Tengoko: Sorry again for not updating sooner. But I'm doing two stories at once, which means twice the updating, the time, the dedication. Actually, that other story was more likea spur of the imagination for me, so that's why I'm doing two at once. But I figured, update this one, then that one, this one, that one. So on. Well, I'm rambling now. So, I'll just shut up and let you all read the story.

Disclaimer: yadda yadda...
Rated M for language and romance

Chapter 10: Like Father...

It was going to be a long night. That was definitely no secret as far as anybody was concerned. Wesley had hoped for the best. Hoped that his mother had gotten tired and had gone to bed, would put off her anger until tomorrow. He had hoped that his father had gotten his fury out of his system, would deem Wesley punished. And that would be that. But, what Wes failed to realize was, this was the real world. Not an ideal that he could manipulate for his own purposes.

Reno dragged him back into the house, slammed the door behind them, and pushed Wesley to the fore front, standing between his father, his mother, and Cid. Without a doubt the worse place to stand. It was almost like facing the firing squad. No. This was worse. Death would be preferable to what he was about to endure.

Usually, he'd try to break the tension with a witty, sarcastic and otherwise unnecessary comment, meant to annoy but in all other ways, lighten the situation. But, he knew better. Wes was no fool, though he had done nothing thus far to prove otherwise. Instead, he bent his head down, admitting that he was in the fault, and then ventured a look at his mother.

What to say? What to do? She looked damn well murderous. On the verge of tears. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her fists were clenched. She seemed so dangerous. Obviously, there was nothing to say to change that. Not even a simple apology would fix this, even if he meant it, which he would have.

It couldn't be any worse, could it? Well, he supposed it could. He learned that through past experiences. Everything could always get worse. Even so, he really couldn't fathom a situation that would surpass this one. And the horrible part was, the thing that drove him insane; there was absolutely no way to talk himself out of this one.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Tifa asked, her voice a menacing quaver. Her hands were on her hips, he could tell that her tongue was in her cheek. But, he couldn't believe that she actually expected him to answer that question. Sure, he'd answer it. If he wanted to go to an early grave, which he had no intention of doing just yet.

"Answer her," Cid demanded. Wesley inwardly shrugged. It seemed there was no way of getting out of this one, no matter how hard he would have tried.

"I have nothing to say for myself," he admitted, only bowing his head again. Would that be good enough? It was almost as if he outright admitted that he was wrong, which would be somewhat of a breakthrough for him.

"Oh. Surely you've worked up some excuse," Cid added, his voice no better than hers. "What were you possibly thinking, sneaking out like that? And to Sector Eight no less! Were you out of your mind or did your brain just experience some sort of lapse?" Again, with the unanswerable questions. But this one was a winner. He really was dead set against answering this one. Either admit to insanity or tell them that he was outright stupid.

"It doesn't matter. What's done is done and you've got to buck up and face whatever consequences your father and mother have in store for you. You know, you're just lucky your father found you and not some maniac."

"I know," he said softly. But, really, it wasn't the maniacs that frightened him. He'd dealt with them before, though his parents didn't know. And each time, he came out on top. But for now, it fit his purposes to just agree with his godfather.

"Cid," Reno finally spoke. "Do you think you could leave him to us? We've got a lot to talk about…in private." The last words could not mean well for Wes. He spun around slowly to look at his father, and coward before anger and power of his blue eyes. So benign in most cases, benevolent even. Not so now. He'd never seen such eyes, full of rage and mal intent.

Cid nodded and departed, leaving Wesley alone with his mother and his father. "Have a seat, Wesley," Tifa ordered.

Oh, this was too much. His mother was going to play the peacemaker while his father chewed him out? That would definitely be different. A change the he was hardly expecting. Either way, he listened to her, not willing to push her leniency. He made his way to the couch only to notice his father whispering something in Tifa's ear. Suddenly, she looked even more livid than before, and that's saying something.

"You attacked Shin-Ra soldiers?" she yelled in disbelief. Wesley wasn't surprised. He had the craziest suspicion that that's what his father was telling her. After all, he had conveniently failed to mention it when he called her.

"I didn't," Wes said, truthfully if you could believe that. "Lucius did. He freaked out and just started shooting all kinds of spells at them. I tried to stop him, but it didn't help that Viggo and Kristian started doing it too. Gods, do you actually think I'm stupid enough to attack people who work for Shin-Ra? That means I'll have to tangle with the Turks, and I've heard stories about them that would make your skin crawl."

"That's just the beginning of you problems, Wes," Reno warned. "You have more to fear from me than any Turk. I'm going to make the next few months of your life an utter hell. It goes without saying that you are grounded, but that wouldn't do much as you were grounded before anyway. Damn it! What am I supposed to do with you?"

"Was that a rhetorical question or would you really like an answer?" Damn, he was getting tired of those.

"Will you shut up?" he snapped. "I've had enough, Wes! Too much!"

"Well, you certainly picked an opportune time to tell me," Wes shouted. "You should have been more like mom, and been a constant, incessant nag since I was eight. Of course, that's when she became convinced that I was some kind of demon spawn."

"Wesley, didn't I tell you before, that I don't want to hear a sound come out of your mouth?"

"Shut up, dad!"

"Oh, we're back to this game, are we?" Reno asked. "You really want to try to match wits with me boy, and having a screaming contest while we're at it. I'll shred you to pieces, and then some."

"Oh, please father. You wouldn't even breathe without mother's permission."

"What?"

"You do everything she tells you to do. It doesn't matter what it is or how it gets done. If your little wife wants something you'll turn the world over to get it for her. She's got you whipped and good. Hell. You wouldn't blink unless she willed it."

Reno stared at him before stepping closer and leaning down to hover over him. "You've gone too far, Wes."

"Truth hurts, doesn't it pop? And that's all it is. It's the truth. She's got you on a damned leash. I'll bet she's even got whistles for you. But that's okay. Maybe one day I'll fall in love and realize that there might be benefits to beings somebody's damned lapdog."

"Just keep pushing it," Reno warned.

"Don't mind if I do. You want to know why I'm like this? Why I'm acting this way?"

"He blames me," Tifa said. "For everything. Including Hayden."

"But it wasn't just you, mother," Wesley began maliciously. "Father was there too. In fact, father had been holding Hayden right before both of you got shot. But, why did you get shot? Well, here's a hint. It wasn't because of mom!"

A crack and a scream. Those were the only two sounds that followed. Reno had finally been pushed too far. Far enough to raise a hand to his son. Far enough to whip it against his son's face; to leave a mark redder than his hair. Wesley cried out when the back of his father's hand made contact with his cheek, and then fell on the couch, now lying down.

It took him a moment to look up. His father was still standing over him, as though waiting for him to say something else. To give him a reason to hit him again. But then, Tifa stepped up and put her hand on Reno's shoulder, and even though he threw it off, it seemed to calm him down anyway.

"Wesley," Tifa said quietly. "Please go upstairs. Go to your room. Shera and Lena are in there so don't try anything."

Wesley nodded, still holding his cheek, and in a daze, made his way for the steps. The moment he was out of sight, Reno groaned and fell onto the couch, burying his face in his hands.

"Reno, that wasn't your fault." Tifa sat next to him and draped her arm over his shoulders. "I would have hit him long before then."

"I promised myself that I would never hit my children."

"There was nothing else that you could have done. We've tried everything. Grounding didn't work. Yelling really doesn't work. We were at a dead end and he gave us little choice. You were right to hit him."

"No. Nothing excuses what I did," he cried.

"Reno. You hit him once. Surely, that does not constitute as abuse, baby."

"I just…can't shake the feeling that I let him down. I can't believe that I hit him."

What else was there to say? Tifa knew she couldn't convince him that he was right. She couldn't blame him for feeling that way. When a man's greatest fear is becoming much like his abusive father, there really were no words of comfort to use when they actually hit their child.

Reno stood up while taking a deep breath. At first, he seemed like he was just content standing there, staring off into the kitchen and out the window into their backyard. But then, he turned to face Tifa and held his hand out to help her stand up.

"Am I really that horrible?" he asked.

"I don't think so," she said, putting her arms around him. "And I'm sure Lena Mae doesn't think so either. And neither will Alyianna," she said, rubbing her stomach. "Reno, you are a good man. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Until I start believing it," he answered.

Tengoko: What did you think? I realize that the chapter's short and all, but this was the last chapter before...ahem...mayhem. Don't want to give too much away, but just so you know, the shit is about to hit the fan, so to speak. But like I said, divulging too much would be bad. Anyway. Reviews are appreciated, as always. Thanks.