Reno was still unconscious, but he slept uneasily, whimpering and moving. Valeriana sat on the edge of the bed, her weight making Reno move slightly and bump into her. His eyes flashed open wildly and his arms flailed as he cried out in sudden terror. Valeriana, in part to shush him and in part to keep him from hurting himself (or her), wrapped her arms around the trembling boy's back. She pressed Reno's fists against her chest using Reno's own body to keep him from thrashing about. Reno kept whimpering and shuddered uncontrollably, trying to get loose. "Shh, it's OK, honey pie, you're safe now" she tried to soothe him, but still the boy sniffled and keened. She pressed her cheek to the top of Reno's head and gently began to rock, humming. The boy quieted down, and muttered "I'm OK, I'm OK now", and Valeriana released him.

He sniffled and quickly wiped his tears away, wincing as his fingers skimmed over the puffy, bruised flesh. Valeriana gave him one of the potions, and Reno drank it, making a sour face at the bitter taste. Almost immediately his color improved and he seemed steadier. His bruises had faded somewhat, but overall he seemed much better than he did when she first saw him. She stroked his messy red hair gently, feeling at least 2 bumps, asking "Feeling a bit better, hon?" Reno nodded, and then asked "So I really made it here?" Valeriana smiled "Yup. Cammy saw you just barely get here, and dragged you in." The redhead quickly looked around for Cam, and then sat back looking glum, knowing what her absence meant.

She almost didn't want to ask, but her motherly instincts kicked in "Sweetie, who did this to you?" Reno looked away, pulling his hand out of her soft grip. "Reno?" she prompted. He reached up a small hand to rub absentmindedly the spot under his collarbone where Pete often grabbed him. "H-he didn't mean to . . ." he whispered, bowing his head. Valeriana was appalled "Sweetie, your father did this to you?" Reno sniffled, still not looking at her "It's my fault, I got m-mugged, I-I - he didn't, I-" then he began to sob quietly. Valeriana decided to be the mother Reno apparently couldn't count on, and pulled him into her lap as she'd done for Cam earlier.

After Reno had himself a good cry, he seemed diminished, empty somehow. Valeriana prompted him to eat, and he did so mechanically, not really savoring the small meal. "How much did you lose, dear?" she asked quietly, to break the awkward silence. Reno let out a small puff of breath "It was just about 95 gil." Valeriana felt a flush of motherly rage, "That sorry sonofabitch nearly beat the boy to death for a 100 gil?!" She got up and strode to the small dresser where she and Cam kept their clothes. She took out a small envelope and counted out 120 gil of the money she'd been squirreling away for herself and Cam to eventually get out of here. "Here, honey pie, give your dad his precious money" she said, thrusting the money into his small hands.

He looked at her through wide eyes. "N-no, Vale, I can't!" he stammered, calling her by her nickname. Valeriana waved his protests away "No, I want you to have it. Whether or not you give it to your old man, that's up to you, but I don't want you to think you got beat up for nothing." The boy snickered faintly "That doesn't make much sense, Vale." She grinned "Oh, so I'm a silly woman now?" He shook his head, smiling "No, no, you're cool. . . But-" he frowned now, again averting his gaze "-I can't take this home. M-my mom, she . . ." Reno looked up now, a raw expression in his eyes, "-she looks through my stuff."

Reno actually felt divided about his mother's drug addiction. He hated the things she did for money, and how she acted when she had no access to the drugs she needed, but still, he loved her. He loved her, and desperately wanted to believe her when, high as a motherfucking kite, she ran her hands over his face and hair, cooing "Reno, baby I love you so much, look at your red hair, just like your daddy's!"

Valeriana sighed, "OK, tell you what. I'll keep this money here for you. Whenever you need some to buy yourself something, you just come over here and give me a howl. How's that?" Reno looked at her, a glimmer of hope in his blue-green eyes. "Vale" he mumbled, "why are you doing this?" he asked timidly. She stood up, smoothed out her clothes "I guess I just like you, honey" she said, looking at him "You deserve better than what you're getting, you're a good kid. Also, you look after Cammy. I know how you've stood by my girl during some rough times." Reno squirmed uncomfortably "I guess so, but . . . Cammy's really fun." Valeriana smiled and fluffed up the pillow Reno'd be using "She can't get enough of you, boy. So it's settled then. You'll be staying here till tomorrow. There's no way I'm letting you out into the slums tonight." Reno quietly went back to bed, much too quiet and solemn for a 9 year old boy. 2 minutes later, he was snoring quietly.

Reno had been sleeping for some time, Valeriana looking at him contemplatively. She loved children, and often wished she had more, but she'd never inflict on another guiltless child the lifestyle Cam had to endure. If only cold facts were to be considered, it might be said that Valeriana and Camryn were actually fortunate. They had their own small neat room, they always had clean clothes, and were generally well-fed and healthy. The brothel's owner ran a clean place, and the girls were by and large kept safe from harm and disease. But for all that, Valeriana still felt a flush of shame come over her face as she knew that both she and her daughter were condemned to prostitution because of a mistake Valeriana had made when young. She'd assumed certain things, and had gotten turned out of her family home. She'd believed that, if she followed Cam's father to Midgar, he'd take care of them. She'd been wrong, and the world was unkind to a young unwed immigrant mother.

Valeriana hated for Cam to have this stigma, this stain of prostitution hanging over her head. Her daughter had never known what it was to bathe in the ocean, to go to school regularly, to fly a kite and play with other kids like her. All the things Valeriana had done herself growing up in Costa del Sol. Things she'd taken for granted, but now looking at them in hindsight, meant so much to her. She sighed; Reno was no different than Cam in several aspects. He was ironically worse off than Cam, who'd had prostitution forced upon her. She looked up sharply as the door opened, and relaxed when she saw it was Cam. Valeriana noted a small but lovely lacquered box she was holding. "What's that, beba?" She asked, making Cam smile at the small Costan endearment. Cam gave her mother the box "Mr. Pear gave it to me, said he'd been to Bone Village and this was dug out during the night" she sobered up, glancing at Reno "How is he?"

Valeriana put cam's little treasure on a small shelf at the wall, telling her daughter "He's OK. He woke up, ate something, then went back to bed, where you should be, young lady." She undressed Cam and put an old nightshirt of her over the girl's head. It was so long it brushed her ankles, and for a moment she looked like what she was seldom allowed to be: a happy young girl. Valeriana sank to her knees and hugged Cam tightly, a sudden knot in her throat over what could have been, should have been, but wasn't. "I love you, cielito" she whispered, kissing the girl's soft black curls. Then she released Cam and stood, smiling for her daughter's sake "Now, time for bed." Cam looked up at her mother, a strange expression in her eyes, and got into her bed with Reno. She curled up behind the redhead's back, and gave Valeriana the thumbs up. Valeriana turned off the light "Goodnight, kiddo" she said, and Cam replied "'Night, Mama."


A/N: Um, yeah . . . For some reason I conceptualized Cam and her mother as Costans. Remember in the game, how Costans were all sexy and fun-loving and relaxed? That's how I visualized Cam being later on. And as for how her mother ended up in a slum brothel, I just used a very common thing I've seen happen to young girls everywhere: girl loves boy, boy takes advantage of it, boy abandons girl, girl has a few really uncomfortable choices to make. I also made it my business to show that no matter what happened, Valeriana really loves Cam, and doesn't hold anything against her. This is really, really important in building Cam's character later on. And lastly, this was written mostly from Valeriana's perspective, to illustrate the difference between how the kids perceive themselves and what the adults know to be true. Hence, she makes jokes with Cam about what "presents" they'll get from their customers. And to avoid confusion, no, Valeriana is not the other major OC I've planned for the fic. Shame, really. I like her.