa…" The smirk turned into a smile now and Reece shook her hand diligently. "We come in peace, I promise you…Meaning I ain't gonna kill ya" "Sorry, it's just that no one really comes around looking for Vincent…it is a bit of a shock to be frank."
Tifa continued to eye Reece and turned back to drying glasses. "What is your business with him, do you know him personally?" At this, Reece glanced down at her daughter catching Tifa's attention before answering. "No, not exactly…we just have…similar interests…" Tifa started to speak when she noticed the little girl staring at her. She sure was a cute little thing with her blonde hair pulled into a tight twig atop her head and secured with a tiny bow. She acted like she hadn't been mobile for long the way she danced back and forth on her chubby legs. She was healthy and had been well taken care of. All of these things were noticeable, but Tifa kept coming back to one prominent feature of the child.
Her eyes.
Like lasers shining into her very soul, red embers stared at her through her long eyelashes as she babbled to a language of her own. Lucy then finished her baby sentence, bounced up and down twice and fully smiled at Tifa with a toothy grin of four teeth. Yes, the child was gorgeous. Tifa couldn't help herself and smiled back at the toddler before continuing her conversation. "And what are your similar interests?" "I prefer to discuss it with him, if you do not mind." At this the girl smiled politely and made a move to once again swiftly pick up her daughter.
Tifa didn't know what to do. Should she just give this woman Vincent's cell number? Or should she call him directly? The last one seemed like the smartest move and Tifa uttered for the girl to wait as she made her way to the office. Closing the door behind her, Tifa made the call. After the third ring, and much to Tifa's surprise, the sound of a gentle click could be heard on the other line. Silence came through triumphantly and she realized he was waiting for her to speak.
"Vincent?"
"…Tifa…"
came a deep, breathy reply and she slowly let out a breath of relief. For a moment, she was afraid it wasn't him. "How are you?" Once again, Tifa was met with silence and the strong urge to cough awkwardly into the receiver almost won the battle. "Someone is looking for you. She asked for you specifically….do you know anyone named Reece?" This time, Tifa let Vincent awkwardly think in silence before he replied with a simple NO. "Well she said she needs to talk with you. Wouldn't tell me what it was about. She said you have similar interests…"
Tifa peeked around the corner at the duo before continuing. "She has a kid with her…" Vincent remained silent for a full minute as he pondered into the cellular device before finally replying. "I'll be there at noon." Tifa hung up the phone and walked back into the bar area. "He said he will be here shortly. Why don't you have a seat while you wait."
The full hour seemed to inch by painfully slow as Reece drummed her fingers nervously on the table. The entire year had led up to this moment and she didn't know if she should pace the floor or run with Lucy to the other side of Gaia. What if this was a mistake? Her thoughts continued to anxiously evade her mind and the thought of running made her legs jump in anticipation. She glanced at Lucy sitting happily across from her playing with her cloth doll. Reece hadn't been able to find much for their little makeshift family, but when she found something for Lucy she made sure she did whatever necessary to provide. Even if it meant stealing in the middle of the night.
Her thoughts continued to run rampant and she had almost convinced herself to escape from the back when the door finally opened and closed in a mysterious manner. Loud boots clanked across the bar floor and when Reece looked up, she thought she would faint into the floor. Red cloth drug behind him in a sophisticated manner yet hauntingly enough to haunt her nightmares. His legs were adorned with golden plates as well as his left arm. A large gun hung close to his right side but that was not the most intimidating feature on this guy.
No, it was his eyes.
Those red, flaming irises that peered over the neck of his cape, hiding the rest of his face from view. Reece could only stare in disbelief as recognition hit her all at once even though she had never met the man. Vincent strolled up to her and halted mere inches from her face. The strong urge to fall back into her seat was too powerful and Reece slowly sat down once more. Silence drowned them both and Reece couldn't find it in her to speak. Finally, Tifa cleared her throat. "Vincent, this is who I was telling you about. Her name is Reece." Tifa nodded in the young woman's direction and Reece was thankful for the hint and gentle, yet silent push.
"Yes….I am Reece. Nice to…meet you…" With that Reece stood up and threw her shaking hand in front of Vincent. He glanced down for a moment before briefly taking her hand with his. This is worse than I thought, if that could even be possible Reece thought to herself and quietly gulped. "I'm from…well….I have something I want you to see….that I think you will want to see…." With that, Reece pulled away and grabbed the manila folder she had delicately placed on the table hastily. "I escaped with the file because I wanted proof but also…so I could find you." With that, Reece handed the file over and sat down with a huff once again, relieved to be silent.
Vincent read over the files carelessly at first, then more diligently as he turned the page. Tifa noticed the change in demeanor and slowly came around the bar to witness the exchange. Vincent continued on, becoming more silent and still than before. He flipped to the last page before finally freezing altogether.
"Vincent…what…what is it?" Tifa quietly said and edged closer to the man in question. He didn't stir but scanned over the page once more. Time seemed to stand perfectly still as Reece stared impatiently at the scene. She thought her mind would explode and felt tiny beads of sweat begin to appear on her brow.
As if on cue, Lucy decided to make her presence known. The little girl babbled loudly and stood up on the seat in front of Reece before throwing her doll at Vincent's feet. Reece inwardly gasped when this got the gunman's attention and he slowly turned to peer at the child. Lucy only bounced in her seat and continued to babble before realizing she had lost her doll. Quickly, Vincent shut the folder and handed it to Tifa without breaking concentration on the small girl. Lucy peered up at him through long lashes and smiled once again at another stranger. Tears filled Reece's eyes as she finally realized her hunt was over.
Tifa read the contents of the folder and quickly scanned the images. She shuddered at the pictures of Vincent in a lab, all the experiment utensils and machines surrounding him. She quickly turned the page but stopped when she saw another picture. This one contained the girl in front of them. Same place, same bed as Vincent lay in but different technology was streaming from the girl. The picture was titled Experiment H and was followed by several numbers.
Turning the page once more, she saw more information but it didn't make much sense. Something about Ultrasounds and due dates riddled the page and Tifa began to feel confused. Pressing on, she flipped the page once more and saw all she needed to see. Reece lay in one more picture, pregnant and about to burst. The picture read 'Project VV: Chaos Child' and gave Reece's information. Age, 20. Hair, blonde. Weight, 150. The page went on to read how the process was accomplished but Tifa only needed to see one sentence in a scribble of notes that made her breathing stop.
"Vincent Valentine's spawn has successfully been born through science. We have created a perfect baby, just like Project S. Only this time, less powerful and more stable. We give you…Lucy."