Author's Note: I want to apologize that this never got posted. I uploaded it days after the final chapter, but evidently it didn't go through. Thanks for the PM asking - I would have never known! I just want to take a moment to thank those who did read this; I appreciate the time, especially since this is by far my favorite that I've written. A very special thank you to those that took the additional time to review; the words of encouragement, thoughts, and such...honestly make it worth my time to write. So THANK YOU. As a side note, I've been working on an original piece off and on with a FFIX fic, so I will be posting that in the future, but I have no idea how long that will be...so until then!

Epilogue
A Second Chance

"Wait a time to spare these lies we tell ourselves
these days have come and gone…"

Dark clouds coated the sky as far as he could see, rolling with a dull clap of thunder and rain. The hollow sound filled the otherwise silent apartment in a steady cadence; the song of summer evenings, he mused absently. Sighing, the redhead slinked back into the sofa, the furniture nearly absorbing him as it consumed his weight. Eyes closed against muted hues of slate and grays, and his mind lingered on the pitter-patter of rain against the window pane, how it had once sounded like hailstones against the metal roof of the bunker…

…But that had been quite some time ago. A half-hearted, lazy grin tugged at the corners of his lips and nostrils flared as he exhaled noisily. Softly, a sound rapped at his door, shattering his contentment, and Reno grunted impatiently as he threw himself off the buttery couch. Jade eyes peered through the peephole, and the redhead sighed.

"I thought missions were cancelled again," he muttered cynically, raising an eyebrow as the director cleared his throat.

"They are," he said, "We were going to the cafeteria for dinner, and I've never known you to turn down food." A grin tugged at Reno's lips as he fought for some sly, sarcastic comeback, instead settling for a chuckle.

"You have a point." Reno retreated briefly into the apartment, fingers snatching keys from the coffee table. A sudden restlessness stirred inside him; he could feel the darkness shifting, waiting, pondering…plotting… Distractedly, he crossed to the closet door, and eyes lingered over the date on the crooked calendar, hesitating. Soft footsteps approached, stopping beside him, and Reno sighed distantly. "I guess I'll have to go tomorrow, whether the storm lets up or not." The director hummed in agreement, smoky eyes lingering over the dates, obsessively and meticulously marked.

"I'd be happy to come, if you'd like the company," Tseng offered optimistically; Reno appreciated the gesture, understood the guilt and concern laced through the innocent statement. But he knew well why missions had been cancelled and travel had been delayed – and it wasn't simply because of a rainstorm.

"…I know you're not a fan of flying in a storm," the redhead muttered, not wanting to accept the offer, nor decline it. Fluorescent eyes stole a sideways glance; the dim lighting accented the lines and creases scrawled over stern features, and obsidian eyes only pretended to scrutinize the calendar.

"Brace for impact!" Reno shook himself free before the memory could replay, knowing well where the director's mind lingered. Instead, he let his own mind trail, broken memories of the crystal pool, crisp wind, and charred metal; the bitter scent of smoke and copper lingering over his senses.

"…He said…n-needed…Jenova's c-cells…"

"…Mother…"

"…I'll make an exception," Tseng replied finally, and Reno's train of thought derailed as he met the director's gaze. A normally steeled expression had softened, and a meek smile deepened the frown-lines against his cheeks. Reno returned the gesture, though the half-hearted response was fleeting as his mind drifted back. Moments passed like hours, drowned in the cadence of rain and thunder and summer evenings; dark eyes lingered over his distant, almost vacant expression, and the director frowned. "Are you alright?"

"…Yeah," Reno lied, tearing himself away, and forcing himself to speak. A knowing gaze met his, and he sighed noisily, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the wall. "…Just thinking about the past…" When no response came, Reno found himself wanting to talk to fill the void of conversation, to ask the questions that had burned inside him since then.

"…When we were at the Forgotten City…and Sephiroth had taken over…" his voice trailed as he felt eyes shift uncomfortably, boring into him, prying and pulling for him to continue. "What I asked you to do…to 'end' me…it wasn't fair of me… I'm sorry, Tseng." His gaze flickered to the director; stunned eyes scrutinized the redhead, and he wished the raven-haired Turk would speak. When he didn't – or perhaps couldn't – Reno sighed.

"After everything happened…I felt betrayed – like you made a selfish decision because you couldn't just…do it." He was rambling now, and he knew he was, but he couldn't make it stop; the words just kept spitting themselves out like gushes of water into the hull of a leaking ship. "Maybe it was my pride, maybe it was Sephiroth…hell, it doesn't matter. But…I blamed you, when I really shouldn't have – when I should have thanked you."

"Reno…" the director interjected finally, the shock from the turn in conversation finally wearing off. "You don't owe me any apology, or thanks. What you asked me to do…was for your own good. It was what you wanted – and it was selfish of me to override that. Part of me…couldn't do it… You'd already lost seven years…and even then you couldn't go back to your life, do what you wanted… We'd tried so hard …I thought that maybe…maybe the point was just to try. To keep trying. I knew what you wanted – and what I should have done but…I knew I'd never forgive myself if I gave up on you.

"When you first woke up, I realized I had been wrong…that I had been selfish. Nothing had changed. So, the president and I had to work out some sort of solution until Hart could figure out how to reverse the alterations. …The plan was for it to be temporary…" his voice trailed, and Reno smiled to himself.

"…It was temporary," he corrected. Tseng smiled weakly, eyes averting as his head sank to the floor; if Reno hadn't known better, he might have thought the director had been flattered.

With its usual precise timing, a shrill echoed from the director's pocket, the mock-analog ring startling both of them as hands dove into a pocket.

"Tseng," he answered, and Reno could faintly make out the woman's voice on the other end of the phone; Elena, from the sounds of it. "…We're on our way now." he hung up curtly, shaking his head as he stuffed the device back. "That was Elena." Reno smiled to himself; nailed it. "They're waiting for us in the cafeteria."

"We should go," the redhead replied, and the director nodded. Malachite eyes drifted to the date, nearly a week past. He was late, and he could feel it…the darkness that stirred in the pit of his stomach, even now distracting his mind with remnants of his past. Dull footsteps paused in the door, and he could sense those eyes lingering over him expectantly.

"…Are you coming?" he asked, and though the words were laced with uncertainty, there was no impatience or annoyance hidden in the tone. When no answer came, he shifted his gaze to the hallway, lowering his tone so that even enhanced ears had to prick. "If you aren't feeling up to it, I can understand…"

"No…I'm coming," Reno answered, forcing his stare to avert from the calendar. "But about tomorrow…if you're up to it, I wouldn't mind the company."

"Of course." The director turned as the Turk approached him, but Reno paused, glancing back to the cozy apartment as fingers hesitated on the light switch.

"…And Tseng?" he added finally; he heard the shuffle of worn work shoes as he turned, could feel his gaze studying him; he didn't meet those eyes, stormy like the sky looming past the window. "Thanks for not giving up on me." Fingers brushed the switch, and the room dimmed, only lit by the diminishing remnants of twilight that lingered among a sea of slate and gray beyond the window pane.

"…but this time is sweeter than honey."

Quotes from "So Close" by Evanescence