The camp they arrived in after travelling for about an hour was well set up. It looked like they had been there for a while. As soon as they stopped, Cloud began issuing orders. Sephiroth was given the task of putting a plastic sheet under some towels in the bed, and Tifa filled two large pots with water and got them heating on a camp stove after lighting the lanterns that had been stored under a tarp.

Cloud set Luke down on an inflatable pad and knelt at his side. "Hey, Luke. How're you doing? We're in our camp where you'll be safe. I know you're tired and probably just want to go to sleep, but is it okay if I have another look at you and clean you up a little bit? Good. Sephiroth, can you mix up a protein drink for Luke? I think that will help you feel a bit better after all that medicine I made you drink. You can drink it nice and slow while I clean you up, and then we'll give you some warm clothes and tuck you into bed."

Luke appeared to be following every word Cloud said, and though he was still crying, he nodded his head from time to time.

When the water was warm, Tifa brought it over and was put in charge of rinsing the cloth every time it got dirty and dipping it back into the clean, warm water. When it got too dirty, she switched it for a new one. Sephiroth sat with Luke's head in his lap and gave him the protein drink like she had done earlier. He was making a strange crooning noise that the little omega seemed to like.

She had never seen anyone touch another person with such care and delicacy as Cloud did as he wiped away semen, blood, feces, and urine, talking the whole while. Luke had a dark scar where his testicles should have been, and blood dribbled out of both his penis and anus. It was embarrassing, but she kept having to wipe away her own tears the way Sephiroth was doing for Luke. She caught Sephiroth watching her one time and he gave her a small smile.

"Hang in there," he whispered, interrupting the noise he was making for Luke. "You're doing well."

"Yeah, Tifa's really helping us out, isn't she? She's sad because you've been treated so cruelly, but she's being really brave by helping. Now, you're going to feel a little poke in your arm. It's a medicine called antibiotics, and it's very important that you have it. You have some injuries that got dirty, and so we need the antibiotics to help them get better. The poke will only hurt for a second. Are you ready?"

Sephiroth had one-handedly taken out what Cloud needed and set it out for him as he talked. Luke gave a small whimper when Cloud injected him, but Sephiroth made his crooning noise a little louder and gently stroked his head.

"There you go, sweetheart." Cloud slipped a pill into Luke's mouth, then helped him drink some water. "You're going to feel sleepy soon, so let's get you dressed and into bed. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. We're going to protect you and keep you safe all night long."

The pair was quick and efficient as they got Luke to pee, then dressed him in warm clothes that were much too big for his near skeletal frame. Their tent was decently sized, and they lay Luke down in the middle, tucked into the seemingly endless blankets they had pulled out of compression bags and fluffed up.

"Luke will sleep between us," Cloud explained. "He'll feel safest that way. Do you mind sleeping on my other side? Sephiroth needs to be at the edge so he can get up quickly if he needs to protect us from something."

"That's fine. Would it be better if I kept watch?"

"No, you need to sleep too. The chocobos take shifts watching at night."

"How smart are chocobos? I thought they were just basic pack animals."

"Way smarter than pack animals. Dancer and Birdy, in particular, have been bred for strength and intelligence. I know I talk to Dancer like she's a person, and she's probably not that smart, but I think she understands most of what I say."

When Luke was settled in the tent, Cloud came out and stripped off his pants before splashing his legs with the leftover water. "Oh, sorry," he said when he noticed Tifa's blush. "Luke peed on me while we were riding."

"Oh, I didn't realize. That's why you put down the plastic sheet?"

"Yeah. I don't know if it was a one-time thing, but some towels are a lot easier to swap out and clean than all the bedding, and I don't want him to feel embarrassed for something he can't help. Incontinence is pretty common in people who have been abused this badly."

Cloud pulled on a clean pair of pants, then Tifa followed him into the tent. Sephiroth had Luke's head pillowed against his bare chest, and a purring noise died off as they entered.

"He's asleep," Sephiroth whispered. "I don't know if he even needed that pill."

"Well, it'll probably help keep him asleep for a decent while." Cloud sighed as he lay down and pressed himself up against Luke's back. "Get cozy, Tifa. It's been a helluva day."

It had certainly been that. She had no clue what time it was, other than late, and as soon as her head hit the thin pillow she'd been allotted, she fell sound asleep.

XXX

The tent was empty when Tifa woke, and someone had tucked some extra blankets around her. Considering that they were camping, the bed had been surprisingly comfortable, and she felt well-rested. That probably meant that she had slept way too late.

Outside, Sephiroth was sitting on a stump with Luke in his lap, still wrapped up in a blanket. The towels the omega had slept on were drying on a line.

"Good morning," Sephiroth said. He was spooning what looked like porridge into Luke's mouth. "There's breakfast and coffee on the stove. Help yourself."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sleep so late. Can I help with anything? Where's Cloud?"

"Goodness, she's busy in the morning," Sephiroth said to Luke with a smile. "Go ahead and eat. We've got things under control. Cloud is just dictating his report of what happened yesterday."

She poured a cup of coffee and had taken a bowl to get some porridge when she noticed that Sephiroth was scraping the last few bits out of the bowl he was feeding to Luke. "Does he need some more?"

"Are you still hungry, Luke? I don't want you to eat so much that you feel sick, but I don't want you going hungry, either."

Luke gave a noncommittal wobble of his head, and Sephiroth shrugged. "Maybe one more scoop, if you don't mind. With some berries and a little bit of sugar."

Tifa fixed the bowl for Luke, then made hers the same way. There was still quite a bit left in the pot. "Have you all eaten?"

"Cloud has. I'll eat when he gets back and can take Luke."

"Oh, I can take—"

Sephiroth shook his head. "No. He understands instinctively that we won't hurt him and that he's safe with us. He can't know that with a beta, and given his experiences … for now, either Cloud or I will stay with him at all times."

"Oh … I understand. I ... I'm really sorry," she whispered. "About … about Cloud."

"You were a kid. What could you have done?"

Tifa looked up in surprise.

"Yes, I remember you. I wouldn't have sent you to a brothel, by the way. If I had been wrong about there being an omega, I'd have left you a ways outside the village and pointed the way back. I'm sorry I had to scare you, though."

She shrugged. "I'm glad my father cared enough about me not getting raped to be willing to give up Cloud. I mean, he thought he would be, which is awful, but it got him out and into a better situation. Was he okay?"

Sephiroth sighed and held another spoonful of porridge to Luke's mouth. "It took a long time. Things are better for him now, but he still struggles. There are memories he'll probably never be able to let go of."

"Cloud is hurt?"

Sephiroth tilted his head down to look at the small omega. "Cloud was treated very badly, yes. He knows what it's like to be hurt and afraid, but he's the bravest person I know."

"Wasn't scared."

"No, Luke. He was very scared. Trust me, I know when my mate is scared, and yesterday in the mine with you, he was scared, even after he knew I was there. He knew that he was strong enough to protect you and keep them from hurting you more, but he was so scared that he hadn't been in time to help you. But at the same time, he's also brave, and he does his best to not let being afraid stop him from helping people. It took him a long time to be able to do what he does now. For a long time, he was scared, and he was angry, and he was sad, but he kept on fighting to become who he wanted to be. It's going to take you a long time to get better too, but you will, I promise. Just like Cloud. It won't be easy, but it never is. It's okay to be scared. It's okay to cry. That doesn't mean that you're not brave. You and Cloud are both so brave in ways that Tifa and I can never hope to understand."

Tifa blinked back some tears. She had to agree given what she had seen yesterday. Cloud was definitely the bravest person she had met, even if she hadn't realized it in Nibelheim.

"I'd like to ask you to help me break down the camp and pack up once Cloud gets back, but until then, feel free to wander around a bit. It's a pretty area."

"Okay, thanks." Tifa took the empty bowl from Sephiroth and placed both of them next to the one Cloud must have used. It was a pretty area, and she followed a little trail down a slight incline, taking in the sights. She loved seeing new places and was excited to have the opportunity to finally go to Midgar. Part of her could still hardly believe she was actually going to go there.

She heard someone speaking to her right and paused.

"I'm concerned about the possibility of him going into abandonment shock if he's left alone, so Sephiroth and I will maintain 24-hour contact until we're able to rendezvous with another team. I estimate a travel time of three days to the Gongaga airstrip riding tandem with Luke and Tifa."

A loud wark interrupted Cloud's report, and he stopped talking. "What's up, Dancer?"

Tifa backed up hurriedly as the chocobo appeared from behind a rock and walked towards her, wings held out menacingly.

"It's just me, sorry!"

"Oh, Tifa, didn't see you there. Calm down, Dancer." Cloud appeared as well and the chocobo relaxed. "Sorry, she gets a bit overprotective when we've got an injured omega with us. Tifa's our friend too, you silly bird."

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, Sephiroth said I could wander around, but—are you okay?" Cloud's eyes were red and puffy.

"What? Oh, yeah, fine, I just needed to have a bit of a cry before I could handle the report. Not exactly professional to make some poor secretary have to decipher what I'm trying to say while blubbering. That might be worse than making them read my handwriting. And no worries about eavesdropping, it was just my report of what happened yesterday and what the plan is. Nothing confidential. I only left the camp so Luke wouldn't have to hear it. He doesn't need to share my concerns, and he definitely didn't need to see me cry."

Cloud gave her a small smile, then put the small recorder he was holding in his pocket. "Good enough for now." He turned back and scrambled down a little drop-off to a spring, where he splashed some water on his face. "Bit better?" he asked.

"Yep. He'll never know."

"Good. Maybe Sephiroth won't notice, either. He hates not being able to be there for me when I'm upset. Head back together? Sephiroth's probably starving by now, and he gets hangry."

Tifa gave a nod. "Can I ask, what's abandonment shock?"

"Oh, that can happen if a badly abused omega is rescued, then left alone again. They finally feel safe, but then if the source of that sense of safety disappears before they've had a chance to recover and fully process what's happening, their minds can just shut down, sometimes irreversibly."

"Was that … could that have happened to you?"

Cloud gave a considering hum. "Probably not. I was in much better shape than Luke, both physically and mentally. I could fully understand what was happening and make my own decisions about it, and I could think in terms of the future. But for the first couple of days, Sephiroth stayed within my sight when he wasn't in physical contact with me. Just in case."

XXX

"He's amazing," Tifa said quietly as she listened to Cloud explain the pills he wanted Luke to start taking that would prevent his heat and allow him to heal without interference. Despite most certainly knowing far better what sort of treatment he needed, Cloud would take the time and explain everything before allowing Luke to decide whether or not he wanted it. The poor omega was still so confused and scared, but Cloud's gentle explanations kept him steady and calm as they rode south.

"No need to tell me that," Sephiroth said. "He's one of the best field officers in the Turks. In five years, he's rescued more omegas from worse situations than most Turks do in their entire careers."

"Really?"

"When he first started working, he was assigned to me, obviously. He was supposed to go on my missions and do whatever work he could, wherever I needed to go as a SOLDIER. It usually ended up being public relations, working to dispel stereotypes and improve the perception of omegas. It's an important part of the job, don't get me wrong, but it's generally not why people want to be Turks. And then we saw him on a rescue and that hierarchy quickly got swapped. I go on his missions as support. His skills are wasted if he's stuck following me around."

"He was incredible yesterday. He didn't hesitate at all when he saw how bad it was, but it wasn't like he was cold, either."

"He has an intimate understanding of what it's like to be abused, and he's good at empathizing. But it also takes a lot to overwhelm him, and he's able to adapt quickly to unexpected situations and come up with plans on the fly."

"And you don't mind? That his work has priority?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "Not at all. I'm so proud of him and everything he's accomplished."

Tifa fell silent, pondering the steadfast love the man showed for his mate. How wrong they had been in thinking that alphas and omegas were just sex-crazed, violent animals. Sephiroth was a bit scary; the way he had slaughtered those miners was, quite frankly, terrifying. But he was also kind, even to her. Even though she had no right to expect anything but hatred and contempt from him.

"Do the Turks hire betas?" she asked.

"They do. Interested?"

"Maybe. The more I learn, the more … I want to help. Any way I can."

"I can make some introductions when we get to Midgar if you'd like."

XXX

Luke was walking a bit by the morning of their third day of travel, and he had fed himself dinner the night before, albeit rather clumsily. He had healed enough that he was able to sit upright on the chocobo without pain, and so he rode in front of Sephiroth, who was able to easily see over his head, unlike Cloud. Tifa rode behind Cloud on Dancer. She didn't have the quite same height advantage as Sephiroth, but it was nice to have a forward view that was only occasionally blocked by some blond spikes after two days of staring at the alpha's back.

"Luke, could I ask you a question about your situation before we met? You don't have to let me if you don't want to think about it." Cloud directed Dancer over so she was right next to Birdy, and he held Luke's hand in his own.

Luke thought long and hard before replying. "You can."

"Thank you so much. That's really brave of you. What I want to ask is about the miners. When we were talking, one of them said that they paid for you. Is that true? You weren't born in that town, but were bought by them? It's okay, I don't mind being a thief."

Sephiroth looked at them curiously, and Tifa wondered as well. Why did Cloud want to know?

Luke nodded his head. "It's true."

"So you grew up in a different town?"

"Don't know if it was a town … I never went outside."

"What was it like? Can you describe it to me?"

Sephiroth began purring for Luke, who was looking a bit distressed.

"You don't have to say," Cloud said, though he looked like he very much wanted to know the answer.

"It was called the Honeybee Inn. I lived in the dormitory."

"A dormitory? With other people?"

Luke bobbed his head. "Other omegas."

"I see. Thank you. That was really helpful."

"It was?"

"Yes, you've given me a lot to think about. I appreciate it." Cloud gave Luke's hand another squeeze, then let Dancer move a bit further away.

"What was that about?" Tifa asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I need to think."

XXX

Cloud nearly dropped the reins when he saw a familiar head of hair as they approached the small airstrip that had been constructed outside the town of Gongaga as part of Shinra's efforts to expand their mobility. "Hang on tight, Tifa!" he said, then clucked to Dancer.

Tifa's grip grew rib-crunchingly tight when Dancer sprinted forwards at her top speed.

"Reno!" he shouted, catching the redhead's attention. Dancer knew exactly where he was going, and screeched to a halt in front of him. He jumped off, accidentally kicking Tifa in the process, and threw himself at his best friend. "How are you? It's been ages!"

Reno thumped his back as Rude looked on with an amused expression. "I'm fantastic! Finally got my license."

"Your license?" Cloud looked over at the small plane that was waiting for them. "Shit. You're flying us? Should I be afraid?"

"Hell yes, you should! I oughta kick you out over the middle of the ocean for making me come all the way out here." Reno sobered a bit and looked over to where Sephiroth and Luke were approaching at a much more reasonable speed. "It's bad?"

Cloud took a deep breath and nodded. "Really bad. I'm worried about him and what sort of permanent damage might have been done. He's on the heat inhibitors for now, but …"

"We'll help him, so don't worry about what you can't change. No matter what, he's better off than before. Who's the chick?"

"Oh, shit, sorry, Tifa." He turned and offered her a hand as she got down from Dancer. "Tifa, this is Reno, and that's his mate, Rude, over there. They're both Turks. Tifa was the one who originally sent the message, and she helped me get him out. She's going to look into becoming a Turk."

"Really?" Reno looked her over critically. "Think she can cut it?"

Cloud punched Reno on the arm. "She's been awesome. Only freaked out a little when we first found him because that was a fucking nightmare. I'd have been more worried if she hadn't. And she's been a huge help since then. You wouldn't believe the shit she was putting up with in that place, but she stuck it out to make sure Luke got help."

Tifa blushed and shook her head. "I didn't do much."

"Yeah, just put yourself on the line to save his life, no big deal. Okay, let me introduce you guys to him, and then I really, really need some time with Sephiroth."

Reno laughed. "It's been what, three days with no sex? Damn. You sure it hasn't just shrivelled up and closed over?"

"Don't even joke, man. Four. I'm dying."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll take good care of Luke while Sephiroth breathes some life back into your cunt."

Tifa looked absolutely mortified and Cloud gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry, he's my best friend, and …"

"And Reno is a terrible influence with no decency," Rude said as he went over to Sephiroth, who had finally arrived, to help Luke down.

"Yep. He completely corrupted me. Hey, Luke, sorry for running off like that. I was just so excited to see my friends."

"Friends?" Luke looked between Reno and Rude curiously.

"Yeah, they're here to help us get you to Midgar."

"Hey, my name's Reno. Can you smell me?" He crouched a little and let Luke lean in to familiarize himself.

"Omega," Luke said.

"That's right, you're a natural at this. Rude here is my alpha, and we're going to help keep you safe, just like Cloud and Sephiroth have been doing. Would that be okay? It's just that they need a little bit of time by themselves."

"Going away?"

"Not for long. They just need to go spend a short time alone because they love each other so much, and it's so hard when they're not able to have privacy. They'll come back soon, and we'll all go to Midgar together. Do you think you might feel safe enough with me for a little while? We can go look at the plane we're going to fly in and I can explain how it works." Reno was smooth, and he had gradually eased Luke closer to him and away from Sephiroth until his mate was able to take a step back.

"We're going to come back, don't worry," Cloud said. "And if you get scared and need me, tell Reno and he'll come get me right away."

"Okay."

"Thank you, Luke. That's so kind of you." He kissed Luke's forehead, then stepped back until he bumped into Sephiroth. He gasped as he was embraced. How the hell did his body just know that they could be together now? Urges that he hadn't felt in days immediately surfaced, making him dizzy with lust.

"Mind if I just pick you up?" Sephiroth didn't wait for a reply before hoisting him up and carrying him towards the small building nearby. Like everything owned by Shinra, there would be private rooms with beds in it. He felt a bit bad for just abandoning Tifa with strangers while they went off to fuck. He also felt a bit bad for how awkward she must be feeling. Betas never really understood that, while they could suppress their urges, especially in an emergency, they really did need intimacy to be comfortable.

He squirmed around so he could bury his face in Sephiroth's neck and kiss their mating bond. He didn't feel bad enough to be even remotely willing to stop unless Luke needed them.

XXX

A/N: Thanks so much for the wonderful response to last week's chapter. Time skips are always a bit weird, and so I wasn't sure how well it would go over.

Stay safe and stay sane!