Director and General

by Ale Sieben

After being locked up in a coffin by Hojo and Lucrecia, Vincent wakes up to find that they're both dead and Sephiroth is alive and well. After a bit of coercion Rufus and Veld, Vincent decides to rejoin the Turks as Head of the Department. Things go rather well until Vincent starts getting hot flashes and Sephiroth says he wants to be friends.

11. Back in Business

Chapter summary:

A day in the life of Vincent Valentine, Head of the Turks, after he returns to work following the Avalanche raid and the Fail-Safe debacle.

Chapter notes:

I'm back!

Like the summary says, this is basically what a day in the life of Vincent looks like. I've always thought that being Director of the Turks involves a lot of meetings and the likes, so I wanted to explore that. There's some Sephiroth thrown in at the end, too, for good measure.

Thanks to everyone that's following, leaving comments and kudos and the likes. If you have any questions about everything that's happened so far, let me know!

11 - Back in Business

Sunday found the Turks and the President holding an informal meeting in the Turks' floor. Vincent was put up to speed regarding the moles and Avalanche and he once again felt guilty about leaving his team alone for so long. Instead of wallowing in it, though, he made notes and plans for the week, aiming to have a solid plan for the energy summit by Friday.

The biggest problem they would have to face was Avalanche's threat of a simultaneous attack on Modeoheim and Midgar during the summit's keynote address. The information had come from Ginga and the files Angeal recovered from Avalanche's hideout and had been confirmed by Reno and Rude on Thursday.

"We're still severely understaffed," Tseng said as they reviewed the guest list. "None of us can stay behind to keep an eye on HQ and Soldier has to send at least one First to Modeoheim. I don't know whether Gast will clear Genesis for duty on time."

"Even if he does, we're taking half the seconds with us and about a quarter of the Thirds now. They're strong, but I doubt three Soldiers First Class would be enough to fend off Avalanche without the proper backup," Rude said.

"And after firing the entire Security Department, the rest of the Thirds will be acting as security for HQ. That doesn't leave a lot of personnel to defend the city," Elena added.

"I really don't know what to tell you," Rufus said. He was drumming his fingers on the desk, clearly displeased.

Vincent was looking at the information before him and making calculations. An idea occurred to him then, but it would need to be cleared with Lazard and Gast.

"What if Lazard promotes Cloud and Kunsel to First and we take at least one of them with us?"

"Sounds good. It would also help with what you told me a couple of weeks ago," Cissnei said. "About Sephiroth representing a lot of the things Avalanche is supposedly against. I mean, there's no Jenova in Zack but he still went through mako treatments."

Vincent nodded and scribbled on his notepad. After a few minutes, he read the plan out loud.

"Tseng would of course shadow Rufus. Cissnei can look after Reeve, Elena would be with Gast, Reno with Aerith, Rude with Ifalna, and either Cloud or Kunsel would stay with Lazard. I'll stay on the surveillance booth with either a Second or another First, depending on what we decide. Although, if we do take two Firsts with us, I would rather leave one of them on patrol. I'm sure the CEOs and politicians will have their own bodyguards, so the Seconds can be stationed strategically around the convention centre and the hotel."

Rude took out a map of Modeoheim and drew Xs on the areas where the Seconds could be stationed, adding Vincent's list to the side. Rufus took the map and looked at it intently, nodding slowly.

"It could work," he said. "I know Lazard will immediately agree to your proposal to promote Cloud and Kunsel—Zack's been pestering him about it for a couple of months now."

"Won't the other four be kinda miffed to be left behind, yo?"

"They might, but it's for the best. Modeoheim is really small when compared to Midgar, making it much easier to monitor and control. A raid on Midgar without the proper defences could be catastrophic," Vincent said.

"There's also the fact that taking either Sephiroth or Zack with us creates a serious conflict of interests," Rufus said. "That's why we had decided to send Genesis, but then… You know." After taking another look at the map, he nodded. Then, "Vincent, would you mind working with Lazard on a plan to protect Midgar while we're gone? I know neither of you will be here but you've had to organise this kind of defence before and I'd feel better if Sephiroth and the others have a solid plan to work with."

"We'll work on it at the same time we figure out the details for the summit," Vincent said with a nod.

"Good. Now, there's another thing I want to talk to you about. I was going to wait until Wednesday's meeting with all the Directors but I want all of you to know."

Everyone sat up a little straighter, paying close attention to the President. Rufus reached into his briefcase and took out a folder, which he passed to Vincent. The gunman scanned the document inside and then looked at the blond with an eyebrow cocked in curiosity.

"Sir…?"

"The company will be going through a restructuring phase in the next few months. I was already planning to do it before this whole business with the moles blew up in our faces. Now that it did, it's forcing me to act sooner than I had planned but…" He trailed off and shrugged.

"Basically, I'm breaking the cover my father came up with when he created the Investigation Division of the General Affairs Department. I'm also giving Vincent Heidegger's position and some of his responsibilities. I already signed the Police Department over to Lazard temporarily, but it still leaves Shinra's security headless. I want you in charge of that, Vincent. From now on, the Turks will be Shinra Company's Internal Security Department. No more hiding in the shadows, shouldering all the responsibility with none of the acknowledgement. Well," he added, smiling wryly, "for the most part. There are still aspects of your job best left in anonymity."

"Does this mean we get to hire more people, then?" Rude asked.

Rufus nodded. "You'll be in charge of restaffing the Internal Security Department and I'm authorising Vincent to hire as many new Turk recruits as he deems necessary. Most of it will have to wait until after the summit, though."

Vincent was still looking at the executive order Rufus had drawn up. He had already signed it and all that was missing to make it official was the gunman's signature. He thought back to that meeting with Veld and the others where he had agreed to take over the Turks. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and he felt the same trepidation now that he did back then. It was a huge responsibility and a part of him didn't think he was up to the challenge.

"Vincent?" Rufus asked. "Is everything all right?"

C'mon, Chaos cajoled, this is a good thing. It means the Little Prince trusts you even after everything that's been going on.

A small smile tugged at Vincent's lips and he nodded slowly.

"Yes. Sorry, I was just thinking. Thank you, sir, for trusting me with this. I'll do my best not to let you down."

"I don't think you could, Vincent. Even if you tried."

The gunman signed the order and returned the folder to Rufus, deciding not to comment on that.

"I suppose that, other than the eventual increase in staff, nothing else is changing?"

"Well, since you're now an independent department, all your positions have been bumped up a level, so there's a salary increase. Other than that, it's your call."

"Tseng's still with us, then?"

The Wutain arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you going to fight over me now?"

Rufus smirked. "Like I would stand a chance. But yeah, he's still a Turk. I mean, I couldn't take him away from you even if I wanted to try, which I really don't. And even if I somehow could, he'd still be part of the Internal Security Department, and that's your area now."

"So," Reno drawled, "Vincent owns our asses in more ways than one, huh?"

Everyone laughed at that and the meeting was adjourned.

Vincent's first meeting on Monday was with Lazard. He pitched his plan for the energy summit to him and, just like Rufus predicted, the Director of Soldier was on board with the idea of promoting Cloud and Kunsel, particularly since the doctors had assured them that Kunsel would be out of the hospital by the end of the week and he would be cleared for active duty no later than the following Wednesday. Vincent had an appointment with Cid Highwind at half past nine so he and Lazard agreed to meet again the following day to work on the details for the energy summit's security as well as the plan Rufus wanted for Midgar.

Meetings with the Captain were always entertaining for Vincent. Each Director had their own quirks, obviously, but Highwind's were the most amusing of all, at least for the gunman. It wasn't just the thick Southern accent that he hadn't been able to kick after nearly fifteen years in Midgar or his rather colourful language, but his absolute disinterest in politics and brash honesty that made Cid Highwind a much welcomed breath of fresh air amidst all the underhanded schemes the company was known for. Although, Vincent mused, that was likely to come to an end now that Heidegger and Scarlet were gone and Rufus was trying to turn Shinra into its own entity rather than a parasite of Midgar's.

As Shera, the Captain's assistant, ushered him into his office, Vincent couldn't help a smirk from curling his lips as he heard the brash blond yelling inventive expletives into the phone. Apparently someone had the gall to mess about with Highwind's eponymous airship, something everyone in the company knew better than to even think about. Well, almost everyone.

"Do what I fuckin' tell ya t'do an' don't call back 'till it's done the way I told ya t'do it, ya hear?! That's what yer paid t'do, not think, ya fuckin' numbskull!"

He slammed the phone back into the receiver with a string of curses before realising Vincent was standing halfway between the door and his desk.

"Well, what're ya doing all the way over there, Val? C'mere an' have a seat."

That was another thing. Cid seemed absolutely incapable of calling him by either his full name or last name; 'Val' was the most recent shorthand for his name that the pilot had come up with. Vincent had long since given up on trying to convince him to be a bit more formal, a practice everyone else, including Rufus, had taken up at one point or another.

"Everything all right, Captain?" Vincent asked as he sat down and set his briefcase on the chair next to him.

Lighting a cigarette (another concession Rufus had had to make in order to convince Cid to take over after firing Palmer), the pilot waved in dismissal. "Buncha smart-assed techs trying' t'pull off unauthorised renovations on the Highwind. I jes can't get it over their thick skulls that it doesn't need any more tinkerin' than the one I do innit."

He knew Cid was adamant that his ship's controls remained as old fashioned as possible, a choice Reno strongly approved of, automatically and forever adding him to the blond's list of 'BAMFs'. Knowing that allowing the Captain to get into a rant about the Highwind would make him late for his following appointment, Vincent simply nodded and offered no further commentary on the topic.

"I have the requirements list for transportation to and from Modeoheim for the energy summit," Vincent said as he passed a folder to Cid. "I will email it to you tomorrow at the latest, but I wanted to make sure that all the specifications are met. Particularly now that we will be flying more Soldier operatives than originally planned."

As part of Rufus's plan to restructure Shinra, he had appointed Cid as Chief of Transportation in addition to his job as Head of the Space Program, so all requests for any and all kind of company issued vehicles had to go through him.

"I don't see why not," Cid said, exhaling a long puff of smoke. "I'll make sure the Gelnikas are ready and I'll send your choppers in for maintenance three days before y'all are scheduled to leave."

Vincent blinked. "I'm sorry… 'our' choppers?"

The Captain nodded. "Yah. Been thinkin' 'bout it since Rufus dumped Transportation on my lap an' I went through the list of common requests. You guys ask for a chopper at least twice a week, so it made sense to assign ya the two Reno an' Cissnei are more familiar with. I wanted t'add a decal or somethin' with the Turks' logo or somethin' but then Rufus told me ya don't have one and even if ya did it wouldn't be such a good idea."

The Turk breathed a laugh at that. "We do take pride in our anonymity, Captain. Thank you, though."

"Not a problem. Y'all're gonna be leavin' a few days before the summit actually starts, 'ight?"

"Yes. We need to double-check the area before everyone arrives."

"Gotta tell ya, at first I was kinda pissed I wouldn't get t'go, but now I'm kinda glad. I mean, I know we're under threat, too, but at least it's home turf an' we don't hafta worry 'bout a bunch of big shots, jes ourselves. Either way, tho', all this Avalanche business is real shitty, Val."

"Lazard and I will leave a security plan in place to be enforced by Sephiroth and the other Firsts. We are aware that a lot of the personnel staying behind doesn't have combat experience, so Zack and Cloud will be offering a basic course on self-defence over the next few days, in case you're interested in a refresher, Captain."

"Nah, I'll be fine. I still go to the gym regular like an' I still got my spear from when I was in t'army as a dragoon. If shit hits the fan, 'm all set. Thanks for the concern, tho'."

A small beep from his phone told Vincent it was time to wrap up with Cid and go visit Kunsel at the med wing. He stood up and shook Cid's hand, promising to send the electronic version of the request and to have Reno stop by sometime during the day to check the helicopters.

Zack and Aerith were visiting with Kunsel when Vincent knocked on the young Soldier's hospital door. He had a small bento box with him that Tseng had prepared the night before; Kunsel had been complaining about the med wing's food again and the Wutain took pity on the young man and made some for him. Since he'd be busy accompanying Rufus on meetings and Vincent had planned to visit Kunsel anyway, it was decided that the gunman would deliver the food.

"Good morning, everyone. I hope I'm not interrupting."

Kunsel didn't have a chance to respond. As soon as he saw him at the door, Zack beamed at Vincent and rushed towards him, pulling him in a bear hug to put all other hugs to shame. Vincent tensed up, not used to such effusive displays of affection from anyone other than the Turks, but made an effort to relax as to not make Zack feel awkward. Kunsel was grinning and Aerith just shook her head, a fond smile on her lips.

"Good morning, Director," Kunsel said, laughter clear in his voice. "You're not interrupting anything. You, Zack, might be interfering with Director Valentine's breathing, though."

Zack laughed and ended the hug but kept his hands on Vincent's shoulders. "Sorry, Director. It's just Lazard called me earlier and gave me the good news about Cloud and Kunsel. Thank you very much, sir."

Vincent smiled and nodded, patting Zack's shoulder. "No need to thank me. They deserve it and, if I'm entirely honest, we're severely understaffed at the moment so we really need them."

"I know. But, well, silver linings and stuff, right?" Zack said.

"It's a good outlook to have," Vincent agreed. "Does Cloud already know?"

Zack shook his head. "He's on assignment at Fort Condor. I'll tell him when he gets back."

Aerith was at their side now and she kissed Vincent's cheek as she hugged him briefly. "Morning, Mr. Valentine. I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

"Thank you, Ms. Gainsborough." He then went to Kunsel's bed and gave him the bento box. "Tseng's takoyaki and rice cakes, with the team's thanks and well-wishes. Lazard told me you should be out of the med wing soon and back on duty by next week."

Kunsel nodded. "Yeah, thank Shiva. And thank Tseng for this—the food here is nothing to write home about, let me tell you."

Vincent smirked. "I heard a similar complaint from Elena. I'm sure she'll be writing a rather strong letter of complaint to the kitchens."

"If she does, I'll co-sign it."

"I'll be sure to let her know. Also, well, my visit isn't purely social." He opened his briefcase and took out a large binder and a small tablet that he handed to Kunsel, along with a secure phone and two battery chargers. "Tseng said you volunteered to work on the analysis of the Avalanche data while you were recovering. I cleared it with Lazard earlier today so, if you're still feeling up to it, we'd like you to help us out. Elena can't be here today but you can make a video call if you need her help. Otherwise, she'll be here early tomorrow."

Kunsel's brown eyes lit up as soon as he saw the binder. "Yes, sir! Thank you so much!"

Zack shook his head. "I don't get it, man. I've never seen anyone so happy to receive paperwork while at the hospital. Or, well, ever."

"Hey, you have your squats and your big ass sword, I have my data. I'm going out of my mind here."

"I know, but you seem more excited about that than about the promotion, man."

Realising he hadn't thanked the Director, Kunsel blushed and shook his hand. "I'm sorry, sir. I real am very happy about the promotion. Thank you."

Vincent patted the young man's shoulder, smiling. "Don't worry. I know how hospitals can alter one's priorities."

Another beep from his phone reminded him not to be late to his appointment with Gast.

"Thank you very much for your help, Kunsel," Vincent said. "I have several appointments I must attend to during the week but feel free to call Cissnei or send her an e-mail if you find anything important. She's sort of our Avalanche hub at the moment."

"Of course, sir. I'll get right on it."

Vincent smiled and said his goodbyes. He was halfway to the elevator bank when Aerith's voice made him stop.

"Mr. Valentine, are you terribly busy right now?"

Checking his watch, Vincent nodded. "I'm afraid so. I actually have an appointment with your father in ten minutes. He will not be pleased if I'm late."

"Oh, okay," she said. She pouted a little while she balanced on the balls of her feet. "Could I see you at lunch time, then? I don't know if Zack told you but I'd like to talk to you."

The gunman smiled and nodded. "He did tell me, while we were at Nibelheim. I told him I'd be happy to speak with you but I suppose he must have forgotten amidst everything that happened afterwards."

Aerith giggled. "Probably. He's a bit of a scatter brain like that."

Vincent smiled, shrugging minutely. "Lunch would be fine. I have no other appointments after talking to your father so I'll call you when I'm free, if that's all right."

"Sounds great. Thank you, Mr. Valentine."

"No problem."

Vincent arrived to Gast's office just as Genesis and Angeal were leaving. The Commanders looked happy and relieved, as well as a little surprised to see the Head Turk.

"Director Valentine," Genesis said. "We were about to call you to schedule a quick appointment."

The gunman's head tilted slightly to the side and he blinked curiously. "Is everything all right, Commander Rhapsodos?"

"Yes, quite." The Soldier First could hardly contain his smile. "I just got the preliminary results of my blood panel and it seems that I'll make a full recovery in the next two weeks."

Vincent smiled, relief washing over him. "That's very good to hear, Genesis."

"We wanted to thank you," Angeal said. "If you hadn't gone back to Nibelheim—"

The dark-haired man shook his head. "No need to thank me, Angeal. Finding the compounds was a coincidence."

"Coincidence or not, I am in your debt," Genesis pressed. "I haven't found an appropriate way to thank you yet but I assure you that I will."

"Both of us will," Angeal amended.

The gunman felt himself blush slightly but smiled, all the same. "If you insist. I'm just glad your recovery is coming along so well, Genesis."

"Thank you. We know you have an appointment with the Professor so we'll leave you to it," Genesis said.

Both Firsts said their goodbyes and left Vincent feeling slightly overwhelmed in the reception area.

The Planet Bane is almost entirely dormant inside the Proud One. I cannot feel it within the Honourable One, either, Galian said.

Vincent sighed inwardly as he went up to Toru's desk. Two out of three is not bad at all.

Let's hope we can hit the trifecta, Chaos added.

Hn.

"Good morning, Director Valentine. The Professor said you could go right in as soon as you arrived," Toru said.

Vincent thanked him and went directly to Gast's office, bracing for the reprimand he was sure he'd be getting.

Instead, he found Gast almost gleeful as he finished up what Vincent supposed was the report on Genesis's progress.

"Good morning, Professor."

Gast looked up from his clipboard and smiled at the gunman. "Good morning, Vincent. It's been a while."

The Head Turk half smiled and shrugged before sitting down. "I'm sorry I didn't call you last week after I went through the files. I was…"

Gast shook his head, finished a note on the clipboard, and set it aside. "It's understandable. I should have anticipated something of the sort would happen, given the nature of the information in the files. I shouldn't have been so short with the Turks last week, either."

"We all get defensive when it comes to Jenova. Speaking of which, I ran into Genesis and Angeal on the way in. Genesis is looking much better and he said he should be fully recovered soon."

"Yes, he will be just fine. The compound you found in Nibelheim is working perfectly with no side effects."

Vincent nodded and sighed. He had a mental list of the things he needed to discuss with the Professor but he didn't know where to start.

I think the obvious choice is to talk about the files.

"There were a few things from the Fail-Safe project that I wanted to talk to you about," Gast said, as if reading Vincent's mind.

Thankful that the Professor took the initiative, Vincent nodded. "Me, too. Starting with the experiments my father conducted on me. Do you know if there's any way that Hojo incorporated that into the Jenova Project to enhance Soldier's healing abilities?"

Gast nodded, a grim expression taking over his features. "I'm afraid he did."

Vincent inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath, bringing a hand to his forehead.

"That's how he did it, then. That's how he made sure that Fail-Safe would work no matter what."

"Yes. On the upside, he gave up on the pheromones idea for some reason. Instead, he focused on lowering Jenova's awareness of Chaos to allow you to come close without Sephiroth suspecting anything. Either he grossly miscalculated everything, though, or there were factors he didn't take into account because Jenova's cells in Sephiroth react randomly to both Chaos and Galian."

The gunman blinked, slowly lowering his hand and looking intently at the scientist. "What do you mean, randomly?"

"As far as Sephiroth can tell, sometimes Jenova reacts like we've seen her do in laboratory settings. Other times, however, Galian's presence sets her on edge while Chaos calms her down. As far as I can tell, it only happens to Sephiroth's cells—what Hojo called S Cells."

"Well… What does that mean for…?" He trailed off, not knowing how to put it. "Does that help in any way?"

"It will help me come up with a compound to completely mute or deactivate Jenova in Sephiroth without harming him. As far as your end of Fail-Safe goes, I haven't finished the analysis on Galian's samples but I think I can recalibrate the hormonal imbalance that was causing his reaction to Sephiroth. After that, all we need to do is fix the protomateria and you should all be fine."

That sounds easy enough.

A bit too easy…

"How long would the hormonal thing take?"

"I won't really know until I find the right dosage. In the meantime, you can have these."

He opened one of his desk drawers and produced a small leather bag that he handed to Vincent. The gunman opened it and found ten syringes filled with a murky green liquid.

"Is this the sedative he made based on the protomateria?"

Gast nodded. "Yes. You can only use it when the protomateria is acting up, I'm afraid. Otherwise, it won't work." He paused, regarding Vincent carefully, before asking, "Will you know when the protomateria is acting up? As far as I understand it, last time it happened while you weren't quite yourself."

"Galian and Chaos will be able to spot it," Vincent said.

"Good. Now, while these are good to have, you'll still need to recharge the protomateria at the Crystal Cave to completely stabilise it."

"That can wait, can't it?"

The Professor nodded but he didn't seem pleased. "Yes, but I would recommend that you do it as soon as possible. The shots are by no means a permanent solution, whatever Hojo might have theorised."

"I know. It's just that I don't think I'll have the time to take care of it in the next few months. Not with the summit and the President's plan to restructure the company."

"I understand. But remember that stress makes it worse for you, Vincent."

"I'll keep it in mind." He closed the bag and stored it in his briefcase. "There's something else I wanted to discuss. It's about the siblings Hojo and Hollander used for their experiment."

"What about them?"

"When you're done going through whatever remains Hojo kept from them, would you release them to me? I want to give them a proper burial."

Gast seemed surprised by the request but he nodded, all the same. "Of course. The only thing I want to keep is the compound we're administering to Genesis, just in case there are unforeseen long-term side effects."

"I understand."

"There's one more thing," Gast said. "It's about your father's research again."

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"First off, what made you think Hojo had used it on Soldier?"

A small, sort of pleased smile tugged at the gunman's lips. "It was the Turks' idea, mainly. I was telling them about Fail-Safe and I mentioned that the only scientific reason for my concern for Sephiroth while we were both at the labs when he was just a baby would be a genetic relation of sorts. It never came up on any tests, though, so that couldn't be it. But then Tseng and the others thought that maybe Hojo had done something with my father's research to enhance Soldier's healing abilities. It made sense when taking into account that Zack was promoted to First after you arrived and his healing factor is not as strong as on the other three."

Gast looked surprised. "Are you telling me it took them a few minutes to figure out something we missed entirely for years?"

Vincent shrugged. "Thinking outside the box is a requirement to join the Turks. Besides, precisely because they don't have a comprehensive knowledge of genetics and bioengineering and gods know what else they are able to throw out ideas that are unconstrained by scientific rules." He paused for a moment before asking, "How did you figure it out?"

"After Sephiroth told me about Jenova's erratic behaviour I rechecked all samples available, including Zack's. Some of Hojo's old samples that you brought back from Nibelheim helped out. As far as I can tell, Hojo started experimenting with your enhanced DNA as soon as he got a hold of your father's research. Either he didn't record any of it or the files are lost because I couldn't find any journals detailing what he did. But an in-depth analysis of Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis's samples show distinct connections to your DNA that are not present on Zack or anyone who joined the program after the first three. Hojo must have mixed your DNA with Jenova's; it's the only explanation.

"The final confirmation, so to speak, came when I analysed the compound Hojo put together to cure Genesis's degradation. It's largely based on Loz's DNA but he reinforced it with yours. I think that's what's making it work so fast."

"I see…" Vincent sighed, still struggling with the knowledge that his link to Sephiroth and the other two was so deep yet subtle. "Do they know?"

Gast shook his head. "I wanted to talk to you about it first. If you don't want them to know then they never have to find out."

Vincent thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "I suppose it's all right, as long as you don't mention my father's research. It's bad enough that they know about Kadaj and the others; I don't want to add to that."

Gast nodded and the gunman took a deep breath.

"Anyway, what did you want to ask about? Regarding my father's research, I mean."

"I want to know if you would let me add your DNA to the enhancements we'll give the Soldiers First from now on. Including Zack's next booster shot."

The gunman blinked slowly, trying to process the information and fighting his impulse to say no right away. He understood why Gast would want to do something like that, and he appreciated that he was asking his permission, but that didn't clear his unease about the whole matter.

"Why? Isn't the formula you came up with enough?"

"It's a good strength and stamina enhancer, yes, but it does little for their immune system and healing and recovery rate. What sets Sephiroth and the others apart is the fact that they can recover from serious wounds in a few hours. While that's not exactly pressing for the Seconds and Thirds, it is a great advantage for the Firsts. I know you and Lazard approved to promote Cloud and Kunsel, which gives us only six Soldiers First Class. This situation with Genesis's degradation has made it very clear just how debilitating it is to lose even one First to downtime, let alone two or more. If all six of them are in optimal conditions virtually at all times, that would make everyone's job a lot easier."

Vincent shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.

"I understand that, but… The way my father came upon the enhancement, it… It makes my skin crawl, Gast. I thought it was bad enough that he'd done it to me, and then I find out it's been passed to Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis. Not only that, it was done—to an extent—as part of this whole Fail-Safe nightmare. I know that with Jenova out of the picture in the case of Zack and the others there's no chance that I'll end up targeting them somehow, but…"

He sighed, frustrated that he couldn't get his point across clearly. Before he could try to explain himself, he paused for a moment, listening to Galian and Chaos. Gast looked a bit uneasy when the gunman's eyes turned orange but he said nothing.

When Vincent's eyes finally returned to their natural red, he was blushing slightly.

"Let me ask you something. How—? I mean, Hojo used my DNA because it was already there and replicating the experiment would be nearly impossible. You're basically going to do the same, right?" Vincent waited until Gast nodded before continuing. "How exactly does it link me to the others?"

"Are you talking about a biological relationship?"

"I—Yes. How much of my DNA do they share?"

"Not enough that a paternity test—or any sort of genetic match test, for that matter—would come back positive. Like you said, we've ran tests on all of you numerous times and nothing ever came up. Hojo just took the sequences that alter your immune system and passed it on to the others. There are distinct markers in it that allow us to trace it back to you, but only through very specific tests."

Vincent drummed his fingers on the chair's armrest, pondering. As far as he understood it, no one with his altered DNA was really his family and it was only thanks to Chaos's connection to the Lifestream that he felt strongly attached to them. Sephiroth more than the others, for some reason, but that could be attributed to his guilt issues.

There's really no downside for you, Vincent, and you'll help keep the kids safer while they're out on assignment.

You already consider Cloud almost like a son, and you fought very hard to free Kunsel from Avalanche—as hard as you fought for Elena. Agreeing would only make official your commitment to their safety.

"All right. As long as you explain to them what it is you're giving them and what it means in terms of my connection to them."

"Your connection isn't—"

"Chaos can feel Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis all the time. Why did you think I went to Nibelheim instead of letting you experiment on them and myself? It wasn't just because of what my father called my 'uncompromising disposition regarding ethics' or because I'm sick and tired of being poked and prodded. It was because the link you think is so insignificant drives me to protect them. If you do the same to Zack, Cloud, Kunsel, and whoever comes after them, I will feel the same way about them all. I'll fight for their well-being with everything I've got, even if it means going against you and the entire company."

Gast seemed insulted by the last comment, but he really couldn't be too angry at Vincent. Not when he knew the man's background and understood where he was coming from, at least up to a point.

"Very well. I'll explain the procedure and its repercussions to them and let them decide if they want to go through it. If they have any questions, though, I'm referring them to you."

Vincent nodded. "When are you going through with it?"

"Zack's due for his booster shot next week. Kunsel will be cleared for duty around the same time, so I'm planning to do it a week from Friday. It will give me time to make sure all three of them will be in Midgar on the same day so I can explain everything to them. It will also give us the weekend to monitor any possible side effects, although I really don't anticipate any."

The Director checked his PDA and noticed that he was mostly free that day.

"I don't have any pressing appointments for that date. I can be here to talk to them, if you prefer."

"I think that would be a good idea, yes."

To cut some of the tension, Gast asked about Galian and Chaos.

"They're fine. Chaos opened a communication channel with Galian so we can talk to him whenever we need/want, which has turned out to be quite often. I'm sure you've noticed I haven't reacted negatively to Sephiroth's name through the conversation; it's been that way since Friday. Whatever your wife did is holding just fine."

"I see. She'll be glad to hear so. Now, I don't mean to pry or push but, have you talked to Sephiroth yet?"

The gunman shook his head slowly. "Not yet. I plan to call him to schedule an appointment for tomorrow, though. Rufus wants Lazard and I to come up with a defence plan for Midgar because of Avalanche's threat and we'll have to meet with the Firsts, since they'll be the ones to enforce it. I want to make sure we can be in the same room without something terrible happening before we start attending meetings together."

The Professor nodded. "That's good. He's been wanting to meet with you since Friday but Ifalna and Aerith asked him to give you time. I think it's a good idea for you to take the first step. It will probably ease his mind."

"The Turks told me something of the sort. I think they ran into Aerith on Friday and she mentioned it to them. By the way, I promised I would call her after my meeting with you. She's been wanting to talk to me for some time now, it seems."

"I see. I think I have enough of Galian's samples to find out what kind of hormone replacement therapy he'll need, so I won't ask you for any at this point. If I need anything, I'll call you."

"Fair enough. You'll let me know about the siblings' remains, yes?"

"Of course."

Vincent stood up and, after being reminded to take care of himself, left Gast's office.

He was waiting for the elevator to arrive when his phone rang. He still hadn't assigned ring tones to his frequent contacts so he had to check the caller ID, which told him it was Cloud calling.

"Good afternoon, Cloud."

"Vincent! It's so good to hear you! You sound a lot better than the last time I saw you."

"I feel a lot better, thank you. Zack told me you were on assignment at Fort Condor. Are you back already?"

"On my way, really. I called Zack to check in and he told me that Kunsel and I will be promoted to First Class at your recommendation. I'm calling to thank you—it really means a lot to me, Vincent."

The gunman smiled as he stepped into the elevator that would take him to the Turks' floor.

"Like I told Zack, you really deserve it, Cloud. Both you and Kunsel have been a great help with Avalanche and anything related to Nibelheim. Even if Lazard and I are acting now because we're understaffed, I was still planning on writing a recommendation soon."

"All the same, thank you very much. Tifa will be thrilled, too. I was thinking about having a small dinner to celebrate and thank you properly once we have some free time."

"That's a good idea. I just talked to Gast and he thinks he can get everything ready to administer your enhancements by the end of next week. The summit is two weeks later, though, so it might have to wait until we come back."

"Great! I'll let Tifa know as soon as I get back and we'll let you know when we decide on a date."

"Sounds good."

"Well, you must be busy and we're about to enter one of those dead zones so I'll talk to you later. Again, thank you very much, Vincent."

"You're welcome, Cloud. Take care, now."

"Will do. Bye!"

The call ended and Vincent leaned against the elevator's wall while the last few floors went by. It struck him, then, how close the summit was. Three more weeks and nearly a year of planning would come to fruition. He and the Turks would be leaving to Modeoheim a week earlier to install all the extra security measures they would need, including a command centre. Tseng would be staying behind with Rufus, though, as the President wasn't scheduled to arrive until the day before the opening ceremony.

That meant Vincent and Lazard had to finalise all the details by Friday so they could review them with the Firsts and leave everything ready by Wednesday. That would give him Thursday for last minute adjustments and, hopefully, he'd get to talk to Zack, Cloud, and Kunsel on Friday before they underwent their enhancements. He would have to pack on Saturday and go through the last minute checklist to rest up on Sunday and get up blasphemously early on Monday to oversee the transportation of Soldier to Modeoheim. Once there, they would probably start working right away. Everything would have to be set up by Thursday afternoon when Rufus was scheduled to arrive for the final inspection before the summit's opening ceremony on Friday.

Trying not to think of all the things that could go wrong between then and the summit's end, Vincent went into his office and left his briefcase on his desk. He took half the protomateria shots and placed them on the small safe he kept behind the group picture the Turks had taken during his last birthday party; he would take the rest to his apartment at the end of the day.

As he set the picture back, he took a moment to look at it fondly. The Turks were all there, including Veld, and they all looked happy and relaxed, even Vincent.

While reading Fail-Safe, it hadn't escaped him that the incident with the siblings took place during his birthday. Almost at once he decided never to celebrate his birthday again, not when such a horrible thing had happened during it. He hadn't brought it up to the others because he was certain they would try to talk him out of it, insisting on doing something big to take his mind off the horrors of Nibelheim. In the end, though, he realised it didn't really matter. His birthday coincided with the summit and there would be no time to celebrate it on the actual date. If Reno had something planned, it would certainly take place afterwards, something Vincent thought he could deal with.

After checking his inbox and replying to a couple of urgent messages, Vincent checked the time. It was barely one in the afternoon, which meant he still had a little time before calling Aerith to see about lunch. He decided to take that time to check up on whoever was at the office.

He found Cissnei and Rude in the lounge area, both of them cleaning their service guns. While neither of them were big fans of firearms, all Turks were required to carry a side-arm. Rude preferred the small Quicksilver, as it was easier to conceal and maintain, while Cissnei chose a bulkier yet dependable Glock.

"Hey, Boss," Rude greeted Vincent. "All done with your meetings?"

"Sort of. I ran into Aerith earlier and I promised her we would have lunch together. It's a bit early, so I thought I'd check on everyone before calling her."

"Tseng's with Rufus at a meeting with Reeve, I think," Cissnei said. "Elena is still stuck with IT trying to secure all communications so we don't have to keep two phones anymore, and Reno is doing an inspection of the helicopters Captain Highwind assigned to us."

"I see," Vincent said, sitting between them on the couch. "All calm on your end, then?"

Rude nodded. "We're waiting for Reno to come back to go to lunch."

"After that, we'll do some inventory. We really don't have much to do until tomorrow."

"Fair enough. By the way, I gave Kunsel part of the Avalanche files this morning and told him to contact you if he finds anything important."

Cissnei nodded. "All right." She stopped what she was doing to give her boss an appraising look. "How are you holding up?"

The dark-haired man smiled and shrugged. "I'm fine. I deliberately kept my afternoon free in case I got too tired but so far, so good. I did have an interesting chat with Gast not too long ago, though."

"What about?" Rude asked.

"About that theory you guys came up with regarding Soldier and my DNA. Turns out you were right: Hojo did use it to enhance Sephiroth and the other two. Now Gast wants to use it on Zack, Cloud, and Kunsel. And, well, anyone else who might get promoted to First in the future."

Rude and Cissnei's movements halted for a second as they exchanged a look. Then both of them resumed their cleaning while Rude asked what both Turks wanted to know.

"Are you all right with that, Vincent?"

Vincent didn't miss the concern on his subordinates' eyes and smiled to try to reassure them.

"I had some qualms about it but Chaos and Galian made some good points. I agreed under the condition that Gast tells them what it is they're receiving. If everything goes well, I'll be there to explain further and make sure they know what they're getting into."

"Which is?" Cissnei asked while she started to put her gun back together.

"That Chaos will always be able to know where they are and how they're doing and that I'll always look out for them, even if it means going against Gast."

Rude and Cissnei smirked, shaking their heads slowly.

"I bet he didn't like that, Boss."

"No, but he knew better than to disagree."

"As long as you're sure this is the right thing to do, Vincent."

"It is," Vincent said, fully convinced for the first time. Checking his watch, he said, "I'll leave you to it, then. I have to call Aerith."

"All right," Cissnei said. "Oh, before I forget. We might stop by your apartment later tonight. Reno wants to plan your birthday party."

A wry smiled curved Vincent's lips. "Of course he does. I'll text you when I get home."

Their boss's lack of enthusiasm wasn't lost on either of them, but neither Rude nor Cissnei commented on it. There would be time for that later that night.

Vincent agreed to go with Aerith to a bistro on Sector Two that specialised in Costan food. They took one of the tables out front and ordered gazpacho and paella. The young Cetra asked the gunman about his health and about Galian and Chaos and, even though he felt slightly awkward and uncomfortable to be quizzed like so by someone he barely knew, he answered every question patiently. However, he knew there was something else the young woman wanted to discuss—or rather, someone. All the same, he let her dance around the subject as to not appear unkind.

Eventually, Aerith set her plates aside and rested her head on her palms, giving the Director a soft smile.

"So, Vincent. My brother is not the most patient man on the Planet and I'm running out of arguments to keep him from ambushing you at work. He's constantly underfoot at home because he's incapable of being still and he's been avoiding headquarters after hours to give you space. He's driving mom crazy and dad's given very serious consideration to the idea of slipping a tranquilliser into his tea. As for me, I find it all endearing but I already have a restless boyfriend to deal with—adding a restless brother to it might prove unhealthy.

"What I'm trying to say is, are you planning to put my brother out of his misery any time soon?"

By his recollection, this was the first time Aerith addressed him by his first name. The realisation wasn't as shocking as it was when Sephiroth first did the same but he couldn't help but draw the parallel. A small smile found its way to his lips but died quickly with Aerith's last question.

'Why don't you just kill him? Stop toying with the poor child and put him out of his misery, Vincent. Do for him what I could not do for you. Or is this your way of getting back at me?'

Lucrecia, taunting him and mocking him in the nightmares that followed his discovery of Fail-Safe. That the young woman across from him chose the same words was a coincidence—couldn't be anything else, really—, but it cut right through him all the same.

Warm fingers gingerly brushing against his hand stopped him from falling into a vortex of despair.

"Vincent? Was it something I said?"

The gunman shook his head and took a sip of lemonade to wet his lips and throat.

"It's… It's nothing."

Aerith tilted her head to the side and gave him a disbelieving look. "You're pale, Vincent, and your eyes did a weird flickering thing just now. I'd like you to tell me what caused it, so I can avoid upsetting you like that."

Vincent flinched. Chaos and Galian hadn't spoken since they left headquarters so there was no reason for his eyes to flicker like that. It could be an after-effect of whatever happened to the protomateria or it could be that they were as disturbed by Aerith's choice of words as he was and it manifested physically without his acknowledgement. He didn't want to ask them now, though, to avoid more questions from the young woman. From what others had told him about her, she was as stubborn as her mother and even more relentless than her father in her pursuit of the truth. He was too tired and busy to allow himself to fall within her crosshairs more than could be avoided.

"I've had nightmares," he said, playing with the condensate on his lemonade glass. "About… your brother and others. What you said about 'putting him out of his misery'… it reminded me of those nightmares."

Brown eyebrows shot up in surprise and lithe hands wrapped around his in a reassuring squeeze.

"I am so sorry, Vincent. I was only trying to keep the mood light."

Vincent nodded slowly. "I know. It was just an unfortunate coincidence."

Aerith searched his eyes for a moment and, apparently finding something she approved of, nodded and sat back on her chair.

"The question remains, though. You will talk to him, won't you?"

"Yes. I will call him this evening."

"I'm glad to hear that."

The young Cetra was smiling but soon her expression turned serious. She pursed her lips and appeared to brace herself before speaking again.

"Vincent… Would you please be patient with my brother? I don't want to meddle but I think you should know that he's very confused about everything that's been happening. Right now his focus is on talking to you and figuring where you both stand but, beyond that… I don't think he's given it much thought."

Red eyes blinked rapidly a few times before Vincent broke into a small smile and shrugged minutely.

"I understand. I certainly can't claim to fully grasp the meaning and reach the events of the last couple of weeks might have, so I intend to tread lightly." He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thank you, Aerith."

It was the young woman's turn to blink, her head once more tilted to the side. "For what?"

Vincent felt himself blush as he tried to explain himself. "It might sound strange, but… I'm really grateful your family adopted Sephiroth and has taken such good care of him. One of the reasons I agreed to come back to Midgar was to see what kind of man Sephiroth had become. I can't begin to tell you how worried I was at the idea of him growing up next to his biological parents in a company that bred him as a weapon. When the situation was explained to me and I realised Sephiroth was part of a loving, nurturing family and he didn't exhibit any of his biological parents' less than savoury characteristics, I was relieved beyond words.

"I have never had cause or found the occasion to voice any of this to any of you but… Well, it seemed appropriate just now."

Aerith smiled—actually beamed at him—and reached across the table to place a quick peck on the gunman's cheek, making his blush intensify.

"No one has ever said anything like that to any of us, I think. Thank you, Vincent. And thank you for always having my brother's and his friends' interests in mind. I know it's not easy to stand up to a man like my dad but you've always known how to handle him."

Vincent had no reply to that so he didn't try to give one. Instead, he called the waiter and ordered dessert.

Vincent shuffled into his apartment a little after five. After lunch with Aerith, he returned to the office and went through some accumulated paperwork before deciding to clock out early. He took his shoes off at the door, as he always did, and flung his jacket, gloves, and tie on the couch before flopping down on it himself. He fished his phone out of his pants and stared at the screen for what felt like hours. When he finally gathered the willpower to open the contacts list, his thumb hesitated above Sephiroth's name.

He knew he had to call him. Not only had he promised so to Gast and Aerith but his argument was true: he needed to know that they could be in the same room without Galian or Jenova flipping out and causing trouble. He also needed to know that he would be capable of doing his job objectively without his feelings for Sephiroth getting in the way. In order to do that, he had to figure out exactly what it was he felt for the younger man and, if possible, what the General felt for him.

He'd told the others that he loved Sephiroth and that he wanted a relationship with him. It wasn't a lie, but he wondered if he could truly commit to something like that. He loved the Turks—and Rufus—with all his heart and couldn't see himself giving them up in any fashion or degree. Ever since he was a teenager he knew had an unconventional take on relationships; that's why it was so easy for him to fit with the current Turks' off-the-clock activities. He never questioned it, not even when Rufus was suddenly added into the mix, and he wasn't questioning it now that a large part of him was contemplating a possible affair with Sephiroth. There hadn't been time to even consider how Sephiroth could or would alter his current situation, and Vincent found that his first idea was to just add him to it without altering the rest.

It was a thought that gained strength when he took Chaos and Galian into account.

They had never discussed it but Vincent knew Chaos cared for the Turks as much as he did. While both of them tried not to play favourites, it was clear that Vincent felt closer to Tseng and Elena—and there was something about Rufus that definitely fascinated him—while Chaos had a softer spot for Cissnei and a craving for Rude. As soon as it became clear that Galian could share Vincent's headspace without causing trouble, the gunman realised the Cetran guard was smitten with Reno. How long that had been going on he couldn't say, but he was certain it had been cemented at Jenova's containment room thanks to the redhead's bold comment.

To be in an exclusive relationship with Sephiroth would undoubtedly disrupt all these little coteries and it would nettle Chaos and Galian to no end. (Particularly Galian—he hadn't voiced it so far but Vincent was positive the Planet Protector didn't quite trust Sephiroth.)

To complicate matters, he was certain these affections were not one-sided. For all their talk about wanting Vincent to give Sephiroth a chance, he knew the others weren't ready to give him up. Perhaps they had thought the same as he had, that they could share him with Sephiroth and everyone would be happy. It was a simple solution, truly, but Vincent couldn't recall the last time anything in his life had been so uncomplicated.

'I'm getting way ahead of myself,' he thought.

What he'd told Rufus a few days ago remained true: any sort of relationship with Sephiroth beyond friendship was still too far off into the future for him to be worrying about it now. He had to tackle the most pressing matter, which was figuring out whether or not they could work together.

Steeling himself, he brought up Sephiroth's number and dialled. He tried to even out his breathing as the call went through and found himself wishing he'd called one of the others first to keep him company. He even considered hanging up and doing just that but then Sephiroth's smooth voice came through the receiver and he was trapped.

"Sephiroth Faremis speaking. Who is this?"

Vincent blinked and was momentarily confused—Sephiroth should know who was calling, given that he'd called him before. The clipped tone gave him pause, too.

He was about to panic when it dawned on him that the IT department was still fumbling with the network so he was still using the secure phone Cissnei gave him before the raid on Avalanche's hideout. Of course Sephiroth wouldn't recognise the number as they hadn't handed them out to anyone they didn't absolutely need to contact. While Zack, Angeal, and Cloud had needed new phones due to their involvement in the Avalanche affair (and Kunsel now had one because he was back on the Avalanche detail), Sephiroth had been kept out of the loop for obvious reasons.

"Director Valentine," Vincent said with a small rush of relief. "I hope I am not interrupting, General."

It was easier to keep his composure if he slipped into business-mode, not to mention safer for everyone involved given the state of things at Shinra.

He could hear Sephiroth's sharp breath intake and the rolling of a chair. A few seconds passed in silence before Sephiroth spoke again.

"Director. No, you're not. I was just going through some files Lazard sent over regarding security for the city during the summit."

"I see. I won't keep you long, then. I was wondering if you could meet with me tomorrow for lunch. I'm afraid I have meetings scheduled for most of the day so I can't leave the building, but I can order something from Leviathan's Scales and we can eat in my office."

"Of course." Sephiroth's answer rushed out of him as though he'd been holding his breath while Vincent spoke. "What time?"

"Two o'clock would be fine, unless you'd prefer it to be earlier."

"No, that sounds good."

"All right. I'll leave you to your work then, General. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Director."

Vincent disconnected the call and noticed his hand was shaking so much it was a wonder the phone didn't slip from his fingers. He dropped the device next to him on the couch and mentally prodded Galian.

Galian? Are you there?

I am, Host.

It's Vincent, remember? A small grunt was all the answer he got and a small smile tugged at his mouth. Anyway, how are you feeling?

Galian seemed to ponder the question before Vincent felt him shrug. It had been a shock to find that he could feel all of Galian's visual cues, so to speak, but not Chaos's. He had no idea how or why, but he supposed it had something to do with Galian's hormonal imbalance. Whatever the case, it would take some getting used to, just like it would take Galian some time to be comfortable enough to call Vincent by his name.

I feel fine. Why do you ask?

I just talked to Sephiroth on the phone and I was wondering if you felt anything.

Oh. No, I did not. Have you arranged a meeting with him, then?

Yes, tomorrow at lunch. Would you mind being awake then? I need to know that what Ifalna did will work when Sephiroth is close by.

Certainly.

Thank you. You can go back to sleep if you like.

A small nod was Galian's answer before he slipped back into slumber. Vincent thought about rousing Chaos but he quickly dismissed the idea. The Weapon had had a rough couple of weeks, too, and he needed all the rest he could get before the summit threw everything off-balance again.

Instead, Vincent reached for his phone once more and sent a text to the Turks to let them know he was free and they could come visit if they wanted. Reno was the first to reply, stating he'd be over as soon as he changed out of his uniform. The others replied a few minutes later, all of them confirming they'd be arriving soon except for Tseng, who was still caught up in meetings with Rufus.

After sending a message to Reno allowing him to let himself in when he arrived, Vincent picked up his clothes and went to his room to change.

"All right. I'll leave you to your work then, General. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Director."

The call disconnected from the other side and Sephiroth stood by his office's window staring at his phone. His heart thundered in his chest and blood rushed through his ears so loudly he missed the knock on his door and nearly jumped back when he heard someone calling his name from somewhere near his desk.

"Gaia, Seph, what's the matter?"

Angeal and Genesis stood in front of his desk, twin looks of concern on their faces. Realising his phone was still open in his trembling hand, he closed it and slid it back into one of his coat's pockets.

"Nothing. I… Director Valentine just called."

"Oh? What did he say?" Genesis asked as he sat on a chair. Next to him, Angeal did the same.

Sephiroth took a deep breath and sat behind his desk, eyeing the reports on it wearily.

"He asked me to have lunch with him tomorrow at his office."

"That's all?" Angeal asked. When Sephiroth looked at him with the same surly expression he reserved for particularly dull-witted recruits, he put his hands up defensively. "I mean, that's a good thing, Seph. You looked like you'd just gotten bad news when we came in."

"He sounded too formal," Sephiroth said, arms crossed over his chest.

"No need to take it personally. We are under alert because of Avalanche and the Turks have been using secure connections for some days now. He probably didn't want to risk attracting attention by being too open on the phone," Genesis explained.

Sephiroth blinked slowly twice before sighing heavily. "That didn't occur to me."

"You weren't unnecessarily short with him, were you?" Genesis asked in a tone that tried not to be patronising but mostly failed.

"No. If anything I might have been a bit too eager."

"As long as you don't arrive at his office with flowers and chocolates and bouncing off the walls, a little eagerness is not bad," Angeal joked.

The General looked at his friend with a look of genuine horror and disgust. "Who do you take me for, Angeal? Your puppy?"

Genesis burst out laughing while Angeal had the gall to look offended on his disciple's behalf.

"You have no right to call him that, Seph."

"If you don't want people to use the silly nicknames you give your subordinates, then don't come up with them in the first place."

"At least don't spread them around the office like wildfire," Genesis added. "Luckily for Strife, Fair has a bit more common sense than you in that regard."

"Fair has a nickname for Strife?" Sephiroth asked.

"See?" Genesis said. "Not even Sephiroth knows, and he knows everything."

Green eyes rolled back in annoyance but a small smile tugged at the corner of Sephiroth's lips. "I suppose you're feeling better if the sarcasm is back."

The smile on Genesis face could not have been wider. "I'm feeling great, actually. More than a little eager to get back on the field but, well, I'm still not cleared for that."

"Hopefully Father miscalculated and you'll be back to full strength sooner than he expects. If Avalanche makes good on its threat on Midgar we'll need you at our side."

"May the Goddess heed your wishes, my friend."

A somewhat heavy silence fell amongst the three men until Genesis decided to return to the original subject.

"So, lunch with Director Valentine tomorrow, is it? How are you feeling about that?"

"Like I said, eager. More than a little nervous, too, to be perfectly honest."

"It's just lunch," Angeal said. "At the office, too. What's there to be nervous about?"

Genesis rolled his mako-tinted eyes and punched his lover gently on the arm. "You tactless oaf. It's the first time they'll have a chance to talk after the mess at the labs. A lot hangs on this one meeting so don't dismiss it as trivial just because it'll take place at an office in the middle of the day."

Angeal rubbed his arm and glared playfully at Genesis. He knew the auburn-haired man hadn't put much force behind it but he still felt the whisper of pain where he'd been hit. If it meant that his lover truly was on the mend, he didn't mind more playful blows.

"I was trying to keep him from freaking out, Gen, but thanks for painting such a somber picture for us all."

Sephiroth smiled fondly as his friends continued to bicker on his behalf for a few more minutes. Once their focus shifted back to him, he suggested going out for drinks. He was much too excited to keep on working and he'd missed these relaxed moments with his friends since Genesis's health took a southward turn. Apparently they felt the same way because they agreed at once and in unison, drawing an overly dramatic sigh from Genesis and a hearty laugh from Angeal. Sephiroth joined his older friend in laughter and soon so did Genesis.

They left the General's office amidst easy laughter and light banter, Sephiroth feeling better than he had in weeks.