Rebuilding in the Aftermath

Chapter 2 – The Trials of the Soul

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or anything associated with it, I do own OC's and plot.

It had been 6 months since Vincent Valentine had been pulled from his eternal slumber by Cloud and Lauren. The best 6 months of his life Vincent thought looking down at the woman currently curled into his side asleep. She had given him the spare room here at her house accepting him exactly as he was, though there was nothing going on between them.

At least not yet he amended, hopefully things would change soon but until then he would continue at the pace she set. Honestly Vincent knew that he loved her now, he would do anything to keep her in his life and by his side. He saw the way that damned Reno looked at her like she was a piece of meat and not a human being with emotions. It made him want to kick the red-headed Turks ass from Midgar to Nibelheim and back again several times.

Sighing Vincent picked Lauren up and carried her to her bedroom, this was something that he had taken to doing when she fell asleep like she had. He gently set her down on her bed pulling back the covers on one side before placing her in and covering her up. Normally he would go to bed himself after tucking her in but tonight he felt a strong pull to stay where he was.

So Vincent sat on the floor beside Lauren's head and simply leaned back into the bedframe and closed his eyes. He let the memories of the past few months drift before him smiling fondly at the goofier ones with Lauren, Samantha and Cloud. They had become good friends the four of them and they often visited Tifa at her bar 7th Heaven here in Midgar. They had all grown closer and Samantha had changed from cold as hell to friendly where Vincent was concerned. She had said that she could see he wouldn't hurt Lauren anytime soon and that she could see he loved Lauren in his own way.

It was true that he loved Lauren he just didn't know whether to act on the impulses he felt or not. He thought that maybe it would be best if he just waited and let her tell him what to do and not to do. For now he just accepted that she was cuddly and that was it, to be honest he found it cute that she liked to cuddle so much. He had no idea when but he obviously had to have fallen asleep because now Lauren sat before him slowly undressing him and then stretching her body out along the length of his grinding into him. Oh this was one of the many sweet sinful dreams he had of Lauren.

Lauren opened her eyes and looked around her noticing that Vincent had put her in her bed once again. She began to drift through the memories of the last 6 months with him. They had grown quite close but he always seemed to be holding back his true feelings from her. Suddenly she heard a deep male moan of pleasure and looked beside her bed to see a sleeping Vincent leaning against her bed. From the sounds he was making she could easily guess what he was dreaming of and it made her blush.

Lauren got up out of her bed and knelt in front of Vincent just staring at his peaceful if not a little dirty face. She knew right then what he was dreaming about and this time along with the blush came a surge of feminine pride that she was what he dreamed of. Leaning forward she placed a soft kiss against his lips which parted slightly allowing her to deepen the kiss if she wanted to. For once she didn't back down and she slowly slid her tongue into his mouth exploring and toying gently. Her hands began to undo the buttons of his shirt while she began to kiss him rougher and when he woke up she would really surprise him.

Vincent slowly began to wake up and Lauren with her abilities was even more able to tell this. Though now was the perfect time for him to wake up because she pretty much had him undressed. She straddled his lap and began to kiss him roughly again knowing that he was almost fully awake now as he began to kiss her back.

"Time to wake up Vinnie and let the fun begin." Lauren whispered against his lips. Vincent opened his eyes and upon seeing most of his clothes in a pile behind Lauren's head he began to pull out of the kiss. Damnit he didn't think he had taken any of them off before he fell asleep. "It's about damn time you woke up, I thought I was going to have to pull you up and get those pants off of you myself." Lauren purred in his ear before nibbling on the shell causing the man beneath her to groan in pleasure.

So Lauren had removed his clothing while he slept that would explain why he had felt something against his lips but he had thought he was just dreaming. "Lauren what are you doing why did you undress me like that?" Vincent asked eyes cloudy with desire and more than a little shocked.

Lauren looked at him her eyes shining brightly with many emotions; she seemed to gauge whether or not to answer him. "I am taking your clothes off and I am doing so because I cannot feel you very well with all those clothes on." Lauren explained a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. Yes she wanted Vincent but now she was beginning to wonder if she had misread his earlier sounds as being made about someone else.

Vincent was shocked into silence for a moment before he leaned forward and kissed Lauren. He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her body more closely into contact with his own. God she tasted like heaven and felt like a goddess, and here she was undressing him trying to get him closer to her. "Well why don't we finish this on the bed it'll be more comfortable for both of us." Vincent said pulling back for air his eyes still burning with hunger for Lauren's body.

Nodding Lauren got up and waited for Vincent to remove his pants while she slipped out of the nightgown she was wearing. She had never in her life felt so nervous about anything, she worried that Vincent would not like her body. When he had removed his pants Vincent turned around and his breath caught in his throat. God she was beautiful, her body looked amazing and he could imagine his hands tracing every curve.

"You look so beautiful Lauren," Vincent whispered walking over to her and placing a gentle kiss on her lips as his hands roamed down the sides of her body. When he found the back of her leg he lifted it onto his hip while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Lauren gently rolled her hips against Vincent's begging in her own way for him to make a move. Vincent picked her up wrapping her other leg around his waist and laying them both out on Lauren's bed. Vincent began kissing a path of burning kisses along her chest and down her stomach while his hands massaged her breasts, fingers pinching the nipples teasingly.

When Vincent kissed the slick folds between her legs Lauren couldn't help but to moan as her fingers delved into his hair. Vincent knew he had found a hot button then as he licked lightly along the crease before pushing his tongue inside. He moved one hand down to toy with the bundle of nerves that had Lauren moaning loudly. Vincent could feel her getting closer to the edge and he pulled away just before she would have gone over earning a groan of disappointment from her.

Smiling Vincent laid his body out along hers kissing her allowing her to taste herself on his tongue. This time when he pulled back she began to suck and bite at his neck leaving a mark there as if to say that he was hers which in truth he was. Vincent moved so that she was looking him in the eye when he slowly began to slip inside of her. He feared hurting her but she seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit from the look on her face and the moans leaving her lips.

"God Vincent! You're so big," Lauren exclaimed as a single tear fell down her cheek. Vincent instantly started to pull out but her next words stopped him, "God it has never felt so good and so painful at the same time. Vincent fill me till you can't push in anymore! Make me yours!" She was practically screaming with pleasure even as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Lauren, I am so sorry that I am causing you pain." Vincent said wiping away her tears and frowning. He had never felt so low in his entire life and yet he couldn't stop from pushing further inside her groaning at her tightness. He could see the shock in her eyes and the corners of her eyes twitching as she fought back hard tears.

"Vincent Valentine! Did you ever stop to think that maybe I wanted this? I'm just not accustomed to your size that's all, trust me this has never been so pleasurable or enjoyable for me before." Lauren said as a fresh wave of hard tears poured down her face. Each drop looked like a crystal drop and Vincent realized that by apologizing he was only causing Lauren more pain.

"My apologies Lauren, I didn't consider your feelings." Was all he said as he slammed into her biting back a groan at her tightness. He winced internally as she jerked under him but he began a steady pace trying to be gentle while still enjoying her body. He found that she was moving her hips in time with his thrusts which made him go in deeper causing both of them to moan.

"God Vincent how can you make this so god damned pleasurable when others have tried and only failed? Oh Vincent!" Lauren cried as he seemed to hit a spot inside of her that had her seeing stars. Vincent could tell that he had found a pleasure spot and he sought to keep hitting it. He was unsure of himself but the louder her moans and cries got the more confident he became.

"Will you sing for me Lauren? Will you sing when I bring you to heaven's door and then tear you back to earth?" Vincent growled in Lauren's ear smirking slightly when she shivered under him. He had to bite back another groan as she began biting lightly at his neck before sinking her teeth into the spot where his neck met his shoulder. God she was going to be the death of him at this rate.

However if she were to be his death it would be a most pleasurable way to die, but he had no plans on leaving her any time soon. His old soul that was beaten battered and damned near broken had found peace and the ability to heal from some of the hurt he had suffered years ago. He had finally found a true reason to live and here she was wanting him to hurt her in the most pleasurable of ways.

"No one will be singing nothing if you don't get your ass in gear unless," Lauren purred suddenly flipping their positions so that she was on top of him. "Now I think this position will work out much better." She added as she forced all of Vincent inside of her. She moaned loudly her head tossed back her mouth open wide as he filled all of her. One single tear fell and Vincent wiped it away not feeling as bad this time that he was bringing her pain.

After a moment Lauren began to lift herself off of him before sliding back down her hands on his chest helping her support herself. Vincent groaned as she rode him moving harder and faster each time she came down on him his hands on her hips helped to try and move her harder and faster. He couldn't believe how good this felt watching her ride him while he bucked up to meet her thrust for thrust. Her face was a mask of deep animalistic pleasure her hair forming a silky curtain around them.

"You really prefer being up there looking down on your ride instead of looking up at it?" Vincent teased kissing along her collar bone. He began to take light playful nips at her smiling as she moaned loudly above him.

"Oh quite because now I'm in control Vinnie and I plan to use that to my full advantage," Lauren purred slamming herself roughly down onto him. She grinned like the devil in the Garden of Eden when he groaned under her his eyes rolling back into his head a little.

"Fuck….. Lauren…" Vincent groaned bucking up to meet her before growling and rolling her under him lifting her legs high up on his waist almost to his chest as he slammed into her harshly all signs of control lost. God he needed to feel her tight and hot around him as he felt her nearing her release.

Lauren cried out his name loudly as she fell crashing over that edge and indeed it did feel like he had lifted her up to heaven's door only to tear her back down to earth. She clung to him as he found his release within her body thrusting in and out for another few minutes until the last bits of their orgasms had faded away.

"I think the trials of my soul have finally begun to be forgiven and healed." Lauren whispered holding him close to her.

Vincent kissed her softly and murmured his agreement with what she had just said. He knew that he would never again in his life be able to find such complete happiness unless it was with her. She had given him back something that he had thought long dead and lost….. his heart.

~Meanwhile~

Samantha sighed as she stood thinking about how things had begun to change between her and Cloud, how they had gotten deeper and more complicated. True she and he had been in a relationship for a while now but last week things had gotten more complicated when they had slept together for the first time.

Her soul felt destroyed and yet when she was with him it was like everything was right in the world. Like she was home and everything that life threw her way could be handled as long as he was at her side. To be blunt she had fallen in love with Cloud just as she had with Angeal what seemed so long ago now.

"I wonder if this means that the trial is over?" Samantha whispered to herself as she sat looking up at the clouds floating by in the sky.

"The trial only continues for as long as you allow yourself to suffer Samantha,"
Cloud said moving to sit beside her.

Samantha blinked at him in surprise she hadn't even heard him approach her she had been so caught up in her thoughts. "You really think that that is true Cloud?" Samantha asked looking at him.

"Yes, I truly believe that because I stopped making myself suffer and now with you I know I can handle anything that might happen to me outside of losing you." Cloud replied kissing her cheek.

Samantha turned her head and crashed their lips together kissing him deeply while he pulled her body against his. He knew that this was love between them and he would never need anything other than the woman here in his arms to be happy. She was all he could ever need and more.

"I love you Samantha," Cloud whispered.

"And I love you too Cloud," Samantha replied kissing him again.

It seems that even tortured souls suffering through trials of themselves can find love and happiness. They could learn to heal and move on and how to get stronger when all else failed to do so. The trials of these tortured souls ended because they decided to let in the hope that they had been shutting out for so long. It allowed them to start to see the good in everything again and to find the happiness in the things that they had. Not the sadness for the things which they did not hold within their grasp.