Author's Notes: This story is a testament to my secret love of Reeve being a father figure to Rufus. It was originally a two-part story, but my energy and will to complete the second chapter was depleted, so I left it as a oneshot. Probably why the title doesn't fit, lol.
Warnings: drama ahoy!
"Memory"
by: Rosalyn Angel
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It had been a stake to his heart, when he learned of Reeve's betrayal.
Rufus Shinra still remembered it. He remembered the paper he had been reading, the pen he had been using, the phone he had been answering, the secretary he had been demeaning, the Turk that had been speaking, and the feeling... and those words... as the stoic Turk in front of his office desk reported.
"Reeve has defected to AVALANCHE."
And he had laughed. Outright, out loud. Shoulders shaking, breath hitching. Funny thing, that: Reeve betraying him. Absurd. Reeve was the most trustworthy employee in Shinra Inc.
But Rude of the Turks didn't have a sense of humor. He had a recorded tape in his pressed, blue suit. He had played it, and even through the outside noise, the static, the bad quality of a tape used repeatedly…
It had been Reeve, speaking into the microphone that he used for Cait Sith, telling AVALANCHE everything.
A stake to his heart.
That had reminded him it was still beating.
That day, on the second highest floor of Shinra Inc., was the day Reeve's world exploded.
He had been in his office, Cait Sith on an A.I. for the time being, typing furiously away at his laptop. The Sister Ray, the gigantic Mako cannon now latched onto Midgar, was undergoing preparations to blast off the force shield around the Northern Crater. But to complicate things, a WEAPON had risen out of the ocean and was lumbering its way to the city.
So immersed in his work, he didn't hear the stomping footsteps outside, before the door was violently slammed open. He startled, brown eyes shooting over to the sound's source, only to find his twenty-one-year-old employer in the doorway, breathing harshly and leaning against the frame.
Never have those blue eyes been so piercing.
"Explain this."
A small recorder was laid on his spacious office desk by a gloved hand. Reeve, wide-eyed, stared at it. Towering over him was the President of Shinra Inc., Rufus Shinra, his younger by eleven years. He sometimes wondered though, about that. Rufus seemed so much older to him.
"What..." Reeve stammered, eyes flicking between the recorder and Rufus's face.
Rufus was impassive, mouth a straight line and his eyes cold diamonds. He crossed his arms, his white suit and trench coat perfectly pressed, all business and neat order. "Go ahead. Play it."
The button was pressed down after a moment of silence. The tape rolled.
Reeve suddenly felt faint.
The stop button was clicked after the message was delivered. Rufus held the tape recorder in one hand, holding it up close to Reeve's face. His other hand rested on his hip; a sign Reeve knew to be Rufus's temper flaring. The President's ice blue eyes bore down hard into Reeve's soft brown ones, the former leaning over the desk and the latter shrinking farther into his office chair.
"Explain it," Rufus repeated coldly. "Why are you telling AVALANCHE, Shinra's enemy, our plans?"
"I..." Reeve stammered. He may be the elder, but Rufus was the President of Shinra Inc., and that alone was intimidating. Not to mention those accusing eyes...
"You what?" Rufus said smoothly, waving the recorder. "What possessed you to do this, Mister Roland, Head of Urban Development? Were you just feeling generous, or did you actually understand what you were doing? You knew I'd find out. I always find out."
"Rufus..."
Rufus slammed the recorder onto the desk with a large bang; his normally slicked hair was loose from its gel and waved in front of his eyes with every angry jerk of his head. His face began to show clear emotion, his control slipping. The icy eyes grew fierce and wild, his mouth twisted into a deep frown, and his blond brow furrowed.
"Don't call me that, Mister Roland," he said. The formality attached to Reeve's last name hurt them both. "You will address me as President Rufus, or sir."
Reeve's mouth worked but no sound came out. His face was fearful. What had he done? Oh, Ancients, what had he done?
"You know what this means, Mister Roland?" Rufus began to pace in front of Reeve's desk, still waving about the dreaded recorder. "This labels you as a traitor to Shinra Incorporated. Collaborating with the enemy. Revealing secrets. You've betrayed us, and Shinra doesn't like traitors."
Reeve stood up, hands on his desk, visibly shaking. He was always too soft and kind for this business, Rufus thought. "Ruf--sir," he corrected himself quickly, "I can explain. Please, please sit down."
The air was suffocating. Rufus stopped pacing. The silence was deafening. Reeve began to sweat; a bead rolled down his forehead. Rufus stayed calm, staring, his brilliant mind working; but those eyes...
Please don't look at me like that.
"I will remain standing--thank you, Mister Roland," the President said politely. "But go ahead and explain your treachery."
The word cut through Reeve deep. "I..." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, gathered his wits and began in a less shaky voice, "Shinra and AVALANCHE have the same adversary: Sephiroth. It seems pointless to me for us to fight each other when Sephiroth is threatening the world--"
"But I'm sure you haven't forgotten," Rufus bit out through his teeth, "that AVALANCHE considers Shinra a world threat as well."
"Y-Yes, I know they do," Reeve stammered, blinking rapidly. His cool began to recede. "But, at the current time, sir, wouldn't it be best to work together? Then afterward, we can settle our differences..."
"Differences?" At this Rufus laughed; it was loud, cold, and bitter. "They've terrorized and blown up our reactors! Remember the death count we tolled from one of their bombs?"
Suddenly Reeve spoke aloud, eyes widening as he blurted out: "It was no more than when your father dropped the plate on Sector 7!"
Everything stopped. Rufus's laugh quieted and his smirk faded away. He stared long and hard at his employee, and Reeve knew he had gone too far.
Rufus's voice, so alive before, went flat and monotone. "I am not my father. Never speak of him in my presence."
"Rufus, I'm sorry." The words left Reeve's mouth before he could stop them. "I didn't mean to--it just slipped out--"
"President Rufus, or sir," the blond corrected, his gloved hands clenching. "Do not apologize. No amount of apologies can fix what you've done. Especially when you don't mean them."
The eyes of ice pierced into Reeve like so many knives. He winced. "I'm sorry... I had to do it, Rufus." It was no longer formal, no longer business. Not the President of Shinra Inc. and the Head of Urban Development. Just Rufus and Reeve. "It had to be done. Please understand."
There was a twitch in Rufus's mouth. He wasn't angry anymore. He wasn't anything anymore. But Reeve saw that twitch, and knew. Rufus was hurt. "Understand what?" he rasped, his throat tightening. "You've betrayed all I've worked for, my entire life. I've lived to be called President Rufus, to be on top. I've woken up each new day to be here at this moment. If only to prove my old man wrong. And what do you do, Reeve? What do you do? You defect to a terrorist group. You turn away from me."
"That's not it," Reeve said, his voice small and quiet. "I didn't turn from you. I turned from Shinra Inc--"
"I am Shinra Incorporated!" Rufus bellowed, slicing a fist through the air. "You turned from me! How dare you? How dare you do this to me?" He accented this by pointing at the recorder. "After everything--everything! After everything you know I've been through, you do this!"
"Please," Reeve begged, reaching out a hand to calm the young man down. "Please, Rufus. Just listen. Please."
And there was something in that pleading voice that made Rufus placid; his hunched shoulders hung loose and his arms fell to his sides. He wanted to know why, because he was hurt, and he couldn't outright show it. Only anger was acceptable; people wouldn't fear a pitiful man.
Reeve leaned back slowly, making sure his employer wouldn't go into another rage. He kept his eyes on him. "Rufus," he began softly, "I didn't turn away from you. No--let me finish. I turned from the company. There's a difference. I can't... approve of what it's become. We're hurting people, Rufus. Look under the plate. And the Lifestream--I've seen it, through Cait Sith's eyes, and it's dying because of us. AVALANCHE is right. They've been right all along... please, you have to understand. They can help us; we can turn Shinra around for the better! I know you have it in you... you're not your father, Rufus. You're better than him. So please... stop acting so much like him."
There was no immediate response. Just cold eyes boring down on him. Rufus was thinking, Reeve could tell. He was digesting the words carefully. He always listened to Reeve--always. Even if it meant turning his own world upside down.
"I have to go," Rufus said abruptly. "A WEAPON is moving toward Midgar. AVALANCHE won't hold it back for long. We'll resume this talk later."
Reeve, tired and weary, sat down into his office chair. "All right..."
With a slight nod and nothing more, Rufus turned on his heel and left.
Only minutes later, Diamond WEAPON's attack hit the top level of Shinra Inc. in a hot, white light.