Jasmine slipped the sealed envelope into the top, right hand drawer in the desk of his study. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes as she exhaled, patting her oversized clutch that now held the gun Vincent had given to her when she first joined SOLDIER. As usual, Ignis was right. Vanitas had stashed away her weapons in his study along with the small amount of ammunition she had with her the night she was taken captive. In addition, Jasmine tucked away the pictures. She had no idea when, or if, she'd be returning to Vanitas' mansion and she thought it best to take with her the most important items she'd found while there.
She steadied her nerves by controlling her breathing. She wasn't fearful in the slightest but she was excited – excited to finally finish what she came to do a long time ago.
Vanitas, who had been busy getting ready himself, entered the study wearing another one of his designer suits. Jasmine focused her eyes on Vanitas. There was a heavy aura around him and, while he did take a moment to look at Jasmine and acknowledge her presence, he took great care to avoid eye contact. He was still not himself.
"You look nice," he said politely, noting that she decided to dress more for the day by wearing a pair of simple pair of black slacks, a white, loose-fitting shirt and long, tan suede coat with a pair of black flats.
Seeing as Jasmine was going to be leaving today, she thought it best to dress well (as to not draw attention to herself) but not so much that her clothing might be a hindrance to her should she end up in a fight. Saix and Xigbar were to be escorting them today and if either of them caught onto what was supposed to happen she didn't want to be hindered because of a dress or heels.
"Thanks," she replied softly. "So do you."
Vanitas sheepishly turned his back on Jasmine. "The car is downstairs so whenever you're ready we can go."
"Alright," Jasmine watch Vanitas head for the exit and stopped him. "But we need to talk first. It's important."
Sensing the air become thicker, Vanitas turned around slowly and shut the door. He hesitantly met her gaze and slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "Okay, what's going on?"
Jasmine lowered her head, her heart pounding so intensely that she thought for sure that Vanitas could hear it too. Thinking back on their extensive history (much of it she could not remember) up to this point as well as her interactions with Xion, Jasmine dug deep within herself and sat against the edge of Vanitas' desk.
"I wanted to tell you thank you," she announced once she gathered herself.
Vanitas gave her a look of complete bewilderment, almost as if he were unable to comprehend what she had just said. "You want to thank me?"
Jasmine simply nodded. "I do."
"For what?"
"For telling me the truth," Jasmine replied, pushing off the desk and walking towards Vanitas, stopping when there was only a few feet of space between the two of them. "I don't remember much of my childhood. I mostly remember an empty house, my studies…that's it. And I know I should remember a lot more considering you were there for a large part of it but," Jasmine paused, realizing that soon she'd start rambling. Time was not a luxury to her anymore and she had to make what little bit of it that she had count. "I know that you were honest with me and I'm grateful for that, truly."
Vanitas still had the look of astonishment on his face, almost as if he couldn't believe what Jasmine had said. "You don't have to thank me," Vanitas told Jasmine after some time. "I should have told you everything when we met again."
"We were in different places then," Jasmine gently reminded Vanitas, seeing that he was starting to retreat within himself again. "I can't hold you responsible for what was and wasn't said. It won't do either of us any good now anyway."
Vanitas frowned and turned away from her. "How can you just let that go? I've said and done a ton of horrible things to you. I've lied and manipulated you to get what I wanted. Can you really forget that it happened so easily?"
Jasmine laughed darkly, immediately causing Vanitas to look in her direction again. She then provided him with an explanation for the outburst seeing as he appeared to want an answer for it. "If you recall, I've manipulated you before – the day that I made off with all your money – so I'm no angel either."
"But you did that because you had to. You wouldn't have had to do any of this if it weren't for my actions," Vanitas argued.
Faster than he thought possible, Jasmine snatching him by the front of his blazer and pulled him toward her. He had to admit that he was surprised by both her defiant gaze as well as her strength. "I know what your uncle did to you," Jasmine said sternly. "I know about the isolation and I know I'm right in assuming that you were probably abused as well.
"Look at you," she continued sadly. "You have to take this medication to be the person you used to be, to chase away the demons. We've all got our own but you were pushed and pushed way over the edge. Who's to say that I couldn't have been you in those circumstances?
"But you haven't tried to hurt me once since I've been here. I've seen a side of you I never thought I'd ever see. I know you're haunted by the past but you trying to atone for your actions and sins means that you can't be a monster. Even if you can't see that right now, I can."
Jasmine pulled away from Vanitas, a huge weight being lifted off her chest. She folded her hands to keep them from shaking. "That's all I wanted to say. I just wanted you to know that I forgive you."
Vanitas was nothing short of stunned and he stared at Jasmine as if she weren't of this world. His head drooped forward, his spiky hair bouncing right back into place and he balled his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Vanitas?" Jasmine whispered.
No response.
Jasmine stepped closer to him and cocked her neck to the side so that she could see his face. "Vanitas?" She was much more gentle now. "Talk to me."
"I just can't believe that you could forgive me…after everything I've done to you…" He said finally, almost distantly as if he were trapped within his own thoughts.
"It's because I realize where the real problem lies. While we still may sit on opposite sides, I can't ignore the truth. It'll do more damage in the long run. I can't waste my anger on the wrong people otherwise I'll never be happy."
Vanitas was speechless, still taking in everything that had just transpired between himself and Jasmine. "It's strange."
Jasmine didn't understand. "What's strange?"
"You're not looking at me like I'm a monster," Vanitas answered slowly. "I never thought I'd see the day."
Finding herself out of words, Jasmine went back for her purse, tucking it tightly (but cautiously) under her arm. "We have lunch right? I think we should get going."
Even though he was a man of many words, Vanitas was completely and utterly speechless at what had just taken place. After all the torture he put her through, after all the pain he had inflicted on her and her loved ones, Jasmine had found it in her heart to forgive Vanitas for what he'd done in the past.
'I wonder if that means there's a chance for us or if I'm reaching for the stars,' Vanitas thought sadly, extending a hand to her, which she took without an ounce of hesitation.
A spiky-haired blond waiter wearing glasses came up to the table in the restaurant where Jasmine and Vanitas dined.
Jasmine, who was rather nervous, immediately recognized Ventus (their waiter), Aqua, their hostess, and Terra in the back serving other patrons their food. She was definitely going to escape now.
However, Jasmine had been a little more than unnerved. Ignis had been their driver to their destination (which wasn't much of a stress) but Saix and Xigbar had accompanied them on their lunch date as well with both men sitting at a table within eyesight of the pair.
This would make the escape plan (in which she was completely blind in not knowing what was supposed to happen) about five times as difficult. And while Jasmine had all the faith in the world in Aqua, Terra, and Ventus (they were highly skilled SOLDIER members), she couldn't help but feel anxious about the whole situation.
"Aren't you supposed to be working with SHINRA today?" Jasmine asked casually as she drank the water sat in front of her.
Vanitas nodded, setting down the menu after having decided what he wanted. "I was, but I decided to change up my schedule."
Jasmine set the glass back down in front of her, having finished the entire glass. "Aren't you with arms and security? Is it really wise for you to be taking so much time off? You've been missing a lot of work in the last few weeks."
Vanitas casually shrugged his shoulders, giving her a half smile. "I'm high up enough to where I can take off when I want. As long as I show my face every now and then I have nothing to worry about."
Jasmine's thoughts immediately drifted to Vanitas' uncle but she decided to keep her mouth shut. More likely than not, Master Xehanort was at the center of the organization and Jasmine found it strange that someone like him would be pleased with his nephew taking off so much time.
Did SHINRA know that Vanitas had been keeping Jasmine all this time?
Did SOLDIER make a concerted effort to at least stage a search for her? After all, it was Tseng and Ignis' idea for her to be taken when she was. Surely they must have attempted to make the search look convincing. She had been gone for about two months.
Once Ventus came by a second time to take their order for lunch, he filled Jasmine's glass a second time. Jasmine, taking quick notice of Aqua hovering near the back by the restrooms, steadily drank her water.
Venus (in disguise) laughed lightly. "I'll be sure to have the bartender bring out your drinks immediately. You seem to be a bit thirsty."
Jasmine, feigning embarrassment, laughed as well. "That would be great thanks."
Ventus dismissed himself then and disappeared into the kitchen. Noticing Aqua's eyes on the restrooms, she decided to excuse herself briefly.
"Vanitas?" Jasmine called out to him.
The spiky-haired young man faced her. "Yes?"
"I'll be right back. I'm going to the restroom."
Nodding, Jasmine removed her coat and calmly made her way to the restroom, catching notice of Saix and Xigbar's eyes on her as she disappeared.
Jasmine rounded the corner, passing by Aqua and bumping shoulders with her, she apologized quickly before entering the bathroom and pushing open the door slowly.
"Don't worry about it," the hostess (Aqua) said with a smile. She looked to the other hostess that was standing next to her. "It's the third time today that's happened. I really need to watch where I'm standing."
Noticing the stress on the word "third", Jasmine quickly entered the bathroom to find that the third stall in the woman's restroom was blocked off with a lock. Fortunately for Jasmine (given that the restaurant was rather small and almost vacant) she was all alone and slipped herself under the stall.
Standing up after she got her head under, Jasmine saw that there was a black backpack hanging on the wall with a note. Taking the piece of yellow paper (clearly written in Ventus' messy handwriting) she read, "You'll find ammunition and the keys to a motorcycle out back. Terra and Aqua have a plan to black out the entire restaurant while you and I make our escape. It's good to see ya!"
Jasmine smiled then and tucked the note away in her pants pocket when she heard the door open. She stiffened a bit, hoping that the other person would go on about her business when that person knocked on Jasmine's stall, causing her to jump.
"Jasmine?" The voice belonged to Aqua and Jasmine sighed in relief.
"It's me!" Jasmine grabbed the top of the stall and pulled herself up so that she could see over it and find Aqua.
"I'm glad you're alright," the blue-haired girl exclaimed in relief. "You know, we've been worried about you!"
Jasmine smiled ruefully. "I know! I missed you guys so much. We haven't seen each other since Agrabah. After this is over, let's get lunch sometime."
Aqua nodded, her short blue hair bouncing as she did so. "I like that. There are so few women in SOLDIER now, at least at our ranking, it's nice to be able to have someone to talk to."
"So what's the plan? I need to leave before it becomes too obvious," Jasmine shifted the conversation, suddenly feeling like her absence was becoming noticeable.
"Terra will cut the lights and set off gunshots when you get back to the table. Ventus is going to take you in all the chaos and you guys are going to get out of here. I left the backpack here because you two will be escaping through the bathroom. There's a door that leads through the maintenance hallway to the street where your bikes are located. Ventus knows where they are."
Jasmine was suddenly reminded of Saix and Xigbar. "The guards accompanying Vanitas, the blue-haired man and the one-eyed man, they're extremely dangerous. Do not let down your guard. I'm sure that once they know I'm gone they'll come after me. They're some of the best SHINRA has to offer so be careful."
Aqua took Jasmine's warning to heart, taking note of the gentlemen's physical descriptions. "I will. See you on the other side."
With that Aqua quickly took her leave and Jasmine counted to ten after she heard the door close to not draw any attention to herself and Aqua.
Jasmine headed for her seat when she noticed that Vanitas was on his phone. She stared at him curiously. Judging from the stern frown etched into his facial expression, Vanitas was not pleased. Not in the slightest. She wondered what the call was about.
She slipped back into her seat and slipped her coat back on, shivering as she did so.
Vanitas glanced over at Jasmine before returning his attention back to his call. "I'll deal with it later. It would be wise for you to not interfere in matters that aren't of your concern." He hung up the phone and slipped it into his pocket. "Are you cold?" He asked, genuinely concerned.
Jasmine nodded and tucked her hands into her pockets. "Yeah. It's just a bit chilly in here. That's all." She reached for her purse and dug through it, pulling out a small bottle of hand lotion. Dabbing a dime sized amount onto the palm of her right hand, she began rubbing the mixture into her skin. "Who was that?"
Vanitas shrugged nonchalantly, although his irritation was clearly still present. "Business. I'm afraid that we might have to cut the day short. I had hoped to take you shopping after lunch but I don't think that will be possible."
Jasmine's eyes widened. 'As if my closest wasn't full to bursting already.' She slipped the lotion back into her purse and rested it on her lap. "It's alright if we don't go. I have more clothes than I know what to do with back at the mansion."
"Well that's just the winter wardrobe," Vanitas told her, folding his arms across his chest. Jasmine was unnerved by how thick the air between them had become. Something was wrong. "With spring coming up I thought that you might want to get out and pick out clothes for the next season."
Jasmine squeezed her clutch purse. "Really Vanitas, it's okay. We don't have to – "
And just like that the lights in the restaurant went out and off rang several gunshots. Jasmine, slightly unnerved by the room being almost completely enveloped in black, felt Vanitas reach for her and grab her hand, pulling her towards him.
"Saix! Xigbar! Where the hell are you?" Vanitas roared.
She heard scrambling and chaos within the restaurant, wondering where in the world Aqua and Terra were in all the madness. Just as she was pulled closer to Vanitas, Jasmine yelped when she felt someone grab her shoulder, tearing her away from Vanitas.
"Jasmine!" Vanitas shouted, his voice almost lost within the sound of bullets flying through the air.
She turned away from Vanitas' voice when she caught a familiar, earthy scent. Jasmine squinted her eyes through the darkness to see that Ventus had snatched her and was now leading her through the restaurant. He was no longer wearing his waiter attire but jeans, a teeshirt, heavy denim jacket and sneakers. Somewhere during Jasmine's conversation with Aqua he must have left the floor to get ready for the escape.
"Just like Agrabah all over again, huh?" He said cheerfully.
Jasmine sighed and grabbed Ventus' hand, running alongside him now. "Yeah, except in Agrabah I could see. Let's get out of here!"
Once Ventus reached the women's restroom and he pulled Jasmine in, he locked the doors tightly behind him.
"Are Aqua and Terra going to be okay in there?" Jasmine asked, kicking open the door to the locked stall and grabbing her backpack. She set the bag on the floor and tucked her purse inside, pulling out a shoulder holster and extra ammunition.
"They'll be fine," Ventus reassured her, keeping his ear to the door so that he could hear what was going on inside the restaurant. "They're gonna meet up with us when we get out of the city and reach the docks. A helicopter will be there waiting for us."
Jasmine threw off her coat and attached the shoulder holster, sliding both her loaded guns into each other them before she slipped her coat back on. Throwing the backpack over her shoulder while Ventus opened the door leading to the outside, she took a deep breath.
Ventus' eyes grew wide as he realized that the sound of gunshots was approaching them. "Uh, Jas? I think we should get going now."
"Good idea," she said as she bolted through the door to the maintenance hallway. Jasmine had a sneaky suspicion that the next time Xigbar put a bullet in her that she might not survive to gripe about the wound later.
Once Ventus had locked the door behind him, the sound of banging came from the bathroom.
Jasmine cursed under her breath as she dodged and weaved through the maintenance supplied, tools, and machinery. She could hear the door swing open but Jasmine chose to keep her eyes ahead of her as she ran.
Gunshots whizzed past her and Ventus. Judging from the shot (and her luck) it was probably Saix chasing them. While Jasmine was glad that it wasn't Xigbar, the well-regarded sniper, Jasmine wasn't too keen on the idea of being pursued by Saix.
"We're almost there!" Ventus shouted, running ahead of Jasmine and kicking down the door.
Suddenly, with a force that Jasmine had never experienced before, she was violently pulled to the floor by her collar and thrown into a wall. Just when she had caught her breath, she was pulled to her feet with a pair of hands latched roughly around her throat, her feet dangling slightly. When she opened her eyes, she met Saix's vicious amber eyes.
"I should have known better," he hissed, his grip around Jasmine's neck tightening while she pried at his hands. "Perhaps Vanitas will actually listen to me and lock you up in the basement. After all, you are his pet. Pets should be kept more under control."
Jasmine found Saix's grip almost inhuman and felt her breath become shorter and shorter. She mustered up her strength and swiped at his face, tearing the skin from his right cheek, causing him to let go of her and hit the floor with a howl.
Just as he recovered from the blow, Ventus appeared from behind Jasmine with a steel pipe in his hand and cracked it against Saix's skull, causing the blue-haired to fall to the floor unconscious.
Jasmine coughed and rubbed her throat. More likely than not she would wake up with a bruise.
Ventus pulled Jasmine to her feet and checked her. "I don't know how he slipped past both Aqua and Terra but I think we're still okay."
"Vanitas probably had more of his guards in the restaurant," Jasmine explained as she pulled at Ventus' hand. "That's probably why we heard so much gunfire."
Ventus smiled once they reached the parking lot where both their motorcycles were located. "Well, their bikes are gone so it's safe to say that they got away in the chaos. Leave it Aqua to come up with a master escape plan and cause even more confusion."
Jasmine sighed in relief. Just hearing Ventus' voice again brought her relief on so many levels. During their time together, he was the symbol of peace and optimism. And after being "in the dark" for so long, Jasmine found his presence healing.
She reached her motorcycle and searched for her key in the side pouch of her backpack. Once Ventus slipped on his helmet and started up his bike, Jasmine sat on hers, trying to steady her nerves.
"Jasmine!"
Her face drained of all its color and her head snapped to the direction from where she came to see Vanitas, a gun in his hand with blood trickling down the side of his face, staring at her with a look of horror and disbelief.
"Jasmine! Let's go!" Ventus shouted.
Jasmine met Vanitas' gaze and her heart immediately shattered. She had never seen him look so hurt and broken before.
She balled her fist and mouthed "forgive me" before she threw her helmet on, started her motorcycle and sped off through the exit with Ventus leading the way.
As they rode through the cold, icy streets of Hollow Bastion, Jasmine was haunted by the memory of Vanitas' face. While she followed closely behind Ventus, she was hardly present for most of the ride, all the memories from her stay in Vanitas' mansion assaulting her mind at once. She knew that she had to leave the mansion. After all, she was still Vanitas' prisoner first and foremost. But what would happen after this? Would Vanitas come after her again? Would he send Xigbar, Xaldin, Saix, and any others under his personal employment? Would he come undone again? Or even worse this time?
But as usual, Jasmine was without answers and focused her energy on getting to the rendezvous point where Aqua and Terra were sure to be waiting.
Once Jasmine and Ventus reached port where the helicopter was waiting, Jasmine was overjoyed to see both Terra and Aqua waiting for them – both of them perfectly intact and without serious injury.
She hopped off her bike and threw aside her helmet and ran to meet the older SOLDIER members. She draped an arm around both of them and pulled them into a tight embrace. "I'm glad you two are okay!"
Terra and Aqua looked to each other and smiled, returning her hug.
"We should be saying the same thing to you. You were the one kidnapped."
Ventus headed towards the trio and laughed, pulling at Jasmine's designer coat. "Although judging by her clothes I think she staged the whole thing so that she could go shopping on Hollow Bastion."
"Wouldn't shock me," a familiar male voice rang out, laughter soon following. "You do have a habit of disappearing."
Jasmine released Aqua and Terra, whirling around with her eyes wide to see Axel leaning against the helicopter, a sly smile on his face.
"Axel?" Jasmine's jaw dropped.
"And who else were you expecting, Cat Eyes?" He teased, holding out his arms for Jasmine to jump into. "I'm always involved in one of your plans."
"Oh please!" Another voice familiar to Jasmine rang off, his tone screaming annoyance. A redhead wearing a black suit, goggles with scars under his eyes hopped out from the cockpit as did a taller man with darker skin, a shaved head and sunglasses. "When you heard that we were getting Miss Silva you practically begged me to take you with us." Reno pushed his younger brother aside and took Jasmine into one of his hugs, squeezing her tightly.
"Reno? Rude?" Jasmine exclaimed, almost in complete disbelief. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We thought it would be nice for you to see some familiar faces on the trip home," Aqua placed a hand on Jasmine's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "We'll be leaving for Radiant Garden now. We should be there in an hour or so."
Jasmine exhaled, burying her face into Reno's chest, his familiar warmth comforting her. "I missed you."
Reno stroked Jasmine's messy hair back off her face and smiled. "Me too, kiddo. Although," he joked, "you're not much of a kid anymore."
Jasmine lifted her head to see her lifelong protectors (Reno and Rude) and sighed in relief.
"Yo!" Axel called out, jumping into the helicopter. "I think we should get out of here before Vanitas' cronies decide to show up again. I'm not trying to get shot."
The group filed into the helicopter with Jasmine being the last to do so while Reno and Rude took their place in the front as co-pilots. Jasmine strapped herself in and took a spot next to Ventus, resting her head against his shoulder.
"How are they?" She asked before they took off.
Ventus wrapped an arm around her shoulders, her head right under his. "I saw your friends. They seem okay but they'll be happy you're back. We actually couldn't tell Noctis and your team that you were back yet. Tseng wanted to keep it a secret to avoid unnecessary suspicion. "
"Figures as much," Jasmine sighed, understanding his logic. "Did you see Roxas?"
Ventus smiled and adjusted his glasses. "Yup! It's been a while." His eyes then widened as if he remembered something and he shook her gently. "Why didn't you tell me you dated Roxas?"
Jasmine laughed quietly. "Oops."
"Oops is right. See, we need to go out for lunch once you're settled. We have a lot to talk about it seems."
Axel looked at the pair, a little weirded out at how much Ventus and Jasmine reminded him of Roxas and Jasmine. His focus was directed at Jasmine then. Axel's smile shrank by a few molars. While she was still the same at her core, Jasmine wasn't the same person he had met years ago. Then again, with her type of trauma, Axel understood why she had to become the person she is today.
"Get in line," Axel called out. "I'm sure her next open meeting will be way into next month. I'm sure SOLDIER is gonna pick her apart for the next few months."
Aqua, who sat next to Axel, said, "What exactly did happen, Jasmine? Did he hurt you?"
Jasmine then clung to Ventus' jacket, the memories from the last two months flooding her mind. The group turned to her, anxiously awaiting an answer when the last image Jasmine had of Vanitas' face popped up.
"Yes and no," she replied distantly. "He finally told the truth."
Noctis sat in his armchair of the apartment, exhausted beyond belief. There had been a great deal of activity with SOLDIER that day for an unknown reason and so Tseng sent him, Prompto, and Gladiolus to Twilight Town to do some investigation. Prompto and Gladiolus had gone to get take out and would be back momentarily. They asked Noctis if he wanted to come with them but the prince politely declined, having decided to wait for them to come back to the apartment.
The blue/black haired young man glanced at Jasmine's bedroom door, his mood souring. It had been almost two months since Jasmine had been kidnapped with no news on her whereabouts.
Noctis was becoming more and more anxious with each passing day, even though he hadn't vocalized it.
What if Jasmine never returned? Or worse, what if she was dead?
Noctis sat his elbow on the arm of the chair and set his chin in the palm of his hand, a frown etched into his handsome face. He wanted to believe that neither of those things was the case but with his limited involvement he had no way for sure of knowing what was going on.
The door to the apartment creaked open but Noctis did not move. He assumed it was just Prompto and Gladiolus back with dinner.
"That was fast," he called lazily.
But the voice he heard belonged to neither of his team mates.
"Noctis?"
The prince's eyes shot open in disbelief and he slowly lifted his head when he heard footsteps approaching the living room. When the person finally rounded the corner, Noctis was stunned and stood up from his seat to see Jasmine, carrying a bag with her, standing ten feet away from him.
Jasmine had the same look of disbelief on her face and her lips trembled. They stood locked in silence for what felt like ages when Jasmine dropped her bag to the floor, tears streaming down her face. She took off sprinted towards Noctis, her hair flying back and she jumped into Noctis' arms, wrapping hers around his neck.
Noctis teetered back from the force and he slid to the floor, his back against the armchair. He wrapped his arms around Jasmine's midsection and held her as she cried into his shoulder.
"I thought I wouldn't see you again!" Jasmine cried. "I didn't know if you were okay!"
Noctis gently pushed Jasmine back, his normal fear of intimacy gone. He reached forward and pulled her hair out of her eyes while placing another hand to her cheek, hear tears staining his gloved hand.
"You're really here," he whispered. "I thought you might be dead."
Jasmine sniffed and shook her head, forcing a smile. "No, no," she insisted. "I'm okay. I'm just glad to see that you're here and alright."
Noctis fell silent and instead pulled her back into his embrace, her now sitting in his lap white they were cheek to cheek. He stroked Jasmine's hair back and breathed a sigh of relief at having her back.
Footsteps approached the pair and Gladiolus and Prompto nearly dropped the food to the floor.
"Is that Miss Valentine?" Prompto shouted, his eyes wide with excitement.
Jasmine, still latched onto Noctis for dear life, turned her head and smiled.
Gladiolus and Prompto ran to the pair and wrapped their arms around each other, happy that their group was now reunited.
"Guess we gotta break out the alcohol and have a celebration," Prompto cheered.
Gladiolus leaned back and laughed. "Any excuse to break out the liquor, eh?"
Prompto grinned. "Come on now! It's a special occasion. The family is back together again!"
Prompto and Gladiolus pulled away from Noctis and Jasmine and immediately went to the kitchen, pulling out plates, forks, bottles and glasses.
Jasmine smiled, having been reunited with her SOLDIER family. She kissed Noctis' cheek and rested in his arms while the others prepared dinner.
She finally had part of her heart back.
Author's Note: I swear I cried while writing this chapter. Usually I'm a hard one but I've been waiting for months to have a reunion between Jasmine and her family. I promise you guys that there are more reunions coming as well as more action. OMG you guys. The story is almost over I can't even believe it. Okay. Let me calm down so I can thank everyone and respond to the reviewers.
hopefuldreamer1991: Sheesh. The economy is grand, ain't it? But I'm glad that you got a job. It's so hard nowadays. I'll have to check out that song and play it during the Jasmine/Xion/Faye scene. Thanks for the review!
GUEST: Hope you like the new chapter!
meyoume: Look out for it! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
NoLumostheSun: Sad and satisfying? I like the sound of that actually. Xion's Theme comes to mind strangely.
Pink Dinosaur: Yes and no but there will be more of the old Jasmine!
Roxas4Ever: I might actually do some fanart on Ventus and Jasmine and their bikes, especially when the other story comes out. I hope you liked the new chapter!
LongTimeReader: I hope you liked the update!
Guest: Thank you kindly! I'm glad my OCs are going over well!
Platform934: Thank you dear!
Skeleus: Oh I see I see. But I'm glad you liked the new chapter!
Now I hope to have the new chapter up soon. I just have to do one more final outline on the end of the story. I swear I have like three possible outcomes for how this one will end and it's so hard to choose! In any case, please tell me what you all think. And feel free to hit me up whenever. I know I've been lagging on the PM responses but I'm here and working on them as we speak. Take care you guys and thank you for all the support! You all are amazing!
