As it tends to happen, I dislike the end of this part. But I'm just going to have to deal with it. And maybe months later, after I think I've completely forgotten about it, a decent ending might suddenly pop into my head and I'll edit it in. Maybe. Until then... That's all you're getting tonight! eh-heh-heh-heh : )

The characters. They belong to Squeeeeeeeenix.

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(Cid)

I burst into tears at the dinner table last night. "Vincent doesn't love me anymore," I bawled and ran to my room.

I'm so glad today's Saturday. I just couldn't have gotten up this morning for anything. I've been awake for about a half hour now, but haven't gotten out of bed yet. Nice to be able to sleep in when ya really need it.

Sigh... Goddamned doorbell. Can't you see I'm trying to sulk?

I open the front door to find Vincent. I'm surprised to see him, but I don't know if I should be excited or upset that he's here.

"Came to give you your jacket back, but I don't think I can bring myself to it," he greets me sullenly.

"Yeah, doesn't look like it," I say, noticing that he's actually wearing the sweatshirt he was supposedly going to return. "You look like shit, Vince. You wanna come upstairs?"

"Haven't slept much at all lately. Can't seem to turn my mind off..." he yawns, following me to my room. He falls onto my bed and curls up under the covers.

"So you're not feeling any better?" I get in next to him.

He shook his head. "It's driving me insane."

Good Lord. Can he not just answer a question? Does everything he says have to be so goddamn cryptic?

"Vincent, just tell me what's wrong. Why are you acting like this?"

"I can't, Cid. Can't explain cos it'll just turn into more of a whole big mess. I still don't want to hurt you, I never have wanted to. I'm sorry I said those things the other day, but you wouldn't understand why things need to be that way, so I can't take back what I said, and I need you to just trust me on this please, okay?" The words drag out of him like sleep-deprived babble tends to do.

"How can I try to understand anything when you won't even give me a chance to? I want to," I tell him. Why does he have to be so difficult?! It's hard loving an unstable emotional wreck.

"No..." he mumbles, cuddling against my chest. He tenses up when I put my arm around his back, and he doesn't quite relax again. "Don't talk about it..."

"Vince. Dammit. No."

But he wriggles out of bed. "I wish you wouldn't start this. Why don't you just leave it alone?"

"No! You're not leaving." I make it past him to slam the bedroom door. I stand my ground as best as I can, trying not to be shoved out of the way. "What's wrong with you? Why do you wanna run away? Tell me! Something! Anything! Just a fucking clue so I can try to--"

Then, as if it were held up right in front of my face, it suddenly occurs to me what might have happened. "It was your father, wasn't it?"

Vincent stills at my accusation. I stare at him, waiting for an answer, silently praying that I'm wrong. But I know I'm not. "Is that what happened?" But instead of a verbal response, I get a fist to the face.

"Stay out of matters that don't concern you," he says sternly, able to push me out of the way and escape through the door.

Oh, fuck no. He is not getting away so easily. I adjust my priorities as fast as I can, shoving my throbbing cheek bone to the back of my mind and the need to catch Vincent to the front.

I snag him right before he reaches the stairs, grabbing a handful of sweatshirt and halting him in his tracks. "Like hell this doesn't concern me." I pull him towards me so I can wrap my arms around him, pin his arms to his sides, and hold him relatively still. All our struggling brings us down to our knees, then over in some disorderly heap on the floor.

"Don't! Please!" he begs. "Don't hold me down like that! Lemme go, let me go!"

"Like hell this doesn't concern me!" I shout again, ignoring his plea to be released. "You selfish bastard, it concerns me as much as it does you."

"Let go, let go, let go!" He keeps on, terror sounding in his voice, disregarding what I'm saying, and working to get free. But I can't let him leave. I fight to hold him down until he gives up and finally goes limp, begging unabashedly. A vulnerable mess.

"Please, Vincent," I ask nicely. "Come back to my room with me. Please talk to me." I lead him slowly back to bed.

"It was my father," he whispers. "You were right, Cid. I didn't want you to know." He looks absolutely sick as he tells me this, in soft, hushed tones, as if someone else might hear. "He took me to his apartment." His whole body's shaking. "I couldn't run, I just couldn't." He places a trembling hand over his mouth as he tries to hold back his tears. "I'm so sorry, but I couldn't run..."

"Oh, God. Vincent, did he hurt you?" I think I've forgotten how to breathe. It feels like hours go by before he finally nods. Hearing the truth makes my stomach turn. The world seems as if it's about to come crashing down on us. "Oh, God. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Vince, no..." I run my hand nervously through my hair as I try quick to come up with something to help, but there's absolutely nothing I can think of. I know there's no use choking back my tears.

What am I supposed to do? He's been damaged again. I have a terrible fear of this damage being irreparable. Is he going to be okay? How can anything ever be okay again? Can I touch him, or would that break him? I want to touch him. I'm supposed to be the one protecting him. I need to be able to put him back together, and keep him from ever hurting again.

"Have you told anyone?"

Vincent shakes his head no. No, of course not. "He said he'd hurt you or Reno or my family if I told." He gently rests his head against my chest and let's me hug him.

"It's gonna be alright, Vince," I tell him, though I'm not sure I can believe my own promises. "You're gonna be fine..."

----

After much persuasion, I finally talked Vincent into telling Mrs. Tuesti what had happened. He agreed to do it if I promised to stay with him.

Now she's holding him protectively, trying to keep from crying. "No, not my baby. Not my little boy..."

"I'm sorry, Mummy, I should've run from him," he says, soft and regretful, completely worn out. As far as I know, this is the first time he's acknowledged her as mother.

"Don't ever apologize for this. Ever." She grasps at his back, a desperate attempt to hold him somehow closer. "This is not your fault. Do you understand?"

Vincent nods. He'd damn well better understand.

How will things ever be even close to normal again? How the hell do you keep on after something so... awful? Something so terribly unfair to absolutely everyone involved? It feels like the end of the world. I think I know that feeling now, and it's terrible. There is no possible way life can go on, but somehow it has to, even though I can't begin to imagine how the hell that's going to happen.

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EPIC BONUS STORY!

Vinny leaps into a glacier, then slides down. Into waters well below freezing.

Chilly seconds pass and the scene changes to one filled with black and blue, and bright, shiny stars all around him. Things seem peaceful here until a strange voice shouts "JUMP INTO THIS, FOR CHRISTSAKES!" Vincent barely has time to heed the warning as Mars is projected toward him at an incredible speed.

This, of course, turns out to be a hallucination, but Vincent never realizes it because he's slipping into a cold-induced coma.

/EPIC BONUS STORY!

Takemi-Chan- I hope things work out too! (lol at "Vinnyman" XD ) But at this point, I really don't know what's going to happen next. I don't know this because I am a very organized and well-planned writer who totally thinks through the plot before writing. Uh-huh. Right. But thanks for sticking around anyway!
Good luck at thinking of something ELSE to pelt at Vincent! hehehe

Jess- My first Anon: 3
I'm sorry for making you cry, but I'm glad you're not a sex addict. That's probably a good thing to be thankful for. Hopefully things are going better for you now than they are for Vincent. : )
Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I hope I'm able to keep ya entertained with later updates!

Linnsche - I sent a reply to one of your comments a few minutes ago, so I hope ya get it.
And yeah... I know it usually takes a while to update... I'm sorry : 3 But it makes me soooo happy that you still wanna keep on reading. Thanks for sticking around too : D

I'm so damn lazy, but I totally wanna illustrate this whole mess. And if it ever happens, it will totally include a visual to go with the epic bonus story.

Brb, Law&OrderAllDayMarathon.

TBC, yo!