Hi! I'm back! :D It took longer then i thought to write this. But it is here now, so have fun! Oh, and by the way, Cherise has wavy dirty-blond hair and hazel eyes. Right now, she is 25. Talon, her brothers gun blade, is a lot like Leon's in ff8. Her fav materias are agility, ice and lightning. Aarin (her brother, and yes he died in the last chapter) had brown hair and eyes, and was 25 when he died.

Mia:...and thus it begins. welcome to the world of ff7 that my sister does not own.

Kadaj: When am I going to get in this story?

Mia: when my sister feels like it.

Kadaj:...you're going to ditch us halfway through the chapter again, aren't you?

Mia: yup!

Chapter 2

It was a week since Vincent Valentine defeated Omega in what was now being called The Battle of Midgar. Cherise looked around, still uncomfortable being so close to the city she used to call home. True, it was a different town, called Edge, but the old Shinra Building still dominated the view. She had fought in the battle, side-by-side with AVALANCE. It felt good to fight on the good side. Now she was stationed in Edge, helping clean things up and helping WRO rebuild.

Cherise had worked hard all day, looking through the remains of the old Shinra Building and making sure DeepGround had not left any nasty surprises for them. She was coming up on the building her apartment was in. She was dirty, tired, and hungry, but did not feel like making her own dinner. Cherise decided to go to 7th Heaven and eat dinner there. It was nearby, the food was good, and she had gone there almost every day so far that she had been in Edge. It was almost tradition.

After walking halfway around the block, Cherise arrived at 7th Heaven. The sun was setting as she stepped inside. It was known as a bar, but lately it been turning into more of a café. It was just before the busy hour, and a few customers were sitting at a table.

Cherise sat at a table of to the side, then looked around. AVALANCE was there, as the few members that did not live in Edge were still needed for cleaning up. Cloud, Barret, Cid, and Vincent were playing a game of cards while Shelke and Red XIII watched. Tifa was acting as a waitress, and Yuffie was talking to Marlene and Denzel. Shera was behind the bar washing dishes.

Cherise looked up as Tifa walked over, placing the menu and a glass of water in front of Cherise. "Do you want anything else to drink?" Tifa asked.

"I'll have some coffee, thank you," she answered.

As Tifa walked away, Cherise was aware of one of the other customers eying her. She took a sip of water and looked at the menu, trying to ignore him.

The man scowled as Tifa walked over to the bar. He had unpleasant, shifty eyes and looked like he hadn't shaved for days. Cherise found herself fingering her gun blade. Gut feeling told her that the man was trouble. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw shifty eyes looking at her again. Then, she remembered that she had met him before.

Tifa came back with the coffee, crème, and sugar. "Have you decided what you want?" she asked.

Cherise nodded. "Yes, I'll just have a chicken sandwich. With the salad and fries."

"Ok, I'll go get it," Tifa said as she walked over to Shera. Cherise watched her, marveling at how after all she's gone though, Tifa still acted carefree.

The man stood up. Cherise allowed her full attention to be on him, and as she did so, she remembered who he was. His name was Cody Tripe, a bank thief. She had personally tracked him down several times, and he had a major grudge against her. This could get rough.

Cherise calmly finished mixing the crème and sugar into the coffee, and took a sip as Cody Tripe approached. He stopped a yard away from her. Cherise waited a few seconds before looking up.

"Yes?" She asked, keeping her voice cool and level. "What is it, Tripe?"

His eyes narrowed. "I want to talk to you," he said. "Outside"

The tone of his voice must have set off an alarm bell for AVALANCE, because they were all looking at Cherise and Tripe. The thief looked up, and his eyes narrowed. "Alone."

Valentine and Strife looked at Cherise. She could she the question in their eyes. Will you be fine? Cherise nodded. Then she looked at Tripe. "All right."

Cherise glanced at Tifa. "I'll be back."

Slowly, she stood up, and walked outside, Tripe and his friends following her. Tripe then led the way into and alleyway on the side of 7th Heaven. He motioned for her to stand with her back to the wall and stared at her. Then he pulled his pistol out of its holster as one of his friends took Cherise's gunblade out of her holster. She narrowed her eyes.

"You know," Tripe began, "You've caused a lot of trouble for me. Ruined my organization, and put me in jail."

"Yes, but apparently you got out," Cherise stated.

Tripe smiled slowly as his friends drew their guns and pointed them at the ex-Turk.

"Yes, that's just great, isn't it?" Tripe asked slyly. "I've been waiting for this a long time." He waved his pistol. "This better not be a trap. You came to easy. Let's go."

Cherise cocked her head. They are taking me somewhere else? I better finish this, quick. "I'm not going anywhere," she said softly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone edging into the shadows at the back of the ally wall, behind Tripe and his men.

"Then we will just end it here," Tripe said, putting his finger on the trigger.

Vincent Valentine stepped into the ally, drawing his three-barreled pistol. Tripe and his friends turned, pistols tracking toward the red-capped gunman. Too late, Tripe realized his mistake, and started to turn back towards Cherise.

As Valentine dogged a bullet, Cherise jumped at Tripe, below the bullets he fired her way. She tackled him, and cast a Lightning spell at one of the other gunman. Cherise pulled her pistol from her jacket and jammed it under Tripe's chin. Valentine had shot one of the gunmen, and as he cast a sleep spell on the other, she allowed a smirk to cross her lips.

Cherise took Tripe's gun in one hand, and stood up, keeping him covered with her pistol. "You always were an amateur," she said.

Valentine stepped up to her side. "Perhaps you are more skilled then I thought," he stated, eying Tripe with his red eyes.

"Probably." Cherise grabbed Tripe's shirt and hauled him to his feet. "Looks like you're going to jail again," she said. "This time for attempted murder."

Keeping her pistol trained on him, she picked up her gunblade and re-sheathed it. Cloud Strife turned into the ally-way, and glanced from Cherise to Valentine. He then looked at Tripe. "What is your name?"

Tripe swallowed, then stammered "It's…" he looked at Cherise , who raised her pistol to eye-level and brought it an inch closer to him. "My name is Cody Tripe," he finished.

Strife nodded. "I thought so. There is an arrest warrant out for you. I called WRO. One or two of the Turks will be here too."

The Turks are coming here? Not wanting to see them, Cherise sheathed her pistol and turned toward the entrance of the ally. "In that case, I will take my leave."

"Too late." Cherise's eyes widened as Reno stepped next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. Cherise brushed him off and turned to leave, only to have her way blocked by Tseng, Elena, and Rude. "Crap," she muttered.

Tseng raised an eyebrow. "I take it you are not happy to see us."

"No, I'm not." Cherise snorted.

"What?!" Reno's voice was filled with disbelief. "We haven't seen each other for three years, and this is how you greet me? I had thought I had made a better impression on you then that."

Cherise smirked. "In your dreams, Red."

A WRO truck pulled up. A few agents came out and approached the group. The on in the lead – a sergeant – approached Cloud and saluted.

The sergeant looked around, then said, "I take it that the situation is under control, sir?"

Cloud nodded, then motioned to Cody Tripe. "Looks like we don't have to worry about well-planned robberies from him anymore."

Cherise, knowing that with her perfect memory could replay the rest of Cloud's conversation later, watched the agents escort Tripe and his unconscious friends into the truck. She frowned. WRO was working more fluidly, almost like…she shook her head. As much as Cherise enjoyed doing something to help the planet, she felt that she needed a new job. WRO reminded her of her time with the Turks, a time she wanted to forget.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cherise saw Tseng approch her. She sighed, then looked at him. "Yes?" she asked.

"You were getting ready to have dinner before you were interrupted. Do you mind if we join you?" Tseng asked. "We have not seen each other for several years. I know you have no desire to be a Turk again, but there is no reason why we can't stay in touch."

Cherise sighed. "Fine." She looked at the other Turks. "You guys coming?"

Reno smiled. "Are you kidding? No way would I miss this!"

Elena nodded. "Of course I'm coming." Rude just nodded.

Of course they would come, Cherise thought as she headed back into the bar. We were friends.

When Tifa saw Cherise, she smiled and put Cherise's sandwich on the table next to her coffee. Cherise sat down, with Tseng and Rude sitting across from her, and Elena next to her. Reno tried to do the same, but a glare from Cherise made him put a seat between them.

Cherise turned to Tseng and smiled. "A good thing I sat at a table with extra seats."

Tseng gave her a small smile.

"So, how have you been?" Elena asked.

Cherise shrugged, and tucked a strand of dirty- blond hair behind her ear. "Ok, I guess. I have'nt stayed in one place for long, and can't seem to find the right job."

Rude frowned. "What about your job with WRO?

Cherise shifted in her seat. "I don't know, it just... well, it reminds me too much of when I used to work for Shinra, and... lost friends," she said, trying to keep images of 1st Class SOLDIERS out of her head.

An awkward silence streched between them until Reno said, "We could have helped you with that, yo. We are still your friends."

Cherise turned and glared at him. "Sure, we were 'friends,' but I was already mad at Shinra and the Turks for blowing up Sector Seven, kidnapping Aeris and killing Zack." She looked at Tseng and her eyes softened. "I know you tried to prevent those things from happening, but they still happened. I just had to get away. And I can't go back."

Another silence streched. this time broken by Elena. "I have noticed that you have started selling your paintings. How is that going?"

The ex-Turk shrugged. "I am doing ok, but so far it would in no way work as a steady job. Not now, at least. Maybe if I could get a few contracts, I could get a job with less time required, but unless that happens, I'm stuck."

"Rufus is thinking of buying one or two," Rude said.

Cherise raised an eyebrow. "Rufus?" She asked. Her amber eyes looked at Tseng. "Since when were the Turks so informal?"

Tseng shrugged. "That happens when you live in the same house as him."

Cherise nodded. "So... which paintings does Mr. Shinra have his eyes on?"

Reno rolled his eyes. "Umm... Let's see. He liked "A Former Power," you know. The one with the tiger and ruined Mako reactor. Oh, and the one with flowers on the outskirts of Midgar, what was it called..."

"Flowers near Midgar."

Reno pointed his fingers at Cherise. "That's it, yo! So, he wants originals, not just prints."

Cherise nodded. "Of course he does." She looked at Elena. "So, how are you? It must be hard, living with just guys."

Elena smiled. "Not really. I don't get board." She looked at Tseng. " Actually... Tseng and I got married a year ago."

Cherise blinked. That was a surprise. "Really?!" She looked at Tseng. He was smiling. Looking back at Elena, she said, "Well, congratulations. I did not see that coming."

Reno smirked. "If you had stayed, you would have. They started dating after the Geostigma incident. I knew it would happen."

Tseng snorted. "Sure, but that did not stop you from flirting with her."

Reno just smiled.

Cherise laughed. "That's just like you, Reno."

They continued to talk until Cherise finished her dinner. "Well, I better go," She said. "It was nice seeing you, and I'll call Rufus about those paintings."

The Turks stood up as well. "You will keep in touch?" Elena asked. Cherise nodded. "I will."

~#~

Vincent Valentine watched as Cherise Autum left the bar. He Could tell that she was more then she seemed, had a different past then most WRO workers. She was different, and that did not include the fact that she had been a Turk.

Vincent had always been good at reading people. A few months ago, when she had first walked into the bar, he had known that she was hiding something. After a few weeks of observation, the gunman had realized that she was hiding her true feelings. Cherise may act like nothing was wrong, but Vincent could tell that she was depressed.

It may not be his business to know why, but Vincent thought that it might have something to do with Cloud. And he had a gut feeling that it may be important. Ever since he was a Turk, he had almost had a sixth sense when it came to information. That's not what it was, really, it was more like when he observed, he could just understand people. That was one of the reasons when. in the Nibelhiem mansion, Vincent had decided to take a risk and join AVALANCE.

The gunman stood up and walked over to Tseng, his cape flowing behind him. Ever since Vincent had rescued Elena and Tseng, they had started to develop a professional respect for each other that was on the verge of friendship. Vincent hoped that they were close enough for Tseng to tell him what he wanted to know.

"Tseng."

The Turk turned toward him and nodded. "Valentine. I want to thank you for your helping Cherise with Tripe."

Vincent nodded. "Your welcome. I want to talk to you. Alone."

Tseng's dark eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded. He turned to the other Turks, and said; "Valentine and I will talk outside. When we are done, be ready to leave."

The Turks nodded, then continued whatever conversation they had been having. Vincent followed Tseng outside the bar. The sun was setting, turning the clouds pink and the lighting a darker shade of blue. It was getting late, so there were few people on the streets, most of them heading home.

Tseng turned toward the gunman. "So, what do you want to know?"

"Who exactly is Cherise Autum?" Vincent asked, getting strait to the point. "She has been coming to 7th Heaven for a while now, but she has not said anything about herself."

Tseng just looked at the gunman. Then he asked, "Why do you want to know, Valentine? You usually do not pry like this."

"There is more to her then being a former Turk. Cloud and Tifa knew her before she joined WRO, but not very well."

Turning away from Vincent, Tseng sighed. "Very well. Cherise and her brother, Aarin, grew up in Nibelhiem. When Cherise turned ten, their father moved to Midgar and got a well-paying job in Shinra. After school, Cherise and her brother would do homework in the Shinra Building until their dad left work. So, as you can imagine, they got to know the staff quite well, and were impressed by the Turks. So when Aarin turned sixteen, he joined the Turks and Cherise followed him three years later. Unlike most Turks, they were willing to work with SOLDIER, and got to know them well. Some of them they might have even called friends." Here Tseng hesitated.

"Go on," Vincent said, interested, although knowing where this might go.

"They were very close with two SOLDIERs in particular." Tseng looked at Vincent. "Zack Fair and Sephiroth."

The gunman's eyes widened. Then he nodded. "It makes sense now." He looked at Tseng. "Continue."

"Aarin had gone on several missions with both Zack and Sephiroth, and called them friends before Cherise joined. As brother and sister, they were very close, so naturally Cherise became a part of his group of friends. She knew Zack and Sephiroth for only a few years, but..." Tseng shrugged.

"From what I saw, I think I can honestly say that the two SOLDIERs treated Cherise like a little sister. She became a person of interest, not only because of her friendship with the SOLDIERs, but because of two skills she had. She had a perfect momory: Cherise could recall things that happened years ago like it happened yesterday. And she was an artist."

Vincent frowned. "An artist? It would be hard to be both an artist and a Turk."

Tseng smiled. "It was only a hobby. But an interesting one." Then he sighed, and became serious once more. "Cherise had been a Turk only a year before things took a turn for the worst. Sephiroth and Zack went to Nibelhiem."

For a minute, as Tseng let that sink in, both men were quiet. As dark approached, the traffic in the streets lessened. The last few rays of sunlight touched the ruins of Midgar towering over Edge, then the light faded as the sun sunk below the horizon. A few stars had appeared in the late spring sky, and a cool freeze swept down the street, making Vincent's cloak billow out to the side like a tree caught in a strong wind.

"As you can imagine," Tseng said softly, "that was a shock to Cherise and Aarin. Not only did they lose two friends, but their parents had been in Nibelhiem at the time. They lost friends, family, and their hometown. Of course, Shinra did not reveal what really happened. The official report was that monsters had attacked and killed the team that had been sent to investigate the reactor. It was not until years later, when Zack and Cloud escaped, that they learned that something else had happened. And when Sephiroth attacked the Shinra Building that they learned the entire truth."

Tseng looked Vincent in the eye. "Cherise was one of the few survivors. She almost died; but her brother was not so lucky. Aarin was dead, and after she was healed, Cherise quit the Turks and went after Sephiroth, but she never caught up to him or AVALANCE. Then she joined WRO."

Vincent nodded. "Thanks for telling me."

Tseng nodded. "Valentine, I do not tell other people's stories lightly. Cherise went through a lot. It may not look like it, but she is still hurting. I hope that she can find friends in AVALANCE."

The gunman hesitated, then said, "I see what you mean. If it is alright, I will tell Cloud." He looked at Tseng, who nodded. "We will do what we can."

"Thank you," Tseng said softly. "I think you can tell Tifa, as well. Cherise could use all the help she can get."

A/N:

So, yeah. I hope i got the characters right. Next chapter will have more of Sephiroth. Please review! IF YOU DO, you can hug Kadaj.

Kadaj: Why me?

Because you are here.