"There are a few ways that we can do this," Rufus began as Liv stood dumbfounded in front of the man.

"On paper you're perfect and that's all I need. We can maintain the image of being married and continue our lives or there could be something more...your choice,"

The scene from yesterday replayed in her mind as she somehow made it back to her condo and to work the next day. Everything felt as if it was a blur to Liv as she somehow managed to sleep after learning of the identity of Roy Salvas. It was Rufus Shinra using an alias for a suitable candidate for a wife.

"Yo Liv, you ok? You've been in a daze since yesterday," Reno commented as he studied the woman across from him.

"I'm just a little tired is all," Liv replied softly.

Reno leaned back in his chair quietly, his attention still focused on her. He had been observing her long enough to know when something was off, coincidentally he realized that something was different from Tseng as well.

That was usually a telling sign that there was something big moving behind the scenes. At that moment Tseng walked into the office, the door opening and closing with a soft swish. He took a quick glance at his fellow TURKS as he walked to his desk.

"My apologies, I had an impromptu meeting with President Rufus," Tseng began.

"Lots of meetings coming your way huh. Don't forget about us," Reno teased.

"Never. If I left any of you unattended for too long you would all get yourselves into trouble," a small smirk appeared on the man's lips. He placed his cell phone and clipboard on his desk and sighed as he looked at each of his colleagues, his eyes fell on Liv who seemed to shrink away from his gaze.

"With the gaps in security the Avalanche group managed to infiltrate, retrieve Aerith, and escape," Tseng began as he pushed his personal thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on the morning meeting at hand.

"President Rufus has ordered the TURKS to bring the group in as well as Aerith,"

"How are we going to do that? They're already outside the borders of Midgar," Rude began.

"There's also nothing out there for miles," Reno added.

"Even if there was something out there it would take them days to get there," Rude added.

"There's a small town by the name of Kalm," Liv spoke up.

"Correct. That would be their next destination and then north," Tseng added.

"Are we moving based on hunches now? That's not like us," Reno commented.

"No. Not yet. We act with a plan and adjust accordingly," Tseng replied and sighed. "There's also a change to the team,"

Tseng immediately saw the looks of confusion on his colleague's faces, they all turned to him waiting for him to continue.

"Elena. Please come in,"

On cue a petite woman with short blonde hair dressed in a navy suit entered the office and bowed deeply.

"Thank you for accepting me into the TURKS. I will work efficiently on all of my-" the woman began.

"Elena…" Tseng trailed off. The woman, Elena straightened herself and quickly glanced at Tseng and the other TURKS.

Reno snickered and stifled a boyish laugh, Rude was silent as Liv glanced to Tseng.

"Everyone, this is Elena, she will be a part of the TURKS starting today," Tseng started.

"Are you adding or replacing?" Liv questioned firmly.

"Adding," Tseng replied as he looked down at the woman. Liv gently pursed her lips together and leaned back in her chair arms loosely crossed.

"Oh?" Reno mumbled quietly as he watched the exchange between the two. He knew they normally worked in harmony but just now was different.

Something was going on.

"Welcome to the team," Rude spoke up in an effort to break the tension-filled silence that had suddenly enveloped the room.

"Welcome Rookie," Reno smirked.

"Welcome," Live replied.

"Thank you all. I will do my best," Elena replied.

"Please take a seat," Tseng motioned to one of the empty chairs. Elena nodded and took the empty seat next to Rude.

"We have much to discuss. I've already drafted plans as to what we are to do next in terms of Avalanche," Tseng started again. "Also, the President would like for us to create a contingency plan in case…Aerith is not an option,"

"That's surprising," Reno commented.

"Aerith is the Ancient-?" Elena started

"Cetra, right Liv?" Reno interjected as he looked towards Liv at the opposite end of the table.

"…Yes," Liv replied quietly.

"Oh…um Cetra then." Elena corrected herself.

"Yes. She is the last remaining Cetra on the planet and is believed to lead us to the Promised Land," Tseng said. "But it is also believed she has to come willingly otherwise everything will be for naught,"

"I see," Elena nodded.

Liv remembered the woman Aerith who was in the clutches of Professor Hojo, she was thankful that the woman was able to escape. Aerith wasn't her enemy but even then she wouldn't wish imprisonment at the hands of Professor Hojo on anyone.

"Despite that, it is rumored that Sephiroth has been seen in the building, there haven't been any more reports of such but if he was seen here that is something that we should keep a lookout for," Tseng said. "Liv, were you able to review the security cameras from the President's office?"

"Yes," Liv began as she reached for her monitor in front of her to input a code. Within seconds the monitor had different scenes of Sephiroth walking the halls of the Shinra building.

"There are three distinct occasions where Sephiroth was spotted by our security cameras, the last scene here is the last moment with President Shinra and Avalanche," Liv stated. "As you said there have been no more reports of the man in the building,"

"That's insane…this man hasn't been seen in five years and here we are," Reno sighed.

"Are we sure that's really him?" Rude questioned.

"I mean look at him, same hair, and that sword. I don't know anyone else that could pull that off," Reno scoffed.

"What happened to the other man that was stabbed as well?" Elena asked.

"Nowhere to be found," Tseng replied.

"Either they took his body with them or…he survived somehow," Liv replied.

"Thank you for your report," Tseng nodded to Liv as she stopped the playback of the scenes of Sephiroth.

With the rush of events she had nearly forgotten about the moment she removed the sword from President Shinra's back and the malice and murderous intent that washed over her, the feeling of someone behind her as she gripped the hilt of the sword.

The time for a reunion is coming

Their meeting continued for another hour until Tseng dismissed them. Liv was the first out of her seat and to the door.

"Liv," Tseng called out to her. Silently Liv stepped out of the way of her colleagues and turned to the man as the others exited from the office. Once everyone had exited and the door closed, he spoke.

"There's something bothering you,"

"There's a lot on my mind," Liv began.

"Care to talk about it?" Tseng offered with a small smile.

Liv quickly glanced over the man, she knew it was strange for the man to willingly ask about other's issues but she also knew that if she or the other approached him he would gladly listen.

"I believe you already have an idea of what's going on," Liv began.

"That depends, I may have a vague idea as to what is going on," Tseng replied casually. For a split second he saw her tense and relaxed.

"Then there's no use in discussing it, have a good day," Liv replied with a small smile and promptly exited the office.

Tseng watched as the woman quickly retreated, he was aware of the situation she had gotten herself into and the planned changes that were to come. Tseng sighed heavily and leaned back on to his desk.

"If I left you all to your own devices you would get into trouble…" Tseng mumbled to himself.

Liv nearly crashed into Reno as she exited from the office

"Woah!"

"Reno? Rude? What are you all still doing here?" Liv questioned as she looked at the three TURKS.

"You wanna grab a drink?" Reno began.

"Reno…it's 12 PM it's too early for a drink," Liv replied.

"Nonsense, besides, we have a rookie underneath our wing. We gotta show her the ropes," Reno began.

"I didn't agree to any of this," Elena spoke up.

"You don't have to, we're your seniors," Reno replied.

"Reno..." Liv and Rude both sighed.

"You can't say things like that," Rude said.

"And why not?" Reno questioned.

"Because that'—" Elena began when Liv took her cell phone from her pocket and looked at the messages she had received. It was a message from President Rufus and Reeve.

R. Tuesti

I'm gonna be in my office well after midnight. I got a time-sensitive project that the President has me working on. I'll make it up to you…

President R.

Come to my office.

Liv sighed heavily as she read the last message and looked up at her bickering colleagues. She knew at some point they would find out about her situation, about her, and wondered what they would think. For the past eight years she and Tseng managed to keep her background shrouded from the others as a way to protect herself and family but once this all came to light everyone would know.

"You'll have to show her the ropes without me. Duty calls," Liv waved as she went to the elevator and headed up to the President's office.

After President Rufus had unloaded the truth on to her Liv blurting out her answer to Rufus, she immediately got in contact with her mother in Costa de Sol. Cecelia laughed at the truth and the response she had given him. Her mother being the planeteologist that she was suggested that she sees where it goes, and if it doesn't work out, they could break the relationship and continue on with their lives.

No harm done.

It sounded simple, but Liv knew it wouldn't be as simple as her mother claimed it to be. She also knew that there was no backing out of the situation she was in, the way her mother spoke, and her airy laughs were enough to tell her that there was no other way.

Putting her thoughts aside Liv quietly entered the larger offices of President Rufus and saw the man sitting at his desk with Reeve and Heidegger at the front. The expression on the man's face was nothing short of boredom as Heidegger spoke, she could tell the Shinra heir didn't care for the man or what he had to say.

"Sir, my men will find those Avalanche rats and bring them in. How they managed to get inside HQ must have been an inside job," Heidegger began.

Rufus sighed as he listened to the man rave about how his men would find Avalanche and more through his boredom the sight of the female TURK caught his attention. As Heidegger continued to speak unaware of her presence, he noticed the silent Reeve had followed his gaze behind him. Rufus watched as the man's eyes lit up and a look of confusion as she stopped next to the man and bowed slightly.

"The TURKS have informed me of the group's projected destination. From now on the TURKS will handle the search for retrieval of the girl…. Aerith was it?" Rufus began.

"The Ancient Woman?" Heidegger questioned.

"Cetra," Liv corrected. "And you are correct, sir,"

Heidegger quickly looked over his shoulder at the woman and hmphed. Liv knew of the dislike that the man harbored for the TURKS despite the fact that she and the others were under the man's purview. He didn't trust them not after what happened five years ago and was one of the directors that wanted to disband the TURKS all together.

Rufus was the one to keep the TURKS status in Shinra Company.

Reeve stood silently and listened to the conversation between President Rufus and Heidegger, confused about why she was here. The meeting that was scheduled was between himself and Heidegger. A slight flick of the Shinra's head caught his attention and that was when she began towards his desk.

Reeve followed her movement and saw the Shinra heir's eyes were focused on him even as she leaned down so that he could whisper something privately.

"Yes sir," Liv replied and stepped away from the man and exited the office. Again, Reeve watched her movements and how she walked by him without a second glance.

"Heidegger I am giving the TURKS control over the search for Aerith and Avalanche as well as information on this so-called Promised Land of Mako," Rufus began.

"But Sir," Heidegger began.

"End of discussion," Rufus cut the man off firmly and turned his attention to the second man in the room. "Director Tuesti,"

"Yes sir," Reeve began.

Heidegger growled angrily as he turned away from the young President and left the man's office.

"Liv mentioned that you have plans to rebuild Sector Seven's plate,"

"Miss Donovan? I mean I have that proposal with me as well as the plans to rebuild Sector One and Sector Five's reactors if you would like to review them," Reeve replied, surprised that she would mention it to the man and the fact that he would even consider mentioning it.

Rufus motioned for the man to approach him, quickly Reeve approached the large desk and placed the two slim binders in his hands. He watched as the man slipped on his dark-rimmed glasses and focused on the proposal for rebuilding Sector Seven. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

"Director Tuesti…I heard that you tried to recruit Liv to the Urban Planning Department. Why is that?" Rufus questioned as he skimmed the pages.

"Uh—" Reeve began, taken aback by the sudden question.

"She is a brilliant woman with an abundance of knowledge and history of the planet and the Cetra. With her on the side the Urban Planning Department paired with her knowledge of the planet could lead to a green age and a more environmentally friendly Midgar," Reeve explained.

"Hm..." Rufus flipped a page.

Reeve stood silently confused at the young heir's question about Liv, let alone how did he know that. Slowly his confusion turned to unease as he watched the younger man quickly skim through the proposal.

"The timeline projection is sound, but the costs are astronomical," Rufus began.

"Yes. I am aware of that, sir," Reeve nodded as he remembered the anger and despair he felt when he learned the previous President was going to drop the plate, and the TURKS were going to be the ones to do it.

"This project will be slow as the cost is something the company is not ready to take on," Rufus said as he continued to flip through the pages of the proposal.

"Of course, Sir. If I may, I am sure with the support of the people the project cost would decrease significantly," Reeve began.

"I'll consider it," Rufus replied as he took off his glasses and closed the binder.

"Thank you for considering the proposal, sir, and suppose I should thank Miss Donovan," Reeve bowed slightly.

Rufus simply ran a hand through his hair and reached for his mug.

"Yes, thank her instead," Rufus replied simply and sipped his drink.

Silently Rufus opened the second slim binder for the proposals for rebuilding Reactors One and Five. Since Rufus had mentioned Liv and asked about the woman made him uneasy.

Was it just a coincidence that she came up in their conversation?

"You can go now,"

Reeve bowed again and turned to exit the man's office more confused than when he entered. As he made his way to the elevator, he took out his cellphone.

Everything about today bothered him, and he needed to get to the bottom of it. The exchange between Liv and Tseng this morning was loaded even if they said nothing, which he already knew they wouldn't but he needed to find out what was going on. Reno entered the office without warning and sat on the edge of the table closest to Tseng's desk.

"What is it Reno?" Tseng asked as he continued to write. With a quick glance Reno could see that it looked to be the proposal they discussed earlier today.

"What the hell was that from earlier?" Reno questioned.

"Earlier? Tseng questioned as he stopped writing for a moment and soon continued.

"Tseng…" Reno trailed off. Tseng placed his pen down and looked up at the red-haired man, he wore his normal stoic expression.

"Whatever you thought it was, was nothing," Tseng replied

"You know that's a bunch of bull," Reno scoffed.

"If you believe it is something else then perhaps asking Liv first would have been a better choice," Tseng replied.

"You're her superior—" Reno began.

"And you had the task of watching her," Tseng replied firmly.

"Had? Wait..." Reno began.

"The President is reviewing all of the previous tasks and missions the previous president had assigned in preparation for the upcoming mission," Tseng said.

"But what does that have to do with me and watching Liv? You said had," Reno repeated.

"You may not need to observe Liv any longer per President Rufus orders," Tseng replied and plucked up his pen and continued writing. "I'll update you once that change has been made,"

Reno sat dumbstruck in front of his silent superior, he could feel there was more behind the shifting of orders and the exchange from earlier.

"Who is she?" Reno blurted out, Tseng looked up at the red-haired man, a hint of confusion in his features.

"What do you mean?" Tseng asked carefully.

"The previous Pres. wanted to investigate her despite the fact that she's been loyal to the TURKS and Shinra from eight years," Reno began "The whole exchange between you and Liv this morning not to mention bringing in a new face. Hey, I know I may not look smart but there's something going on here. So Who is she really?"

Tseng sighed as he put down his pen and leaned back in his chair, he steepled his hands together as he focused on Reno.

"Reno," Tseng began. "We maintain secrecy for ourselves and also for the protection of Shinra and its employees. My actions are for the greater good of the TURKS with no deeper meaning behind it,"

Reno pursed his lips together as he listened to the man, in the back of his mind he knew that attempting to get an answer from Tseng was nearly impossible but he persisted anyway.

"Things are currently hectic with a sudden but welcomed change at Shinra. Once things have settled there may be more clarity for everyone's actions, perhaps," Tseng stated.

Reno sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair.

"That was such a bullshit answer. I hate it," Reno replied. "At least tell me she's safe and not going to be fired,"

"She's fine," Tseng replied. "She's not in danger of losing her position or anything of the sort,"

R. Tuesti

Hey is everything alright? I haven't heard or seen you since this morning. Also, the Pres was asking about you...

Liv

He was...I see...

I'm fine things have become complicated

"Rumor has it that President Rufus has a fiancé. Can you believe that?" a female employee began.

"Really? Who's the lucky lady this time?" a woman with glasses asked.

"This time? What do you mean? This is the first time he's had a fiance," the woman replied.

"He's been seen with so many women, it could just be another fling this time," the glasses-wearing woman sighed as she leaned back in her chair.

"This is the first time that any of this has happened to President Rufus, yeah he's had some flings but he's young," the woman replied.

"Alright then...who is it this time?" the glasses woman tilted her head.

"That's the thing! No one knows and it's super sudden too!" The woman began clearly excited at the rumor.

Elena picked up on the conversation the two women were having at the table next to her, she had heard the sudden rumor too as it was all over the various talk show channels all over Midgar.

"She has to be super famous or something. Like a celeb," the glasses-wearing woman replied

"And gorgeous. You've seen all the women he's been with, they're perfect in almost every way," the first woman sighed.

Elena listened quietly as she ate her dinner, her mind curious about President Rufus' new fiancé. She knew the man was highly sought after due to his name and status and she also knew the man could have any woman he wanted.

"We'll see if this is true or not...I've been getting updates from his Fanclub and let me tell you…" the woman began.

"I bet they're all going crazy over who it is...right?" the glasses woman smirked.

"Definitely, there's been some false claims too…" the woman trailed off as she looked at her phone.

"She has to be someone of status to get him to settle," Elena murmured to herself. "There's no way she's some floozy celeb,"

"A toast," Rufus offered a champagne glass for Liv to take, gingerly she took the glass and lifted it to the man.

"A toast," Liv repeated as she lifted the champagne glass.

The two gently clinked their glasses together and sipped their drinks, they sat quietly across from each other for a moment when Liv spoke first.

"Why did I need to dress up for this?" Liv questioned.

"To see what you looked like outside of your uniform," Rufus replied and sipped his drink.

"And?" Liv arched an eyebrow.

"Acceptable,"

She wore a rose-pink long-sleeved blouse paired with a long black pencil skirt that went mid-thigh, black heels, minimal makeup. She pinned her hair up into a high bun, wore minimal jewelry except for her diamond earrings.

Liv pursed her lips together as she looked at the man, she should have known that the man was a bit shallow, but they both knew that appearances were important and the fact that the man was seen with various gorgeous women whenever he had social outings.

"Clearly you know nothing about my family," Liv said confidently.

"I know enough," Rufus replied coolly.

"Then you know that I will not sit idly and be a trophy wife," Liv said as she sipped her drink.

"It sounds like you already made your choice," Rufus replied casually.

"An initial one," Liv corrected.

"I see…" Rufus replied as his eyes slowly roamed over her relaxed form. "Liv,"

"Sir," Liv replied instinctively and immediately realized her mistake. "Y-yes?"

"We all have roles to play in this world and we're expected to play that part," Rufus began. "You can continue to be a TURK, but when the time comes I expect you to play your part without fail,"

"Of course sir…" Liv trailed off. "I mean...of course...Rufus,"

"You can do better than that," Rufus huffed.

"You are still technically my boss…" Liv trailed off. Rufus stood up from the plush sofa and walked over to her, silently she looked up at the man.

"In uniform you're a TURK protecting the President of the Shinra Electric Company…" Rufus trailed off as he looked down at her. His eyes slowly trailed over her form, lingering on her plush red lips before he spoke again.

"Outside of your uniform...well...you're my fiance, Liv Donovan,"

"Outside of my uniform… Would make me a normal woman, not bound to the hierarchy of the company… Right Rufus?" Liv questioned cautiously as she casually tested his name. She quickly took a sip of her drink to cover how nervous she actually was.

"I'll leave that to your own interpretation, for now," Rufus shrugged casually and walked away towards the larger windows of his private office. Liv watched him and finished her drink, her cheeks still tinged pink from her daring question.

While in her uniform she was bound by the company but outside of her uniform she was a normal woman in the eyes of her boss, her fiance.

" You may want to keep some spare clothes here just in case,"

"I don't live that far, my condo is in Sector 8," Liv began.

"That's too much time wasted in between traveling," Rufus replied. "You don't need much unless you're planning on sleeping here,"

"No... I see your point," Liv replied as she stood and placed her empty glass onto the small coffee table. "I'll bring some tomorrow,"

"Bring your best, we're going out for dinner tomorrow night,"