A/N: The song for the last part of the chapter is Dangerous by Betsy Phillips.

Chapter 19

It had been more than thirty minutes since Rufus had left Senna alone at the bar. True to his word, no one got past Tseng to bother her, but she was tired of people-watching. When she finished her second martini, she decided she was done sitting there doing nothing. It was probably not her wisest choice, but she figured trying to talk to Tseng had to beat boredom. Her slightly inebriated state didn't help.

One of the man's eyebrows lifted curiously when he realized she was approaching him. He waited until she was close enough to hear his lowered voice as he asked, "Is there something amiss?"

Senna couldn't hold in a giggle at his formal tone, which didn't faze the man. Though his expression did drop back into a blank mask as she said, "Not per se. I just thought talking to you might be better than sitting at the bar and getting too drunk because I was bored."

Tseng's expression didn't change, but his eyes swept across her face rapidly before he said, "I agree that you do not need any more alcohol."

For a split second, Senna considered going back to the bar just to spite him and his nonplussed face, but she decided against it. She had enough experience to know her own limits, and one more would likely be enough to make her hate herself in the morning. Instead, she shrugged. "I won't argue. But I also want to thank you. I'm sure babysitting isn't the most exciting of duties."

His eyes flicked to her for a second before they continued scanning the crowd. "My duty is to follow orders, no matter how trivial."

Senna chuckled again as she said, "How boring."

Tseng gave her a quick side-eyed look but didn't bother to respond. It didn't take much for Senna to realize that he wasn't in the mood for conversation. She debated for a few seconds whether she should just go back and wait or see if there was something she could say to make the man talk for more than ten seconds.

After a short while longer, she realized her mind had gone blank. Anything that she really wanted to ask him was likely to be met with either him further ignoring her or a whole lot of questions she didn't want to answer either. She almost gave up, but a look back at the bar showed that it was now occupied by several older gentlemen who looked to be deep in conversation. Nope, that was not a situation she wanted to put herself in. She'd rather stand in silence than put up with potentially being hit on by drunk old men.

She had just opened her mouth to ask if Tseng minded if she stuck around when a familiar voice cut in. "I thought you were smart enough to realize that distracting your bodyguard is never a good idea."

She whirled to face Rufus, which probably wasn't the best decision. Her head kept spinning even after she stopped. Thankfully, he was close enough to reach out and grasp her arm to steady her. His smirk was clearly evident in his voice as he said, "I see you've kept yourself occupied."

It took Senna a moment to extract her arm from his grasp so she could cross her arms as she looked away. "Well, it's not like I had a lot of other opportunities."

Apparently, Rufus was still in a good mood. His chuckle was barely audible, but it was enough to draw Senna's gaze. Once their eyes locked, he gestured toward the exit. "Ready to leave?"

Despite his slightly teasing tone, Senna gave him a bright smile. "I thought you'd never ask."

Rufus only shook his head before he put his hand on the small of her back so he could lead her from the room with Tseng in tow. However, once they got to the elevator, he paused for a moment before he looked down at Senna. "There is one of my daily tasks that I did not get to earlier. I would like to complete it tonight before we turn in. Would you mind a slight delay?"

His question immediately grabbed Senna's attention. She might be a little inebriated, but it wasn't enough to keep her from wondering why he bothered asking. Plus, if it was something he regularly did, why did he not mind if she went? Her curiosity was piqued, and she knew asking questions would be pointless. Instead, she nodded. "Sure. I did have a nap earlier, so I don't mind a slight delay."

A tiny smile graced his lips before it flitted away as he turned to the elevator. Once inside, he pushed the button for one of the basement floors. That was even more unexpected, but somehow Senna managed to hold her curiosity in.

The executive elevators were faster than the public ones, but the ride seemed to take forever. Probably because Senna was antsy to find out what the mystery was. When they finally arrived, her excitement was difficult to contain. A flighty thought passed through, wondering if she would have been in the same state of mind had she been sober, but she was distracted from delving into it when Rufus turned to Tseng. "Wait here. We shouldn't be more than an hour."

Well, now, that order was the last thing Senna expected. She could not fully contain a grin as she followed her host down a hallway lined with doors. It looked to be about halfway down the hall when Rufus stopped and opened a door. The light flickered on when they entered, and Senna could hear muffled sounds of movement.

It wasn't until she stepped out from behind Rufus that she finally saw a line of spacious kennels across the large room. Only one of them was occupied, and the tiny beast groggily got to its feet as Rufus walked toward the cage.

Senna's mouth opened in shock as she watched Rufus kneel in front of the cage with a soft expression. "Hey, Dark Nation, did you miss me?"

The name served to kickstart Senna's brain. The situation was the last thing she ever expected, but that was a name she recognized. Her breaths were sharp and shallow as she slowly made her way to his side and knelt next to him. Any thoughts of her being in a dress were far outweighed by the sight of the pup in front of her.

It was surprisingly cute, but that was probably due to the fact that it was only half the size it would grow to be and didn't yet have the look of something that wanted to eat her face. The animal's skin was flat and black but wasn't as furless as she thought it would be. Instead, the fur seemed short and shiny. One of her hands reached out on instinct but froze in midair when the beast started to growl. Rufus ignored the exchange as he opened the cage. Though that seemed to be enough to grab Dark Nation's attention. As soon as the door was open enough, the beast jumped forward and put its tiny paws on Rufus's knees.

Rufus ran a hand down the thing's head and scratched behind the antennae-looking protrusion as he chuckled and said, "Sorry for being late. We've had a long day."

The animal seemed to be eating up the attention. Rufus let it go on for a few more seconds before he shifted so that Senna was in clear view. He took her hand and pulled it closer to the beast. Both the creature and Senna balked at first, but Rufus's voice was still soft as he said, "Calm down."

Senna wasn't entirely sure if he was talking to the creature or to her, but she relaxed. Finally, her hand was still cradled in Rufus's as he presented her to Dark Nation. The beast sniffed a few times before a long, thin tongue lolled out and rasped across the back of her hand. The feeling made her giggle.

Rufus shot her an unreadable expression as he let her go. Instead of saying anything else, he continued to pet the beast for several minutes before he finally said, "My mother used to breed guard hounds. Dark Nation is one of the last. I usually try to come here once a day to work with him."

Senna was taken aback by his unexpected revelation of personal information. So much so that she didn't think better of it before she said, "Used to?"

Any trace of humor was gone from Rufus's expression as he went back to petting Dark Nation, though he did answer. "She was killed a little less than a year ago. Dark Nation was born just before she passed. He was her last gift to me."

His explanation suddenly had an avalanche of realizations cascading through Senna's mind. She could barely form more than a simple "I'm sorry."

Thankfully, Rufus either didn't hear or had no desire to talk as he stayed silent. It gave Senna the opportunity to come to several realizations. First, she had never really thought about Rufus's mother with all the other stuff in the franchise, but he had to have had one. The fact that he obviously cared about her was also evident and left Senna feeling hollow.

On top of all that, she was finally forced to confront the fact that Rufus was real—that all of it was, and there was no going back. It wasn't that she didn't logically know it, as she had been interacting with him for days, but this realization was far more visceral. He had a background and a family other than his piece-of-shit father. He probably had hobbies she had never considered and a whole life story that she barely knew anything about. He was an actual person, not a character that was somehow brought to life.

Hard on the heels of those realizations came the memory of every time she had killed Dark Nation in the game, and she couldn't hold back a cringe. She knew it was unreasonable to feel so guilty about a fictional character, but the animal that had licked her hand had been very, very real.

Tears sprang into her eyes as her mind tried to rearrange everything she knew and all of her perceptions. She managed to blink them back, but her voice was shaky as she whispered, "I'm so sorry," once again.

Whether it was her tone or the repetition, Rufus finally looked at her. His eyes widened slightly when he saw her face, but the expression was gone almost as soon as it came. Instead of responding, he turned back to Dark Nation and gave the animal one more scratch behind the ears before he placed the pup back into the kennel and locked it.

He then stood without another word and held a hand out to help Senna to her feet as well. Her brain was still in such shambles that she took it without hesitation. She also followed him out and back to the elevator without a sound. The ride back up to Rufus's apartment was just as silent. A small part of Senna's brain wondered why neither Rufus nor Tseng had said a single word, but it was buried under everything else that kept pinging around inside her head.

When they arrived, Tseng saluted and turned to leave, as there was already a different Turk at Rufus's door. Under any other circumstances, Senna might have rolled her eyes at the knowing grin Reno shot her as she followed Rufus into the apartment, but she barely even noticed it before the door shut behind her.

Rufus paused in the living room and pinned her with an intense stare. Had she had more capacity, she might have panicked, thinking he would have more questions she was in no shape to answer. However, she was pleasantly surprised when he said, "You should get some rest. We will need to be up early, as there are many things we need to cover before I will be required to report to my father's office."

Despite how her head was spinning, Senna managed to nod. "Of course. What time?"

There was a slight pause as he watched her face. She had no idea what he was looking for, but whatever it was, he finally continued, "Be ready no later than 07:00." Senna nodded in acknowledgment but didn't wait for anything else before she stumbled into the room she had been using.

Senna was moving on autopilot as she cleaned up and got ready for bed. Her mind was still too busy trying to cope with her recent revelations. Part of her wondered why it was so difficult, as she already knew Rufus was 'real.' He had been her childhood friend, for crying out loud.

However, that was part of the problem. Between the pleasant dreams she had with him growing up, and him being a character in a video game she played, she hadn't really reconciled that the very real man she had been interacting with was more than the sum of those two things. Each of them was little more than a facet of the whole. Despite what she knew, she also realized there was much she didn't. How was she supposed to deal with that—not just in regards to his questions, but in general.

Her mind was still in enough turmoil that, for the first time since her arrival, she didn't even have a negative thought about the nightgown she still hadn't replaced. Despite all that, she was exhausted enough that her troubled thoughts were not sufficient to keep her from passing out when she lay down.

The blackness around Senna slowly faded to reveal that she was standing on a sidewalk. Something about the trees around her tugged at her memories and propelled her down the shadowed path and toward a visible clearing nearby. As soon as she cleared the trees, she froze as her hand clenched tightly in front of her chest as if that could somehow ease the ache.

After all her memories were returned, there was no way she wouldn't recognize the playground near her childhood home. It wasn't the first time she had seen it since being sent to Gaia, but she had finally been allowed a chance to process things a little, and it served as a stark reminder of what she had lost.

Senna wasn't sure how long she stood there staring, but she was so engrossed in memories she hadn't even realized tears had started to run in rivulets down her cheeks until a feminine voice called out. "Child, I had hoped this place would bring you comfort, but I can change it if you prefer."

A tiny squeak escaped as Senna spun around to see Minerva beside the bench where they first talked. She couldn't entirely shut off her sniffles, but the sight of the goddess was enough to stop the tears. She wiped the last of them from her cheeks as she moved to join to diety. It took a few tries to clear her throat enough to speak. "No, please don't."

Pity was evident in Minerva's eyes as she laid a hand on Senna's shoulder. The sight of it made her tears begin to well up again, but she blinked them back as Minerva said, "I have tried to help as much as I am able while you settle into your new life. I wish I could do more, but I cannot hold the voices back for much longer. I brought you here so you would be prepared when they become stronger."

If Minerva's presence hadn't been enough to stop Senna's tears, that news certainly was. It almost felt like her brain had turned to mush as she tried to assimilate another bombshell on top of all the others. Yes, she had suspected that the relative silence in her head was due to the goddess's interference, but the timing sucked.

Still, no matter how fragile she felt, she couldn't afford to break, so she took a couple of deep breaths to try and focus on the important stuff. One last sniffle escaped before she said, "Ok, how long do I have?"

The pity in Minerva's expression intensified, and she gently squeezed Senna's shoulder. However, that expression was erased as the goddess dropped her hand and stepped past Senna with a blank look. "How did you come to be here?"

Thoughts of Jenova's children had Senna's heart in her throat as she spun to see who had interrupted. A relieved sigh rushed out when she saw it was just Rufus. Though hard on the heels of that thought, her cheeks started burning. How long had he been there?

A new set of questions came rushing in when her host cleared the treeline with a blank expression. "That is what I would like to know. I have yet to receive a satisfactory answer as to why Miss Rhodes keeps doing this."

Senna had to give it to Minerva, goddess or not; she showed more patience than Senna had. "None of this is Senna's doing."

The goddess then paused and looked between the two of them before she turned back to Senna. "It would seem there is yet more I do not know about this soul bond. I hear no lie, yet his spirit still found a way through my barrier. For now, I will leave the two of you. Call on me if the need is great, and I will respond."

Senna stuttered as she tried to think of anything to say, but Minerva gave her one more sad smile before she faded. Senna stood and stared at the spot for several seconds. It wasn't until she heard Rufus chuckling that she spun to face him with a frown. Maybe a good offense could combat her lingering embarrassment.

Her hands were already on her hips as she leaned toward him slightly. "I don't care if you believe me, but you heard it from Minerva too. I'm not controlling this!"

Senna had been ready for another argument—they seemed to be good at them. However, she was not expecting him to say, "I know."

Her hands slid down to hang listlessly by her side as she stared blankly. It took a bit of effort, but she composed herself and crossed her arms. "Why did you change your mind? I'm honestly surprised you believe that was actually Minerva."

Rufus smirked as he closed the distance between them. Senna had to force herself to stand still as he stopped right in front of her and leaned down to whisper near her ear. "That woman's identity is still up for debate, but I have come to the conclusion that if you were actually controlling these dreams, you wouldn't still be wearing that."

It suddenly felt like Senna's face was about to melt off. Even her ears were on fire. Although, she didn't bother trying to refute him—not when he was correct. Instead, she took a few steps away and tried to force the heat down before she faced him again with a shrug. "You have a point."

Rufus chuckled at her admission, but the sound was hollow. It took Senna a moment to realize that there was something like melancholy in his eyes. Well, that was unexpected. And sure as hell, not something he would want her to ask about, so she swallowed her pride and asked the one question that kept running through her head. "How long were you here before Minerva noticed you?"

He had been walking around the playground and just stopped to push the teeter-totter's high side down. He watched it hit the ground and bounce back up before he faced her. "Long enough."

That was not the answer Senna wanted to hear. It took all her effort to keep the blush down instead of answering. Though she quit worrying about when Rufus stopped at the swing before he focused on her again. "This place is important to you."

For a moment, it felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. No matter how close she looked, she wasn't entirely sure what Rufus was thinking by asking that, but despite all her worries, she couldn't see a reason to lie. "Yeah. For a couple of reasons."

In an attempt to recover from her embarrassment, she then shot him a lopsided smile. "I have a ton of happy childhood memories here, after all. I suppose being sentimental about a place comes with the territory." Rufus lifted one brow at her open response but didn't comment.

When the silence continued for several more seconds, Senna cleared her throat awkwardly. Since the dream didn't seem like it would end any time soon, and she was done talking about things that left her feeling too raw, she walked to the merry-go-round and placed a hand on one of the bars with a grin. "So, do you think you would let me push now? I mean, I am a lot bigger than the last time."

It did not look like Rufus's answering smile was voluntary, as it quickly morphed into a smirk. He closed the distance and gently pried her fingers off the bars, then put both hands on her shoulders to turn her before smoothly pushing her to sit.

Senna allowed it, as she had no desire to fall in the tiny nightgown, but she did huff and cross her arms. Although she was thankful that he wasn't focused on her face when he leaned over and stopped next to her ear as he softly said, "No. I am still stronger."

So many emotions rushed through her as he said that. It made her inordinately happy that, for that brief moment, it felt like she had her best friend back. Though, happiness wasn't all she was feeling. Not when he still hadn't moved, and his hands were hot on her shoulders.

The whole situation was confusing as hell with everything else that had happened that evening, but Senna's brain checked out when Rufus leaned back enough to look her in the eyes. There were so many things she had expected, but the burning hunger she saw in his expression was not one of them.

A ragged breath seemed to catch in her throat as he stood there and continued to look without moving. Despite her situation, Senna had never been able to say she wasn't attracted to him. Even when she was angry most of the time—that just allowed her the distance to not think about it. Now—now was another story.

She wasn't entirely sure which one of them moved first, but his lips were like fire on hers as his hands ran down from her shoulders. Senna hadn't needed his urging to wrap her arms around his neck as she tried to pull herself up to meet him. However, he grabbed her waist and pushed her back into a seated position as he knelt with one knee next to her thigh.

A minuscule part of Senna's brain kept asking if what she was doing was smart, but it was easily ignored as the heat of Rufus's hands bled through the thin material of her nightgown. There was no resistance from Senna as he cupped the back of her head with one hand and guided her down with the other.

His other knee settled between her thighs as he hovered over her. Senna bit her lip to stifle a moan as his lips shifted to pepper kisses and nips along her jaw, down her neck, and across her collarbone. One of her arms had snaked around him and was running random patterns across his back with her nails while the other was buried in his so-soft hair.

It felt like a bolt of electricity shot straight to Senna's core when she ran her nails against his scalp, and it elicited a moan from Rufus before he left off and captured her lips again. Senna felt like she was drowning under his passionate assault.

The hand that wasn't holding Rufus up ran down Senna's thigh and stopped at her knee. She didn't need any further urging to lift it and hook it around his hip as he allowed more of his weight to settle against her. Every inch of her that was pressed against him pulsed with need.

Senna couldn't hold back another wanton noise as she felt his desire for her when he pressed closer. It was heady to know that she affected him as much as he did her. The breath caught in her lungs when the hand he had on her knee slid up to rest on her hip under her gown.

Her sense of the world around them had all but vanished. The only thing of note was the cold metal beneath her back that contrasted and amplified the heat pulsing down from Rufus. However, no matter how lost she was in the moment, she could not continue to ignore the way the cold felt like it was spreading.

A few seconds of discomfort passed before Senna opened her eyes. She almost wanted to curse when she grasped that Rufus was beginning to fade. It would seem the dream was over. A silent curse passed her lips as he seemed to realize the same truth. A frown grew across his features before he finally faded completely, and Senna was left in a drift of darkness.

A/N: Surprise! Yes, it has only been a few days; we aren't hallucinating! You can thank incessant insomnia and a driving desire to share this. Speaking of, what do you all think? I did say things were about to take a turn, and there was plenty of them in this chapter. Not that we can expect butterflies and rainbows from here on out, but this definitely changes things lol. Please let me know what you think of what happened and what the fallout might be. Looking forward to your thoughts!