Reeve: Tell Me, Can You Ease the Pain?
Reeve knocked on the door, feeling sharp eyes on him; he hoped it was only the local punks, and not the other Turks. Elena had never said whether she'd discussed this evacuation plan with them, and he'd rather not find out she hadn't at the wrong end of Reno's nightstick.
"Yes, what is it? Oh, Mr. Reeve. We didn't expect you this late," Sister Guadalupe said, stepping aside to let him into the foyer. It smelled of soap and polish, and the worn wood shone faintly in the soft light.
"The way things are going, it was the only time I could get here," he explained. "I hope it's not an inconvenience. Mother Superior called me."
She nodded. "Do sit down, and I'll see if she's free." He sat down, and Sister Guadalupe hurried off.
Reeve absently scanned the shelves, smiling as he recognized titles. His mother had eventually threatened to throw out their copy of Puss in Boots; he'd hidden the book in retaliation, and, unable to find it, she'd given in and bought him a new copy. He still had both of them, somewhere in his apartment. The orphanage's collection was surprisingly eclectic, probably acquired at library sales or from donations, and very heavily read; maybe he could find some money to replace the ones that were about to fall apart.
The titles reminded him of his own childhood; his grandmother had told him Wutai folk-tales every night, much to his mother's aggravation; his grandmother's stories had been full of demons and fighting and had given him vivid nightmares. He stood up again to look through the shelves, flipping through books at random. His mother had threatened to throw away Mustadio and the Strange Machine too, but he hadn't managed to scam another copy from her. His sisters had loved The Sorceress's Garden, especially the part where the heroine's brother got turned into a toad. Floorboards creaked and he looked up, expecting Sister Guadalupe; he put the copy of Jake the Lucky Chocobo back on the shelf in time to see a little boy in much-patched pajamas two sizes too large sneak into the room.
The little boy, blue eyes still sleepy and black hair mussed, tipped his head up to look at Reeve. You're Elena's friend? he asked, blinking up at Reeve in confusion.
Reeve nodded. "I'm Reeve. Your name is Sergio, right?"
Sergio beamed. "Yeah! How come you're here? Neve had to work and Sister says Alejandro only shows up when he feels like it." He tiptoed over to the bookcase to stand next to Reeve.
"I need to talk to Mother Superior. Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"
Sergio frowned, looking absurdly serious for such a little boy. "Uhm, I woke up and I'm not tired anymore." He promptly yawned. "You like stories too?" He peered at the bookcase. "My favorite story is Mustadio and the Strange Machine but Sister put it up on the top shelf and I can't get it down anymore."
"I liked that one when I was a kid," Reeve replied, picking the book off the shelf, and wondering when Sister Guadalupe was going to come back.
Sergio took the book and hugged it to his chest, eyes wide. "Really?"
"Yes. My favorite was Puss in Boots," Reeve said, and heard another set of footprints. Sister Guadalupe came back and shook her head.
"Sergio! What are you doing up?"
"I woke up! I'm not tired, Sister, let me stay up? Please?"
"No, back to bed with you, Sergio!" the Sister said. "It's too late for you to be up. I'm sorry, Mr. Reeve, I'll be right back." She caught Sergio firmly by the shoulder, and dragged him (book clutched firmly to his chest) back to wherever the children slept. She returned a few minutes later, shaking her head. "It's almost time for evening service, so I'm afraid you'll have to be quick."
"That's fine," he said. "Sergio seems like a handful."
"That child is two hands full," Sister Guadalupe said, smiling with affectionate exasperation. Please come with me.
The way up to Mother Superior's office was much shorter this time; Sergio had apparently taken them up the long way the last time. A young nun was leaving the office as they arrived, looking terribly upset.
Sister Guadalupe shook her head at the nun, then entered the office. Mother Superior, Mr. Reeve to see you.
Thank you, Sister. There isn't much time, Mr. Reeve, so shall we go directly to business? Sister Guadalupe closed the door as she left.
Yes. I take it you reached a decision?
She nodded. We would have informed you sooner, but we were making our own preparations for the evacuation. Our Chapterhouses in the rest of the world are ready to assist.
Reeve said, relieved. He would not have been able to do this on his own, or at least not effectively. My people are ready. What do you need?
Keys to the slums and freedom to move, Mother Superior said.
Reeve pulled a much-folded piece of paper from his pocket. I'll get the keys to you tomorrow. These people have agreed to help arrange transportation. I'll see what I can do about freedom to move. Elena had mentioned knowing people over in Soldier; if they were in the right places, that would help. Even if they weren't, they might know who could.
Thank you. We will make our plans after evening service, she said.
Reeve took the hint and stood. Call me if you need any further assistance. If nothing else, Elena will be able to get hold of me.
Sister Guadalupe showed him out. The other nuns, walking solemnly to evening service to the sound of whispering cloth and clacking rosaries, watched him curiously as he left. The punks were out, and he was relieved to reach the Shinra elevator to the plate without incident, and hurried quickly home.
Elena was sitting in his chair again, a tumbler of something on the table next to her and her gun in her hand. His cat was curled up happily on her lap, purring loudly enough to be heard over the jazz playing on his stereo. He sighed; his cat was merely being a cat, and getting attention wherever she could. It would probably purr at Scarlet if she petted her; Reeve, however, would prefer that Scarlet never set foot in his apartment.
You're going to have some explaining to do in the morning, Elena said, tucking her gun back into her jacket. Rufus was looking for you an hour ago.
Reeve sighed. How angry was he?
Reno didn't say anything for more than an hour, she replied.
I've met my insurance deductible for the year, he said, and contemplated whether he'd updated his will lately. Then again, he didn't have anyone to leave his possessions to other than his cat and his family, who wouldn't particularly want most of them. The nuns have an evacuation plan set up, but they need help getting to move around without getting hassled.
she said quietly. I'll see what I can do about the military. I'll send someone up to get the keys tomorrow.
The tabby cat jumped off her lap and ran over to Reeve, meowing demandingly and rubbing against his ankles. All right, I'll feed you.
Me or the cat? Elena asked, rising to her feet and stretching distractingly.
He shrugged, carefully not looking anywhere he shouldn't, and followed the cat into the kitchen. What, you want cat food? I don't think there's much of anything else in the house.
Keeping food in the house doesn't seem to be your strong point, she remarked, leaning against the doorframe. He opened a can of cat food, plopped the contents on a somewhat battered plate, and put it down, then picked up the water dish and filled it with fresh water.
I usually eat alone, he said, putting the water dish back down. Easier to order pizza or pick up take-out than cook for one person.
she said. Depressing to eat alone all the time.
I guess I'm used to it, he replied, rooting through the refrigerator. He gave up, poked through some cabinets, and sighed, wishing he'd thought to get some take-out for dinner. I haven't roomed with anyone in years.
I don't know why, she said, leaving the doorframe to stand much closer to him than she usually did, close enough he could almost feel her warmth. You certainly don't have to be alone.
Reeve blinked at her, startled, and said, Well, I ...
I don't want to be alone tonight, she said, moving close enough to touch. He found himself looking into eyes the color of summer sunlight as she brushed her fingers over his cheek and kissed him. He kissed back, somewhat awkwardly and tentatively, a light brush over her lips; her hand slid around to the back of his head as she kissed him more firmly, leaning up against him. She smelled faintly of something herbal, sharp and sweet, and tasted of something spicy.
He pulled away, hands shaking a bit, and wondered why she wanted him, when she could have had almost anyone. Hurt flickered across her face, Mako-eyes darkening to burnished gold, as she twisted her hands together behind her back. Elena, I ...
She turned away from him and started to walk back to the living room. I'm not Scarlet, she said. He wondered if he was imagining the rough edge to her voice. I just ... just wanted to not be alone for one night. I thought ... you might not want to be alone either.
He reached out and caught her by the shoulder. Elena. Wait.
She turned back, looking at him for a long moment. Her eyes brightened to hot sunlit gold, and she stepped back into his arms and tipped her head up to kiss him. Reeve returned the kiss with no hesitation this time, and found he had nothing coherent to say for the rest of the night.
He woke up slowly, later than usual, with less of a frantic sense of things undone and imminent chaos. The other side of the bed was empty, but not quite cool, and he could still smell her scent on the sheets and on his skin. He sat up and ran his hands through his disheveled hair, which did nothing to tidy it; he looked down at himself and blushed at the marks on his skin. His last lover hadn't been remotely that ... aggressive.
The sound of female voices - one cool, one angry - snapped him out of his reverie, and he remembered belatedly that Cameron had said she'd be by last night with the data on the Junon reactor. She's going to be furious, he thought, scrabbling hastily for sweatpants and sweatshirt. He ran his hand through his hair again, still not tidying it, and hurried into the living room. Elena, dressed with her hair combed and looking unflappable, was pointing her revolver at Cameron, who was, indeed, furious.
Reeve! Who is this ... person? she demanded. Cameron was his age, with blunt-cut short brown hair and sharp brown eyes behind thick glasses; her suit was much less expensive and stylish than Elena's.
Uh, Elena, that's really not necessary, he said with a shake of his head, his hair flopping in his eyes because he hadn't taken the time to pull it back. Elena frowned at him, but pulled her gun up away from Cameron. Cameron, you could have just stopped in my office this morning.
Cameron shook her head as Elena holstered her gun. I've got to catch the 7:30 back to Junon. Here's your data. She shoved an huge, overstuffed envelope at him, then stalked out of the apartment, pointedly not slamming the door behind her.
He sighed. It was definitely going to be one of those days; he could just guess that half his staff would have decided to quit and leave Midgar (which was not a bad idea), the other half would effectively not be getting anything done, and Rude would be glowering at him worse than usual. Rude, for reasons Reeve had never quite figured out, seemed to actively dislike him.
Who was that? Elena demanded, dragging him back to the moment. She sounded distinctly annoyed as she holstered the revolver.
Cameron Trieze. Chief Engineer over at Junon, he said, looking at the envelope in aggravation. He hoped Cameron had at least remembered an analysis of the data, and not just handed him raw data. She was supposed to bring me these reports on the Junon reactor.
Why does she have a key?
He blinked, then blushed. She used to stay here when she got sent to Midgar. I never got around to getting the key back.
Elena quirked an eyebrow. Your Chief Engineer in Junon used to stay here?
Well, it was before my promotion to Assistant Secretary, he said defensively. Back when I was still Chief Engineer in Midgar. Must have been, oh, five years ago ... And even then Cameron had been more likely to sleep on the couch than in his bed; she'd had other boyfriends then and now.
And you never got the key back. She shook her head. You are a nightmare for security.
Well, it's not like anyone usually bothers with me.
Elena pressed him against the wall before he could react. She brushed her lips lightly over his and said, That is always subject to change. She backed off and turned to his coffee maker.
Reeve, blushing furiously, fled for his bathroom, only then realizing he'd put on his sweatshirt inside out. Life had been less complicated yesterday, but he wasn't sure he wanted it less complicated. He turned on the shower, relieved to find out that there was, in fact, hot water this morning; even at this hour, two or three times a week there would be no hot water in the shower.
He heard the door open again while he was in the shower, Rude's rumbling voice speaking to Elena, and then the door closed again; no doubt Elena was now headed off to protect Hojo. Rude had practically radiated rage the day Rufus had reassigned her to that duty; Reeve understood and rather agreed with him, though he didn't think he had any right be angry about it. The assignment was probably payback for punching Rufus; there was no one to replace her, and since all her living expenses were most likely paid by the company, docking her pay wasn't very useful.
He got out of the shower, trimmed his beard, dressed and headed for the kitchen. The tabby cat purred and wound around his ankles as he opened a can of cat food and dumped it on a plate. Rude, drinking a cup of coffee (Reeve's coffeemaker was set to have a fresh pot ready at the time he usually woke up), glowered at both of them. The cat, intent on breakfast, ignored him; Reeve, who had to get around Rude to get at the coffee, didn't have that luxury.
Er, morning, Rude, he said, fishing a mug out of the dishwasher. Excuse me.
Rude glared, then shrugged and stepped away from the coffee machine. Reeve poured the last of the coffee into his mug and added a dose of cream. It was, he discovered, exceedingly difficult to enjoy a cup of coffee when Rude was standing against the wall nearby radiating hostility.
You're late, Rude snapped.
Reeve blinked. Late? Not yet, I should still make it in at the usual time, he said, peering at the clock. Even I oversleep sometimes. His cat meowed in vehement agreement.
Being late with your breakfast is not a mortal sin, Terra, he told her.
Terra hissed in disagreement and stalked out of the room. Reeve sighed.
Rude shook his head. Come on. The President is not happy with you.
Reeve finished his coffee and resisted the urge to mutter something unwise in response to that. He grabbed his keys, his wallet, and the kit with Cait's microphone and control. Fine. Let's go.
Reeve got himself another cup of coffee, and found that drinking it while reading the night's accumulation of e-mail was not a wise idea. Cameron had never been one to mince words.
An MP arrived before lunch, stating he'd been sent to collect a package. Reeve saw the small rose-cross around his neck and handed him the box with the keys, wondering how many of the orphanage's children had ended up in Shinra's army over the years.
Thank you, sir. The MP saluted crisply and left; if he wasn't the right person, he was very new on the job. Few people bothered saluting him more than perfunctorily.
Reeve turned back to his computer and found another email from Cameron; he shook his head. Cameron was never going to let this lie. The delivery-boy from the restaurant arrived with his lunch; Reeve shoved the paperwork out of the way long enough to eat (Rufus, in particular, got quite irate at chili sauce on his reports).
It was, by early afternoon, almost a relief when Rufus summoned him for a meeting; he sent Cameron a final e-mail telling her he was going to be unavailable. He reached the 70th floor and walked up the stairs to the President's office; Reno, on his way down, just shook his head. Reeve reminded himself firmly that he had the best insurance available, though he doubted being Rufus' personal punching bag was technically covered. The insurance company had learned not to bother with technicalities for the executives.
You wanted to see me, sir?
Rufus did not turn around from where he stood in front of the windows. Why did you do it, Reeve?
Sir? What do you mean? He shook his head in confusion. I built Cait on your father's orders -
"That's not what I meant." Rufus turned around, his face as expressionless as a statue. "Why did you betray the company, Reeve?"
"Sir?" Reeve stammered, desperately trying to figure what might have given him away, what betrayal Rufus might be talking about. Maybe it was letting Avalanche listen in on meetings (and it wasn't like he'd subjected them to Scarlet's idea of a meeting, the one and only thing that made him grateful for Rude's ominous presence in his office), or the ever less useful reports of what they were up to (which was not entirely his fault, and he would not tell Reno about the time he plugged into Cait Sith to find out that Yuffie had been curled up asleep on the mog hugging the cat like a stuffed toy). Perhaps Rufus had found out about the evacuation plans. "I don't-"
He always forgot how fast Rufus could move when he chose; Rufus was already across the room before he realized he was moving and Reeve stumbled backward with blood streaming from his nose, knocked breathless by the next punch to his stomach. He could only wonder why Rufus preferred his fists to his gun where he was concerned; maybe Rufus only wanted to keep him around to run the reactors. Another blow to his stomach, and the only thing holding him upright was Rufus' choking grip on his tie as he pounded on Reeve's chest.
"Why, Reeve?" Rufus demanded. "What did they give you that you betrayed us for them?"
Reeve coughed blood and said, "Rufus - that's - I -" He spat out more blood, vaguely appalled at the ruin of Rufus' gleaming white suit. "They didn't give me anything." They tolerated him, mostly, because he was useful (which was familiar enough), and Yuffie actually liked him (which he wasn't sure he understood). Barret hated him, but Barret wasn't Reeve's favorite person in the world either; Barret had planned out the reactor bombings, had probably had more of them planned, and didn't care about everyone he'd killed and the destruction he'd caused. They hadn't given him anything, hadn't offered him anything; they were trying to do the only thing they knew to stop the destruction that was coming.
The sound of footsteps on the staircase distracted Rufus for a moment, and he allowed Reeve to collapse to the floor. Reeve blinked, not sure what he was seeing; bits of red and black arranged themselves into an ankle-length red skirt split up to the waist, feminine legs in black stockings and red spike heels, and a familiar musky perfume assaulted his nose. He had the sudden, absolute conviction that he had been much better off a few seconds ago, not in the least ameliorated by the presence of a pair of legs in rumpled blue trousers with unpolished black shoes that lazed a few feet behind her.
"Rufus-sama," Scarlet purred. "I am sorry to interrupt, but I need Reeve to get his reactors prepared to fire the cannon."
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Rufus flung him to land against Scarlet's legs, and a pale hand with sharp red nails dragged him to his feet. "Very well. Reno. Make sure he obeys orders."
Scarlet kept one red-nailed hand clamped firmly around his wrist and half-dragged him down the stairs and to the elevators. Reeve, clamping his other hand to his nose, wondered if Rufus would be kind enough to shoot him if he bolted back for the office. Reno rapped him ungently with his nightstick when he slowed down, and Reeve realized he'd never get a chance.
You're working from my office, Scarlet said, when he started toward his office. I intend to keep a close eye on you.
It didn't really matter whose office he was in; his subordinates knew his voice well enough, after all. The job could be done from anywhere in the building, or even home; but the computer in his office was tied into the appropriate networks, allowing him to view a realtime chart of reactor levels. Scarlet wouldn't care as long as Midgar wasn't blown to hell; he wasn't sure if she'd care if it was, as long as she wasn't in it at the time.
He was always disconcerted by her office; he expected ornate carved furniture, overstuffed cushions and thick luxurious carpets, something like the way high-class bordellos were portrayed in the movies. Instead, it was pale ceramic tile and smooth plaster walls, chrome and glass and hard cold light, and even the rug on the floor beneath her desk might have been a slick of frozen blood.
Get to work, Reeve, she said, shoving him toward her desk. And then we can discuss what you owe me.
Owe you? He shook his head. Oh, no. I'm not falling for that one, Scarlet.
she said, raising an eyebrow. Just what do you mean by that?
Reeve wiped blood from his face with a tissue from her desk. "If Rufus wanted me dead," he said, "I'd be dead. What do you think he keeps the Turks and a double-barrelled shotgun for?" He threw the tissue into her wastebasket; his nose had mostly stopped bleeding by now. His suit was a complete loss, though; he'd gone through more than one since Meteor appeared.
Scarlet laughed. "Oh, perhaps you wouldn't be dead, though I don't think you should be that ... convinced ... of it, Reeve. But you would be absolutely useless to anyone for days once he was through with you."
Reeve shrugged and drummed his fingers on the edge of her desk. "As far as you're concerned, Scarlet, I'm always useless, so I don't see what difference that would make."
Reno, leaning insouciantly against the door, nearly inhaled his cigarette and coughed it back out.
Scarlet laughed and folded her arms under her breasts. "Don't bother, Reeve. I know you like women.
Reeve managed not to blush and hoped she hadn't found out about Elena. Entirely aside from that Scarlet would pass it on to Rufus and Rufus would make Elena's life hell, he doubted the Turks would approve. Elena could handle that, but he didn't know if he could.
It might be amusing to see you make good on that, Reeve, Scarlet said. After all, you really ought to do something other than play with toys. It doesn't fit a man on the board of Shinra.
I'm not, he said, ignoring Reno's smirk, interested in your toys, Scarlet.
She smirked, unfolded her arms and leaned forward to tap him lightly on the cheek. Maybe you'd be interested in Reno's then, Reeve. Reno sighed, looking half-interested and half-insulted. That would certainly improve my miserable day.
Reeve decided that his only chance was to change the subject. Do you want the Mako cannon to fire without destroying the building and most of the plate?
It would be preferable, yes, Scarlet said dryly, resting one hand on her hip. I am not interested in having the city crash down around me.
Then let me get to work.
Scarlet eyed him thoughtfully, then laughed and gestured to her desk. Work away, Reeve. But don't expect it to get you off the hook.
Reeve picked up the phone and started making calls. With luck, he could think of a way out of this situation before Scarlet decided to change the rules again. Reno was going to be no help whatsoever; if the office gossip was true, he might even decide to be on Scarlet's side. He managed to avoid explaining to his subordinates why he was calling from Scarlet's office as he made the necessary arrangements.
Keep the Sector 5 reactor at half-power. I don't want to see it blow up again. Once was quite enough, yes. Is that the last one? Good. Tie the whole thing into the control panel in my office. He listened. Good, I'll take it from there. He hung up and tried to step away from the desk.
Scarlet stepped in front of him and shoved him back against the desk. I told you, she purred, hands on his hips, I wasn't going to let you off the hook.
Reeve shoved her away. And I said I wasn't interested in your toys. I have work to do, Scarlet. I'm sure one of the local houses would be happy to send someone up to entertain you.
Oh, I'm sure they would, Scarlet hissed. But that's not the brand of entertainment I had in mind, Reeve. She reached out and grabbed his shoulder, and drew blood from his cheek with the sharp nails of the other hand. You've been playing this game far too long.
The only person playing games here is you, Scarlet, Reeve snapped back. I have no idea what you think this is going to get you, and I don't care - I'm not playing.
Scarlet's eyes flashed with fury. I don't think you understand, Reeve. You don't have a choice. No one walks out on me.
Well, maybe it's time someone did, Reeve snapped back. He pushed past her and walked toward her door.
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Scarlet grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around and slammed him into the wall next to the door. You've got more balls than I gave you credit for, she purred. Maybe you'll be more fun than I thought. She leaned in and kissed him, pressing him against the wall with her body.
Reeve, revolted, grabbed her shoulders and almost threw her off of him. Forget it, Scarlet, I'm not interested.
She stumbled, ankle twisting as she fought to stay on her feet; her eyes flashed pure rage as she righted herself. Whatever she had been about to snarl was interrupted by the buzz of her phone. She slammed the speakerphone button.
What is it? she demanded.
Ma'am, the Proud Cloud is ready for testing. Heidegger requests that you attend the final test phase with him.
Scarlet glared at Reeve. Don't think this is over, Reeve. Reno, go hand him off to whoever has him today. She shoved Reno out of the way, stormed out of her office and disappeared down the hall.
Reno stared at Reeve and shook his head in disbelief. An' I thought you were a wuss, he said. He picked up his cell phone. Yo, Rude. I'm bringing him back down.
Reeve sighed. Walking through the building in a bloody suit was not going to do his reputation any good; it was a good thing no one else wanted his job. At this point, if Rufus had been able to replace him, he would probably be splattered over the plaza around the building. Or maybe Rufus would keep him alive to use as a punching bag. A live one must be much more interesting than the ones in the gym.
Huh? What? Reeve jumped and shook his head, blinking in confusion at the Turk.
Don't space on me, Reno said, annoyed. Come on, you wanna be here when she gets back?
Reeve discovered that he could, indeed, move surprisingly fast.
Didn't think so, he said, and allowed him to take the back ways down to his office. Fortunately, there were few people in the halls, and those who saw him pretended not to have seen anything unusual.
Rude stepped out of his office to talk to Reno, and Reeve took the chance to pull a clean shirt and a bottle of potion out of his desk; he smoothed the potion over the scratch Scarlet had left on his cheek and a few of the worst lacerations from Rufus. He was used to bruises, and potion wouldn't help anything more serious. He cleaned his face the best he could and pulled his shirt on quickly; he didn't want to heal or explain the marks Elena had left on him.
He was at his desk checking on the reactor output levels when Rude returned; the bald Turk sat down in his usual chair and went back to drinking the last cup of coffee. Reeve sighed and made a fresh pot, and hoped Scarlet would not come looking for him for the rest of the day. He tapped into Cait several times that afternoon, but nothing that the AI couldn't handle came up. Avalanche was far enough away that they were severely out-of-sync with Midgar; right now they were scrounging up some dinner and had refused to let Yuffie cook (or Yuffie had conned them into not making her cook). His stomach rumbled, reminding him that it had been a very long time since lunch.
There wasn't any food at home; he decided to order take-out when he got there. Reeve burned all the information he'd stolen from Hojo to disc, packed up his spreadsheets, packed all of them into his briefcase, and went home. Elena arrived shortly afterward; he wasn't sure, but he suspected Reno had night duty on Hojo. Reeve didn't envy him a bit.
He grabbed some sweats and dumped his suit in a heap on his bedroom floor; it was bloody enough to be ruined. It wasn't the first one to be trashed by Rufus' propensity to use him as a punching bag; he picked up a bottle of potion and went into the bathroom while Elena and Rude talked in his living room.
He would have to tell Avalanche about the cannon, about the plans to use it to break Sephiroth's shield on the crater. Later. He turned the shower on hot and let it rain down on him, hot water painful on abraded skin and cuts and bruises; he washed off the blood and leaned against the shower wall. There were times, Barret and all, that he thought about packing it in and sending his real body in with Avalanche. Even if they decided to shoot him, they'd probably be faster about it than Scarlet. But the Turks would get him long before he reached Cosmo Canyon; whatever personal feelings they might have, they'd do their job.
Rude would probably be perfectly happy to shoot him. It would at least be better than being handed over to Scarlet again; next time he wouldn't get out of there that easily. Maybe he should have a drink. Or two. Or possibly three. Or he could just drink the entire bottle, assuming Reno or Rude had not already done so (Elena, happily for him, generally contented herself with one or two fairly small glasses).
The hot water cut out unexpectedly; Reeve groaned, muttered something Cid would be proud of, and shut off the water. His doorbell rang as he got out and grabbed his towel; he heard Elena answer it, and dressed quickly (checking to make sure he was not putting anything on inside-out this time), hoping it wasn't Cameron again. Then again, she had enough to deal with in Junon that she wasn't likely to make the trip again.
Elena had ordered dinner, garlic chicken and egg-drop soup, enough for both of them. She waved him off when he tried to say something and shoved a plate at him, the cat leaping onto the table to bat a piece of chicken from his plate. He only had two drinks, after all, and was pleasantly astonished to find he wasn't sleeping alone.
To Be Continued
[Author's Notes: This begins before the first section of the previous chapter and ends before the second section - the orphanage part is the night before, the morning overlaps, and the afternoon/evening part is after the first section ends and three days before the second section begins. Confused yet?]