A/N Hey everyone! The feedback for No Promises was great, and really encouraged me to stick not only with this story for a little longer, but writing in general. I wound up having an idea for how to continue things a bit-so there will be one more chapter after this one before I wrap up this story. In case it's not already apparent, I would avoid reading much further if you're still in the midst of Remake. This chapter doesn't spoil too much and I'm taking some creative liberties, but the next chapter will go into quite a bit of plot heavy stuff. Let me know what you guys think, your reviews are the fire that keeps me going. Without further ado, here's part 2 of what I'm referring to as my "Promise Trilogy."
-BabyBlues
Disclaimer: I'm still not Square Enix, despite my best attempts.
The Price of a Promise
BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ.
Jessie groaned as the familiar buzzing of her alarm clock woke her from the best sleep she'd had in years. She smacked the clock to turn it off before rolling onto her back, staring up at the ceiling as a wide smile graced her face. I can't believe last night really happened.
She replayed the night in her head; practically squealing as she remembered that first, tentative kiss Cloud had given her. Then she felt her face grow hot as she remembered the not so tentative kisses that followed for another good hour.
Who knew he would be such a good kisser?
Unable to stop the giggle from escaping her throat, she swung her legs out of her oft-forgotten bed, slipping them into her favorite pair of fuzzy yellow Chocobo slippers. Grabbing her towel, she practically skipped her way down the hall into the bathroom where she promptly turned the shower on to high heat.
As she washed herself, she let her mind travel to the discussion she and Cloud had before he left for the night.
"Do you want to…um…well, would you like to head over to Seventh Heaven together tomorrow morning? I could meet you outside here," Cloud had asked cautiously.
Jessie's face was already hurting from how much she'd been smiling, and Cloud's question only made it worse—not that she was complaining.
"Aww, can't get enough of me, huh? I'd love that! We can take some time to ourselves to just chat and walk before heading out for the mission!" she'd responded, her poor attempt at tempering her tone failing.
Cloud had nodded, planting a kiss on her forehead before waving goodbye and making his way to his apartment. It's a miracle Jessie hadn't fallen over then and there she was swooning so hard. After doing the only natural thing that came to her—running up to her room, screaming into her pillow, and promptly jumping up and down on the bed—she'd finally let sleep's embrace calm her nerves down enough to sleep.
"JESSIE! As much as I love the free concert I need to get in there!" one of her roommates shouted through the bathroom door. Jessie's eyes widened and she chuckled to herself. She'd been singing in the shower.
Tying her bandana around her forehead, Jessie grabbed her backpack—stuffed with the bomb they'd be using for the reactor—and jogged down the stairs. Shouting goodbye to her roommates, she opened the door and gave a little gasp when she saw Cloud there, his arm half-raised getting ready to knock.
"Cloud!" she said breathlessly.
She noticed the small blush creep up on his cheeks as he took her in, his normally cold eyes softening immediately as they met hers.
"Good morning," he quietly offered, giving the smallest of his smiles.
"Good morning, handsome," she winked in response.
The two began their walk to Seventh Heaven, taking the long way around as they meandered through the town. Cloud's arms were at his side, and he still walked with a large degree of tension present in his shoulders. His eyes were constantly darting around, on the lookout for who knows what. Though she was a bit wistful about the lack of physical contact, she also found his awareness particularly reassuring. She never worried about anything bad happening when she was around him, and she imagined that was more than enough to be thankful for right now.
"How did you sleep last night?" Jessie asked, breaking the not uncomfortable silence they'd settled into.
"Better than I have in quite a while," he responded, eyes breaking their endless cycle to rest on her for a brief moment.
Jessie felt her stomach flutter, and she hung her head slightly to hide the creeping blush. At least I know this isn't all in my head, he's happy too.
They walked several more paces in their silence again, until Cloud stopped at one of the nearby vendors. His eyes were focused on the small little jewelry selection, and she followed his gaze to a silver ring emblazoned with the face of a wolf. Huh, didn't take him for a jewelry kind of guy.
"Thinking of getting it?" she asked him after several seconds passed.
Cloud's eyes snapped back to hers, almost as if he'd forgotten she was there. The slightest tint of a blush graced his cheeks before he turned away from the now disappointed looking vendor.
"No, I should really focus on building up my savings more, especially if I'm going to be sticking around," he answered quietly, offering her one of his half-smiles.
Finally reaching the bar, Jessie found herself unwilling to let go of the one on one time with Cloud, and instead found herself leading him over to one of the tables situated just outside.
"You don't want to meet with the others yet?" he asked curiously.
"Nah," Jessie replied simply, shaking her head. "Let's just hang out together for a little bit longer, if that's okay with you?" she offered, a slight timidity to her tone.
Cloud nodded, resting his sword against the bar's outside wall before taking hjs seat opposite Jessie. Jessie suddenly found herself unable to make eye contact, as she realized that there was a level of intimacy between the two now she thought might have been reserved for behind closed doors. Had anyone told her weeks ago that she'd be sitting outside people watching with Cloud Strife she'd have called them crazy, and rushed home to make sure her diary was still hidden in a pillowcase under her bed.
"What are your plans for after Avalanche?" Cloud suddenly prompted.
Jessie gave a slight jump at his question, still not used to him starting a conversation. Her brows furrowed as she considered what he'd asked.
"After Avalanche?" she repeated back to him.
He brought his hand up to the back of his neck, scratching it as he appeared to consider a better way to phrase the question. What does he mean…does he want to know if I want to settle down? Is he asking about starting a family? Does he want to move out of Midgar? Oh my god I can't leave Midgar my whole life is here. But I have always wanted to travel. Jessie's thoughts carried her so far and away so quickly she completely missed Cloud's follow up question.
"Uh…Jessie?" he prompted.
Eyes widening, Jessie blushed furiously as she realized how ridiculous she'd probably looked spacing out while staring directly at him.
"Oh! I'm sorry Cloud," Jessie answered hastily.
Not perturbed at all, Cloud repeated himself: "Have you thought about what you'd like to do after you're done with Avalanche's mission? I mean…well, let's say we stop Shinra. Then what?"
Jessie's forehead creased as she considered what he was asking. I'm such an idiot. She berated herself internally for jumping to so many ridiculous conclusions. This was Cloud's way of trying to get to know her better. She offered a small smile and sighed, redirecting her attention to the cloudy sky up above. It had been a long time since she'd even considered anything like what Cloud was talking about. Her mother still believed she was an actress at the Gold Saucer, and a part of her still wanted that to be true. She loved being on stage, loved entertaining people, loved being a part of any reality that wasn't hers. Acting meant she didn't have to face her actual feelings and emotions, that no one needed to see just how terrified and unsure she was on the inside.
Her eyes had started to water involuntarily, and it was only the quiet gasp of her name beside her that jolted her from her reverie.
"Jessie! Are you alright?" Cloud asked, his concern coming through his eyes as much as his tone.
Get it together Jessie!
"Yeah, I'm fine, Cloud, don't worry," she lightly shook her head, reaching across the table in such a way she was offering him her hand. Eyes darting to her open palm, his posture softened, and Cloud uncrossed his own arms and reached out to grab her hand. When they were centimeters apart, a huge gust of wind began whipping violently around the bar. Cloud and Jessie both immediately stood up, Jessie pulling her gun from its holster and Cloud readying the Buster Sword. This was no normal windstorm. Walking together towards the front of the bar, the two stood side by side as they took in the cyclone that had overtaken the center of town. There were at least a hundred of the phantoms they'd encountered at the cemetery the day before. Jessie felt her chest grow tight again, and her vision started to blur. Before she knew it, she was on her knees
"No…not again…" she choked out, already gasping desperately for air.
"Jessie!" Cloud shouted.
Eyes flashing to their Mako green, Cloud's angry gaze returned to the tornado of phantoms circling him and Jessie. He channeled the summon materia placed inside the Buster Sword, calling Ifrit to come chase his enemies away. The Demon roared as he appeared in a flash of light, and he began hurling fireballs at the specters closest to the spiky haired man who'd summoned him. Cloud meanwhile began shooting Blade Beams left and right as he tried to fend them off, but Jessie's gasps for air were growing more and more desperate.
Jessie felt like her chest was being crushed by a trash compactor, and she couldn't believe the pain she'd felt yesterday was only a fraction of what she felt now. Prepared to lose consciousness at any moment, she tried to catch Cloud's eyes—but he was too busy fighting their attackers. Eyes closing, she suddenly found herself looking up at Cloud, except he was crying. His eyes weren't their emerald green they were while facing the specters—they were that beautiful baby blue she'd fallen for, but they held an unbearable amount of pain. There were flames and debris surrounding them, which confused her because a second ago she was in front of Seventh Heaven.
"Cloud…" she desperately called out.
Jessie fell unconscious as Cloud chased away the specter closest to him. Returning his attention to Jessie, a primal feeling awoke in him as he took in her state. The last time he'd felt an anger like this, Sephiroth had burned down Nibelheim. Cloud's eyes began glowing an even brighter green, and his entire body began emanating a blue aura. In a flash, he dashed around the area in a series of swift strikes before creating a tornado of his own with the Buster Sword; drawing in all of the specters, he finished about half of them off with angry slashes before the rest vanished as fast as they'd appeared.
Breathing heavily, Cloud returned the sword to its home on his back and rushed over to Jessie's limp form. Picking her up bridal style, he shook her gently, trying and failing to stave off the constriction going on in his chest.
"Jessie…Jessie, please, you have to wake up," Cloud begged.
Eyes fluttering open, Jessie gave a series of small coughs before finally catching Cloud's worried gaze. As sore as she felt, her heart fluttered at the sheer amount of concern and…something…that was apparent in his eyes.
"Girl could get used to being a damsel in distress if you're the knight always coming to her rescue," she smiled.
Cloud let out the breath he didn't know he was holding in, shaking his head before offering her one of his full smiles. His eyes changed from their furious green to their calm baby blue, and Jessie turned her head into his chest.
The doors to Seventh Heaven opened, and Tifa and Barret walked out. Seeing Jessie in Cloud's arms, Barret immediately charged down the stairs. Tifa followed, a mixture of confusion and concern on her face.
"What the hell? Jessie! What happened? Spiky you better start talking now before I blow that chocobo head of yours away! Barret growled, jerking his gun arm as he loaded it.
"Calm down, Barret. It looks like they were just attacked, Cloud probably saved Jessie," Tifa offered quietly, resting her hand against Barret's soldier.
Ignoring Barret entirely, Cloud walked past the two of them, stopping next to Tifa.
"We need to talk," he muttered quietly.
She turned and looked at him, nodding slightly as she walked up the stairs to the bar. She led him to the pinball table he knew led to their hideout, and the two took the elevator down. Barret followed them shortly after, and they rested the now unconscious Jessie on the couch. Tifa grabbed a blanket from the corner of the room and laid it over her, and then turned to see Cloud leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed, and Barret tossing back a glass of whiskey.
"So. Talk, Soldier-boy, what happened to Jessie?" Barret barked.
Still refusing to acknowledge Barret, Cloud directed his attention to Tifa. She had her right arm across her stomach and clutching her left arm, her hip sticking out slightly as she waited patiently for him to start speaking.
"When I was on my way here after we finished the first mission, I ran into these weird enemies. They were invisible at first. They showed themselves shortly after, and they do something to certain people when they appear. When Biggs and Jessie ran into one yesterday at the graveyard, Jessie mentioned feeling an indescribable pain. The same thing just happened now—but there were hundreds of them," he finished.
Tifa gave a little gasp, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. Barret grumbled a bit, scratching his chin while staring at Cloud intently.
"That don't make sense, Soldier-boy. If there were hundreds of them outside just now, why didn't any of us here them in here? How do we know—" he was cut off as Cloud had closed the gap between them in two long strides, his face now inches from Barret's. His eyes threatened to transition to their Mako green, and the atmosphere of the room had gone cold.
"I. Did. NOT. Hurt. Her," Cloud growled lowly. His hand was gripping the Buster Sword on his back firmly, and the vein in Barret's temple looked like it was about to burst.
"Enough!" Tifa shouted, forcing herself in between the two, who suddenly looked shocked that she was there. Tifa shot both of them a look fierce enough to quell even the most dangerous of monsters, resulting in the two both backing down and retreating to separate sides of the room. She walked over to Jessie where she placed her hand over her forehead, her fingertips playing with the girl's bandana.
"Barret. I let your suspicions slide when I first brought Cloud here because I know what you've been through and I know how careful you are. But I've absolutely had it. Cloud has proven several times over already that he can be trusted—at this point, your behavior disrespects me as much as it does him," she remarked icily.
Barret looked as if Tifa had just socked him in the gut instead of spoken to him, and after opening and closing his mouth a few times, he removed his sunglasses and sighed.
"I'm sorry, Tifa. You're absolutely right. I just…Jessie…and Biggs, Wedge…Marlene…" he was grasping for the right words until Tifa shook her head, and offered him a small smile.
"I get it Barret. I do. But you are all my family. You're all I have. And Cloud…" Tifa turned her attention to the blond Soldier across the room, whose eyes had been on her the whole time.
"Cloud is my family too," she finished.
Normally capable of masking his emotions, Tifa's statement caught Cloud offguard, and it showed. His eyes widened, and he uncrossed his arms, his gaze shooting straight down to the floor. The silence grew less tense but even more uncomfortable from that point, and both Barret and Cloud still refused to look at one another. In almost perfect unison however, the two finally looked at Tifa: "I'm sorry Tifa."
Pacified, Tifa brought a chair over so she could sit next to Jessie, and after exchanging the briefest of glances at one another, Cloud and Barret walked over to join her. As Jessie's face came into Cloud's view, his eyes flashed from the just barely green they'd been for the last few minutes to the bluest blue. His eyebrows knitted together and he felt the knot in his stomach that had formed when Jessie first fell grow even tighter.
"Tifa…will…will she be okay?" Cloud asked, his concern practically washing over Tifa like a tidal wave.
Tifa looked up at Cloud and had to force herself to smile. The look of unadulterated worry on his face wasn't for her, it was for her friend currently unconscious behind her. But she loved the two of them so much, she couldn't bare the thought of letting her own feelings get in the way. So she did smile, a smile that just barely reached her eyes, and she nodded.
"I don't know what it is those things did to her, but yeah, she's gonna be fine Cloud. One thing is for sure though, she's absolutely not going to be in any condition to go on the mission," she redirected her attention to Barret.
Barret scratched the back of his head, clearly deep in thought about something he seemed to be working on convincing himself of doing. He reached out and grabbed Cloud's shoulder, who couldn't stop from reaching behind to grip his sword. When the two locked eyes, an understanding passed between them, and the tension still palpable in the room from the earlier fight dissolved.
"I'll go in her place," Cloud offered.
Barret nodded, giving one last look at Jessie before turning around to return upstairs. As the elevator rose, he turned his head slightly to look back at Cloud and Tifa.
"We're leaving shortly. I'll catch the two of you up to speed on our way there," he explained.
The two of them nodded, returning their attention to Jessie. Tifa began writing a note to leave on the table explaining to her what they'd decided to do, while Cloud waited patiently for her to finish. Tifa stood up abruptly and walked towards the elevator, pressing the up button before Cloud could join. Cloud gave her a slightly confused look, and she merely offered a sad smile and shook her head.
"I'll be waiting upstairs. Take your time," she said quietly.
Cloud's heart constricted a bit as he registered the pain in Tifa's voice, and he resolved to check in with her later. Returning his attention to Jessie, he let the walls he'd built up around the others lower, and he dropped to kiss her lightly on the cheek.
"I'll give them hell for you, and when we get back, maybe I'll try making the pizza this time, sound good?" he whispered.
With a last look at her sleeping form, Cloud took the elevator up to meet the rest of the gang and head out on the mission.
Jessie's eyes fluttered open, her arms instinctively stretching above her head before she started to piece together where she was. Am I in the hideout? Swinging her legs off the couch and onto the floor, she stood up and gingerly made her way through the darkened room to turn on the lights. Realizing she was alone, she turned and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. 11AM. That's weird…we were all supposed to be on the train heading towards the reactor by…
"Oh shit!" she gasped.
Her hand reaching up to her forehead, the rush of memories nearly knocked her flat as she recollected what had happened. Cloud and I were talking outside the bar when those phantoms showed up…
Looking around the room frantically, she finally noticed the piece of paper left on the table by the couch. Picking it up, she cursed herself inwardly as she quickly read Tifa's familiar handwriting.
You were in a bit of an accident. We'll fill you in when we get back. Cloud's coming in your stead. Hold down the homefront for me, alright? Bar is closed but Marlene knows to wait for you upstairs. See you soon.
Jessie collapsed back down onto the couch, still clutching the letter tightly in her hand. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and tried desperately to remember just what happened when the phantoms showed up. She knew she felt the same horrible tightness in her chest, as if she was being crushed. But she definitely remembered seeing something else. They'd been outside the whole time, she knew that much. Why was there so much fire though? And was Cloud really crying?
The sound of the elevator jolted her from her thoughts and she looked up to see Biggs. Not waiting for it to reach the floor, he jumped off the pad and made it to her in a short few leaps, his arms bringing her into a crushing hug.
"Thank god you're okay," he mumbled into her shoulder.
Jessie wrapped her arms around Biggs as well, patting him lightly on the shoulder as she broke into a smile and couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Oh jeez Biggs, I'm fine, really! There's no need for all the fuss," she laughed lightly.
Biggs pulled away, a smile on his face that didn't take away from the seriousness in his eyes.
"Barret and the others told me what happened, so I got back as fast as I could. They should hopefully not be too far behind me if they're still on schedule. But you've gotta fill me in Jessie, what happened?" he asked.
Jessie shrugged her shoulders as she motioned for him to follow her back upstairs. She needed to check on Marlene and there was no point in hanging around down here any longer than she already had.
"Honestly, the same thing that happened to you and me at the cemetery. Those weird phantoms showed up and got in my head again. But this time there were so many, it was so much worse," she offered.
Biggs didn't respond, but she could tell that his mind was working a mile a minute trying desperately to come up with an explanation. As they stepped off the platform, Marlene came running out from behind the bar, her little arms wrapping around Jessie's leg.
"Jessie! Daddy said you were hurt, are you better now?" she asked, a tremor in her voice.
Jessie knelt down and brought Marlene into a full hug, her heart filling with warmth in a unique way only Marlene could provide.
"Yeah I'm okay kiddo, just had a little run with some not-so-friendly folk. But your daddy trained me well, I always keep coming back stronger!" she smiled. "How long was I out for though? About 2 hours?"
"No, Daddy ,Tifa, and the guy with the chocobo hair brought you downstairs yesterday morning!" Marlene chirped.
Eyes widening, Jessie facepalmed as she realized she'd been unconscious for a full 24 hours. She hoped the others were alright.
Pacified that Jessie was okay, Marlene ran back behind the bar, no doubt playing with her toys underneath the counter. Jessie followed, grabbing two beers before meeting Biggs at a nearby table. Leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, Jessie thought he was going to give himself an aneurysm with how intensely he was thinking.
"Earth to Biggs, I can literally hear your thoughts exploding right now," she chuckled.
Biggs sighed, reaching out and downing half of the beer Jessie had brought over. Raising her eyebrows but opting to stay quiet, Jessie took a sip of her own as her gaze drifted to the windows.
"So, how'd your date go?" Biggs asked, instill a playful tone in his voice.
Jessie blushed furiously, unable to contain the wide smile across her face before she could respond. Biggs smirked in response, resting his chin in his hand as he stared at her intently.
"THAT well, huh?" he pushed further.
Jessie stuck her tongue out at him, taking another swig of her beer before gushing over just how good of a time she had with Cloud. When she finished, Biggs' grin reached from ear to ear, and he shook his head.
"What?" Jessie asked.
"It's just so weird to hear you talk about someone like this. I don't think you once mentioned how good looking he was the entire time you were talking. All you had to say was about how he made you feel, what you guys talked about, and how you can't wait to spend more time with him. It's a good thing, really," he explained.
Jessie smiled in response, her face warm from both the beer and the topic of conversation. "He's amazing Biggs. And that's not to say he isn't absolutely gorgeous to look at! But…there's so much in there, and to be honest, no one has ever made me feel the way that he does before. Safe, and strong at the same time, you know?" she gushed further.
Biggs put his hands up in surrender, fully convinced that this time Jessie wasn't acting—this was the real Jessie, the Jessie he'd only ever seen around Marlene and the kids at the Leaf House. And if Cloud was capable of bringing out this Jessie, then he was sold on the two of them together.
"Hey, you wanna talk a walk with me to the market? There's something I want to see about picking up," Jessie asked.
"Sure! I could use a few things myself actually. Hey Marlene, Jessie and I are going to head for a just a little bit. You make sure you stay downstairs until we get back okay?" Biggs called out.
"Bring me back a present!" Marlene responded with a smile, walking over to the elevator before taking it down to the hideout.
Biggs and Jessie laughed, making their way outside. At the moment it had turned out to be a gorgeous day, not that they could really appreciate the sun much in the slums anyway. Biggs waved and greeted to most of the folks they passed on their route to the market, but Jessie found herself utterly distracted with thoughts of Cloud. Thinking about that first kiss they'd shared last night made her feel like she'd swallowed a bunch of butterflies. But then her thoughts drifted back to that vision she vaguely remembered from the attack. She was surrounded by fire and debris, and looking up at Cloud, whose eyes were uncharacteristically swimming with tears. Could that have been…a vision?
"Jessie? Jessie!" Biggs exclaimed, poking her on the forehead and shaking her out of her reverie.
"Ahh! Hey, hands off the merchandise buddy," Jessie huffed.
Biggs rolled his eyes, but seemed otherwise placated. Jessie breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and her eyes immediately zeroed in on the vendor she'd been seeking. Walking up to the jeweler, Jessie desperately searched for her prize. There! It's still here, thank Shiva.
Biggs couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at Jessie's purchase, but waited until they were out of earshot from the vendor to voice his inquiry. "Didn't take you for the type of girl to wear something like that," he offered.
Jessie rolled her eyes, stuffing the bag into her pocket. "It's not for me you bonehead. Cloud was looking at it earlier this morning," she answered.
At this, Biggs immediately began guffawing uncontrollably, his hands coming to his knees as he gasped for breath. "Okay, okay…wait, hang on, hahahahaha," he tried, failing to articulate what he wanted to say.
Jessie's temper flared, and she placed her hand on her hip as she stared daggers as Biggs. "If you'd care to explain why you're acting like an asshat?" she asked hotly.
Biggs made to wipe a tear from his eye as he sized up his friend, taking in that she was actively agitated with him. Collecting himself, he raised his hands in a defensive position.
"I just think it's a bit early to propose to the guy, that's all," he choked out.
Jessie's eyes widened as she realized what Biggs was getting at, and her eyes darted to her pocket that currently held the wolf ring she'd just purchased. Blushing furiously, she stomped her foot before pointing angrily at Biggs.
"I'm NOT proposing to him you moron! I just wanted to get him something nice for…for…well, just cause!" she sputtered.
Biggs shook his head, still chuckling. "Jessie, it's a ring. What in Gaia's name do you think he's going to assume when you hand him that? Especially a guy as awkward as Cloud," he remarked.
A flash of doubt entered Jessie's mind, before she realized that just because it's immediately what went through Biggs' head, didn't mean that's how Cloud would take it. She felt it in her gut that she'd made the right call. After all…he wasn't good with words. And as flirty and suggestive as she was capable of being, she needed to communicate to Cloud how she felt without making him uncomfortable.
"Well I'll tell you one thing, Cloud isn't so awkward his attempts at asking a girl out were met with a pat on the back, an ACTUAL pat on the back," she shot snarkily.
Biggs winced as he remembered the time he'd tried asking Tifa out a few months back. He'd always privately held a candle for the barmaid, but she'd remained resolutely single for as long as he'd known her. When he finally worked up the courage to say something to her, he'd wound up offering to stay and clean up the bar INSTEAD of her, and she'd patted him on the back in thanks before retiring to bed. Wedge and Jessie nearly gave themselves strokes from laughing at him that night.
"Touche," he muttered in response.
Satisfied with her rebuttal, the two walked back to Seventh Heaven in relative silence, both exchanging brief hellos to other residents of the slums. As they crossed the doors, Jessie knew immediately something was wrong. Barret was sitting at the bar with his head in his hand, Marlene looking up at him worriedly. Tifa was crying silently into her arms at a nearby table. And Cloud was nowhere to be seen.
"Guys, what happened? Where's Cloud?" Biggs finally asked.
Jessie didn't want them to answer. She just wanted to Cloud to come up from downstairs, and give her one of his half-smiles before making a crack at Barret's expense. But that didn't happen, as Barret let out a deep sigh before turning his attention to the two of them.
"Shinra knew we were coming. It was a trap," he growled lowly.
"What? How?" Biggs yelled.
Jessie could feel her chest constricting, and she looked around desperately for any phantoms, actual disappointment sitting in when she realized there weren't any. That sinking feeling growing inside her was the result of her own feelings and her own feelings alone.
"I don't know, Biggs. I don't know. They sicked this goddamn war weapon on us, and blew up the reactor themselves. The explosion for the first reactor? It was that big because they made it that big. It wasn't your bomb Jessie. Shinra did this to pin the extra casualties on Avalanche. And they did it again this time to try and take us out," he yelled, his fist slamming down on the table.
Nothing that Barret was saying was registering with Jessie though, whose attention was now focused on Tifa's shoulders, which were shaking violently from the crying.
"Tifa, where's Cloud?" she finally choked out.
Tifa lifted her head up, directing her attention to Jessie. Tears were still freely flowing down her face, and her normally ruby colored eyes were even redder than usual because of how hard she'd been crying. Biggs walked over to her, kneeling down and placing his hand on her arm.
"While we were fighting, the weapon they'd sent to kill us exploded. It damaged the bridge we were on, and we got separated. Cloud…he…he fell from the plate," she sobbed.
Jessie's whole body went cold as ice, and she felt like her heart had just shattered into a million pieces. She wished she could trade the feeling she had now for the feeling a thousand of those phantoms would give her, if it would just bring Cloud back. Tears began falling from her face, and she wasn't even aware that Barret, Tifa, and Biggs were all staring at her with looks of pity. All she knew was that the world as she knew it had suddenly stopped spinning.
"Jessie…" Tifa started to say, before giving way to more sobs, letting herself cry into Biggs' shoulder. Now stuck, Biggs' eyes found Jessie's, and he couldn't react in time before she'd turned and darted out the bar.
Jessie must have ran for at least 30 minutes before the sobs had required too much extra breathing, and she collapsed against a pile of junk halfway between Sector 7 and Sector 6. Knees brought to her chest, Jessie cried until she felt like she'd ran out of tears. Her thoughts went to her kiss with Cloud, and his assurance that he would be around to make her happy. And that's when it really hit her.
It's my fault. He went BECAUSE of me.
Despair flooded Jessie's veins, and she prayed that some monster would just end her suffering. It was just like what happened with her father. Her father busted his ass for Shinra to make sure she and her mother lived comfortably…and he'd paid the price for it. And now Cloud was taken from her by the same people, for the same reason—for trying to make her happy. Eyes gripping her legs tightly, she remembered the ring that she'd bought earlier in her pocket. Taking it out of the small bag, she gripped it between her two hands, her blurry vision making her see double.
Fingers tracing over the engraving of the wolf, a ghost of a smile appeared on her face as she realized the irony in Cloud's jewelry preference. The lone wolf was a cliché in plenty of modern plays—the retired military man thinks he's too damaged for the world, and it's only through the love of a beautiful princess that his heart opens again. Then the lone wolf becomes an Alpha in a pack he cares deeply for, with a mate that serves by his side faithfully. Jessie let her imagination carry her away from the pain, if only for a moment.
She sat there alone for what felt like an eternity before she heard rustling from behind the junkpile she'd been leaning on. Putting the ring on her finger, she stood up and unholstered her weapon, taking several slow, careful steps. The breath she didn't know she was holding was released when she came face to face with Tifa and Biggs.
"Oh thank Gaia," Biggs breathed out, as he placed his hands on his knees and bent over. Tifa looked like she'd stopped crying a while ago, but her eyes still gave away just how broken she was feeling.
"Jessie, we were so worried about you," she said, her hand over her heart.
Jessie forced a smile in their direction, at the very least sorry she'd caused them so much extra grief.
"I'm sorry guys…I just needed some time alone," she answered quietly.
The three stood together in silence, before Biggs ultimately gestured back towards the direction of the bar.
"We should really head back, it's gonna get dark soon and Barret's gonna start losing what's left of his mind," he remarked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Neither Tifa nor Jessie laughed, but they gave Biggs a small smile in response. The three made it back to Sector 7 just as the sun finished setting. They all checked in with Barret at the bar, and then after several assurances from both girls that they would be fine getting back to their respective apartments alone, Biggs made his own way home. Jessie and Tifa walked together in silence, stopping just outside Jessie's apartment. As she reached to open the door, Tifa noticed the wolf ring on Jessie's finger.
"When did you get that?" she asked.
Jessie felt a faint blush grace her cheeks, and she offered Tifa her hand to get a closer look.
"Cloud had noticed it this morning. It looked like he was actually interested in it, and you know him, too cool for school and all that. When I asked him if he was going to buy it he brushed it off. I went back after I woke up to get it for him as a surprise," she explained.
Tifa smiled, and it dawned on Jessie that as difficult as it no doubt was for her to listen to Jessie talk about him, she cared so intensely for her and for Cloud that it trumped her own feelings. It made Jessie feel even worse than she already did, but before even more despair could sink in, Tifa had enveloped her in a tight hug. Caught off guard, Jessie returned the hug in kind, and the two held eachother for several seconds before Tifa pulled away, her hands on Jessie's shoulders.
"When Cloud and I were kids, he left to join Soldier. I didn't see him for years after, never heard mention of him in the news. To be honest with you, I was actually ready to give up hope that he hadn't died at some point. Then I found him at the train station, and it honestly did feel like he'd come back from the dead," she started.
Jessie found herself hanging on every one of Tifa's words, acutely aware that this was the most she'd spoken to her about Cloud.
"While we were on our way to the reactor, I asked him a few things. I just wanted to know what happened from the time he left Nibelheim to when we met up. But in typical Cloud fashion, he either wouldn't, or couldn't, give me a whole lot of answers. But what he did do, to my surprise, was talk about you," she continued, smiling.
Jessie felt more tears falling down her face, as her own smile grew in response.
"He told me that you changed his mind about people. He figured the only thing for him here was jobs and money, and that it wasn't worth his time getting to know anyone. But that you 'wiggled' your way in, and he found that the more he got to know you, the more he cared. And the more he cared, the happier he became. Before he fell, he looked me in the eye and said 'this isn't the end,'" Tifa finished.
Still dumbstruck from all of Tifa's words, Jessie wiped the tears from her face and searched Tifa's eyes desperately for confirmation that she was hearing what she thought she was hearing. In unison, the two quietly whispered:
"He's still alive."
Tifa nodded, giving Jessie one last tight hug before turning away and walking towards her apartment. Jessie moved to go inside, and found herself on autopilot as she climbed the stairs to her room. Collapsing on to her bed, Jessie closed her eyes as she considered Tifa's words. Her heart clenched tightly as she silently prayed to the Planet that Cloud really was still alive somehow.
Come on Soldier-boy, come back to me.