Points
Part One
Author Notes: Yes, yet another Vincent/Lucrecia/Hojo triangle with all that angsty goodness. I am aware that there are a million of these, and I myself have written more than one already, but what can I say? I'll keep beating that dead horse 'til my fingers start bleeding on the keyboard. I just can't leave well enough alone.
This will probably be more of a horror story than my previous works. Really creepy and mind-bending stuff going down in the mansion, courtesy of JENOVA... I'm not entirely sure where this goes next but so far it's writing itself. Maybe JENOVA's manipulating me as well now... Scary thought.
You may also notice that it ties into 'Deviation of a Theme'. I did that on purpose, so Deviation just delves deeper into what Vincent was thinking about after he was shot. Seemed like the thing to do at the time, so I'm sorry for any confusion.
This doesn't really tie into anything other than that. Just another spin on my usual. Hope you like it.
By the way, I am considering taking requests for fanfiction. If you have anything you'd like to see me write, let me know in the reviews, and I will do my best to write it for you. :P
~ Rene (seasonofthepumpkin)
* * *
The mansion was already cold tonight with the promise of becoming even colder.
Quiet footsteps could be heard tapping in the hallway, tapping their
way to the inevitable as if possessed.
Vincent's heart sank as padded down the hall to her room.
Yet another night had passed, and she remained firm in her decision.
He now realized she would likely never agree to flee here with him.
All the crying and cajoling on the planet would never sway her.
And yet he pressed on.
As awful as it seemed, he had initially believed her to
be a rather weak-willed person. How else could she stay with that
cold bastard of a husband that she clearly felt nothing but pity and
responsibility for? How could someone with an ounce of will
agree to the things she'd agreed on?
He'd been shocked to discover that she was indeed a very stubborn person in her own
way. They'd had this talk almost every night for a week, and yet she would not concede.
He vaguely wondered why he even bothered, but he knew why. He loved her.
He had to make her see, before it was too late.
He rapped quietly at the door. It swung open of its own accord. She must have not pushed
it to after coming in. She sat in her chair, engrossed in some book, probably
one of her novels she enjoyed so much. He cleared his throat and she looked up.
"Vincent..." she smiled weakly, closing the book. "Come in before someone
sees you standing out there."
Shutting the door behind him he stood there for a moment just looking at her.
She looked worse than ever, her hair thrown haphazardly into a ponytail,
her face paler than he'd ever remembered. On closer examination he noticed
that the rings around her eyes had not left; if anything they were even darker
as if she hadn't slept in weeks.
She didn't look to be five months pregnant; there was none of that bloom
that pregnant women usually had about them to be found anywhere near her.
Her arms were like pale sticks, now wrapped protectively around her barely
protruding stomach.
If anything she reminded him of a flower that had blanched from lack of sun.
"I... I wanted to check on you," he faltered, the memory of earlier
that day burnt into his brain. "I was worried..."
"I feel a bit better now... Nothing's hurt."
How could she dismiss something so serious that way? He'd been
there and seen it all from his post in the hall. She'd been talking with
Professor Hojo one moment as if nothing was wrong, and then the colour
drained from her face all at once and she had slumped over
like a puppet with no strings to hold it up. Without even
thinking twice he'd rushed into the room and scooped her up, ignoring Hojo's
snarls to let his wife be. He'd carried her back to her room,
his heart pounding so hard he thought he would die.
"Lucrecia, it's not a good sign to just fall over like that in mid-sentence. You could have
hit your head on something, or crushed the baby..."
"...it's nothing really. I feel much better now, it was just a fluke..."
"A fluke?! It's only a fluke if there is no reason for
it to happen! There ::is:: however, plenty of reasons for it! Those injections, for one!
You know they make you ill, yet you continue to let him give them to you...."
"Vincent..." Her voice was tight. Everything about her seemed tight, as if she'd been
sucked dry of all her flavour and vitality and was desperate not to let whatever
remained escape.
"You're mad, you know that?" Vincent shook his head in disbelief as his lover sat in
the chair with her head bowed in silence. "You'll wind up dead or worse if you stay here
with that madman... Lucrecia, listen to me!" He groaned in frustration,
and dropped to his knees to better see her face. Taking her face in his
hands he kissed her forehead gently and continued to speak.
"I can't stand here and watch him do this to you any longer, Lucrecia.
It makes me ill to watch you take those injections like some sort
of laboratory mouse. Think about the baby, Lucrecia... If you
won't think of yourself and you won't think of me, think of that
child growing inside of you... the one that your husband is
poisoning while you stand by idly and let it happen."
She pushed his hands away, refusing to look up. "Vincent, I've
told you that I can't leave! Why do you have to turn this into
something more than it is!? Don't you think I would leave
if I could...?" With this she started to break down, silent little sobs
wracking her body.
"...you could leave, Lucrecia. I've told you that. You have
no ties here that can't be easily snipped..." Vincent felt badly,
as he always did when this inevitable 'talk' came up. It always
ended the same way too, with her in tears and him feeling
like an ass. A concerned ass maybe, but an ass no doubt.
"N-no ties, you say? What about my husband, Vincent?! I still wear his
ring, we are still bound by marriage! And even if he agreed to divorce,
which he never would, I still wouldn't be able to leave! I would play the same
role as now, only sleeping in a different bed. Do you think that he would let
me leave with the baby? The injections have already begun... There is no
way that ShinRa would allow for me to up and run now..."
Vincent winced. She was right, of course. There was no way that the ShinRa
would let her walk out of here with a womb full of Jenova cells. They had invested
too much into the project to ever allow that. But he was still convinced running was the
answer to all their problems. He had to get her away from here, no matter the cost.
"Look... I know it sounds impossible,
but it can be done. There are ways to lose yourself. It's possible for
a person to disappear without a trace. I've seen it done many times...
Don't worry about ShinRa, don't worry about Hojo. Let's just go before it's too
late to do anything. The baby will come in a few short months, and by then
we can be married and settled in a new home where no one knows us--" He
trailed off, knowing that
she would not be persuaded that he was just wasting his breath. Nothing would
come of his pleas, nothing ever did. He was just ripping his heart open for
no reason as far as he was concerned. Had it been anyone or anything
else he'd have given up long ago.
But he could never give up on Lucrecia. Nothing could ever make
him do that. She was his sunshine, his heart and soul, his everything.
And even though she belonged to another he felt confident that
her heart belonged to him.
It wasn't lack of love for him that made her hesitate, nor was it
guilt for her actions. It was fear, plain and simple. And that bothered him.
He could understand her being afraid, but he couldn't believe she
would let it hold her back from doing what was right. She acted as if
she would face everything alone. Could she not see that he was here?
Did she not believe all the promises he made? Where they but meaningless and
empty words to her? God he hoped not.
"Lucrecia... I know you're going to say no. You've said it
everytime I ask you this... but I'm going to ask you again
anyway. Won't you listen to me...? God..." And here he broke
down as well, frustrated and hurt beyond belief by her
rejection. "I love you... I hope you know that, and I think
you do, but I love you so much... if you die like this,
I will never forgive myself. If you die I will curse myself to the end
of my days because I could have saved you. Why won't you let me
save you, Lucrecia? Are you too proud to be saved, or are you
too scared...? Please, answer me..." Tears slipped down his cheeks
unbearably hot and salty.
Lucrecia shook her head numbly. All of his promises...
"I... I want to go... I do... But I'm s-so scared
Vincent... I'm afraid for you, I'm afraid for me...
I just don't know what to do anymore..."
Silence held the room in its coldly smooth fingers for a long moment.
Then, she spoke again.
"I will do it."
Vincent looked at her in disbelief. Had she finally understood? In an
instant he was embracing her, whispering reassurances and even
more promises. Tears still fell, but they no longer stung
and burnt.
"We can do it tonight, Lucrecia... Tonight we can put this all away."
"...tonight..." she whispered, the word settling on her tongue like a foreign spice,
utterly delicious with all that it implied. Tonight she would be free.
"Yes, tonight. Get your things ready and I will meet you in front of the mansion
at midnight. We will walk out the front door and put this all behind us where it
belongs." He pushed an errant strand of hair out of her face, dismayed by
the dryness of it. He couldn't bear seeing her like this, and the sooner
they left the sooner she would hopefully be on the mend.
"What about Simon...?" She asked, wincing at the thought of encountering
him while poised to leave.
"Don't worry about him. When was the last time he came to bed with you anyway?
He practically lives in the labs and library. You yourself told me that he
hasn't spent a night in bed with you for almost a month now. I doubt he'll
even notice you're gone until he comes round to fetch you for more
injections. By then we'll be long gone." Vincent kissed her again, and got to his
feet.
"Remember, be down there by midnight. Then we'll go." He took her hand in his and
gazed into her eyes. "You will not regret this Lucrecia. I will make you the happiest
woman alive," His eyes then shifted to her midsection and he placed his hand there gently, as if trying to reassure the unborn child within her as well.
"And when the baby is born I swear I will love it as my own.
God, I love you so very much..." He knelt to kiss her hand, his warm breath
tickling her pleasantly.
"I'll be there... no matter what, I'll be there." She said, taking advantage of his lower
position to lock him in a kiss herself. They stayed like that for several moments,
neither one wanting to let go, as sweet as the kiss was. It was finally
Vincent who gently pulled away, standing back up and walking to the door.
"I'll see you then, Lucrecia..." Then he turned and walked away, shutting the door securely
behind him. She sat there for a moment, and then slowly got to her feet and went to the
closet to find a bag that would hold everything she needed...
* * *
Vincent was giddy with happiness as he made his way back to his post.
Midnight would come in but a few short hours, and then they could
go on to their new life together. The disappearing part would not
be easy, but he was confident they could manage. He had indeed seen people
practically drop of the face of the earth a few times in his short
life, so he knew it to be possible.
They could forge new identities and hopefully keep the ShinRa at bay.
Vincent knew his disappearance would not cause much outcry, but Lucrecia...
He had no doubt that they would stop at nothing to get her back, what with
all the gil and effort that had been sunk into the project.
He'd planned to make for Icicle Inn. That was surely far enough away
and secluded enough to start over again in. And perhaps they
would only have to stay there a while, and when the search was over
they could go to a less cold altitude. It might take a while, but the
ShinRa would eventually consider the matter to be a cold case and
hopefully abandon it.
Everything was turning out the way he'd hoped it would.
He was rounding the corner to the library when something, or more
specifically, someone stopped him dead in his tracks.
"You're looking rather cheerful tonight, Turk." That cold monotone
bit into him as he found himself staring into the face of Lucrecia's
husband, Simon Hojo. "Been engaging in the typical Turk pastime
of drinking and whoring?"
Vincent bit his lip. He would love to tear into the man, but sometimes
discretion was the better part of valor. He couldn't put their
flight into jeopardy, not now.
"You know I've never liked you." Blunt and to the point as always.
"...it comes with the territory." He replied, not really giving a damn
what the scientist thought. Why couldn't he just go back to his research
and leave him be? Professor Hojo was the last person he wanted to even look at
right now, let alone listen to.
"I suppose so. I guess you're rather used to dislike. You obviously have no problems
sleeping at night. Especially when you have my wife warming your bed." His eye
twitched dangerously on that last piece, although his face remained cold and
expressionless.
Vincent did a double take at that. Without even thinking he had the scientist
by the collar of his starched white coat and was snarling threats in his face.
"You sick bastard fuck, what the hell am I supposed to do?! You treat her like nothing
more than one of your petri-dishes! Of course I am going to go to her, she deserves
so much better than a sadistic monster like you! Do you even look at her?!
Do you even see the things you're doing to her all in the name of your
damned project?!" With that he slammed Hojo into one of the many bookshelves
that lined the walls of the room.
To his credit, the scientist never made a sound. He simply reached into the
side pocket of his labcoat and withdrew a small pistol that he kept
handy for escaped specimens. He pulled the hammer back, and two shots
rang out.
Vincent let go immediately and slumped backwards with a small cry. He put a hand
to his chest and was dismayed to have it come away red. His lung, he guessed
from the sick whooshing sound that came as he forced breath in.
Hojo looked at him impassively, and laid the gun down on the bookshelf.
It had taken no skill at all to hit him when was less that two feet away.
He stood there a long moment, watching the Turk sink to the ground and
struggle to breathe.
Not more than a few moments had passed, but to Vincent it seemed like an eternity.
Blood was pooling and spilling from his mouth, and he was
definitely done for. He would die here in this dusty,
book-filled room with no one but the man who'd killed him there in
his last moments. He thought of Lucrecia, and how she would never escape this place
now. It brought fresh tears to his eyes, and he couldn't help but sob as much as it
wracked him to do so.
Hojo knelt beside him now and was assessing the damage. He couldn't help
but wonder what was streaming through the Turk's mind. He'd heard stories
of how life would flash before the eyes of someone on the brink of
dying. Vincent was barely
conscious now, and looked like he might pass out at any moment.
"It won't be long. You'll go into shock and from there you'll die." He said
quietly, not expecting an answer from the Turk. Surely enough, his face whitened
and his skin cold he passed out, leaving Hojo alone to deal with this.
Hojo had always been possessed with grace under fire, it was a necessary
trait in his line of work. He already knew the problem, and how to fix it.
Punctured lungs were not fun, but they could be repaired with knowledge
and speed. And he had both those things at his disposal.
He swept the papers and etceteras from his desk and hefted the unconscious
Turk onto the level surface. He rolled his sleeves up and made a quick trip to
the supply cabinet. With all his skill and talent, he could tell
even now that this would be a challenge...
* * *
Worry creased Lucrecia Hojo's face as she checked her watch for the sixth time
already. Two small bags sat at her feet, filled with the few things she could not
fathom leaving without. It was getting late, and she was starting to wonder if this
had been such a good idea after all. He had told her that it wouldn't be easy to leave,
but they could do it together. Plans had been made, and a time had been set.
She had packed her bags feverishly this evening, terrified of being caught
in the act by her husband. Every creak and groan of the floor set her heart pounding.
A toothbrush here, and comb there and she had filled the bags with everything she
needed. When she finished she'd shoved the bags under the bed to lie in the dust
until it was time.
She'd felt a lot like those bags lately. After all, what had she been doing
with her life other than lying in the dust until it was time?
She was only twenty-four, and yet she felt that her life was over.
She'd felt that way for awhile now. She didn't blame it on anyone, and
certainly not on her husband as most would assume. He loved her in
his own way, as cold and unaffectionate as he appeared to most people.
He could be very charming and sweet, when they were alone together.
She had after all married him, did that not show that he was
not all together ogreish?
Maybe it was all her, she reasoned. Maybe it was some chemical imbalance
in her brain brought on by pregnancy making her think the bizarre things that she thought. Maybe it was the weather. It could be any number of seemingly
trivial things, and the origin didn't really matter after all. All she
only knew that the things in her head of late frightened her.
The voices...Ugh...
They set off some primordial fear in her, made her feel like choking
and crying and bleeding and dying. She would sink into sepia swirl and
never come out the better for it.
They seemed so real, so crushing...
And they never got better; they hissed and pricked her night and day, leaving her with sweat-drenched sleepless nights and blearily numb days.
Vincent had promised everything would be better, but he didn't know what she was
really going through. He'd only noticed that she looked and felt like shit, and as always was quick to blame it on Simon. She only hoped that he was right,
that this would all disappear as soon as they were away from the oppressive
shadow of this mansion and away from the sharp hollow points of the numerous
needles.
She checked her watch again. One-fifty. Dear God, where could he be?
He'd never broken even the most trivial promises to her, and this was
indeed the first time he'd ever not been true to his word.
Perhaps something had happened...
Her blood ran cold at the very thought.
'creaaaaaaaaak...'
She spun around quickly, squinting in the dim light trying to make out the dark figure approaching her. Her heart leaped at first, but quickly fluttered as she realized that it was Simon.
"Going somewhere dear?" His eyes ran over the two bags at her feet and then back up to her pale face. "Planning on taking a vacation? Any place you have in mind?"
Panic choked her. No words would make their way to her mouth. She could conjure no excuses
or lies to cross her lips. Her hands clenched, and her head bowed she stood mutely before him.
Wordlessly he bent down and picked up her bags. Casting her a cold look, he turned to walk back inside.
"S-Simon..."
He turned, and gave her another bone-chilling look that cut her to her core.
"Fuck you," he spat, his cool exterior finally crumbling, the anger and hurt shining through clearly. "Fuck you for thinking you could run off with that hired thug. Fuck you for thinking you could just throw everything away as if it didn't matter. Fuck you," he hissed, tears coming to his brown eyes as he spoke. "And fuck me for ever caring..." And with that he turned quickly, not wanting to see the tears in his eyes and know that she'd cause them. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
She stood there outside the door for a long time, just staring into the mansion. He knew... and that meant...
Oh God... Vincent...
The mansions' doors gaped before her like some monsters' jaws, beckoning to her, daring her to step back inside so it could swallow her whole.
She had to find out what happened. It was two in the morning now; and she knew in her heart that something was horridly wrong here.
With a deep breath to steel herself, she slowly walked through the doorway, and shut the heavy oak door behind her.
Perhaps it was nothing more than illusion and fatigue, but for a moment she could have sworn that the mansion laughed.
::end part one::
Part One
Author Notes: Yes, yet another Vincent/Lucrecia/Hojo triangle with all that angsty goodness. I am aware that there are a million of these, and I myself have written more than one already, but what can I say? I'll keep beating that dead horse 'til my fingers start bleeding on the keyboard. I just can't leave well enough alone.
This will probably be more of a horror story than my previous works. Really creepy and mind-bending stuff going down in the mansion, courtesy of JENOVA... I'm not entirely sure where this goes next but so far it's writing itself. Maybe JENOVA's manipulating me as well now... Scary thought.
You may also notice that it ties into 'Deviation of a Theme'. I did that on purpose, so Deviation just delves deeper into what Vincent was thinking about after he was shot. Seemed like the thing to do at the time, so I'm sorry for any confusion.
This doesn't really tie into anything other than that. Just another spin on my usual. Hope you like it.
By the way, I am considering taking requests for fanfiction. If you have anything you'd like to see me write, let me know in the reviews, and I will do my best to write it for you. :P
~ Rene (seasonofthepumpkin)
* * *
The mansion was already cold tonight with the promise of becoming even colder.
Quiet footsteps could be heard tapping in the hallway, tapping their
way to the inevitable as if possessed.
Vincent's heart sank as padded down the hall to her room.
Yet another night had passed, and she remained firm in her decision.
He now realized she would likely never agree to flee here with him.
All the crying and cajoling on the planet would never sway her.
And yet he pressed on.
As awful as it seemed, he had initially believed her to
be a rather weak-willed person. How else could she stay with that
cold bastard of a husband that she clearly felt nothing but pity and
responsibility for? How could someone with an ounce of will
agree to the things she'd agreed on?
He'd been shocked to discover that she was indeed a very stubborn person in her own
way. They'd had this talk almost every night for a week, and yet she would not concede.
He vaguely wondered why he even bothered, but he knew why. He loved her.
He had to make her see, before it was too late.
He rapped quietly at the door. It swung open of its own accord. She must have not pushed
it to after coming in. She sat in her chair, engrossed in some book, probably
one of her novels she enjoyed so much. He cleared his throat and she looked up.
"Vincent..." she smiled weakly, closing the book. "Come in before someone
sees you standing out there."
Shutting the door behind him he stood there for a moment just looking at her.
She looked worse than ever, her hair thrown haphazardly into a ponytail,
her face paler than he'd ever remembered. On closer examination he noticed
that the rings around her eyes had not left; if anything they were even darker
as if she hadn't slept in weeks.
She didn't look to be five months pregnant; there was none of that bloom
that pregnant women usually had about them to be found anywhere near her.
Her arms were like pale sticks, now wrapped protectively around her barely
protruding stomach.
If anything she reminded him of a flower that had blanched from lack of sun.
"I... I wanted to check on you," he faltered, the memory of earlier
that day burnt into his brain. "I was worried..."
"I feel a bit better now... Nothing's hurt."
How could she dismiss something so serious that way? He'd been
there and seen it all from his post in the hall. She'd been talking with
Professor Hojo one moment as if nothing was wrong, and then the colour
drained from her face all at once and she had slumped over
like a puppet with no strings to hold it up. Without even
thinking twice he'd rushed into the room and scooped her up, ignoring Hojo's
snarls to let his wife be. He'd carried her back to her room,
his heart pounding so hard he thought he would die.
"Lucrecia, it's not a good sign to just fall over like that in mid-sentence. You could have
hit your head on something, or crushed the baby..."
"...it's nothing really. I feel much better now, it was just a fluke..."
"A fluke?! It's only a fluke if there is no reason for
it to happen! There ::is:: however, plenty of reasons for it! Those injections, for one!
You know they make you ill, yet you continue to let him give them to you...."
"Vincent..." Her voice was tight. Everything about her seemed tight, as if she'd been
sucked dry of all her flavour and vitality and was desperate not to let whatever
remained escape.
"You're mad, you know that?" Vincent shook his head in disbelief as his lover sat in
the chair with her head bowed in silence. "You'll wind up dead or worse if you stay here
with that madman... Lucrecia, listen to me!" He groaned in frustration,
and dropped to his knees to better see her face. Taking her face in his
hands he kissed her forehead gently and continued to speak.
"I can't stand here and watch him do this to you any longer, Lucrecia.
It makes me ill to watch you take those injections like some sort
of laboratory mouse. Think about the baby, Lucrecia... If you
won't think of yourself and you won't think of me, think of that
child growing inside of you... the one that your husband is
poisoning while you stand by idly and let it happen."
She pushed his hands away, refusing to look up. "Vincent, I've
told you that I can't leave! Why do you have to turn this into
something more than it is!? Don't you think I would leave
if I could...?" With this she started to break down, silent little sobs
wracking her body.
"...you could leave, Lucrecia. I've told you that. You have
no ties here that can't be easily snipped..." Vincent felt badly,
as he always did when this inevitable 'talk' came up. It always
ended the same way too, with her in tears and him feeling
like an ass. A concerned ass maybe, but an ass no doubt.
"N-no ties, you say? What about my husband, Vincent?! I still wear his
ring, we are still bound by marriage! And even if he agreed to divorce,
which he never would, I still wouldn't be able to leave! I would play the same
role as now, only sleeping in a different bed. Do you think that he would let
me leave with the baby? The injections have already begun... There is no
way that ShinRa would allow for me to up and run now..."
Vincent winced. She was right, of course. There was no way that the ShinRa
would let her walk out of here with a womb full of Jenova cells. They had invested
too much into the project to ever allow that. But he was still convinced running was the
answer to all their problems. He had to get her away from here, no matter the cost.
"Look... I know it sounds impossible,
but it can be done. There are ways to lose yourself. It's possible for
a person to disappear without a trace. I've seen it done many times...
Don't worry about ShinRa, don't worry about Hojo. Let's just go before it's too
late to do anything. The baby will come in a few short months, and by then
we can be married and settled in a new home where no one knows us--" He
trailed off, knowing that
she would not be persuaded that he was just wasting his breath. Nothing would
come of his pleas, nothing ever did. He was just ripping his heart open for
no reason as far as he was concerned. Had it been anyone or anything
else he'd have given up long ago.
But he could never give up on Lucrecia. Nothing could ever make
him do that. She was his sunshine, his heart and soul, his everything.
And even though she belonged to another he felt confident that
her heart belonged to him.
It wasn't lack of love for him that made her hesitate, nor was it
guilt for her actions. It was fear, plain and simple. And that bothered him.
He could understand her being afraid, but he couldn't believe she
would let it hold her back from doing what was right. She acted as if
she would face everything alone. Could she not see that he was here?
Did she not believe all the promises he made? Where they but meaningless and
empty words to her? God he hoped not.
"Lucrecia... I know you're going to say no. You've said it
everytime I ask you this... but I'm going to ask you again
anyway. Won't you listen to me...? God..." And here he broke
down as well, frustrated and hurt beyond belief by her
rejection. "I love you... I hope you know that, and I think
you do, but I love you so much... if you die like this,
I will never forgive myself. If you die I will curse myself to the end
of my days because I could have saved you. Why won't you let me
save you, Lucrecia? Are you too proud to be saved, or are you
too scared...? Please, answer me..." Tears slipped down his cheeks
unbearably hot and salty.
Lucrecia shook her head numbly. All of his promises...
"I... I want to go... I do... But I'm s-so scared
Vincent... I'm afraid for you, I'm afraid for me...
I just don't know what to do anymore..."
Silence held the room in its coldly smooth fingers for a long moment.
Then, she spoke again.
"I will do it."
Vincent looked at her in disbelief. Had she finally understood? In an
instant he was embracing her, whispering reassurances and even
more promises. Tears still fell, but they no longer stung
and burnt.
"We can do it tonight, Lucrecia... Tonight we can put this all away."
"...tonight..." she whispered, the word settling on her tongue like a foreign spice,
utterly delicious with all that it implied. Tonight she would be free.
"Yes, tonight. Get your things ready and I will meet you in front of the mansion
at midnight. We will walk out the front door and put this all behind us where it
belongs." He pushed an errant strand of hair out of her face, dismayed by
the dryness of it. He couldn't bear seeing her like this, and the sooner
they left the sooner she would hopefully be on the mend.
"What about Simon...?" She asked, wincing at the thought of encountering
him while poised to leave.
"Don't worry about him. When was the last time he came to bed with you anyway?
He practically lives in the labs and library. You yourself told me that he
hasn't spent a night in bed with you for almost a month now. I doubt he'll
even notice you're gone until he comes round to fetch you for more
injections. By then we'll be long gone." Vincent kissed her again, and got to his
feet.
"Remember, be down there by midnight. Then we'll go." He took her hand in his and
gazed into her eyes. "You will not regret this Lucrecia. I will make you the happiest
woman alive," His eyes then shifted to her midsection and he placed his hand there gently, as if trying to reassure the unborn child within her as well.
"And when the baby is born I swear I will love it as my own.
God, I love you so very much..." He knelt to kiss her hand, his warm breath
tickling her pleasantly.
"I'll be there... no matter what, I'll be there." She said, taking advantage of his lower
position to lock him in a kiss herself. They stayed like that for several moments,
neither one wanting to let go, as sweet as the kiss was. It was finally
Vincent who gently pulled away, standing back up and walking to the door.
"I'll see you then, Lucrecia..." Then he turned and walked away, shutting the door securely
behind him. She sat there for a moment, and then slowly got to her feet and went to the
closet to find a bag that would hold everything she needed...
* * *
Vincent was giddy with happiness as he made his way back to his post.
Midnight would come in but a few short hours, and then they could
go on to their new life together. The disappearing part would not
be easy, but he was confident they could manage. He had indeed seen people
practically drop of the face of the earth a few times in his short
life, so he knew it to be possible.
They could forge new identities and hopefully keep the ShinRa at bay.
Vincent knew his disappearance would not cause much outcry, but Lucrecia...
He had no doubt that they would stop at nothing to get her back, what with
all the gil and effort that had been sunk into the project.
He'd planned to make for Icicle Inn. That was surely far enough away
and secluded enough to start over again in. And perhaps they
would only have to stay there a while, and when the search was over
they could go to a less cold altitude. It might take a while, but the
ShinRa would eventually consider the matter to be a cold case and
hopefully abandon it.
Everything was turning out the way he'd hoped it would.
He was rounding the corner to the library when something, or more
specifically, someone stopped him dead in his tracks.
"You're looking rather cheerful tonight, Turk." That cold monotone
bit into him as he found himself staring into the face of Lucrecia's
husband, Simon Hojo. "Been engaging in the typical Turk pastime
of drinking and whoring?"
Vincent bit his lip. He would love to tear into the man, but sometimes
discretion was the better part of valor. He couldn't put their
flight into jeopardy, not now.
"You know I've never liked you." Blunt and to the point as always.
"...it comes with the territory." He replied, not really giving a damn
what the scientist thought. Why couldn't he just go back to his research
and leave him be? Professor Hojo was the last person he wanted to even look at
right now, let alone listen to.
"I suppose so. I guess you're rather used to dislike. You obviously have no problems
sleeping at night. Especially when you have my wife warming your bed." His eye
twitched dangerously on that last piece, although his face remained cold and
expressionless.
Vincent did a double take at that. Without even thinking he had the scientist
by the collar of his starched white coat and was snarling threats in his face.
"You sick bastard fuck, what the hell am I supposed to do?! You treat her like nothing
more than one of your petri-dishes! Of course I am going to go to her, she deserves
so much better than a sadistic monster like you! Do you even look at her?!
Do you even see the things you're doing to her all in the name of your
damned project?!" With that he slammed Hojo into one of the many bookshelves
that lined the walls of the room.
To his credit, the scientist never made a sound. He simply reached into the
side pocket of his labcoat and withdrew a small pistol that he kept
handy for escaped specimens. He pulled the hammer back, and two shots
rang out.
Vincent let go immediately and slumped backwards with a small cry. He put a hand
to his chest and was dismayed to have it come away red. His lung, he guessed
from the sick whooshing sound that came as he forced breath in.
Hojo looked at him impassively, and laid the gun down on the bookshelf.
It had taken no skill at all to hit him when was less that two feet away.
He stood there a long moment, watching the Turk sink to the ground and
struggle to breathe.
Not more than a few moments had passed, but to Vincent it seemed like an eternity.
Blood was pooling and spilling from his mouth, and he was
definitely done for. He would die here in this dusty,
book-filled room with no one but the man who'd killed him there in
his last moments. He thought of Lucrecia, and how she would never escape this place
now. It brought fresh tears to his eyes, and he couldn't help but sob as much as it
wracked him to do so.
Hojo knelt beside him now and was assessing the damage. He couldn't help
but wonder what was streaming through the Turk's mind. He'd heard stories
of how life would flash before the eyes of someone on the brink of
dying. Vincent was barely
conscious now, and looked like he might pass out at any moment.
"It won't be long. You'll go into shock and from there you'll die." He said
quietly, not expecting an answer from the Turk. Surely enough, his face whitened
and his skin cold he passed out, leaving Hojo alone to deal with this.
Hojo had always been possessed with grace under fire, it was a necessary
trait in his line of work. He already knew the problem, and how to fix it.
Punctured lungs were not fun, but they could be repaired with knowledge
and speed. And he had both those things at his disposal.
He swept the papers and etceteras from his desk and hefted the unconscious
Turk onto the level surface. He rolled his sleeves up and made a quick trip to
the supply cabinet. With all his skill and talent, he could tell
even now that this would be a challenge...
* * *
Worry creased Lucrecia Hojo's face as she checked her watch for the sixth time
already. Two small bags sat at her feet, filled with the few things she could not
fathom leaving without. It was getting late, and she was starting to wonder if this
had been such a good idea after all. He had told her that it wouldn't be easy to leave,
but they could do it together. Plans had been made, and a time had been set.
She had packed her bags feverishly this evening, terrified of being caught
in the act by her husband. Every creak and groan of the floor set her heart pounding.
A toothbrush here, and comb there and she had filled the bags with everything she
needed. When she finished she'd shoved the bags under the bed to lie in the dust
until it was time.
She'd felt a lot like those bags lately. After all, what had she been doing
with her life other than lying in the dust until it was time?
She was only twenty-four, and yet she felt that her life was over.
She'd felt that way for awhile now. She didn't blame it on anyone, and
certainly not on her husband as most would assume. He loved her in
his own way, as cold and unaffectionate as he appeared to most people.
He could be very charming and sweet, when they were alone together.
She had after all married him, did that not show that he was
not all together ogreish?
Maybe it was all her, she reasoned. Maybe it was some chemical imbalance
in her brain brought on by pregnancy making her think the bizarre things that she thought. Maybe it was the weather. It could be any number of seemingly
trivial things, and the origin didn't really matter after all. All she
only knew that the things in her head of late frightened her.
The voices...Ugh...
They set off some primordial fear in her, made her feel like choking
and crying and bleeding and dying. She would sink into sepia swirl and
never come out the better for it.
They seemed so real, so crushing...
And they never got better; they hissed and pricked her night and day, leaving her with sweat-drenched sleepless nights and blearily numb days.
Vincent had promised everything would be better, but he didn't know what she was
really going through. He'd only noticed that she looked and felt like shit, and as always was quick to blame it on Simon. She only hoped that he was right,
that this would all disappear as soon as they were away from the oppressive
shadow of this mansion and away from the sharp hollow points of the numerous
needles.
She checked her watch again. One-fifty. Dear God, where could he be?
He'd never broken even the most trivial promises to her, and this was
indeed the first time he'd ever not been true to his word.
Perhaps something had happened...
Her blood ran cold at the very thought.
'creaaaaaaaaak...'
She spun around quickly, squinting in the dim light trying to make out the dark figure approaching her. Her heart leaped at first, but quickly fluttered as she realized that it was Simon.
"Going somewhere dear?" His eyes ran over the two bags at her feet and then back up to her pale face. "Planning on taking a vacation? Any place you have in mind?"
Panic choked her. No words would make their way to her mouth. She could conjure no excuses
or lies to cross her lips. Her hands clenched, and her head bowed she stood mutely before him.
Wordlessly he bent down and picked up her bags. Casting her a cold look, he turned to walk back inside.
"S-Simon..."
He turned, and gave her another bone-chilling look that cut her to her core.
"Fuck you," he spat, his cool exterior finally crumbling, the anger and hurt shining through clearly. "Fuck you for thinking you could run off with that hired thug. Fuck you for thinking you could just throw everything away as if it didn't matter. Fuck you," he hissed, tears coming to his brown eyes as he spoke. "And fuck me for ever caring..." And with that he turned quickly, not wanting to see the tears in his eyes and know that she'd cause them. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
She stood there outside the door for a long time, just staring into the mansion. He knew... and that meant...
Oh God... Vincent...
The mansions' doors gaped before her like some monsters' jaws, beckoning to her, daring her to step back inside so it could swallow her whole.
She had to find out what happened. It was two in the morning now; and she knew in her heart that something was horridly wrong here.
With a deep breath to steel herself, she slowly walked through the doorway, and shut the heavy oak door behind her.
Perhaps it was nothing more than illusion and fatigue, but for a moment she could have sworn that the mansion laughed.
::end part one::