"… and that's it, I guess."
Sam shrugged and looked down at her companion.
It was a young boy, about twelve, with spiky, blondish hair and vivid blue eyes. He was rather skinny, almost rail thin, and relatively tall for his age. The boy was wide eyed with awe. "Wow! Just… wow! You guys are so cool!"
Laughing, the older woman shook her head. "And here I was afraid of what you'd think. I should've known." She broke into laughter again.
Still enthralled at the thought of it all, the little boy giggled. "My family rocks!"
With one last laugh, Sam ruffled his hair. "Sure does, kiddo."
"Sammy!"
The two looked up when Sams' name was called. A young woman, about 20 or so, was running towards them. The boy grinned and waved.
"Hey, Marlene!"
She glanced at him. "Hi, Zackey." The boy frowned and mumbled, "My name's Zack", but Marlene ignored him. "Vincent wants to see you."
"Me?" Zack asked. Marlene rolled her eyes.
"Is your name Sammy?"
Sam ignored their childish conversation. Surprised, she asked Marlene, "He's back in town?" The woman nodded.
"Just last night he showed up at the bar." Marlene smiled. "It was really nice to see him."
Denzel ran up and joined them, his backpack still on his back. "Ready to go?" He looked at Marlene. The girl nodded.
"Yeah." She waved good bye to Sam and Zack. "See you later!" They hurried down the street towards a group of kids their age, who waved and welcomed them. Sam watched them go.
Zack was still pouting. "I wanna see Vincent."
Sam rolled her eyes. "No one said you couldn't. Marlene just said he wanted to talk to me."
"And not me." Zack sighed.
"Oh, you emo child!" She pushed his back, shoving him to his feet. "Come on; we'll go see him now."
Zack cheered. "All right!"
The two started moving through Edge towards Seventh Heaven, and Sam couldn't help but reminisce. After spending the whole morning and part of the afternoon reliving the past with her younger brother, it was hard not to think of memories…
Sam was older now – ten years had passed since she first set foot on Gaia. Even after all that time, her connection to Jenova was still feared. Of course, Jenova had long since passed on, leaving Sam, Sam's mother, and the children of Jenova in peace. They still had the marks – green eyes, silver hair (except for Sam)– but they lived somewhat normal lives at least.
As they walked, Zack reached up and put his hand on Sam's. It warmed her heart, and she let out a soft sigh as she took his hand in hers. So much had happened in ten years, and yet, so little. It had become very peaceful in Edge. Well, as peaceful as Edge can be.
Fifteen minutes later Sam and Zack walked into the Seventh Heaven, and they found more than Vincent waiting for them.
Zack grinned. "Dad!"
Cloud was standing with the tall dark haired man, and at the sight of his son, kneeled. Zack ran into his arms. The blonde warrior didn't look much different after ten years; but then, being a SOLDIER (kind of) sure helped keep the wrinkles away.
And of course, Vincent hadn't aged a day. He looked just as stoic and graceful as he had the first day Sam had met him. Of course, that hadn't been the most graceful of meetings. She'd been flung from a river butt naked when Vincent thought she was committing suicide.
The stoic man smiled a little. "Good afternoon, Samantha."
The blonde smiled. "Hey. It's good to see you." She ran over and hugged him, and he hugged her back slightly. He was warming up… a little.
Now that she hugged him, Sam noticed he wasn't dressed in his usual red cloak. He was in black slacks and a white button up. Sam was surprised.
"New look?" She asked. The man shrugged.
"Perhaps."
Cloud and Zack were talking as well. Actually, it was more like Zack was ranting wildly about the amazing battles Sam had told him about, and his father was listening with a serene smile. Cloud glanced at Sam and winked, and the girl giggled.
Vincent glanced at her. Sam nodded. "Why don't we go someplace and talk?"
As father and son talked, Sam and Vincent went through the back, headed through the kitchen, and walked outside.
Some of the kids were playing there, and they waved at the two. Sam was a common sight, but Vincent was much rarer. Many of the kids leapt up and hugged him or simply said hello. Once they'd moved out of earshot, Sam sat on the ground, and Vincent leaned against the tree.
"You told him about the old days?" Vincent asked.
Sam nodded. "Yeah. What I know of it at least. And that's not much." She shrugged with a small smile. "I came in when the story was halfway over."
Vincent seemed concerned. "Isn't he… a little young?"
The woman looked away. "He's always known about his father being this great hero, but that's all he knew. And Cloud, Mom, and I agreed that we wanted to be the ones to tell him the truth… not anybody else."
The man understood. "Children at school?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "Cloud's pretty well respected, but me? Kadaj? Sephiroth especially. Some of Jenova's blood flows in Zack too, and the other kids like making fun of him. Apparently he's a 'Jenova Germ'."
"How original." The two shared a little laugh about it.
"So… Mom didn't know enough, and Cloud didn't want to relive it. So, I took Zack out for breakfast and told him what I knew."
Sam looked out over the city, at the people passing by. Some recognized her and waved; others recognized her and moved away. The reactions were always different. Usually people would respond to Vincent too, but he wasn't in his usual, familiar garb, so no one recognized him.
"Did you find it?"
Vincent put his hand in his pocket and removed a small disk. "All of his research. Everything Shinra had, and some Shinra didn't know about." He handed it to Sam. "You were right. His poison spreads beyond his death."
Sam frowned darkly. "So there are remnants."
Vincent nodded. "It's taken this long to find them because he hid them so well. The disk shows their locations. If we leave them be, they won't activate. But who knows what will happen in the future. An earthquake? A curious scientist? It's not safe to leave it there."
Sighing, Sam nodded, head in her hands. "I know." She gripped the disk tightly. "The stupid bastard… what was he aiming for?"
"World domination? God like power? Universal knowledge?" Vincent stood and moved away from the street, closer to the bar. Sam followed him with her eyes. "It's all the same with men like him. At least he's dead."
Sam nodded. "So… is that what took so long?" She asked.
Vincent frowned. "What are you asking?"
Standing Sam moved to him. "I'm asking why you haven't been around much in the past few months. You really opened up after we fought Kefka. What happened?"
Vincent looked away. "I…"
"Is it…" Sam moved to stand in front of him. "About Sephiroth?"
Frowning Vincent glanced away, which let Sam know she hit it right on the nose. "It is, huh? What happened?"
Vincent glanced down. "I… I forgot…"
"Yes?"
The man sighed, his red eyes finally meeting Sam's. "I forgot his birthday."
Sam blinked. "That's… that's all?"
Vincent turned away. "Is that what you think?"
"N - No, I just mean, you were acting like someone died or something! You forgot his birthday; is that really all it was?" Sam chuckled.
Insulted the stoic man explained his feelings quickly. "I've been wrapped up in the past, working on this research, trying to find the answers, and I forgot. He's my son. I… I wouldn't even know what to get him anyway. After ten years… I still don't know him."
"Oh, Vinny" Sam cooed. She put her hand on his. When he glanced down, she smiled reassuringly.
"If it helps, Sephiroth forgot his own birthday." The two chuckled. "We had a little celebration, just me, him, and his brothers. If we'd known where you were, we would've invited you." Sam hinted at the fact that Vincent should keep in contact better.
"… I have a cell phone." He muttered.
"One you never answer." Sam complained.
Both sighed. It seemed they were at an impasse.
The woman gave in with a sigh. "You want to know your son?" She asked.
Sam held a hand up and started counting. "Sephiroth loves kung fu movies, he reads anything he can get his hands on, he collects antique weapons, and if you want to get him clothing, he only wears black and leather. I'm trying to break him of that habit." The woman frowned. "You can get him a late present, he won't mind."
Vincent didn't seem cheered up. Sam frowned. "But… you still won't know him, right?"
The man nodded. "What… what should I do?" He looked up at her, forlorn.
Sighing, Sam nodded. "Well for one you can hang around more often. We tried to call and invite you to a pool competition Kadaj was in but you didn't answer. And we all went to see the new Wutai Master movie, you weren't here for that." Sam sighed. "I guess that's my fault. I sent you on this adventure. I could've certainly done it myself."
"You had important reasons for staying." Vincent told her. It was Sam's turn to look forlorn.
"… Nothing's worked." She whispered. "Ten years, and still… no kids."
Sam was close to tears. Vincent hugged her for real, rubbing her back consolingly. "I'm sorry."
"It's… It's not Seph. We had him tested, and he's perfectly capable. So is it me? Am I just infertile?"
Vincent shook his head. "I'm sure you're fine. It must be a complication of Jenova's presence in your body for so long. She may have affected your systems. I'm surprised; actually, that she didn't affect more about your psychical state."
Sam stepped back. "Well, we all know I'm a lot stronger for it. I have all of the speed, strength, and endurance of the others. But she didn't have any negative affects that I know of."
"This could be one." Vincent muttered. "Perhaps, in trying to keep you and Sephiroth apart, she realized she might lose. So she might've tried to make sure that your bloodline would end when you died."
"She… made me infertile?" Sam murmured.
"It's the likely answer."
Grimacing Sam shouted, "Dammit!" The kids nearby looked up, surprised, but Vincent shook his head. They stayed away. Tears were streaming down Sam's cheeks.
The tall man sighed. "You can't have kids, and I hardly know my own child. What a pair we make." He chuckled without amusement.
Drying her eyes, Sam muttered, "So, what about the remnants? Where are they? And how do we deal with them?"
"The same way we deal with any part of Jenova. We kill it." Vincent muttered. "As far as I can see, he took seven pieces and scattered them across the continents. But I only know the locations of three of them."
Sam nodded. "I'll tell the others. I'm sure they'll be gun ho about it. It's not good news… but it might be fun to relive the past." She smiled. "I'm itching for a fight."
She was pretending to be fine, but Vincent knew better. "Samantha…"
"No." She murmured. "There are more important things right now. Like you and Sephy. We've got to set you up on a man date or something. I'd say go hang at the bar, but that's all we ever do… we live there." She chuckled.
Vincent nodded. "All right." They started heading back to Seventh Heaven. When they got closer, they saw Tifa leaning against the doorframe, her hair cut shorter than it had been ten years before. Yet, she looked the same too. Age had nothing on Avalanche, apparently.
"Hey, Tifa" Sam smiled.
"Hey." Over the years, the two women who had been rough to each other at first had become close friends. They confided everything to one another. And Tifa could tell by the look on Sam's face that they needed to talk.
"Vincent, why don't you go on in? We girls need to have a chat." Tifa said, taking Sam's hand. The man nodded, passing behind them into the bar.
0-0-0
The bar was getting crowded as night fell.
The usual customers showed up, from the drunkards to the college students, and then the old group showed up. Cid and Shera and their two youngin's (as Cid would proudly say) were present; the youngest was a little girl with brown hair and blue eyes and all the spunk of her father. The boy was a troublemaker too, but a little more calculative and intelligent than his stubborn sister.
"Uncle Vincent!" Cid's daughter raced right for the tall man as soon as she saw him. The enigmatic one actually smiled.
"Hello, Mara" Vincent greeted. Mara's brother Jacob walked up behind her and waved.
"Hi Vinny" He winked. Vincent cocked an eyebrow.
"Hello" Vincent smirked.
Soon after Reno and his newest girlfriend Sabrina showed up, and somehow he had dragged his ex-boss Rufus along with him. Reno and the other ex-Turks all had new jobs, since the head of Shinra did not need security like in the old days. Shinra itself was so far from what it had been that it was hardly recognizable. Rufus and Reeve were now working together, with Shinra and the WRO dealing with Gaia's problems side by side.
Reno was now a writer for a newspaper, traveling the globe to write stories. He and Rude were no longer partners, but they were still "partners in crime". They even lived together.
Tseng worked with Rufus in the WRO, and Elena had been working there, though recently she'd quit. No one was quite sure where she was working after.
"Yo, hey everybody!" Reno cheered as he walked in, his arm around Sabrina. His eyes lit up when he saw Vincent in the back. "Dude! Hey!" He immediately approached his old friend tripping on himself.
Cloud chuckled, and Zack laughed just because his father had. The little boy was then attacked by Mara and Jacob, and the three began chasing each other around the kitchen.
"Hey! Take that outside!" Cloud told them.
The three kids rushed out the door just as Tifa and Sam came back in.
"Hey Reno!" Sam greeted him as an old friend, which merited a slightly nervous glance from Sabrina. Sam noticed her.
"New lady?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, meet Sabrina. I met her at the Golden Saucer a month ago now." Reno winked at her, and Sabrina held her hand out to shake Sam's.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Pleasure's mine, as long as you can keep this monkey under control." Sam joked, elbowing Reno. "He's one pain in the butt." Those comments seemed to ease Sabrina's nerves, and she laughed.
"I'll do my best."
More people entered, bringing more noise and more family. Bugenhagen and Nanaki appeared, along with Denzel, Marlene and their friends. It was so crowded and loud that no one could hardly hear or speak. At that point, tables were set up out back and the party was extended outside.
It was not a usual event to have so many people over at the Seventh Heaven, especially not the busy people who made up the cast of Final Fantasy VII. This event was a special one, and more people were arriving for it by the hour.
Crystal and Loz, with their seven year old son Leon, showed up next. Leon joined the kids in the back as his mother jumped all over Sam.
"Hiya, Sammy!" Crystal was as lively as ever, if not a little larger from being a mother.
"Hey, Crystal!" Sam laughed, hugging her tight.
Outside, a small, dingy motorcycle drove up to the bar. Cid, who was on the front porch smoking, saw it come up and looked it over.
"You are takin' care of that thing, right?" Cid asked.
The rider, a rather thin man, took off his helmet and revealed auburn hair. "Oh yeah!" Jamie laughed. "I really like this thing! Thanks so much for making it for me!"
Cid shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah, just don't crash it, cause you'll have to pay for the tune ups." Laughing, Jamie agreed.
"Is everyone here?" Tifa stood on a table in the backyard just as Cid and Jamie joined the party.
"No! No!" Mara shook her head. She began counting on her fingers. "Uncle Kadaj, Uncle Yazoo, and Uncle Sephiroth..."
"Are all present."
The little girl gasped and spun around. "Uncle Sephy!" She raced at him, toppling into his muscular leg. The tall man chuckled, kneeling by the child to hug her.
"Oh, no love for us?" Yazoo asked.
Mara raced to him next, and then to Kadaj. As she did, Sephiroth stood and approached Tifa. "The celebrations may begin."
Nodding, Tifa looked back over the crowd and quieted them again. "Kay guys! The yearly reunion of Avalanche and Shinra and everybody else can begin!"
Long after the tradition had started, the older generation had given up coming with an acronym or nick name for what was essentially a big party of everyone who had once fought against Jenova. The kids had begun to lovingly call it, "Old Foagies Tell Stories" day. On this day, the older generation would tell about all the things of the past.
None of the kids really took this stories seriously. They often disbelieved that their parents could be so cool as to fight evil. It was often too far removed for them to understand. And more often than not, the adults told one or two stories before simply hanging and talking to old friends. Besides, the children were all young, and the stories could wait.
The only childhood who had really been informed of a lot was Zack; the oldest.
He, Mara, Jacob, and Leon were playing in the backyard beyond were the adults were when they all decided to rest on a hill and look at the stars.
"Do you think we'll always do this?" Leon asked, looking at Jacob.
The boy shrugged. "Probly. If we don't the old folks might go delusional or something. They all look forward to this every year."
"We do too." Mara defended.
"That's cause we like hanging out. But we do that all the time." Jacob reasoned. "The adults hang out all the time two. I don't get why today's different."
On the far end, Zack glanced down the line. He seemed a little somber. "Well maybe they wanna remember stuff, so that... so its not forgotten."
Mara sputtered. "That makes sense." The other kids laughed.
Defending himself, Zack sat up. "You know what I mean! They don't want us to forget!"
Still laughing, the other kids looked at him. "Ooh, Zackey's getting all smart and grown up." Jacob joked. Fuming, Zack leaned back down on the hill.
Leon stopped laughing for a moment. "Maybe he's right though. There's gotta be a reason for all the stories."
"Sure. I like hearing about Uncle Cloud and Aunt Tifa and everybody kicking ass." Mara said happily.
"You're not allowed to say that word!" Leon retorted.
"So what? You gonna tell?" Mara looked at him and rolled her eyes.
All this time, Zack remained quiet. The other kids didn't get it. Finally he stood and began walking away.
Mara sat up. "Where're you going?"
Shouting over his shoulder, Zack replied, "None of your business!"
He walked further from the party, and before he disappeared into the city streets he was noticed by one of his many uncles.
"Zack left." Sephiroth murmured to his girlfriend. Sam spun around, and saw that, sure enough, only three children were sitting on the hill, looking up at the stars over the city.
"I'll go get him." She said, but Sephiroth stopped her.
"Allow me." He winked at her. "He is my nephew."
Sam smiled. "Go get em, tiger."
Sephiroth followed Zack's path, and as he left he was watched by three other youngsters.
"You don't think Zack's in trouble?" Leon whispered.
"Of course! Uncle Sephiroth's always the punishment guy!" Jacob told Leon, trying to scare him.
"Shut up, Jake! Uncle Sephy's not that bad!"
Meanwhile, Zack wandered.
It didn't make sense. Why didn't the other kids see it? Why? Why didn't...
He came upon a playground with a little slide. Though he was too old for them, Zack enjoyed playgrounds. Climbing the ladder to the slide, Zack sat at the top and looked down.
Everything Sam had told him had been sinking in for the past few hours. In all the time he and the other kids had been playing at the bar, his mind had been far away. He might've been talking about the fights and the cool parts... but Zack knew the story had a serious meaning too.
"Zachary?"
The boy jumped, turning around suddenly. Sephiroth was standing nearby, leaning against a tree trunk. "Why did you leave the others?"
Since Uncle Sephiroth was the one who always dealt out punishments when the kids were bad, Zack felt a little nervous. But he was pretty sure he wasn't in trouble. So he turned back around.
"I just wanted to be alone."
"To think?"
"Yeah."
Looking down at the ground, Zack contemplated sliding down. He kept thinking about what his father had been through... his mother... his sister... everyone...
"Something is weighing on your mind." Sephiroth noticed.
The boy nodded. "Sam told me all about the whole Jenova thing." He explained.
A pained smirk came to Sephiroth's lips. "Ah."
"Yeah..."
Zack looked down for a second. Then, he glanced back up. "Uncle Seph?"
"Yes?"
"Do... do you think..." Zack bit his lip. Then he just let it out.
"Do you think I can be as strong as my dad?" He asked.
Sephiroth blinked. "Undoubtedly." Zack blinked.
"What?" He asked.
Laughing, Sephiroth shook his head and approached Zack. "Yes. Your mother and your father are both strong. You have a broad family all of whom are willing and able to help you master mental and physical skills. You have the natural talent, the ability, the resources, and most important, you have the will."
Zack looked thrilled. "So... I could do that stuff too? Help protect the world?"
Chuckling Sephiroth nodded again. "I'm sure, one day, you will."
Grinning, Zack felt his heart rise in his chest. "I was worried... after learning about everything you guys did for everybody, and all the stuff you survived..."
"You were afraid you wouldn't be 'made of the same stuff'."
The boy nodded.
Sephiroth put a hand on Zack's shoulder. "Never doubt that you are of three great bloodlines, fused together, and that power is yours to hone."
Zack didn't quite get the last sentence, but he nodded. "Okay."
Sephiroth removed his hand and walked back towards the woods. "Oh, and your sister and I are planning on going to the Chocobo Races this weekend."
The pre teens eyes lit up. "Really?"
Sephiroth nodded. "You'd like to come?"
"Totally!"
"I'll ask your parents." Sephiroth winked. "Hurry back. We don't want the others to worry." Then he disappeared into the woods.
Sitting on the top of the slide, Zack watched his uncle disappear. He was feeling much better. Grinning to himself, Zack looked to the ground, and then let himself slide down.
"Whoh!" He laughed, falling on his bum instead of his feet. He laughed again. As he stood and brushed himself, Zack noticed something in the corner of his eye. There was a pretty white light floating nearby.
Nervous, Zack glanced over. There was a pale form floating in the air.
"Hey, kid." The form spoke with a deep, friendly male voice.
The boy blanched. "H-hi." Zack backed away, nervous.
"Don't be afraid." The shape laughed, coming a little closer. Zack couldn't move. When the shape kneeled near him, Zack could see a masculine face with peaceful, dark eyes.
"Here" Extending his hand, the shape put something in Zack's palm. "This is for your uncle. Can you give it to him for me?"
Looking up, Zack nodded. "B - but who are you?"
Standing, the shape backed away. "Tell your uncle that if he doesn't use it soon, he won't be able to use it at all."
With that, and a flash of light, the shape disappeared. Shocked, Zack jumped away. Then he remembered the item in his hand and looked at it.
It looked like a wind chime, but it was fancy, a pretty silver blue color. Cradling it, Zack looked it over. Then, like he'd just used the Haste spell he high tailed it to the Seventh Heaven.
At the bar, Sam watched Sephiroth come back up the hill. As he did, he waved at Mara, Jacob, and Leon. The three kids seemed surprised that Sephiroth wasn't carrying a crying Zack in his arms.
Once Sephiroth passed by, the three kids leaned close to one another. "Do you think he killed him?" Leon asked.
"Of course not! Aunt Maria would kill him!" Mara whispered.
"Can Aunt Maria really do that?"
"Of course!"
Sephiroth heard all this and chuckled, shaking his head. Sam smiled as he walked up.
"Zack okay?"
"He'll be fine. He needed some cheering up." Delighted, Sam hugged Sephiroth lightly.
"You'd make a great father." She whispered. A small tear trailed out of her eye, not unseen by her partner.
"I will be a father. And you a mother." Sephiroth insisted. "Just wait."
Before anything else could be said, Zack came barreling up the hill, past the other kids, who were giggling.
"I betcha he got scared!" Mara shouted. Zack ignored her.
He raced into the house and found his mother.
"Mom! Mom!"
"What is it baby, what's wrong?"
The boy held out the item in his hand, the wind chime, catching many people's eyes with its shine. Nervous, the boy whispered,
"How many uncles do I have?"
Confused, Maria bent to his level. "What do you mean, sweetie?" By this time, Mara, Leon, and Jacob had run into the house after him.
"I'm supposed to give this to one of my uncles. I've gotta figure out which uncle. How many do I have?"
Mara was counting on her fingers. "There's Uncle Yazoo, Uncle Kadaj, Uncle Sephy, Uncle Cloud, Uncle Vincent, Uncle Reeve..." The girl frowned. "I can't count that high!"
Maria ignored the little girl, gently taking the wind chime in her hand. "Who gave you this, honey?"
Nervous, Zack glanced away, before looking at her again. "I - I think it was Zack."
"What?"
"The other Zack." He whispered. "Dad's friend."
Wide eyed, Maria looked down at the wind chime.
When she moved it, and the metal pieces hit one another, it did not make a sound.
0-0-0
Wow, the end of a long chapter of my life, so to speak.
I really like this story and I'm gonna miss it. BUT eventually there will be a sequel. I'm working on it, but I wanna finish a few other stories first.
As for this chapter, I've had it for a while, but my computer died and I couldn't post it till now. Sorry peoples.
Hope you enjoy it!~
OH! One more thing!
I'd like you all to vote on your favorite pairings that you want to appear in the sequel. Or if you don't like a pairing, vote for a change. A few couples I'm thinking of putting into the next story are: SephSam, (of course), LozCrystal, RudeTifa, CidShera, love triangle with RufusElenaReno, RenoOC, and maybe some other stuff.
But I need you all to vote on whether you like those above, AND on who Jamie should be with. I want him to have a central relationship in the story. And since he's gay, it'll have to be a yaoi pairing. You could pick most anybody, just tell me why.
Thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing, I love you guys!
SULHADAHNE