I do not own FFVII characters – though I wish I did. lol

I do own my own character – Jalyne.

A slightly shorter chapter but important. The action will commence coming up. :)

Chapter 31 – The Hiatus

"What do you think?"

"Umm…" Jalyne replied. "I'm not a liquor connoisseur here." She shrugged her shoulders. "I really don't know what's good and what's not."

Elena gave her pout and then winked at her. They were in a liquor store in Sector Eight shopping for Tseng. Jalyne picked out a vintage bourbon for him at Elena's instruction and waited patiently for her to make her selection. Elena had picked up some cookbooks for Rude and Jalyne had chosen a unique set of culinary blades for him. They were the easy ones.

Jalyne knew what she was getting Elena for Yule, or Christmas, as it was called on Midgar. It was just a matter of her procuring it, though she may need Solaria's help in the matter. The Princess had outreached to the Queen earlier in the morning, and Sol didn't like to be roused that early after the Feast.

They had paid for their liquor and walked out into the streets of Midgar, which were bustling with people trying to get their shopping done.

"Are the streets always this busy?" Jalyne asked, weaving through the crowd, many of whom were carrying bags filled to the brim with gifts or groceries.

"Not always." Elena commented. "But this is one of the biggest shopping days of the year." She explained. "There are many sales and great deals." They made their way to her car to deposit the latest round of acquisitions.

"What's next?" Jalyne questioned.

"Reno."

"Hm."

"What's the matter?" Elena asked innocently.

"I just don't know what to get him."

"He likes anything." Elena chuckled.

"I know." She paused. "I…just…"

"Want to get him something special?" Elena surmised raising an eyebrow at her friend. "I know the feeling. How are things?"

"Complicated." Jalyne grunted. "I'm just not sure what is going to happen."

"You two are perfect together." The blonde surmised lightly. "It will work itself out. I'm sure of it."

"I'm not so sure. I keep waiting for some sort of formality or indication. Maybe I need to take the initiative."

"It's possible." Elena commented. "But give him a little time. He's not one to quite settle down. I've never known him to have a steady relationship. It's not like our jobs are accommodating. I don't think he may even know what to do and that may be what is holding him back."

"Perhaps." Jalyne tapped the hood of Elena's car. "I think I need to find my own transportation."

"You can drive?"

"I can fly a spaceship, Elena. Driving can't be that hard." Jalyne smirked at her. "Where would I find a dealer?"

"I thought we were shopping for Reno?" Elena slyly countered.

"I have to think on that." Jalyne said walking over to the passenger side door and sliding in. Elena climbed in and started it up.

"What are you looking for in a vehicle?" she asked pulling out of the lot.

"I really don't know."

"Well, I know just where to go."

They pulled into the car dealership and immediately was assaulted by pushy salesmen, which made Jalyne a little irritable. She wasn't ready for that and broke away from them to look around. The cars were beautiful, of course, and luxurious which reminded her of Tseng's and Reno's car. At the back of the lot, something caught her eye in the corner, and she headed that way while Elena occupied the salespeople.

Jalyne ran her fingertips along the handlebars, taking in the grips and sleekness. The steel plate panels were shiny black, and the seating was done in a deep black leather. The bike reminded her of something from Iecidrankta and she fell in love with it immediately. Jalyne peered down at the instruments on the center console gauging their intent for this world and finally swung her leg over to sit down. There was room for a passenger and the compartments in the back were just enough in case she needed to carry anything.

"She's a beauty." A tenor voice said behind her. Jalyne looked over her shoulder to another salesman. He was tall and built well with brown hair and flirtatious gray eyes. He wore a nice, tailored suit trimmed in silver and was relaxed in his stance.

Jalyne smiled lightly at him, grateful that he wasn't pushy or overbearing. "Can I take it for a ride?" She asked quietly.

He pulled the keys out of his pocket and grinned. "Sure, but I have to come with you."

"I know."

He spent a few minutes talking with Jalyne about the motorcycle – it features, displays and general information while Jalyne still sat upon it, waiting patiently for him to finish. She caught Elena's eyes and nodded slowly, letting her friend know she was okay and that this was her choice in vehicle.

"My name is Darian." The salesman caught her attention and flashed a grin. "Nice to meet you." He said offering his hand.

Jalyne extended hers in greeting. "My name is Jalyne." She offered and was surprised when he raised her hand to his lips and even blushed a little bit, embarrassed in a way.

"Pleasure." He stated releasing her hand. "Are you ready?"

Jalyne nodded in affirmative and waited for him to climb on. He handed her the helmet and she slid it over her head adjusting the straps and pulled the visor down. The inside lit up, taking her slightly aback as she looked at the readings. Jalyne heard Darian explaining the readouts as he climbed behind her.

They sped off, with Jalyne nodding at Elena on the way out of the dealership and headed for the highway. She loved this bike – it just felt like it was hers, an extension of her. Darian tightened his grip around her as she wove in and out of traffic. Jalyne couldn't wait to get this outside of the city. They pulled back into the dealership near the building and she parked it, shaking her white tresses out from the helmet and grinned at Darian.

"How much?" she questioned; eyes alight. Elena jogged over to her to take a look at it and grinned.

"It suits you perfectly, Jalyne." She chuckled shaking her head. "For some reason it just does."

"Fifty thousand gil." Came his answer.

"Forty."

"I can't do forty."

"Yes, you can." Jalyne countered, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm not financing. I'm paying cash." Darian raised his brows and looked astonished at her for a moment. "I'll throw in a five thousand bonus for you."

"Let me speak to my boss about that, then." And with a nod, entered the building.

"Jalyne?" Elena peered at her friend. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Wow. That's fantastic."

"He did a good job of hanging on." Jalyne chuckled. "He deserves it. Besides, he was really knowledgeable about the bike."

"Deal." Darian said coming out of the building.

After all the paperwork was complete, Jalyne drove the bike home, followed by Elena. As they made their way to the apartment, loaded down with gifts, Jalyne smiled.

"What?" Elena questioned.

"I just had an idea for Reno's gift."

"Well?"

"When we get inside."

They put the packages in Jalyne's closet and grabbed lunch and a drink. Jalyne stood at the patio doors looking outward when Elena came to stand next to her. Jalyne suddenly turned to her.

"Is my ship still at the Northern Cave?"

Elena's eyes widened. "Yes, why?"

"Reno's gift is there, I believe. Care to go with me?"

The blond Turk's eyes lit up even more. "We're gonna Gate aren't we?" she exclaimed.

"Fastest way to travel." Jalyne smirked and raised her hand to open the Gate.

"The alarms are going off at Jalyne's ship." Tseng mentioned to Rufus as the president was attending to paperwork in his office. "Elena is with her."

"Then she's not leaving." Rufus commented.

"Still don't trust her, Sir?"

Rufus looked up at his Director and smirked. "I trust her, Tseng. Just wary of her technology." He reached and patched into the camera's Tseng had installed during the Nibelheim mission and the feed came to life in front of them.

They were searching for something as Jalyne was rummaging through the back of the ship near the cargo holds. Elena was looking around at all of the electronic gadgets and blinking lights. She turned and went to Jalyne's side, helping her move things around.

It has to be here somewhere. No ship is equipped without one. They heard Jalyne say to Elena. The princess paused at a console and looked at a small chip, suddenly picking it up and putting it in her pocket.

"What do you think that was?" Rufus asked Tseng who was staring at the hologram.

"I'm not sure."

They continued to observe the two Turks rummage around the ship, with Jalyne finally finding what she was looking for and placing the pieces in a container.

Are you doing what I think you are doing for Reno? Elena asked.

Depends on what you think. Jalyne chuckled. Do you think he'll like a T'Karvian version?

Oh, my yes. She laughed. He'll just be over the moon with it. Are you going to make it?

Jalyne paused a moment and nodded. Yes. It may take me a while to craft it and I'll add something special for him. I'll be right back.

Elena moved to go outside and Jalyne went to the cockpit where the shield was still down, and snow had built up over the instruments. She blew and wiped the snow off and suddenly paused, looking outward over the Northern Crater, her brows furrowed in consternation. Jalyne looked down and hit a switch, pulling the hologram of the stars forward. She scanned the chart before closing it down and pulled the chip from the dash.

Jalyne paused and looked outward again, a feeling of despair sifting into her heart and she narrowed her eyes. Finally, she looked upwards to the hidden camera, smiled, and winked.

Do not worry, Sir. I'm not going anywhere, and I only pulled the communications and data chips and receivers. There's something I need to research. She calmly stated to the camera.

Neither the President nor the Director hid their shock within the office room.

"I'm surprised you didn't ask her along." Rude stated to Reno as they sat at the bar, drinking their usual drinks on Saturday.

"Nah." Reno non-chalantly said, waving it off. "She's been busy with Elena."

"That's a good thing."

"I suppose, yo."

"Then what's wrong?" Rude pressed.

"Nothing really."

Rude sat quietly for a moment sipping his drink and watching the crowd within the bar. He watched as Reno eyed a certain platinum blonde sitting in the corner with her friends, chatting along. Rude knew his partner was bothered about their female partner, but even he wasn't sure how to help Reno along with the issue. Something appeared to be holding him back.

"Why don't you just ask her out?" Rude inquired while the red head kept surveying the people.

"It's not that easy, yo." Reno commented.

"Why not?"

Reno turned to stare at him bewildered. "And if she says no?"

Rude finally understood or at least had a hint of what was bothering Reno. "That's the worst that could happen, I suppose. But you don't know unless you ask."

Reno huffed and turned back to the bar for another drink. "Want another one, partner?"

Rude shook his head and took out some gil to place on the bar. "I better not." He paused, placing a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Stop thinking you aren't good enough for her, Reno. It's obvious she is waiting for your next move." The silent Turk patted his should reassuringly. "See you on Monday." Rude walked out of the bar leaving Reno to think about what he said.

Jalyne spent Sunday wandering around Midgar to finish up her shopping. Though she was never fond of the cold, she was enjoying the briskness of the coming winter. The sky was overcast but there wasn't any rain or snow falling, which made her happy.

Before Jalyne realized it, she was near Reno's place. She stood there, looking at the apartment building undecided on what she should do. There was a lot that was happening in the worlds and many instances that distracted her, one of which she discovered late last night. The wind increased, blowing her coat around behind her, and she remained impassive on whether to pursue what she really wanted.

It was considered rude by her standards to drop by unannounced, but then she was a princess and normal etiquette did not apply to her. This was Midgar, not Trerran, and there were a great many things that she was learning was different between what she knew and what was acceptable here.

Deciding she would take Elena's advice and go after what she assumed was what she wanted, Jalyne entered the building and ascended the elevator to his floor. She was nervous, to say the least, and walked slowly down the hall to his place. After waiting for what seemed forever, she knocked on the door and waited, dipping her head down in thought of whether this was a good idea or not.

When the door opened, Jalyne was met with beautiful platinum blonde girl, who in her opinion, looked like she was barely an adult. It took all of her will to not show her surprise at the lady in front of her.

"What do you want?" the girl snapped, flipping her hair behind her shoulders. "He's a little busy at the moment." She smirked at Jalyne.

"Would you let him know that his partner stopped by?" Jalyne flustered politely, her accent stronger being taken off guard and she tried not to let her disappointment show through or create a scene.

"Partner?" the blonde scoffed indignantly. "A white-haired scarred old bitch is his partner? I think not! He's moved on to better things then." She laughed noticing Jalyne's mark.

Jalyne raised her chin haughtily and her eyes darkened momentarily at the insult. Thinking better of it and not to lash out unnecessarily or cause harm to the baby, she turned to leave, but not before catching a glimpse of Reno in the background.

"You better keep going, witch!" the girl screamed after her.

Jalyne made it to the elevator and as the doors closed, she saw Reno stick his head out into the hall. She made it out the door and to the nearby park when Reno caught up with her. Surprisingly, Jalyne was calmer than she thought she could manage. Either that or she learned how to bury her emotions to a point, and she wasn't sure what was the better outcome.

"Jalyne!" Reno called, reaching out to grab her hand.

Jalyne yanked her arm back, staying out of reach of him and stepped backwards, curling her right hand around her left arm. "I'm sorry, Reno. I didn't mean to just drop by. I should have called first."

This wasn't the reaction he thought to get from his partner, and he didn't hide the shock on his face at Jalyne's calmness. He reached out her again, only for her to step back once more. Reno could see the brief flash of hurt cross her eyes.

"What did you need, yo?" he asked slowly, watching Jalyne carefully.

"Nothing." She replied glancing away and taking a deep breath in the cold air. "I was just in the area."

He could see she was struggling to maintain a calm façade as he noticed her fingers tighten around her arm. "Are you sure?"

Jalyne looked up at him then, her eyes betraying her feelings. "Not really." She stated evenly and turned to continue walking away.

"Whoa! Wait a minute, yo!" Reno pressured reaching out and grabbing her arm. Her fist clenched and wave of energy flowed outward from her. He stopped as she turned to face him once more, though he glanced at the birds hanging in the air, motionless.

Jalyne stared at him before speaking again. "I believe a hiatus is needed, Reno." She paused collecting her thoughts and Reno could see the moisture within her eyes. "Who you choose to be with is none of my concern." She continued quietly. "And I cannot change what I am, either."

"Jalyne…"

The princess held up her hand to stop him. "There is too much at stake at the moment, Reno."

"I know that, yo. But…"

Again, Jalyne held her hand up to stop him. "I think both of us need to stop and consider what it is we truly want." She paused again, this time staring hard at him. "However, I do not take kindly to your girlfriends' insult that I am an old white-haired bitch. I am your partner, even it if is just for work, and next time…" Jalyne pulled her power inward, releasing the time that she was holding. "…I will not hesitate to turn her into a todalicaas, and I will not change her back."

"Jalyne…wait a minute!" Reno zipped in front of her, blocking her path and grabbing her at the shoulders to stop her. "Stop!"

"No." though Jalyne did hesitated and looked at him softly before reaching up to touch his markings. "We have a saying that if two are really meant to be together, if they circle back and become one, then so shall it be and Faterian's blessing will be upon them."

She nodded sadly at him and walked by; head bowed against the breeze. Reno stared after her, jaw clenched, though he missed the two tears that trailed down her face, but her words rang within his mind.