THREE

The door opened barely a minute after Cloud finished knocking. A woman in a green dress and white apron held the door, her blond hair tied back in a bun as she gazed at us with a pair of tired, light blue eyes. She didn't seem surprised to see us. And, oddly enough, she didn't look a thing like Aerith despite being her mom. She urged us inside without a word, and we followed her into the house.

"Cloud, right?" she said.

He nodded. "Yeah. And about Aerith…"

There was a round wooden table in the center of the room. Elmyra sat down at it and sighed. "I know. Shinra took her from here not very long ago. They have my daughter now."

"They were here?" I asked.

"Had to be while we were in the pillar," Cloud said. "Tseng had her with him on the platform, remember?"

I did. "Yeah. But why did she leave here with him?"

"It's what she wanted," Elmyra explained.

"I don't understand," I said.

Cloud looked at me. "You heard Tseng—Aerith's an Ancient. That's gotta be why Shinra's after her."

"It's true," Elmyra added. "She's the last one."

Barret blinked. "What'd you say? But ain't you her mom?"

She shook her head. "Not by blood, no. I adopted her about fifteen years ago. I love her as if she were my own, though. In that respect and in every other, she's my daughter."

"I know exactly what ya mean," he told her.

"I can see that," Elmyra said. "Anyway, it's a fairly long story, and it may take some time for me to share it with you, so please have a seat. It all started during the war with Wutai…"

We all sat down around the table as Elmyra told us her story, and I found myself fascinated by it in spite of the terrible circumstances that had brought us here. Worry for Aerith and Jessie gnawed relentlessly at me, but there wasn't much I could do about it right now. And knowing more about why Shinra wanted Aerith so badly and who and what she was might help us save both of them.

"My husband, James, had been sent to the front lines," Elmyra said. "Shipped off to fight in the war. He built this house, actually. When we were engaged. Said he wanted to give his new wife a proper home. And we moved in right after we got married."

"It's wonderful," I told her, and I meant it.

She smiled. "Thank you. What was your name?"

"Tifa," I answered. "And the big guy over there's Barret."

"Well met, Tifa," Elmyra greeted me. "James and I have put a lot of work into this place over the years. Aerith always loved to help around the house, too. But I'm getting ahead of myself. My husband had left to fight against Wutai. We'd been married for five years by then. One day, I got a letter saying he was coming home."

I understood. "You must've been so excited."

She nodded. "I was, very much. I went to the station to meet James the day he was supposed to return, but… he never came. I wondered if his leave had just been postponed, and that was what I told myself. But deep down, I couldn't help fearing the worst."

"What happened?" I asked.

"I went back to the station every day, to wait and pray, hoping that he'd come home. And that's how I met her. She and her mother were at the station one day. Aerith was crying, and her mother was wounded. I think she'd been shot—there was so much blood on her dress. She was dying, laying on the steps leading to the platform."

Barret sighed. "Damn…"

Elmyra went on. "At first, I thought they were only topsiders who'd fallen on hard times. Or that maybe they'd run away from Wall Market. That sort of thing wasn't uncommon. I'd seen it too many times before. I tried to help Aerith's mother—I'm a nurse and have been since before I was married—but she was already fading. There was nothing I could do. With her last breath, she urged me to take her daughter someplace safe. And then, after that… she died."

"Terrible thing for a kid to see," Barret murmured.

"Yes, it was," Elmyra agreed. "She was crying, and she clung to me, asking me what was wrong with her mother. I didn't know what to say. My husband had been gone for so long—almost a year by then—and I was lonely. So I took Aerith home with me."

She continued. "It didn't take her long to adjust, and we grew close very quickly. Aerith loved to talk—she was a real chatterbox, telling me about all kinds of things, such as how she and her mother had escaped from a research facility of some kind. And that she wasn't sad anymore because her mother had returned to the planet."

"Returned to the planet?" Barret said. "Sounds about right."

"When I asked her if she meant one in the sky, she shook her head and said it no, that it was this planet. Right here. I didn't know what to say that that. Aerith was full of mysteries, in many ways. And then, one morning only a few months after I took her in, she came downstairs all quiet and told me something I'll never forget."

I gazed at Elmyra in fascination. "What did she say?"

"Aerith stood there and told me not to cry," she answered. "She just blurted it out. When I asked her what was wrong—bless her heart, she took my hand as she gazed up at me with her eyes so sad—she told me that someone I loved very much had just died. That his heart had come a long way to tell me goodbye, but that he couldn't stay because he had to return to the planet. I didn't believe her."

"But she was right," Cloud said.

Elmyra nodded. "Yes. A few days later, I received the notice. James had been killed in action. I don't know how long I sat here at the table, crying with my head in my hands and that damn letter lying in front of me. It might've been hours."

I sighed. "I'm so sorry, Elmyra…"

"Thank you, Tifa. I still had Aerith, and she was there for me. She'd just know things like that somehow. It was a lot to take in, but we were happy, she and I. Until one day. Until he came. Tseng, of the Turks. He just knocked on the door one afternoon and asked to speak to Aerith. I was surprised at how young he was, but also wary—he hadn't hesitated to reveal that he was from Shinra."

"What'd he want?" Barret frowned.

Elmyra glanced at him. "Aerith, of course. He told her she was one of the Ancients and not just an ordinary little girl. That they were once the original stewards of the planet whose wisdom would lead us to the promised land. Shinra doesn't think it's a myth or an allegory, as many people do. They believe it's real."

Cloud grimaced. "And they think Aerith can find it."

"Exactly," Elmyra agreed. "She wasn't having it, though. Kept going on about how she wasn't an Ancient. When Tseng asked her if she ever heard voices when she was all by herself, she denied it. But we all knew she did. Aerith tried so hard to hide her strange abilities, so I just acted as if I never noticed. But that man… he knew who she was, where she'd come from, and what she could do."

"Why didn't they just take her?" he asked.

She looked at him. "Shinra believes she has to go to them willingly or it won't work. They need her, so they won't hurt her. And we've been left alone for all these years. The Turks would always visit from time to time, but they never tried to force her to leave."

"So why now?" I wondered.

"Aerith brought a little girl with her when she came home," Elmyra explained. "But Tseng was right behind them. So she went with him on the condition that he'd leave the girl alone."

Cloud glanced at us. "That's gotta be Marlene."

Barret shot to his feet. "Marlene!? Aerith was caught because of my little girl? Marlene… she's my daughter. She's got short hair, really dark with a little red in it. She's jus' as cute as a button an' has the heart of an angel. An' she was wearin'… a pink dress! I'm sorry, Elmyra. I'm really, really sorry 'bout all this…"

"You're her father!?" Elmyra stood up, her hands on her hips. "Just how could you leave her alone like that?"

Barret seemed to wilt under her stern gaze despite being just over a foot taller than her. "Please don't start in on that. I think 'bout it all the time, ya see. What would happen to Marlene, if I… but I gotta tell ya, I don't got an answer. Wish to hell I did."

"Go on," she said, her voice softening a little.

"I wanna be with Marlene," he said. "I wish I could just be with her all the time. But I gotta fight. The planet, she'll die if I don't. The slums, the people here, all of it. So I'm gonna keep fightin'. But all I really want is to be with Marlene. I wish I didn't ever have to leave her, you know?. Ah, hell… I'm goin' in circles now…"

Elmyra gave him a gentle smile. "I think I understand. Barret, was it? She's sleeping upstairs. Go and see her."

The words were barely out of her mouth before he did just that, his eyes lighting up as he raced toward the stairs. Barret sped up them in a flash, taking them two at a time as he hurried to see Marlene. I couldn't blame him, of course. I had worried about her, too. But guilt ate at me. My request to save her had cost Aerith her freedom. All I'd been able to think about at the time was Marlene.

"I'm sorry, Elmyra," I told her. "It's my fault that Aerith was caught. I asked her to take Marlene to safety."

She shook her head. "You don't have to apologize. You didn't know what would happen to her, and it's not your fault. Aerith would tell you the same thing. It was only a matter of time, Tifa. I always knew… this day would come. That she'd end up back there."

Cloud rose to his feet, his blue eyes firm. "We'll get her back. That's a promise. She needs us."

"He's right," I agreed, joining him. "She's our friend."

Cloud's resolve, along with Elmyra's words, helped me to put aside the sense of responsibility I had felt for Aerith's imprisonment. I didn't know her very well yet, but she had put herself at risk for us more than once already. I wasn't going to back away from returning the favor. She wouldn't be a captive for long. I'd see to it.

But there was something else I had to do first. "Cloud, I want to go check on Marlene, too."

"Sure," he agreed. "Let's go see her."

I followed him upstairs, though we didn't rush up like Barret did. It really was a nice house, and we found him and Marlene in the third of three bedrooms—it was on the far end of a short hallway, a guest room with a dresser, mirror, and floral wallpaper. I started to go in there, but then Cloud caught my arm, and I stopped, seeing then what he already had. Barret was sitting on the bed, Marlene wrapped firmly in his arms as tears slid down his face.

"I'm… I'm so glad you're awright," he sniffed.

Marlene hugged him. "Don't cry, Daddy. Your whiskers hurt."

He smiled. "Sorry, honey. I'm just so happy to see ya, that's all. Was so worried about ya. So worried…"

"It's okay, Daddy," she told him. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, you sure are, sweetie," Barret held her close.

After sharing a nod with Cloud, we both started to leave, neither of us wanting to disturb their moment together. But then, the wood panel floor creaked under our footsteps, and Barret turned to see us standing in the hall. He gently set Marlene on her feet by the bed as he stood up and went over to see us, looking as if a huge weight had rolled off of his broad shoulders. And I think it had.

"We gonna help Aerith, right?" he said. "She an' Elmyra have done so much for me. If the Shinra think they can hold her hostage, they got another thing comin! I'm in, guys!"

Marlene trotted over to us, and I scooped her up, my own eyes not quite dry as I hugged her. "Hey there! I missed you."

"Hi, Tifa!" she said. "You're okay, too!"

"Better now that I've seen you," I smiled, setting her down.

Cloud just looked at her, not quite sure what to say or do. I wasn't surprised—he'd never been all that comfortable with kids. But Marlene didn't back away from him this time. She'd gotten used to him over the past two months, though she'd never said much to him. Both Jessie and I had loved teasing him about it.

"Guess what?" she said, walking right up to him. "Aerith told me a lot of stuff about you, Cloud. She said she thinks Jessie really likes you. I think so, too. That's why you gave her the flower, isn't it? Because you like her, too? I watered it for her!"

He nodded. "Yeah. I guess I do like her. A lot."

"I knew it!" Marlene grinned.

"Me too," I smirked, winking at Cloud.

She took his hand. "Oh, I wanna show you something! Come on! I left it downstairs. You'll like it!"

I chuckled to myself at the sight of Cloud letting Marlene lead him out into the hall and back to the first floor, and Barret couldn't hide his grin. Cloud looked a bit bewildered as she tugged him along, but when we got back to the living room and Marlene pointed to a small wooden side table next to the far wall, his eyes widened and he stopped. I froze as well, my mouth falling open.

On the table sat Jessie's flower in its blue glass vase. None of us had seen it earlier, as wrapped up as we'd been in our worry for her and for Aerith. Elmyra's story had completely engrossed us as well, but now, as Marlene stood proudly next to the little table, we all took it in. Of all of us, it was Cloud who spoke first.

"Marlene," he said. "You brought it with you, didn't you?"

She nodded. "Yep! Aerith said that I could. I wanted to keep it safe for Jessie. It's so pretty, and she really likes it."

Cloud knelt in front of her. "She does. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she told him. "Where is she? Is everyone okay? I wanna see everybody again."

We all looked at each other, none of us sure how we should answer her at first. Marlene didn't need to know very much, but she was smart enough to be able to tell when something was wrong. And she noticed our hesitation right off, her eyes going from one of us to the next until she fixed her worried gaze on Barret.

He sighed. "Jessie's hurt, honey. But we're gonna go find her an' get her some help, soon as we can. Everyone else is awright, though. Biggs, Wedge, an' Lena all send you their love."

"You'll bring Jessie here, won't you?" she asked.

"She needs to go where she can get cared for," Barret told her. "An' I dunno if this is the best place."

Cloud stood up. "Elmyra? A favor?"

"Yes?" she asked, walking over to us. "What is it?"

"We have a friend that we need to find first, before we head topside to save Aerith. She's badly hurt. You said you're a nurse, right? Would it be possible to bring her back here?"

She nodded. "Of course. I'll do what I can for her. The clinics here and in Wall Market are probably filling up by now. I'd be helping out in there myself, but I promised Aerith I'd take care of Marlene. When you find your friend, just bring her to me."

I smiled. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Tifa," she replied. "I'm happy to help."

Barret turned to her. "You done a lot for us, Elmyra. More than we deserve. An' I ain't gonna forget it. If you ever need anythin', no matter what it is, we gotcha covered. Jus' give us a holler."

"I appreciate it," she said. "Now go and look for your friend. I'll get things ready here in the meantime."

"You'll find Jessie, won't you?" Marlene asked.

Cloud knelt down in front of her again. "You bet. And we're gonna keep looking until we do."

"You promise?" she asked, her eyes on his.

To my delight, he gave her a faint smile. "Yeah. I promise, Marlene. And when I make a promise, I keep it. Jessie's… a very special friend to me. She's always been there for me, and I'm gonna be there for her, too. No matter what. I'll bring her back."

Marlene giggled. "Okay! Aerith too, right?"

"Right," he nodded.

And then, before Cloud even knew what was happening, she threw her little arms around him. He blinked, startled by her affection as the rest of us looked on in amusement. But after a moment and a nod from Barret, he hesitantly returned Marlene's embrace.

After Cloud let go and stood up, Barret took his place. "It's time for me to go, honey. But I'll be back soon, awright? With Jessie. So you jus' mind Miss Elmyra while I'm gone. I'll be goin' to help Aerith, too. That nice girl that brought you here. After Jessie's safe. Everything'll be fine, so don't you worry 'bout a thing."

"Okay, Daddy!" she said. "Hurry back!"

He hugged her tightly for a moment, then stood up and ruffled her hair fondly. After giving Marlene an embrace of my own, I followed the others outside. The yard with all its colorful flowers was very peaceful, and I wished I could've stayed to enjoy it. But I had two good friends in need. And I wasn't going to let them down.

I turned to the guys. "Back to the Leaf House?"

"Yeah," Barret nodded. "We'll go pick up Wedge an' Lena, then find that tunnel leadin' into Sector 7."

"I'm almost afraid to go back…" I sighed.

He took my shoulder. "I know, Tifa. It ain't gonna be a pretty sight. But Jessie needs us right now."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Let's go find her."

Lena and I were still visiting with Biggs when Barret and the others walked in. We'd brought up some food while they were gone—I'd been sure that Biggs could use a bite to eat, and I was definitely hungry, too. I was just finishing up my third helping when the others came back. As soon as Barret saw me, he laughed.

"Shoulda known you'd be refuelin', Wedge," he grinned.

Biggs chuckled as he sat in bed and ate. "'Course he is. Some things never change. Ain't that right, buddy?"

I took another bite. "Yeah! But we fed you, too."

"You sure did," he said. "Thanks. But you know what I'd really like? Jessie's famous Midgar Special."

"Same here," I agreed, knowing what he really meant.

Lena smiled. "Definitely!"

"Well, soon as we find her an' she's back on her feet, we'll jus' hafta have her make it for us," Barret added, catching on.

"Sounds good to me," Tifa said.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. But I want a whole pie for myself."

She smirked. "An entire pizza?"

"SOLDIERs have big appetites," he quipped.

"Almost as big as mine!" I added.

We all had a good laugh at that even as we knew what it was really about. We missed Jessie and wanted her back. She was so lively and fun to be around, and it just wasn't the same without her. I didn't want her to be gone. Cloud was sure she was alive, and if he said it, I believed it. I knew we could find her. I just knew it.

Lena looked at the others. "Is it time to look for her?"

"Sure is," Barret answered. "You ready?"

"Just give us the word, boss," I said, putting my tray aside as I stood up. "Lena and I are both good to go."

He clapped my shoulder. "It's given, Wedge."

"Sure wish I could go with you guys," Biggs sighed.

"So do we," Tifa smiled. "We'll let you know as soon as we find her, okay? Just try to rest for now."

He gave her a thumbs up. "Will do."

"Awright, people, let's get movin'!" Barret said. "Jessie's countin' on us. So let's not keep her waitin'. She's out there somewhere, an' we've got a better chance of findin' her than anyone else. 'Cause we'll look longer and harder for her than they ever will."

"We don't stop until we find her," Cloud told us.

Me, Lena, and Tifa all nodded our agreement, and after saying bye to Biggs, we hurried downstairs and left the Leaf House. As we headed through the streets of Sector 5, Lena and I listened as the others told us about their visit with Aerith's mom and Marlene. I didn't get a lot of it, but I knew that Shinra had her now and that Cloud would get her out. He could do anything! I really admired him.

We were just about to the other end of town, near the train station, when I spotted a familiar motorcycle parked next to one of the clinics. At first, I wasn't sure if it was the same one, but when I stopped to take another look at it, I didn't have any doubt.

"Lena!" I tapped her arm and pointed. "Look! It's his bike! It's gotta be! See how the chrome's a little blackened and discolored in places? As if it was in a fire. Like Sector 7! He's here!"

Her eyes widened. "You're right, Wedge! Come on!"

The others followed after us, and I wished I could've explained, but I was just too excited. We were almost to the clinic when the front door swung open and a woman walked outside. At first, we didn't pay much attention to her, but when she headed right over to Kunsel's bike, Lena and I exchanged a confused glance.

Who was she, and how did she know our friend? She was probably Tifa's height, which would've made her a little taller than Jessie, but not by much. Her hair was a lot shorter, though, hanging a little below her ears. And it was also a bit darker, kinda like Tifa's but with a little red in it as well. She looked like she might've been a little older than us, closer to Barret's age, probably. Kinda cute, though. Not in the same league as Lena, of course. No one was. To me, anyway.

"Um, excuse me," I asked the woman. "Do you know a guy named Kunsel? He's a friend of ours."

She blinked. "Yes, he's a close friend. Why?"

"Is he here?" Lena wondered. "He helped us back in Sector 7 when it was all coming down, and we were hoping he made it out alright. He did, didn't he? We've been worried about him."

The woman's eyes suddenly lit up. "Sector 7? Then you must be his friends, the ones he told me about! You helped him, too. Thank you so much! My name's Marissa, by the way. And he's fine. He's resting at my place on the plate over in Sector 4."

I sighed in relief. "Yeah, that's us! And I'm so glad he's okay. Kunsel saved my life. Oh, I'm Wedge, and this here's Lena. And those are more of our friends—Cloud, Barret, and Tifa."

"Very glad to meet you all," she said, shaking our hands.

"So what are you doing here?" Lena asked.

Marissa leaned against the bike. "I rode down here to find a friend of mine. She was still in the Sector 7 slums when the plate came down. In the pillar, actually. Trying to stop what Shinra was doing, according to what Kunsel told me. She's probably hurt, and so I decided to check the clinics to see if by chance someone might've brought her in before I headed over to Sector 7 myself."

My eyes widened. "No way… it can't be…"

"You know Jessie!?" Tifa gasped.

"Did ya see in here there!?" Barret asked. "Was she inside? Jessie's a friend of ours, too. A damn good one. But she's hurt, an' we lost sighta her when the plate fell. We tryin' to find her."

Marissa's mouth fell open. "Yes, I know her! And I wish she'd been in there, but she's not. Jessie's an old friend. She worked under me back when she was still at Shinra. Before we both left. We've been friends for years, and I'm so worried about her. After I bound up Kunsel's wounds, I rode straight here as fast as I could."

"You got him all patched up?" Lena said. "I knew he was more hurt than he let on. No wonder he's resting."

Marissa nodded. "Oh yes, he can be stubborn like that sometimes. Always tries to take on everything all by himself. He's a wonderful guy, but he does make me worry like no one else."

"Sounds like someone I know," Tifa smirked at Cloud.

"Huh?" he glanced at her.

She winked, hands on her hips. "Nevermind!"

"When he came over tonight, I made him sit down so I could tend to him," Marissa continued. "Lucky for me, Kunsel wasn't in any shape to argue. I've got training in this sort of thing, so it didn't take too long. Then I left and came here to find Jessie."

Barret stared at her. "Trainin'? You a doctor?"

"No," she shook her head. "But I do volunteer as a medic at Midgar General up on the plate."

"Close enough," Cloud said. "Come with us."

Tifa nodded. "We could really use your help, Marissa. I know a bit about field medicine—my sensei taught me the basics—and I also have a materia, but I know it might not be enough by itself. Between the two of us, though, we might be able to at least get her stabilized. We've got a friend nearby who's a nurse, and she's willing to help if we can get Jessie back to her in time. We've gotta hurry, though."

"Then why are we still here?" Marissa answered.

"Thank you!" Tifa smiled.

Cloud looked at us. "You heard her, guys. Let's move!"

I grinned and shot him a thumbs up as Lena pumped her fist, and we all got underway again, Marissa driving her motorcycle slow so she wouldn't leave the rest of us behind. We hurried onto the winding dirt trail leading away from the Sector 5 undercity toward Sector 6. And as we went, I felt Lena's hand slide into mine. We were gonna save Jessie. I couldn't wait to see her again, up and about just like Biggs, smiling and laughing. And of course, eat her famous pizza!