Chapter 22: I'm With You

I'm standing on the bridge

I'm waiting in the dark

I thought that you'd be here by now

There's nothing but the rain

No footsteps on the ground

I'm listening but there's no sound

Isn't anyone trying to find me?

Won't somebody come take me home?

It's a damn cold night

Trying to figure out this life

Won't you take me by the hand?

Take me somewhere new

I don't know who you are

But I'm with you

I'm With You – Avril Lavigne

After the interviews Infalna, Matthew and Aeris went into the sunlit courtyard of the hotel for photographs. When most of the reporters had gone, one photographer and reporter asked for a picture of Aeris and Vincent. The couple stood in front of the fountain as the photographer snapped picture after picture. Aeris saw Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie and Barret come out of the hotel. The photographer caught her looking and took pictures of them as well.

Once everything was finished the Gasts, Aeris and her friends sat down and ordered tea. Aeris grinned at her parents.

"There you go. You're no longer mad scientists. Just the ordinary kind."

"Yes. Hopefully this will clear everything up." Infalna said, sipping tea. Matthew kissed his wife on the cheek and then turned to his daughter.

"You did very well, Aeris."

"I did, didn't I? Well, these guys were drilling me yesterday."

"Has… has James been trying to talk to you lately?" Infalna asked. Aeris shook her head.

"No. I think he might have finally gotten the message. And anyway… I guess I feel a bit sorry for him."

"She's finally cracked. The fame has gone to her head." Cloud said to Tifa. Aeris smiled.

"He wanted to get published so badly. His dad runs the paper and he turned down all of James' other articles. He was so desperate to impress his father and become a published writer; he lost sight of his priorities." She said, staring down at her tea.

She looked up. They were all staring at her. She shook her head,

"I'm not excusing what he did. I'm just saying that he had his reasons and sometimes our reasons change the way we look at things."

"Aeris, just forget about him. Come on, let's do something fun." Yuffie said. Tifa frowned.

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Something." Yuffie said. Cloud raised his eyebrows.

"And here I was thinking you'd be vague about this." Matthew laughed at that.

"Well, Infalna and I are taking you all out for a meal tonight to thank you."

"What'd we do?" Yuffie asked. Matthew said,

"You took care of Aeris when she needed it most."

"Oh, that. It was nothing." Tifa said. Aeris cleared her throat.

"What, because I'm so incapable?"

"Exactly darling. Now, Mr Barret, you own your own café?"

Aeris gaped at her parents. Tifa and Cloud started to laugh at her but she glared at them.

"Mom, Dad, I am perfectly capable!"

"We're just teasing." Matthew said, ruffling her hair. She pushed his hand away.

"Hey, I just brushed it!" Matthew just laughed at her.

Vincent and Aeris excused themselves for a walk before the meal. Aeris sighed.

"I don't understand you at all."

"Really?"

"No."

"And why is that?"

"Well… look at me. You've done so much for me already and somehow you still manage to put up with me, and my weird family. You must be insane!"

"Insanity doesn't seem so bad then." Vincent said casually. Aeris couldn't help grinning.

"Looking forward to the Turk's Concert?" She asked.

"Of course. I love the Turks."

"Me too. Oh, I feel so great! Just knowing that the press has finally got the right end of the stick and everything is better now… it's great!" She said, laughing. Vincent smiled.

"I know. We can finally settle down and get back to normal."

"Yeah... well, were we ever normal?"

"I don't know about that." Vincent said.

At dinner that night Infalna said to Aeris,

"Aeris, your father and I have been thinking."

"Uh oh." Aeris said.

"Don't be silly, dear. No, we were wondering…why don't you and Vincent come to our next conference? It's in about six week's time in Wutai. You have a break then, don't you?"

"Yes, for two weeks." Aeris said. She looked at Vincent.

"What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea." Vincent agreed. Yuffie grinned.

"I'm going home then too."

"Did you talk to your dad?"

"Yeah… but we're gonna sort it out later. Reeve's gonna come with me." Yuffie said. Aeris nodded.

"OK then. We'll come. What are you two going to do?" She said, turning to Tifa and Cloud.

"We're going to hike to Junon and then stay in Costa del Sol for a few days." Tifa said. Cloud grinned.

"I've always wanted to visit it and so has Tifa, so we figured we might as well go."

"And I've got the café to run, so we're all settled." Barret said. He looked at Tifa.

"Make sure to spend some time with your sister, before she leaves."

"I will, Dad." Tifa said.

The conversation turned to music and movies. Aeris wasn't listening though. Her thoughts were fixed on the telephone number in her drawer. Wutai…

A few days later Aeris and Vincent were in his flat. Aeris was sitting at the piano, running her fingers over the keys while Vincent sketched. Aeris looked up at him and then back down at the keys. Something had been bugging her for a while now, but she was afraid to mention it.

"Aeris, what's wrong?" Vincent said, not looking up form his sketchbook.

"Nothing!"

"Yes there is."

"It's nothing… I was just wondering…"

"Yes?"

"About you."

She joined him on the sofa, nervous. He smiled and pushed back a lock of hair.

"Aeris, there isn't anything you can't talk to me about."

"Well… we've never talked about your past."

"We have."

"Yes but… I was curious about your ex-girlfriends."

Vincent's smile faded. Aeris continued in a hurry.

"You must have had them. And if you don't want to talk about it, that's OK, I was just wondering, because you've never mentioned anyone and I was curious."

"There has only been one."

"One? Really?" Aeris said in surprise. Vincent raised an eyebrow and she blushed.

"Sorry. What was she like?"

"She was… unique. Her name was Scarlett." He went to the bookcase and took down a photo album. He flipped the pages and pointed to a photograph of a girl standing next to himself.

They looked about fifteen, maybe sixteen. The girl was pretty with thick, long blonde hair and large brown eyes. Vincent was smiling at the camera.

"What happened?" Aeris asked, examining the picture.

"She left. She found someone else and left me." Vincent said, looking at the photograph.

"How long were you together?"

"Four years. She left around three months after that photo was taken…"

I walked along the corridor to Scarlett's room, holding a bouquet of flowers. It was her birthday today. We were both sixteen now. I had an entire evening planned out. Dinner at her favourite restaurant. A walk around the town. And after that… well, we'd have to see how things worked out.

I hesitated outside Scarlett's door. I could hear her voice inside. Smiling as she laughed, I pushed open the door.

I saw her lying on the bed, naked. I saw the man lying next to her. And then my sight fuzzed over and I couldn't see a thing.

"Vincent!" She cried, clutching the sheets over her. She looked from me to the guy next to her.

"Vincent, I…"

I didn't say anything. I stayed in the doorway. She climbed out of the bed and gazed at me, in tears.

"Please…"

"Happy Birthday." Was all I said, throwing the flowers at her feet.

I saw her a few times after that, mostly with that guy. She didn't speak to me. And then she moved away.

That was when I stopped caring. I put everything I had into my art and blocked out everyone else. I didn't want to be with someone else, because all they do is hurt you.

Aeris stared at him.

"You really loved her." It wasn't a question but he nodded.

"Yes. I did. Not anymore."

"I'm sorry." She whispered. She looked back down at the picture of Scarlett.

"Don't be sorry. I don't care for her anymore. I only love you now." His hand touched her face. She looked up at him.

"I love you too. I'm sorry for bringing this all up."

"It's alright. I think I needed to face this." Vincent said. He took the photo album and closed it.

"None of that matters. Not anymore."

"Of course it matters. She was your first girlfriend. It'll always be important. Things like that always are."

"So James will always mean something to you?"

Aeris frowned, considering.

"Yes. He will… I mean, I don't love him. I don't even like him anymore. But what we had will always mean something. Just like Scarlett will always mean something to you."

Vincent kissed her then. He whispered,

"I'm with you now. Scarlett, James… they're not important. As long as I can keep you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I couldn't lose you." He said. She pressed her forehead against his.

"You're not going to! You'll never lose me. Never… and I'll never hurt you either."

Vincent smiled and kissed her again.

"Good."

Aeris smiled and then looked at her watch.

"I'd better go. I promised Tifa and Yuffie we could have a girl's night in."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yup."

As Aeris cleared her room, ready for Tifa and Yuffie she found herself looking down into the drawer. She bit her lip and took out the number.

She reached for the phone. Slowly, carefully, she dialled the telephone number. Lifting the phone to her ear, she found she was shaking. As the telephone rang, she took several deep breaths.

"Hello." Said a voice in her ear. The air froze in her throat.

"You've reached Eric Gainsborough's answer phone. Please leave your name and number after beep and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

There was a beep, just as the door opened. Aeris slammed the phone down onto the cradle as Yuffie and Tifa entered. They stopped.

"You OK? You'll look like you've seen a ghost."

"No. Just heard one." Aeris whispered. They weren't listening though. Aeris swallowed hard and put the number back in her drawer.

Her father was alive. She had known it, but now it seemed more real. Her father was living in Wutai, where she would be going in six weeks. She had heard his voice; she could contact him at any time.

But would she?