Zack slowly became aware of his surroundings again, not too surprised to find himself on Tifa's bed. He knew she had hooked him on drugs on purpose, since she would taunt him about it on occasion. He also knew he should try and kick the habit, but it made living in this twisted world bearable. He sat up too fast and groaned, holding his head in his hands for a few moments until he heard the door open and looked up.
"Zack?" Aerith asked, walking into the room. "Are you here?"
"Yeah." he mumbled. "What's going on?"
A smile broke out over her face as she followed his voice to the bed. "Since the upcoming Bacchanalia is also our first anniversary, what better way to celebrate than to start our family?" She reached out her hands and cupped his face in them before kissing him.
Zack mentally sighed in resignation as he took Aerith in his arms. Having her as his wife also made life bearable, even though she wasn't exactly the Aerith he had once known. Zack knew too much had already been taken from him, he wasn't going to lose Aerith too. He almost felt like everything was normal as he made love to her, since he probably would have married her anyway if the last few years had turned out differently. "I love you."
"I love you too." Aerith replied automatically as she felt him pour into her. They had only had sex a few times over the past year, but it was different than it had been with Cloud. That had just been so she could receive his seed, Zack consummated their marriage almost hesitantly, and at first she was worried he didn't care about her, and it was going to be like Tifa's horrible marriage to Cloud. But based on things Zack had inadvertently let drop, Aerith had figured out he was just having trouble adjusting to what happened while he was asleep all those years. She did care deeply about him, but her heart belonged to Tifa first. Aerith was grateful he had forgiven her for pushing him over the railing in her tower. She had nearly forgotten about him when he showed up again, since Tifa was the only one who mattered to her, and she had freaked out, probably in part to her pregnancy hormones. But eventually she remembered that she had once wanted her relationship with Zack to blossom into marriage, and Tifa had granted her wish. "Her Majesty has found us a new servant, but she said we have to train her first. We could use a nanny, I want a big family." Aerith told him as they got dressed again.
"She wants us to train a servant?" Zack hadn't expected that, since he knew what Tifa's version of training servants entailed, and surprisingly Tifa had sheltered Aerith almost maniacally from the depravity all around them.
"Yes." Aerith nodded. "Would you like to go with me and meet her now?" She asked as she held out her hand towards him.
"Sure thing." Zack was curious to find out what Tifa was planning, since there had to be an ulterior motive, he was privately convinced she was now incapable of doing anything straightforward. Part of him did feel sorry for her, because of what Reno and Aerith had told him about the past few years, and his own experiences with her. Sephiroth had pretty much destroyed the Tifa he first met, and even if he couldn't blame her for how she was now, he dreaded her doing something so horrible that he'd have to try and stop her. He had his Buster sword back, but it was hard for him to use it, unable to shake the feeling it was tainted now with Cloud misusing it at Sephiroth's whim for years. And even if he was able to defeat Tifa with all the dangerous materia she had at her disposal, losing her would kill Aerith too, her submission to Tifa was too absolute.
Elena was furious with the world, but most of all at herself, having been caught so easily. The only thing she regretted was that she didn't do more damage to Tifa's statue before she was caught. She had held back her anger so she could take care of her parents. It was bad enough that they had to stomach the indignity of the military academy her family had run for generations being forcibly turned into a training center for those serving the regime that had her sister slaughtered. Her father had faded away with the shame of it, and when Sephiroth was killed, the 'Divine Empress' had a monument built to honor the Turks at their final resting place, and it had driven her mother mad with the hypocritical injustice of it all.
"Meal time, wench." the warden's voice announced, interrupting her hateful thoughts.
"I'm not a wench!" Elena snapped.
"You will be." he replied coolly, and when Elena refused to open her mouth to eat the spoonful he offered, he was about to strike her when the cell door opened, about to yell at the intrusion until he turned his head to see who it was. "How may I serve you, Lady Aerith, Sir Zack?"
"Leave us." Aerith ordered him.
"Yes, my Lady." The warden knew better than to disobey them, and there was no fear that the prisoner could hurt either of them, so he put the spoon back in the dish and left.
"What's your name?" Zack asked the young woman who reminded him of someone. He was extremely surprised that their new servant was a criminal being held in the dungeons, and even more so that she was in the cell he himself had recovered from his fall in. What was going on with Tifa? The young woman was thoroughly strapped to a chair that had a hole in it and a bucket underneath, signaling that she was to be a long term resident of the chair.
"I don't have to tell you anything!" Elena raged, refusing to look at them. "I hate you all!"
"No, you don't have to tell us anything." Aerith calmly replied as Zack's arms wrapped protectively around her. Tifa had been right, this woman obviously needed the kind of love she could only get here. "But you will." She gently stroked Elena's hair. "Won't you?"
