Kei! That's one MASSIVE review! Thanks so much for that :D Elena is def out of line, but not everyone has to like Eden, and Elena feels she needs to protect Reno for some reason, since he seems to be doing a poor job at it himself. Or at least, Elena thinks so. I do admire her loyalty to him, and also, she feels that Reno is slacking in his job whenever he's near Eden. Elena is all about rules, and obviously, Reno isn't XD. I love that Rude flipped :P I think Rude and Eden share a mutual respect and understanding for the situation, but Rude is the kind of guy who minds his own business until his opinion is asked. At least, that's how I see him. That's totally cute for your family friend! I know I acted totally lovestruck when I met my bf and even though Eden is a tough cookie, she's still a girl. A lonely girl, I might add, so yeah, you're right. Eden did need to grow up a little in her behavior towards others, I think, because she always makes things harder for herself. Haha, not the reprimand you had in mind? Was your mind in the gutter? XD I do think that Eden will try to make Reno see that he matters to her, but there's other things on her mind right now, so that will have to wait, I'm afraid! Stay tuned! Thanks for the long reviews, I love them!

Chapter 186

During the short drive back to the Lodge, I once again pushed my bike to its limits. Charly might be alone right now, and even though he couldn't walk anymore, he was inventive enough to use anything he got his hands on as a weapon. The man was a trained Turk, after all. Luckily, Reno was indeed a better passenger than Ollie, and I didn't have to mind my driving, as Reno wasn't easily intimidated. Jolene must have returned there by now, since she had left first, but I couldn't help but worry anyway.

The unlit roads were somehow hypnotizing, and my mind traveled to the problems at hand. In the morning, which was only a few hours away, we would come up with a game-plan. Hopefully, Cloud would join us, especially after what had happened in Edge tonight. There was actually no doubt in my mind that he would. Once I was sure that Charly would be all right, I could focus on our next move. What was it this Deepground really wanted? Were they just after revenge? In that case, it was a good thing that all of us were working together. For some reason, it warmed me to be part of such a large team. Old enemies had become allies, and old friends had been reunited. It was a comforting feeling.

My concentration slipped for a moment when I took a particularly sharp turn a little too fast and I had to steady us with a foot. My boot dragged through the dirt, kicking up more rocks and sand, the bike sliding along the curve in the road before I managed to straighten the roaring beast. My heart shot up into my throat for a second, and I scolded myself for driving so carelessly when I knew I was tired. Reno, however, didn't seem to realize it had been a slip up and he whooped in my ear, something Ollie would never have done in a million years. Reno's reaction relaxed me once more and I laughed along with him, now being fully awake again. For the remainder of the ride, I focused my attention on the road, taking it a little more easy. Getting us killed wasn't going to help here.

When I parked my bike in the same place as before, Reno stepped off first, gravel crunching under his shoes. "That settles it," He said cheerfully. "I'm getting me one of those."

"Charly said you'd kill yourself," I commented, killing the engine and kicking out the stand. "Said you suck on anything with two wheels."

"Not true," He argued before following me down the path. "Obviously I'm an awesome pilot, but I got this. Let me drive back, babe?" He pleaded.

"Don't think so," I laughed. "You won't let me touch your choppers, I won't let you touch my ride."

He grinned and shrugged, as if saying 'worth the try'. "Fair enough."

There was something else worth the try. "Before we go in there," I spun to face him, hoping he would work with me on this. "You think you can talk to him? I feel like he'll listen to you."

"What makes you think he won't listen to you?"

"You have better people skills."

"You mean to say you're a bitch." He stated with a chuckle, earning him an incredulous look from my end, which only made him grin more widely.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but agree with his less than subtle remark. "Fine, I'm a bitch. So what, I say it like it is. It's not my fault people can't handle that. The problem is, Charles is so angry with me he actually cried. Will you at least try?"

He turned serious again, a state of mind that was always right under the surface with him. "I appreciate that in you, ya know." He said truthfully.

"Appreciate what?" I wondered out loud, only just preventing myself from tripping over a rock and looking like a moron. "Being a bitch?"

"You just don't give a damn if someone hates you for the rest of their life. You have your beliefs and you stick to them no matter what people throw at ya." Just when I thought I'd heard it all. This was the first time anyone had ever told me they liked that side of me. Mostly people just whined about it. We'd reached the doors, and he pressed the button on the wall beside it to open them. "Charly's pissed at you, but eventually he'll know you want what's best for him."

This time, the nurse did look up as we entered the reception area and made our way towards the stairs.

The corners of Reno's mouth curled up reassuringly. "So, no need to ask, 'course I'll try. Don't worry about it-."

"Excuse me!" The nurse behind the desk called to us as we walked passed. I froze in my steps, and doubled back to her. "I'm sorry ma'am, I'm afraid I can't let you through so armed." I noticed it was a different one from earlier.

By now, I was so used to walking around with my weapons, I didn't even consider taking them off. But I wasn't about to leave them anywhere unattended. "I was here before." I told her with a frown.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you through."

Reno sauntered over, reached into his jacket and pulled out his wallet. He flipped it open, showing it to her. "Turk business, ma'am." He flashed her a devilish smile, casually hanging over the desk.

Her eyes went wide in sudden awe, making me roll mine. "Oh...s- sorry! Go right in, Sir!"

He winked at her while slipping his wallet back into his pocket and took me by the hand to lead me up the stairs. I couldn't help but feel a little elated at the feeling of my hand in his.

"Did you just flash your badge?" It amused me to see him take advantage of his position, something that didn't even surprise me.

"Yeah, well, got us in, didn't it?" He seemed very proud. "We own the place, ya know. By the way, you do realize your hand's still dripping all over, right?"

I looked down at my hand, seeing the blood running down our entwined fingers and onto the gray floor. In all the commotion, I had forgotten all about it. It didn't hurt, which I was obviously thankful for, but I had to stop this bleeding. "Oh...Good thing we're in an infirmary then." I said with a grin, making him shake his head in amusement.

"Boy," Charly commented as soon as Reno and I entered his room. "Neva be tinkin' it woulds take me ta nearly lose me life ta fine'ly be seein' you fools together." His mood seemed to have greatly improved since I left, something I hadn't expected to happen, and he was still very much alive. There was a little more color to his face and his voice had returned to its familiar raspy quality. Jolene was by his side once more, looking more tired than I had ever seen her.

"We're not together," I immediately corrected him, not wanting any misunderstandings, especially not from Charly. "Reno just wanted to see you." I started rummaging through the two little cabinets by the wall and plucked out some fresh bandages to wrap around my hand.

"Hiya, lad." Charly said to him from his laying position on the bed. "Don' ya be lookin' at me like tha'." He warned Reno at the compassionate look in his eyes.

It melted my heart, he was capable of so much emotion. His job just didn't allow him to show it very often. Jolene got to her feet, appearing a little unsteady. She must have been awake for hours and hours, not to mention completely stressed and worried. "I'm going to step out for some fresh air, love," She told Charly lovingly and pressed a kiss to his graying brow, "You talk to these kids, all right?"

Charly grumbled in reply, probably something lovely not meant for our ears.

Maybe I should go with her, leave the boys to their talk and make sure she was all right. This had been an eventful night for her too. On the other hand, I had to make sure things were all right between Charly and myself. Before I could make up my mind however, she'd stepped out of the room.

"Dammit, old man, what the hell were ya thinkin'?" Reno scolded him as I sat down on Charly's bed, by his side.

"There be an 'tack on Egde, wha' da hell ya tinkin' I be doin'?! I be havin' ma woman ta worry 'bout, an' everyone else in tha' city. I may be old, bu' I ain't dead, ya gets it?!"

Reno sighed and dragged up a chair from underneath the window, sitting himself down next to me at Charly's bed. He rubbed his hand down his face, as if contemplating something. He looked tired, and it wasn't surprising. He hadn't had a wink of sleep the entire night. "Next time, you just get the hell outta there, and let us handle it," He said to Charly, and I knew he meant it. "You give us a call and we'll deal with it, got it?"

Charly grumbled something incomprehensible again, but I imagined it was a show of gratitude. I know I felt it. Reno could just be so kind and caring, a trait I had failed to see for a long time. A trait that he had been reluctant to show others in the past. I looked at him and our eyes met. He sent me a small genuine smile, and reached out to place a warm palm on my thigh. I was about to touch his hand when I felt Charly's judgmental gaze on us. It broke the spell and when I looked over at him, I saw his cheeky smile and his eyes sparkle. I knew exactly what he was about to do, and it would be his way of punishment.

"So, Reno..." He started, but I interrupted him.

"Oh, no, don't you dare-!"

"Ya honkadonk her yet?"

"Oh Gods! You just had to-!" I threw up my hands in disgust and indignance, but Reno just snickered and smugly lounged back in his chair, biting his thumbnail to hide his smirk.

"Are you two aware you even use the same retarded words?!" I shot at them.

"Ya did, didn' ya?" Charly asked him shamelessly, ignoring my objections. "Tha's ma lad!"

"Gah!" I cursed and got up from the bed so I didn't have to hear the reply, since I was pretty certain Reno wasn't about to deny it. "I'm gonna go find something to drink. You guys enjoy discussing me."

"Oh, we will, lass." Charly laughed.

"You know," I started. "I changed my mind about shooting you." I slammed the door on my way out, feeling embarrassment more than actual anger. I heard them laugh together at my reaction when I stalked down the hall. Still, I was glad Charly was feeling better, but Reno shouldn't be encouraging him in his illusion about Reno and I. He should be encouraging Charly to stay alive. But, there was no doubt in my mind I would be discussed. Charly hadn't made a secret out of the fact that he and Reno had been in touch lately. I had no idea how much information Reno had actually spilled to him, but Charly always seemed to know more than I thought, or wanted him to know.

Then the thought struck me that Reno probably had just manipulated me to get me to leave the room to give him a moment alone with Charly. That little sneaky bastard knew me too well.

On the ground floor was a very large cafeteria, not unlike the one at Shinra HQ in Midgar, before it got blown to smithereens by Weapon three years prior. The place was designed in typical Shinra style, meaning futuristic and state of the art, with lots of metal. The view from the windows showed the entire valley below, giving the impression of a floating building in the clouds.

My eyes roamed around the massive round room, spotting Jolene sitting alone at a table on the opposite side, her face buried in her hands. For a moment, I wondered whether I should go talk to her. Maybe she wanted to be alone, but maybe she needed a shoulder to cry on. After contemplating for another minute or so, I decided to simply go and ask her. I strolled over to her, stopping near her table. She hadn't heard me, or at least, she hadn't looked up at my approach to acknowledge me.

Her beautiful red hair was a mess, and she was slightly trembling, as if trying hard to keep her emotions in check. I felt horrible for her. Seeing Charly like this was painful for all of us, especially the ones closest to him, like myself and Ollie and Reno. But to Jolene, as his partner, this day must be her ultimate nightmare come true.

"...Jo?" I asked hesitantly, hoping I wasn't intruding on a personal moment. Her head snapped up and I noticed her eyes were red from crying. I admired her strength, she hadn't shed a single tear in Charly's presence, being strong for him. I knew what that was like, to break down when no one was looking. I also knew what it felt like when people caught me crying. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

She stared at me for a moment, a stray tear running down her freckled cheek. Her brow wrinkled in sorrow before she lowered her eyes and shook her head. She didn't speak, maybe unable to trust her own voice.

I sat down across from her in silence. There wasn't much to say anyway. We both knew this sucked and we both knew we were in pain, and neither of us wanted to waste our breath on idle talk.

Jolene sniffed a few times and took a deep breath, still keeping her eyes averted. "He's not alone now, is he?"

"Reno's with him." I answered quietly, yet audible in the serene cafeteria.

"That's...that's good," She then said firmly. "Reno will tell him to get his act together. He won't listen to me! I know I may not be entirely objective, but he can't just do this!" Her voice rose by the word as she got angrier and angrier.

I understood what she was saying. If Charly really found a way to end his life, then he would leave her behind. In a way, it was a selfish thing he wanted, and yet, I still understood his wish. I also didn't think it was all right to burden me with the task.

"I'm sure Reno will get through to him. Charly wouldn't do that to you, he loves you." I hoped my words were true. Charly was one pigheaded son of a gun.

She smiled at me sadly, a smile that told me she knew that, but she also knew it might not be enough.

We sat in silence for a while together, our fingers idly playing with our cups of water. We were both staring out the window, not really looking at anything. Instead, we were stuck in our own minds and our own worries. There was no more need for words, the bond of two people grieving over the same thing was palpable enough. When I noticed the sun was only an hour away from rising, I got to my feet to tell Reno it was time to leave. I could only hope he'd succeeded in grounding Charly and had managed to talk some sense into him. Jolene joined me out of the cafeteria and up the stairs, looking completely dead on her feet.

Against all hope, when I opened the door, the conversation between the two men seemed to have led nowhere. Reno appeared a little more disheveled than usual, rubbing the bridge of his nose with both hands, looking absolutely defeated. Charly was staring at the wall moodily, gritting his teeth.

"Reno," I called to him softly, not really wanting to disturb them. He looked up at me with such desperation in his eyes it almost knocked me off my feet. Instant fury bubbled up inside me. I stole a glance at Charly again. Jolene had moved back to his side. "We need to go," I told Reno, seeing him watch the interaction between Charly and Jolene. "The sun is about to rise. They'll wonder where we are." I knew I shouldn't get involved in this right now. If Charly misspoke even one word, the inflammable anger inside me might take up hazardous proportions. This night had been a roller-coaster of emotions, and being as tired as I was, that was an extremely bad mixture, especially for someone like me.

Reno sighed, getting up from his chair, looking sad and drained. "Charles-"

"Yeah, go on an' run 'way!" Charly spat at him, his face red with irritation.

I narrowed my eyes, thinking he was going too far with this. Did he even understand what he was asking us to do? How could he be so self-centered?

"Charly..." Jolene whispered to him, her voice filled with a torrent of emotions.

"Ya be askin' 'em one damn ting, an'-"

"It ain't that simple, Hancock!" Reno said in utter exasperation.

Charly set his angry eyes on Reno, his usually jolly face fierce. "I be givin' me all ta ya when ya be jus' a kid, took ya off them streets, an' dis be how ya be repayin' me fo' all tha'?!"

Reno tried to argue with him. "That ain't-"

"Gets outta me sigh'!"

"You wanna die?!" I suddenly hissed, stomping over to his side. I yanked a gun from my hip holster and pressed it into his hand none too gently. Charly's eyes snapped to mine, widening in shock and amazement. "Then stop being a pussy and do it!"

"Eden, no!" Jolene sobbed in fear. "Eden...please don't...!"

Charly raised the gun angrily and placed the nuzzle against his temple, cocking it with aggression, index finger brushing the trigger threateningly. A wild look flashed in his eyes, a look of pain, fear and loss, but also stubbornness and determination.

I pushed him further, daring him. "If you want that bullet hurled through your brain, you can do it yourself! Go on! What are you waiting for?!"

Reno stood beside me looking taut and unmoving, watching Charly's reaction intently.

"Eden..." Jolene reached out for me, trying to grab my hands to get my attention, but I ignored the fingers that wrapped around my arm.

"Don't shove this responsibility onto one of us!" I snapped at him as his flaring eyes searched mine. "Do it, Charly!"

Charly screamed at me in rage and hurled the gun through the room, knocking a hole in the wall large enough to put a fist through. He sat staring at me wide-eyed, panting heavily, chest heaving up and down with emotion. Then he suddenly broke down, tears streaming down his cheeks. Reno sank back down into his chair, burying his face in his hands. Jolene threw herself into Charly's arms, crying uncontrollably now, her red hair obscuring him from view.

Sudden breathlessness came over me, the adrenaline fading and making way for shock at what I had just done, the risk I had just taken to save this man. The thin line I had walked between his death and his life. I moved away, leaning back against the wall and hiding a sob in my hands, my eyes taking in the scene of utter elation before me. Tears fell from my lashes, flowing freely as I watched Charly cling to Jolene like she was a lifeline.

Reno was suddenly by my side, reaching out and pulling me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me. "..Shh.." He tried to soothe me, but I could sense the restraint in his voice, the released adrenaline that had no doubt been flowing through his veins as well. I realized he needed to be comforted as much as I did. I held on to him, taking deep breaths to calm myself. "You're so freakin' crazy..." He mumbled over my head in disbelief, so quietly only I could hear.

I buried my face in his neck, and I felt him let out a shaky sigh of alleviation, relieved that Charly was still with us and the situation hadn't turned south. I felt pretty sure we were all thinking along the same lines. I freed myself from Reno's embrace to face Charly. Reno moved away to pick up my gun, that lay forgotten in the corner of the room. My molars gnashed together when I saw Charly's sharp gaze on me. The look in his eyes was undefinable, somewhere between love, hate and gratefulness.

He let go of Jolene, who was now smiling through her tears. "Ya stupid, stupid lass..." He suddenly scolded, more tears accompanying his words. I rushed over to him, falling into his arms with a laugh. Those words were more than enough for me to know that everything was going to be all right now.

"Never had shit like this goin' on in my life before..." Reno sang softly, though I knew it was his way of dealing with the situation.

I let go of Charly and took my gun from Reno as he handed it back to me. "You still want this, old man?" I asked Charly, holding it out to him.

"Gets outta here," Charly grumbled again, only this time he said it with a chuckle. His thumb wiped the last tear off my cheek, making me laugh. "Ya fools be havin' stuff ta be takin' care of. We be fine."

"Good," I nodded determinedly. "I'm sorry, Jo." I said to her apologetically. "I really didn't know what else to do."

She simply nodded and I could tell she wasn't over what had just happened in this room. She was going to need some time to digest it.

"You ready, babe?" Reno gently urged from near the door.

I got up from the bed and replaced my gun inside its holster.

"We'll be back once this Deepground thing is over," Reno said to Charly. "If you need us, just call, you hear?"

Charly sniffed one last time and put on his most charming grin. "Will do, lad. Eden, later, lass."

Reno gave them a casual wave of his hand and shot a last meaningful look at Charly, and with that, we were out the door and on our way down the stairs.

"A little extreme, but very effective." Reno said to me once we were out of Charly's hearing range. "You never fail to amaze me."

Those words reminded me of Sephiroth, who had said those exact same words to me eight years ago. Had it already been eight years? "I honestly can't believe I just did that," I admitted. "Revolver Roulette probably had better odds."

"I think," He eyed me as he opened the door for me again, the nurse behind the desk watching us as we passed. "That you're missin' the part of your brain that's responsible for recognizing danger. I mean, you just dive in, no matter what, don't ya?"

"Don't make it sound like I'm a machine," I grumbled, trying to hide that he was sort of right about that. "I do have feelings, you know."

"I know that, Foxy." He smiled at me with tired eyes, the night obviously having taken its toll on him.

We walked outside into the breaking dawn, fresh air cooling my still sparking nerves a little. It did nothing to decrease my exhaustion though. If I looked the way I felt, I was surprised Reno wasn't running from me yet.

"Hold on for a moment," Reno gently took me by the wrist, guiding me to face him. "Charly told me that you said you'd kill yourself if this ever happened to you." He didn't sound angry, just as if he were stating a fact. I looked up into his eyes, wondering if he cared more about me than he wanted to admit. Was he fighting an internal battle, the way I was? Did it drive him crazy? "Is that true?" He pressed when I didn't answer.

"Yes," I answered honestly. "I did." There was a reason he asked me so calmly. He knew me well enough to know the answer to his question. Lying about it would be pointless.

He looked away from me for a moment, still not having let go of my wrist. I didn't really want these intimate moments with him anymore, but I couldn't turn him away either. "If that ever happens," He continued, once again gazing down at me sincerely. "Don't you dare do that to me." I stared up at him, inwardly feeling startled at his words. He'd always wanted me safe, had come to my rescue on more than one occasion, but he'd never said anything like this before. Would it really mean this much to him? "Promise me, Eden." He demanded.

I looked into his steely eyes for another moment before nodding, feeling a little dazed. "I promise."

"Great," His face broke into a faraway smile, a hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair behind my ear absentmindedly. "Let's go." He took me by the hand again and walked me down the gravel path, back to my motorcycle.