The room was dark. Reno sat up slowly. His body felt heavy, his head clouded, but he felt the need to move, to get out of this bed. He pulled the tubes out of his nose, the IV out of his arm and the sticky pad over his heart. Monitors beeped, he was sure someone would be here soon, but he couldn't wait, he just needed to be on his feet. He rolled out of the bed and let his legs slowly take his weight.

His head swam from suddenly being vertical. But it passed. He felt the pain in his body, sharp stabs through his chest, dull throbs in his feet and legs and the laboured wheeze of his breath. But still, he walked across the room to the door. He moved into the hallway, he guessed it must be very early morning, only night staff keeping an eye on the place, but with his training it was easy to slip unnoticed down the hall. It didn't take him long to find the room he wanted.

"Rude." He placed a hand on the glass as he stared in on his partner's room. He didn't go in though, he remembered what the doctor had said about moving him and couldn't trust himself not to stumble and accidentally jostle him. "I know Nora is doing everything she can for you, but I just wish you would wake up."

The longer Reno stood, the more pain he began to feel throughout his stiff body. He still had alot of injuries underneath his white scrubs. He wanted a shower, let the warm, clean water wash away at least some of the soreness. It was one of the things he had dreamt about for so long in that Hell hole. But when he returned to his room, there was a figure waiting in the dark. Reno sighed and flicked on the light.

"Thought you'd be by sooner, Boss." Reno slid onto the bed, sitting on the edge with his back to Rufus who was in the bedside chair.

"I was told you weren't well."

"Yeah well, I've been worse, you know." the words were spat out dryly, the sardonic edge not lost on Rufus.

"Yes." Rufus's voice was quiet. "I know. Reno I-"

"Forget it. So I take it no one else knows."

"Well, I haven't had the visit from Tseng I was expecting."

"I gave him some information that will keep him busy."

"Until?"

"I don't know, you're the boss, you tell me."

Reno heard the tired sigh, heard the creak of the chair and the rustle of well pressed clothes. The bed dipped beside him but he didn't look up. He stared at his own bare feet next to Rufus's shiny black shoes.

"Can't even look at me, huh?"

Reno shook his head. "I can't look at anyone without seeing those four videos in their eyes. So what am going to see if I look into your eyes?"

"Shame."

"Why? I'm a Turk, obviously you wouldn't give into demands just for me. I knew that, no matter what I might have said when it was happening. But there is one thing I have to know, Rufus. Did you know about project Achilles?"

"Not until Cole asked."

"And now?"

"I know more. But not much. He has half, and I have half, but I am guessing that his half is more explicative."

"I don't get it. He knew you would never give him what he wanted for me, so why even bother?"

"The same reason he sent those four videos to Tseng directly. To unnerve the Turks and distract them. Except for me-"

"It was worse. I'm sorry Rufus, for the things I said."

"I am sorry for what I said."

Reno was gripping the edge of the bed tightly now. But there was a question that had been burning Rufus the entire time.

"Was it true what he said? As long as I didn't break the connection, as long as I...watched... he would stop torturing you after that one hour? When the camera went out, did he really stop?"

"Sometimes." Reno took a shaky breath. "Thank you Rufus. Thank you for never severing that connection."

"But you still can't look at me. Reno, only I know what happened to you every session. Only I know that every day Charles Cole opened a live feed between my laptop and that room so I could witness what they did to you while he demanded I give him the other half of this long-lost Achilles project that my father started. So only I can really understand how impossible it is that you have shown, to this point, no sign that it has affected you mentally. Until now. You can't look at me, can you?"

"No."

"Because you despise me."

"Because I had a choice to stare at my torturer or stare at your face on that monitor. I picked you and now when I sleep, when I feel every pain they inflicted on me, I see you. When it was happening, it was like I wasn't alone in that place, but now it's like that place has followed me back here. Because those memories that I want to keep to myself are also in your head, and probably on your hard drive. So now, even when I kill every last one of those bastards, there will still be one person left alive who will know what happened in that place."

"Okay." Rufus said. "But you're going to have to look at me sometime, Reno. Don't you think it would be best to get it over with now?"

Rufus watched the knuckles tighten to white. Underneath his t-shirt, Reno's chest was rising and falling quicker than it ought too. He even thought he saw the creases of pain in his face. But Reno was never one to back down from a challenge, and no matter what was happening inside of him, that trait was still very much alive in him.

It was hard to tell who was affected more by the silent confrontation. Reno did not see what he expected in Rufus' eyes: the pity and pain that was in everyone elses' gaze when they looked at him was completely absent. These eyes were placid, just as steady and calm as ever. Reno didn't know whether to be relieved or offended. This man who had seen more than anyone else could look at him so calmly. Was he really that cold, or was this just Shinra strength? But the answer came flooding back beyond his control. Because all of the sudden he wasn't seeing Rufus at present, he was seeing the pale faced president that first time Cole laid out his terms, the first hour he endured Reno's screams, Reno's pleas and curses. And every hour after, those eyes had forced themselves to watch, but the horror could not be removed from them, the hands that almost always clenched over his mouth could only hide so much of his expression. The face Reno had screamed at on that monitor, the face he'd hated just as much as he sought comfort in it.

Rufus had been so focused on getting Reno to look at him, he hadn't prepared himself for what he would see in Reno's eyes. For one long moment, he thought Reno truly must be indestructible, because the coldness and fierceness of those green eyes would never betray what had happened to him in that month. But that shield melted almost at once. And then he saw such fear and horror it was as if Cole had Reno back in that room.

Rufus gripped Reno's shoulders when he realized the man before him was quickly losing his battle over all those suppressed feelings and memories. "Reno, calm down. Remember that you're safe now."

Reno shut his eyes and nodded, but his breath was still on the edge of hyperventilation. He stood up and moved past Rufus toward the bathroom.

"Reno?"

The red head pushed the door open and sat on the toilet, just outside of Rufus' view. He heard sharp breaths turn to sobs.

After everything Reno knew he'd seen, he still didn't want Rufus to see him cry.

"Are you still out there, Rufus?" His voice was faint and hoarse as it called around the bathroom door.

"I am."

"So what are you going to do about this project Achilles?"

Rufus stared at the half open door but decided to remain where he was. It seemed Reno was more comfortable having this conversation in two separate rooms.

"I have investigated as much as I can on my own. My father was good at keeping his secrets."

"And you really don't know what it is?"

"I have little in the way of documentation. I did find reference to the building you were held in. Is that what you told Tseng, that it was a Shinra building?"

"Yes. But without knowing about Achilles it will take him time to make any connections."

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"Because not even Cole wanted the Turks in on it. He just wanted you to know. And clearly you didn't want them to know either, otherwise you would have already told them. So I decided to keep it to myself until we could discuss it."

"Well, you must want them to know on some level, or you wouldn't have told Tseng about the building."

"I could say the same to you, sir. If you really didn't want the Turks finding out, you wouldn't have let me talk to Tseng before I'd talked to you."

Rufus chuckled. "Touché."

"So why haven't you said? Is it because you'll have to admit about the video feed?"

"I suppose that is part of it. But I also wanted to know more about my father's work before I opened it up to the Turks."

"Then you must be pretty concerned. So what did you find?"

"Bodies." Rufus answered shortly. "Many bodies. A long list of names that disappeared from Shinra files, ranging from Turks, to doctors to SOLDIER and all of them could be traced back to this Achilles experiment. And a lab. That is what Cole needs. It's a facility I never knew existed, right here in the mansion. Powered down, has been for years. Strange instruments and tools. It reminded me of Jenova. Cole must know what it is for."

"Okay then." Reno said. "We let Tseng keep digging on his own, he'll find it soon, I'm sure. Then he never has to know about what you saw."

"Are you protecting me, or yourself?"

"Does it matter?"

"Alright, Reno, we'll do this your way."

"Thank you. But promise me you will not cut me out. I want to help the investigation."

"Reno, you can't leave this facility, your system is too vulnerable right now, you'll only get sicker."

"Well let me do what I can."

"Alright."

Reno heard Rufus stand. He took a few paces toward the bathroom door but did not enter. For a long moment he just stood there, as if trying to decide what to say. Then he sighed. "Has Tseng sent the sketch artist yet?"

"No."

"Okay. I'll send him down when you are ready."

"Okay." With that, the president left. Reno sighed, looking up to the shower, but he still didn't get his chance to relax. He heard a quiet 'excuse me' and knew someone was in his room. This someone, however, had no problem pushing through the door to the bathroom to find the red head slouched on the toilet cover, back against the wall and feet up on the edge of the tub.

"Crying in the bathroom, are we?" Reno's head shot up and he immediately put a hand to rub at his eyes. They were still a little puffy.

"Shut up, Nora." The tall surgeon sat on the edge of the bath. She really was beautiful. Her hair was a mess of curls, but somehow elegantly clipped together. Her bright eyes stood out in contrast to her dark skin, and were Reno's favourite part of her. They were so intelligent- they saw everything, sort of like he did as a Turk, except he'd missed one key thing about her- she had been making eyes at Rude and not him all that time. That was two years ago now, and he half expected his partner to pop the question. Nora was special, she'd become his friend and Reno knew no one else could be any more perfect for Rude.

"You can hardly tell," she said, putting a hand on his face. But it wasn't a gesture of comfort, soon she was leaning in and looking closely at his eye.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking out Dr. Smith's handiwork. Look to the left." He did as instructed. "Look up. Good. Everything looks fine."

"I could have told you that, I can see you after all. Hey, why aren't you the doctor in charge of my case?"

"Conflict of interest."

"What? Rude's you're boyfriend, how is that not a conflict of interest?"

"Because Rude is in a coma and I don't have to tell him what to do. You however, hate listening to anything I say."

"Yeah, but that's about cleaning up pizza boxes and taking off my shoes when I'm at Rude's."

"Do you want me to be your doctor, Reno?"

He looked at her, and suddenly something struck him. He looked back to her eyes."You haven't seen the videos, have you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Rude asked me not to. In fact, he asked for everyone to leave the room except the Turks but things didn't go his way. I left though. I'm sorry, Reno, maybe that makes me weak, but Rude needed my support after that and if I'd been in that room too, I'm not sure I would have been much of a shoulder to cry on. And honestly," she reached out a hand and grabbed his. This time it was not a clinical touch, this was tender. "I didn't want to see you in pain."

"Thank you." Reno breathed, for some reason feeling incredible relief. "I wish no one had seen those videos. And I am glad Rude had you, though I doubt he was crying on your shoulder," Reno smiled but caught the look in Nora's eyes and it faded. He imagined himself if it had been Rude. "Or maybe I can." He said softly.

"You know Rude, he worries about you like a brother. And," she added with a smile, "I guess that means that I do too. Even if Rude ever gets the courage to ask the question, I still feel like I'm going to be marrying you both, you two are practically inseparable."

"So long as you understand the deal." Reno smiled. Nora stood.

"Come on, I have your breakfast waiting."

"Wow, taking care of my already." He joked but was slow to rise. His discussion with Rufus had drained him. Nora took careful hold of his arm and guided him out to a chair. She wheeled the small table over to him and adjusted the height. He picked up the fork and poked at his scrambled eggs but didn't eat them yet.

"How is Rude?"

"Incredible. Looks like we'll be able to wake him up sooner that we thought."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He will still need to take it easy- very easy- but for someone who was shot three times it's practically a miracle."

Reno nodded. "I miss him. Nora, I'm sorry he got hurt. He risked everything to come into that building after me."

"And if I had been there I would not have stopped him, Reno. I understand he acted recklessly, but he always acts with his heart, and that thing is never wrong. It's why people like you and me are drawn to him."

"You saying I have a bad heart?"

"I'm saying you and I have both let our hearts get betrayed too many times. But with Rude, you know he'll always be on your side. He'll never abandon you, never betray you."

"Yeah."

"Now eat up."

"I'm not really hungry."

"I don't really care, eat." Reno sighed and stuck the fork in his mouth. Nora smiled. "Good. It's time you started listening to me."

"Ha ha." But he made a face and after a moment spit his eggs back out.

"What's wrong?"

"I just really don't feel like eating." He answer.

"Okay." She did, however, make him drink all his orange juice and then got him settled back into his bed.

"Elena has a cold. We can't let her in to see you until she's better or at least not contagious but she sends her love." Reno just nodded, he was falling asleep. "Alright, I'll be by again later." She whispered and shut out the lights.

When Tseng entered the room, he spotted Nora sat in the chair next to cold eggs and a large folder in her lap.

"Dr. Jones. Is everything alright?"

She looked up, half startled as she had been so deep in her reading. "Oh, sorry Director. No, everything is fine. I know I am not officially on Reno's case, but...I didn't think it could hurt to take a look at his files."

"I am grateful for any help he gets." Tseng took the seat opposite her. "So?"

Nora sighed. "I won't watch those videos, Reno was so relieved I hadn't. But these reports..." Tseng noticed the tissue balled in her hand, "I can't believe he went through all this."

"And more that we don't know about."

"I know. And that is why I would like to run some tests. I haven't spoken to Dr. Smith about it yet, but based on his charts, I have some concerns. For one thing, his EKG readings are not terribly consistent. He's been sick with pneumonia for a long time, and who knows what else. It can take a toll on the heart. And we need to do more x-rays. He really didn't have many done initially, mostly just his chest. But he could have had several fractures. I want to know about any potential complications as soon as possible."

"Nora, do you want me to have you put in charge of his case?

"No. I just want to be kept informed. But don't worry about that, I will discuss the matter with Dr. Smith. There was just one other thing I had to ask you. The bathroom. I found him in there this morning, very upset. And Dr. Smith mentioned he was in there for hours the other day, with you for some of it. I'm not a psychologist by any means, but-"

"He's a Turk. This room is very open, as is this entire facility. People are in and out all the time. The bathroom is closed off, secure. He can control who comes in, who goes out and his back is covered."

"It's his safety net."

"And I don't think we should try correcting that behaviour until he feels safe elsewhere."

"Okay. Thank you, Director." Nora stood and gathered her folder. "I will be back once I have the tests arranged."

"Thank you."

Another update for you, dear readers!

Riza