TWENTY-THREE

"Hey, Cloud. Thought you'd be out here."

That was Jessie. Her voice rose up behind me as she strode outside, her boots thudding on the wooden planks of the deck, but it was quiet, almost somber. I stood at the railing, the Seventh Heaven behind me. It had been three days since the mission at the 7-6 Annex and our escape back to the slums. Tomorrow was Reactor 5.

It was early evening, the daylight starting to fade as Jessie came up alongside me and put her hands on the rail. She'd finished up the bomb yesterday afternoon while I'd been out on patrol with Biggs and Wedge clearing out eaters and wererats. Biggs had started coming with us after the Reactor 1 mission now that Lena was back on her feet. Apparently, he was part of the neighborhood watch too, just like Wedge. He'd taken time away from it to look after his sister, though.

While we'd been out today, Biggs had told me a little about her and had explained why she'd been so sick. It was the mako fumes that hung in the air in so many places here in the slums. Some people were more sensitive to them than others, and Lena—from what Biggs and Wedge had said—was particularly vulnerable to them.

She'd been that way ever since she was a child, and the fumes made her so ill at times that she'd be stuck in bed for days. They had a way of moving, floating through the air, so simply avoiding them wasn't easy. This time had been particularly bad, Biggs had explained. Normally, it didn't take her too long to recover. But the mako must've gotten inside her more deeply this time, tearing at her system.

It had been weeks before Lena had begun to feel better and strong enough to be up and about. That hadn't been long before the Reactor 1 mission. Now that I thought about it, I realized I'd seen her cough now and then and rub at her chest. Even when she was well, it still lingered. No wonder Biggs worried about her. Wedge too, no doubt. There were some people, they'd said, that had suffered mako poisoning so severe it had left them in a coma, alive but unable to wake up.

That was what had happened to Biggs' and Lena's mom. She'd been sensitive to the mako fumes as well, every bit as much as her daughter, and had simply never woken up. Biggs had just gone in one day to find her dead. And he was afraid the same thing would happen to Lena one day if Shinra wasn't stopped and the reactors shut down. That was why he'd signed on with Barret years ago.

Having endured losses of my own, I thought I understood him and Wedge a little better now. Maybe they weren't so bad after all. I found I wanted to help them out, for Lena's sake. She was back in Sector 5 now, working at the orphanage and clearing away monsters, and I thought I knew why she stayed there so much. From what I'd heard, the air was a little cleaner over there and the fumes weren't as big or as thick, at least not in the more populated areas.

I glanced at Jessie. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Let's just get this done."

"You okay?" I asked.

Jessie shook her head. "No, not really. Can't say as I am. But I don't wanna talk about it out in the open."

"Then let's get goin'," I said. "Tell me when we get there."

Now that the bomb was finished, we had to hide it. Jessie and I had gone over the blueprints with Barret earlier this afternoon to pick out a place. After poring over them for an hour and talking about it, we had decided to put the bomb inside a small interior storage room above the network of suspended platforms that made up the Sector 4 underplate. It was also near the back entrance to Reactor 5.

Jessie and I were going to do this mission alone. It was more about stealth than fighting, and we didn't expect to see much action. We were gonna take the Hardy and drive it through the Corkscrew Tunnel up to the plate. According to the blueprints, there were service ducts that led from the tunnel to the underplate.

Jessie and I had already picked the one we were going to use. Once we got inside, we'd head across the platforms until we got to the storage room. It was at the top of a ladder and acted as a sort of hub with a few other exits, one of which led to the area outside Reactor 5. Jessie would then hide the bomb inside the wall, and tomorrow we would pick it up on the way in. All there was to it.

Walking down the short flight of stairs to the ground, we made our way to the right side of the Seventh Heaven, where I'd parked the Hardy earlier. Jessie was unusually quiet as she got on behind me, sliding onto the leather seat without a word. And I thought I knew why. As the days had gone by and we'd gotten closer to taking out Reactor 5, she'd grown more and more anxious and depressed.

Jessie had tried to hide it behind a smile and her typically cheerful demeanor, but I knew her well enough by now that I'd seen the pain in her eyes. She was a good actress and had fooled most of the others. But not me. I had a pretty good idea of what was eating her up inside, and I was sure it had been going on for a while now.

Over the past week, she had taken to watching the news whenever more reports came in about the Reactor 1 bombing. And they'd always include footage of what was left of it, a smoldering, smoking ruin, and the damage the explosion had caused to Sector 8. The number of dead and wounded always seemed to be going up as time went on, and Jessie had seemed to wilt a little more every time the counts were updated. I'd told her not to watch, but she wouldn't listen.

After I gunned the engine to life, we rode the bike quietly through the slums, the motor humming steadily as I drove. Jessie put her hands on either side of my waist as we passed into the outskirts, but she didn't say anything. She had carefully put the bomb inside one of the Hardy's storage compartments earlier when we had ridden over to the bar from her workshop, and I was sure it was on her mind.

We drove past the pillar complex without slowing down or looking at it. Although I hadn't dreamed about Jessie's death up there since our second night together the day of our picnic, I hadn't forgotten about it. Not once. Or my promise to save her from that fate. I wouldn't let what I'd seen become real. I wouldn't.

The trip through the Corkscrew Tunnel was fortunately uneventful as we made our way topside. We passed a train going the other way but didn't slow down. Jessie had made everyone a new ID by now, and they seemed to be holding up alright. Well, she hadn't finished mine yet, so I was still using my old one. I only hoped they'd hold out for the return trip back to the slums later on.

I'd brought Buster with me this time, and I drove the bike with my right hand while holding my sword in my left. As we neared Sector 4, I kept an eye out for the entrance leading to the underplate. Jessie found it first, patting me on the shoulder and pointing a short distance ahead of us and to our left. I saw it, nodded, and started to slow down. When we got close enough, I brought the Hardy to a stop.

I parked our motorcycle next to a small hatch set in the wall at the top of a short metal ladder. Killing the engine, I got off the Hardy while Jessie did likewise, shouldering Buster while she opened up the storage bay on the lefthand side and took out a dark gray backpack. Inside was the bomb and the remote detonator she'd made for it.

"This way," she pointed to the hatch.

I climbed up the ladder first with Jessie following close behind me, her backpack on her shoulders. When I got to the hatch, I opened it up and slid into a narrow service duct that went straight ahead for a dozen feet or so before hitting a dead end.

The place was a tight fit, but we managed. A second ladder was set into the floor at the far end, and we climbed down into another, longer tunnel. Jessie and I followed it for a little while until it opened out onto the series of suspended platforms that formed the Sector 4 underplate. They were fenced in by high metal railings, and here and there, we saw the huge lamps that were used to create the illusion of day and night in the slums lying far below us.

They were turned low at this hour in Shinra's imitation of starlight, and the only other illumination came from a few small lamps scattered here and there, mounted on the corners of the railings. The real sky, all but blotted out by the plate, stretched away to either side of us, dark in the night as mako fumes swirled in the air underneath us. It was a long way down to the slums from here.

A few more ladders stretched up to the underside of the plate, and I followed Jessie across the platforms to the one we were looking for. It led to a hatch that opened into another duct. We went inside, following it to the storage room. Shelves full of maintenance equipment lined the walls, and another narrow tunnel led away off to the left. Reactor 5 was in that direction. And in the back of the room was a third duct leading to another part of the underplate.

The room's ceiling was pretty low, only a foot or so above my head. Barret would barely fit in here. It was cramped but quiet as Jessie and I walked across the metal floor. The overhead lights were dim, but it was still enough for me to see her grim expression as she slid her backpack off her shoulders, unzipped it, and took out the bomb.

After gazing at it for a long moment, Jessie sighed and put it down on the floor along with her backpack. Then she went to the wall in the back right corner, took a small spanner from her belt pouch, and pried off one of the large steel panels. There was a thicket of pipes, wires, and metal beams inside. Picking up the bomb, she carefully nestled it in its hiding spot along with the detonator, putting them in a cluster of thick cables. Then she used her little spanner to fit the panel back into place on the wall before returning it to her belt pouch. After that, she slowly stood up, her eyes dropping to the floor.

"All set," Jessie murmured.

I walked over to her. "Ready to talk?"

She looked away. "No. But I… I can't keep this in for much longer. It's tearing me up inside, Cloud. What happened with Reactor 1. It was my fault. So many people dead… because of me…"

"You don't know that," I argued.

"Yes, I do!" Jessie insisted, her eyes meeting mine now. "I didn't tell you, didn't tell anyone, but… when I made that first bomb, I used more C4 than the directions called for. I wanted to make sure it worked, you see. And it did. You bet your ass it did…"

I shook my head. "Even so, you didn't set out to hurt anyone."

She turned around, her voice thick with sorrow. "Good intentions, Cloud… that's the path to hell, remember?"

"Jessie…" I said.

Reaching behind her, she slowly pulled her gun out of her belt. She held it in her hands, the barrel lying across her palm as her chest began to hitch. I didn't understand what she was doing at first, but then as she faced me again, tears sliding down her cheeks, I knew. Trembling with guilt and shame, Jessie lifted the gun, pointing it at her temple, and my eyes widened in disbelief.

"What the hell are you doing!?" I demanded.

"I'm a murderer, Cloud!" Jessie sobbed. "Ever since Reactor 1 went up, I've tried to bury myself in you, my work, my friends… anything to keep from thinking about what I did. But it's waiting for me every time I close my eyes. I see it every night. The fire, devastation… death. And it's all… it's all because of me…"

I held out my hand. "Give me the gun, Jessie. Killing yourself won't bring back the people who died."

She curled her finger around the trigger. "No, it won't. But they can rest easier if… if the one who took their lives… is dead. I'm guilty, and there's gotta be justice. I made this bomb weaker, so it should only take out the core this time and nothing else. But that won't help the people I killed with the first one. I… I have to pay up."

"You don't wanna do this," I said. "I know you don't."

"How can you be so sure?" Jessie sniffled.

I stepped a little closer to her. "Because if you did, you'd have done it by now. This isn't the way. I don't know what is, but we'll figure it out. Together. Just don't do this, alright?"

"It's not just about Reactor 1, Cloud," she whispered.

"What else, then?" I asked.

More tears leaked from her eyes. "When I was at Shinra, they took my work, my dreams, and twisted them. Used them to kill and destroy. There was an incident in Reactor 3. A lot of innocent people died. And my creations, my work, made it possible. There was also a whole town, destroyed by Shinra, using weapons I supplied. I didn't know they were gonna be used that way, but it's because of me that the troops had them in the first place. So it's still my fault."

"No, Jessie," I told her. "That was Shinra, not you."

"But I should've known better! I shouldn't have trusted Scarlet! I… I was her assistant, Cloud. Her protégé."

I blinked. "The head of Weapons Development?"

"Yeah," Jessie said. "That's her. That bitch tried to make me just like her. And if it hadn't been for my friends, she might've succeeded. After I found out what she'd done, how she'd changed my designs and turned them into killing machines instead of tools for protecting people, I got outta there and left Shinra for good."

"You couldn't have known what she'd do," I argued.

She wept. "Yes, I could have! I knew the kind of person she was the moment I met her. But I didn't listen to my instincts because I thought I could handle her and get her to see things my way. I was so stupid, so damn naive! And hundreds of people have paid the price for it over the years, Cloud. It… it's my fault they're dead…"

How could she think that? "She'd have done the same thing even if you hadn't been there, Jessie. You've gotta know that."

"Maybe. But I was there. When I joined Avalanche, I wanted to use my skills to help people, to make up for what I'd done at Shinra. But… I've done so much worse instead. It's all happening again. I just… I just can't take it anymore! I try to make things better, but I end up screwing them up even more instead."

I moved a step closer to her. "You've gotta let it go."

She hesitated. "I… I don't know, Cloud. I don't know what to do. It just hurts so much… seeing the blood on my hands, knowing what I've done. So if I'm supposed to die anyway, then… might as well get it over with. It… it's the only way… I can atone…"

"What about the others, the friends who helped you get where you are? I don't know the full story, but you couldn't have come all this way alone. You think they'd want you to do this? Must've taken a lot of risk and sacrifice for them to help you."

Her grip on the gun wavered. "It did. And… they wouldn't. I know that. I just… feel so terrible…"

"Jessica…" I urged her. "Stay with us. With me."

For several agonizingly long seconds, she just stood there, the gun still pointed at her head as she gazed at me through her tear-filled eyes. I couldn't breathe, but I forced myself to stay calm. It was the only way to bring her back. Although I was sorely tempted to try to grab the gun from her, I didn't. I knew it wouldn't help.

And then, Jessie finally lowered her arm, the gun slipping from her fingers to clatter onto the floor. Her knees buckled after that as if they'd become unhinged, and a moment later she was in my arms, sobbing as she clung tightly to me. I held her, letting her vent her guilt and grief as long as she needed. Gently, I pulled Jessie down to the floor, and we sat together against the wall as she cried.

Eventually, she wore herself out, but she didn't move. Neither did I, and we just sat there together for a while, her head on my shoulder and our arms around each other. We didn't say anything, not at first. It was enough for us just to be there. The quiet was calming, and I didn't want to break it, not yet. I felt like Jessie needed it, at least for now. Her heart was beating fast and hard, as if she were a frightened rabbit, and it took some time for it to finally slow down.

She looked up at me, her eyes red and her face wet. "Am I… am I a bad person, Cloud?"

"No," I insisted. "You're not."

"How do you know?" Jessie sniffled.

I gazed at her. "You wouldn't have asked me that if you were."

"But I…" she protested.

I shook my head and gently squeezed her shoulder. "A bad person wouldn't care, Jessie. You do. All there is to it. You wouldn't be hurting so much otherwise."

"Thanks, Cloud," Jessie wiped her face as she hugged me. "You're a really sweet guy, you know that?"

"I am?" I wondered.

She nodded. "Damn right you are. The best. Do you… still wanna be with me? I'm pretty messed up. So I'll understand if… if you say no. It's alright. Don't worry about hurting my feel–"

I cut her off with my lips, covering my mouth with hers before she could finish what she'd been saying. Jessie didn't move at first, shocked as she was by what I'd done, but then she returned the kiss, pressing me against her as she held her lips against mine. It still made my heart race and set my blood on fire.

Eventually, she pulled away, gazing at me in wonder. And then she gave me a small smile. "Thank you…"

"Sure. I'm gonna stay close to you," I reminded her.

"Guess I'm stuck with ya, then," Jessie chuckled.

I smirked. "You bet. I–"

"Cloud?" she asked. "What is it?"

My eyes widened. "Jessie… you told me you were supposed to die. Did you… hear me that night? What I said?"

She kissed me again. "Every word, Cloud. Every word."

"But you were asleep…" I stared at her.

"Was I?" Jessie winked.

Then I understood. "You were awake the whole time, weren't you? You were just pretending to sleep."

She laughed. "Yep! I was an actress, you know."

"But why?" I wondered.

"When I woke up and saw you sitting there that night, you seemed so sad, even though you tried to hide it. I wanted to help, but I figured you probably wouldn't tell me about it. You're still not used to opening up, after all. So I decided to play sleeping beauty for a while and hoped you'd say something. Looks like I was right."

I just gaped at her, still stunned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jessie touched my cheek. "I was… overwhelmed, Cloud. It was all I could do not to sit up right there, hug you as tight as I could, and never let go. What you said… it made me so happy. But I knew you thought I didn't know, and I wasn't sure how you'd feel if you found out I did. So I just pretended I hadn't heard. I didn't wanna embarrass you. Or make you feel uncomfortable. Sorry if I did."

"You didn't," I assured her. "Just surprised me, that's all."

"So, what you saw that night… it was in the pillar, wasn't it? That's why you made me promise not to go there."

I looked down. "Yeah. I… I don't wanna lose you."

Jessie took my chin, gently tilted my face back up, and touched her lips to mine. "You won't, Cloud. For while there, I… I thought I wanted to die. To make up for what I did. I still feel awful about it. But now… I think you were right. Maybe there's another way. So we'll change what's gonna happen to me. Because I have to live."

"To atone," I said.

She nodded. "Yeah, that's right. So, um… can I ask you something? It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it, though."

I didn't mind. "Go ahead."

"Why'd you leave SOLDIER?" Jessie wondered.

Leaning back against the wall, my arm still around her, I didn't say anything at first. It wasn't something I talked about very often. Tifa had asked me once, and I'd told her, but no one else. She'd been there, after all, when it had all gone down. She'd been a part of it, a victim as much as I had been. I wasn't surprised Jessie had asked me about it, though. I only wondered why it had taken her so long.

I sighed. "I joined up because I wanted to be a famous hero. But by the time I got in, the war with Wutai was over. They didn't need heroes anymore. Wasn't what I thought it was. Just… keeping the peace. Until I went out on a mission to Nibelheim, my hometown. Just your typical small village in the middle of nowhere."

"What happened?" she prodded gently.

"It's a long story, but basically… it was a disaster. Went out there to investigate the nearby reactor because it was malfunctioning. Monsters were attacking the down because of it. We killed them and repaired the reactor, but we also uncovered its secrets."

Jessie blinked. "We?"

"Oh, me and Sephiroth," I explained. "We served together."

"Sephiroth? I heard he died…"

I shook my head. "That's the official story, but no one knows what really happened. Not even me. And I was there…"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Because of what we found in the reactor, he went mad. Destroyed the whole town. Burned it to the ground. Nearly killed Tifa, too. I went after him, but… I can't remember what happened. How it ended. Why I'm still alive. I don't understand…"

For a while, Jessie didn't say anything. She'd been startled when I'd mentioned Sephiroth, and now she was frowning, lost in thought, as if something was bothering her. She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it again and looked away. Maybe she was just trying to take it all in, what I'd told her, but I wasn't sure.

Then she finally spoke. "You know, I'm not surprised he did that. I actually met him once. Just for a moment."

"You did?" I stared at her.

"Back when I was at Shinra. It was just in passing, really. But it was enough, believe me. He seemed… very cold. Distant. I remember I was afraid of him. Now I see it was justified."

It was. "That's right, you were there for years, weren't you? You said that on the train. Since before Nibelheim, then. Funny you and I never met in those days, but like I told you before, I didn't work at the Shinra Building. At least, not that I can remember…"

Jessie smiled. "Yeah, I'd definitely know if I'd seen you there. You're way too cute to forget. And I'm a sucker for bright blue eyes. They just make me go weak in the knees, you know?"

"Lucky me," I said.

"Lucky us," she corrected, kissing me.

For a while, Jessie and I just sat there together in the storage room, our lips locking and unlocking as we held each other. Her mouth swept passionately over mine, sending my heart thudding into my ribs. Moist kisses sent live current sizzling under my skin as her tongue slid softly but insistently around mine and our hands slid over each other as heat began to build between us.

Jessie pulled away for a moment. "Cloud?"

"Yeah, Jessie," I met her fierce gaze. "What is it?"

"I know this probably isn't the most ideal place, but… we're alone, and I… I need you right now…"

I looked at her. "You mean… that? Here?"

"I do," she whispered, her forehead touching mine. "And yes, here. If… if you don't mind, that is. I need you to take the pain away, Cloud. At least for a little while. Make me feel alive."

I nodded, and when her mouth covered mine again, I gently pulled her to the floor and returned her kisses, letting her unfasten Buster and my harness as I did. I shrugged them off and pushed them aside as she began nibbling at my ear. It tingled, sending a shiver through my body, but it felt good, too. My hands drifted to the buckles on her armor, and she sat up to help me get her out of it.

When that was done, Jessie reached into her backpack, took out an old blanket, and started unfolding it. I helped her lay it out on the cold metal floor, and I was amused to see her straighten it so it was nice and flat. She did have an eye for detail, but I hadn't realized it went that far. I didn't really mind, though.

"Lucky you had that," I noted, pulling off my boots.

She laughed. "I keep a lot of stuff in there. Never know what you'll end up needing. Why else do you think it's so full?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You're a real pack rat, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged," Jessie smirked.

"At least we'll be comfortable," I said, sliding my gloves off. I tucked them into my boots. "You always been that way?"

She tugged off her own gear. "No. But I learned to be."

I sat down next to her on the blanket. "When you left the plate?"

"Yeah," Jessie said. "Second time I lost everything. After I'd been in the slums a while, I started packing a few things away. A little at a time, here and there. An emergency kit, you might say. Just in case I ever had to leave in a hurry. If… if I lost it all again…"

"You won't," I promised.

She kissed me. "You're right, Cloud. I won't."

I wrapped Jessie in my arms, heat and hunger both rising in me as I moved my mouth against hers, and when her fingers roamed over my shirt, I let her pull it over my head and toss it aside. Then I swallowed, doing the same with her chain shirt before lightly pushing her onto the blanket and laying on top of her.

This hadn't been part of the mission plan, but I didn't care. Neither did Jessie. She needed me, needed what I could give her, to let her lose herself in passion and pleasure for a while and forget about everything else. We still had a long trip back to the slums ahead of us, but this was something I knew we had to do.

"You were my shelter once, Jessie," I murmured. "Now it's my turn. Just let loose. Do whatever you have to do. Shout if you have to. There's nobody here but us. Get it all out, alright?"

She pressed me against her. "I will, but… I need you to promise me something, Cloud."

"Name it," I told her.

"Don't stop. Just keep going 'till we hit the promised land. Take me there, alright? And don't hold back. I need it hard tonight, hard as you can make it. You're so sweet when you're gentle with me, but right now I really need you to go at it with all you've got."

I touched her cheek. "You sure? I don't want to hurt you."

"Positive," Jessie kissed me. "I know that you've never gone that far before. But I'm a big girl. I'll be fine. It's just… all the pain and guilt, all the shame and sadness… I need you to ram them away, so that all I feel inside me is you. And don't let go."

I did as she asked, holding onto her as we explored each other and took off the rest of our clothes, the physical tension growing with every piece we tossed aside. Jessie's mewlings and moans were louder than I'd heard her go before, and I knew she wasn't holding back. Her nails dug into me as I got her ready, touching, stroking, and caressing her in her most intimate places with more than just my fingers until she'd opened up to me like the flower I had given her.

Then it was my turn as I let Jessie flip me over once I had brought my mouth back to hers again. She held me firmly against her, pressing me to her so hard I thought I might suffocate. Not a bad way to go, lost in her kiss like that. But she relaxed just enough to let me breathe for a moment before thrusting her tongue back into my mouth. Mine found it and danced with it, sending sharp flashes of heat surging through my body and making it ache for hers even more.

After pulling away with a gasp, Jessie let her mouth drift down the side of my jaw and neck before going further, her small hands roaming lightly across my chest as she trailed kisses across my skin. A long, soft sigh escaped my mouth at the things she did, and when she continued her descent and firmly took hold of what was waiting for her, I was the one moaning this time. I buried my fingers in her hair as my head sank back on the blanket and Jessie got to work.

She didn't bring me all the way, though. Just as I hadn't brought her to the peak, either. But her touches, kisses, and attention were all that I needed to get me ready for her. I laid there and let her work her magic on me, my eyes closed and my mouth slightly open.

When Jessie finally let go, my eyes slid open again as I sat up, took her in my arms, kissed her passionately, and pushed her back onto the blanket. Then, while my lips still locked with hers, I eased my way into her. Jessie moaned in delight as she wrapped her legs around my waist and her hands gripped my shoulders.

"You remember… what I told you?" she breathed.

I nodded. "No holding back. Goes for you, too, Jessie."

She kissed me. "Right. Make me soar, Cloud. Make me fly. Take me all the way to the promised land."

I held Jessie close as I started moving, slowly and steadily at first to get things going. But it wasn't long before I picked up speed, faster and faster as she joined in. Between fiery kisses, our breathing was hot and very heavy, neither of us putting a cap on the noise we were making. It went on and on, our bodies merging together, sweating and trembling. In the dimness of that little storage room, our passion escalated higher than I'd ever thought possible.

Jessie clung tightly to me as if I was a life preserver that could keep her from drowning. And maybe I was. As the heat and fire between us grew and grew, she went through a roller coaster of emotions. Nothing was held back. She cried, tears spilling from her eyes again as guilt tore through her over deaths her bomb had caused, the massive destruction it had wrought in her former home.

She experienced bouts of anger as well. Not at me, but at herself, at Shinra, at Scarlet, and at her father. She took her hands in the midst of it and started pounding my shoulders, lost for a moment in her rage at those who had hurt her so badly for so long. Then, only a second later, she snapped out of it, her eyes wide.

"Cloud!" Jessie gasped. "I… I'm so sorry! I… I didn't mean…"

I kissed her as I kept going. "It's fine. Don't… you worry… about it. Just do… what you've gotta do…"

She covered her mouth with mine. "Thank you…"

After that, Jessie lapsed into fear. Not panic, but a dread over what her actions might bring about. Her soft, frightened whispers told me it had been bothering her for a long time now, the same worries as Tifa. I wasn't surprised, and I held her close and moved with her. She was also afraid of her father, that he might somehow find her again after all this time and destroy her life like he had before.

Through it all, I was there. I kept on going, never letting up. I went even faster, pushing myself as hard as I could for as long as I could. She held on, her eyes closed at first as she rode out the storm, but then as I rammed her to the hilt again and again, breathing her name and telling her I was there, her eyes flew open and her face lit up.

Jessie's grip on me grew even tighter, her fingers clamping into my arms as her voice rose up in a long, loud groan of pleasure and she left the turbulence and heartache behind. She was in calm waters now, her face a picture of tranquility and happiness. I could feel her body under me, quivering with tension, and as her cries suddenly intensified along with my own, I knew we were close.

"Clo… Cloud!" Jessie panted, volts of current bursting between us with every strike. She was at the brink now, her brown eyes wider than I'd ever seen them. "I… I… I love… I love… I love you!"

As if what she'd just said had set it off, my body jumped toward the edge as well, my nerve endings sizzling in eager anticipation as I let out a gasp of my own. "J-Jessica…!"

A second later, we hit the promised land.

My own cry was loud enough, and with Jessie's legs clamped firmly around me, I just let go inside of her in an explosion of blazing fire and held onto her as tightly as she held me. But when Jessie came, her voice was like thunder. She didn't just gasp or cry out. She screamed. It was a shout of pure ecstasy, pleasure, and bliss.

Jessie arched her back, bucking her hips against me in the midst of her climax and burying her nails so deeply into my shoulders I thought they would bleed. If her deafening shout of joy and sensual delight had been a bomb, it would've flattened half the city.

She screamed long and loud, all through the aftershocks, her body trembling with release just as mine was. When her voice finally drifted off, Jessie grabbed my head on both sides and smashed her lips against mine, kissing me over and over again. We clung to each other through it all, panting and out of breath, our bodies slick with sweat as I moved my mouth against hers until the heat had subsided.

"Cloud…" Jessie breathed. "That… that was… incredible…"

"It sure… sounded like it," I quipped.

She grinned, ear to ear, and laughed, happier than she'd been lately. And as I laid down next to her on the blanket and she curled up to me, I let myself laugh along with her. It was just us here, and I knew I could let my guard down a little in this place. We kept at it, Jessie beaming at the sight of me sharing her mirth.

"Would you look at that?" Jessie teased. "Cloud Strife, laughing his head off! Who'd have thought?"

I chuckled. "It's all your fault, Jessie."

She giggled. "Oh, sure. Blame me, why don't ya?"

"If you say so," I agreed.

We kept on laughing together, our eyes on each other. It was weird but oddly relaxing at the same time, almost infectious. Maybe, after all we'd been through lately, it was a chance for us to unwind and get rid of some of the tension we'd been carrying around. Especially for Jessie. As she laid there with me, the weight seemed to fall off her shoulders a bit. This little room had become a sanctuary, a safe place for us, for her. We weren't in any rush to leave it.

Our laughter echoed in there for a long time.