Chapter 35

At Rufus' announcement, a general uproar exploded. Several people were trying to talk at once, including Genesis, Sephiroth, and Veld. Though Rufus was just sitting back and watching it all with a smirk. Kris was trying to get everyone to stop so they could talk it out, but no one was willing to listen. At least not until her eyes widened and she ran off to the other side of the helicopter. All of the men suddenly stopped talking at once, and the sound of retching could be heard in the silence.

Genesis and Zack both rushed to where Kris had gone, but the rest of the men stood there uncomfortably. When the three of them finally returned, none of them could look in her eyes except for Reno. He tried to look sympathetic, but his words were anything but. "You know, that's kinda gross."

Before he could say anything else, Kris pinned him with a glare. "So sorry. Why don't you try growing an entire human inside you? It isn't exactly the easiest thing to deal with jackass. I can imagine that you wouldn't even be able to handle the everyday pain."

The redhead took a step back and put both hands up. "Woah there. Commander Cranky rubbin' off on ya?"

Genesis glared at him, but Kris just huffed. She already felt bad for snapping at her friend since his attitude was expected. "Sorry, just don't go on about it. I wished to god I could keep stuff down enough already, as it is."

Reno patted her shoulder awkwardly, even though Genesis was glaring hard enough to kill. Kris ignored the look as she took advantage of the silence and turned to Rufus. "I have no objections about going to Nibelheim, but there are a couple of requests I have. Could we negotiate?"

Rufus raised a brow at her. She was full of one surprise after another. He smirked slightly before he answered. "You do realize you don't have much leverage here?"

She returned the look with one of her own. "Really? Because I thought I was the one with most of the big picture. You could always dismiss it, of course, but you and I both know that is not the wisest course of action. Is it worth it if I'm right?"

Rufus didn't speak for several moments. When it looked like Veld would in his stead, he held up a hand. He gave Kris a slight nod of his head. "I'm listening."

She gave him a respectful nod in return. "I won't ask much. I would like to be able to stop at a doctor. Junon should have sufficient enough facilities since we will be passing through there. I would also like to request to stop for a day in Gongaga. We have to pass close to there anyway, so it should not add much to our time."

Rufus looked her over for a moment before his gaze turned to Genesis. Her fiancé looked like he was ready to kill someone, but he didn't get to speak before the Vice-President turned back to Kris. "Those are reasonable requests. I don't see why we can't accommodate you. Especially as it might benefit us all given your condition."

A frown flitted across Kris' face, but she smoothed it away before she answered. "Thank you. The only other thing I would like to suggest is that Commander Hewley not be allowed to accompany us."

As soon as the words left her mouth, there was another uproar. Kris sighed at how stubborn these men could be. She wasn't impressed when Rufus managed to get everyone's attention when he shot a round into the air. All eyes turned to the young future-president. Despite the many glares, he turned to Kris with a frown. "I am unsure why you feel the need to exclude him specifically, but I cannot allow it. Too much is at stake if anyone outside this group were to find out. For now, we all travel together, or not at all."

Kris was not happy with his response, but she already knew it was likely to be the one request he denied. She gave him a nod. "I understand. If that is settled, then will we be on our way?"

Rufus smirked. "Yes. No point in delaying anything." He turned back to the rest of his Turks as he addressed Veld. "I would like Commander Rhapsodos and Miss Fair to ride with us, as well as Tseng. Reno and Rude can fly in the other helo."

Genesis looked like he was about to object, but Kris put a hand on his arm. His glare transferred to her, but at least he kept his voice low. "We cannot trust them."

Kris sighed. He wasn't wrong, but she knew when to fight certain battles, and when to concede. "Maybe, but fighting him on this is pointless. Just keep your guard up, and it will be fine."

She didn't give him a chance to continue arguing as she turned to Rufus once again. "I will need to gather a few things if you don't mind. It should help keep the nausea down."

The only indication of Rufus' discomfort at her reminder was a slight loss of color. He still graciously gestured to the helicopter they came in. "By all means, get what you need. We will leave in thirty minutes. That should be enough time to get situated?"

Kris nodded before she turned to see the other three Soldiers were not happy with her either. She tried to give them all smiles. "I apologize for that, but it needed to happen."

Sephiroth sighed as he finally nodded. "I understand. I still don't like it, but I will not argue. You had valid points."

Angeal stepped forward with a wry smile as well. "I suppose I understand why you don't want me to go to where the crazy alien is, but don't worry. We'll make sure we have a plan."

Kris didn't doubt that for a minute. It was the fact that plans always had a way of falling apart that she didn't care for. At least Angeal wasn't hurt by her words. She tried to give him a smile in return. "I'm sure it will all work out."

Angeal patted her shoulder and let Zack give her a hug before they both went back to the other chopper. She was just glad her brother didn't put up more of a fight at the arrangements. She already had enough to deal with given Genesis' attitude.

Since Rufus had given them a half-hour, Kris went ahead and made a cup of tea. At least she could sip it while they traveled if nothing else. It wasn't long afterward that both helicopters were in the air and headed west.

It was an incredibly cranky group that flew into Junon a few days later. None more so than Kris. She had not been allowed to rest as much, and it showed. Rufus had been too interested in finding out more. She wasn't shocked by that fact, but it still made travel even more miserable than it had been before.

Even with frayed tempers, there was a small group headed through the city almost as soon as both choppers landed. Genesis wanted to find a doctor immediately, and Zack insisted on going as well. Rufus allowed it with the restriction that at least one of the Turks had to go with them, and Tseng could not be the one chosen. Not that Kris would have, but he was still under 'investigation' due to his role in the current debacle. Most of the group thought it was ridiculous, but they didn't have time to argue as they were only staying the day.

Reno ended up being the one sent. Kris thought that choice was even more biased than Tseng, since the redhead was a friend of the Fairs, but didn't mention it. At least it wasn't Veld. That man was still more than a little angry with her. Not that she was surprised by it. He probably would be until they got to Nibelheim, maybe even after.

Despite having a destination in mind, it still took the small group nearly an hour to get to the office. Kris almost walked right back out as soon as they entered. There was a room full of Shinra military. She wasn't given a chance to do more than think about it, as Genesis had immediately grabbed her arm. The rest of the people in the room jumped to attention with a salute. She repressed a sigh at the action since she should have expected it. It wasn't as though her fiancé was unknown.

It also did not shock her when he was able to bypass the queue and get her into a room almost immediately. She had seen him pull rank before, so she didn't even bother saying anything. She also knew the rest of their group was waiting, so she bit her tongue.

When the doctor finally entered the room, Kris felt for him. He froze when he saw Genesis, but frowned at the sight of her. At least he was polite when he turned to Genesis. "Commander Rhapsodos, it's a pleasure to see you in my clinic. I still must advise you that I don't normally treat civilians."

Genesis pinned the man with a glare. "Be that as it may, we are short on time, and it is imperative that my fiancé is checked."

The doctor lifted a brow as he looked at Kris. She gave him a tentative smile and tried to ignore the fact that she could already see the cogs turning in his head. She knew without having to ask that the news that Genesis was engaged would be out by the end of the day. She pushed the thought aside since it was bound to happen sooner or later and instead focused on the questions she was being asked.

The doctor gestured for her to take a seat up on the exam table. "So, what issue are you having?"

Given the man's reaction to what Genesis already said, she really didn't want to tell him, but she knew there wasn't much choice. "Not an issue per se, but we have reason to believe I might be pregnant. We need to verify if that is the case, and make sure everything is alright if it is."

She cringed internally at the evaluating look he gave her, but she was thankful he didn't say what was on his mind. Instead, he turned to grab a few things, including a phlebotomy kit. He turned back with a smile as he gestured to the dark glasses she was wearing. "We'll draw some blood in a moment, but first, I would like to do a full exam. Could you remove those, please?"

Kris' hand shot up to the only thing hiding her strange eyes. She shook her head. "I can't take them off. I have a condition that makes it hard for my eyes without them."

The doctor frowned slightly, but his smile was back quickly. "I can turn down the light for a moment. I just need to check your reflexes."

Genesis stepped forward at that point. His frown had the other man taking more than a few steps back. "She said no. Move on."

Kris felt a little sympathetic when the doctor swallowed hard and gave Genesis a nod. "Of course." He then turned back to Kris. "Well, let's get that blood drawn so we can run some tests, and I'll check you over."

The rest of the exam was nearly silent except when the doctor had questions. Once he finished checking her over, he left the room. Kris was glad that she had insisted that Genesis be the only one to come back with her. It would have been extremely uncomfortable otherwise. While they waited, she watched Genesis pacing around the small room. She was thankful when the doctor returned. Her fiancé was about to drive her batty.

The doctor gave them both a grin when he entered. "Well, I am happy to confirm that, yes, you are pregnant. Since you couldn't remember your last period, I have had to go on what I could hear and measure. It looks as though you might be close to four months already. The only reason you aren't showing more is because you are underweight."

He paused and pulled two bottles out of his pocket to hand to her. "You are also slightly anemic. One of those is a vitamin with extra iron. The other is to help with nausea. I would still recommend that you rest as much as you can. The worst of it should pass in a few weeks."

Kris thanked him before they left, as did a grudging Genesis. Though Kris refused to say anything to the other two until they were out of the building and down the road. When Zack couldn't stand it any longer, he clasped his hands together and gave her a pleading look. "What happened? Is everything alright?"

Kris chuckled at his actions. "Yes, everything is fine. The baby seems to be progressing at the expected rate, given what Hollander told us. He also gave me something to keep my food down."

Zack grinned at her announcement. "Ah, yeah! I'm so excited to meet the little guy. How much longer do you think?"

Genesis was still not in a good mood, so he gave the boy a glare, but it was Reno that spoke up. "So another little Fair runnin' around, huh? That should make life interestin'."

Genesis' glare deepened. "No, A Rhapsodos. My child will not go through life without a proper last name."

Reno waved off his statement with a grin. "Whatever you say, Commander Cranky."

Kris was already done with all of them, but she knew she had to stop her fiancé before things got out of hand. She grabbed his arm and pointed toward the hotel where the rest were staying. "Look, we are almost there. Why don't you let me go up to the room? I'll take one of these and see if I can eat and then go to bed. I'm exhausted."

Genesis took a deep breath before he nodded to her. He was aware that part of it was her trying to keep him from losing his temper, but he also knew she was right. Now wasn't the time. Instead, he gently put a hand over hers on his arm. "I'll bring something up for you if you would like to relax with a bath. It would probably help."

Kris let out a sigh at the thought of bathing. She grinned up at Genesis. "That sounds like a great idea!" She then looked over at the other two. "Sorry, guys, but I will probably sleep for the rest of the day. Can you let everyone else know?"

Zack did not look thrilled with her choice, but he knew better than to argue. Reno just gave her a grin. "I'd be happy to let 'em know. You just let me handle that."

Kris' smile fell a little when she thought about his eagerness. She had no doubt that Rufus and Veld were not going to like it, which made Reno's pleasure in the idea even worse. Still, she wasn't going to change her mind. She needed the rest if they were going to be back on the road the next day.

She then gave Reno a smirk. "Try not to get killed in the process, okay? I don't want to feel responsible for your death."

Reno cackled as Genesis just frowned at them all again. He, thankfully, didn't say anything, though. Instead, he pulled Kris to the front desk and grabbed the key before he took her upstairs. He left her with instructions to relax before he left. Kris didn't need to be told twice. He was barely out the door before she was headed toward the bathing room and a nice long bath.

A/N: I know, another chapter finally! I apologize that this one is a bit shorter than normal, but the next scenes are all about homecoming. I also want to say a little about Rufus and Kris. He is still the young man that hasn't learned from his mistakes yet, and Kris still hasn't gotten a good hold on her temper. They will both come to respect each other more as things proceed, so don't worry. I have no reason to bash Rufus :) Anyway, I also wanted to let you all know that we are heading into the end of the story. We have maybe three to five chapters plus an epilogue. (I think). So, for now, thanks for reading and cheers!