Pardon me, most of this was written in the car as we drove through Colorado and Utah. Good times, and not easy to write with two kids wriggling around the back seat! Luckily, they can't read.
Chapter Twenty Nine
"Oh crap! It's six-fifty!"
Porter looked up from the computer before him and over at his partner. "What's that, Quig?"
"I'm going to be late!" The researcher hurriedly got up from his desk and started for the door.
"Late for what? Do you have a hot date or something?" Porter asked jokingly.
Quigley stopped and turned around, a boyish grin coming to his lips. "Actually, I do."
"Really?" Porter smiled in return. It was a rare thing for Quigley to do anything remotely social, especially with the opposite sex. "Who?"
"Amy's back."
"Oh…" Porter cocked an eyebrow. Quigley had spoken about his regrets regarding that particular woman over the last several years. "And you're going out?"
Quigley nodded. "Yeah, she wants to give it another try."
"Well, get going and good luck, Quig."
"Thanks," Quigley replied as he exited the lab.
He went to his room and quickly changed into his best outfit and got ready. No sooner had he set his comb back on the counter did a knock come to the door, causing his heart rate to skyrocket. Quigley looked at himself in the mirror before answering the door. "Just don't screw it up this time, Quig."
When Quigley opened his door, he spotted Amy standing there in a dark blue dress, and she looked lovely. He found himself dumbstruck for a moment.
She reached out and poked him in the shoulder. "Cat got your tongue?"
He broke into a smile and flushed red. "You…look really nice."
Amy blushed in return. "Thanks, you look great, too."
Quigley figured that this was probably the furthest thing from the truth, but took the compliment in stride. "Thanks. So, where did you want to go for dinner?"
"Oh, uh, how about the place we went on our last date, if it's still open?" Amy looked down at the ground.
Inwardly, Quigley sighed in relief. He'd hoped that would be where she wanted to go, as he'd called for reservations earlier. "Perfect, Italian it is."
Amy reached out and took his hand. "Let's go."
Quigley realized that he was shaking, and he did his best to steady himself as he walked hand in hand with her out of the base and to the restaurant.
They ate dinner, each being plagued by their social inadequacies and finding it hard to keep a constant stream of conversation going. For the most part, they would give each other shy smiles, just glad to be together again.
They finished their food and sat looking at one another. Amy was the one who broke the silence. "So, has anything interesting happened in your life since we spoke last?"
Quigley dropped his gaze away and his shoulders slumped. "Actually, my brother died a little while ago."
Her eyes went wide. "Spencer? Oh my God, Quig, I'm so sorry to hear that! What happened?"
He ran a hand down his face, still finding it far too easy to cry about the situation. "Well, he went on a mission into the Junon lab and he was shot. Dr. Methius did surgery on him and hooked him on ferium in order to control him along with Mr. Valentine. In any event, I caught him shooting up and he was taken to the infirmary having withdrawals, and he died."
"Oh," Amy sighed. Having had the pleasure of meeting Peirte, this didn't surprise her to hear this as much as one would have thought. Still, she knew how important Quigley's brother had always been to him and she couldn't help but feel terrible. "Quig, I know how much you loved him."
"Thanks." Quigley offered her a faint smile before changing the subject. He feared that if he kept dwelling on Spencer's death that he'd just break down in tears.
Finally, dinner was over and they headed back to the base. Quigley walked Amy to her room door, hoping not to botch the end of this date like the one three years ago. He stepped up to her and put his arms behind her back and stared down into her eyes. "Uh, would you mind it if I kissed you?"
Amy smiled. "There's nothing that I'd like more, Quig."
He swallowed hard and held her tightly, his nervousness obvious. Quigley closed his eyes and leaned forward, letting his lips meet hers gently for a moment. When he pulled back and looked down into her eyes, he saw something there. "Amy?"
She was shaking now. "Quig…can you come in for a little while?"
Quigley raised his eyebrows. "Sure."
"Okay," Amy said back quietly and turned around, opening the door.
He followed her in and waited as she closed and locked the door. Amy motioned over for him to sit on the couch, and she quickly landed at his side.
Quigley looked into her eyes again, hoping that his stress about the situation wasn't that obvious to her. "So, what do you want to talk about?"
Amy dropped her gaze down to her hands, folded in her lap. "How much do you know about what happened right before I left Junon?"
He frowned briefly. "Well, I know that you were made Dr. Methius' Turk for a short time, and that he attacked you."
"Do you know how he attacked me?" she asked, wondering how much he was aware of.
He just nodded. "Yeah."
Amy looked up into his eyes. "Quigley, I'm twenty-eight years old and I've never been with a man, because I wanted to wait until I could be with someone I loved. I almost lost that when he tried to rape me."
Seeing the tears in her eyes got to him and he moved closer, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I'm really sorry that happened, Amy. It really upset me when I found out. It made me wish that I'd been there to try and protect you."
She gave him a faint smile. "Well, I really do want my first time to be with someone that I love, Quig. I…I'd like it to be you."
Quigley was fairly sure that he was going to fall over dead of a heart attack. He felt color come to his cheeks once more, as well as a stirring within him. "Me?"
"I've thought about it a lot over the years, Quig. I've loved you for a long time." Amy reached up and touched his cheek.
He felt safe to admit his own feelings as well. "I fell in love with you years ago. You really feel the same way about me?"
She gave him a quiet laugh. "Yeah, of course, why else would I have said that?"
"I guess I'm in disbelief that a woman like you could be interested in me." Quigley gave her a smile, enjoying the feeling of her hand lingering against his face.
"You keep acting like I'm some sort of super model, Quig." She blushed. "I think you need to have your eyes checked."
Quigley reached up and framed her face with his hands. "God Amy, there's nothing wrong with my eyesight at all. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
Amy found herself kissing him again, and this time she parted her lips to him, inviting him in. As his tongue grazed lightly against hers, Amy felt an overwhelming wave of arousal wash over her, and she sighed.
Although Quigley wanted to let his hands leave her face and explore her body, he was reluctant to do anything that she didn't give him explicit permission for. The knowledge that she was still a virgin at her age but willing to give herself to him was intimidating. He pulled back from the kiss and locked into her gaze. "Do…do you really want to be with me?"
The blush of arousal had crept its way across her cheeks and neck, and her eyes burned with desire. "Yes, I'm ready, Quig."
"I don't want you to regret it, that's all. I love you, Amy, and I don't want you to resent me for taking away your…purity." Quigley nearly choked on the words, disbelieving that he was in this situation at all.
Amy gave him a quiet laugh. "Trust me, I've put a lot of thought into this. I've been a virgin long enough."
Quigley realized he'd been holding his breath and he exhaled. "Oh God, Amy… This…wow. Uh, I guess this means that we're like a couple then?"
"Yeah." Amy put her hand upon his leg. "I'd like that."
"Me, too." Quigley felt himself trembling again. "So, you'll probably want to go out with me for awhile before we do anything, though, right?"
Amy leaned closer to him. "No, Quigley. I want to be with you now."
Once more, Quigley believed that a heart attack was imminent. His voice cracked, "Really?"
She just nodded and then pulled him in for another kiss.
Feeling like his legs would give out from under him, Quigley rose from the couch and held out his hand to Amy, leading her over to the bed. She sat on the edge of it and looked up at him. "Can you turn off the light?"
Quigley did as requested and sat at her side. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes."
Their lips met again, and Quigley let his hands begin to run over her body, slowly working on freeing her of her dress. Amy in return felt him timidly, unsure of what she was doing.
After about a half an hour of careful work, the two of them were unclothed and beneath the sheets of Amy's bed. Quigley was propped up on an elbow at her side, still kissing her and letting his free hand glide over her, taking in all that he could.
Amy looked into his eyes in the darkness when he pulled back from her mouth for a moment. "Quig?"
He offered her a smile. "Yeah?"
"Now, okay?" Amy honestly felt like she'd go mad if he delayed any longer. Her twenty-eight years of abstinence made her burn for him all the more.
Quigley moved himself on top of her, his own state of arousal almost painful. He'd never been with a virgin before, and he was honestly afraid of hurting her. Introverted geek or not, God had granted him a generous male anatomy. "Amy, if this hurts you at all, let me know, all right?"
She nodded at him, trying to relax as best she could under the circumstances. "Okay."
He let his lips meet hers again, and he reached down and guided himself into her. Quigley proceeded slowly, watching her reaction as he went.
Amy gasped and cried out, raising her hips up off of the bed to meet him. "Quig…"
"Are you okay?" he asked, only about half way in.
She was far better than okay. "Quig…don't stop…"
Quigley kissed her deeply, and finished his first thrust into her. Amy moaned softly into his mouth, reveling in the sensation of their two bodies together. After giving her a few minutes to get accustomed to him, Quigley began moving slowly and gently, doing his best not to hurt her. Amy's sounds and motions indicated that she was enjoying the experience.
When Quigley finished nearly forty-five minutes later, he looked down into her eyes. "Was that all right?"
Amy cocked an eyebrow and gave him a wide smile. "That was great."
That was the first time Quigley had ever heard that and it did wonders for his ego. He couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks."
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Vincent had been taken from the infirmary and into an empty room, as to conceal his presence from Tifa. Angel came to see him one more time before going home for the day.
Vincent looked up from the book he'd started reading and gave her a weak smile.
She came over and sat on the side of his bed. "Look, I think you're being ridiculous about not seeing Tifa."
He dog-eared his book and set it down next to him. "Angel, I'm not refusing to see her right now in some effort to make her miserable. I will see her and it will be soon, but not here, and not like this. If she sees me like I am right now, she'll realize what I was up to and I don't want to put her through that. If it would make you feel better, you can tell her that you've spoken with me and that I'm fine and that I intend to come and see her after she goes back home to Kalm."
This was better than nothing but still it wasn't what she wanted. "Damn it, Vincent."
She never called him by his name anymore, and instantly he knew that he was in real trouble. "Angel, you don't know what--"
She cut him off. "No, you're exactly right, I don't know what it's like! If I was separated from Reno for any length of time, I'd rush right back to his side the first chance that I got. And if he was pulled away from me and I had the baby that I'm carrying, I know he'd do everything in his power to get back to me and see his new infant!"
"Wait, you're pregnant?"
"Yeah, I'm pregnant and so is Jaras' wife." Angel was as angry as she'd ever been. "Don't change the subject!"
The fact that he had two new grandchildren on the way compelled Vincent to raise a hand. "Jaras and you both have babies on the way?"
"Oh good, starvation made you stupid, too!" Angel crossed her arms over her chest. "That's what I just said! I suppose you'll run away and never bother to see these kids, too, right?"
Vincent was both happy to hear that his son and daughter had children on the way as well as frustrated that she couldn't understand his situation. "Damn it, I'm not running away from anything! I just want to get to the house and debug it before Tifa goes home so that there won't be anymore spying on her by Shinra! After that's done and I'm feeling…ready, I'll talk to her, but I'm not doing it right this moment and if you keep pressing me to do it, I'll rip this I.V. out of my arm and leave this base right now!"
He had never raised his voice at her in the nearly seven years that they'd known one another. Angel had the same temper as he did, though, and it was making itself known. "I love it! Your solution to everything is to run away!"
"No, my solution to everything isn't to run away! I was trying to save people from Tseng's fate! And how many times do I have to tell you? I'm going to see Tifa, just not right this fucking minute! Maybe, just maybe, part of me wants to make sure I've gone through enough treatment with the anti-Chaos drug to keep me from changing again if she and I start arguing and I get mad." Vincent met her gaze, his red eyes blazing with all of the emotions running through him.
Angel stood up and faced him. "Fine, do whatever you wish."
Vincent easily saw the frustration and pain in her expression and it hurt him. "Angel, I'm going to see her. I can't explain it any better than I already have. I'm sorry if I'm pissing you off, but…"
Her anger wasn't necessarily abating, but his last comment about finishing his course of Chaos treatment had hit her hard. This was something that she couldn't argue with him about, and pressing on with the subject may just make the demon resurface. "Vincent, do whatever you need to do. Just know that as a mother and wife that if my husband wasn't at my side the second he had the chance after going through all of this, that when he did show up, I probably wouldn't want him."
"Angel, that may be but things between Reno and you have been a lot less complicated than between Tifa and I. She did have an affair, and then she got together with Cid within a day of thinking that I was dead. I feel a little betrayed by everything, although I do still love her." Vincent was going to admit something. "And now Cid…if he survives his treatment and gets better, I guess I'm afraid on some level that Tifa and he might try something again. Maybe she intentionally started fighting with him because she wanted to put some distance between the two of them before he died. I don't know, I'm really confused right now. I just need a little bit of time, that's all."
Angel looked away. Reno had never been unfaithful to her or she to him, so there was a dynamic in her father and Tifa's relationship that she didn't understand. "I just hate the thought of your baby girl being less than a hundred yards from here and still never having met you."
"It's killing me, too." Vincent hung his head. The thought that the baby was so close had been foremost on his mind since arriving. "I do want to see her."
"Do you honestly?"
Vincent met his daughter's stare. "Yes."
She nodded shallowly. "All right. I'll go get her and tell Tifa to take Aaron out to dinner or something. Then you can see her."
Vincent smiled. "I'd appreciate that."
Angel turned and walked from the room, slamming the door behind her-- she was still upset, but this at least would be a step in the right direction. She went immediately to Tifa's door and knocked.
Jaras, who'd remained with both Tifa and Aaron for the remainder of the day to act as a mediator between the two of them answered. "Angel?"
"Tifa and Aaron are here, right?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yeah, they had a rough day. Aaron and she got into a pretty good argument and they've been trying to smooth over things tonight."
"Well, I was hoping to take Charlotte off of her hands so that she and Aaron could go out and have some time together without the baby. What do you think?" Angel stepped closer to her brother.
Jaras looked thoughtful for a moment. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, I think it would be good for them. Aaron received his last dose of that drug today, so they'll most likely be heading home tomorrow and I'm suspecting that it will be a long while before they get the chance to do anything without the baby for a long time."
Angel entered the room as Jaras moved aside. "Tifa, I was going to offer to take Charlotte for a few hours so that you and Aaron could have dinner together."
Tifa immediately looked relieved. Getting a small break from the baby seemed like a Godsend. "Angel, you have no idea how much I'd appreciate that. I just finished nursing her so she's good to go for a little while."
Angel went over and took the baby from her arms. "Fine, you and Aaron go and have a good time."
Tifa looked over at her son. "Ready to go out?"
The boy got up from the couch where he was sitting and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."
Angel smiled at them as they departed, leaving her and Jaras with the baby. "I hope they have a nice time out."
"And I as well." Jaras looked into Angel's eyes. "There seems to be some ulterior motive in this plan, or am I imagining things?"
Angel laughed. "You know me too well, brother. Come along and I'll show you."
Jaras picked up the diaper bag and went along behind her in silence, wondering what she was up to. When she stopped in front of the door to what he thought was an empty room, he finally spoke up. "What are we doing?"
"We have a guest, Jaras." Angel unlocked the door and motioned for him to enter.
He went in and saw Vincent lying in the bed. "Dad?"
Vincent gave him a smile. "I owe you a huge debt of gratitude."
"I only did what I had to. I just wish that it hadn't come at the cost of you suffering." Jaras came over and sat on the edge of the bed.
Vincent could already appreciate the fact that Jaras was acting more like his old self than Sephiroth. "The Jenova they put into you…have the effects of it worn off?"
He shrugged. "I don't understand what's going on with me. The force that was trying to take away my emotions and make me power hungry has faded away, leaving me who I am, although my body has changed somewhat."
Vincent was fascinated by this but grateful that his son's true personality had won out in the end. "So then Jaras it is, not Sephiroth, right?"
Jaras nodded.
"And I hear that Jeanine's expecting?" Vincent asked, a smile coming to his lips.
Jaras blushed slightly. "Yes."
"That's great, Jaras. I know you'll do very well as a father." Vincent was proud of his son and it showed.
Angel stepped closer, drawing their attention to her. "Speaking of being a father, here's Charlotte."
Vincent quickly sat up in the bed and scooted so that he was leaning back against the headboard. He outstretched his arms, wanting his baby handed over. "Give her to me."
Angel handed over her tiny sister and stepped back to watch Vincent's reaction.
He slowly lowered the bundle to his chest and pulled back the blanket that was wrapped around her. Vincent stared down into her small face, seeing her bright blue eyes looking back at him. Her complexion was just as fair as his own, and her head was crowned with a blond wisp. It wasn't hard to see how Tifa would have thought this baby to have been Cid's. However, Vincent could tell from her appearance alone that she was his beyond question. He smiled as her tiny rosebud mouth opened in a yawn. "Charlotte…you're beautiful."
Angel and Jaras looked at one another, touched by Vincent's reaction to his new child.
Vincent looked up at Angel. "Her full name?"
Angel's smile faltered. "Oh, Tifa named her Charlotte Cidelle Vatatsi."
He knit his brow. "Cidelle?"
"She thought…" Angel realized that she didn't need to explain it to her father, he already knew.
Vincent seemed to relax after letting it sink in for a minute. "I know, and honestly, it's fine." He got back to looking at his baby, too taken with her perfection to care very much about her having been named after the pilot. If nothing else, Tifa had made her first name Charlotte, which had been his request. Now, if she'd made the little girl's first name Cidelle, then he might be a little more upset about the situation.
Vincent had to wipe a tear away from his eye. "Charlotte…I'm not going to fail you. I will get things right for you."
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Tifa took Aaron up to Costa del Sol, leading him to the local franchise of his favorite fast food establishment. Once they got their order they sat and ate in silence for a while.
Aaron, remembering what Jaras had said to him, cracked under the tension. "Mom?"
"Yes, Sweetie?" Tifa met his gaze, by now growing accustomed to his new eye color.
"I'm really sorry."
Tifa smiled and reached across the table, covering his hand with her own. "It's okay, Aaron. We've…we've had a hard time and I know things have gotten to you."
"When I figured out that Cid was around, I just got upset." Aaron looked away from his mother, still ashamed of his actions.
"I know, and after all that happened, I can't say I blame you, but like I told you, unless your father comes back, there won't be any other men. I made you and Charlotte that promise and I intend to stand by it, Aaron. You two are the most important things in the world to me." Tifa gave him a smile.
Aaron reciprocated her expression. "Okay."
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Jin led L.C. by the hand and down into the ASRIO base. She made her way directly to the infirmary, knowing that Cid would be there.
Cid saw her and his son enter the room and broke into a wide grin. "Hey."
Jin came over and embraced him tearfully. The fact that she'd thought him dead for a day had made her appreciate him on a whole new level. "God damn you, Cid!"
He felt tears come to his eyes as well. "I'm sorry, Jin. I just wanted to spare everyone the misery of watching me die slowly."
Jin just cried silently in his embrace. When she finally straightened up, L.C. climbed up onto the bed and onto his father.
Cid held his boy tightly. "L.C., how are you holding up?"
The boy just smiled. "I'm okay."
"I didn't tell him," Jin said quietly.
Cid was grateful for this. "Thanks."
L.C. didn't care what they were talking about, he was just glad to be with his dad. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too, kid." Cid looked over at Jin. "I think you need to sit down."
She did as ordered and came to rest on the edge of his bed. "What's going on?"
Cid took one of her hands. "The guys here, they might be able to cure me, thanks to some information that Vincent had taken out of the lab."
Jin knit her brow. "You said they might be able to help you, and now you're telling me that they might actually be able to cure you?"
"Yeah, they might. Porter and…Quigley are working on it." Cid glanced away from her, looking displeased at having said the researcher's name.
Jin slapped him in the shoulder lightly. "Cid, don't be like that about it. Just be thankful that he's here so that if there is a cure, he can get it together for you. Maybe you're mad at what I did with him, but it was my choice to do it just as much, well hell, probably more than his. Let it go, Cid. Especially if you're expecting me to tolerate you still talking to Tifa."
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, all right."
Jin just stared at him and laughed. Cid would always be Cid, no matter what.
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Tifa stayed out with Aaron for a while, until it got close to when she'd have to nurse the baby again. They returned to their room in the base, finding Jaras present but not Angel.
When he saw them, he got up and stretched. "Just a moment, I'll go get Angel and the baby."
Tifa smiled and nodded, willing to let him retrieve the infant since she wanted to get ready for bed.
Jaras walked out of the room and down the corridor and around a corner, until he got to the room that Vincent and Angel were in. "Tifa is back."
Vincent had been holding his new daughter for the entire last three hours. He was reluctant to give her back over, knowing that it might be a while before he saw her again. Vincent gave the baby a kiss on the top of the head. "I love you, Charlotte. I'll see you." Slowly, he extended the baby out to Angel.
She accepted her infant sister. "Okay, I'm going to go give her back to Tifa. I'll come by and see you in the morning, Dad."
Vincent gave a forced smile, still having his eyes fixed on the baby. "All right."
Angel bent over and grabbed the diaper bag before heading over to Tifa's room.
Once she was gone, Vincent looked at Jaras. "Help me get this I.V. line out of my arm. I have to leave now to get home before Tifa."
Jaras wasn't sure if Vincent was in any shape to travel yet. "Dad, that's probably not a good idea yet."
"Maybe not, but if Tifa is planning on leaving tomorrow to head home, then I need to get there first to get the bugs and cameras out before she arrives." Vincent was already pulling the tape holding the catheter from his arm. "Go get the rest of the doses of the anti-Chaos drug from the lab, too. I'll just give myself the next several shots."
Jaras knew that his father wouldn't be dissuaded from his choice of actions and he did as asked.
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Angel walked back into Tifa's room, with the baby girl sleeping in her arms. She went over and sat on the couch next to Aaron, as Tifa was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. She looked over at her little brother. "How was dinner?"
"Fine," he replied quietly, already engrossed in his game.
Angel moved closer to him. "Aaron, if you ever need to talk to someone, you know you can always turn to Jaras and I, right?"
The boy looked at her and produced a faint smile. "I know."
"Good, I just don't ever want you to feel like you have to go through things alone. Your brother and I care about you an awful lot, and we know that you've been put through some difficult stuff." Angel looked down at the video game in his hands, seeing the screen name of his current opponent displayed.
Dafukinboss
Angel giggled to herself. "How much is Reno playing that?"
"A lot." Aaron smiled. "And he hasn't beaten me once."
Several minutes later, Tifa emerged from the bathroom in her nightshirt. She came over and accepted Charlotte from Angel. "Thanks for watching her. I hope she was good."
"She never made a sound." Angel got up from the couch, ready to head back home. "It was like she was perfectly content where she was."
Tifa smiled and pulled the baby close for a kiss. As she did this, she noticed a particular scent upon the baby and the blanket that wrapped her.
It was soap, tea, and chocolate.
Tifa's eyes went wide and she looked at Angel. "Where is he?"
"Who?" Angel asked, trying to play dumb.
"I can smell Vincent! No one smells like him…he's here, isn't he?" Tifa felt her heart rate jump.
Angel knew she would never be able to pull off lying to the woman before her. "Tifa, he's all right, but he said that--"
Tifa didn't give Angel a chance to finish, as she immediately ran over to the door and pulled it open. She stepped out into the hall, wondering where Vincent was. "Tell me where to go!"
Angel stepped up behind her. "Tifa, he said he's not ready yet, okay?"
She turned to face her. "What?"
"He says he's going to see you soon, but that he didn't want to be reunited with you here. Dad said he'll meet you at home." Angel put her hand on Tifa's shoulder.
"But if he's here, I want to see him!" Tifa had tears in her eyes.
This was more than Angel could stand. "At the end of the hall…go left. It's the fourth door on the right."
Tifa nodded and began walking quickly in the direction indicated. She got to the door she had been told to go to and opened it.
Jaras was standing there, looking sad. The fact that Tifa was there in the doorway told him that she'd figured everything out.
"Where is he?" Tifa asked, coming directly up to Jaras.
He shook his head and dropped his gaze away. "I'm sorry, Tifa, but he's gone. He's heading back toward Kalm."
She just blinked at him. From the smell in the air, Tifa knew that she'd only missed him by minutes. "Jaras…"
Knowing that she was about to break down into tears, he placed his arms around her and the baby and held them close. "I know it's hard, but he had his reasons and he swears that he'll see you back home, Tifa."
Tifa just gave in and cried. She had been so close. "Damn him…"