I Tried – Chapter 28
Closing Doors

Reno sighed, leaning against the elevator wall on his way to the ShinRa daycare. Leaving Trigg like that wasn't very easy on him or on Tifa, but they knew it'd be best if she didn't get seen by AVALANCHE. That would lead to too many questions that they weren't comfortable with answering. At any rate, she was safe with the ShinRa daycare.

When he pushed open the first door, Reno got an unexpected shock. Standing at the window, looking into the daycare was Hojo himself. Steady hands were held behind his back, a notebook in one and his other about his wrist. A pen was resting over the frame of his glasses just on his ear.

Reno's first instinct was to kill him. Thankfully he had the restraint not to do so. He couldn't help the low growl that came from his throat.

Hojo chuckled and looked slightly over his shoulder at Reno. A black eyebrow arched over his glasses. "Do calm down. I'm simply observing."

Tracing Hojo's eye line was impossible from behind the man. Reluctantly, Reno stood next to him, eyes darting from the children back to Hojo as if he was afraid the doctor would bite him. Then he realized what the doctor was looking at. Trigg was playing in the corner with other kids. It was nothing unusual.

He could feel Hojo shift next to him and kept his eyes focused on the wall beyond. He didn't like the way that Hojo looked at him, Reno shuddered. He suddenly felt very dirty.

"I don't appreciate Turks butting into my private files…" Hojo muttered, after a thorough perusal of Reno.

Blue eyes snapped over to Hojo, narrowing. "I don't appreciate people treating me like I'm a nifty new toy." He crossed his arms over his chest and fully turned to face Hojo. Reno was angry, yes, but not stupid. He would have loved to put a bullet through Hojo's head. He knew that nothing would make that man sorry for what he did.

"Not particularly new." Hojo smiled. Something Reno hadn't really seen full on before. There was something terrifying about it. Something twisted, it felt like insanity, if that made any sense. "No, not new at all, it's a shame that 547805 found you first…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Reno hissed, nearly rocking forward.

Once again Hojo smiled, and it was then that Reno realized why he didn't want to touch the man. He smelled like Jenova. It wasn't as strong, not as overpowering, but it was there, like old perfume. Hojo gave a disjointed chuckle before talking. "You would have been more… interesting than my previous general concept. Though… different, your genetics didn't mix with the mother-"

"You do call that thing mother." He backpedaled, feeling the wall behind him. "That's fucking insane."

The delighted expression on Hojo's face made Reno wish he hadn't spoken. Though, at least Hojo seemed mildly distracted now. "It shows inherent knowledge of the situation, transferred from the dam…meaning though diluted, perhaps…" He turned his eyes to Trigger and snarled, anger immediately replacing delight.

He rounded then, looking at Reno. "Your species always showed the most entertaining reactions. I'm going to tell you, the moment you step out of line, I will be there." Once again he looked at Trigger. "Yes, the diluted contents and abilities will certainly be interesting." With that, he brushed past Reno, muttering under his breath.

Reno shuddered, hugging his arms to himself. He didn't feel much like asking questions about his parents any longer.

Teef? Could you do me a favor and take Trigg to the bar with you while Barret's away?

Tifa didn't like to pry when Reno asked her to do things, he so rarely asked her for anything that it didn't seem right. There were times – this one was a perfect example – which she had to ask. The response she got was just a look, an afraid look, and the name "Hojo".

She nodded then, not asking anymore. Hojo scared them all, and from what she read and knew from the Turks, they had a great reason. And that look told her that Trigger was involved. Sometimes she wondered if even Reno knew how much he loved her, or how obvious he let that one emotion be.

Part of her wondered if he would ever feel that worried about her. Tifa knew it was wrong to pester and expect and she knew that he wouldn't be risking his life – more so Trigger's life – if he didn't care. After wiping the bar down she rinsed out her rag and hung it on the sink. Her love life felt complicated, she never corrected anyone who thought Trigger was her daughter. Maybe he was right and sex would just complicate things.

Not like she'd know much about things like that at any rate. Tifa glanced over the bar, making sure that Trigger was still coloring in front of her. It wasn't like she wanted another kid, not yet anyway; Trigger kept them both busy enough as it was. It just, wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? The man was supposed to do the asking and the woman the turning down. Of course, most men weren't covert assassins and most women weren't terrorists bent on bringing his corporation down.

The drier dinged in the back room, all she had left to do was fold the towels and call it a night. Sexual frustrations aside, she was happy. More than that, she had a drive that the others in AVALANCHE didn't. They just wanted revenge, Tifa wanted her future.

"Annie Teef?" Trigger called up from where she was sitting at the bar. "I'm gettin sleepy."

Tifa smiled at the little girl fondly. It was strange, to be a mother figure at her age, but there was something so… well, satisfying about it. She loved Trigger, she really did, more than anything else she wanted that child to be happy. Sure, she wasn't exactly a saint of a child, and quite a daddy's girl, but weren't all little girls supposed to be a bit spoiled? Tifa knew that she was at that age. "Let me just fold these towels, baby. Then we can get some cocoa on the way home."

Trigger smiled, she wasn't supposed to get cocoa so late, but this was Auntie Teef, and if Auntie Teef said she could, she could.

She opened the drier and started folding. She was almost done when Tifa heard Trigger scream. Dropping the towel, Tifa ran out to the front of the bar, sliding to a halt next to a large man with almost luminescent green hair. Her eyes found Trigger huddled under a table. After a sigh of relief, she turned her attention to the big man. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

The man's blue eyes widened at Tifa, he sneered at her and reached out, grabbing her elbow. He brandished a knife with his free hand. "You do what I tell you to and I won't hurt yer little girl."

Tifa stiffened in shock. She'd never, ever been threatened before, and when she realized that the man was threatening Trigger? She snarled at him. "Leave."

He laughed and the knife danced in front of her face. "Wrong answer, bitch."

Instinct pushed her. Tifa swept his knife hand out of her face and used the same circular motion to check the man in the jaw. When he let go of her elbow, she gripped his knife hand and twisted sharply. With a yelp, the man dropped the knife and before he could react, three forty- five degree kicks hit his side, pitching him against the bar.

"You fuckin bitch!" He cradled his hand against his chest for a moment. "You almost broke my hand!"

Tifa rocked from foot to foot, fists up. She was too angry to respond.

He spun to face her, firing off a shot at Tifa with his other hand. Leaping to the side, Tifa crashed into a chair, splintering the item against her side as she fell to the floor. Trigger screamed again. Tifa threw a chair-leg to the side and flipped to her feet. The man smirked at her though he was no longer aiming at her.

Trigger huddled, clinging to her toy dragon and staring down the barrel of the gun. She was shaking.

"Leave her out of this, you want to fight? I'm right here."

Once again the man smirked at her; he cocked the hammer back on the gun. "Yeah, but see, I think yer too mean right now. I think I've got other plans."

Something twisted in her gut. How could this person threaten a terrified little girl? She knew at that moment the man would kill Trigger. Tifa had never felt that frightened before, she didn't think she could feel that frightened for herlself. The guy threatening her was one thing, but if he hurt Trigger…

"Look, I'll take the money from the drawer; you don't have to hurt her."

"Oh, I don't want yer money, bitch." He walked forward to Trigger, when Tifa moved, he reached out and grabbed the little girl up by her arm. "Hey'a sweetheart." He turned his smile up to Tifa. "How about you me and mommy have a little fun?"

Tifa's mouth worked, but no sounds came out. She was shocked, angry and now getting frightened for Trigger. "If you want something else, fine. Just leave her alone."

This earned another laugh. "Oh I would, baby. But I happen to have a thing for red heads."

Another shot rang out, the big man's shoulder nearly exploded on the impact. With a scream he dropped Trigger's arm.

Tifa didn't bother to look at who was in the doorway, for all she knew it could be another person like the green haired man. She rushed forward and pulled Trigger down to the floor in a hug, covering the child with her body. She looked up, seeing Reno in the doorway through her hair. The big man's back was to her, but she could hear him stammer, she could see him backing up. Tifa swallowed, she'd never seen Reno the Turk before. Reno's face was a mask of blank fury, Tifa could feel anger radiating off of him.

The big man ran out of the bar through the kitchen. Tifa opened her mouth to call Reno back, but she closed it. Reno couldn't hear her and Red Wolf wouldn't care.

Clinging to his shoulder, the green haired man ran. His side started to throb and his lungs burned in his chest, but the man knew better than to wait. He knew the red headed man in the doorway.

He'd given him those scars on his face.

How many years had it been? Fifteen? More? The only thing that Tucker realized is that the little, skinny, red headed kid he'd scarred up was a Turk and that Turk had just walked in on Tucker threatening his family. There was no missing that hair, even if Tucker couldn't fathom caring so much about other people, he knew "angry enough to kill" when he saw it.

Out of nowhere, the red head landed in front of him, blue eyes shining in the dark alley. Tucker nearly fell as he cut down another alleyway; he was trying to recall what people called the red head. Those shining eyes seemed to jar his memory. "Red Wolf".

Tucker risked a glance over his shoulder then, and the alley behind him was empty. Skidding to a halt, he wondered if for a moment he'd imagined the Red Wolf had landed in front of him. After he couldn't hold his breath any longer, tucker panted quickly, burning his throat.

Then the alley in front of him lit up. He could see the red head, sauntering out from the next bend. He'd been fast as a kid, but this speed was unreal. A mag rod was glowing the same color as his eyes, bouncing on his shoulder. A cigarette burned in Red Wolf's mouth. And they stood there. Tucker was afraid to run, and Red Wolf seemed more occupied with finishing his cigarette.

In a fluid motion the cigarette was flung into a puddle in the alley and the mag rod was whipped to the side, fully extended. Red Wolf tensed and lunged. Tucker spun to run, colliding with the wall before making it three paces forward.

The crackle echoed off the walls of the alley, drowning out Tucker's cry of pain when the mag rod connected with the back of his knees. The force from the blow was enough to flip him backwards almost one hundred and eighty degrees, he landed roughly on his side and shoulder. Minutes ticked by before Tucker got the nerve to look up. The red head had replaced the mag rod, but he didn't turn around to face him yet.

Finally, Red Wolf glared over his shoulder. He turned slowly, cocking his head to the side. The message as clear, he was waiting for Tucker to get back onto his feet. If he wasn't terrified, Tucker would have been insulted to be played with. However, he wasn't going to lay down and die, clambering to his feet Tucker backpedaled. His back came into contact with something hard, warm.

Jumping and looking backwards he noticed another man in the alley. Even in the dim light he had on dark shades and the same blue suit that Red Wolf had on. Another Turk and this one was huge. Tucker himself was a big guy, standing at six foot three and over two hundred pounds, but this man had a good inch and a half on him. The bigger Turk removed dark glasses and familiar grey eyes narrowed at him.

Tucker's mental catalogue started flipping, and then he pictured the big Turk, a mulatto mix, with reddish brown hair… "Rudolph?" His mouth uttered before he thought about it.

He heard a barked laugh from Red Wolf. Then, in a voice that was ages away from the little child he'd chased, Red Wolf spoke. "This is your shit head too?"

Rudolph – god he'd known the kid would grow up big, but this?- nodded, a slight smirk tugged at one corner of his otherwise emotionless mouth. Tucker looked around frantically, as if he expected someone else, but then Red Wolf was next to the Rudolph, a malicious smile on his face.

"Tucker, Tucker, Tucker. Ya just made a HABIT of pissin on the wrong people didn't you?"

"I – I didn't know that it was yer woman, if I'da known she was a Turk's then-" Rudolph slammed a flat palm into Tucker's chest, robbing him of the wind he was using to speak and thrusting him against the wall with enough force to stun him.

Red Wolf did the talking, that was strange to Tucker, but it only added to his distinct feeling of dread. "What do you think Rude?"

The two looked at each other, seeming in conversation but no words were passed in between them. Red Wolf smiled then and the mag rod found its way under Tuckers chin, against his windpipe. The shock he got forced him to tilt his head up. "I don't know, seems far too nice to me. We could drown his ass, but I don't have any cement on me."

Rude – no longer Rudolph- laughed, a deep, grating sound. When he did speak his voice was gruff and worn. "We could hang him upside down by a rat's nest for a while…"

"Ooo, I sorta like that, fitting."

"I try, Re."

Through this Tucker started shaking. He didn't realize it until he felt something warm against his thigh. Red Wolf and Rude both took a step backwards with disgusted sneers on their faces. They looked at each other again, the mag rod left Tucker's chin and bounced on Red Wolf's shoulder again. "Ya know what Tuck? Today is yer lucky day. Rude and I ain't gonna kill ya."

Tucker's sigh of relief went back into his mouth at the smiles on the Turks' faces. "Naw, in fact, we are even gonna take ya to see a doctor."

Tifa jerked at her arm, trying to get out of Tseng's grip. "Damnit, Se, where did Reno go? I'm fine, I swear, what happened?"

Tseng, who was trying to get the splintered bits of chair out of Tifa's side made a growling sound. "They had to make a drop off to Hojo, they will be back in five minutes, you know very well that Scarlet gave Trigger something to calm her down and she's asleep in your bed, you know the one behind me. Now HOLD STILL."

With an aggravated sigh, Tifa rested her chin on one hand while Tseng pulled a long sliver of wood from her other arm. When the door opened, Tifa leapt into the air, yelling Reno's name. Tseng let the tweezers fall from his hand in defeat.

Reno hugged her almost roughly, putting his chin on top of her head. "Are you alright?"

Tifa seemed to try to get away from him for a moment, but Reno persisted. "Yeah, I'm fine really, shook up, but alright. How about you?"

She couldn't see his face, but he sounded very tired. "I've been better."

"She needs those splinters removed, Trigger is asleep, she's had a scare, but other than that, she is fine." Tseng spoke from next to them. Tifa didn't need to see his face either to tell that he was upset. "I'll cover for you tomorrow Reno."

Tseng was opening the door when Reno muttered a thank you.

"Just don't let it become a habit." Tseng said as though he'd been asked to do a favor and had not offered. The door closed behind him so that he couldn't hear Reno and Tifa laugh at him.

"He really can be so nice." Tifa commented, allowing Reno to lead her back to the chair where she had been sitting with Tseng.

Reno picked up the teasers, he didn't say anything as Tifa handed him back her arm. She blinked. "Are you going to be alright?"

Reno pulled a long sliver of wood from above her elbow and sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner."

"I wouldn't have let him hurt her." Tifa said with conviction.

Reno was quiet a long time after that, he'd almost finished removing the last splinter when he finally said something. "I know, it doesn't make me feel better."

Tifa sighed and stood up. "Let's just get some sleep, tomorrow we can go do something fun, the three of us. Alright?" She laughed. "I'm starting to like people calling me her 'mommy'."

Relaxing, normal, family day at the zoo no less. Trigger, as all five year olds seemed to do, loved every moment of it. The entire day was "Daddy, Annie Teef, lookit!" and scampering. More than once people commented on how talkative she was, or told Tifa what a pretty daughter she had. Reno couldn't help but feel good that she never corrected them.

Around lunchtime, the three found a bench and ate overpriced hamburgers. The shaded eating area was nice and quiet, even though the birds in the exhibit beyond were being talkative. Trigger played with a fry a few moments before looking up at Reno and Tifa. "Why do I call you Annie Teef and not Mommy?"

Reno and Tifa both started slightly. They shared a look before Tifa answered. "Well, I'm not really your mommy, honey."

"But then I don't HAVE a mommy." Trigger said as though her point was perfectly obvious and with all the seriousness a five year old could muster.

"Well, no, you don't." Tifa responded. "But that doesn't mean I don't love you."

"So why can't I just call you Mommy?"

Once again Reno and Tifa looked at each other. They'd talked about the future; both of them hadn't really thought it out though. And now when the question was so bluntly poised in front of them, they didn't quite know what to make of it. "I- uhm…" Tifa started.

Reno laughed, flipping out a cigarette pack. "Well, I don't mind if Tifa doesn't."

Tifa blushed a bit, smiling anyway. "Mommy it is then."

That was all Trigger needed, she smiled and jumped up to go see the rest of the zoo. "Dad, Mom hurry up!" Yeah, it was a pretty darn good day.

Tifa yawned, leaving Triggers room and closing the door. "Still out cold."

"Yeah well she was hopping around like a mongoose all day, wonder why?" He stretched his feet out on the table and popped his chest before Tifa laid down with her head on his lap. They stared at the Television a while, Tifa's hands around his knee and his hand on the curve of her hip.

"What are we watching?" Tifa asked, waiting for the commercials to stop.

"Happy commercial fun time." Reno suggested. "Can you reach the remote?"

"It lives? I thought it was out of batteries."

Reno grumbled, too comfortable to move. "Damnit."

They sat for a few moments longer. Reno pushed at the remote with his foot, though he hit all of the buttons, nothing happened. One last kick turned the TV off, but the battery refused to allow him to turn the item back on. "Fuck you too, TV." Reno responded.

So there they sat, staring at the blank television set. "We COULD get up." Tifa responded.

"We could." Reno muttered.

"I'll make popcorn with extra butter if you put in that movie I got." Tifa responded, rolling on her back to look up at Reno's face.

That face quirked into a look of disbelief. "Mako Junction: Chick Flick of the Century?"

She sighed, tilting her head back in his lap. "It is NOT a chick flick."

"What is it about?" Reno couldn't help it; he brushed a bit of hair from her face.

"A man who goes off to the Wutai war and this girl he fell in love with. He never returns and she goes off- God damnit Reno!" She sat up and smacked him lightly. "Okay it's a chick flick! News flash, I'm a chick!" She smirked then. "I'll just make myself the canned popcorn on the stove with extra butter."

Reno's eyes narrowed defiantly, but he at last got up and pulled the DVD off the television. "There had better be enough butter to drown a large rodent."

"I win!" Tifa jumped up and kissed him on the cheek, sliding away from his hands when he placed them on her hips. She didn't notice or acknowledge the little growling sound that he made as a result.

Reno pushed play and walked into the kitchen himself. Tifa spooned a clump of butter out and had it already sitting in on a plate near the stove; one leg was lifted up on the counter, her other foot barely off the floor as she reached up to get the popcorn.

For some reason he didn't notice how short his tee-shirts really were on her till that moment. She'd forgotten to put the plate further from her, Tifa slid on it, making a gasping sound. She would have caught herself, but Reno beat her to it. She spun, falling to sit on the counter; Reno's hand saved her head from connecting with the cabinet.

Nose to nose they laughed lowly. "I thought you were this stealthy, graceful fighter woman?" Reno asked, putting his free hand on the outside of her knee.

Tifa's fingers locked together behind Reno's head. "Sometimes, it's nice to just be the woman." She brushed the side of his nose with hers.

Reno's hand slid up, under the tee-shirt. He'd wanted to say something else, but he kissed her instead. He'd wanted to…

… Reno had totally forgotten what he wanted to do before that. Tifa tugged his shirt up and he tossed it to the floor before pushing the shirt up over her hips. This was where he was supposed to walk away. This was where he was supposed to say no.

He didn't want to. He didn't care about AVALANCHE, about ShinRa, he wanted HER. Reno was through waiting.

Tifa threw her shirt off they didn't pay attention to where it landed.

Then Reno's PHS started ringing. They froze at first, both of them tried to ignore it. But it was pointless. If Reno didn't answer, Tseng would just walk in. Cursing, Reno buttoned his jeans and crossed over to the phone. "What." He snapped. "Gods fuckin'… Fine, be there in an hour." He flinched "Okay okay, five minutes, got ya."

When he looked back up at Tifa, She was pulling the tee-shirt back over her head. "Tomorrow, I promise."

Though she smiled, Tifa didn't look any happier than he felt. "Tomorrow then, you better come home."

There were times he really hated being on call twenty-four hours a day.