Okay, in my infinite wisdom, I've started writing a second story while also writing this one. Lord, please help me keep things straight…I'm easily confused sometimes. Ack!
Oh, and I apologize for the shortness of this chapter compared with the others, but I wanted to get something up today.
Chapter Thirty
Tifa was crushed to have missed Vincent, and she retreated back to her room, leaving the door open for the time being. She went over and sat next to Aaron on the couch, still having Charlotte in her arms.
The boy turned his eyes to his mother. "He wasn't here?"
"No, he left." She tried to keep the tears pushed back. "But Angel said that he will see us back home, so it's not that bad, right?"
Aaron realized that she was looking to him for reassurance. "Right."
L.C. and Jin appeared in the doorway. Tifa noticed their arrival, and suddenly felt a little odd at being in the presence of Cid's wife. Still, she did her best to seem pleasant. "Hi, Jin."
The female mechanic forced a quick smile. "Tifa. I thought I'd just stop in on the way to our room so that L.C. could see Aaron."
Tifa had sort of figured as much, since she knew that there was no love lost between she and Jin. She looked at her son. "Go see him, Aaron."
Aaron rose up from the couch slowly and went toward L.C.
L.C., in the meanwhile, stood behind Jin, watching Aaron's approach with a cautious eye.
"Hey," Aaron said to the other boy, when close enough.
"Spaz," he replied quietly, stepping out from behind Jin.
"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened. It wasn't really me, L.C." Aaron dropped his gaze to the ground.
"Okay."
"Are we still friends?" Aaron asked, his fear over the answer clear in his voice.
L.C. shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I…I think so, if you promise me nothin' like that's ever gonna happen again."
Aaron smiled. "It won't, L.C."
The pilot's son then caught sight of the video game that Aaron still had in his right hand. "Oh wow…you got one of those?"
"Yeah, my brother got it for me. Wanna try it?" Aaron held out his new acquisition to his friend and they went and sat together in the corner, happily playing.
Tifa was relieved to see that the boys could still get along after all that had happened. She looked over at Jin. "Did you see Cid?"
Jin swallowed her pride and went over, sitting on the couch next to Tifa. "Yeah, I saw him."
"I bet he was glad that you were able to get here so fast." Tifa gave her a smile and then turned her gaze to the baby.
Jin knit her brow and looked at Tifa. "He didn't just come here to see you, right? I mean, the only reason he came here was the promise of a cure, wasn't it?"
Tifa nodded, keeping her gaze upon her daughter. "Jin, he didn't come here to see me. In fact, I'm leaving tomorrow."
This made Jin happy, although she tried to hide her reaction. "I see. You're going home?"
"We are." She met the other woman's gaze. "They've done all they can for Aaron at the moment, and so we're going back. Vincent has said that he'll see me once I'm there, so I'm anxious to get back."
Jin narrowed her eyes. "Do you think that you'll be able to work through all that happened?"
"I hope so, for the kids' sakes if nothing else," Tifa said quietly.
Deciding to change the subject, Jin leaned closer, examining the baby. "Tifa, can I hold her?"
She smiled and then handed Charlotte over.
Jin took the baby and held her close, looking at her face. "So, you're absolutely positive that she's Vincent's?"
Tifa nodded and laughed. "Yeah, there's no doubt about it. She has the same blood disease that he's got."
"I can see why you were confused at first, though." Jin couldn't help but smile, able to appreciate how much the little girl did resemble L.C. as a baby. "She's really cute, Tifa."
"Thanks."
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Quigley awoke in the morning to a knock at the door. He opened his eyes and looked around, realizing that he wasn't in his own room. Amy was lying beside him, still asleep. He smiled to himself as he recalled the night before.
The knock came again, and this time Amy woke up as well. She looked at Quigley and grinned at him. "I should probably see who that is."
Quigley gave her a quick kiss before she slid out of the bed and pulled on a robe. She went and answered the door. "Oh, hey."
"Hi, Amy. Uh, I was wondering if Quig was here." Porter couldn't help but smile, already knowing the answer. He could see his partner sitting in the bed behind her.
"Oh, yeah." Amy giggled. "Just a sec."
Porter remained in the corridor as the door was shut again, indicating to him that Quigley probably wasn't dressed beneath the sheets.
A short time later, the door opened again and a hastily dressed and disheveled Quigley emerged. "Port, what's going on?"
He gave the researcher a smack in the shoulder. "You dog!"
Quigley snickered and smiled shyly. "Hey, I get a little every once in a while."
Porter just found the thought of Quigley actually having sex hilarious and he laughed for a little while, not able to look his friend in the eye.
Eventually, Quigley became annoyed at Porter's reaction. "So did you just come here to make fun of me or was there a reason for looking me up?"
"Okay, wait." Porter got his composure back together, and finally looked into his friend's eyes. "I did come by for a reason."
"And that is?" Quigley asked.
"Last night, Jaras came to the lab and insisted on being given the anti-Chaos drug so that he could take it to Vincent."
"Why?" Quigley found this odd.
"Vincent left the base last night to go back to Kalm, and he wanted to have the drug with him so that he could administer the remaining doses to himself." Porter shrugged.
"You didn't let him just take it though, right?" Quigley ran a hand through his hair.
"You honestly think I would have told Jaras no?" Porter shook his head. "Of course I gave it to him."
Quigley just stared at him for a moment. "You let him have it? Porter…that chemical is powerful, if Vincent screws up and gives himself to much he could die."
"Quig, I told Jaras to tell Vincent that he only needs two and a half milliliters per dose." His green eyes darted off to the side. "It was either let Vincent have the drug to take with him or refuse, meaning that Chaos would come back quickly."
The researcher nodded and thought for a moment. "All right, if he was on ferium, then he obviously knows how to give himself intravenous injections. I just hope he doesn't have a reaction or anything."
"He's had it before and he's ended up all right, so hopefully he'll do fine." Porter gave Quigley a smile again. "So, you and Amy..?"
Quigley instantly flushed red. "Yeah, didn't you already figure that one out? I thought you were supposed to be smart."
Porter laughed to himself. "Good for you, man."
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Tifa had her things packed up and they had been taken up onto the airfield and placed onto the airship. She and Aaron were going to be treated to a peaceful cruise back home, courtesy of Reno's generosity. Aaron and L.C. were together again, still playing with Aaron's game on the couch together, giving her a chance to go and say goodbye to Cid.
She left the room and headed to the infirmary and entered with Charlotte in her arms. Jin wasn't present for the moment, as she'd gone to speak with Reno about her desire to cut back on her work hours for ASRIO, since she intended to spend most of her time with Cid while he was treated for his illness.
Tifa walked over to Cid's beside, seeing that he was sleeping. She hated to wake him, but she felt like she really did need to talk to him for a little while before leaving. Gently, she placed a hand upon his shoulder and rocked him. "Cid?"
His eyes opened and he looked at her, seeming a little confused for a second. "Tifa?"
"I just wanted to say goodbye before I left." She sat on the edge of his bed, giving him a smile.
"You're leaving, huh?" Cid sat up, leaning toward her.
"Yeah, they've finished Aaron's treatment so he should be all right for a few years, unless they find a permanent cure for him. I figured that getting him home where things are familiar would be best for him, even though I didn't want to necessarily leave you while you're still sick." She dropped her gaze away.
"Yeah, but you need to do what's best for the kids, Tifa, and that means going home." Cid forced a brief grin. "Besides, you can always call. If anything changes with me, I'm sure you'll find out."
"Thanks for understanding." Tifa looked into his blue eyes again. "Plus, Vincent said that he'd see me after I got home, so I'm anxious about that."
He nodded. "Good, that's good to hear."
Tifa fell silent as Cid struggled through a coughing fit. When he quieted back down, she reached over and covered one of his hands with hers. "Are you okay?"
He mustered the last of his bravado and gave her a smile. "I'm gonna be fine, Tiff. You know that. Can I hold the baby for a bit?"
She handed her daughter over to him for a moment.
Cid looked down at the little girl, still hurting with the knowledge that she wasn't his. "You be good."
Tifa continued to watch him stare at the baby for a few minutes, until he reluctantly gave her back over, looking as though he had tears in his eyes.
"Take care of that baby," Cid said quietly, forcing a smile he wasn't feeling at the moment.
"Okay, I will. I'm going to leave then." She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll talk to you, soon."
"All right."
"I love you, Cid."
His eyes relayed the fact that he was sad to see her going. "I love you too, Tifa. Now, go get those kids home."
Tifa left the infirmary, collected her son and left the base. She was on her way home.
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Quigley and Porter had gotten to the lab to start their work. The former Turk was examining the read out on the compounding machine and then straightened up and looked over at the other man. "Quig! Check this out."
He came over and saw that the display indicated that the drug for Cid was complete. "This is great!"
"Yeah, I know." Porter smiled at his friend. "You know what this means if we give it to him and it actually works, right?"
"I would suspect that Reno will make a press release of the formulation for this drug and the fact that Shinra has been covering up this information for years. It's not only going to save lives, but it's going to really put a thorn in the company's side." Quigley couldn't help but reflect his expression. "This is going to be big."
"Very." Porter reached over and clapped Quigley on the back. "Looks like you're on a winning streak, Quig."
"I know, I'm not used to things going this well." Quigley laughed to himself for a moment.
Porter opened up the machine and pulled out the vial of the finished drug that it had produced. The medication was clear, and had a slight yellowish tint to it. "Well, here it is. The computer said to give him just two milligrams per pound of body weight, right?"
Quigley nodded. "That's what it said. I'll go draw up the first dose. Come on, Port. We're going to go make history."
After Quigley had a syringe loaded, he went to the infirmary with Porter at his side. They entered, spotting Cid with L.C. and Jin at his side.
Cid, anxious to get his recuperation underway, watched them as they approached. "Well? Are we gonna get this thing going or what?"
"I've got the first dose right here." Quigley raised the syringe, proud of himself.
"Good." Cid settled back into his pile of pillows, ready to finally be on the right track.
Porter went over to Janice's office and called her out, knowing that she should be present for this. He and the doctor quickly came to Cid's beside, joining the others.
Quigley picked up the injection port on Cid's intravenous line and inserted the needle. "Ready?"
Cid furrowed his brow and nodded. "Yeah, get on with it."
"All right." The researcher dispensed the syringe's contents into the pilot.
Cid closed his eyes as a strange sensation washed over him. Immediately, a terrible taste filled his mouth thanks to the drug, and he felt a little nauseous. "Oh…"
Quigley dropped the empty syringe onto his bedside table, growing concerned as he saw the color drain from Cid's face. "Are you okay?"
He looked up at Quigley. "Just made me feel a little weird there for a sec."
Janice was concerned as well. "Cid, are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He was honestly feeling no worse than he had before getting the drug now that the initial nausea had passed.
"So, what's the plan now?" Janice asked, turning her gaze to Quigley.
He shrugged. "The research said that he just needed to receive three doses of this stuff over the course of a week and a half and then he should slowly begin getting better."
"Well, I think we'll all have our fingers crossed," Dr. Arlin said, still looking at Quigley. To her, this still seemed a little too good to be true.
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Reno sat staring at the cell phone in his hand. He was about to make a call that would more or less dictate the rest of Jaras' life. After several moments of hesitating, he dialed a number and waited for an answer.
"Yes?"
"Hey." Reno smiled at the sound of his old comrade's voice.
Rude pushed his dark glasses up higher. For the moment, he was away from the President's side and sitting in the diner he tended to frequent for lunch. "Reno? I heard you were shot in the head."
"Yeah, I was. It's not a big deal." Reno laughed to himself. "I'm great."
"That's real good to hear." The Turk smiled to himself, pleased to know that Reno was handling his injury with such flair. "So, what do you need?"
"Why are you just assuming that I want something?"
"Because whenever you call, you do want something," Rude laughed back.
"Yeah, all right, you got me." Reno leaned back in his chair, putting his feet on his desk as he tended to do. "I needed to talk to you about the whole Jaras situation."
"What about him?"
"Well, I was wondering if Shinra was going to be on his ass for the rest of his life or not? I mean, can he ever go back to Mideel? The guy's miserable here, and he's got a kid on the way." Reno pushed an empty paper cup off the edge of his desk with his cane.
"Oh," Rude knit his brow and pushed his lunch plate back. "That's a hard one. Dr. Methius was the main player in wanting him back for research and experimentation, but Harwin had some fascination with Sephiroth, too."
"Damn it, so does that mean that they'll be keeping an eye out for him to return?" Reno honestly did want Jaras to be able to go home.
"Well, let me think."
"We're gonna be here a while, then," Reno said back sarcastically.
"You want my help or not?" Rude laughed in reply.
Reno shrugged. "Just want a plan made before I'm dead."
"That can be arranged, you know."
"Aw, fuck you!" Reno giggled to himself, picking up a stray pencil from his desk and flinging it off so that it struck one of his agents in the back of the head. He was promptly flipped off by said man.
"No thanks." Rude scanned the diner, making sure that there wasn't anyone around to listen in. "Look, if Harwin decides to send someone there to look for him, he'll undoubtedly send in another Turk and have them report to me just like the last time. So, if I hear anything, I'll let you know, but you'll have to actually pay attention this time and not blow me off."
Reno scowled, remembering that Rude had warned him in his own way about the impending kidnapping of Jaras long before it had happened. "Well, don't be all fuckin' mysterious about it. If they're gonna come looking for him, just tell me. You know I'm no good at that code shit."
"Fair enough." He took a drink from the beer he'd ordered with his lunch. "I guess I need to cut you some slack with that brain damage of yours and all."
"Thank you very fuckin' much." Reno flipped his phone closed. If Rude felt that comfortable with Jaras going home, then he would allow it. Although he knew that Angel liked having her brother around, Reno was getting to the point of feeling like his base was becoming little more than a hotel to his extended family. Now that Tifa and her kids had cleared out along with Vincent, it was time for Jaras and Jeanine to go, too. Hopefully, Cid and his clan would follow soon as well, leaving the place as it was supposed to be.
He walked to Jaras and Jeanine's room and entered, failing to knock. Reno's eyes went wide when he realized that he'd just made a huge mistake. "Oh Holy Hell! I'm sorry!"
Jaras was lying on his back on the bed, with Jeanine straddling him. The look of fright on his face as Reno walked in on him during an intimate moment with his wife was priceless. "Get the fuck out!"
Reno retreated back into the hall, closing the door behind him. He instantly broke down laughing, amused at having caught Jaras in such a situation.
The door was flung open and Jaras stepped out into the hall, having pulled on a pair of boxers. He had his sword in his right hand, and he rushed forward, shoving Reno back against the wall, putting the blade against his insolent brother-in-law's throat. His green eyes blazed in his fury. "What do you think you were doing?"
"Coming by to give you some news!" Reno squeaked, not well with the sensation of steel against his neck. "I have to say though, I always pictured you as a missionary kinda guy."
Jaras eyes flashed with anger and he pushed the blade harder into Reno's throat. "Do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to kill you right now?"
Jeanine emerged in the hall behind her husband, having pulled on a robe. "Jaras! What are you doing?"
He didn't seem to hear her, just keeping his gaze locked into Reno's. Jaras was honestly debating hurting the man before him for his thoughtless action.
"Jaras!" she cried out again, growing afraid. To see him angry was a rare enough thing, but having him actually on the verge of potentially killing someone was beyond anything she'd ever witnessed from him.
Again he didn't seem to hear her, and a faint smirk came to his lips. The blade was forced forward just a little more so that Reno's skin was broken and a small trickle of blood ran down, staining the front of his shirt.
Jeanine was abjectly panicked now. There was only one possible explanation. "Sephiroth! Stop it!"
Hearing this name caught his attention and he stepped back from Reno, allowing the sword to fall from his grip and hit the floor. Suddenly, Jaras began shaking as he got a grip on his darker side again, realizing that he had almost just killed the man before him.
The ASRIO leader rubbed his stinging neck and leered at Jaras. "God damn it, I'll knock next time!"
Jaras turned around and looked at his wife. "Jeanine…"
She put her arms around him, wanting to comfort him in his distraught state. "It's all right, Jaras. You stopped it."
"I…I lost it. I'm not…" He held her tightly, letting his words trail off. Jaras was scared.
Reno figured that he might as well give the news since he was here, even if things had gotten really weird. "I just was comin' by to tell you that I talked to Rude and he thinks it's safe enough for you to return to Mideel."
Jaras nodded upon hearing this, but remained with Jeanine in his arms. "Okay."
"So, uh, when do you want to go back?" Reno asked, even more anxious to get Jaras out of the base now.
Jaras was incapable of logical thought at the moment and didn't reply. Jeanine took it upon herself to do so. "We'll think about it and let you know in a little while."
"Sure." Reno gave her a nod and bent to pick his cane up from the ground, since he'd dropped it in his fright. He looked back over his shoulder as he retreated, wondering if there was more going on with Jaras than anyone had suspected. "Touchy fuckin' bastard."
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As night settled over the base, Cid found himself alone in the infirmary. He was awake but extraordinarily tired. He'd been that way since getting the injection, figuring that it was just a side effect of the drug he'd been given. Eventually, Cid gave in to his exhaustion and rested back against his pillows, closing his eyes and awaiting sleep.
He immediately dozed off and found himself thrown into a dream. Cid was standing outside of his house in Rocket in the darkness.
"It's not what they thought, Highwind," came a familiar voice from behind him.
The pilot spun around, spotting Vincent sitting on the bench that was outside of his home's back door. He examined his old friend for a moment, coming to appreciate the black, leathery wings that were folded behind him. "What's that, Sue?"
Vincent's wings stretched out behind him and he smiled. "It isn't what they thought."
Cid suddenly felt a pain in his back, causing him to bend forward slightly. There was a burning and tearing sensation by his shoulder blades and he fell to his knees. He cried out as the pain got progressively worse.
Vincent stood up and walked toward him slowly, smiling. "Now you'll know."
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Janice was locking up her office, ready to head home for the evening and she scanned the infirmary before leaving. She noticed that Cid was groaning in his sleep, moving weakly upon the bed. Figuring that he was having a nightmare, the doctor went over to his side and placed her hands upon his shoulders. "Cid? Wake up."
He seemed to struggle against her, not opening his eyes.
She tried again. "Cid! Come on, wake up!"
The pilot gasped and sat bolt upright, the look of terror in his expression. "Oh fuck…that was horrible."
"You were having a nightmare, I take it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Cid nodded and knit his brow. "Yeah."
"Do you want something to help you rest a little easier?" Janice offered, knowing that decent sleep was something he needed.
Never one to accept drugs that he didn't think that he needed, Cid gave her a polite smile and shook his head. "Naw, thanks. I'll be fine."