Chapter Sixteen
It had been a few hours since Tifa had seen her daughter, and she was starting to go into an abject panic. She'd asked the nurses repeatedly when she would get her baby back, and they'd each told her that the baby was just being checked out and would be back shortly. Shortly had now turned into three hours and Tifa was on the verge of leaving her room and searching the hospital despite her soreness from having given birth two days before.
Finally, the doctor entered the room with the baby in his arms. He quickly handed the baby to Tifa and then pulled up a chair, several papers in his hands.
Tifa examined her baby, finding her to be asleep. She turned her eyes to the doctor, fear evident in her voice. "What's wrong with her? Why has she been gone so long?"
The doctor offered her a smile. "Well, we found something on one of the tests that we needed to look into further."
Tifa's heart was racing. "What is it?"
"Well, have you ever heard of a condition called thalassemia?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, what is it?"
"It's a disease of the blood that causes anemia. Apparently, one of the two genes that she inherited from either you or her father carries a defect that alters her body's ability to produce hemoglobin. But, luckily for her, the second gene she's got is normal. Beta thalassemia is what this particular condition is called." The doctor leaned back in his chair.
"So what does that mean?" Tifa asked, still afraid.
"Well, it means that she will have to be monitored regularly to make sure that she doesn't have any problems with anemia." He smiled. "Since it's just one of the two genes, she'll most likely be fine, although she will probably develop with a very fair complexion."
A fair complexion was something Tifa could live with. She'd been afraid that her baby was going to die. "Okay, so it's not that bad?"
"No." He smiled once more. "The only thing is, she will need to be careful when she grows up. If she marries a man that carries the same flawed gene, her children could be born with more severe complications. In particular, she needs to be weary of Wutains, as they have the highest incidence of this disease."
Tifa stopped breathing. "What?"
"Wutains have the highest incidence of this disease," he restated for her. "Speaking of which, is there any Wutain blood in either you or her father?"
Tifa felt like she'd just been hit by a truck. Cid Highwind was as Caucasian as they got, and so was she. Vincent, however, was not. His father had been Wutain, and his mother from Kalm. Suddenly, she made a horrifying realization. "Doctor, could I be alone for a moment? I need to make a call."
He got up from his chair. "Absolutely. I'll be out at the nurses' station for a while, writing this up if you have any questions."
"Thank you." Tifa looked down at her daughter and thought for a moment before picking up the phone.
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While getting settled into his seat upon the airship, Vincent's cell phone began to ring. Vincent answered quickly. "Hello?"
Tifa kept her voice hushed. "Vincent, I need to talk to you about something."
He didn't really want to speak to her at all, but there was something in her voice that caught his attention. He wondered if Angel had spoken to her. "What?"
"I have a few questions." Tifa looked down at the baby in her arms. "Your father was Wutain, but your mother wasn't, right?"
"Right." He wondered where this was going.
"What did she look like, Vincent?"
He closed his eyes and tried to remember. It had been a long time ago and he'd been fairly young when she had died. "Tall, thin…blond, and I think she was a natural blond…not a store bought one. Dark blue eyes. She was beautiful."
Tifa froze. Her assumption that the baby had been Cid's simply based upon her coloration had been flawed. Her voice wavered. "And…and have you ever heard of a condition called thalassemia?"
Vincent's eyes went wide. "Yeah… It's common amongst Wutains. My father had it, and so do I. That's why I'm so damned pale and can get away with hiding my ethnicity. Tifa, are you asking me this for a reason?"
She nodded despite being on the phone, the depth of her mistake tearing through her. "Vincent…Charlotte…the doctor just told me that she's got thalassemia."
Vincent stood up quickly. If he'd still possessed his original heart, he would have just had an attack. The fact that Tifa had actually named the baby Charlotte touched him through the shock. "So…so she's mine?"
"I think so," Tifa cried back.
Vincent closed his eyes, feeling tears roll down his cheeks. This was the best and worst news he could have ever heard. "But…but Charlotte's going to be all right?"
"Yeah, the doctor said that the form of the disease that she's got is something she can live with, but we'll just have to watch her for signs of anemia." Tifa glanced over, seeing that Cid had arrived and was headed toward her. "Vincent, I want you to come home."
He fell back into his seat and cursed himself. Tifa obviously had no idea what was going on with him. The sudden urge he had to go to her and see his daughter was profound, but his addiction and consequent loyalty to Methius forbade it. Besides, once Tifa did get word that he'd shot Reno, and there was no doubt in his mind that she would eventually be told, she wouldn't want him to come home anyway.
With Cid now standing at her bedside, she knew she needed to choose her next words carefully. "Are you there?"
Vincent sighed. "Yeah."
"Will you?"
"I'm sorry, Tifa, I can't. I can never come back, not now. Things have gotten bad." He was going to lay it out on the line so she wouldn't have to wonder about it. "I've turned traitor, Tifa. I've betrayed ASRIO, and I've killed Reno."
All the color drained from Tifa's face. "What are you talking about?"
"Call Angel, hear it from her, Tifa." Vincent's throat tightened, the ferium was not enough to quelsh his misery over this confession. "I'm so sorry."
Tifa found it hard to say anything. "Vincent…"
"I'm sorry." He turned off his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. Vincent wanted to die.
Cid looked down at Tifa as she dropped the phone back to her bedside table, seeing that something was wrong. "Tiff?"
She turned her tear filled eyes up to him. "Cid, sit down."
He did as ordered, landing in the chair that the doctor had just vacated. Although he knew he needed to talk about Aaron and Vincent with her, it was clear that she had pressing news of her own. "What is it?"
"The doctors had Charlotte for a long time this morning, and they ran some more tests on her." Tifa kept her gaze locked into the pilot's.
He suddenly filled with worry. Cid was already attached to the baby. "Is something wrong?"
"They found out that she has a blood disease, but it's not that bad." Tifa felt the baby stir in her arms.
"So she's gonna be okay?" Cid asked, leaning closer.
"Yes, but there's something else."
"What?" He knit his brow.
"The disease…it's something that Vincent has."
Cid got up slowly, not saying a word. He walked over to the window and looked out at the street below.
"Cid?" Tifa wondered what he was thinking.
There were tears in his eyes that he didn't want her to see. He didn't know what to say.
"Cid?" she asked again.
The pilot swallowed hard. "I'm already in love with that baby, and now you're tellin' me it ain't mine?"
"Unless you've got thalassemia, it makes it most likely that you're not. Vincent's half Wutain, remember? Only half. His mother was a blue eyed blond, like you. It's entirely possible for him to have made a fair haired baby like this." Tifa felt no pride in what both of the men she loved had now been put through.
"Well, that's just great, I guess. Sunshine's got a daughter. Congratulate him for me." Cid turned back to face her. "That's who you were just talking to, right?"
"Yeah, Cid, he said something." Tifa was terribly ashamed of everything.
He already figured that he knew, thanks to his conversation with Angel. "What's that?"
"Vincent told me that he betrayed ASRIO and killed Reno…" Tears ran down her cheeks.
"Yeah, well, Reno isn't quite dead, but I guess he's fucked beyond all hope." Cid went over and sat back down.
"You know?" Tifa swallowed hard. "It's really true?"
"It looks like it, Tiff." Cid trained his gaze upon the baby girl in Tifa's arms. He was heartbroken that it wasn't his baby, and he really couldn't care less about Vincent's treason. "I called Angel a little while ago and she told me."
"You called her to tell her about Aaron, right?" Tifa asked, remember having made the request to Cid before to do so.
"Well, I called Reno last night to tell him about Aaron, before he got shot. But I called back this morning to ask them to do something." Cid closed his eyes for a moment, remembering his fear as Aaron had held the gun toward L.C.
"Why did you call them back?" Tifa could see that there was more on Cid's mind.
He met her gaze for a moment and then simply pulled off his shirt.
Tifa saw the hideous lacerations that ran across his chest. "Oh my God, Cid! What happened?"
"Your son did this to me this morning, Tiff." He figured that she'd seen enough and pulled his shirt back on.
"What?"
"This morning I went outside after hearing L.C. scream to find your boy holding my kid at gun point." Cid crossed his arms over his chest, quickly realizing that it was a painful maneuver.
"Gun point?" Tifa couldn't imagine how he'd gotten a weapon.
"I guess he knew Vincent's combination, because it was the fucking Death Penalty." The pilot looked away from her.
"Are you serious? Is L.C. okay?" Tifa sat up straight.
"L.C.'s fine. When I came outside, Aaron aimed the gun at me and we got into it. Then he dropped the gun and sprouted wings, Tiff." He frowned.
She was speechless. The fact that her son had made a transformation seemed surreal.
"He went full on Chaos on me. I fought with him and he slashed me. It only lasted a few minutes and then he went back to being Aaron. He's not hurt." He stared down at the floor.
"Oh my God…" Tifa asked the obvious, "Where are the boys now?"
"Well, L.C.'s with that old lady again, and Aaron's locked in the bathroom at the house." Cid hadn't known what else to do.
"You left a six-year-old boy locked in a bathroom?" Tifa was coming unglued.
"Yeah, a six-year-old boy who has the convenient ability to completely freak out and kill people, Tiff. He's safe in there." Cid shrugged. "But that's why I called ASRIO this morning. I figured that if he's that unstable that he needs to be held somewhere secure until they can get that thing out of him. Angel said she would send someone out to pick him up."
"My son's going to the ASRIO base? Cid, he's going to be terrified!" Tifa knew that her boy would wind up in one of the prison cells there.
"What choice do you have, Tiff? You can't risk him hurting you or the baby." Cid sighed heavily. "You've got to think about that little girl and her safety."
Cid was right no matter how it pained her. She met his gaze. "So, Vincent's the father, my son's going to ASRIO hopefully to be helped, and what about you and I?"
"I told you the other night, Tifa." He slouched in his seat. "We're over. It just doesn't work. I love you, I always will, but if we stay together, we're just gonna be miserable. You still love Vincent, and I…"
"And you what?" Tifa was growing angry. She and Cid had only been together for a few days. Tifa felt like she'd been used, as though Cid had gotten his way with her, and it was out of his system.
"Aw, hell, I still love Jin." Painful or not, he crossed his arms over his chest again. "I talked to her last night. She's thinking about getting back together and if that baby isn't mine, then I think I might just go for it."
Her eyes went wide. "So that's it? You fuck me a couple of times and give up?"
He scowled. "You know that's not how it is, Tiff."
"Oh, it isn't? I…" her words trailed off as her voice failed her.
"You're afraid of being alone, Tifa, I can appreciate that. But I was with Jin for six years, and if she wants to be with me during these last few months that I've got, then by God, I'm gonna give her that. You're not gonna have to worry about watching L.C., either. Jin is gonna take him. She's practically his mother anyway." Cid shrugged. "All of this was just one big God damned mistake."
"So now being with me was a mistake? The kid's not yours so now you're going to just run away? Gee, thanks, Cid. Thanks a lot." Her tears were now ones of anger. "You're just going to abandon me… Vincent's gone, he can't come home. I'm going to be alone."
"Look, Tifa, I can stay with you for a little longer, but then I'm gonna take L.C. home and get him settled back in with Jin." He regretted his lack of time left. "If I was gonna be alive longer, I wouldn't take off this quickly, but you know that's not how it is. Besides, it doesn't do us any good to be together when all we've done is fight. We were great friends, Tiff, but we're horrible as a couple."
He had a point, and she knew it. Taking care of his son and getting him situated with the woman who he legitimately belonged with had to be his priority. She just would have been left alone in a few months when he died anyway. "Okay."
A nurse chose that moment to walk in. "Are you ready to go home, Mrs. Vatatsi? The doctor has signed your release papers."
Getting out of the hospital sounded good. "Sure, let's go home."
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After getting out of the hospital, Cid loaded Tifa and the baby up in the car and drove them home. The trip was made in complete silence as they were both at a loss for what to say. Cid stopped momentarily to retrieve his son.
L.C. got into the car, finding himself next to the baby's seat. He inspected her for a moment, before asking. "So this is my sister?"
Cid turned to face back. "Actually, it sorta looks like we might have made a mistake. She's probably just Aaron's sister."
The boy didn't understand right away. "What?"
"Vincent, Aaron's dad, is the father." Cid faced forward again and got the engine started. He was still heartbroken over it.
L.C. took the news far better. "That's great!"
Tifa turned and looked at him, wondering what he was thinking.
L.C. didn't make her wonder long. "I didn't want no stupid sister anyway."
Tifa looked at Cid, noticing that he had tears in his eyes. She reached over and placed her hand upon his leg. "Are you okay?"
He glanced at her briefly, and then reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling it from his leg. Cid didn't really want her touching him like that. This was all far more painful than he could have imagined, but on some level, he knew very well that this was what he deserved.
Tifa retracted her arm and turned to look out the window. It seemed that Cid was lost to her forever.
Once at home, Tifa went straight to the bathroom where Aaron had been confined. In her still weakened state and with having Charlotte in her arms, she wasn't able to move the table from in front of the door. She called for help. "Cid?"
He came over and leaned against the wall. "I ain't letting him out until they get here to take him, Tiff."
Tifa felt that she knew better. "Look, Vincent couldn't turn into that thing all of the time, and after transforming, he would have to rest for a day or better usually before he could do it again. I doubt Aaron has the kind of strength it would take to do it again already."
"Damn it, woman." Cid straightened up and came over. He knew that she was far better versed on Chaos and what it entailed than he. Besides, this might be the last time she saw her son for a while, unless she chose to go to the ASRIO base as well.
He shoved the table away from the door and opened it. The light within the bathroom was on and Aaron was asleep on the floor. He'd pulled the bath towels out of the cabinet within and had made a small nest out of them.
Tifa looked at Cid. "Can you hold Charlotte for a minute?"
Cid instantly put out his arms. He hadn't gotten to hold her since finding out that he wasn't the father. With the baby clutched to his chest, he walked away, opting to give Tifa and Aaron a moment alone.
Tifa knelt down at Aaron's side and gently roused him. "Sweetie?"
He opened his eyes and blinked up at her. Upon realizing who it was, a smile came to his face and he scrambled to his knees, throwing his arms around her. "Mom!"
As he came out from beneath the towels, Tifa saw that he was shirtless. When she put her arms around him, she felt something on his back and dreaded looking, but knew she had to. After embracing him for a few moments, she pushed him back. "Aaron, turn around."
He looked slightly confused but did as asked.
Tifa caught her breath. She reached out and traced the outline around the small black patch of skin that now graced Aaron's lower back.
Aaron bent his neck to try and see what his mother was looking at, but mercifully, it was out of his line of sight. "What is it, Mom?"
She dropped her hand away. Vincent had once possessed the same black, reptilian skin when Chaos had been a part of him, but in his case, it had spread all over his torso by the time she first saw him unclothed. "Nothing, Aaron. Why don't you go to your room and get dressed?"
He nodded. "Okay."
Tifa followed him to his room and sat on his bed while he pulled a shirt from his dresser and put it on. When that was done, he turned around to face her, running a hand though his hair as he did so. "Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"Where is the baby?" he asked, suddenly seeming sad.
"Cid has her, but I need to tell you something." Tifa patted the bed next to her, indicating that she wanted him to sit.
Aaron complied. "What is it?"
"Cid isn't the father, Aaron. Your dad is. We were wrong." Tifa put her arm around his shoulders.
"You're not just telling me that so I won't be angry at Cid anymore, right?" Aaron asked, his red eyes narrowing.
Tifa shook her head. "No, I wouldn't do that to you, Aaron."
He remained silent for a moment, waiting to see if his inner voice was going to say anything, but the demon was still dormant from his exhaustion. "That's good then, I guess."
"Yeah." Tifa dropped her gaze to the floor. "You're going to be taken to Angel's place for a while so they can help you, Aaron."
His eyes grew wide. "Mom! Make Cid leave and I won't do anything again! I promise! I don't want to leave! I want to be with you!"
"Oh, Aaron!" Tifa put her other arm around him. "Sweetie, I wouldn't just send you off like that! I'm going with you, okay?"
"Even though you have the baby?" he asked, seeming skeptical.
"Sure!" Tifa laughed. "L.C. spent a lot of his time as a baby in the base, so it's no big deal. Besides, I think Cid's going home, and I don't want to stay here alone."
The boy was clearly relieved. "As long as you're going with me, then it's okay."
Tifa gave him a smile and admired him for a moment. His blatant Vincentness was something she would have to take comfort in now. He and the baby were all she had.
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Cid stood out on the porch with the baby clutched to his chest. He was staring down at her tiny face as she blinked back up at him.
He sighed heavily and stroked her cheek with a finger. "Damn, Charlotte, I would've been the best fuckin' dad you could've had…for a couple months anyway."
She made a small sound.
"Yeah, but you're Sue's. I'm sorry about that. Your old man's gone off the deep end. You're not gonna have a dad at all. That breaks my heart, kid." He offered her a smile. "It really breaks my heart. You had me fooled. I never would've figured Sunshine could throw a kid that looks like you."
He heard the door open behind him and he turned, spotting Tifa.
"Come on in, Cid." She stepped back into the house.
Cid soon followed.
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Angel was sitting in a chair next to Reno's bedside, but she was asleep. After having gone through the stress of his shooting and being up all night with him, she was exhausted.
"Babe?"
She roused from her sleep, not sure she'd really heard anything. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Reno was stirring.
Again, in a dry and quiet voice, he whispered, "Babe?"
She jumped to her feet, immediately looking down upon him. His left eye was closed, but his right hand was grabbing at the bed sheets, as though he was searching for something. Angel reached down and picked up his right hand and held it tightly.
This touch seemed to anchor him to reality somehow, and his eye opened. He scanned over toward her slowly, finally focusing on her face. The left corner of his mouth twitched momentarily, in what would have to pass for a smile.
Angel smiled back, tears once more coming to her eyes. "Reno…"
He swallowed, looking like it took a profound effort to do so. Reno blinked slowly and then focused on her again. "What's goin' on, Babe?"
She reached down and stroked his exposed cheek. "Reno, you were shot."
He had absolutely no recollection of this at all. In fact, he had no recollection of a lot of things. "I was?"
Angel nodded. "Yeah."
"Why would someone do that?" Reno genuinely looked confused. "Everyone likes me."
She had to laugh, but it faded as she prepared to tell him the truth. "Vincent did it as you walked him away from the base."
His confusion deepened. "Who?"
"Vincent, you know, my father." Angel held his hand tighter, wondering if he was messing with her. Such a thing wasn't out of the question when it came to Reno.
He remembered where Angel had come from, and he remembered the story surrounding her. "Vincent Valentine?"
"Yes."
"Well," Reno stopped for a moment, trying to think, "what was Vincent Valentine doing here? Where was I taking him? Vincent? Are you sure? I haven't seen him since…like right before that whole Meteor thing. Tseng's probably pissed, huh?"
It suddenly hit her. Reno was missing at least the last seven years of his memory. She was going to have to clue him in on what had really happened. "Reno, you've lost part of your memory from being shot."
To him, this didn't seem possible. "What are you talking about? I mean, I don't remember being shot, or seeing Vincent, but I know what's goin' on, Babe."
"What's the last thing you remember?" Angel asked.
He tried to move but the horrendous pain that ran through his head halted him. "Uh, I went to that bar up in town with Tseng. I told him that I just proposed to you."
Now she knew. It was seven years worth of memory he was missing. He'd proposed to her several months before Vincent and Tifa had been brought to ASRIO. Her heart broke. "Reno, that was seven years ago."
His eye went wide. "I've been out for seven years?"
"No, Reno! You were shot last night! You don't honestly remember anything?" She held up her left hand, showing her wedding ring.
Reno saw the diamond on her finger and suddenly looked hurt. "What? You got married? But…"
"Yes, I got married! To you, Reno!" She touched his cheek again. "We've been married for six, going on seven years! We have a little girl. Don't you remember?"
He honestly didn't. "I've got a kid? That's not funny."
"Her name's Dana and she's six." Angel sighed heavily. She hoped that this amnesia was just the temporary kind that some people suffer after major trauma, but then again, so much damage had been done to his brain that no one could be sure.
Reno thought for a moment. He wondered why his best friend in the base wasn't here. "Where's Tseng? Isn't he worried about me?"
Angel realized that she was going to have to give him some of the worst news of his life, and that he was going to have to mourn his closest friend's death for a second time. "Reno, Tseng's been dead for six years."
He tried to shake his head, but again the pain stopped him. "No…I was just at the bar with him! Angel, what's going on?"
As a tear ran from the corner of his eye, she wiped it away. Tears came to her own eyes as she watched him lose his composure. "Like I said, that was seven years ago, Reno. Tseng's been dead for a long time. I'm sorry."
Reno, confused and emotionally destroyed, closed his eye again and just cried. He was lost and didn't know what to do. Once he saw the extent of his injury, things would get even worse for him. After several moments, he lost consciousness again.
Angel got up and went to Dr. Arlin's office. "Janice?"
She looked up from her paperwork. "Yes?"
Smiling, Angel came over and sat before her desk. "Reno woke up for a little bit and he was able to talk to me. He seemed to have lost the last seven years of his memory, though, but he was coherent."
Janice sighed and set her pen down. "Angel, you shouldn't be getting your hopes up yet."
"But he was able to talk to me." She wasn't going to let her spark of optimism fade.
"Look, I feel really stupid having to say this to someone who's had significant medical training like you, but here it is." She pushed her glasses. "It's been less than a day since he was shot. Although we're pumping all kinds of steroids into him, his brain is still going to swell some more from his injury, and whatever cognitive function that he may still have will probably suffer more damage. He's no where close to being out of the woods yet, and you know that."
"But he really seemed all right just now!" If Angel had been able to produce any more tears at this point, she would have.
"And aside from the amnesia, he may have been, but you know what he still faces. I just don't want you to set yourself up for some profound disappointment." Dr. Arlin didn't have much faith in Reno's chances. "If I were you and he were to wake up again and seem coherent, I would just stay with him and let him know how much you love him, Angel."
"I case he dies, right?" Her voice was hushed.
Janice just nodded.
Shaking, Angel got up from her seat and slowly made her way back to Reno's side. She wasn't ready to write him off. Not yet.
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Brad slowly brought the chopper down in the field behind Tifa's home just as he had the night he'd brought Vincent by. He cut the engines and looked over at the copilot's seat. "Well, here we are."
Jin flashed him a nervous smile. Brad had invited her along for the ride, since he'd been ordered to bring Porter and Kyle here to pick up Aaron. He figured the sooner she saw Cid, the better. This was going to be a surprise for the pilot.
The four of them got out of the helicopter and walked toward the house.
Tifa was already standing with the back door opened, as she had heard the chopper's approach. Charlotte was in her arms. She examined those coming, recognizing Brad, Kyle, and Porter. Then she saw Jin following the group. Immediately, Tifa turned around and went back into the house. Facing down Jin was not something she really felt like doing.
Upon entering the house, she glared over at Cid as he was presently digging through the refrigerator. "They're here."
"Yeah, I heard the chopper."
Tifa scowled. "They brought Jin with them."
Cid slammed closed the fridge door and turned to Tifa, his eyes wide. "Come again?"
"They brought Jin along, Cid." Tifa turned back to face the door, knowing that they would walk through it at any second.
Cid didn't have a chance to react at all before their four guests stepped inside. Jin was behind the three men. She scanned the kitchen, her eyes then landing upon Cid as he hadn't moved from where he was. While Porter, and Kyle immediately got to talking to Tifa, asking her questions about Aaron, Jin hung her head and slowly walked back out onto the porch. Cid snapped himself out of his state and took off after her, giving Brad a quick acknowledgement on the way out.
She was heading back toward the helicopter, and Cid had to run to catch up with her. "Jin?"
The mechanic quit walking, but didn't turn around. When she'd walked into the house and saw Tifa holding the baby, and Cid staring at her without saying anything, she had felt like coming out unannounced was a bad idea.
Cid finally reached Jin and got in front of her. "What are you doing?"
"I shouldn't have just come out here like this. When you saw me, you didn't even smile." Jin couldn't bring herself to look up from the ground.
Cid couldn't stop himself from reaching out and taking her into his arms. "I was just surprised, that's all. And I found out something today that I needed to tell you anyway."
She didn't resist his embrace and fell into his arms. His familiar feel against her was something she'd missed terribly. Jin closed her eyes. "What's that?"
"The baby, turns out, isn't mine after all." He kissed the top of her head.
Jin stepped back, her eyes wide. "What?"
"It's not mine, Jin." He shrugged. "She's got some sort of blood disease, and it turns out that it's one that Sunshine's got. It's his, Jin."
This was an amazing relief. "Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
She'd believed that the baby would have prevented she and him from being able to be together again. "So now what?"
"Well, I'm hoping you'll forgive me, Jin, and take me back." Cid couldn't hide the tears that came up. "I wanna go home, Jin, and I wanna go there with you."
She threw her arms around his neck. "Then let's go."
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"So, where is he right now?" Porter asked, standing before Tifa.
She shifted the baby in her arms. "He's in his room sleeping. Whatever he went through this morning took a lot out of him."
Porter nodded. "Okay. Tifa, Quigley's back at the base making up a batch of the drug as we speak. It should be ready by the time we get there. During the ride to the base, we're going to put him in restraints, just to be safe."
"That's fine. He'll be all right as long as I'm there with him." Tifa locked into his green eyes.
Porter knit his brow. "You're coming with us?"
"My son needs me to be with him right now, and there's no reason for me to stay here. I don't want to be alone right now. Besides, I want to be there for Angel." Tifa offered him a weak smile.
Kyle looked over at Porter. "There's plenty of room, and you know the boss won't mind."
"I know." Porter pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. "Well, Tifa, are you ready?"
She'd already packed a suitcase for herself, Aaron, and the baby. "Let's get it over with."
Porter followed her back to the boy's room. Tifa went forward and sat on the edge of Aaron's bed. "Wake up, it's time for us to go."
His red eyes opened and he sat up. "Okay."
"I don't want you to be scared, Aaron. I'm going with you, but Porter's going to do something really quick, okay?"
Aaron just nodded lazily.
Porter came over and knelt at the side of the bed. "How are you doing, Aaron?"
The boy shrugged. "Fine."
"Hold out your wrists toward me, all right?" Porter requested gently.
Aaron looked a little confused, but did as requested. The demon was still dormant and not driving him to resist.
Porter expertly slapped the cuffs onto the boy in two swift movements.
"Mom!" Aaron turned his worried eyes toward Tifa.
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Aaron. It's just in case you…you change again."
He didn't seem particularly comforted by this, but there was nothing he felt he could do.
Tifa stood up. "Let's go."
Aaron scooted off the bed and rose. He remained close to his mother as she walked out of the room.
Brad, in the meanwhile, had slipped back out of the house and to the helicopter, wanting to check it over before they took off.
Tifa led them to the kitchen where she had the baby's car seat sitting on the table. She strapped her tiny daughter into it, and then turned to Porter and Kyle. "If you two could get those bags, I'll carry the baby out and get her seat situated in the helicopter."
"Sure thing." Porter smiled and went over to pick up two of the three suitcases lined up by the door, Kyle getting the other.
As Tifa headed toward the chopper with the baby carrier, she looked over, spotting Cid and Jin in each other's arms out in the yard. L.C. had shown up from where he'd been playing and was standing near them. Seeing this hurt Tifa and she turned her stare back toward the chopper and started walking faster. Once the baby was secured in one of the helicopter's seats, Tifa got Aaron in as well. Porter and Kyle put the luggage on the chopper.
Cid and Jin came over. Already knowing that Tifa had decided to go to ASRIO with Aaron, he figured that he might as well just go pack his things, get his plane in the air, and head home, but he wanted to say goodbye to Tifa. "Tiff? Can I talk to you for a sec?"
She sighed heavily and hopped back out of the machine and to the ground. Tifa saw Jin standing behind Cid, and she forced a polite smile for her, which the mechanic didn't reciprocate.
"Come with me." Cid walked around to the other side of the helicopter, so he and Tifa could have some privacy. Once out of the sight of the others, Cid crossed his arms over his chest. "Tifa, look, I'm sorry about all of this."
She hung her head, feeling a sting in her eyes. "Yeah, me too."
"We were best friends before all of this, but I guess we can't just go back to that now, right?" Cid asked, his heart aching. He loved her, but the last several days had just proven that it wouldn't work.
"I don't know, Cid." She still loved him, too, she always would. "Things are just really confusing right now. Besides, do you honestly think that Jin's going to let you talk to me after what we did?"
"Well, she still talks to Quigley and that fucker Ericson." Cid's obvious displeasure with these two men forced him to frown.
Being very familiar with the two men in question, Tifa outright laughed. "Wait, she was with those two? Oh my God, that's hilarious!"
Cid failed to see the humor. "It ain't funny, Tiff. She screwed them because she was pissed at me."
Tifa stopped her laughing, realizing that it was upsetting him, but still, the thought of anyone having sex with those particular men, especially Quigley, was just ridiculous. "Sorry."
"Yeah." He dared to take a step closer to her and grab one of her hands. "If you need anything, though, you'll call, right? I mean, I want you to call me soon anyway, but…you know."
"I'll call you, Cid." She looked down to where their hands were touching, wondering if it would be the last time she made any sort of contact with him. "And you keep me updated on what's going on with you, okay? I'd really like to be there, you know, when it's time."
Cid knew he wouldn't let her know when his disease finally began to make him fail. No matter how much he loved Tifa, he didn't want her to be there when he died. He didn't want her to remember him like that. Cid lied, "I will."
"So, you're going home, I take it?" Tifa asked, needing to move off of the subject of his impending death.
"Yeah. Jin's gonna go with me. She and I have a lot to talk about, and L.C.'s eager to get home, you know how kids are." Cid smiled at how excited his son had been when he'd seen that Jin had arrived.
"Okay, well, we should probably get going then." Tifa made no motion to go.
"I guess so." Cid remained still too, just turning his gaze up.
Tifa stared into his blue eyes, seeing that he had tears in them. "Okay."
"Damn it." Cid moved forward and took her into his arms, holding her to him tightly, figuring it would be the last time he would do so. He put his lips close to her ear and whispered, "I do love you, Tifa. I don't want you to ever think that I don't. I'll miss you."
She closed her eyes, feeling tears run down her cheeks. "I love you, too, Cid. I wish this could have turned out better."
"I know, me too." He kissed her cheek. "Goodbye."
The sound of Jin clearing her throat behind Cid forced them to jump away from one another.
Tifa gave him one last faint smile. "Goodbye, Cid."
He smiled back before turning around and taking Jin by the hand, leading her back toward the house. Cid needed go pack his things and get them onto the plane. Since he had a key to the house, he would lock up.
Tifa remained there alone for a moment, before pulling herself together. Once she had dried her eyes, she went back around the helicopter, where Porter was waiting to help her onboard. Porter then closed the door on the side of the machine and Brad fired up the engines. They were on their way.
-----------------------
Jin followed Cid into the house after the chopper had taken off up into the air. L.C. had remained outside, as his father had given the boy the order to carry out the pre-flight checks on the airplane.
As Cid was in the guestroom, stuffing his clothes back into his pack, Jin leaned in the doorway watching him.
He got the last thing into his pack and slung it over his shoulder. Cid neared Jin, thinking that she would step aside and that they would head on out, but she didn't move. The pilot cocked an eyebrow at her. "Come on, woman, it's time to go."
She gave him a wicked smile and put her hands on his shoulders. "How long do those checks take L.C.?"
Cid shrugged. "About twenty minutes."
"That leaves us about fifteen."
She had his attention. "Oh?"
Jin pushed him back violently, sending him backward onto the bed and his pack to the floor. She then closed the door behind her and locked it.
Cid was a little shocked at what she'd done, and remained on his back, staring at her.
She came over quickly and climbed onto the bed, straddling his waist. Jin grabbed his wrists, pinning him down. "If you want to actually survive these next couple of months, you son of a bitch, you won't touch another woman again, you got me, Highwind?"
Cid could tell that she was actually angry-- and he knew that things were about to get good. "Yeah, well, I'll do that if you promise not to go fucking around with any more of those ASRIO geeks."
Jin growled and let go of one of his wrists, just to backhand him across the face. "You watch it!"
The pilot's cheek stung from the blow, but he smiled anyway. "Yes, Ma'am."
"God damn it, Cid! I'm so sorry that I ran out that night!" Tears came to her eyes and she grabbed the collar of his jacket, shaking him. "But if I'd known that you'd been with Tifa, I would've broken up with you anyway."
He narrowed his eyes. "Even though you were with Quigley and what's his name?"
"I was with them, yeah, but I didn't love them. I hadn't been lusting after them for fourteen years!" Jin bent down to be closer to his face. "I've always known you'd be with Tifa if you got the chance."
"You got me there." Cid wasn't proud in the least of what he'd done. "But that's over and done with."
"It better be, you fucker." She tightened her grip on his collar, and leaned down even closer to his face, her eyes blazing. "It better be."
Cid purred deep in his throat and in one quick motion, threw her off of him and onto her back. She was wearing her usual work jumpsuit and as he loomed over her on all fours, he reached out and unzipped it. He quickly realized that she wasn't wearing anything beneath it, and he cocked an eyebrow at her.
Jin smiled in her almost cruel way. "I came here with the intent of luring you back any way I had to."
"Well, I thank you very much." Cid reached down and undid the waist to his pants.
Jin writhed out of her jumpsuit as he continued to hover over her, having pulled down his jeans and boxers enough to be exposed, and it was obvious he was more than ready for them to do what they did best.
Completely unclothed, Jin reached up and put her hands onto his shoulders, pulling him down upon her forcefully. Like Cid, Jin knew what she liked and was accustomed to getting it.
Cid didn't waste any time and he drove right into her, immediately hitting that place he knew so well how to get to.
When it came to talking during sex, Jin wasn't shy about it in the least. She cried out as Cid began moving forcefully, and then made a confession. "Oh God, Cid… Those other two men…they couldn't do what you can…"
He growled, "That's right."
"Am I better than her?" Jin asked, clasping her arms around Cid's waist, urging him on faster.
"You better fucking believe it." Cid hoped that she was getting close, because he was. "Too God damned shy."
Jin outright screamed as she was satisfied. Cid was the only man who'd ever been able to bring her to orgasm like this. She'd missed it.
Cid quickly withdrew and looked down at her, his usual sneer upon his lips.
Jin was panting for breath, but she smiled nonetheless. "I know, ride you, right?"
He didn't verbally respond, but just moved away and got on his back.
Jin quickly got him taken care of, and a short while later, they were getting their clothes back in order.
The pilot smiled at her. There was something to be said for familiarity. "I love you, Jin."
She pulled up her zipper and winked at him. "I love you to, Highwind. And, if the offer still stands, my answer is yes."
Cid took a few steps toward her and cocked his head to the side. "What?"
"You know, the last question you asked before I bailed."
Cid raised his eyebrows. "Oh…uh, really?"
"If you don't believe me, ask me again." She reached into one of the pockets on her jumpsuit, pulling out the simple gold ring that he'd placed onto her finger while asking and she handed it to him.
He took the ring and his eyes went wide. "Jin, I'm dying…you don't want to do this."
"Actually, I do." She placed her hand against his cheek. "You're the only man I've ever loved, and I'd like to be married…at least once in my life. I'd rather have you for the end than not at all."
Cid stared down at the small gold band. These last few days had been the biggest roller coaster he'd ever been on. No matter, though, his feelings for Jin had never changed. He dropped to one knee and grabbed her left hand. "Jin, will you marry me?"
"Yes." She gave him a smile.
He placed the small ring upon her, his hand trembling as he did so.
Jin reached down and grabbed the collar of his jacket again, this time pulling him up to his feet, and then kissing the pilot deeply.
They walked out to the plane and boarded, finding L.C. in the pilot's seat. As Cid closed the door, the boy fired up the engines. Jin sat down and strapped in to one of the seats, while Cid got into the copilot's seat.
He met his son's gaze for a moment and smiled. "All right, kid, take us home."
L.C. nodded and then gunned the engines. He was ready to get home, too.
-----------------------
Angel was still sitting at Reno's bedside. It was getting into evening, and Dr. Arlin returned with some bandage material in her arms.
She gave the doctor a smile. "Hey."
"Has he been conscious again since the first time?" Janice asked, setting down her supplies on a tray.
"No." Angel stood up from her chair, stretching her stiffness away. "He hasn't done anything."
"Okay. I'm going to change his dressings again. I guess you probably don't want to watch?" Dr. Arlin pulled her bandage scissors from her pocket.
Angel swallowed hard. She hadn't been able to remain when this had taken place this morning, but sooner or later, she was going to have to see what had truly happened to her husband. "No, I'll stay."
"All right." Janice was on the right side of the bed and gently began to cut away the bandaging.
Angel kept a hold of Reno's left hand as the dressing was removed from the side of his head and face.
Janice pulled the last of the bloodied bandage off and looked at Angel. "Come over here to get a look."
Angel dropped her gaze to the floor and walked around the bed, while Janice moved out of her way. She took a deep breath and prepared herself before bringing her gaze up. Nothing could have prepared her for this.
The right upper portion of his face had been completely destroyed, and there hadn't been enough skin left to close the wound. Where his eye had been was just nothing, nothing at all. His cheekbone had been shattered, along with the bones that had surrounded his eye, causing that whole portion of his face to now sink inward, not leveling out until well past his temple. The skin that was left had been closed as much as possible, but it was all an unnatural purplish hue, and there were multiple lines of sutures present, where Dr. Arlin had done her best to put him back together.
Angel started to feel faint and she backed away. Janice noticed the color drain from the other woman's face and she quickly took Angel into her arms and guided her to the closest chair.
Janice knew that Angel had damn near passed out. "Are you okay?"
Angel took a jagged breath and looked up at her. "I think so."
"It's hard, I know." Dr. Arlin knelt at her side, placing a hand upon Angel's knee. "I mean, we can see these sorts of injuries or worse on the men when they come back from missions and we can deal with it, but when it's someone we actually care about, it's completely different."
She nodded. "Yeah." Angel placed a hand over her heart. "It's like I feel it, right here. It actually hurts."
"That's because you love him, Angel." Janice stood back up. "I'm going to go ahead and get him wrapped up again."
Angel remained in the chair, as it kept her from being able to see his injury anymore. "Janice, if he lives, how much of that can be fixed?"
"I know a wonderful facial reconstruction specialist." Dr. Arlin had seen her friend's work, and had been impressed with the things he could do. "I would imagine that he would be able to take bone grafts from other parts of Reno's body and at least get his eye socket reshaped, and rebuild his cheek bone. There's so much tissue damage, though, that I'm not sure if they'll be able to get a artificial eye placed or not."
Angel sighed. Although no one would have ever guessed it from his generally disheveled appearance, Reno had always been vain, thinking himself attractive, hence his unbearable cockiness with the opposite sex. Angel knew that when and if Reno actually saw what had happened to his appearance, that he wouldn't handle it well, and most likely, it would change his personality forever. Then, she wondered how Dana would react to seeing her father like this. It would be hardest on the little girl, she supposed. Angel couldn't help herself. She buried her face in her hands and cried.
When Janice had the bandage completed, she turned back to Angel. "Look, you've been in here for almost twenty-four hours. Why don't you go get your brother and go get something to eat?"
Angel silently agreed and rose from her seat. She slowly walked to Sephiroth's room and knocked on the door.
Jeanine answered. "Hey, Angel."
"Hi, is my brother here?"
"Yeah, just a moment." Jeanine looked over her shoulder, to where Sephiroth was sitting on the couch. "It's your sister."
He sighed and got up. "Hello."
"I was wondering if I could borrow you for a little while?" Angel asked, flashing him a small smile.
"Jeanine, would you mind if I stepped out?" Sephiroth looked over at her.
Knowing that Angel was probably just seeking comfort, Jeanine gave him a smile and a nod. "Sure, go ahead."
He stepped out into the hall and walked along with her. "How is Reno?"
"He woke up for a few minutes today, but that was about it." Angel's voice betrayed her misery.
Sephiroth stopped walking as again, an unfamiliar feeling crept up within him. He turned to her. Maybe, just maybe, he did care about someone other than Jeanine. Sephiroth took her into his arms. "Angel, are you going to be all right?"
She appreciated this gesture from him. "I don't know. If he was dead, that would be one thing, if he was alive and going to be fine, that would be another, but this not knowing what's going to happen to him… I can't stand it."
"I know." Sephiroth thought momentarily about Vincent. "It's almost like that with our father, too. I suppose that Shinra will just kill him right off when they see that he's failed the mission, but on the other hand, they may try to use him in some other way. I wish there were a way to have some means of resolution."
Angel stepped back from him. "Dr. Methius wanted Vincent and you to meet him back in Junon, right?"
"Yes."
"Then maybe I'll be able to find a way to figure out what becomes of him." Angel had one last ace up her sleeve.