Happy new year everybody! Time for me to post a new chapter! Thanks to all of those who read and reviewed last week, I love to hear from you all! Well nothing much else to say, ill just get to the main reason you all are on here today: to read! Sorry if it's late in my posting, I have many distractions today and last night. –Annubis

The Decision Between Life or Death:

A Second Chance

Chapter 27

Aeris was stunned; she couldn't believe what just happened. She was frozen, stuck in the arms of Sephiroth who had her slung over his shoulder. Her hair was a tangled mess, hiding her vision of the dark cave surrounding her. She stared straight ahead though, as if she could see through the walls, could see where she had previously been with Zack. They were so close to salvation to running away and never returning. Aeris was in his arms, happy and slowly remembering her past and out of nowhere Sephiroth had to come along and ruin it all. The scene played repeatedly in her head: the look on Zack's face just before the Masamune was brought to his throat and he was dragged away from the woman, the blood trickling down the blade, the look of pain in his eyes as he struggled to get away from the silver haired man's grasp, his warning to her, her calls out to Sephiroth and the evil man doing just as she said. He sure did let Zack go, and he let him fall into the dark depths below the cliffs.

'It's all my fault. I gave the man the idea!' Aeris screamed silently to herself.

She thought of the quick relief she felt when Sephiroth finally let the man go, it dissipating quickly as he grabbed the young man by the collar of his jacket. The next events were too quick to register. Sephiroth drug Zack over the ledge, throwing him. The dark haired man looked pitiful as he flailed in the air trying his best to save himself. She cringed, remembering the look of terror on his face and the quick shout of surprise that escaped his throat. And then all was silent. There was no more Zack, no more cheerful jokes and laughs, only silence. She was alone with Sephiroth all over again. And she couldn't help but think it was her fault.

"What's wrong Aeris? You seem quieter than usual." Sephiroth was met by a reply of a tiny sniffle. He frowned. "Don't tell me you are saddened by my actions." The man gave a half smile.

"…" the woman remained silent. She clenched her fists, grabbing the silken strands of his long hair.

"It was for your own good, you know that? I was only trying to protect you, Aeris." The man stared ahead, awaiting his destination. He spoke as if he was right in his actions and there was a true good purpose for them.

"He was too…" the woman replied bitterly, her voice quiet and scratchy.

"…What was that?" he asked. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened between the two of them, he arrived a bit too late to find Aeris attached to the other man's lips. The thought still angered him.

"What you did was the most monstrous thing I've ever seen." She choked on her words.

"I'm not a monster!" the man dropped her to the ground. "Those humans are! You know that they killed your race and yet after all that you still cling onto them like they are your god, like they are your friends who care for you!" the man raged. The woman sat on the ground, her arms around her knees. She refused to look up at Sephiroth. "Aeris! Look at me! You are coming with me and that's final! I will stop any obstructions that get in our way; even if that means eliminating you're so called friends!" he felt a bit of panic beginning to rise. Aeris was upset with him; she was starting to hate him. He didn't want this; it was going to ruin his plan! "I need you, in order to save the planet, Aeris!"

"I don't know why you need me…" the woman sighed.

"I need you to operate this materia!" the man showed the woman the materia her mother had given to her. "I can't do it, no one can! Only you."

"No." the girl stood to her feet. "I'll save the planet my own way; you do it your way. Leave me alone." She shoved past the man, walking back to where they came from.

"Where are you going!?" he clenched his gloved fists.

"I need some time to be alone!" the girl screeched. "Just let me be!"

'Perhaps it's best I do so…' Sephiroth thought a moment. He did just throw the love of her life over the side of a cliff. It was a bit harsh.

"You'll return to me?" the man asked quietly.

"…" Aeris stopped. She was silent for a few minutes. "Yes." She replied quickly and moved on.

'She's going back to the boy. She's going to make sure he's alright.' Sephiroth frowned. He knew he made a mistake leaving the scene too quickly. 'I'll have to keep a close eye on her.'

"Everyone alright!?" Cloud hollered over the piling snow. There were a few muffled replies.

The blue eyed man glanced upward. The landslide had formed around them like a cocoon, the boulder providing just the right amount of protection to cover them all.

"How are we getting outta here?" Yuffie whined.

"Vincent, why don't you use that claw of yer's and burrow us a way out." Cid poked the clawed man in the shoulder.

"I'll pretend you didn't say that…" Vincent replied coldly.

"What if we used our fire materia?" Barret suggested.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. You melt any of that above us and it'll loosen up and come crashing down on us." Shelke advised. "And if we get wet from the melted snow it'll only make matters worse in these extreme temperatures."

"I agree." Red XIII nodded. "We may be stuck doing just as Cid suggested."

"See? I'm smarter than I look." Cid drawled.

"I suppose…we should start digging then?" Cloud pulled his sword down from over his shoulder.

"You with weapons are so lucky…" Tifa stared at her hands. "I'm gonna get frost bite…"

Sparks flew in every direction as Zack tugged his sword downward to slow himself down. Sephiroth, luckily, had not seen that Zack's sword was still dug into the face of the cliff since Aeris' rescue from the giant behemoth. Zack had positioned himself just enough to grab the sword as he fell downward from the attack. Watching the approaching darkness widen and engulf him, he gnashed his teeth, waiting for the hard unseen ground to crash into him.

"Zack!" Aeris screamed silently. She looked back and forth trying her best to find the man who had fallen. She was down in the lower levels. It proved much more difficult than expected; she tried her best to find her way by going through all the tunnels that went downhill.

"Zack! Where are you!?" the woman called out, hoping to god that the man was alright.

She turned around the corner slowly, feeling a great chilly breeze. She shivered, it not being caused by the wind but by the sight before her. On the ground ahead of her lay Zack. His body was broken and limp, blood escaping from unseen wounds. His coat was battered and torn. His face was bruised and scratched but underneath all that his expression was still peaceful. His lids were lightly closed, his lips slightly parted. His hair was disheveled and his hands lay at rest, one by his head and the other at his hip. If it wasn't for the broken bones she would have sworn he was sleeping.

"Oh, Zack!" her hands covered her mouth. She dropped to the floor, sobbing.

"I'm so sorry!" Aeris squeaked. She closed her eyes, no longer able to look at the man. "Please forgive me!" she trembled.

'It wasn't supposed to be this way! I didn't want this! I just wanted to remember my past. I just wanted to live a happy life.' the Cetra covered her ears. Tears dripped down her face, plopping onto the ground.

"My materia!" the woman opened her eyes. She could heal the man if she had her materia that is if it wasn't already too late. It was something she would try, even if it appeared the man was already dead.

Aeris stared at the corpse before her. She had to know. Her hands gently touched his hand. It was colder than ice. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears. She entwined her fingers with his, wanting more than anything for them to move. She rubbed the backside of his hand upward past his wrist and forearm. She pulled away quickly, realizing something. She raised the sleeve of his jacket of both arms. They were bare and cold like every other part of his body. The girl gasped and rose to her feet.

'This isn't Zack…' she tried her best to regain her composure. She cleared her throat, understanding exactly what was going on.

"I'm going to find Sephiroth, Zack. I'm sure he's back where I left him. He has my materia…I'll be back." The woman stepped away slowly, never tearing her gaze away from the man on the ground.

When she was close enough to the corner leading to the tunnels she turned and sprinted up the hills. 'Gotta make it back before he does!' the girl panted, trying to make her way back up to where her and Zack were before he fell.

The body lay on the cold floor. Everything was silent, Aeris out of sight. Green eyes opened. The face glared at the darkness around him.

"What are you up to, Aeris?" the man whispered coolly.

He lifted to a sitting position, popping his joints back into place. A yellow materia twirled in his fingertips. Zack Fair's image sat silently in the dark, an arm draped over a knee. Glowing green eyes stared off into space as he thought of his next plan. The man rose to his feet, his black hair growing longer as the seconds ticked by eventually turning into pale silver.

"How much longer?" Elena mumbled into her headset.

"Only another hour." Tseng replied. "Try to keep yourself occupied on the mission. Think of the strategy and prepare yourself."

"Easy for you to say." The girl grunted. She double checked her weapon for the eightieth time since they boarded the copter.

"Elena you're driving us crazy. Calm down." Reno squeezed the bridge of his nose. "We'll be in the action soon enough; try not to worry so much about it. You gotta keep a level head about things."

"Reno…I've been in this academy long enough, I know how to handle myself." The girl glared at the redhead, reloading her weapon again.

"I think we should go over the mission again." Rude suggested.

"Why!? We've already gone over it a hundred times." Reno rolled his eyes.

"To keep your minds busy." Rude folded his arms.

"Yeah, yeah…whatever." The redhead huffed.

Zack hoisted himself upward. One by one his hands gripped the top surface of the cliff. He felt the rocks beneath one of his feet slide out.

'Damn!' the man grunted.

Two hands wrapped around an arm helping him regain his balance. Alarmed, Zack looked upward. He wasn't expecting anyone to be waiting for him atop the cliff. His blue eyes were matched by the gaze of emerald.

"That was a close one." A cheerful voice sounded.

"Aeris?" he asked curiously.

"Wouldn't want you to fall all over again." The young woman giggled. She tugged on his arm, trying her best to help.

Zack easily overcame the task, accepting the small effort from Aeris. He sat on the ground next to the woman. She watched him carefully as if studying him. Suddenly he leaned over the side. Aeris scrambled to help him, thinking he was about to fall once more.

"It's alright." Zack held up a hand. He tugged on something beneath him in the cliff. "My sword. Wouldn't want to forget it." The man lifted his arm, dragging the massive weapon with it. He effortlessly sheathed it behind his back and then turned his attention back to the woman. "How'd you get here?"

She shied away at first, her inner lip curling inward. "I ran away…" she whispered.

"You ran away!?" the man almost shouted too loudly. "Aeris, what were you thinking!? He could have killed you!" his whispers were noisy.

"He won't, I'm pretty sure." she reassured him. "He needs me to be alive; he won't kill me until I give him what he wants." Zack shook his head in dissatisfaction.

"I wouldn't trust him, Aeris. I don't think he'd hesitate a moment to kill you." The man paused momentarily on the word 'kill'. "At least hurt you. He's a monster, Aeris."

The Ancient watched Zack speak, his mannerisms, everything. She studied him as if he were a lab specimen. She shook her head at him.

"Trust me, Zack. I think I have the man figured out."

"…I…I know you've spent a lot of time with him, Aeris but I don't think you know him well enough to be a judge of that." Zack grimaced at his own words; he did not want to upset her. "For you not remembering much I don't think you should come to conclusions so quickly about people."

"Should I be weary of you?" the girl folded her arms.

"No. But you shouldn't trust me completely." The man cleared his throat.

"Why is that?" the woman stuck out her chin.

"You never know, I could be Sephiroth trying to trick you." The man rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Nope." The woman giggled. "Sephiroth may be good at capturing a person's image but he's bad at capturing their character."

"Really?" the man asked doubtfully.

"Yup!" she nodded quickly, her hair flowing in a mess. "He doesn't get nervous like you do. And if he was you right now, he'd probably be trying to scare me away from you, not be nice."

"You've always been quick to pick up people's personalities." The man agreed. His shoulders slumped in defeat. "But it's still not safe to think you know everything about Sephiroth. He's not your average…person."

"I know, but I think I've seen a side to him that no one's seen in a long time!" the woman grinned.

"Should I be worried about that?"

"Only if you don't trust me."

"I trust you, I trust you with my life. I just don't trust him." The man leaned on a hand. Aeris stared at the golden bracelets on his wrist.

"That's how I could tell." The woman pointed.

"What do you mean?" he tilted his head to the side.

"The bracelets. I went down below to find you, to make sure you were alright and Sephiroth beat me there. He was posing as you dead on the floor. I was so upset at first until I noticed the man wasn't wearing my golden bracelets!" she giggled, her hand moving to her lips.

"You're smart." Zack raised his eyebrows. "You catch things better than I do." A thin line formed his mouth. "I didn't notice in the crater when he was posing as you that your green materia was actually yellow instead. That shoulda been my first clue."

"I'm sorry." The woman looked off to the side.

"For what?" he was curious. "None of it was your fault. It actually was all mine! If I hadn't rushed in there, try to take care of everything myself, you and I probably wouldn't have been killed."

"But if we hadn't then the planet would have surely died, right?" The woman stared at the stone wall across from her. She couldn't fully remember everything, but she did know her death was not in vain.

"True…" Zack nodded. He knew what she was talking about. It was their sacrifice that summoned Holy. But Holy had the opposite effect; it was choosing to destroy the planet. Because Zack and Aeris were in the Lifestream they were able to pull the force out from the scars within the planet and protect it from the devastation of both meteor and Holy together.

There was a long silence, the two of them thinking separate thoughts to themselves. Aeris fidgeted uncomfortably. Zack could sense how tense she suddenly became. There was something bothering her and he had to know what it was.

"Aeris. What's up?" he asked her.

"Hm? Oh it's nothing, really!" the woman waved a hand at him. She looked downward at her stomach, she felt her heart sink.

"You're lying to me." The man lifted her chin to make her gaze into his cerulean depths.

"I just had a bad thought, that's all." The woman brushed away her feelings.

"Like what?" the man pried.

"It's nothing, none of your business." She pushed away.

"Really? Well I'm going to make it my business. One thing you'll learn is I never give up."

"Obviously." She breathed.

"Come on, I'll cheer you up." The man smirked at her. She couldn't help but smile back. He was so infectious to her.

"It'll only dampen the mood." She wanted to change the subject to something else, anything else. This was her chance, however, to straighten things out. She had to tell someone. Maybe Zack knew the answer.

"Nothing you can say can dampen my mood right now. You're safe and with me, I'm taking you with me and we're getting out of here." The man placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, what's on your mind?"

"Zack? You and I slept together, right?" the woman spat out the question. She could see its impact on Zack's face, like a ton of bricks just fell on him.

"Um…we…uh…I…You…" he stammered.

"Just tell me, Zack. It's important." The woman couldn't meet his gaze. Instead she watched him out the corner of her eyes.

"Whoo boy…" Zack scratched his head. He looked every which way and stuttered a bit more before falling into silence a minute. Aeris waited patiently for his answer. "Yeah." Another awkward silence consumed them. "Wait, what do you mean it's important-?"

"Did…we…" Now Aeris was blushing. What had she gotten herself into?

"Did we what?" the man laughed nervously.

"Let me start over." The woman cleared her throat. She faced the man, placing her hands in her lap. "Sephiroth and I…in Nibelheim, right? And then you and I in my mother's house, right?" she never felt so nervous in her entire life.

"Yeah." The man lowered his head, his eyes looking upward at her.

"Oh my…" the woman covered her face.

"You said it was important to know..why?" the man couldn't breathe. His throat was dry and his heart was pounding. Whatever it was she was hiding, it was bad he could tell.

Her lower lip quivered. "Zack…" her voice was shaky. She looked up at him, her hands grabbing at his coat pockets. All was quiet, she was hesitating.

"Shit, Aeris! WHY!?" the man tugged her toward him as soon as he saw the tears fall down her pink cheeks. He dreaded what it was that was bothering her.

"I…I think I'm pregnant, Zack." The woman sobbed. Her arms wrapped around his midsection as he cradled her.

"…" he took it all in. Her words were slow, comprehensible, and easy to hear there was no mistake about it; Aeris just said that she may be pregnant. Zack held her tighter against his chest, combing his fingers through her hair. He rested his chin atop her head. "Are you sure?" he swallowed hard.

"About two months worth…" she whimpered.

'Oh !' the man let out a shaky breath. The situation just flip flopped on him. He was looking forward to the salvation up ahead and thought that things couldn't get any better. But then fate had to come crashing down upon him.

"It'll be okay, Aeris. Everything will be alright." He petted her hair softly, whispering to her. He clenched his jaw, trying his best not to show her his own fear. The truth was he wasn't sure if everything would actually be alright. If Aeris was pregnant it could only mean two things. Either one, he was the father of the child or two, Sephiroth was.

"What am I going to do?" she cried into his jacket.

"I…I'll think of something." The man kissed her forehead.

"What, what if it's his?" the woman shook. She looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. They gleamed brightly. It was a miserable face, one Zack wanted to kiss away. He stared at her as if he didn't understand her question. It was one he wanted to avoid for now.

"I…I…" he looked at the corner of a wall, into the darkness below, down the nearby tunnel, and outside where the snow and cold was past the gap.

"Zack?" she asked him nervously.

"I don't know, Aeris…" the man bit his lip.

He couldn't look at her, not when he didn't know the answers. He cursed himself for being weak. The thought scared him. Either way it went, it frightened him to no end. He wanted more than anything in the world for the child to be his and not Sephiroth's but knowing how the fates worked, everything was always against him and Sephiroth had had his way with her before he did. This all very well could be a part of Sephiroth's plan, a way to get Aeris on his side. It would make sense for Sephiroth to leave behind a spawn of his own to take over the family business while he was gone.

"That bastard!" Zack slapped the floor beside him. "Aeris, I'm so sorry! I should have been there for you that night, just like how I should have been there for you at my parent's house! I'm a lousy bodyguard, the worst kind! What would I do without you? What would I do if he took you away from us?" the man continued his blather.

"It'll be alright." Aeris nodded against him. Zack found it funny she was now comforting him.

"It will be." He agreed. Of course with every drastic situation, there came denial. "We'll figure everything out. We'll get through this. I promise, you!" the man gave her a sideways grin. "I'll be here for you, no matter what. You need a thing and I'll see to it that you get it. I'll serve at your side and wait on you. I'll spoil you like you deserve to be." The words seemed sugar coated. This wasn't like a convincing a child the chocobo fairy was real and that all the kids at school were wrong, this was a harsh reality, something Zack had no control over.

"I just want you to hold me." The woman smiled.

"Then that's what I'll do." He pulled her back into his lap. His arms wrapped around her securely.

The two sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the warmth they gave each other. Aeris took in the man's scent. The cologne he wore was comforting, almost brought tears to her eyes once again. It was familiar, like a memory. There were other underlying scents, his own natural scent, one of the outdoors and a hint of something bitter like Mako. She had no idea how long they sat in silence with each other, but she did know it was longer than she had planned.

"I love you." The man whispered unconsciously. Aeris turned her head upwards swiftly. The man was fast asleep, supporting her all on his own. His breaths were soft. She sighed of relief. This was Zack Fair, the man she remembered.

The woman pushed his arms away. Sephiroth would be here soon, looking for her no doubt. She needed to get away quickly so Zack would be out of harm's way. Aeris slowly stood from her secure place in Zack's lap. She knew what she was doing was not what Zack wanted, but she had a plan. She knew it would work, and it was exactly what would catch Sephiroth off guard. She watched Zack's sleeping form another moment, feeling a slight flutter in her stomach as she did so. A large smile crossed her face.

"I love you too." She whispered.

Aeris gave him a look over once more, already missing the heat from his body. She leaned forward kissing him softly on the lips. She turned away, heading toward the tunnel she came from. Suddenly something snagged her wrist.

"Aeris." Zack called out, his tone warning her.

"Zack!" the girl twirled around.

"Why would you leave? What's going on in that little head of yours?" he asked as he yawned. His eyes remained shut.

"I have a plan." The girl stammered.

"An what is that?" he opened an eye.

"I won't share it." She shook her head. "You'll just have to trust me."

"Aeris." He warned again.

"You don't trust me?" she asked, saddened.

"I do. You know that." He got to his feet.

"I'll be safe. He needs me, he won't hurt me. Not until I've helped him and he's achieved his goal." She looked up at the man trying her best to look authoritative to him, to match his size.

"And you expect me to stay here and wait for you?" the man folded his arms.

"No." she shook her head.

He waited, listening intently to what her plan was.

"You're mission is to go out and find Cloud and the others. You are to make it to the Northern Crater before Sephiroth goes through with his plans." A tiny smirk covered her face. It was an expression she had learned from the man beside her.

"You can keep him from achieving his goal until then?" the man asked.

"Yes, believe me. I know just how to distract a man." She winked.

"I don't know Aeris." Zack shook his head. He was abruptly thrown back as Aeris lunged against him pressing her lips against his. It was a firm kiss at first but Zack quickly regained his composure to join in the act. Their lips caressed, gently. Zack begged for more, licking her upper lip. The kiss was brief, ending as Aeris pushed away from him.

"Do as I say and everything will work according to plan. He'll be looking for me. I must return." She began walking away, Zack stunned by her previous actions.

"I don't like this, Aeris." The man replied.

"Stay close." She smiled and turned away from him.

"I'll be closer than you think." Blue eyes watched her cautiously.

"Then I'll be going now." In a flash she disappeared down the dark tunnel.

"Aeris!" the man called out to her.

"I'll come back when it's all over." Her voice lingered in the air.

"…" the words sent chills down the man's spine. The words seemed awfully familiar.

'The last ones she told Cloud before she disappeared for the City of the Ancients alone.'

He took a slow breath. His mission had begun. He had to find the others and he had to find them fast.

Sorry about the slight delay in the new chapter! I hope you all forgive me! Was distracted with plans between a friend and I and a cosplay convention next sept. anyways, happy new year's everybody! Hope you all enjoyed this new chapter! Thank you for reading and reviewing! -Annubis