I did some tweaking to my progression for this story. I'm trying to keep at realistic as possible. Reviews are amazing, guys. Thanks for reading.

The Strife couple had fallen into a light sleep that was disrupted by a hesitant tap on the door. Both stirred, Riku pulling Cloud closer even as he opened his eyes. He glanced down and found blue eyes already gazing up at him.

"I'm really tired of this place."

"Me, too," Riku agreed. "I think we'll do much better at home."

"I want to go home."

"So do I. We'll ask about it next time one of the doctors come in."

The knock came again and the couple gave each other annoyed looks. Cloud sat up and rolled his shoulders. As he did, Riku stretched his back and told their visitor to enter.

This time it was Cameron, who held a folder that was likely Cloud's chart. The woman smiled at them as she approached. "How are you doing?"

"That's a loaded question," Cloud said dryly.

"Well, let's go with physically."

"I'm alright." He shrugged. "Still hungry… want to go home, too."

Cameron nodded understandingly. "Let me go through some things with you and then we'll get you discharged. The rest of this can be dealt with during regular appointments."

"What have you got?" Riku queried, squeezing Cloud's hand.

"All of the tissue samples are normal , confirming to us at least that however the pregnancy occurred, it was not by any biologic or physiological means."

"Good," Cloud stated softly. "That means it can be reversed. I'm not permanently messed up."

"In theory, yes." The doctor held the folder to her chest with both arms. "Now, as to the pregnancy itself… so far as we can tell it's completely viable. There's full implantation and there's enough separation of the abdominal wall there for the baby to grow and the delivery would be by cesarean section. The only concern is if the hormone levels will stay where they need to be and if your body can tolerate the strain on it."

Cloud averted his eyes from her and Riku. "And if I want an abortion?"

Riku froze at the casual way Cloud asked the question. Had his husband already made up his mind? Was there no chance of him choosing to keep their baby? It had sounded earlier like he was at least considering it.

Cameron seemed slightly taken aback by the question but she answered professionally. "No one here will perform an abortion after the first trimester unless it's medically necessary. The latest you can decide that is at thirteen weeks unless you find someone off-world."

Five more weeks then. Cloud thought to himself. He had five weeks to decide if his child lived or died. It was not a decision he wanted to make and he cursed again at being in this position.

Cloud noted Riku's reaction and moved the conversation forward. "If the hormone levels don't stay up, what's the solution?"

"We can do hormone therapies to them where they need to be. We'll have to order them though, so we'll need to keep on top of it. You'll have to have blood work every three days."

Riku watched his husband carefully, wishing he had the power to read his mind. It hurt terribly that Cloud kept going back to the abortion idea. He understood that all of the options had to be examined but for him, terminating was not an option.

"Can we go home?" The blond man had a quiet pleading quality to his question. "I really can't stand to be here anymore."

"I'll start your discharge." Cameron informed them. "We'll need to see you in two days for a blood work-up and to start putting together a plan of treatment."

"Fine."

Cameron looked between the couple, clearly concerned about them. She appeared to wait to say something but refrained. "I'll send Aerith with your instructions."

--0—0—

Riku and Cloud walked quietly out of the medical center and into the early night air. Cloud had a folder loaded with information and things he needed to do over at least the next few days. He had not bothered to look through it yet.

"You still hungry?" Riku flicked his eyes over.

"Yeah, but I'll find something at home. I don't want to stop anywhere."

He just did not want to risk running into anyone. Riku supposed he could not blame him for that; they were both rather revealing to their friends. It was probably better for now to avoid the others if they could. Riku doubted either of them could handle any questioning yet.

"I think we have taquitos."

"Those would be good." Cloud actually thought they sounded amazing. Beef taquitos with some hot sauce… What the hell was with him and hot sauce lately?

They were quiet again for the rest of the journey home. As they entered the house, the dogs came running over from the living room, whining happily to see them. Thankfully, Sephiroth had been at the house most of the day so Zack and Seph had been let out and there wasn't likely to be any messes. The couple greeted the canines then motioned for them to get out from underfoot.

"How many taquitos do you want?" Riku asked as he stepped toward the kitchen.

"Um… like ten." Cloud decided, turning for the living room after the dogs. Over his shoulder, he added, "And bring some hot sauce."

He heard Riku's light chuckle and smiled a touch to himself. At least Riku had something to be amused about in this situation. He sat on the sofa and held the folder near his knees. The dogs jumped up to lay on either side of him, the Labradors taking up all the remaining space.

"You two are too big to be up here," he muttered, one hand releasing the folder and reaching over to rub Zack's ears.

Cloud cast his eyes back to the folder and sighed. Laying it on his lap, he opened it and skimmed past the actual discharge papers, lightly tossing them on the coffee table. He then picked up the first page of instructions Cameron had given. Thankfully, it appeared that there wasn't going to be much he had to change about his lifestyle to ensure the healthiest pregnancy. Most of it didn't apply to him and outside of some dietary and activity limitations, there wasn't much he was going to have to do differently.

He flipped the page and went to the next. This was a weekly breakdown of the baby's development in the womb; or in his case abdomen. It also detailed changes in the mother's body. He had to wonder what of those would affect him.

Casually, he read over the eight week entry. Their baby was about 1.6 centimeters long and weighed around 1 gram. The eyelid folds, nerve cells and the retina were beginning to form in the eye as well as the tip to the nose and ears. The valves are present in the heart and the tubes leading from the throat to the functioning part of the lungs are branched. The baby's body was straightening and lengthening out, as well as the arms forming elbows and the fingers nearly completed. The baby's head was much larger in relation to the rest of his/her body.

Riku waited for the microwave to finish, pouring a large glass of sweet tea. He had finally perfected the beverage after three years of trying to brew it exactly as his country-born husband liked it. It had been Irvine who helped him get it right and now he had to have at least a gallon of it at all times for Cloud and if Irvine or Zack randomly showed up.

As he put remained of the jug away, the microwave finally finished. He returned to it and removed the paper plate from it. Carefully balancing it with the bottle of hot sauce in one hand, he grabbed the tea glass and made his way back to the living room.

He found Cloud sitting on the sofa with the dogs, reading over some of the papers he had been given. Riku had no idea what they were about of how Cloud was reacting to it, his expression gave away nothing. He was hesitant to interrupt his reading but also curious to know what it was.

Cloud glanced up and immediately closed the folder. He sat forward, setting it on the coffee table with some loose papers. "Finally."

Riku crossed the room and handed him the plate and hot sauce. Once his hand was free, he snapped his fingers and the dogs left the sofa to curl up on the floor near their feet. He set the tea on the table and went to sit beside his husband.

Cloud had already finished off one taquito, and was pouring a line of hot sauce along the length of another one. When done, he bit into it and made a noise of near-bliss. "This is amazing."

"It's just microwaved taquitos, Cloud." Riku watched him an amusement. "And, need I remind you that you don't even like hot sauce?"

"Well, apparently the baby does and she gets what she wants."

Riku blinked and Cloud paused, the sentence hanging between them.

Cloud slowly put down the taquito. "Riku, I-"

A knock on the door cut him off and Sora bounded through the front door. He had an amazed look to his eyes. "You guys are not going to believe what we found out!"

Sephiroth had come in by now and regarded the couple on the sofa. He clearly understood they had interrupted something and took up a spot near the TV. He did not say anything but silently analyzed Riku and Cloud's emotional states. It was difficult to tell his reaction to what he saw.

Cloud placed his plate on the table beside his hospital folder, suddenly not at all hungry. "Is Hades behind this?"

Sora frowned in confusion. "How did you know…?"

"Yes," Sephiroth answered Cloud, ignoring Sora's question. He leaned his back against the entertainment center and folded his arms. "And he's quite proud of his accomplish. Apparently, he got exactly what he wanted."

"And that was?" Cloud asked.

"He knows your fear of failure and one of the strongest kinds of fear is that of failing your child. He also figured out that due to this, if you were to be confronted with a child you were absolutely responsible for, you would melt down and chose to be rid of it instead of taking the risk of failure as a parent.

"That would have ended things too soon and not have the lasting effects he desired so he made it so he changed the structures of your body. This assured that Riku would be the other parent when you conceived. By doing so, he made it impossible for you to simply abort the pregnancy."

"So, he put you in an impossible situation on every front, knowing that no matter what you chose, you would be emotionally tortured and psychologically traumatized." Sora finished, also watching Cloud.

Mako-infused blue eyes stared at nothing as Cloud processed this final piece of the puzzle. So, Hades had finally decided his revenge on him for breaking that damned contract a decade ago. Killing him hadn't worked so he had spent years figuring out something that would. "Lucky him, goal accomplished."

Riku moistened his lips and settled further into the cushions. While it was good to finally know how and why all of this happened, he did not care anymore. All that really mattered to him was what was going to happen to their child. He did not know what Cloud was going to do with this information or how it would affect his decision.

Cloud abruptly stood. He passed Riku and began pacing the room, something he never normally did. After five minutes of this, he began ranting. "What is it about me that makes everyone chose me to fuck up? I never asked for any of this. I really wish sometimes I had just stayed in Nibleheim and been content being nothing to nobody. Ever since I decided I wanted to be someone important, to make people notice me, it's been one thing after another. Even all the good things that have happened are tainted by it!"

Riku's eyes tracked Cloud, his heart clenching further with each circuit the man made. Cloud thought of their baby as another bad thing in his life; another burden to bear, a curse placed upon him. There was nothing positive in his attitude, no bright side. If that was how Cloud was going to view their baby, maybe an abortion was the best cause.

"So what?" Sora narrowed his eyes at his best friend's husband. "Who cares why this happened? You and Riku have something a lot of couples can only dream of. It doesn't matter how or why the baby was conceived; it exists now."

"Only because some freak made it happen." Cloud retorted. The moment the words were out of his mouth he froze. He did not turn to look at Riku but he could perfectly picture his expression. After a brief silence, he whispered, "And it's not the same, Riku."

Riku knew the details were not but when one got down to it, the fundamental situation was. Riku and Sephiroth were both created in unnatural fashions as was the child that Cloud now carried. However, there was a significant difference between them and the baby that, to Riku at least, made all the difference in the worlds.

He was surprised when Sephiroth quietly voiced the words he was about to. "Riku and I were created for scientific and ultimately selfish reasons, Cloud. There was no desire to be a parent, no joy beyond that of continuing research, and most importantly, no love or warmth associated with our conception. The child you carry within you, and have no doubt that it is a child, was created by an act of absolute love and devotion regardless of the circumstances that made it possible."

Cloud studied the wall before him, letting the words run through his mind. Sephiroth was right and he could safely assume Riku was seeing this the same way. In the end, maybe it really did not matter how this happened. Perhaps it was time for him to stop using that to avoid the question that really was important right now:

Did he want to keep this child?

Riku had no idea what was going through his husband's head right now. All he knew was that none of the information given by Sephiroth and Sora changed anything. As far as he was concerned, they should be grateful for this chance. If Cloud let go of the how, focus on the life inside of him and that only, they could turn Hades' revenge around and make it a wonderful event.

"You really want this kid, don't you?"

Aqua eyes blinked at the question. He did not know why he was being asked because he thought it had been pretty obvious that he did. "Well, yeah. I mean, this is our baby. But… if you don't… I'd rather…" He took a deep breath and pushed back the pain of what he was about to say. He had to be logical right now. "I'd rather we didn't have her if you're going to end up resenting or being detached from her. If you don't think you can ever bond with her…"

Cloud idly placed a hand on his stomach. "I would never resent a child… it's not like they chose to be here…"

"I think what Riku's saying is," Sora softly spoke. "If you can't love this baby with your entire being without reservation, it may be best for all if you didn't see this through."

Suddenly angry, Cloud waved a hand. "I can't think about this anymore. Everyone, please, just… back off me for a while."

"We're not-" Sora started but was cut off by Sephiroth's raised hand. The winged man minutely shook his head.

Riku wanted to push the subject but knew it was best not to. If Cloud was telling them to leave him be, he had to be much more conflicted than he was letting on. He was beginning to wish they were more like other couples who actually communicated normally.

Sephiroth's feline eyes set upon Cloud. "You should finish eating your… unusual choice for a meal."

"Yeah." Sora chuckled. "What's with the hot sauce? I thought you hated that stuff."

"He does." Sephiroth lightly smirked, watching Cloud return to the sofa and pick up his plate. "Apparently someone else does, however."

Cloud made a face, not amused by the winged man's tone. "Yeah, gonna have to get used to being ordered around by someone inside me again."

Riku glared at him. "It's totally not the same-"

"I didn't say it was, Riku." Cloud interrupted gently. "And I didn't mean to imply that it was."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I meant," Cloud sighed. "That I know what it's like to have little control over my own body. That's it."

Riku took a breath and willed himself to calm down. He knew he was overreacting because of his frustration. In an effort to keep from snapping or saying anything that would cause an unnecessary argument, he reached for the plate of taquitos. "Let me reheat these."

The blond let him take the food and the younger man stood. Riku took the plate to the kitchen and set it in the microwave. He paused for a moment, closing his eyes and collecting himself before setting the timer for a minute. The start button had barely been pressed when he heard the soft rustling of feathers.

"Are you going to be able to accept it if Cloud does chose to terminate?"

Riku shut his eyes again and set both his hands on the edge of the counter. "I hope so… I want to be. I know it'll take awhile."

"I wish I could make this easier for you both." Sephiroth spoke quietly. "I don't know what Cloud's going to decide but regardless, it's going to have a profound effect on each of you."

Riku turned toward his brother. "I'm getting mixed messages and that's what's really frustrating me. Some of the things he's said and a few of his actions indicate that's he's at least subconsciously trying to bond. His conscious mind, however, just doesn't want to deal with this."

"All of which is understandable." Sephiroth leaned against the short out-jutting of wall at the kitchen entrance. "If I thought some kind of counseling would do any good, I would recommend it in a second."

"I'm strongly leaning towards restarting it for myself regardless of the outcome."

"It's a very good idea."

The microwave went off, breaking their conversation. Riku removed the taquitos from it and carried the plate toward Sephiroth. He paused before him and glanced up. "If I asked you to find a way to kill Hades-"

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure right now, Brother."

Riku smiled and the siblings returned to the living room. Seph had gotten back on the sofa, his head laying on Cloud's leg. Zack had decided to try to climb his large body into Sora's lap and was head-butting the brunet's chest to get attention. Both human males had been speaking quietly but stopped at Riku and Sephiroth's entrance.

"Seph, down." Cloud ordered softly and the dog jumped to the floor.

Riku stepped over and held out the plate to his husband. Cloud instead took hold of his wrist and tugged gently to get him to sit beside him. As Riku did, he retrieved the plate with his free hand. Once Riku was settled, Cloud placed a hand on his knee and squeezed it.

"I believe I shall retire now." Sephiroth announced, certain that at least for tonight things were settled. "If you need me, don't hesitate to wake me up."

The couple on the sofa nodded, and bid him good night. As he went upstairs, Sora stretched his back. He ducked another attempt by Zack to lick his face then stood. "I should get home, too. Axel will start trashing the apartment if he gets too bored."

Cloud picked up a taquito. "There's a bet going as to when we're gonna start seeing random acts of minor arson."

"He wouldn't resort to that; he likes his job as fire marshal too much." Sora grinned. "Plus he knows that Leon would kick his butt off-world so fast the flames would be put out by the speed."

"Definitely."

Riku looked at his best friend gratefully. "Thanks for everything today, Sor."

"No prob, Ku." Blue eyes fixed upon Cloud as Sora pointed at him. "Think about what I said, okay?"

Cloud nodded once. "I will."

"Good." Sora smiled a bit and walked backwards toward the door. "If I run into anyone, I'll tell them your resting and to leave you alone for the night."

"That would be great."

"Yep." The spiky-brunet waved. "See you in the morning."

The door closed behind him, leaving the couple and their dogs in an odd silence. Cloud continued eating his taquitos and Riku just watched him. It was almost painfully obvious they were trying to not talk about what was occupying their minds.

"Do you want the last one?" Cloud asked, picking up his sweet tea.

"I'm fine. Sora and I had pizza earlier."

"That was hours ago."

"I'm not hungry." Riku knew his voice was clipped and he added in a softer tone. "I'm sorry. That wasn't meant to sound snippy."

"I know." Cloud set the tea back down. He tossed the plate beside it and half-turned toward his lover. "And I know you're frustrated with me right now. I wish I could just…"

Riku lifted a hand and brushed at the hair that framed Cloud's face. "I don't want you to rush this. We have to do what we feel is best for ourselves and the baby. I want us to be sure about whatever we decide."

Nodding a bit, Cloud met Riku's aqua eyes. He worried his lower lip. "Sora brought up something earlier… I need you to know, Riku, that if I decided that I can't go through this… it isn't a reflection on you. And it doesn't mean that I love you less. If this baby were anyone else's, it would already be gone."

"I know," whispered Riku with a faint smile. That was one of his concerns; he did not want Cloud to keep the baby simply because Riku was the father. That reasoning, that motivation, was what would lead to the resentment and detachment he feared. "I can truthfully say I would not take it as a personal slight."

The blond felt a bit of relief. Since Sora had mentioned the possibility, it had been on the front of his mind. He had gotten so caught up in trying to figure out what he was going to do, he had lost sight that Riku was a part of this also. While it was his body and ultimately his decision, this baby also belonged to Riku. His decision would have a profound effect on both of them.

Exhaling loudly, Cloud rubbed at his forehead. "I think what we need right now is to get some sleep."

That sounded like a good idea to Riku. They were both emotionally exhausted and the rest would allow their minds to settle. Some time away from the subject would make it easier to re-tackle it later. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Cloud stood, taking up his plate and glass with him. Riku followed him to the kitchen and watched him throw away the last taquito. Cloud then rinsed off the plate and placed both it and the glass in the dishwasher; Riku despised dishes being left in the sink and the older man had learned very quickly to not do it. Then Cloud walked back over to him.

Riku took his hand and tugged his husband closer. Cloud wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed him softly. "I love you."

"Always." The silvered one returned sincerely.

They then headed for bed.