Yeah... I know i have other stories out there that haven't been updated for a while, but I'm taking a break from them and hopefully someone will enjoy this story in the meantime. It'll be a shorter one though, probably only 11 more chapters.

It takes place before the events of DOC, however I don't really follow the game storyline that much.

Its RenoxOCxVincent and will probably have some M rated scenes later on. and I WILL update every Thurs.

also of course I dont own any FF characters and all that...

Wake Me Up

1. The 'Abandoned' Mansion

I stood in alone in the empty room. Rooms always did seem a million times bigger this way. Even the curtains had been tore down letting every bit of sunlight into the room, brightening its already luminous white walls. I felt a tug at my hand. I looked down into the face of my eight year old son. The sunlight seemed to set his bright red hair on fire with its light. It was hard looking into those sparkly blue green eyes because they reminded me so much of his father. Being it's only been a month since his death, the wounds are still fresh and each time I look into those eyes, I feel them being tore open once again.

"Are we going where dad is?" Ayden asked, pulling at my hand again. I refused to cry in front of my son. I'd made it thus far without doing so, and it will continue that way. I shook my head no. Ayden knew what death was, but I had yet to tell him that his father was gone as in dead and gone.

Ayden let go of my hand. "Then where?" he whined. I took one last glance around the room. I could almost see ghosts of Reno and I walking through the room. Cuddling on the couch, or chasing each other around the room with sharp objects ready to kill. There were too many memories in this house that I didn't want to let go just yet… But there was no choice. I had no job, no income, keeping this house was impossible.

I sighed quietly. "We're moving into a new house." I tried to sound cheerful. "Aren't you ready for a new room?" I looked down at him with a smile. He grinned back.

"Yeah!" He took off running towards the door. His footsteps echoed in the empty room. I turned away as well and walked to the door. As I placed my hand on the golden door handle, I turned one last time and looked at the empty house. "Goodbye." I whispered. I closed my eyes and could see Reno there kissing me before I left just like he used to.

A big truck sat in the driveway waiting for us. Ayden and I got into my small silver car and took off towards Nibelheim. An old abandoned mansion was the last resort for Ayden and I. It was owned by my step uncle Hojo and apparently I was the second to last living partial relative to him so the mansion did belong to me. Not that it was much of a prize, though. I'd been there before and had to leave after almost fainting from all the battling with fiends. Also, I'd heard so many horrible stories about what Hojo had done to his 'experiments' there. My father who is still alive and well, hated Hojo and claimed he was the step brother from hell. He wasn't happy about me taking over his old mansion, but he himself had nothing to offer me. After my mother's death he became a nomad and roamed the planet aimlessly as basically a voluntary homeless man.

"Are we there yet?" Ayden whined as he squirmed around in his seat.

"Just a few more minutes, sweetie." I said sending him a small smile.
"What about Palo and Kyrie?" Ayden asked referring to his friends back home.

"I'm sure they're will be other kids to play with…" I knew that was a lie. The mansion was about a half mile away from the town of Nibelheim. The town it self had a dwindling population, so it was doubtful there would be other kids around for Ayden to play with. While enrolling him in the school a week ago, I was informed there were only eight other kids in Ayden's class.

Late in the afternoon, we finally arrived at the mansion. I saw Cloud and Tifa's car sitting outside of the gate. After Cloud finally got around to asking Tifa to marry him, they decided to move back to their hometown and raise their family here as well.

I stepped outside of the car and shivered slightly. Coming from warm, sunny Costa Del Sol, Nibelheim felt like an ice box. Tifa laughed when she saw me shiver.

"You could never visit the north continent." she joked as she and Cloud approached us. They followed us up to the gate where I put the ancient looking key in to open it. I joined Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, Cid and the gang five years ago on their quest to defeat Sephiroth. I was banished from their group for a while once they found out I was a Turk's fiancé, but later as we all realized we were fighting against the same enemy, we joined forces once again and have remained friends since then.

The four of us along with the mover guy stepped into the dusty old mansion. The fiends had been exterminated, but not much else had been done with the place. "Don't worry." Tifa placed a hand on my shoulder. "We'll get this place fixed up in no time. You know, Cloud and I are here for you. Anything I mean anything you need us to do, we'll do it."

I knew she had projects of her own that she wanted to start, and I really didn't want to take up her time, however for the next full week Tifa and Cloud were there at the mansion cleaning, scrubbing floors, painting and even donated some of their extra furniture and decorations for the house. After all their help, the place still looked a little creepy, but felt a bit more like home. Ayden was happy with his room and he now had his own play room across the hall. The young boy that was staying with the Strifes, Denzel who was now entering his preteens let Ayden have all his old toy race cars, tracks for the cars, and his helicopter.
I sat with him in the room most of the day watching him play with his cars. He looked so much like his father, it hurt.

"Shhrrooom…" Ayden flew the helicopter around the room with the remote. His first day at his new school was tomorrow, so I hoped he was enjoying all his free time. I watched the bright red toy with yellow propellers circle around the room. Suddenly the toy turned directly towards me and dove straight down, hitting me in the shoulder. Ayden gasped. "Are you alright mommy? I didn't do it, I swear!"

I had to take a few deep breaths as horrible images of a helicopter crashing filled my mind. That… was how he died. I always knew he'd die flying one of those damn things. He was always so reckless.

"Mommy?" Ayden placed his small hand on my shoulder and shook me slightly. His fingers got tangled in my thick, dark waves of hair. Standing side by side, you'd never believe Ayden was of any relation to me. My mother was Wutain, and my dad born on an island off the coast of Costa Del Sol. I inherited pale skin and grey eyes from my mother, and wavy, thick black hair, and full lips from my father. I'd do anything to have the native pin straight Wutain hair. Also, the women from Costa Del Sol as well as the other minority groups on the islands were all very curvaceous, that gene didn't miss me either.

I jumped, as the helicopter moved again. Ayden looked down at the controller he'd stepped on. He seemed to have startled himself as well. "Why don't you start getting ready for bed, sweetie?"

He pouted at me, and I returned that look with a stern one followed by a smile as I ruffled his chin length red hair. "Ok…" he sighed loudly and went to room. I sat in the play room alone for a while, just thinking. Suddenly I began to feel as if I was being watched. The silence in the room got so deafening that I could hear my own heart beating loudly in my ears. I stood slowly and looked carefully around the room. I did notice that one of the walls looked a bit odd as if there was a passage or door behind it. I did know this place had a basement that was sealed off, maybe that used to be the door to the basement, I told myself.

I turned to leave the room. I gasped loudly as my foot collided with the helicopter remote, sending the toy in the air again. I quickly took my foot off the controller and watched as the toy hovered for a while uncontrolled. After a few more seconds it fell, the propeller slid across the floor. I swallowed hard. Just a damn toy… I hurried out of the room and shut the door behind me. Instantly the feeling I had before of being watched faded and I settled down. I made sure Ayden was in bed and then retreated to bed myself. I turned to my side and looked at the picture beside my bed. I held it in my hands and stared at it for a long time. The three of us all had big smiles on our faces. Nothing could be any better for us, then. So why…why did this have to happen?

(Flash back)

"Marcie!!" Reno yelled through the house. He was home early today, which was unusual. Even when he did get off work early he always took that time to go have a drink with his buddies.

"What are you doing home this early?" I asked looking up at the clock.

He swooped me up in his arms and placed a hard wet one on my lips. "…was thinking bout you at work and got so horny I thought I'd come home and…"

"Shh!! Reno!" I looked around to see if Ayden was in sight. Reno laughed devilishly and proceeded to strip me nearly naked in the living room. I ran from him until we ended up in the bedroom.

We laid next to each other after making love. "I was promoted today. I'll be flying shit out now from here to Junon three times a week."

"Really?" That'd be three days a week I wouldn't see him. He nodded.

"I get a weeks vacation before that, though. My request." he laughed loudly. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You're lucky to still have that job…"

(end)

The sound of that melodious laugh still filled my ears. I sighed as I placed the picture back on the night stand and turned out the light. One would think sleeping alone would be the worst part of losing a loved one, but Reno was an exception. He was the noisiest, roughest sleeper on the Planet, but I did miss the rare moments when he did sleep peacefully beside me, holding me close. I honestly missed the annoying way he'd randomly grope me through the night if he happened to wake up. At the thought of that, I swore I felt a hand on my thigh. I sat up quickly and peered around in the dim lighted room. Though there were so many trees outside by the windows, the moonlight still managed to peer its way into the room lighting it faintly. That feeling came over me again and my heart raced. The feeling was so strong I almost wanted to call out to whatever was in the room with me, because there was definitely something in here. I would have to call Tifa about finding a medium to come here and check this out.

I laid back down and squeezed my eyes shut trying to sleep. My eyes snapped back open as I felt fingertips trace my leg from my ankle to my hip. "Whose there?" I whispered. My heart really began to pound when I began to wonder if it was him. "Is that you?" I asked.

Marcella. Though the voice didn't sound aloud, I knew I heard it.

I shot up and switched on the lamp. That voice… it wasn't him. My throat went so dry that I could barely swallow. What was that voice?! And...how did it know my name?! I hurried out of my new bedroom and down the grand stair case to the kitchen. I looked at the digital clock on the stove. It was only a little after midnight. Tifa and Cloud were late nighters, they'd probably still be awake, I thought. After downing a glass of water, I picked up the phone and called them.

The line was completely silent for half a minute after I dialed their number. I held onto the phone with a shaky hand ready to hang up. I screamed as I heard a voice on the other end. "Marcie? What's wrong? Helloooo?"

"Tifa?" I asked. I calmed down and took a seat at the table. "Tifa this house is haunted. Either that or I'm being watched." I could barely steady my voice, I was so shaken up.

"Calm down." I heard rustling in the background and then her telling Cloud that she was going to come over here. "Ok, Marce, I'm on my way."

"Hurry." I said before hanging up. I placed my face in my hands and took a few deep breaths. I was already breaking out in a cold sweat. I took a quick look around the kitchen. My head turned sharply towards the fridge as the ice maker kicked on dropping ice into the bucket. As soon as I turned my head back I heard what sounded like a sigh inches away from my ear. I covered my ears.

"Mommy?"

I turned and saw Ayden sitting next to me. The sigh was only him yawning. I let out a deep sigh of my own. "Yes, baby?"

"I can't sleep." he looked tired. I held him close to me and ran my fingers through his hair.

"You can sleep with mommy tonight, ok? I can't sleep either." I laughed softly. We stood up together and walked into the main room with the grand staircase. There was a knock at the door, knowing it was Tifa, I answered it quickly.

"Sorry Tifa, I just panicked, but we're ok now." I said with a sad smile. She seemed a bit shaken herself. "What did you see?" I asked her immediately.

She shook her head quickly as if snapping herself out of whatever daze she was in. "Nothing, nothing. Alright, well I'll call around and see if I can't get someone to come by and check things out for you, ok? No doubt, after all the crazy things Hojo did in this place, its probably crawling with bad energy."

I nodded in agreement. "Thanks for coming by."

"Anytime. See you tomorrow!" she waved.

"Bye." I stood at the door and watched to make sure she got to her car ok. After seeing her take off I closed the door. Ayden and I went to my bedroom and both of us fell asleep almost instantly, not bothered once for the rest of the night.