Kei: I'm actually a Leon girl XD I love how he's such a dad and a badass at the same time! He has attitude, but still wants to save everyone. I've started up with Damnation, RE6 and after that Vendetta. Have you seen those movies? I'm in doubt over RE4 to get started with, I haven't decided yet, but I think it might be my next project after this one. Either that, or Devil May Cry. Super glad you liked the chapter again :D It's all so dramatic and scary, but nothing is ever easy for Eden. Enjoy the next chapter! It's a rollercoaster!

Chapter 190

Tseng and Elena were already at Whiterun with Rufus, who needed them there as his bodyguards. I was still surprised he'd actually wanted to fight, instead of run away and hide behind his Turks like the spoiled rich boy I had expected him to be. I had been wrong about him, and he deserved some credit for his actions. On top of that, he had helped Charly and Jolene escape, and had escorted them to Junon with Elena, before returning to Whiterun. He'd also cured our injuries when we'd returned to my home with materia he'd brought back from Junon. Reno and Rude hadn't returned from Junon yet, but I knew it might take a little while longer before they did. If they would at all today. They might decide to spend the night at the Turk building when it was getting late. Taking in refugees and victims of an attack, and orchestrating a place for them to stay could be chaotic. It also felt like a far cry from their usual line of work. However, they had done things like these before. They'd played a big part in the evacuation of Midgar before Weapon had attacked, making sure the civilians had made it to safety in time. The attack on Edge had been stopped, but Deepground had apparently managed to abduct a fair amount of people right from under Cloud's nose.

"What do they want with these people?" I asked Tseng as we sat at my kitchen table. It was afternoon by now. I'd taken a long, hot bath, and actually fell asleep. I had awoken when Ollie had knocked on the door to ask me if I was still alive. "And where is Vincent?"

"Vincent has gone to the WRO Headquarters with Reeve to see if they can find more information on the group. We should do the same in the meantime. Let's hope there won't be another attack."

"What is this WRO anyway?" Ollie wondered out loud while eating a leftover pancake. He had lied to Yuffie earlier when she'd asked if there were any left, his payback for her never ending teasing.

"It's an organization dedicated to the protection and healing of the Planet," Tseng explained. "Reeve was the founder."

"So basically they fix everything you guys screwed up, more or less." Ollie could be just as tactless as I was, only I was actually aware of it.

Tseng however, merely smiled at him, a hint of sadness in his dark eyes. "Yes," He simply said, finding no reason to argue with that.

Later that afternoon, Charly called to let me know he was settled and all right. Jolene was by his side, and although she was rattled to the bone, she was cheerful and optimistic again. It seemed that Charly had given up his death wish, and had started to accept his fate. Ollie joked that we would fix him a wheelchair with artillery, so he could still join the fight. Charly liked that idea and it wouldn't surprise me if the two of them managed to come up with a prototype. After that hilarious phone call, Ollie had set himself to cooking, along with Eva. Eva's friend, Wendy, had left earlier to go to her parents' house in Gongaga, which was hopefully safe from any attacks. Then again, maybe no place was safe at the moment. Eva had decided to stay with Ollie, and they were now chatting and laughing together in the kitchen. I lay sprawled on my sofa, listening to Ollie and Eva chippering away and watching Tseng and Elena go through things on a laptop. My mind kept wandering off to Max and the way he had looked at me before I took his life. Had there been hatred at that moment, it would have been easier. However, the peace in his eyes had made me wonder if maybe he hadn't been beyond saving. It was too late to worry about that now, once again fate had decided for me. Would there ever be an end to all this madness? Elena kept shooting me nasty glares, but she seemed a little less inclined to start yelling at me again, like before. Rufus had disappeared up the stairs earlier that afternoon, right after I had arrived back, and we hadn't seen him since. He was probably in bed taking a nap, something I was also in dire need of. Instead, an incoming chopper announced the arrival of Reno and Rude and my heart fluttered in excitement. I only just refrained myself from hopping outside like a little girl.

They walked into the kitchen together, being greeted by a very cheerful Ollie. "Dinner's on in ten, kids."

"Perfect timing Olls, What're we havin'?" Reno asked equally cheerful.

"It's beef-stew," Eva said in her sweet voice. "My mother's recipe."

"And you'd better eat your plate, or no desert." Ollie said while setting some plates on the table.

"Smells wonderful." Rude commented, giving Eva a rare smile and making her blush.

"I'll eat anything right now," I heard Reno quip before they walked into the living area. "Hey, Foxy. Chief, Elena."

"Don't bother helping, Eden," Ollie scolded from behind their backs as I folded myself up to make room for them. "It's not like it's your house or anything."

"Thanks, Ollie," I replied coyly. "Hey, boys. What's the verdict?"

Rude sat himself down next to me in a reserved matter, but Reno lounged back, hands folded behind his head, muddy shoes on the table. Tseng raised an eyebrow at him, as if he were about to comment on his rude behavior. Then he seemed to resign, probably having given up by now. Reno simply was incorrigible.

"Junon's safe for now," Rude started on the update, elbow resting on his knees. "You were right, Chief, many people fled for Junon, some were picked up by the company. All went well."

"Good," Tseng nodded, looking pleased. "Then at least we can rest assured for one night. Cloud and the others have secured Edge for now. Elena and I have been searching for information on protomateria and Deepground. So far, we have come up with nothing. Vincent has gone to WRO HQ with Reeve, let us hope they, at least, will dig up something. We will continue until we find out what is going on."

Soon, Ollie informed us the food was ready and the eight of us sat down at my kitchen table, Rufus' pet laying himself down in the corner somewhere. I was glad that the animal hadn't caused any trouble, it actually seemed quite well behaved. More so than Rufus, who went where he wanted, sat where he wanted and never asked if he could lend a hand. Rich boys. Still, it felt good to just sit down and have a meal together, and not have to worry about any goings on for a moment. We would return to that soon enough. For now, we would enjoy Ollie and Eva's cooking, and it tasted amazing. Especially after such a rough day. Reno had already said it, and I agreed; I would eat anything right now. Reno dove into my fridge and started handing out beers like he owned the place. I couldn't pretend I didn't like it. The idea of him feeling at home in my house became more appealing by the minute.

"We should head out and do something fun tonight," Ollie suggested through a mouth-full of stew. "Like hit the city the way we used to do in Midgar, remember, Eden? We haven't had fun in years."

"I have fun." I pointed out, though secretly, I couldn't help but agree with him. The last time I had gone shopping, had been years ago.

"Sure," He shrugged. "If you call slitting someone's throat 'fun', then yeah, you have lots of fun."

"Ollie," Eva warned him with a dark look. "We're eating."

"So, I shoot people for fun, what of it?" I sniped back at him, ignoring Eva's warning. What was she going to do, kick me out of my own house? "Other people go to the arcade, or play video-games to shoot things."

"I doubt that's the same thing," Eva now said, apparently having given up on trying to get us to behave. "All this violence can't be good for the mind and soul."

"It can be rather liberating, actually," Tseng, who was the epitome of calm and quiet, stated. "The mind and soul need an outlet, and as long as what we do is for the right reasons, then it is good for the mind, the soul and the body. Ancient Wutaian knowledge teaches us that we need to find and maintain a balance between violence and peace. It is often the same thing."

"What he said." Ollie pointed at Tseng while looking at Eva in triumph.

"Well," Eva replied in a challenging tone, her face going slightly red. "I think it's vile. We should be civilized and talk things over like wise people, instead of running around and killing each other over every little thing."

"That is the reasoning of a small mind," Rufus chimed in. How he was able to insult someone so deeply with such every day words baffled me. "People like you could never rule, because you don't understand what it means to make sacrifices." We all fell silent at his words, Eva's face going even redder in embarrassment.

Ollie suddenly shot to his feet, fists clenched at his side. "Okay, you fucking dick, outside, you and me, let's go."

"I think your girl was kinda trying to prove a point and you ain't helping." Reno said to him with a chuckle. The irony was indeed difficult to ignore.

"That's okay," Eva said, her blushing face set in defiance. "I'm glad that I have a small mind. At least I won't be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people. If you can live with that, then I feel sorry for you. I have a home and someone amazing to share my life with. Nothing you say can bring me down. If you feel the need to belittle me to feel better about yourself, then go right ahead. Sit down, Ollie. We're having dinner."

Ollie fumed, but listened to her none the less, slowly sinking back into his chair.

Rufus stared him down, the corner of his mouth curled up in challenge. "I was merely stating a fact," Rufus replied indifferently. "My feelings have nothing to do with it." I wondered if he was even capable of feelings.

"We are trying to make amends," Tseng offered in a soft voice, trying to soothe the situation. "All I can say is that we thought we were doing the right thing. We were wrong, and are willing to admit that."

"I really wanna go to the Golden Saucer," I suddenly said, hoping to lighten the mood so that we could continue to get along. We'd had plenty of disagreements in the past, now was the time to move on from that and be better people. Eva's words had a certain truth to them, though I would never admit that, least of all to her. There was no way I would ever stop living a violent life, but sometimes I could do with a little more talk and a little less temper. "Since I was a young girl, I've always wanted to go there."

"Speaking of small minds..." Rufus mumbled under his breath, but I'd heard it none the less.

"You keep that shit up," I warned him quite unabashedly, forgetting about my peaceful thoughts only seconds earlier. "And I will bury that smug face of yours up your-"

"It's like I'm eating with a bunch of sailors!" Eva suddenly scolded. "No manners at all!"

"Sorry, love-bug," Ollie laughed lovingly. His mood had brightened at my words. "You picked the wrong crowd for that."

"Feels like family, don't it?" Reno said happily, clapping a silently eating Rude on the back. "Can I have some more of that, Eva? It really is good." He got up and started piling food onto his plate, making me wonder where he put it all.

I grinned at his words, thinking he was actually right. Sitting here with all of them, made me feel like I had back when I was still part of Shinra. Like I belonged. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time. Some of our friends were back in Edge, but I knew that soon we would be reunited, and we'd have to rely on each other to get through this mess the world was in.

That evening, Elena and Rude went to bed early, since they too had missed out on a lot of sleep. Tseng told Elena that he would come up shortly, but the way he was buried in work with Rufus, made me think that he'd be around for quite some time. She didn't seem to mind and simply disappeared upstairs to their room. It was funny that I already thought of it as their room. Rude sat at the table with us for a little while longer, before he informed us he was going to take a shower and head to bed as well. Tseng told me he needed to talk to me for a moment, while Ollie, Eva and Reno went outside to enjoy some peace and quiet in the last rays of sunlight. I saw them hanging out and laughing on the swing seat outside, and it made me smile to see Ollie and Reno get along so well.

"What is it?" I asked Tseng as I sat down with him and Rufus on the sofa.

"You said that Max was taken on the day you left Shinra, yes?" Tseng asked me.

"Yes, I think so. Ollie said that he only wanted to cause a diversion, but Max just went all out and rebelled openly. You'd have to ask Ollie."

"We did," Rufus replied. "He told us that Reno and Rude brought Max to a holding cell and he hasn't heard from him since then. Max simply never returned. Official records stated that he was executed for treason. But he was brought down to the basement by Hojo instead. My father has made some nasty decisions in his life. I can't say I agree with experimentations on human beings. However, we need to know if you have ever heard about Hojo's experiments after you left Shinra. We know you met up with First Class Fair." Shinra always seemed to know everything, but this horrible thing going on right under their noses, they had managed to miss. I suppose that's what you get for being too greedy.

"It was actually Genesis who told me where to find him," I remembered it clear as day, how he had come to find me to ask for my help. He needed Cloud's cells to heal, but I'd denied him. Yet, he'd brought me to see Zack, trying to make right what he had done to me. "Zack had just escaped from the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim with Cloud. Hojo had experimented on them there, but Zack never mentioned anything about anyone else being held there, or Hojo talking about other experiments. If he knew, he never told me."

"So another dead end." Tseng seemed disappointed, but still in thought, as if he had other leads to follow. "Very well, thank you, Eden."

I nodded and got up from the sofa to join the rest of the gang outside. When snatching a beer from my fridge, I noticed it was a lot emptier than it had been that afternoon. There was no missing the fact that I had a troop of men staying in my house. After popping the cap, I walked outside into the cooling evening. Ollie was lounging in the corner of the swing seat with a beer in his hand, Eva curled up against his side, wearing a soft, warm sweater twice her size that obviously belonged to Ollie. Reno sat at the other end, elbows resting on his knees, rolling his own beer bottle between the palms of his hands. He was gently swinging the seat back and forth for Ollie and Eva, the latter looking very sleepy. The cries coming from Midgar didn't seem to trouble them too much, then again, we had been hearing them all day now.

Eva sat up when I was about to drag up a chair, her mouth falling open in a big yawn. "Ugh, Reno's rocking me to sleep. You can sit here, I'm calling it a night. It's been a long day. For all of us." She added knowingly to Ollie, who smiled at her lovingly anyway. She leaned in for quick kiss, unable to withstand his charm.

"I'll be up in a minute, love-bug." He said to her as he caressed her cheek.

Her hand trailed through his blond hair affectionately, before she spoke to me. "Thanks again for letting us stay here, Eden. Good night."

"Don't mention it." I smiled as we all wished her good night. She disappeared inside and I heard her say goodnight to Tseng and Rufus, who were still discussing work.

"You guys okay?" I slumped down on the seat, making it swing back and forth wildly a few times. "Do you realize we've been awake for almost forty-eight hours? Last time I did that, I was seventeen."

"That's because you're single," Ollie grinned. "Eva keeps me up for days at a time."

Reno chuckled into his bottle as he took a swig.

"I know how it is with guys," I snuggled into Ollie's warm side, taking Eva's place. The air was becoming chilly fast now that the sun was about to set. "They just love to exaggerate. It basically means you get some once a week if you're lucky and have been a good boy."

"At least he gets some." Reno pointed out, making Ollie laugh.

"Bros before hos, Eddy." Ollie said, earning him a punch in the gut, which transformed his laughter into a guttural squeal.

"I doubt it," I said smugly, leaning back into my best friend. "Since Ollie ran away from home to come play with us. I'd be surprised if he isn't sleeping on the floor."

"That was low," He grumbled and put his bottle to his mouth. "We've agreed to disagree for now. I know what you're thinking, Eden. But I can't just break up with her."

"Never said you should," I shrugged. "I said that you shouldn't let someone tell you what to do with your life. This is who you are, Ollie. It's who we all are. I mean, how boring would life be if we had nine to five jobs and the most exciting thing to happen was the monthly bingo night?"

"Amen to that." Reno chimed in and we clinked bottles.

"Yeah, thanks a bunch, guys, you do realize that's the kinda life I've been living, right?" Both Reno and I grinned, making me feel a little dazzled. "Assholes," Ollie grumbled, making us laugh even harder. "What would you do then?" He asked Reno in all sincerity.

I think I already knew the answer to that, and so should Ollie. In the past, Reno had always made it very clear that his job was his life. He had only confirmed it with me when he'd told me last night that Renay was out of the question. Come to think of it, he'd also implied that the entire idea of a relationship in general was improbable to him, since he couldn't provide stability. Was it only last night when he'd told me? How could we be sitting here, acting like nothing had happened? I felt myself blush at the memory of us together and hastily took a sip from my bottle.

"I'd never stop doing what I do for anyone," Reno said to him, not surprising me in the least. "But I ain't you. All I can say, is that I'm lucky I don't have to make that decision."

"I hope you never have to," Ollie replied, leaning his head back with a sigh. "I still can't believe this shit with Max..." He then added to me sadly. "You guys were such good friends. That would be like, me trying to kill you. I can't imagine ever wanting to do that. Wait, yes, I can."

"I couldn't either," I said to him, staring off into the oncoming dusk. "Old friends become enemies, and old enemies become friends, yet the world hasn't changed."

"We have," Reno replied, his gaze finding mine. Was he referring to everyone, or just to us? I knew I had changed over the passed years, and maybe most over the last. He had gone back to being the way he was before, carefree and cocky, and yet, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that he was now more himself than he had ever been. Or ever gotten the chance to be. As a Turk working for Shinra, he's had to be relentless in the the past. Cold hearted and indifferent to the feelings of others. Because of that, I had always thought he was just that. But I had been wrong. I wondered, did he hurt inside over the things he had done? I knew he felt regret over dropping the plate. Maybe he even despised himself for it. We looked at each other in silence for a while, the wailing coming from Midgar becoming ever more apparent.

Ollie cleared his throat and sat up, shaking me from my daze. "I'm gonna go get me some," He stood and stretched with a loud groan. "Can't believe I'm heading to bed before sundown. We really are getting old..." He grumbled, making me scoff. He was younger than both Reno and myself.

"Night, Ollie." Reno and I both wished him good night, and watched him leave. "Sorry about your friend." Reno then said to me.

"Did we do the right thing, Reno?" I asked him flat-out, hoping he could provide the answer for me. Maybe he could stop my pondering and put my mind at ease.

"Depends on the point of view, I guess..." He replied truthfully. Of course, he was right. We all did things from our point of view, even Deepground thought they were doing the right thing. That had always been the problem. "But," He continued. "If my point of view saves lives, then I'm good. And uh...forgot to tell ya...Thanks for saving Rude's life today. If there's anything...just name it, okay?"

I smiled at him, once again thinking about how much he'd changed. We both had. He was all about saving lives now that he was allowed to think for himself. "I'll hold you to that."

Reno downed the last of his beer. "I'm gonna hit the bunk too, babe," He stood, leaving me alone on the swing. Was it too awkward for him to be here with me? I'd hoped he'd stay here with me and just talk, the way we had last night. Maybe he knew that was dangerous for us. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he didn't want to spend time with me. Then he doubled back, as if he forgot to ask something, or changed his mind."Unless you want me to watch the sunset with ya?"

I snorted sarcastically. "Seriously?" The thought, however, wasn't so bad. He was more than welcome to.

"Thought chicks were into that kinda thing? Ya know, romance and stuff."

When I saw the look on his face, I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, you're a hopeless romantic, Reno."

"Hey, I can be romantic," He argued, defending himself. "I left you sweet words on the mirror."

"No, you made me feel like a hooker," I pointed out.

He chortled amusedly and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry 'bout that. It's the effort that counts." I couldn't disagree with him on that. His eyes fell on my front door, which opened and revealed a calm looking Rufus. "Sir," Reno greeted him.

"We will be heading out to WRO HQ in the morning." Rufus informed him. "Perhaps with Reeve's combined efforts, we can finally find out what they want and launch a well organized assault on Deepground."

"Yes, Sir." Reno replied. "I was just about to head upstairs. We'll be ready in the mornin'. See ya tomorrow, Foxy." He walked back inside, passing Rufus in the doorway. I heard his footfalls moving up the stairs.

I had expected Rufus to go back inside too, but he didn't. He closed the door, locking us outside together. His eyes were on me, and I wondered what he wanted. He'd been strong and fierce in Healin' today, and his bravery in battle had both surprised and amazed me. I had always imagined him to be all bark and no bite. But he hadn't hidden behind his Turks, he'd participated and come out victorious. Still, I didn't much fancy his personality. I waited for him to say something, since I really didn't have anything to say to him.

"I assume you'll be joining us tomorrow? You and your...friend?" He added that last word with a little contempt.

"Do you have a problem with that?" I stood up from the swing and faced him. I really hoped he wasn't about to ruin the perfectly peaceful evening we all needed. Especially after the passed days.

"Not at all," He smiled. "Olliver is a perfect shot. He would be a great asset."

I moved away from him to create some distance, and leaned back against the banister, now completely blocking out the potentially beautiful sunset behind me. Rufus Shinra was the last person I wanted to watch it with. "Asset to what? Shinra? I don't think so."

"Then, how about you?" He stepped over to me, his tone of voice as serious as can be.

Me, join Shinra again? "Same answer," I replied. "I spent almost six years of my life trying to get away from Shinra. I'm not about to run back."

He smiled, standing closer to me than I would have liked. So close, in fact, that he had to look down at me. Or on me, which wouldn't surprise me. "And yet here you are, working with us."

"We have a mutual goal," That was the only reason I would ever work with this man. I had no problem working with Reno, or Rude or Tseng, but Rufus Shinra? The fact that he was here in my house was irksome to me. "Nothing more. Once this is over, we'll go our separate ways. I will aways be available if you're in need of help, but I will never come back and work for you." Rufus raised a hand and touched my face, the sudden affectionate gesture startling me. I felt my face blanch as a first reaction, and then my hand shot up in a reflex, snatching his wrist in a death grip. I narrowed my eyes at him. "What are you doing?"

Rufus remained still, he didn't remove his hand, or even gave any notion that he was in pain. "I wanted to see whether the stories about you were true." What was he talking about? That everyone from Shinra seemed to think that I had gone around the company? These rumors ran deep, apparently. Didn't people have anything better to do?

I laughed humorlessly. "Why is everyone so interested in stories about me? What do you want, Rufus?" I couldn't help but sneer at him, pushing his arm away from me.

"I'm not," Rufus said calmly, a light dancing in his blue eyes. "My interest lies with you. You intrigue me, Eden. As to your second question; I want you. Simple."

His confession washed over me like a tidal wave of horror. I spun away from him and covered my eyes with my palms, clawing at my hair. "Oh, Gods, can you please just go back inside and pretend you didn't say that?"

"No," His reply was matter-of-fact, but final.

"Well, I will." All that I could do now, was ignore him and leave, but he had a different opinion on that. His fingers wrapped around my wrist, stopping me from leaving. I looked down at his hand in anger. "Don't touch me."

Rufus chuckled darkly, but luckily, released me. "I know things about you, Eden. I know you're not the harlot everyone believes you to be."

Harlot? What era was he even from? "Are you under the impression that your opinion means anything to me?" Never in my life had I ever expected anything like this to happen a second time. And from Rufus Shinra, of all people, who would go to any lengths to get what he wanted.

His confidence never wavered. He had that typical Shinra ego going on. "Even after all you've sacrificed... still nobody wants you. But I do."

There was some truth to his words, but that didn't mean I would make due with him, simply for the sake of doing it. "Only you can make a compliment sound like an insult." I stated coldly.

"Aren't you lonely... Foxy?"

Rage built up inside me. That name... that was only meant to be uttered by one special person and one alone. Coming from Rufus' lips, he poisoned the very meaning behind it. All the emotions between myself and Reno that were linked to that pet name, were erased and replaced by his indifference. "Don't you dare call me that. What kind of friend are you anyway? Or is he really just an employee to you?"

"I couldn't ask for a more loyal friend," He replied, telling me that Reno was both to him. At least, he had admitted that much. "But, he's stepped down, hasn't he?"

"That doesn't make it all right," I argued. Of course, I didn't expect him to understand. Friendship must have been a very scarce thing for him, growing up. Having a father like his must have been hard. Still, this was just one of those things in life you didn't do. It felt like basic etiquette. "Regardless, I wouldn't sleep with you if you were the last man on the planet." This time, I decided to be very clear about my own intentions. Last time this had happened had been with Genesis, and I had been too concerned about hurting him to tell him off for his courting. I doubted I could have been more obvious with Rufus.

A chuckle escaped him, lips curling into an arrogant smile. "Is that so?" I grit my teeth at him, willing him to give up this ridiculous conquest. "We'll see about that." He whispered, before he stepped past me and entered the house. I was left standing to witness the last glimpse of the golden sun before it disappeared behind the horizon.

That night, I slept peacefully, but awoke to the sound of a creaking door. Someone was out of bed. There was no light peeping through the crack under the door, so the house was still shrouded in darkness. The new moon and clouded skies made it impossible to see anything. Deciding I didn't care who was sneaking around the house in the middle of the night, I rolled over, burying myself in the soft blankets. My eyes shot open when I thought I heard a footstep on the floor by the bed. Before I could even turn over, my suspicions were confirmed as the blankets moved and someone got into bed with me. My heart started to race uncontrollably, and when a warm hand ran down my back, fingertips caressing skin like butterfly kisses, a breathless sigh escaped my lips. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I recalled telling him he would be getting no more free samples, but I was the one always getting spoiled in his hands. The memory of last night was simply too maddening to deny him. He was such a villain for ignoring his own statements over and over again, and yet at the moment, I couldn't find the will to care. Earlier on the swing, I had once again felt that connection between us, something that he tried hard to deny. That connection that he wanted and rejected at the same time. Reno shifted closer to me, his warm, already bare chest sending off waves of heat, causing tingling goosebumps to break out all over my skin. A soft kiss landed on my shoulder, and my arm moved up involuntarily to reach back and run my fingers through damp, soft hair. He smelled like shampoo and soap, making me think he'd just stepped out of the shower. I must have been that exhausted, that I had slept right through that, given the bathroom was next door. The thought of him in the shower, however, made my heart thump even faster. It also explained why he had arrived in my bed being almost naked. More kisses landed on my shoulder, and then my neck. My body arched back into him, feeling his hot breath on me. A shuddering gasp passed my lips, leaving me utterly helpless inside my own body. A hand snaked up my side, its palm exploring my chest rather roughly. I rolled over onto my back and he wasted no time mounting my body eagerly. His sudden aggression wasn't entirely unwelcome, as heat rushed down into my abdomen when he pressed himself in between my thighs, but when his mouth found mine I couldn't help but think that he felt different from before. Rushed almost. His kiss was possessive rather than passionate and it made me wonder whether he was really that greedy. His lips never left mine as his hands moved down my sides, and then disappeared underneath my top, working their up. His impatient squeezing startled me a bit. Then I noticed how quiet he was. Not only had he not said anything, he hadn't even uttered a moan, not even a gasp. As I knew him, he was always full of life in everything he did, including in passion. I remembered well the sounds coming from him the last time we were together like this. Something was wrong. Suddenly, the lips on mine felt truly different. Harder, colder. The arms my fingers were digging into were thicker, less refined. The palms roaming my body were softer, less battle-hardened than I remembered. And I remembered them well. This...This wasn't Reno. A squeal left me when I heard a deep chuckle in response to my sudden hesitation. I pushed the person who I now knew was not Reno off me, and rolled off the bed. While tugging my top back down, my hand flew to the light-button, illuminating the room in soft yellow light.

"Rufus!" I yelled at him in utter shock and anger when I saw him standing there in his pajama pants. It hung so low on his hips he deserved a penalty for indecent behavior. Speaking of indecent behavior, "What the hell are you doing!" I hissed at him, trying hard not to wake up the entire house. "Get out!" I yanked the covers off my bed to hide up the fact I was in lingerie and a suddenly too fitted tank top. His lingering eyes on me were making me uneasy.

He laughed coldly, an amused grin on his sneering lips. "I was just having a bit of fun. I didn't hear you complaining. However, I did hear you-"

"Get out of my room!" I picked up my boot from beside my bed and threw it at him like a knife. He knocked it aside easily, the muscles in his bare chest rippling under white, porcelain skin. "If you don't get out right now, I swear I will hurt you." I warned him dangerously, narrowing my eyes. I had never been so outraged in my life. The audacity of this arrogant little venomous prince, to just crawl into bed with me and pretending to be someone else, while he knew I didn't want him. I felt like I was going to be sick. The door to my bedroom flew open, banging against the wall. Ollie barged inside half naked, baseball bat in his hands, ready for action.

"Yes!" I called to him in relief. "Do it!"

Ollie's eye roamed about the room, and I saw Eva hiding in the hallway just around the corner, peeping into the room. "What's going on?" Ollie asked confusedly.

"Hit him!" I urged him.

"Eden! I'm not gonna knock the President in the noggin'!"

Rufus smiled, his confidence nauseating me further. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Eden." He walked himself out of the room backwards, blue eyes never leaving me, before finally leaving for his own bedroom. Other doors opened down the hallway, and Rufus easily blended in with the confused, sleepy Turks.

"Is everything all right?" I heard Tseng ask from the end of the hallway.

"Dunno," Reno replied from around the corner. "What's goin' on?" He appeared in the doorway, also naked from the waist up. Really not what I needed right now. Rude followed in a similar fashion, for once not wearing his shades and looking taunt, right there to protect me. I felt gratified at their quick appearance, all of them, though I had seen plenty of male skin for the rest of the year.

Ollie was still standing there with his bat, though the threat was long gone. "Uh.."

"Nothing," I quickly said, hugging the blankets around myself. "I had a nightmare, that's all." I'd never flat out lied to him before, but I knew, if this came out, if he ever found out about this... It wouldn't be pretty. I felt he might be conflicted, since he obviously devoted his life to Rufus. But at the same time Rufus seemed completely indifferent to Reno's feelings. Yes, he'd stepped down, but that didn't mean he would enjoy the fact that Rufus was making me into one of his personal conquests. Besides, that was before. Things were good between us again. Turning his back on Rufus is something I couldn't imagine him ever doing, but what would this knowledge do to him? And just when we were doing so well.

"Still with the nightmares, babe?" Reno asked sincerely.

I shivered, and not from cold. This new development weighed heavy on my heart. "Just the one," I averted my gaze to the wall, trying hard not to think about the way his physique was calling to me. My body and senses hadn't yet fully accepted the fact that I had rejected Rufus. "I'm all right. Now, can we please remove all the bare chests from my room, this isn't a harem."

There it was again, that devilish smirk he wore like a favorite pair of boots.