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Sabotage

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Staring into the darkness of what had been her old room, and which she had redecorated, Yuffie tried to make sense of her life as it was now. She had allowed Vincent to have his way with her, but the way that he had touched her earlier that night had nearly set her to tears. How could he touch her as if she were something precious when she was trying so hard to hurt him?

Sitting amongst a disarray of sheets, she stared down at Vincent's bare back and took a moment to inspect him as he slept on his stomach. He had many old, faded scars of his own that she hadn't really taken any notice in while they had been living as a married couple. It made her wonder about his past and what he had gone through to get them while he had been in the Turks. She knew enough from the report they had stolen a long time ago, but Yuffie was willing to bet that there had been a lot more that she hadn't known of Vincent.

Running her fingers gently over the scars on his back, she thought of her own. Every time she saw them after showering, or when changing her clothing, she thought about the job gone wrong, the eight months of her coma, and of not coming back when she'd had the chance to spend time with her father. She couldn't even begin to wonder on the pain he had felt over her supposed death and now it was too late for her to beg for his forgiveness.

Her breathing hitched and she stood, moving to grab her robe, which was casually strewn over the back of a nearby chair the way she liked to keep it. Sliding the silk garment on, she felt a distinct change from the one she usually had on hand. The silk was sleeker and more slippery, and it smelled like Vincent. Looking down, she realized that it was the robe that he had given to her back when they had first married, the one of black Wutai silk that had looked like her mother's.

"You should be sleeping," said his quiet voice from the bed, making her jump slightly.

Yuffie tied off the robe at the middle and shrugged. "I slept for eight straight months. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I can't go back to sleep," she replied, turning her head slightly to look at him. He looked very inviting, laying back with a thin sheet covering his waist, his hair in disarray, but she wouldn't take the silent invitation to get back into bed with him.

Vincent frowned and sat up, his eyes holding hers. "Why did you wait so long to return?"

"I wanted to plan the best way to hurt you," Yuffie murmured, walking towards the large sliding door that lead off to her own terrace. "I just... never even thought of how much I was hurting my father too. I've spent the better part of my life being completely selfish."

Vincent sighed and stood, pulling on his boxers before approaching her. "Sometimes we become selfish to protect ourselves from the world," he said quietly.

Yuffie turned to look at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that why you went back to Lucrecia?"

His blood-red eyes settled on her. "I told you before that she offered me comfort when I thought that you were well and truly gone. What would you have done, had I been the one to die and you had stayed behind?" he asked curiously.

Yuffie hadn't really thought of it that way. What would she have done? Well, for one, she wouldn't have accepted Genesis. At least she thought she wouldn't have. "I'm... not sure," she admitted.

"Wouldn't you have tried to find solace in anything that would help?" Vincent asked. He paused and then chuckled bitterly. "But of course, that would've been something you would have done if you'd felt anything remotely special for me."

The ninja didn't know what to say. This was certainly not the moment to accept that she had been in love with him since before the first time he had told her he loved her. "How did you feel when it finally dawned on you that I could really be dead?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Vincent took her hand and forced her arms to uncross as he brought it to his lips. "I had finally found someone to care about besides myself, and then I lost her. How do you think I felt?" he asked her instead.

Yuffie swallowed the insane urge to cry. She hadn't cried since the day they had buried Godo, and somehow, a small gesture and a few words from Vincent were enough to threaten the dam. She shook her head. "Maybe you should leave now," she nearly whispered.

Vincent shook his head and took a step forward, his fingers sliding under her chin and making their eyes meet. "I felt... I felt as if a bright light had been snuffed from my life. I admired Tifa's determination to keep thinking that you were alive, but a part of me—the part that came to life to protect myself during my Turk years—told me that I should resign myself and move on. I did not return to Lucrecia because I loved her, but she did offer me comfort and a shoulder to lean on. Before you... I wouldn't have needed anyone to do that for me. I'm not the same man I once was. But..."

Yuffie blinked and two lone tears slid down her cheeks. "But?"

"But it seems that you are the same girl that I married. The same woman who thinks only about herself—and possibly about her closest family—but you never stopped to think how I would feel with your absence," he said. "Even now, you don't care, do you?"

Brown eyes slipped closed and she forced him to release her face. "I thought that you were happy with Lucrecia. I already told you why I stayed away. I thought that you were living your life with her and I wanted to plan the best way to make you hurt," she hissed quietly. Her eyes opened and she turned to him, determined to hold back her tears.

"And you did—you have made me hurt. Do you think that I am happy, seeing you with that man that you returned with? Or with Genesis? Do you think I'm happy now?" Vincent asked her seriously. "Are you happy with all this? With all your little schemes of revenge?"

Yuffie's bottom lip trembled momentarily, but she bit down hard on it and shook her head. "I haven't been happy in a long time," she admitted. "Since my mother died."

Hearing those words made Vincent's heart ache in his chest. "Then... give me the chance to at least try to make you happy."

She looked at him. "I don't think I have it in myself to be happy. Not after my father died and I didn't get the chance to ask for his forgiveness. I guess that's my punishment for spending my life thinking about only myself."

"Thinking about yourself isn't a bad thing. It's how we learn to survive without getting hurt. It becomes something bad when you think of only yourself and you hurt other people in the process. Believe me, I say that from experience," said Vincent seriously.

"Do you regret marrying me?" Yuffie asked.

"Every single day," Vincent said quietly. At the stiffening of her posture, he shook his head. "I don't regret getting to know you or having you in my life. I just regret the way I forced it to come about."

"We've hurt each other so much," she whispered, shaking her head. "Just... accept the divorce, Vincent. I won't... I won't do anything else to hurt you. I think we've both done enough. Just accept peacefully and we can go on with our lives."

"I do not... think that is possible. Going on with our lives. After having met you, it will be hard to forget you," he said, leaning forward and touching his forehead to the side of her head.

"I think it would be best for the both of us," said Yuffie, feeling her breath catch when one of his hands closed around hers.

"Answer me one thing. If you are honest and say no, I will give you the divorce peacefully," said Vincent, his lips on her temple. Yuffie nodded hesitantly and waited. "Do you love me?"

She froze at his soft spoken words and drew away from him, her eyes meeting his in a stupor. The fact that she couldn't automatically answer and lie about it made her angry. Damn Vincent and his stupid question! "What's the point of you knowing if I do or I don't?"

Vincent shook his head. "It will make it easier for me to decide whether it is best for me to fight for your love or not."

Yuffie shook her head rapidly. "Just leave, Vincent. Give me the divorce and move on with your life!" she nearly shouted.

"I can't do that," he replied.

"Why not?" she asked, tears threatening her again.

"Because whether you like it or not, you have become deeply embedded here," he said gently, tapping his chest over his heart and watching as tears clung to her eyelashes. "Now… I need you to answer my question," he said with a sigh.

Yuffie shook her head and stepped back, a frown on her face. "I can't tell you what you want to hear. I just… I can't. You have a better chance at being happy with someone else than you do with me." She couldn't believe that the words were coming out of her own mouth, but it was too late to take it back. She was giving him the chance to back out of all the hurt they had caused each other. "I'm done hurting you, Vincent. I just need you to let me go in order for this to work."

Vincent couldn't believe what she was saying. Only a few days ago she had been angry enough to break Lucrecia's nose and now she was giving up? "I think I much preferred the selfish Yuffie. Broken Yuffie is one that I do not like," he said quietly.

Yuffie gave him a half smirk and looked away from him. "I think I've been selfish Yuffie and broken Yuffie for many years now, they're one in the same. I just hadn't realized it until now," she murmured. "Selfish Yuffie does anything to defend herself, and I realize now that it's not who I want to be. You… just bring out the worst in me."

"I… will not take that as a compliment," Vincent said with a long sigh. "This is the end for us then?"

She turned to look at him and nodded. "Go now, before selfish-broken Yuffie decides that she still wants revenge."

"You talk as if you have a split personality," Vincent said, taking a seat and pulling on the rest of his clothing.

Yuffie leaned against the wall, next to the sliding door before turning to look at him. "Maybe I do," she replied. A great part of her still wanted to see him hurt, but she was willing to leave him alone if he did the same. All her plans for revenge had gone down the drain at his touch. She'd had an epiphany as soon as their love making had been over. She loved him, and desired him, but there was too much pain. Screaming revenge over everything hadn't change that. Even knowing that he had been with Lucrecia hadn't been enough to stop loving him. And though his betrayal was still raw and present in her head, she knew that they both wouldn't be well and truly happy with each other. They needed distance. Maybe she should go back to Wutai and leave things alone in Midgar.

After pulling on his shoes, Vincent stood and looked at her, his gaze softening when he realized that she had been watching him the entire time. He took a step forward and she shook her head. "Leave, Vincent."

He shook his head and pulled her against him, leaning down and pressing his lips against hers gently. Yuffie dug her fingers into his shirt and found herself kissing him back. When he drew away, he stared into her eyes and came to a resolution. "I'm not giving up on us," he said before he turned and walked away. At the door, he turned back to her and let out an explosive sigh. "I know you love me. It's only a matter of time before you admit it."

Yuffie watched him go and shook her head, walking off to make sure that he left and didn't decide to just lurk around. She passed Lily's nursery and could see that the baby was sleeping soundly in her crib. She smiled slightly to herself and continued on her way, catching sight of the front door as it closed. Walking off to the home office that her father had spent so many sleepless nights in, doing work and finding the best investments, she stepped in and was transported to nearly fifteen years before, standing in that exact spot, only much shorter. She had been six years old and all she could remember from that age was a father who worked and worked.

He had never been around. She and Tifa had learned about their periods and training bras from the nannies. She had never held it against her father though, but she did feel that if she'd had a mother figure in her life, maybe she wouldn't have turned into the spoiled, selfish girl she had become. Sighing to herself, she approached her father's desk and sat in his chair, leaning against the backrest. She blinked and the tears fell then. She cried silently, torrents of tears leaving her eyes as her chest heaved, her emotions finally taking her over.

"Oh, Leviathan. Why'd you have to die on me, old man?" she asked the dark room. Shaking her head to herself, she let out a hiccupping breath. But amidst her despair, her sadness, and her anger there was a sliver of hope. Vincent wasn't willing to give up on them. Now the question was, was she willing to give up?

……

Hazy blue eyes blinked as she tried to keep her eyes open. Tifa smiled and ran a hand through thick, black hair. Was it just her, or was her baby the most beautiful baby she had ever seen? She giggled and at the sound, Lily's eyes came open once more. "Soon you're going to meet your daddy, sweetheart," she whispered. "I promise."

Once she was sound asleep, Tifa placed the baby in her crib for her morning nap and stepped out of the nursery once she was sure that she would remain asleep. She greeted the babysitter as she arrived and smiled. "How are you this morning, Mandy?" she asked.

"I'm very fine, Ms. Tifa, thank you for asking. Where's Lily?"

"Taking a nap in her nursery. I'm just going in for a few hours and a meeting, but I'll be home early. Call me if there's any emergency, okay?" Tifa asked brightly.

"Of course. Have a nice day!" the girl said with a wave.

Unlocking her car, Tifa nearly threw in the portfolios in her hand and hoped that she didn't catch too much traffic. She checked the time and made a note to stop somewhere for a very unhealthy breakfast. As soon as she pulled out of the driveway, she completely missed the car that slipped in before the gates closed.

Zack sighed as he parked his car right at the front door and security approached him. "You were not given clearance to enter the premises," said one man.

"I need to see Yuffie. Tell her that Zack needs to see her. She knows who I am. Just tell her please," Zack said.

The men gave him a suspicious look and one pulled out a phone to call Yuffie. He spoke rapidly for a moment, and Zack wondered if Yuffie would give him the chance to see Lily. That was why he was there in the first place. He had needed to see the baby again, to make sure that he hadn't imagined that connection he had felt the first time he had laid eyes on her.

"He's cleared," said the man, glaring at him. "You should be happy that Miss Kisaragi answered, otherwise we would've been able to bodily force you off of the property," he said before they walked away with his comrades.

Zack shrugged to himself. They could've tried, but that didn't mean that they would have been able to accomplish their goal. He stepped into the large mansion when a maid opened the door and smiled at her as she led him towards the sitting room. "Would you like anything to drink?" asked the woman politely.

Zack shook his head. "No, thank you. I'll just wait for Yuffie here," he said, watching her nod and walk away. Once he was sure that she wasn't around to see him, Zack quickly made his way towards the staircase and took them two at a time. He passed various rooms with opened doors until he arrived at what was very obviously the nursery. Letting out a long breath, he stepped inside, noting the white, pink, and oak theme. It was a beautiful room, a contrast to Rose's all-pink room, courtesy of Aerith.

He walked slowly towards the crib, knowing that her caretaker should've been somewhere nearby and would discover him at any moment. His eyes landed on the girl in the crib and he smiled when he was met with big, blue eyes. His heartbeat quickened as she let out cooing noises and began to flail her arms and legs, wanting to be picked up. He reached inside and pulled her into his chest, closing his eyes as he took in her baby scent and the soft feel of her tiny body. It was an extremely different sensation than when he held Rose, but the same rush of love was traveling through him.

There was a gasp from the door and he turned to look at a young woman he didn't recognize. She looked afraid and opened her mouth to scream, but he shook his head. "Please don't!" he said quickly. "Yuffie knows who I am. I was about to marry Tifa about a year ago!"

"Give me the baby!" she said quickly.

"No, please. I just…" Zack trailed off, looking down at the baby. "Call Yuffie," he pleaded.

The girl didn't need to. Yuffie frowned and stepped into the nursery, already dressed and late to get to the office. "What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

Zack looked at her and shrugged. "I wanted to meet Lily up close."

"While Tifa wasn't here?" Yuffie asked, eyes narrowed. She looked towards the babysitter and smiled. "Go ahead and go finish your breakfast. I'll call you when I leave so that you can come and watch over the baby."

"Okay," said Mandy before she turned and walked away.

Yuffie turned back to Zack and sighed. "Tifa will be angry if she finds out you were here while she wasn't."

"You have to tell me, Yuffie. Is Lily… is she my daughter?" Zack asked, cradling the infant in his arms expertly.

"That's not something that I have a right to talk about. You'll have to speak to Tifa and ask her," Yuffie said.

"I don't think she'll tell me," he said with a long sigh, smiling as a tiny hand squeezed his finger. He couldn't believe that he was holding a tiny piece of Tifa in his arms. It would make him the happiest man in the world if Lily happened to be his as well.

"Talk to her Zack. I can't tell you if you are or aren't Lily's father," Yuffie said.

Zack sighed and nodded. He didn't want to leave the little creature in his arms, but he knew that he needed to see Tifa. "I…"

"Yuffie, you should've left ten minutes ago and we're late for the meeting but I forgot the financial plan and…" Tifa trailed off as she stepped into the nursery and caught sight of Zack with her daughter. She looked at Yuffie in question and the shorter woman shrugged.

"He snuck up here. I made Mandy go back to the kitchen. I'll meet you at the meeting and I'll stall for as long as I can, but I need you there," Yuffie said, giving her shoulder a squeeze before she walked out the door.

Tifa watched her go silently and then turned to Zack, who was calmly rocking Lily in his arms. She looked quite comfortable and content and Tifa had never realized that blood ties existed to the extent she was seeing. Lily usually kicked up a fuss if she was picked up by a stranger, but she was calm in Zack's arms. Tifa sighed. "What are you doing here?" she asked him calmly, approaching father and daughter.

"I… wanted to meet Lily up close. Something about her called to me, Tifa. You have to tell me. Is she my daughter?" Zack asked her quietly.

Tifa was stunned silent by his question. This was the moment she had been dreading and that she could no longer shy away from. She had promised her uncle Godo to tell Zack the truth. "W-what would you think and do if she was yours?" she asked hesitantly, her eyes meeting his and holding.

"I think… I would be the happiest man in the world," he replied honestly.

"Why?" Tifa asked, curious.

Zack looked at the baby in his arms and smiled. She had Tifa's face, but underneath it all there was something very familiar about her. He just couldn't tell what it was. "Because she would be a piece of me and a piece of the woman that I will love for the rest of my days."

Tifa was sure that if he kept talking, she would burst into tears, but she shook her head. "What about Aerith?"

"What about her?" Zack asked with a frown.

Tifa scoffed. "Aren't you two living together? Aren't you a couple?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Zack let out a bitter laugh. "Right, Aerith," he said with a heavy sigh. "You ruined me for other women, Tifa. I can't love anyone else but you," he muttered.

She couldn't deny that his words caused her heart to beat faster, but there was so much hurt between them. Would they ever be able to get over it?

He continued. "I haven't been with Aerith in a romantic sense for a long time. That night with her I made a mistake that I can't take back. I don't want to anymore because Rose was born from it and I won't regret having her. But you can't really judge me if this baby is really Cloud's. You just… have to tell me. Is Lily mine, or is she Cloud's? Put me out of my misery," Zack murmured, pleading with his eyes.

Tifa felt a few tears escape her hold and she looked away from, hugging her arms around her as she prepared to finally tell Zack that they would have a child in common for the years to come. That didn't mean that they would kiss and make up, but it would ensure that her daughter had her father with her. "Zack…" she trailed off, hearing his cell phone interrupting.

Zack shook his head and pulled out the small phone. Seeing the name, he placed it to his ear. "You rarely call me. What's going on?" He listened and a worried look made its way onto his face. "Are you sure?" he questioned urgently. "Okay, I'll be there as fast as I can. Be ready." He closed his phone and looked at Tifa, who was looking worriedly at him.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

Zack shook his head. "Rose has a fever and Aerith is worried because it won't go down," he said. "We need to take her to the doctor."

Tifa nodded and walked over to take Lily from him. "I hope she's okay."

He nodded and was thankful for her words. "We haven't finished this conversation Tifa. I need to know," Zack said seriously.

"Come back when Rose is better. We'll talk then," Tifa assured him.

Zack nodded and leaned forward to brush his lips against Lily's forehead. "Goodbye, sweetheart," he said with a smile. That close, he was tempted to kiss Tifa as well, but she was giving him a look that made his heart ache in his chest, and he stopped from moving forward once more. If he had come to know something about Tifa during the time they had lived together, it was that her eyes truly had been the windows to her soul. At the moment, those windows were wide open and he could nearly see the depth of her love for him. It made him question Lily's paternity again, but he filed it away for a later time. Right now Rose needed him. "Goodbye, Tifa."

Tifa nodded and offered him a watery smile. "Goodbye, Zack," she said, keeping her back to him as he walked away. Instead she hugged her daughter to her and swallowed back her sobs. How could she truly go on pretending that she didn't love him? "I'm sorry I've deprived you of having a father baby. I promise that you'll be with him soon. I won't keep making more mistakes that could harm you," she whispered into Lily's hair.

The fact that he and Aerith hadn't started a relationship after Tifa had broken his heart made something in her lighten. He hadn't betrayed her even after she had hurt him by breaking off their relationship the day before their wedding. She just hoped that they would be able to work together to raise Lily well, even if they never ended up together again. Tifa was willing to put her heart on the back burner if that meant that Lily could be happy.

Sighing to herself, she made her way out of the room and towards the kitchen to drop off Lily with Mandy. She was beyond late now and she knew Yuffie would have her hands full with handling the old, grumpy business men that had once upon a time been her uncle's friends. She didn't wish that upon anyone. So by sheer force of will, she put thoughts of Zack and their broken relationship in the back of her mind. She'd have time to cry and mull things over later.

………

If there was one thing that could be said with certainty about Genesis, it was that he hated to lose and was a sore loser in the few instances when he did lose at something. It was a trait that he shared with the woman sitting in front of him. "Will you be needing surgery on that nose?" he asked curiously.

Lucrecia merely glared at him and refrained from touching the bruised appendage. "Next week," she muttered. "Now… what brings you here?"

"Something that interests the both of us," Genesis said, leaning back in his chair. At her questioning look, he explained. "I want Valentine out of the picture," he said darkly.

"Don't even think about killing him," Lucrecia snapped.

"No… not killing him per say. Just killing him in Yuffie's eyes," Genesis said calmly.

"How?"

The red haired man sighed. "By tipping the police off to the fact that he could've been the one responsible for Godo's death."

"But he wasn't, was he?" Lucrecia asked slowly.

Genesis smirked. "For all I know, he could be. I just meant that we can have him investigated by the police. Yuffie will begin to doubt anything Valentine says, and even if he's innocent, the seed of doubt will forever be there."

Lucrecia shook her head. There were so many holes in his plan. "What if he's prosecuted while he's truly innocent? I don't want him in jail."

Genesis shrugged. "Even if he's guilty, Valentine has enough influence and money to buy his way out of prison," he said in a bored tone. "I just want to drive as much space and doubts between him and his precious wife. I wanted you to know so that you can help me. Together I am sure that we can push doubts the size of an entire continent between them."

Lucrecia thought about it for a long moment. She was being given a chance to drive Yuffie away from Vincent, but she was risking having Vincent hate her even more if he found out that she had had something to do with Genesis' plan. "What guarantee do I have that Yuffie will stay away from him and won't believe a word Vincent says?"

"You leave that to me. I will be sure to fill her head with thoughts as well," Genesis said. "All you have to do is help me plant some sort of circumstantial evidence so that the police can look deeper into Valentine as a subject."

Lucrecia looked doubtful still, but she finally nodded. "I expect that he won't come out physically hurt in all this?"

"Of course. He'll only be emotionallyhurt after Yuffie refuses to take his side," Genesis said with a shrug.

"You sound sure that Yuffie will not believe him," she said.

"Yuffie is still young and volatile. I can guarantee that she will not believe in him," Genesis said, completely sure of himself.

"Fine. Gather what you need and then call me. I need to get some work done now, so if you don't mind?" she motioned towards the door.

"Now, now. Is that any way to treat your only brother?" he asked her with a smirk.

"I'm an only child," Lucrecia replied with a small smile and a shake of her head.

"Oh, yes. I forgot that you always did hate me because while you were sent off to a school in another country, your father married my mother and I was born from that union," he said tauntingly.

"Have a nice day, Genesis," Lucrecia called.

"I plan to," he said before he was gone.

Lucrecia just hoped that their little plan didn't backfire on them in the end.

…………

After working in silence for nearly an hour, Tifa finally broke it. "I came close to telling Zack that he's Lily's father," she said.

"I slept with Vincent," Yuffie added.

They stared at each other and then Yuffie motioned for Tifa to continue. "He got a call from Aerith that Rose was sick and he had to leave before I could tell him."

"But you've decided to finally do it?" Yuffie asked.

Tifa nodded. "For the sake of both my daughter and Zack. I promised him that we would talk again once Rose was back to normal," she said, sighing. "What about you? I didn't even think Vincent could get into our place."

Yuffie's eyes narrowed. "I thought that you had left him in. His car was parked outside and I found him in my room," she said quietly. "I think we need to find ourselves some different security. I don't want people who are so easily bribed in my house," she said in annoyance.

"You're not getting to the point," said Tifa.

"Right," Yuffie muttered. "Well, we argued and then one thing led to another, blah, blah, blah. In the middle of the night it occurred to me that if I didn't leave things alone, that I would spend my life hating and wasting away with my revenge. I promised dad that I wouldn't. He wanted me to be happy and I know for a fact that the only way I can be happy is by putting distance between Vincent and me."

"You haven't considered forgiving him?" Tifa asked.

Yuffie shook her head. "We've hurt each other way to much in order for a forgiveness to fix anything," she replied. Her intercom buzzed and Yuffie answered her phone, frowning. "Okay, send them in," she said. Hanging up the phone, she turned to Tifa. "It's the police," she said.

They turned towards the door when two men in nice suits stepped in. "Midgar Police, ma'am. We need a moment of your time," they said, flashing their badges.

"How can I help?" Yuffie asked.

"We are investigating the murder of your father and we would like to ask you some questions," said a man with dark hair and equally dark eyes.

"Take a seat," Yuffie said. "Tifa is my cousin and this concerns her as much as it does me. Feel free to ask any questions in front of her."

The man nodded, but they did not take a seat. "As you know, we are currently investigating the murder of your father. The breaks from his car were cut and at the moment, all the people around him are suspects. Including you, your cousin, and your husband."

"Vincent?" Yuffie asked.

"Yes ma'am. He was a partner of your father's who stood to gain the most with you and your father out of the picture. We are also looking into your accident. Would you have any sort of reason to think that your husband may have wanted to harm you?" asked the man.

Yuffie shook her head. "No," she said softly. She couldn't even swallow the thought. Vincent couldn't really have… no, no. She couldn't even think it through. "Even if I had truly been killed, everything my father left to me would've passed onto Tifa's hands," she said. "Besides, my father never truly believed that I have died."

"That leads us to another question. Where were you the past year?"

"I woke up from an eight month coma in Wutai. I woke up alone and have no recollection on how I got there," Yuffie said calmly.

"But our records show that you were in an accident here in Midgar where you were believed to be dead. How did you end up in Wutai?" asked the man, his expression closed off. "Did you not consider that maybe your husband was the one who put you there? To get you out of the way?"

Yuffie shook her head, trying not to look to sure of it. It wouldn't do if they caught her in the lie and she accidentally let slip that she knew Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. "I do not think so. Despite all our marital problems, Vincent wouldn't hurt me." At least not physically, Yuffie thought to herself. Emotionally it was a different story.

"Do you know if there's anyone who would want to hurt your father?"

"No," Yuffie said, biting her lip when it trembled. "But when you find that person, I will personally make sure that they rot in jail for the rest of their life," she said venomously.

"Thank you, Mrs. Valentine. If something new comes us, we will contact you as soon as we can," said the man seriously.

"Have a good day, gentlemen," she said with a nod. Once they were gone and the door was closed, Yuffie let out a ragged breath and Tifa stood in worry, quickly approaching her and pushing her face between her knees.

"Breathe, Yuffie. Breathe," she said in worry.

Yuffie took great gasping breaths and tried to calm herself. Once the panic attack had passed, she sat up slowly, clutching at the edge of her desk. "Tifa… Tifa I don't want to believe that Vincent was responsible for my near death and my father's murder," she whispered.

"I know, sweetie. Just… don't jump to conclusions until we see what the police find out, okay?" Tifa asked, rubbing her hair.

Yuffie pressed her face against Tifa's stomach and cried again. She didn't to believe him capable of what the police were implying, but Yuffie knew that Vincent had more than enough knowledge to make it happen. She had wanted to let it all go and get away from him, but if she found out that Vincent had had something to do with her father's death, there would be no place on earth where he would be safe from her.

"Yuffie," Tifa murmured.

"Don't say anything, Tifa. I won't accuse him before there's proof. I don't… I want to believe that he had nothing to do with all this," she said in a shaky voice. And truthfully, her heart was telling her that Vincent hadn't hurt her to that extent. She was just worried that her head was urging her to think otherwise.

…

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Okay, so I made a big change in this chapter concerning Yuffie's character. Or at least I attempted to. I had someone offer me some great criticism and I tried to work it as best I could in this chapter, so I changed a few things around and removed some things from my original outline in the last few chapters. I want Yuffie to mature and stop being so hell-bent on revenge for every little thing, so a part of her wants to forgive Vincent and leave things as they are. But I still kept my sense of drama and the whole climax of this story is in the next chapters. Thank you for giving me input and concrit on this story.

Now, I want to thank everyone who took the time to review and comment. All of your words are greatly appreciated and I always go back to reread them in order to help with my muse. Thank you for your time. For now I must go, since I've been putting off my homework in order to update this baby and my Knightfic, so show me some love people! Have a great one and I'll see you all soon!

Joey