Tengoko: No. I'm not dead. Sorry for taking longer than ever. I've just been so busy. Well, here's the next chapter, obviously, and I really hope you enjoy it. You know the usual. Please Read and Review. Thanks so much. Well, enjoy!
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Rated M for language and romance
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Chapter 14: Point
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"How long has she been unconscious?" Tseng asked, the moment the door opened for him. He wasted no time with hellos or any introduction. Just bypassed Rude and headed straight for the couch where Elena lay. Reno was kneeling beside her, putting a cold compress on her forehead.

"Not too long. She keeps coming to, but then she'll pass out again." Rude closed the door and stood next to his boss. "She's lucky though. Had Reno not shown up when he did, she'd be smeared all over the street."

"Thanks for the imagery," Reno muttered, giving Rude a very dark look. "Actually, if Rude hadn't shown up to handle Havre, I never would have been able to get to her in time." He visibly shuddered at the thought. "But, she's going to be okay. I think she's just exhausted and shocked by everything that had happened to her."

Tseng nodded and looked down at his shoes. "Thank gods," he whispered. "Well, now we have a new problem. Havre is free. I reported the problem to Rufus, and it goes without saying…"

"He's upset," Rude finished. "There's nothing we can do about that right now. Our priority is Elena."

"Of course," Tseng said, nodding his head. "I wouldn't have asked either of you to chase after him now. Actually, I was going to assign the task of bringing him in to Justus. After all, he's so confident in his abilities lately," he said with disdain. "Give him a chance to work on his own."

A soft moan brought silence to the room. They all turned their heads towards Elena, who was moving around now. Her head turned on the pillow and Reno leaned over her and put his hand on her cheek trying to soothe her. It seemed to work. Her face, once troubled in appearance seemed to relax. And then, her eyes opened.

She mouthed his name. It's possible that she said it, but her voice was so low that nobody heard it. Still, he knew what she'd said and he moved closer in response, his eyes full of more tenderness than any of them had ever seen him convey. "Laney," he began quietly.

"How're you feeling?" Rude asked.

"Where am I?" she asked. A legitimate question as she'd never been to Reno's apartment before. "What happened?" she started sitting up, but Reno put a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down. "Reno?"

"Take it easy, Laney. We're here."

Yes. They were there. And she could hardly believe it. He'd saved her life…yet again. And this time, he shouldn't have. He had every reason to let her fall. Every reason to let Havre do whatever he pleased. And yet he'd come for her. They'd both come. And that in itself brought the tears.

"Why did you save me?" she asked.

"Would you have preferred for me to let you fall?" Reno asked, wiping her tears.

"You should have let me fall."

"You shouldn't talk like that," Rude said, coming closer. "Pity doesn't become you."

"It's not pity," she cried. "But, after everything I've done to both of you…" And then the shooting headache. Elena sprung forward, clutching her head, and flew right into Reno's arms. "Why does it hurt so much?"

Reno couldn't answer. It wasn't as if he didn't have an answer for her. In fact, he did. But, there was a tightening in his throat. As he felt her tremble in his arms, something unexplainable took hold of him, and all he could do was hold her.

"Come on, Laney," Rude said, taking her from Reno, who was reluctant at first to let her go. "Let's get you cleaned up now. It'll make you feel much better, trust me." At that, he lifted her from the couch and carried her into the bathroom. Reno watched until the door closed, and then he looked away and tried to ignore the hard stare his boss was throwing him just now.

"You must know what I'm thinking," Tseng said, putting his hands behind his back.

"Yes. And I really wish that you wouldn't think it," he snapped, rolling his eyes and lying back on the couch. "You're making something out of nothing, and there really is nothing, Tseng. Believe me."

Tseng stepped closer and sighed. "Reno…I told her."

There was no need to clarify. Reno knew exactly what he was talking about. He raised his head a fraction to glare at him before saying slowly, "why would you do that?"

"I thought it might help her. It can't be easy for her to go through what she's been going through. I hate to say it, but she's not as strong as you were. She needs all the help she can get."

"You should have asked me if it was okay to tell her," Reno hissed, pulling himself up. "I didn't want her to know."

"Why not?"

"Why the hell do you think?" Reno shot at him. "It's not exactly a part of my past that I look at with fondness."

"You can't just erase what happened, Reno. There's no denying what you went through, and I don't think you should be ashamed of any of it. You overcame something that kills most people. You are a better man because of it. There's no reason you should hide anything about that."

"A better man?" Reno asked. "You really think I've become a better man since then?"

"Haven't you?" Tseng's lifted his eyebrow and smirked. "I think you have."

"I'm not," he insisted. "A better man? Five years since I kicked the addiction and I've yet to do something respectable with my life. I kill for a living, Tseng. And then, when I'm through with that, I whore myself through the streets of Midgar. You think that makes me a good man?"

"I said you were a good man, Reno. Not a priest. We all have our shortcomings. Even I admit to having vices that I'm not proud of. But hey, we make our own beds, don't we? And, it could be a lot worse, Reno. A hell of a lot worse." Reno didn't respond to that. "By the way…I believe I owe you some money."

That caught him off guard. "What the hell for?" he demanded as he stared at the gil that was just handed to him.

"A bet we made a long time ago. No need to get into the details, but, as I'm a man of my word, I've got to honor the bet."

"Tseng, I've only made two bets with you in my entire life. And since Rufus wasn't the one who assassinated the president that means…" Reno paled. "How did you find out?" he asked solemnly.

"She told me," he shrugged. "Gods, Reno, your memory is a lot better than I could have guessed. Had I known you wouldn't just take the money with no questions, I wouldn't have brought it up."

"I don't want your money," Reno said, handing it back to him. "Not for this. It's not…"

"Right?" Tseng asked, taking it back from him. "I suppose you've proven my point," Tseng smiled. "About being a better man. Five years ago, you would have taken the money and then gloated about it to Elena, teasing her persistently. You really should give yourself more credit."

"I've known you for a long time, Tseng. That wasn't the only thing you were trying to prove. What are you really trying to uncover? You knew I'd remember the bet. So don't give me the whole 'honest mistake' crap."

Tseng sighed and then chuckled. "We have been working together too long, haven't we?"

"Get to the point, Tseng."

He stopped smiling at that point and with a sober face, said, "she could have died tonight, you know? Havre certainly wouldn't have thought twice about killing her. And he means to finish the job. He expressly asked for her, meaning he blames her for everything that he's lost. We haven't seen the last of him. And, until he's caught, she'll continue to be in danger. We can't leave her alone."

"We shouldn't have left her alone to begin with," Reno said sadly. "Don't worry, Tseng. Havre won't ever lay a hand on her again. Rude and I will see to it personally."

"But is that enough?" He asked. "If you both were capable of handling Havre, why isn't he back in custody? We all know that he's more than able to overcome all of us."

"That's why we have guns," Reno said, patting his own. "To hell with what Rufus Shinra wants with him. If he ever comes near her again, I'll kill him. And Rude won't hesitate to do the same."

"First things first. We've got to save Elena from herself. That won't be so easy."

"She's a strong girl," Reno said. "She'll get through this."

"You intend on seeing to that as well?" he asked. "Finally decided to forgive her, have you?"

"Just didn't see any point in being angry with her anymore. Besides, she doesn't need tough love right now. Rude and I were trying to teach her a lesson. She's not ready for that yet."

"Will she ever be ready for the lesson you wanted to teach her?" Tseng looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. "She's a strong girl. But, she depends so much on what other people think about her. If she thinks for a moment that somebody's upset with her, she goes to the extremes to make it right. Why do you think she took drugs in the first place?"

Reno thought about that for a few seconds. Then the bathroom door opened. Elena was the first one out, walking unsteadily. Rude was behind her, helping her stay up, leading her back to the couch. Reno stood up so she could lay back down, but Elena didn't lay down. Instead, she put her arms around him and all but collapsed against him.

"Thank you, Reno," she whispered. "For saving my life…again. I don't know what I'd do without you." She smiled up at him before kissing him on the cheek. "I hope I never have to find out."

"You won't," he assured her. He kissed her on her forehead before picking her up in his arms. "Relax, Laney. Everything's going to be okay now. Know that you're safe here."

"With you," she added with a sigh.

"Yes. With me."

"I'm tired," she said, closing her eyes.

"I know." Reno looked down at her tenderly before carrying her to his bedroom.

Rude and Tseng stared after them and watched as they disappeared into the hallway. Once they were out of sight, Rude walked over to Reno's bar and poured a glass of hard liquor. He knew his friend was going to need it when he returned. And sure enough, a few minutes later, Reno came back and went straight for the glass that Rude was holding.

"She's going to be okay," Rude told him.

"I know. I just don't think I'll be until I'm sure that she is." He lifted the glass to his lips and took a hard swallow. Turning around, he meant to sit down but was instead greeted by the self-satisfied grin of Tseng's. "What the hell are you smiling about?"

"I believe, Reno, that you've just proven my other point."