Disclaimer:

You should know the drill by now... Why am I even doing this anymore?

Author's Note:

Ah, the long awaited court date chapter. I know all of you have been stewing waiting for my happy ass to get this story updated but alas I have finally finished chapter 15. throws confetti wildly around room I wanted to make all of you extremely happy whilst you wait for another update so I made this chapter extra long and added in some fun stuff at the end! Don't worry; all of you with virgin eyes won't have to skip ahead just yet. I'm pretty certain there is going to be a sex scene but that will be in later chapters so all of you stay tuned! Hope you like what I've done with this chapter and please leave me feed back! Reviews inspire me to write so please if you want another chapter up faster please leave me a review!

God, what am I carrying on about? Shouldn't you be reading by now?


That morning when Reno and I arrived at the courthouse it took every single ounce of my strength to not pound Cloud's face in. Cloud's lawyer arrived a little while after we did. Reno and I decided that it would be best to just go inside and wait instead of standing outside where Cloud's lawyer could badger us. We took our seats on the left side of the courtroom and patiently waited. A guard walked in and told us that Logan needed to sit out in the audience. He also reassured me that someone would be sitting with him so he didn't wander off.

When Cloud entered with his lawyer, he tried not to look in my direction. When he did he pretended to be looking at some foreign object somewhere behind me. Right at eleven o'clock the jury filed in and took their seats. There were at least seventeen people out in the audience. I had been counting ever since the first one walked in, but I had quickly lost interest as the minute hand got closer and closer to the twelve.

Another guard entered. "All rise." There were small thumps and thuds as everyone rose to their feet. "The honorable Judge David McCoy presiding."

Once the judge sat down everyone else sat as well. We sat in solemn silence as the Judge flipped through a few documents. He looked at me then turned his eyes to Cloud. "We are here today to decide sole custody of Logan James Lockheart." He turned to me. "Miss Lockheart, you are your own defense correct?"

"Yes, sir, I am."

"Then I suggest we get down to business. I'd like to start by each parent sharing their testimony. Miss Lockheart, would you like to go first?" The judge asked, turning to me.

I shook my head. "I'd like Cloud to go first."

"Very well." He turned to Cloud. "Please present your testimony to the jury, Mr. Strife."

Cloud looked over at his lawyer before rising. "I was away on important business during the time that Logan was growing up. I realize now that I should have been there for him. I should have been the father Tifa wanted me to be. I just want to be with my son. I've missed out on two years of his life and I don't want to miss anymore." He sat down and stared at his hands.

The judge turned back to me. "Miss Lockheart, if you will."

I looked at Reno before hesitantly rising out of my chair. The next few words would more than likely decide my son's fate. I took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not asking for custody." I paused and started at the judge. "I'm begging for it. Cloud wasn't away on 'important business.' He was chasing a ghost. When he found out I was pregnant he left. He wanted nothing to do with our unborn child. I raised Logan alone. The only help I received was from the local babysitter. Then two years after Logan's birth Cloud comes back, begging for me to let him back into my life. I'm sorry, Your Honor, I just couldn't do that. I couldn't let someone that's mentally unstable raise my son, so please," I said, addressing the jury. "Don't grant Cloud custody. There is something seriously wrong if you grant a child custody over another child."

I sat down. Reno placed his hand over mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The judge turned to me. "Miss Lockheart, is your accusation of Mr. Strife's insanity true?"

"Well, Your Honor, sane people don't think that a dead person can suddenly raise from the grave."

The judge nodded and looked down for a moment. "I'd like to take this time to call your witness to the stand."

Reno walked over to the witness stand and stood in front of the chair. The guard approached him and raised his right hand; Reno did the same. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" The guard questioned.

Reno nodded. "I do."

Reno sat down and Cloud's lawyer rose from his seat. He grabbed a few papers from his briefcase and paced in front of the jury. "Reno Hewitt?" He asked, casting a sideways glance at him.

"That's me," Reno responded, sitting back in his chair. "And what might your name be?"

Cloud's lawyer gave Reno a dry stare but decided to humor him. "Randy Trask. Can I continue?"

"Go ahead," Reno said, folding his hands over his stomach.

Randy stared at the papers in his hand for a few more moments before speaking. "You are the same Reno Hewitt that served as a Turk for a numerous amount of years, correct?"

Reno's eyes got wide, but he regained his composure. "That would also be me."

"I think myself and everyone else in this courtroom knows what the Turks have done in the past, am I right?"

I realized that my bringing Reno into all of this was a mistake. Randy would dig up every dirty thing about Reno that he could and make it so I didn't win custody. I began to wring my hands and bite my bottom lip. This wasn't looking good.

Reno nodded. "You're right."

"Well, what made you join the Turks in the first place?"

Reno was silent for a few moments. "Do you want the entire story?"

Randy nodded. "Yes, I would."

"Alright. When I was young my father went off to fight in the Midgar-Wutai War. That left me, my mother and my little sister alone to fend for ourselves. My mother's job didn't pay much so my sister and I had to quit school and get jobs so we could help our mother pay the bills. A few months later my mother got a notice in the mail, telling her about how my father had been killed and that the military expressed their deepest apologies. Things started to get a little worse after that. When I turned sixteen, I signed up for Soldier. I heard that if you were accepted you were given a big cash bonus. I wanted it for my mother and sister so I joined thinking I had nothing to lose. I was accepted and they gave me five thousand gil. I was shocked and a little tempted to keep the money for myself but I knew they needed it a lot more than I did. My mother was able to pay off all her debts and even buy a new house for herself and my sister. I graduated from boot camp and slowly started to make my way up the ladder in the Soldier program. I would send money to my mother every month to make sure she was secure and when I was getting ready to become a First Class Soldier, my captain told me I had the potential but I just wasn't 'First Class' material. So he sent me to Tseng and that's when I became a Turk."

"Did you know anything about the Turks when you were offered the job?" Randy asked, pacing around in front of Reno with one hand in his pocket.

"Of course I did," Reno answered with a small amount of sarcasm. "I knew the Turks did President Shinra's dirty work but I was willing to do anything just to make sure my mother and sister were taken care of. By the time I joined the Turks, my mom needed money more than ever. She had come down with some kind of virus and couldn't work anymore. My sister had a job but because she was still underage it didn't pay enough for my mother's medicine. Becoming a Turk meant I got a huge pay advance and I would have been a fool to turn it down."

"So, what were you thinking about when you destroyed the Sector Seven plate, causing it to fall and crush thousands of innocent people? Were you thinking of your mother and sister then?"

"Actually I was," Reno replied, venom starting to boil in his voice. "At first, I told President Shinra to go suck it when he told me to destroy the Sector Seven plate. That's when he told me if I didn't do it, he'd kill my mother and sister. I had no choice. It was either lose the only family I had or lose an entire sector. I loved my mother and sister with every fiber of my being. I wanted them to succeed the way I was and I wasn't about to let some fat monkey take that away from me."

"Mr. Hewitt, are you familiar with the phrase "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?"

Reno rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm familiar with it."

"Well, were you thinking about it as you pressed that button?" Randy asked, approaching Reno.

"No, I was too busy worrying about my mother and sister to worry about some stupid phrase." By now, Reno was becoming very angry and the way he was gripping the arms of the chair made it evident.

Randy decided to press on with his impudent questions. "Did the President spare your mother and sister's lives?"

Reno looked down at his lap for a few moments before lifting his eyes once more to reveal tears that were beginning to brim on the edge of his eyes. "That lying bastard said he would!" Reno shouted, causing a few tears to roll down his cheeks. "He said he would spare them but he killed them anyways! He killed them even though I did what he told me to do!" Reno sat back and tried to compose himself. "Well, are you satisfied now?"

"Almost." Randy paced a little more before stopping in front of Reno. "Tell me how good of a mother Tifa is to her son."

Reno wrung his hands in his lap for a little before speaking. "She's one of the most caring and loving mothers I've ever seen. She's loves Logan with all of her being and would dive into the fiery pits of Hell to save him. I can tell you right now that if you persuade the jury in any way to side with you and Cloud I'll personally take my mag rod and shove it up your ass."

"Mr. Hewitt, please refrain from using profane and threatening language in my courtroom," Judge McCoy said.

"Sorry, Your Honor," Reno said, glaring ruthlessly at Randy.

Randy stood with a satisfied smirk on his face before walking back to his seat. "No further questions, Your Honor."

"Then we will take this time to let the jury deliberate. I call a twenty minute recess." The judge smacked his gavel against the stand and exited the courtroom.

The jury filled out slowly, leaving all of us in the courtroom to stew. I got up and excited the courtroom. I needed to go collect myself and try to calm down. I was totally in the dark. I didn't have a clue whose side the jury was leaning towards. It was like running through a dark cave with no idea where the next turn was going to be.

I entered the bathroom and stood in front of one of the sinks. I wet my hands and ran them through my frizzy hair. I rubbed my temples and leaned my elbows on the sink. "I've got to calm down. The jury is going to see it my way." I stared at my reflection in the mirror and sighed. It was useless to get my hopes up.

Someone walked into the bathroom and I turned my head to see who it was. "Reno, what are you doing the ladies room?"

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay." He stuffed his hands in and his pockets and stood next to me.

"I'll be okay when the jury rewards me custody of Logan."

"Hey, don't worry, Teef," he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Everything'll be fine."

"I sure hope so."

"Come on, we should be getting back."

I nodded and followed Reno out of the bathroom and back into the courtroom. I sighed in relief as we took our seats; both the jury and the judge had not returned yet. We sat silently for the next ten minutes before the judge came back in, followed by the jury. The jury sat and all of them stared straight ahead, none of them looking at either Cloud or myself.

Judge McCoy folded his hands on his desk and looked toward the jury. "Have you reached a verdict?"

All of them nodded and a security guard collected an envelope from one of the members. The guard handed it to the judge and returned to his post.

Judge McCoy opened the letter and read the contents before looking at me then Cloud. He stared at the paper again for a few more moments before speaking. "The jury has rewarded custody of Logan James Lockheart to his mother, Tifa Marie Lockheart."

I gasped and immediately my eyes started to tear up. I threw my arms around Reno's neck and began to cry. I had won custody of my son fair and square and there was nothing Cloud would be able to do about it. My son was mine.

I backed away from Reno and wiped my eyes. "Thank you so much, Judge McCoy."

He shook his head, smiling gently. "No need to thank me. Court is adjourned." The loud smack of his gavel was heard once more and people began to leave the courtroom.

I got up and rushed to where Logan was seated with a security guard in the back. He jumped down from the bench and ran towards me. "Mommy!"

I fell to my knees and wrapped my arms around him. Tears began to fall from my eyes once again. Five minutes ago I had been so frightened that they would award custody to Cloud, but now I had nothing to worry about. I picked him up and rose from my knees. I wiped my eyes and kissed Logan on the cheek. "Hi, baby."

He laid his head down under my chin and wrapped one arm around my neck. "Hi, Mommy."

I turned around and walked toward Judge McCoy, who was waiting in the back for me. "Here you are," he said, handing me the custody papers.

"Thank you again. I just can't believe I almost lost my son."

"You didn't have anything to worry about Ms. Lockheart. Logan is a fine looking child and I doubt a child that looks so happy would have a mother that neglects him."

"I think I'd kill myself if I even considered it." I kissed Logan's forehead and ran my fingers through his hair.

I shook the judge's hand then walked toward where Reno was still sitting. I placed the custody papers in my purse and looked at Reno. "Do you have to go to work?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm off until tomorrow. You wanna go do something?" He asked, getting up and pushing his chair in.

"I wish I could. Raoul wants me to come in at two o'clock. I have to go home and start getting ready. I'm probably going bring Logan to work with me." I walked beside Reno out of the courthouse.

"Aw, you don't want me to baby-sit for ya?" He asked, smirking at me.

"It's okay, Reno, you don't have to worry about babysitting for me. I know the last thing you want to do is get stuck at my house with Logan all day." I switched Logan over to my other side.

"Hey, that's not true. I wouldn't mind watching the little squirt for a few hours. How long are you working?"

"Probably until midnight. I don't think Raoul would make me work until the bar closes." I dug my keys out of my purse and unlocked the front door of the condo.

Once inside, I set Logan down on the floor and allowed him to go about his business. I walked into my room and threw my purse down onto my bed then grabbed my uniform out of the closet. Reno stood in my doorway and watched me get my uniform together. I set it all on the bed then turned to him. "Are you going to watch me get dressed?"

He smiled and nodded his head. I rolled my eyes and shoved him out of my doorway then closed the door and locked it. "Hey!" He exclaimed from outside. "That's cheating!"

"Deal with it!" I shouted back before getting dressed.

I walked out fifteen minutes later totally dressed and ready for work. Reno was sitting on the couch with a scowl on his face. I landed on the couch next to him. "Don't get your panties in a wrinkle now." He rolled his eyes and playfully pushed me away from him. "Aw, come on, Reno," I said, getting up. "Where's your sense of humor?"

"Outside on the porch," he said, with a small pout in his voice.

"Well, don't trip on it when you leave."

I left the living room and ventured into Logan's room. He was lying on the floor flipping through one of his books. He looked up at me and smiled. "You work tonight?" He said, getting up and waddling toward me.

I nodded. "Yeah, but you're coming with mommy tonight. You can go play with all the other kids at the day care center."

"Okay," he said, walking away to go collect the things he wanted to bring.

"Hey," came Reno's voice from the living room. "You want me to stick around and keep you company at work?"

I returned to the living room and sat next to Reno. "No, I won't be able to stand and talk anyways. We can do something tomorrow though. Do you work?"

He nodded. "Yeah, from nine in the morning till like four in the afternoon. Does that work for you?"

"Actually it does. Raoul wants me to come in at like six and work till the bar closes. We can have dinner or something."

"Okay," he said, getting up from the couch and striding towards the door.

I followed him and opened the door. He stood in front of me for a while before leaning down and giving me a small smile and a quick hug before leaving. I closed the door and went into my room, all the while thinking about where my relationship with Reno was going. Yes, of course I wanted to be more than 'friends' with him, but did he want to be more than friends with me? All the signs he was giving me had already begun to lead me to think that he wanted something serious.

Reno, serious? You've got to be kidding me. I thought to myself. Asking someone like Reno to be serious is like trying to get a turtle to walk around without its shell.

But, then again, could someone like Reno be serious? Ever since I saw Reno for that first time in the casino he's never ceased to amaze me. He's done things that I never thought he was capable of. The testimony he gave in court that morning had really struck a cord in me. Just the thought of him caring so much for two people enough to go out on a limb for them was touching. Reno had revealed a side that I don't think anyone else had ever seen before. Even I was speechless as I sat and listened to him. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine Reno crying. Seeing him that vulnerable broke my heart. It was almost like a totally different person had taken his place on the stand for that one brief moment.

After I dropped Logan off at the day care center, I ventured over to the bar to gather all my supplies for the night. Violet, one of the veteran cocktail waitresses ran over to me and grabbed my arm. "Hey, Teef, how'd it go in court today?"

"Oh, it went just fine," I said, grabbing a pencil and pad of paper.

"Did you win custody or what?"

I smiled. "I did win custody."

"Oh, Tifa, I'm so happy for you," she said, hugging me. "That's great. I'll tell all the other girls."

I nodded and smiled as I watched her walk off. Tony placed his hand on my shoulder. "So, that lyin' sack of shit didn't get your little boy did he?"

I turned around and faced Tony. "No, he didn't."

Tony smiled. "Well, that's good. So, that Cloud jerk has left you alone now, right?"

I sat down on one of the bar stools. "Actually, I wouldn't know. After court ended he didn't say a word and left."

He nodded his head. "Well, you better get out there. If Raoul comes by he'll want to know why you're sittin' around."

"Alright," I said, picking up my paper and pencil before leaving the bar.

I clocked out at midnight and counted all the money in my box before grabbing my purse and heading towards the day care center. Logan was standing by the door when I arrived so I checked him out and left. I strapped Logan into the passenger seat of my truck and pulled my phone out to check my messages really quick. I dialed my voice mail number as I backed out of my parking space. The recorded voice told me I had a message. I listened to it and was surprised to find that Reno had called me.

"Hey, Teef, it's Reno. It'll probably be really late when you get this but I'd like you to call me back when you get home from work. It's, uh, kind of important."

I deleted the message and placed my phone back in my purse. Logan turned to look at me. "Who was on the phone, Mommy?"

I pressed the button to open the garage door. "Oh, it was Reno."

"What did he say?"

"He wanted me to call him back because he needs to talk to me about something." I turned the truck off and unstrapped Logan so he could climb out of the truck.

"Mommy, I tired. Can I go bed?" He asked, when we got into the house.

"Sure you can. Hold on for a second, let me put my jammies on."

"Okay," he said, plopping down on the couch with his blanket.

After I put my pajamas on, I picked up Logan, who had balled up on the couch and dozed off, and carried him into his room. I managed to get him dressed and in bed without waking him up. I stood next to his crib for a few minutes and watched him sleep before I turned his night-light on and closed his door. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Reno's number. It rang a few times before he picked up.

"Hey, Teef."

"Hey, what did you want to talk about?" I asked, sitting down on the couch and gathering my legs up underneath me.

"Uh, I know I probably shouldn't be asking this but do you think you can meet me down at the beach?"

I frowned. "Right now?"

"Yeah, right now. I wanna talk to you face to face."

I bit my bottom lip. "I just put Logan to bed, but I wouldn't want him to wake up and not find me here."

"It won't be for very long. It'll only take like ten minutes."

I grabbed a strand of my hair and began to twirl it around my fingers. Logan did seem pretty tired and he was asleep before I even put him in his crib. Besides, he usually doesn't get up out of his crib unless there's something going on. "Okay, when do you want me to meet you?"

"I'm already at the beach. Go ahead and come when you're ready."

I nodded. "Alright, I'll see you in a bit."

I hung the phone up and walked into my room. It was August so I wouldn't have to worry about getting a chill; I could get away with staying in my pj's. I slipped a pair of sandals on my feet and quietly opened Logan's door to make sure he was still asleep. I bit my lip as I looked down at him, still worried that he might wake up.

I left his room and opened the bottom drawer of my bedside table, retrieving a small cloth sack. I dumped out all the materia within and searched for the Sleep materia. I found it and held it in front of the light, watching the deep yellow swirl about. I carried it into my son's room and held the materia orb tightly in my hand as I stood next to his crib. I concentrated and watched as a dark haze drifted over Logan's sleeping form. After a few moments the haze dissipated and I left his room once more. I gathered all my materia back into the cloth sack then placed it back in my drawer before leaving the condo.

I stopped at the top of the steps that led down to the beach and searched for Reno. I found his solitary form standing near in the surf. I kicked my sandals off and rolled my pants up then descended the stairs and made my way toward him. As I approached he turned to look at me before diverting his attention back to the ocean. I stopped beside him and folded my arms in front of my chest. I probably should have brought a jacket along. It was colder out than I thought.

After almost three minutes of silence I finally turned my head in Reno's direction. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Reno reached into his pocket and produced an oyster shell. "I forgot to give you Logan's oyster back."

I took it from him and opened the mouth of the oyster, seeing the shimmering pearl that was nestled inside. "I'll give it to him in the morning." I clasped it in my hand and turned to Reno. "Look, I think I owe you a huge apology. I never knew about your mother and sister. I never knew you were forced to do what you did."

Reno looked over at me. "Does that mean you finally forgive me for what I've done?" He asked, the tiniest hint of excitement in his voice.

I nodded my head. "You were defending the two people that meant the world to you. You had a choice: destroy the plate or watch your remaining family be slaughtered. I think you made the right decision even though it ended up to be all in vain."

"My sister was getting ready to turn sixteen. I had a huge birthday party set up for her and everything." I could hear in Reno's voice that he was starting to lose it.

That's when I decided to move in. I came around in front of him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I know what it feels like to lose the ones you love."

He gingerly wrapped his arms around my waist and rested the side of his face against my head. "What happened to you?" He whispered.

"My mother died when I was a little girl. When I was fifteen, Sephiroth destroyed Nibleheim and killed my father." I stepped away from him, far enough so that he could see. I lifted my shirt up far enough so he could see a good portion of the scar Sephiroth had given me. "He also did this to me."

Reno reached his hand out and traced the thick, dark scar with his finger. I flinched slightly at his touch. "How did you survive?"

I shook my head. "I don't remember much after it happened. I remember Cloud pulling me out of the way before I passed out. When I woke up, I was in a strange place. I didn't know where I was and the man that my rescuer had left me with was a stranger. It wasn't until five years later that I found Cloud passed out at the train station."

I lowered my shirt and stepped towards him again. "Gee, I guess you've had it pretty rough too."

"You could say that."

"Well, there's one thing we have in common," Reno said after a few moments of silence.

I looked up at him, confused on what he meant. "What do you mean?"

He gazed down into my eyes. "The fact that we're both alone in the world." We were silent for a few more moments before Reno placed his hand under my chin and raised my head so I was looking at him. "Tifa, I know that you and I have never been on good terms, but now that we've been spending all this time together I realize that you're really an amazing person. Cloud's a fucking moron for not seeing that."

I smiled. "So, what exactly are you saying, Reno?"

He took a deep breath and let his hand fall from where it was supporting my chin. He shoved his hands into his pockets and cast his eyes downward while mumbling incoherently. "Well, you know, I…uh, you see…" He trailed off and looked back up into my eyes. His teal eyes glistened as he stared into my soul. "I, uh, I…I love you, Tifa."

My eyes widened in shock and I almost had to ask him to repeat what he just said. He had caught me completely off guard. After many moments, he looked at me expecting an answer. I stuttered for a few seconds before I finally was able to regain my composure. I smiled and moved closer to him. "I love you too."

One corner of Reno's mouth curled up. He brought his hands up and lazily ran his fingers through my hair before cupping my face with his hands. He leaned down and gently brushed his lips against mine before kissing me fully. He moved his hands down my body until they came to rest low on my hips. A warmth surrounded us until I could feel no trace of the cool breeze that swirled around my bare arms minutes ago. I dropped the oyster shell that was still in my hand and weaved my fingers through Reno's hair.

He gently pushed his tongue up against my lips, begging for entry into my mouth. I parted my lips and allowed his tongue to do the exploring. He moved his hands from my hips and slid them beneath my shirt. He traced my scar from where it started at the bottom of my rib cage all the way to my left shoulder. I physically shrank back once again as he touched my scar. I never wanted anyone to touch it. To me, it was ugly; something that no other human being should see.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me back to him.

"It's ugly, isn't it?" I asked him, looking up into his eyes.

He shook his head. "No, I think it's beautiful."

Those few words alone made me feel a thousand times better about my scar then I ever did before. Reno leaned down to give me another kiss but I stopped him. He looked at me with a puzzled look swirling around in his teal colored eyes. "What time do you have to be at work tomorrow?"

"Nine o'clock." He wasted no time in occupying my mouth once again.

It was many long moments before we both pulled back for air. "You wanna spend the night?" I asked, kneeling down and picking up Logan's oyster.

A thoughtful expression made it's way onto Reno's face before he shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?"

I smiled as he took my hand and led me back to my home. I made sure when we got to the top of the staircase that I grabbed my sandals. Once we arrived at my front door, we quietly walked in and I checked to make sure Logan was still asleep before joining Reno in my room. I closed the door and pulled back the covers on my bed. I turned around and inspected what he was wearing. Faded jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. Not exactly the type of clothes that you wear to bed.

"Well, you wanna borrow something to sleep in?" I asked, going to my closet.

Reno shook his head. "No, I'd rather not look like a fag, thank you very much."

I rolled my eyes. "Calm down. When Cloud left he didn't take all of his clothes. He left a few plaid pajama pants so I held onto them." I pulled a red pair of plaid pj's out of my closet and tossed them to him.

"Well, alright if you insist." He tossed the pants down onto my bed and kicked his shoes off of his feet then dropped his pants. I stood in front of my closet with my mouth hanging open, appalled that he'd do something like that. "What?" He asked, like he went around changing in front of women everyday.

I shook my head as I kicked my sandals into my closet. "Nothing."

Reno came up behind me while I was closing my closet door and wrapped his arms around my waist, hoisting me into the air. I squealed as quietly as I possibly could and just about had a panic attack when he threw me onto my bed. I rolled onto my back and started laughing as soon as I hit the mattress. Reno plopped down beside me and started roughly tickling my sides. I tried to squirm away from him but he had an iron grip on me and I couldn't get free. I had to bite down on my tongue to prevent myself from squealing and laughing.

"Stop! Stop!" I pleaded as I started to laugh. My sides were starting to hurt, not from Reno's tickling, but from the exertion of holding in all my laughter. "Mercy! Mercy, Reno, stop!"

"Oh, fine," he said, withdrawing his hands from my sides.

I giggled a little more as I rolled away from him. I jumped off of the bed and shut the light switch off before going back over to my bedside table and turning my small lamp on. I climbed onto one side of the bed and pulled the covers up around me. I looked up at Reno a few seconds later. "Well, are you going to join me or sleep on the floor?"

Reno rolled his eyes before getting up and going to the other side of the bed. He lay down and wrapped one of his arms around my waist; the other grabbed one of my hands into his own. He kissed the back of my hand before kissing me gently on the forehead. "Let's hit the sack."

I nodded then rolled around so I could reach the lamp. Once it was shut off, I cuddled into Reno's chest and before long both of us were soundly asleep