Chapter 11

He shifted nervously, tugging at his collar and the uncomfortable tie. It wasn't his style by a long shot, but the lanky redhead couldn't find it in his heart to deny anything to her on this day. Looking at the beautiful brunette in her long white gown he couldn't help smiling, even while he clasped his hands together to hide their trembling.

She smiled back, sliding her arm around his as the music that was their cue rose up outside. "Calm down, Dad. Don't go getting twitchy and ruining this," she instructed, turning the sardonic smirk she had inherited against him.

"I am calm, bridezilla," Reno quipped back, a trace of that same trademark smirk surfacing as they stepped towards the opening doors in front of them.

As they stepped into the sunlight, memory washed over him forcefully. There were far more chairs set up around the Cosmo Candle than there had been for his own ceremony ten years earlier, but the atmosphere was the same. Nobody in the crowd was related by blood to either Tifa or Reno, but they were family nonetheless. Where there had once been a nervous ex-Turk waiting before the Candle next to Nanaki, a tall young bounty hunter with close-cropped blond hair was standing with much the same expression of anxiety and longing.

Yuffie's seven year old daughter Mikasa, who was named after Yuffie's deceased mother, and Elena's six year old Valeria stepped out into the aisle in front of them. They began scattering flower petals in their wake, as Marlene had done a decade before. A moment later, two equally young cousins of the groom stepped out, carefully carrying the rings on small pillows as they hurried to keep up with the frolicking flower girls. Reno chuckled as his energetic nieces nodded at each other and then broke into cartwheels while continuing to spread petals. That definitely hadn't been part of the plan, but he had never seen that pair get together without finding mischief. Looks weren't the only way they took after their mothers.

Just like the crowd of family and friends they were walking through, the wedding party was larger as well, with four men standing where Elena and Rude had been and four women in Yuffie and Nina's place. Walking the path Elder Wallace had trod previously, Reno fell deeper into memories, his mind dancing between his first friendly trip to Cosmo Canyon and the later trip to an orphanage. He was awakened from this reverie by a sharp elbow to the ribs and the realization that people were looking at him expectantly.

He winced. Like all of their children, she had been studying Zangan Ryu and his own variation of Soldier CQB since shortly after her adoption. He had no desire to feel her elbow in his newly sore ribs again, and even less desire to embarrass her. Icy panic clawed up his spine as his mind stubbornly remained blank and his eyes darted around in hope of inspiration.

Once again, he found salvation in a pair of warm burgundy eyes. Silently thanking Tseng for the lip-reading lessons so long ago, he repeated the words she was mouthing at him, "I present Artemis, my eldest daughter."

Tifa smiled with relief as her husband took her cue, releasing their daughter so she could ascend the steps to the Candle. After dabbing at her eyes once again with a handkerchief, Tifa reached up and took the dazed redhead by the hand. As she pulled him down into his seat beside her, their oldest son Kittan chuckled quietly. "Smooth, Dad," he whispered.

"Hey, just because you've moved out doesn't mean I can't send you running laps around the canyon again while the rest of us party at the reception," Reno quietly tossed back.

"Hush, both of you," his wife scolded in a whisper while wiping more tears from her eyes. It seemed only yesterday that the proud woman standing on the platform had been a timid ten year old girl with scraped knees and dirt on her face, sitting on the end of a bed in a tiny orphanage in what had once been sector five. There were no plates anymore to block out the sun, but the conditions at the under-funded orphanage had still been poor enough that choosing was a heartbreaking task, especially since new parents were only allowed two adoptions until they had proven their parenting ability. "My baby girl's going away and you two're joking?" she scolded, half-seriously.

"It's alright," Reno whispered as he wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and squeezed while taking her left hand in his own, "their apartment's just a few blocks past the new Second Chance." They had recently opened a third location, years after Reno and his cooking talents had convinced Tifa to upgrade the original with a kitchen.

"That's not what I mean, she's all grown now."

Thinking back to their recent journey across the sea, Reno recalled his soon to be son in law Reiner proudly showing him a video of Artemis tackling an armed bounty who was easily three times her size and twisting him up like a pretzel, using her electro mag rod for extra leverage. He sighed, feeling a bittersweet mix of pride and sadness. "Yeah. But doesn't that mean we did good?"

She smiled and squeezed his hand back in answer. Watching their daughter repeat the same vows that she had said all those years ago, Tifa reflected back on the years since. Just as the vows said, they had been full of joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and she regretted none of it. Raising children, growing a business, and keeping their relationship strong had been constant hard work, but she had always been glad of it as the two of them had leaned on each other and labored together over the years. She wiped her eyes once more as Nanaki declared the couple officially wed and they kissed.

As the wedding party made their way down the steps, led by the bride and groom, the guests rose to their feet. Each row in turn joined the procession, following the newlyweds the short distance to where the reception had been prepared earlier that afternoon. Most of the area had been left open, to serve as a dance floor. Widely spaced round picnic tables surrounded it, while a row of tables loaded with covered dishes, some heated, ran all the way down one side, up against the wall of the reception hall that was their backup plan if the sunny weather didn't hold. Most of the food weighing down the tables had been catered, but some family members had made their own contributions.

An impromptu bar had been set up at the far end, with a bartender standing behind those tables, while the near corner held multiple round tubs filled with ice and non-alcoholic drinks. A local dj was seated at a table full of audio equipment at the corner of the dance floor, preparing to start the first song as the bride and groom stepped out onto the dance floor while everyone else took up places around the edges.

A fast paced dance had been chosen to start with, showing off the newlyweds' athleticism as they flew across the dance floor. Reno wrapped an arm around Tifa's waist and pulled her close, she leaned her head on his shoulder and they enjoyed the show as their beaming daughter was repeatedly lifted into the air.

"Your turn, handsome," Tifa stated after the song ended, giving her husband a push forward.

Stepping out from the crowd, Reno gave his new son Reiner a passing fist bump as he left the floor, and then held out a hand to his daughter. "Ready, kiddo?"

"You know it, dad." Artemis said, reaching out and taking his hand as the music began. Grinning, he spun her into the beginning of their routine. It was a slightly slower tempo than before, but still one that they had to step fast to keep up with. "you remember all these steps better than a few words, what's up with that?" she joked. Laughing, he spun her again.

"Tired already?" Tifa teased a few minutes later as they stepped off the dance floor after the second dance ended.

"I can do this all night," Reno bragged, wrapping an arm around Tifa's waist as he turned to watch the groom dance with his mother. This was a significantly slower dance, as she was the first dancer who wasn't a trained and conditioned fighter.

When it ended, Tifa and Reno both stepped out on the floor for the last dance that would have a set number of dancers. The newlyweds took up a position at the center, then both sets of parents and the members of the wedding party paired up around them, groomsmen with bridesmaids, flower girls with ring bearers, and the best man with the maid of honor. Finally, the groom's aged grandparents came out and a slow waltz began. When that song came to an end, the dance floor and catering tables were officially opened and the guests started to mingle. Tifa and Reno were in no hurry to leave the floor, though. He loosened his tie and undid his top few shirt buttons as they continued dancing.

"You know, I wouldn't mind doing this all night," Tifa said several dances later, as they slowly made their way around the floor, wrapped tightly around each other.

"Yeah, too bad we only got the dj till eleven."

"Guess you'll have to think of something else to do the rest of the night," Tifa teased with a smile.

"Yeah?" He then began whispering suggestions in her ear, causing her smile to widen.

"Mmmm. Keep that up and I might not wait for the party to end before I drag you off." They continued to dance as the song changed.

"Scandalous," he said with a chuckle, "what'll the new in-laws think?"

"Heh, they already think our side of the family's a little crazy."

"Really?" Laughing, he dipped her low before pulling her back up and stealing a quick kiss. "They just don't know us well enough yet. Or they'd know it's more like a lot crazy."

"I think they're still in shock from meeting Yuffie's brood the other day. They were expecting a head of state to be all stodgy and formal and well..."

"Heheh, too bad I missed that show."

"Whatcha talking about, they loved us," a familiar voice claimed from behind them.

"Well, speak of the devils," Reno joked with a grin. Turning, he saw Yuffie dancing besides them, arm-in-arm with Arsène, the slender former thief who had stolen the Wutaian crown jewels nine years ago and then spent most of the following year being chased across the world in a battle of wits and skill against his future wife. This had led first to grudging mutual respect and then to more as the chase played out.

"They're good sorts, just sorta… ya know, sheltered," the sovereign Lady of Wutai pronounced as the two couples kept pace with each other. It was a bit odd to see her in a long light purple dress, since she normally dressed casually when she could and wore business suits with garishly bright ties when on official business.

"More like they're normal," Reno corrected, drawing laughs.

"Didn't wanna believe we'd passed up on a palace till Artemis backed us up," Yuffie continued with a grin. The ancestral Kisaragi palace had been turned into a tourist resort during the Shinra occupation and Godo, feeling unworthy for losing it in the first place, had converted it into a national museum when he regained power. Yuffie had seen no reason to change that and spent the first years of her reign living in a simple apartment.

"That new son of your's has a good head on him," the royal consort declared with his usual roguish smile. Tifa was amused to notice that his tie and pocket square matched Yuffie's dress.

"Talking shop with him, Arsène?"

"Just a bit, Reno. He's the type that was always fun to evade. Very skilled."

"You don't think he could catch you?" Tifa asked.

"Never. It takes a thief to catch a thief of my caliber and even then, only my little himawari here has ever come close."

"Close? I caught you!"

"Not so, my love, I let you catch me."

"No…"

Reno and Tifa chuckled as the currents of a new, faster dance carried the two couples apart. Ever since the day Yuffie had introduced them to her fiancé, those two had been playfully arguing over who had caught who.

"Mount Cocoa's already half gone," Reno remarked after glancing over at the catering tables. He had spent most of the morning in the reception hall kitchen baking his contribution to the party, a towering pile of brownies that he had stacked on a large platter and then proudly named.

Following his gaze, Tifa felt her stomach rumble. Breakfast had been some bacon and eggs they had fried up in the kitchenette of their rented bungalow shortly after dawn, served with a pot of coffee and some local flatbread. Both of them had been far too busy with wedding preparations to eat anything since then.

"Hah, I heard that. And I'm feeling ya. Think any of those ribs Laney made're left?". Seven years earlier Elena had married a butcher named Sigurd, who always took pride in bringing the tastiest cuts of meat from his shop to family events. Her barbecue skills had grown tremendously in the years since.

"Ohh, I hope so," Tifa said as they began dancing their way toward the edge of the floor. "You could smell those things halfway across the canyon when they were cooking them this morning."

"Hey, she tell you she's expecting again?"

"Elena? No, she doesn't look it," Tifa said as the song changed again.

"Yeah, told me this morning. Thought she was getting seasick on the way over, so she went to the ship's doctor, see if he had anything to help."

"Hah, that's a fun surprise to get on the way to a wedding."

Stepping away from the catering tables with loaded plates in one hand and drinks in the other, they began scanning the crowd for a place to sit. "Got some openings by that shiny dome over there," Reno declared, pointing towards Rude with his gin & tonic.

Threading through the crowd, Tifa asked, "Think he'll stop hovering over Melfina long enough for them to relax and enjoy the party?" drawing a laugh from Reno.

"Nope." Rude had been married less than a year, to a former Shinra apprentice engineer who had gone into business running a repair shop after being laid off when the mako reactors were all shut down. She was currently very pregnant and they were both extremely nervous about the situation. "Maybe we can drag 'em out for a dance."

"Got room for a couple more?" Tifa asked, walking up to the table where Elena and Yuffie were also seated, along with Tifa and Reno's younger two daughters, 19 year old Jolyne and 14 year old Casca.

"Sure, but it might get a little tight when the boys get back from the bar. Just don't poke the pregger," Elena joked. "Makes her grumpy."

"You'd be grumping too if folk couldn't keep their hands off your belly," Melfina said. Normally very petite, the near-term pregnancy belly sticking out from her looked very incongruous. Sitting sideways on the bench, she was leaning against Rude, who had an arm wrapped around her.

"Yeah, I was grumpy when it happened to me, but it's still funny," Elena declared with a grin.

"Speaking of which, congrats," Tifa said, giving Elena a quick hug before taking a seat beside her.

"Someone's been blabbing," Elena said with a pointed look at Reno, who was seated on the other side of Tifa. "we were going to announce it tomorrow, cause I didn't want to steal any of the spotlight on my niece's big day, but thanks."

"Since I don't have to pretend I don't know about it anymore, congratulations," Melfina said.

"Yeah, congrats!" Yuffie added.

"Congratulations, aunt Elena," Jolyne said.

"Yeah, do you know what it's gonna be?" Casca asked.

"Thanks. Heh, guess you guys can't keep a secret anymore."

"Bit hard to keep them from our wives," Rude explained with a shrug before taking another sip of his beer.

Elena chuckled. "Guess so. Anyway, it's too soon to tell what we're having. I wouldn't even know about it if the ship's doctor hadn't insisted on running a couple tests before giving me something for seasickness. Very thorough guy, though his bedside manner's kinda cold."

"That's why we insisted on picking that ship," Rude stated.

"For his cold bedside manor?" Elena asked.

"Heh, no, because Dr. Kira has a good reputation for knowing his stuff," Melfina replied. "He even delivered a baby at sea in the middle of a storm once."

"I'll have to see if I can pick his brain on the way back home," Jolyne, who was a pre-med student at Junon University, mused.

"Good luck," Elena told her, "that guy's all business."

"You two start thinking of names?" Tifa asked.

"Nah, we were planning to brainstorm a couple lists when we get back. Maybe we can find the lists from when Valeria was baking and save some work. Though someone swiped the top boy name from those lists."

"You snooze, you lose," Rude remarked, placing his hand on Melfina's belly, where their son Tseng was growing. Melfina smiled and placed a hand over his.

"Hey, what happened to 'don't poke the pregger'?" Yuffie joked.

"Papa gets to poke whenever he wants," Melfina said. "Wait, that came out wrong!" she corrected, blushing.

"Did it really?" Reno asked, drawing laughs.

"Eww, dad!" Casca complained.

"You're such a baby sometimes," Jolyne teased. "How do you think she got that way?"

"No, I don't wanna think about that!" Casca replied.

"Stop being so weak, sis," Jolyne told her.

"Hmm, wonder where she learned that?" Elena wondered with a chuckle while Reno grinned proudly.

"Jolyne, be nice," Tifa commanded.

"Sweets for the sweet," Arsène suddenly announced, appearing next to Yuffie as if out of nowhere. He was holding a small plate full of desserts out to her and had a second such plate balanced on his forearm. In his other hand he carried two goblets of red wine.

"Oh yeah, this is definitely why I married you," Yuffie joked while taking her plate and glass. "Cause you keep bringing me goodies."

"Surely that's not all!" he protested, dramatically placing a hand over his heart, "My himawari, you wound me!"

"Well, maybe there's a little more, but your ego's already big enough."

"She's got you there," Sigurd rumbled as he squeezed in next to Elena and handed her a desert plate and a ginger ale. The burly butcher looked uncomfortable in his tan suit and, like the other men at the table, he had removed his tie earlier in the reception.

"Ouch, you too?" Arsène joked. Across the table, Jolyne's boyfriend Serpico slid in next to her with a large dinner plate full of desserts that he placed between them and a pair of beers, one of which he handed her.

"Ah, Siggy brought all my favorites," Elena remarked with a grin before taking a bite of lemon merengue pie. Reno was gratified to see brownies on all of the plates.

"Hey, congratulations," Tifa said, reaching behind Elena's back to clap Sigurd on the shoulder.

"For what?" he asked.

"For having blabbermouth brothers in law," Elena joked.

"Ah. Thanks."

"So what were my brothers blabbing about?" Arsène wondered. "We all know Rude can't keep his mouth shut," he joked, drawing chuckles and causing Rude to mime throwing a beer bottle at him, "but they forgot to blab at me."

"They're having another baby," Yuffie told him.

"Hey, that's great!," he said as another round of congratulations went around the table. "So, you going to try and catch up with us?" he asked, giving Yuffie a squeeze. "Or maybe with them?" he asked, nodding at Reno and Tifa.

"Maybe one more after this, we'll see," Elena said.

"Or four more?" Tifa asked.

"Nah, I'll let you two keep first place, Elena joked.

"So, you're gonna try and knock us back into third?" Yuffie asked.

"Maybe we should… pad our lead a bit," Arsène suggested.

"Yeah, maybe…"

As if on cue, two voices rose up behind her, "Mom! Mikasa's being mean again!"

"…or maybe wait a few years," Yuffie continued before turning to see what her four year old twin sons were complaining about. "What happened?"

"She won't help us get cake!" Godo complained.

"Yeah! We can't reach none a the good stuff!" Arsène Jr added.

"I was about to head that way," Reno volunteered, before throwing back the rest of his drink.

"Yay! Unca Reno!" Godo shouted before the duo dashed off.

"This's why I'm everyone's favorite uncle," Reno said with a smirk as he got up.

"Hey, grab something for me too, would you?" Tifa requested.

"Yeah, I got you," he replied, leaning down to give her a quick kiss before walking towards the dessert table.

"Knowing your luck, Yuffs," Elena said with a smirk, "you'd try and pad your lead and end up with triplets next time."

"Nooo, don't hex us like that! I'd need a wheelbarrow for my belly and it'd probably take years to get my waist back!" Yuffie protested. "And seriously, feeding two at once was hard enough, we'd have to use formula, no way I'd make enough milk for three!"

"Gotta admit, it would be pretty funny," Tifa added.

"No it wouldn't. And what're you laughing at?" Yuffie asked her chuckling husband

"Just imagining you with that wheelbarrow, my love. And remembering how hard it was to find clothes that fit you last time."

"Hey, Melfina, what's those headsets you and Rude are wearing? Tifa asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, it's just something I threw together this morning. See, there's this wide elastic band under my dress," she said, gesturing at her belly, "that holds a little speaker here and a microphone here. I wired them to a little radio synced to the headsets, so now we can hear little Tseng and he gets to hear us more clearly."

"Probably the only person on the planet who brings a soldering iron on vacation," Rude remarked with a fond smile.

"That's really clever, I bet you could sell those," Tifa said.

"Put me down for one," Elena eagerly said.

"Same, if we decide to go for number four," Yuffie added. "Are you always making cool things like that?"

"Tinkering's always been a hobby," she answered.

"You need to visit Junon more often, come see our newest sister's badass workshop," Elena invited.

"Yeah, I'd like to," Yuffie replied "We really need to do this more often."

"What, marry off my kids?" Tifa joked.

"Sure," Arsène said with a grin, "You've got five more, after all. So how about it?" he asked a suddenly embarrassed Jolyne and her date, "You gonna be the next to give us an excuse to get away from the office and have a party?"

"Ah, we've only been dating a couple months now," Jolene said, blushing deeply.

"It'll probably be Kittan next," Tifa interjected.

"Really?" Yuffie asked. "But I didn't see anyone with him."

"Yeah, Reno saw them when he went to pick up Kittan for the wedding. Said they looked really serious."

"And?" Elena prodded.

"And he saw them before they saw him, so he took a walk for a while. Didn't want to interrupt. She was gone by time he got back. They're both cadets in the Ranger program," Tifa said, referring to Junon's rebranded, mako-free version of Soldier, "and Kittan had a really hard time getting leave to come, so she probably couldn't. He'll probably introduce her to us when they graduate next spring."

"That's it?" Yuffie asked.

"He'll tell us more when he's ready. That's just how Kittan is. But we've already got another excuse for you to come sooner. We're gonna have to throw Elena another baby shower."

"Ah, yeah, time to plan another party!" Yuffie excitedly announced. Ever since her and Elena had insisted on throwing a baby shower for Tifa while her adoption paperwork was being processed, Yuffie had greatly enjoyed planning the parties.

Making his way to the dessert table, Reno laughed when he saw why his niece was too busy to help her brothers. She was in front of the chocolate fountain with Valeria and instead of using the wood skewers that were there for dipping items into the chocolate, they were carefully dipping their entire plates full of sweets into the flowing chocolate.

"Alright, you two ready to fly?" he asked after catching up to his nephews. Wrapping an arm around each of their waists, he lifted them up horizontally under his arms so they could reach the sweets, then held them there while they loaded their plates.

"Thanks!" they shouted in unison, then scurried off before he could reply. Reno then picked up a couple plates and began picking desserts for Tifa and himself.

"Hey, proud papa," a strong Corel accent boomed from behind as a metal hand clapped Reno on the shoulder, "looks like you're havin' the time'a your life."

"Hey, yourself, elder," he replied, returning the gesture to the burly former rebel. "Why wouldn't I be? Surrounded by family and my family keeps getting bigger," he stated while gesturing at the crowded reception.

"This is good," Barrett declared with a grin while grabbing a plate for himself, "accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together but do so with all your heart."

"Because happiness comes from the quality of my thoughts, right?" Reno asked while helping himself to several pieces of the baklava Rude had baked.

"Exactly! You reading up on philosophy in yer spare time now?"

"Nah, just picked up a thing or two from Tif' over the years."

"Ah. That thin or two's obviously done you good."

"Obviously, huh?"

"You gotta real good poker face. When you two got hitched, you were walking tall and smilin' jus like today. But elders are trained to look past the surface."

"That why you never lose at cards?" Reno jokingly asked while continuing to load his plates.

"And why I insist we don't put any cash down when I play, yeah," Barrett admitted with a chuckle. "Those'a us with the eyes to see saw you were carryin' a heavy weight back then, same as Tifa was when she came here a couple years before, an' same as I was when I started training here. Then you two come back a couple years later to show off Artemis and Kittan, an' we could see you'd set most of that weight down."

"Everyone passing through here transparent to you or something?"

"Nah, not like that. We can tell when someone's burdened, but not what they're carrying around. We can see you two're light as feathers now, but only you an' Tifa know how an' why."

"I guess I'll call you two after we all get back home," Yuffie continued, "set up a conference call so we don't spoil any surprises for Laney."

"And maybe the guys'll do something other than getting plastered this time," Elena joked.

"That's not all we do…" Rude protested.

"Really?" Tifa asked doubtfully.

"That's just how we end the day." Sigurd said.

"Yeah, gotta have the traditional celebratory pub crawl when there's a new kid on the way!" Arsène elaborated, gesturing with a piece of brownie for emphasis. Rude and Sigurd nodded their agreement.

"Well, if you four pass out in my front yard again, I might just leave you out there." Tifa jokingly threatened.

"That's cold," Reno said as he sat back down and handed her a plate and a mixed drink. "You're not gonna drag us in this time?"

"Mayb- What've you done here?" she asked, looking at her plate that was entirely coated in chocolate.

"Mystery dessert," Reno explained while stabbing a fork into one of the chocolate covered objects on his own plate. "Gotta fork it to see what you got."

"Reno, you seriously dunked the whole plate?" Elena asked. "You're supposed to use the skewers."

"Nah, that takes too long. And those oversize toothpicks can't hold a piece of pie."

"Mmm, chocolate covered wedding cake's actually pretty good." Tifa announced, making Elena look thoughtful.

"Tempting, huh?" Reno asked her.

"I'm gonna have to try that later," Yuffie announced. "Just gotta dance off these last couple plates first."

"Now I'm wondering how chocolate covered cocktail shrimp would be." Melfina mused, drawing skeptical and grossed out looks from around the table.

"Way to live the stereotype." Reno sarcastically congratulated her.

"And I thought your cravings were weird." Sigurd told Elena.

"You'd really eat that?" Tifa asked, amused.

"It sounds good," Melfina said.

"She's been into mixing savory and sweet," Rude explained, "sometimes it's even edible."

"So, I'm not the only one here crazy enough to try my wife's pregnancy cravings?" Arsène asked.

"Pork chops smeared with raspberry jam were good," Rude said as way of an answer, "but I can't recommend frying up ground beef and mixing it into a bowl of choco-berry crunch."

"It wasn't that bad," Melfina insisted.

"Yeah, it was."

"She's got your potato obsession beat," Arsène remarked.

"I wasn't obsessed," Yuffie insisted, "they just tasted really good!"

"More than once, I saw you eat a raw potato like it was an apple."

"So? They tasted good."

"Haven't seen you two out on the dance floor yet," Reno remarked to Rude later, after the desert plates had been cleared. "Go have fun, don't sit here all night."

"…might get bumped out there…" Rude said.

"Or you might stop being overprotective and go have fun," Elena countered. "You aren't gonna dance too hard and make her pop early."

"Rest of us can even screen you, so ya got no excuses," Reno said while rising from his seat.

"You up to it?" Rude asked.

"I'm not made of glass, you know," Melfina remarked with a smile. "Help me up." The other couples at the table rose and took up positions around them as Rude helped her up. Holding that formation, they all walked out onto the dance floor.

Hours later, after all the young children and their parents had left for their beds, and Reno and Tifa were back out on the much less crowded dance floor after sending their two youngest, Casca and Judeau, off to bed. "It's pretty much just us and our kids now," Reno remarked with a chuckle.

Looking around, Tifa grinned proudly when she saw he was right. Of the four other couples spinning around the dance floor, only one didn't have one of their children in it. The bride and groom were still dancing, as were Jolyne and Serpico, and on the far end of the dance floor she saw their middle son Pip, who would be a senior in high school after the summer ended, dancing with his long-time girlfriend Seras, who was essentially part of the family in all but name. "Yeah, we've about got it locked down," she agreed. "Too bad there's only a few songs left."

"Almost time for our private after-party, you mean."

"You did promise to last all night," she reminded him with a smile. "Can't have you going back on that."

"Never," he promised as the song ended and a slower one began. The DJ had been playing steadily slower songs during the last hour as the party wound down. "We should do this more often."

"Dance?"

"Sure, but I meant more these big family get togethers. Be fun to find an excuse to have one when there isn't a wedding."

Tifa chuckled. "Yuffs said the same while you were away earlier."

"Well damn, guess I have to agree with her for once," Reno joked. He enjoyed having his youngest sister around but would never admit it, simply because they had too much fun poking at each other.

"Maybe we can start having family reunions every few years when there hasn't been a wedding lately," Tifa suggested.

"Yeah, something like that."

Another couple from the groom's side of the family stepped onto the dance floor as the final song began. The few other remaining guests began drifting away as the reception hall staff finished putting away the leftover refreshments and began carrying tables inside.

Reno dipped Tifa down low as the final notes played, and then pulled her up into a deep kiss. "All that dancing's made me thirsty," he declared after they finally pulled back to breathe. "Let's see what's left."

"Sounds good," Tifa replied as he took her by the hand and led her into the reception hall and back into the kitchen, where the leftovers would be kept overnight.

After rummaging around in one of the large refrigerators, he pulled out a mostly full bottle of red wine. "Perfect," he declared while holding the bottle up so light shined through. "Just like your eyes."

"Flatterer," Tifa teased with a smile.

"Hey Dad, how about fishing out something for us too?" Artemis requested as the newlyweds entered the kitchen.

"What, not gonna be picky?"

"Nah, I trust you."

"Celebrate with some bubbly, then," Reno said after reaching back into the fridge. "Hasn't even been opened yet," he continued while handling the champagne to his daughter.

"Thanks, Dad. I don't think I tell you two that enough. Don't think I ever can." She handed the bottle to Reiner and suddenly stepped forward, pulling both of her parents into a hug. "Mom, Dad, thank you. None of this could have happened if you two hadn't brought me home that day, given me a new family, and taught me so much. I love you both so much. Thank you."

"Kiddo, why you gotta start cutting onions without warning me first?" Reno asked while squeezing her back. "You know we'll always love you too."

"Yes," Tifa agreed, squeezing her older daughter. "You've been a wonderful daughter and we loved every minute."

"Even when you were a grumpy, overdramatic teen," Reno added with a chuckle. "Speaking of which," he continued, breaking away from the hug when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, "what exactly are you two sneaking out of here with?" This last was directed to Pip and Seras, who were trying very hard to look innocent.

"Put the wine back now," Tifa instructed, suddenly all business. "You two're still too young."

"Busted!" Reiner laughed.

"But it's only a couple more years," Pip attempted to negotiate.

"Then you shouldn't mind waiting," Reno countered, holding firm.

"Sorry Mom, Dad," Pip said as he handed over the pilfered bottle and hoped his parents wouldn't notice the two cans of beer he'd hidden in his jacket pockets. "And thanks. Y'know, like Artemis said." He blushed a bit as he said that.

"Here, take these instead," Reno offered, holding out two cans of cola. "But leave the beer." Sighing in defeat, Pip traded cans with Reno while Artemis and Reiner laughed. "Now get your butts to bed," he said while opening one of the confiscated beers.

"Your own beds." Tifa added emphatically. The young couple retreated, hurrying to get out before anyone noticed the small bottle of whiskey Seras had pocketed.

"Bed sounds nice," Artemis remarked. Her husband leaned over and whispered something in her ear, drawing a giggle. The four then left the kitchen, Reno and Tifa holding back a bit so the newlyweds could get ahead. About halfway back to the bungalows, they turned off the path, following a small, familiar trail.

After some time, they came to a small cliff. "After you, Tifa," Reno offered.

Tifa kicked off her heels and hiked up her dress so it wouldn't trip her, then began climbing. This was far from the first time she'd climbed this cliff by feel while intoxicated and she easily found the familiar hand and footholds. "You still aren't tired of the cheap thrills?" she teased.

"I'll never get tired of this view," a grinning Reno replied as he began climbing up below her, taking full advantage of his mako-enhanced vision. At the top, it was only a short walk to the secluded hot spring that they had made a tradition of visiting every time they came to the canyon.

Several more hours and most a bottle of wine later, Reno and Tifa were relaxing in the hot water, arms wrapped around each other. "I ever tell you how lucky I am that I wandered into your bar all those years ago?"

"Mmm, I'm pretty sure you've mentioned it once or twice. I ever tell you how lucky I am that you got fired that day?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, but I'm never gonna get tired of hearing it. That beating was so worth it." She chuckled at their private joke, like she always did. "Hey, look at that," he said, pointing at the glow beginning to come over the canyon. He grinned. "Told you I can go all night."

Note: I found a half-finished outline for this chapter and it bugged me that I never finished the story. So here goes nothing, hope I haven't lost my touch(feedback is always welcome if there's anything I can improve). I've never written a time skip before, but it seemed appropriate for something that spent so long on hiatus. Plus, it gave me an excuse to make a bunch of fun OCs to fill out Reno&Tifa's family of choice with. Arsène calls Yuffie his little himawari, which is a sunflower, symbolizing respect, passionate love, and radiance in the Japanese form of the language of flowers. And of course there are references galore in all the new family members' names.