Once Aerith and baby Matthew were home from the hospital, they got a couple days to settle back into the penthouse, which had now been cleared by the engineers, and everything had been repaired that needed to, then it was time for the luncheon with the winner who correctly guessed the delivery dates and gender of the babies. Tseng was now permanently at the penthouse as the 'butler' for the remainder of the two years, and Cloud had been hired, ostensibly as a live-in nanny, to be with Tifa without breaking her contract, so there would be plenty of help for the six babies.
Reno and the women were sitting at the dining room table, wondering not only who won, but if the babies would cooperate with Cloud for the two hours this was supposed to last. The photographer had arrived early with a reporter, who tried to get too intrusive with his questions about the actual behind the scenes relationships amongst them all, and then he suddenly collapsed.
"Don't worry." Aerith said, and everyone turned to look at her and the materia she had in her hand. "It's just a temporary stun spell, he'll be fine in five minutes."
The doorbell rang, and Tseng went to see who it was. They were curious when they heard him make a noise of surprise, and then a few moments later he walked into the dining room with a bemused expression on his face. "May I present to you the winners of the contest, Cid Highwind and Vincent Valentine?"
Reno and the women stood up in shock as the two men followed Tseng in, each carrying a suitcase, and the photographer started taking pictures. The reporter recovered after the pleasantries were concluded and everyone had started eating.
"Why did you enter the contest?" the reporter asked Cid and Vincent, who exchanged embarrassed looks with each other.
"My, airship had, uh, an accident and we needed money to fix it. Since it wasn't my fault, Vincent suggested entering the contest to help, since he was somewhat familiar with the breeding programs Shin-Ra used to do, so he could come up with a good guess. The contest rules said you'd autograph whatever the winner brought, so…" Cid tapped the suitcases with his foot before taking out a cigar, and the women all glared at him and pointed to the No Smoking sign on the nursery room door, so he reluctantly put it back. "We're not going to sell the stuff, it's just collateral for a loan. Once my baby's back in the air, I can pay off the loan easy."
The rest of the luncheon passed by quite pleasantly as they talked about old times while Reno and the women autographed everything Cid and Vincent had brought. When it was time to leave, Vincent turned to Reno. "I'm sorry about that joke I played on you the morning after your dinner date. I was coerced into it."
"Shera told me to tell you she sends her love." Cid told the women before he and Vincent left with their suitcases.
Aerith stood staring at the closed door as Reno headed off to the nursery to check on Matthew. He had seemed uncomfortable with her since Matthew's birth, almost seeming to avoid her when possible, and she didn't know why, but Cid's parting words triggered her memory of her son's birth, which had been rather hazy. Aerith had been told it was because of the complications, but she remembered some of it now, and she headed to the nursery after Reno. He had just gotten done changing their redheaded son's diaper, and Aerith smiled at them.
"I'll take him now." Aerith said, and Reno blushed a little when their hands touched for the exchange. She stopped when they were holding Matthew between them. "Did you say you loved me in the delivery room?" she asked Reno.
"You said it first when you thought you were dying." Reno replied as if in self-defense as he blushed more. He wasn't comfortable talking about feelings, not with his job, and especially not with the woman who made him have all sorts of them.
"Did you mean it?" Aerith persisted.
"Did you?" Reno countered, realizing he wanted to know.
"I do." Aerith smiled warmly up at him.
"I guess I do too then." Reno tried to say casually, as Aerith's smile widened. Matthew laughed and clapped his hands, then put one hand on Reno's cheek, and one on Aerith's, and tried to move them together.
"You think he wants us to kiss?" Aerith asked with a twinkle in her eye.
"Silly little wannabe matchmaker, I don't need a baby to help me get women." Reno exclaimed.
"Oh. is that what you think?" Aerith's voice was slightly amused.
"I do." Reno said before passionately kissing her to prove it, and Matthew giggled and clapped his hands again.
When Reno and Aerith didn't seem interested in stopping their kiss, Rude stepped forward and nudged him with his elbow. "Come on, man, you can lay off for an hour or two for the reception. Hey, save it for the honeymoon!" he exclaimed to his partner, and Tifa in her role as Maid of Honor was whispering things to Aerith as well. Eventually the couple reluctantly separated to face their guests, and Reeve cleared his throat.
"I now present you Mr. and Mrs. Reno Sinclair." Reeve announced to the crowd in his role as minister for their wedding.
The guests all stood up and applauded, and Reno and Aerith were almost blinded by all the camera flashes. Rufus had only agreed to let them marry before their contracts expired because of the fulfilled potential for favorable media response for a romantic celebrity wedding, and it might also help quiet the critics who protested against unwed mothers as role models for their daughters. Rufus paid for everything, determined to get a return on his investment in the coin of public opinion. They walked back down the aisle hand in hand to the special area set aside at Rufus' country estate for the reception, the guests following them.
"Catch!" Aerith loudly exclaimed as she tossed the bouquet. Yuffie jumped up and grabbed it. She then turned and smiled at Tseng, who suddenly had the expression of a deer caught in the headlights. Tifa just looked at Cloud as they both shrugged and smiled at each other. They already planned to marry when her contract was up in three months.
"Time to cut the cake!" Reno called out to his bride, who joined him at the table.
"Where did those come from?" Aerith pointed to their action figures on top of the cake. "That's not what I picked out!"
"I made some adjustments." Reno said, with an unusual expression on his face that Aerith hadn't seen before, and she decided to not let anything ruin this moment. They cut and fed each other a piece of the cake, Aerith playfully slapping at his hand when he tried to pick out a chunk that fell between her breasts. He finally stopped when she whispered that he could get it later when they were alone.
"What is this?" Yuffie asked when she saw a lump on the bottom of the cake when she went to get a slice.
"There's one here too." Tifa said, standing in line next to her.
"It's our action figures!" They exclaimed together after they wiped off the frosting.
"Why were they in a bowing position on the lowest level of the cake?" Yuffie asked indignantly.
"Who knows?" Tifa tried moving her action figure around, she hadn't bothered with any of the merchandise spawned from their roles, and it had become literal roles, they had done a few TV movies. "Hey, my doll really can use her fists!"
"And mine can use her legs." Yuffie said, demonstrating. "I challenge you to a match."
Reno and Aerith found a blind spot where they could watch the reception without being bothered. They were both amused by her best friends mock fighting with their action figures, but for different reasons. Rufus and Elena were talking to reporters, as were Tifa and Cloud by the temporary outbuilding set up as the children's nursery for the wedding. Rude was making the rounds through the single women who attended, and everyone was glad Scarlet had refused the invitation they were obliged to send her.
"Why don't we sneak away now?" Reno asked Aerith as he pulled her closer to him.
"Well, is everything ready for our departure?" She was suddenly eager for the honeymoon to start as she felt Reno firm against her.
"Yep. I checked myself at dawn." Reno smiled at her easy acquiescence.
"Let's do it!" Aerith grabbed his hand and started towards the manor house.
"Where is Reno?" Tseng asked Rude. "It's time for the dancing to start." Suddenly they both heard the helicopter start up.
"Reno!" Rufus exclaimed angrily as he looked at the roof.
"Look!" Shera exclaimed moments later as the helicopter took off. Aerith's wedding dress floated down to the reception area, landing on Cloud's head, causing Tifa to start laughing uncontrollably as she had to help him get it off.
"I probably shouldn't have done that." Aerith said in a bemused tone as she put her travel clothes on before sitting next to Reno in the cockpit.
"It's always important to leave in style." Reno smirked. "We'll be in Icicle in three hours."
Aerith was looking forward to spending their honeymoon there. Not only was it her hometown, but it being a winter village, the cold would encourage them to snuggle together constantly in front of the fire. Reno had agreed to her location pick, as long as he could choose her wardrobe for the occasion. That had made her slightly nervous, but she decided she could just stay inside with her husband, which didn't bother her at all. They were pre-registered at the nicest hotel in Icicle, so when they arrived, they were in their honeymoon suite in less than five minutes.
"This isn't that bad." Reno said, looking around, noticing the champagne and chocolates, the oversized whirlpool tub, the marble fireplace, the king-sized bed and the lack of TV or any other technological distractions.
"I should hope not, this is my hometown, remember." Aerith pointed out as Reno looked at the fireplace. He realized with some surprise that it was an actual woodburning fireplace, not merely a faux lighting display or a gas one. "Are you tired yet?" Aerith asked him.
Reno turned to look at her, surprised to find her in bed already, and obviously naked. "You know, I think I am." He quickly shed his tuxedo and joined her in bed. "What's your pleasure, Mrs. Sinclair?" he asked as his hands started roaming all over her.
"You, Mr. Sinclair." Aerith replied with a smile, kissing her husband.
Reno knocked on the penthouse, and Rude opened the door. "Hey boss, what's up?" Rude asked when he saw Reno standing there. When Tseng had married Yuffie in an elaborate royal Wutaian wedding, he had to retire from the Turks, making Reno head of the organization. Rufus liked the positive response from the last two years, so had decided to continue it, but this time it would be Rude and his Angels, and there was no sperm donor auction, merely an audition for a scripted and totally fictionalized 'reality' show with Rude and three young women.
"I just wanted to give you some stories I think you'll need." Reno told his new second-in-command, handing him a box full of the plays he had written for the figurines. He had typed them up, replacing the names with blanks for Rude to fill in on his own. "Good luck, buddy." Reno says with a smile, before turning and leaving Rude standing there holding the box with a confused look on his face as the three women come to the door and demand to know what's going on before closing the door.