If Misery Loves Company

Chapter 24

Happily Ever After

By Kristen Gupton-Williams

I'm not gonna sit here and lie to you. When my alarm started buzzing around six the following morning, I had a few moments of self doubt. Not about marrying Shera, but in the sanity of thinking I was in any shape to haul my ass out of bed at all.

Still, though, it seemed like whatever had been holding me back from moving forward with Shera for all those years was now the very thing shoving my ass out of bed. I reached over and killed the alarm, hoping that it hadn't gotten Shera all freaked out. When I didn't feel her move, I figured I was free and clear to get into the bathroom before she started fretting over me.

After hauling myself into the bathroom, I turned on the shower and got it warmed up. I knew I had to get the stupid bandages the doctor had taped all over me off before getting in. Carefully, and with a fair amount of cursing as I lost a good amount of chest hair from the tape, I got them peeled off and tossed into the trash.

Of course, the result of that was I got to have my first really good look at my wounds. I felt a little sick to my stomach and I checked myself out. I'd been fucked up good, there was no denying it, and I hurt like hell. Still, there was a mission at hand.

Once in the shower, I took things easy. The water hurt when it hit my bruises and cuts, so I didn't exactly dally in there long. It also wasn't all that big a party to dry off since I still had broken ribs and was dying from the slightest pressure to my skin.

It was then that I found myself in a funny situation. I hadn't bothered to bring anything into the bathroom to wear after my shower, and given the location of some of my injuries, I wasn't going to be tying the towel around my waist as I ran to the closet. Therefore, I did really the only thing that I knew wasn't going to hurt, and I just walked out of the bathroom naked, and darted into my closet. I figured that Shera was probably asleep anyway, and… well, if what I had in mind for the day was going to work, she was going to see me like that sooner or later anyway, right?

In any event, in the closet I found my dress uniform, along with a new package of boxers that I'd left in there at some point. I at least put the effort of getting underwear on before I headed back to the bathroom with my uniform.

I never thought the act of getting dressed up could hurt so badly in all my life. Still, I sucked it up, and managed to pull that old uniform on, even pinning my old war medals to the coat. I may not have felt too great, but I looked pretty damn good.

I brushed my teeth, combed my hair, then grabbed my honestly underused razor from the counter and finished trying to make myself presentable. For a few minutes I studied myself in the mirror, questioning the sanity of it all.

The rings were in my pocket, and I toyed with them for a second until getting to the next stage in the game. I went out and pulled some socks from the dresser and then retrieved my dress boots. I leaned against the closet door to get those on, before finally going to bother Shera.

I pulled open the curtains to let the light in, and then went to where she was still crapped out. "Shera."

Her eyes flew open awful fast, and she gave me the once over, obviously a little confused. "Oh my God, Cid?"I gave the old girl a smile, hoping that she'd put two and two together. "Time to get up, we got shit to do today."

Shera clearly thought I'd gone off the deep end. "Cid… you didn't accidentally take too many of those pain killers the doctor gave you, did you? I mean… you're still too hurt to be doing anything and… why are you wearing that?"

Okay, so it had gone right over her head. "Because I ain't got a suit and I hate tuxes. Get yer ass up and put on somethin' nice. For the record, I ain't had none of them pills, either. Need my mind clear today."

For that, I just got the sheep eyes from her. I wondered if she'd gotten retarded somehow over the past few days… or worse, I wondered if she didn't want to actually go through with things. A little worried, I got up and went toward the door.

That seemed to get her riled up and she threw off the sheets and stood up. For the first time in all the time I'd known her, Shera yelled at me. "Cid! You get back in bed right now!"

Maybe she was oblivious, or maybe she just didn't want to go through with marrying me, even though I'd sort of figured we'd hammered that out… even if we'd not directly discussed it. I did, after all, have a tendency to sort of assume things. "You're jokin', right?"

She still sounded pissed, and that worried me. Shera stomped a foot to try and I guess seem… scary? "You're too sick to be doing whatever it is you're thinking of doing right now!"

Instead of showing her my disappointment, I just instinctively launched into that angry front I'd always put on. "I told you that when I got home, I was gonna make ya an honest woman, now let's go get shit taken care of!"

"What does that even mean?" she snapped back.

Inwardly, I just crumbled. She'd had no idea I'd meant I wanted to get hitched when I got home. Here I was, having figured she'd be excited, when the truth of the matter was, she was clueless as to what I intended. That forced anger failed me, and I'm sure I looked really disappointed. "Shera… It means I wanna marry ya."

Her jaw went slack. "R…right now? Today?"

Well, that's not a "No" or "Go to Hell".

I turned to face her a little more. "You got a better time in mind?"

"N… no, I just… this is awfully sudden…" The color washed from her face and then she crumpled like a house of cards right onto the bedroom floor.

My heart leapt into my throat, because I thought for a second that I'd somehow killed the damn woman. I rushed over and tried to wake her up. "Shera!?"

I've never been as relieved in my life as I was when her eyes opened. "Cid…"

"Goddamn, woman, you just dropped like a rock there! Scared the shit outta me!" I said down to her, feeling my heart rate slowly go back to normal.

Shera sat up, putting a hand to the side of her head. "M… marry me right now?"

I had to smile at that and snicker. "Shera… you get stupid over the last few months?"

She pulled herself back up to standing. "No, I'm sorry, it just caught me out in left field."

The fact that I'd not really asked, and that she'd not really accepted flooded my brain. Shrugging off the pain, I stood up. "…you do want to, right?"

"Of course I do!"

Cue the second greatest moment of relief in my life. "All right, then. Go get dressed. Look… I know you probably wanted some big fancy weddin' but… I just want us to be hitched. If I had to wait any longer before we did anythin' else, I ain't sure I'd make it."

She turned bright red and turned her gaze elsewhere. "…if you're talking about sex, what difference does it make if you've already done it before?"

That Goddamned lie I'd told her about my previous supposed escapades had come back to bite me in the ass a good one. Shame washed over me.

"Cid?" she asked, taking a step closer.

I had no choice but to confess. Being as big a jerk as I'd been all along to her, it was time to come clean. She deserved to know. I sat on the edge of the bed. "Shera, I lied."

She came and knelt before me, putting herself into my line of sight. "What?"

I felt pretty much like shit emotionally for it all. "…I lied."

"Cid?" she asked, searching for clarification.

"I did go home with four different women back in the day like I said, but each time…" Oh shit this was gonna be hard. How do you tell the woman you want to marry that you'd suffered chronic impotence every time you'd ever tried to get laid?

She put a hand on my leg. "Each time what?"

Well, at least it put away your belief you'd held for a long time that she could read your mind…

That it did. I let my eyes close. "I… I couldn't actually… commit to the act when we got to that point. Consider it… a massive equipment failure…"

She leaned closer and I prayed to God she hadn't just taken that to mean I'd gone off early like a 14 year old boy… I knew I needed to clarify yet more. "…I couldn't do it. I couldn't fuckin' do it because I didn't… have any feelings for 'em. It jus' wouldn't work for me."

She was quiet for a few seconds, digesting what all I'd just thrown out there. "So, you're saying…"

I met her gaze, feeling my cheeks burn. "I'm a fuckin' liar… I ain't never… I'm a…"

In an instant, she moved to embrace me. "Oh Cid…"

Mind you, with busted ribs that hurt like all fuck, but, I swallowed the pain as best I could. "You… you ain't pissed?"

"Why would I be?" she asked, mercifully letting go and meeting my gaze. "I love you either way, it's just now… you're going to be… just mine…"

Who would have figured that finding out I'd lied to her would have made her happy? "I love ya…"

Shera stood up, still smiling. "And I love you. Now, I'm going to get dressed and we can head out, if you're really feeling up to it."

I smiled as well. "I could have a compound fracture of my femur right about now, Shera, an' still be ready to do this."

Bless her heart if she didn't laugh before walking out.

After a few minutes and hearing her get in her shower, I will admit that I rethought doing all this without any pain relief. However, I didn't take the shit the doctor had left. Instead, I just went to my medicine cabinet and hit the old aspirin bottle. I downed about three of them, and then paced my room for a while.

Hearing Shera back in her room, I wandered over to her door, finding it open. I stood there and watched as she got her shoes on. "Goddamned, woman, I didn't think it was possible to get you outta the house in less than an hour."

She giggled and grabbed her purse, coming over to me. "Call me motivated."

I took up her hand and started off with her. Shera tried to drag me to the truck, but to be honest, the thought of climbing into and then out of it, given my physical state, didn't appeal none too much. Just walking, however, wasn't killing me. Besides, I figured the stroll might do me some good.

Still, the woman seemed to get a little agitated. "Cid… you're not well enough to walk there, and surely you don't want…"

The fact that she was that aware of what people still might or might not think about us hurt a little bit, and I needed her to know right then and there that I was honestly proud to be with her. "I'm better'n I've ever been in my life and I don't care who sees me takin' ya to the courthouse. If they ask? I'm gonna say, 'Yeah, that's right, I'm marryin' Shera.' It ain't that far, anyway."

That didn't seem to completely alleviate her, though she did give me a laugh. "Cid…"

"Hush. Let's jus' go do this," I replied, determined to not stop for anything.

I got a reprieve at that point from any other worries from her. Shera just marched along at my side, glancing to me occasionally.

The further we walked, the better I was feeling. I can't really explain it, other than I just felt like I was doing what was right. I mean, really, really right. Having a hold of Shera's hand, not caring who in the world saw or maybe commented as we passed—it felt damn good.

It didn't take us all that long to get to our destination. Now, while I was feeling a little tired by virtue of the fact I was still moderately fucked up, walking through the doors to the courthouse sparked something in me that overcame all that.

Abject fear.

I mean, who isn't at least a little afraid on their wedding day, right? Here I was, about to enter into marriage with a woman that I'd not really had an actual romantic relationship with. Though I fully knew that it was the right thing to do, there was still that instinctual 'point of no turning back' knot in my stomach.

The clerk acknowledged us once we got inside, asking if I needed anything.

I couldn't help but laugh, disbelieving what I was about to say. "Jus' wanna marry my woman, here."

I got the sheep eyes from the man at that. "Captain?"

What the hell? Was the man deaf? I crossed my arms over my chest and probably frowned. "This is where people go to take care of this shit, ain't it?"

Little wimpy feller he was, he nodded and quickly scrambled to find the paperwork. "Why, yes, it is, Captain, I just… well, no one thought that you and Ms. Sakamoto were… involved like that."

Have I mentioned that the people in town never minded their own business? I gave the short version of the story to him. "We weren't."

He went about putting some forms on the counter, then asking for our ID's and forty gil.

I got to filling out the forms first, putting down all the ridiculous information they asked for, taking the liberty of filling out Shera's side a little, too. I gave over the pen after a while. "Your turn."

She did her part, and we gave over our licenses and the gil required. In return, I was given a copy of all the crap we'd filled out. The clerk asked us if we wanted to get hitched outside, and we agreed.

Soon enough, I found myself on the steps of the courthouse, Shera on my right, the Justice of the Peace standing before us. My heart was absolutely racing, and I hoped silently that I wasn't going to do something embarrassing like pass out. Not to mention, that would have entailed a fall down the stairs of the courthouse. That would have been a lovely sight, I reckon.

Through the pounding in my ears, I could hear the judge starting the ordeal. "We are here to unite Captain Cid Augustus Highwind, Junior, and Shera Sierra Sakamoto in the bonds of matrimony. It is not an institution to be entered into lightly. Captain Highwind, repeat after me; I, Captain Cid Highwind, take you, Shera Sakamoto, to be my lawfully wedded wife, 'til death do us part."

Hell, I'd had no idea it was going to get to the damn point so fast. It was time to bite the bullet. "I… I, Captain Cid Highwind, take you, Shera Sakamoto, to b… be my lawfully w… wedded wife, 'til death do us part."

I kept my gaze to the judge, though I could see Shera smiling at me out of the corner of my eye. All I was concerned with was surviving this.

It was then Shera's turn. The judge repeated the same thing she'd said to me with the names reversed. I turned slightly, to finally meet her gaze.

Shera looked right back at me, her smile never faltering as she recited the judge's words. "I, Shera Sakamoto, take you, Captain Cid Highwind, to be my lawfully wedded husband, 'til death do us part."

The fact that this really was happening got to me. Despite my desperate attempt to stop it from happening, a few tears did break loose as I continued to look at her.

I was just so damn… happy, really.

I was jolted a little out of my state when the judge addressed me again. "Captain, do you have a ring for Shera?"

I retrieved the ring that had languished away for five years in a dresser drawer out of my pocket. Shera gave a small gasp of surprise, since she'd never known that I'd gotten it for her.

"Place it onto her left hand and say, with this ring, I thee wed," the judge ordered.

Shaking like a mad man, I managed to get the ring slipped onto her tiny finger. "With this ring… I thee wed."

Shera, bless her heart… she started to cry. Though there were tears on her cheeks, her smile never faded. I guess she was feeling just like I was.

"Shera, do you have a ring?" the judge asked.

Well, of course she didn't, but I did, and I quickly pulled it out of my coat pocket, handing it over to her. Shera laughed a little at me.

"Place it onto the captain's left hand and say, with this ring, I thee wed."

It was then that I noticed she was trembling just as much as I was. Shera got the ring on me. "With this ring, I thee wed."

The judge cut right to the chase. Thank God civil ceremonies are so short. If I'd had to linger up there for three hours like at a Catholic wedding, I would surely have died. Okay, maybe they're not three hours, but you get the idea.

"Then with the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife. Captain Highwind, you may kiss your bride," she said, closing her book.

Another tear manage to get out of me, as I stepped closer to Shera. She was gazing right back at me, looking like she was about to just bubble over. I closed my eyes and gave her the best kiss I could possibly muster up.

I didn't get to linger in that kiss too long, as the noise of the folks that had gathered up behind us kinda startled me. I'd been so tuned out during the wedding I'd had no idea they'd snuck up on us.

The judge announced us. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you the new Captain and Mrs. Highwind."

Well, I figured we were off the hook, and I started down the stairs. Instead of the kind of crap I'd half expected from the people of the town, they honestly seemed pleased. I guess realizing that they'd almost all died just a few days ago brought to them the notion that some things were worth letting go.

Once we got free of the crowd and started back home, Shera broke the silence that had come over the two of us. "When did you get the rings?"

I snickered, feeling a little foolish. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

I came to a halt in front of our house, turning my gaze to her. "I bought them the morning of the launch."

She gave me a 'you've got to be fucking joking' look.

I turned red, I'm sure. "Yeah… I know… I don't know what in the hell I was thinkin' at the time, either. I jus'… You'd left that little silver ring that you always used to wear all the time on your desk in the engineering department and I took it, got that ring you're wearin' now in the same size and got one for myself, too."

Good job, Captain Run On Sentence Rant.

Shera's jaw dropped. I wondered if she was simply shocked, or pissed, too, that I'd never remembered to put that silver ring back. Come to think of it, I still had it in the pocket of my old flight jacket. I guess it'd just become some sort of good luck charm, I don't know.

Either way, I wanted to get us in private. "C'mon, let's get inside."

Once on the porch, I did what I figured was my duty, sweeping her up into my arms. I almost regretted it due to my wounds, but her happy squeal made it worth it.

"Cid! Put me down! You're in no sha—" she started to protest after a moment.

I didn't let her finish that thought, as I took the moment to give her another good kiss. I didn't even consider breaking that kiss until we were all the way into our room. Then, I set her on the bed gently, offering up a smile. She was mine, really mine, and I was finally free to be with her.

And God knows I wanted to be with her…

"Cid…" she whispered, seeming to pick up what was on my mind.

Still, there are certain little rituals that I'd always imagined going through before the big moment. "Wait just a second, okay?"

At some point, Yuffie had lifted a good amount of really expensive champagne during our mission. I'd kept one bottle of it just for this moment.

I boarded the ship and went to my quarters, finding the bottle under my bed where I'd left it. Before I left the ship, I went to the bridge and had a long, good look around. There was no illusion in my mind that Shin Ra wouldn't come back and take her away again, even as damaged as she was. Still… being alone as my crew had all departed…

"Well, big girl… I reckon you'll… be goin' on back to the company soon," I said, running my hand over the controls one last time. Already emotional, I let a few more tears go. "Glad I got to fly ya again… Yer a good ship…"

Forcing myself to leave the bridge, I quickly made my way back to the house. Sure enough, four days later my ship simply vanished in the night.

I went back to the house with my prize in hand. I stopped in the kitchen for two glasses, then going back to my room to find Shera right where I'd left her.

"Had this bottle on the ship. It was in the captain's quarters and I never opened it, figurin' that I'd save it for when I got home. 'Course, I didn't think I was gonna be quite so fucked up when I got here, but now seems as good a time as any to have it, dontcha think?" I asked, going and putting the glasses on the nightstand.

I got another smile for that. "It sounds lovely."

Of course, I was faced with the task of uncorking it, and I still wasn't feeling all that much like Hercules. I landed beside her on the bed, and worked to get the bottle open. Once that was done, I filled our glasses, handing her one. "Well, Shera, here's to the pay off, eh?"

She giggled and gave into the toast, before drinking.

Being as that I was hurting a good amount, I sort of tossed my entire drink right down my throat, needing the relief.

This didn't go without Shera's notice. "Are you really sure you should be drinking like that with those injuries?"

I stopped mid pour of a refill. The possible connection between my previous impotence and inebriation hit me like a ton of bricks. I met her gaze, horrified. "Holy shit… I damn near jus' blew this…"

"What?" she asked quietly.

I put the bottle down, abandoning my drink. "I don't wanna be drunk right now…"

She slowly set her drink down, too. "Well, you did down that first glass awfully fast…"

I had to get up for a second, inwardly pissed at myself. I looked out at the yard through the window, clearing my mind and sharing a thought I'd had with her. "Yeah… well, I think one glass is enough. I've got the bug to build another airship after flyin' the ol' Highwind around these last few months."

Shera turned to look at me, staying on the bed. "How long has it been since you've designed one?"

"Six years. Since pretty much right before they put me on the space program. But yeah, I'm gonna build another one of them… and you know what?" I closed the curtains and looked over to her again.

"What's that?"

I started back closer to her. "I'm namin' 'er after you when I do."

Shera went red. "Oh, Cid… that's every sweet…"

I went after the buttons of my dress coat, pulling it off. "It's the least I can do for ya…"

Another smile came to her lips. "You promised you'd teach me to fly, too."

Well, that had been a stupid way of my brain telling her I wanted to… well… be with her, and that's exactly what I had on my mind at the moment. I wrestled with the tie around my neck, and then started to tackle the cuffs of my dress shirt. It was time to admit to her what I really meant by that. "Are you ready to learn now?"

Once more, Shera's jaw dropped. "I…"

I got my boots off and then went to the bed, sitting beside her. I guess she'd gotten my gist. Reaching out, I took off her glasses, putting them aside. "You tell me when you are, an' I'll show ya, Shera… I'll…"

Her hand came up to touch my cheek, and I came to appreciate she was shaking again, worse now than during our wedding. "Cid… I am…"

Praise God, it was finally time.

I pulled her in for another good kiss, being let in without hesitation. Things seemed to be progressing without incident.

After a second of that, I worked to get the buttons of my shirt undone, and Shera watched me with another blush. I got it off and cast it away, not giving a damn about where it went for the time being.

Shera looked right at my injuries, instantly looking a little sickened.

Needing to allay her fears, I whispered, "It's all right, Shera… I'm okay, I really am, all right?"

That didn't seem to really appease her. "I just…"

I hushed her with my index finger to her lips. I figured I needed to make it clearer. "I've waited all my adult life for this moment, Shera. I ain't gonna let a few little wounds keep me from bein' with ya."

She gave me another small nod, seeming to accept my answer that time. Shera pulled off her shoes, and then sat up again.

Taking the chance, I kissed her again, and reached around her, searching for the zipper on the back of her dress. After a brief search, I found it and bit the bullet, pulling it down. She made something of a pleased sound and I let my hands run over her back before daring to try and pull her dress away.

I definitely had a blushing bride. Once her arms were free, she moved to cross them over her chest, her eyes closed.

Part of me couldn't help but worry that she was really scared of this. "Shera…"

She looked up at me when I touched her again. "Yeah?"

If she was just self conscious about being seen, then I was willing to make her an offer. Looking right into her eyes, I spoke honestly. "Would… would ya be more comfortable if we waited until tonight when it was completely dark?"Instead of saying no, she just reached back and undid her bra, before tossing it away. "I wouldn't want you to wait…"

With every bit of restraint I had, I kept myself from looking at what she'd just exposed. Instead, I closed my eyes and moved in for yet another kiss. I needed her to know I wasn't about to objectify her in any way. I was here because I loved her, end of story.

Though I hadn't looked, I did touch, and I was deeply pleased when her hand fell to my leg and then slid up to my belt. She got it undone and then stood up hastily, letting her dress fall the rest of the way off.

I was in heaven, all thought of the pain I'd been in vanishing in a heartbeat. I got up and pressed yet another kiss to her lips, bringing my body against hers. Surely she could tell with the way I pushed against her that I was ready for takeoff, and having no trouble with arousal for her.

It was like unwrapping the best Christmas present you could ever possibly imagine, and damn if it didn't feel wonderfully naughty to boot. My hands went to her waist, my heart racing as I took the liberty of pulling away her panties.

Shera was right there before me, all mine. Still, I met her eyes when they opened. I was searching for any sign of apprehension. When I didn't see any, I went ahead and rid myself of my pants and boxers—we were on even ground.

Though I hadn't looked her over, I did want her to have a chance to see me. I closed my eyes and awaited her verdict.

Several moments later, having not heard anything from her, I opened my eyes. "Shera?"

She was red again, and met my gaze. "Cid?"

I wondered if… I don't know, I guess I wondered if I measured up to her hopes or needs.

"You're absolutely amazing," she purred, sitting back on the edge of the bed.

Feeling weak in the knees, I quickly sat beside her. With another kiss, I slowly moved to push her back on the bed, laying next her. I got us covered with the sheets, before daring to finally… well… touch her. Mercifully, I felt her hand upon me as well, and I growled against her mouth.

After having explored one another for a while, I moved from her mouth to her ear. "Shera… are ya… ready?"

She nodded slightly, eyes still closed. "Yes…"

"I love you, don't you ever forget that…" I whispered, moving onto her, her legs shifting beneath me.

"I love you too, Cid… so much…" she replied as I took her, her words trailing out into a pleasured cry for me.

"Goddamn…" I groaned before crushing another kiss to her lips, finally experiencing what I never had. I realized pretty fast that keeping my control was going to take everything I had, but if this was her first time, I didn't want to fail her. This was for Shera, and making this worth it for her was all that really mattered.

I listened intently for her sounds, taking every cue I could to adjust my force or speed to whatever she needed. Being as that it was her first time, part of me wondered about the stories I'd always heard of a woman's first time hurting. Throughout it all, though, I never heard anything even remotely like discomfort in her cries, and for that, I was dearly grateful.

I really don't know how long our encounter lasted, but I was starting to feel like I'd lose my mind toward the end. Having never done that, I wasn't really sure if I'd know when or if she was pleased.

All worry about that, though, was washed away as her cries suddenly became more pronounced. Shera began to move under me with some degree of desperation, and the words I'd long dreamed of hearing just sort of spilled from her. "Oh God, Cid… oh please… please don't stop… I'm… I'm…. Oh Cid….!"

Not only did her words and actions tell me that something great was happening to her, I could actually feel her responding around me. There was absolutely no way I could hold out with that. I pushed myself up with my arms, giving all my remaining strength into my last motions, before screaming out her name as I gave in.

Shera seemed to be able to feel that, and gave me another pleased cry, her hands gripping at my hips.

I guess I'd done pretty damn good.

After a little while, I moved to lay next to her. All things considered, I couldn't stay awake for long afterward. I held her tightly, telling her again that I loved her before I drifted off.

Looking back, I can't understand how she ever tolerated all she did from me to get us to the point we are now. Luckily for me, my epiphany regarding how I needed to conduct my life didn't come too late , because without Shera in my life, I don't know if I ever would have really changed.

I think for it all, I'm a better person. I treat her like a Goddamned princess now, and the reward has been greater than I ever would have hoped. It was only about nine months after our wedding, after our first time together, that Shera gave birth to our first baby; a boy, who we named Cid Augustus Highwind, the Third.

She's expecting again now, any day. This time the doctor says it's going to be a girl. Turns out I'm not too bad at the whole fatherhood thing. Our son is three, and he's a lot like me. I did build that new ship as I promised her on our wedding day, and we've gone up in it together many times. He always runs around the bridge, giggling with his arms outstretched. I can't wait to see how the girl comes out.

I'm still as crazy about Shera as I ever was, and her attention to me has never waned in the least. We're already thinking about a third. I never would have pictured myself ending up with a fairy tale life, but I reckon I did.

The End

A/N- So there it is. I know I took far too long to finish this one, but I hope the pay off was worthwhile. At present, I don't have any further FF7 fics planned, though I do have a few unfinished that I've not posted. With time, I will get to those, but we know I kind of run off my own schedule. I'm now making the effort to write for profit, but I'm sure that my Cid muse will bring me back here sooner or later. Thanks, Kris.