My Happily Ever After

by Shadow Dancer666

CloudxReno Mpreg, nudity, violence, cursing, lemon; Reno had a secret relationship with Cloud, but Hojo's determined, insane successors exploit this to bring about the end of the world. Reno also finds the secrets about himself & those that he holds dear

16. Terminus Part 3

Chapter 16: Terminus Part 3

By early morning, the blond was on the move again. The three babies were carefully wrapped up and stuffed into his jacket with their heads occasionally peeking out from the collar. For the most part, they just snuggled to his chest and slept and he was glad for that. However, he knew that they needed medical attention and he hurried along on the frozen snow.

The white crystals crunched under his heavy boots before an extremely heavy machine was dragged over it making a small trench. Every warm puff of air was frozen before being blown off to the side. A wolf howled in the distance and a small smile crossed Cloud's freezing lips.

"So, what do you guys think? Your mama's an absolute babe, right? But he's also a fucking stubborn ass, and he's got balls of steel. He cared for you guys so much that he cut himself open just to pull you out into this world."

Having nothing better to do, Cloud found himself talking to the babies. Only Revelation even pretended to understand what he was saying, but it still made him feel better. Silence like this really grated on his nerves.

"I'm sure that he was ready to kill anything off with his own bare hands if they even thought about touching you. Hmmm, maybe his desire to protect you stayed with you guys even when Damnation stole him away? Or maybe it was you, Revelation?"

The other boy looked up, almost in annoyance, and Cloud couldn't help but chuckle.

"Ah, you don't like that he has a name and you don't? Well, let's see."

Looking up at the blue sky the man began to ponder appropriate names.

"I'm sure that Reno will name you guys something completely different, but that's ok. It'll still be nice to be able to call you by names while I'm carrying you around. All right, the little girl will be…Ana."

Nodding to himself, Cloud felt success. Even if it was a plain kind of name it seemed to suit the still little girl. The name made him think of a cute and delicate little girl and this child against his chest was both of those.

"Revelation and Ana. Now, for you little man."

The boy yawned again while Cloud struggled a little.

"Well, this is hard. I would almost want to call you Reno Jr., but I'm afraid that if I do that I'll jinx you to a life of booze, women, and bald friends. And yes, I can have a sense of humor when I feel like it. Anyway, back to finding a name for you."

A fond memory crossed his mind as he trudged along the lonely plains. Back before he had defeated Sephiroth, he had gotten into Chocobo racing at the Golden Saucer. It had been a lot of fun and a great way to fend off the stress of their situation. There had been one Chocobo that he had loved to race more than any of the others combined, though. Teioh. When he had first laid eyes on that raven beauty, a chill of respect had run through him. The owner of the majestic bird was intimidating as well, but he could remember seeing those golden eyes challenging him, fearlessly staring him down.

"Here's a good strong name. Teioh. Yeah, that'll work."

Feeling proud of himself for coming up with such good names, he picked up the pace. However, he made sure that he wasn't jarring the babies too much.

"So, I'm sorry I don't really know who your father is, guys. I hope it isn't that sick Dr. Franklin, but even if it is, so what? You guys are still all right, and you guys take more after Reno than anyone else."

Talking to these kids really made him feel better. He actually enjoyed it far better than talking to anyone else. It was so calming and since they didn't look down on him or judge him. There was no expectation other than his keeping them warm. Quite refreshing from the rest of the world. Maybe being a parent wouldn't be such a bad thing…

Shaking his head he laughed out loud. Who was he kidding? He couldn't be a father! That probably required far more commitment than being someone's mate. One could always leave a lover, but children meant that you had to stick around until they were grown. Then they would want you involved in their own family. It would be a lifelong commitment.

"Shit, and I was making a big deal about Reno getting serious with me."

Still, if it were these little guys…could he do it? They were so unbelievably cute. Besides, did he have a choice? Sephiroth had charged him with protecting Revelation. He had called the platinum haired kid his child. Did he real mean that? Either way, he needed to keep an eye on this little guy.

"He wants you to earn his Masamune, Revelation. That's a huge duty, I hope that you can fulfill that."

The child nearly smirked at him before it snuggled back to his chest. Creepy little guy.

---

Hushed voices were speaking around me and the annoying sound of beeping machines began to grate on my nerves. Slowly the rest of my senses began to catch up as my body decided that it was time to wake up. I could feel the warm plastic surrounding my mouth, forcing medicated air into my body. Uncomfortable sheets covered my body, obviously covered with bandages. Needles were stuck into my arms and wires were attached to my body to monitor the very life within me. How fucking annoying.

"Is he waking up?" Elena whispered to my right.

Everyone got silent as they watched my vitals obviously increase. It wasn't any use in lying about, so I forced open my swollen eyelids to reveal the bright and unfriendly world. A few gasps accompanied my groan of pain and I felt a pair of hands stroking my probably chopped off hair. I was seriously going to be pissed if anyone cut even more of my hair off.

"Partner, are you ok? How do you feel?"

"Like shit," I croaked unhappily. "Whe-where am I, yo?"

I could vaguely remember Damnation controlling my body and Cloud holding me, kissing me. Wait, no, I must have had that last part up. Cloud and I were completely over with so that couldn't happen. So, Damnation was controlling my body, he gave control back to me, and Cloud was holding me. The oxygen mask was gently pulled off and Rude gently rubbed the marks around my mouth.

The worried faces of my fellow Turks surrounded me, but Tseng ordered them all to back off and give me some breathing room. Elena looked like she had been crying for a long time and Rude looked like he hadn't had any sleep. Seeing their weary faces made me remember that I had bad news for them. News that would make them hate me and news that would make us lose our purpose in life.

"H-he's dead," I choked as the memory played in my mind once again. "Rufus, I-I let him fucking die!"

"Hey, hey, calm down buddy," Rude replied softly, letting me hold on to him tightly.

"I was right there, I was fucking there! I couldn't stop him, I couldn't protect him! Why aren't you yelling at me, why aren't you fucking saying anything!"

"Reno," Tseng interrupted gently as he took my hand. "We found Rufus, and he's in intensive care right now."

"What? I fucking saw them shoot him! He's dead!"

"He's a stubborn bastard, and we all know that," Tseng continued calmly. "Two shots to the head and one to the chest, like a professional would, but he lived."

I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. No one could survive that, not those kinds of wounds! Wait, maybe…

"Chaos?" I asked a little more calmly. "Did Chaos save his life?"

Elena looked confused and glanced over at Tseng for the answer. His face never changed and he shook his head.

"We don't know. All we know is that Chaos is no more. Vincent destroyed him."

What the fuck happened to the PLANET while I was sleeping? It all went to hell! Fuck, can't things be normal for just a few shitty days?

"Chaos is gone? How, but why?!"

"He came to destroy the PLANET, I think," Rude answered. "Vincent won't tell us much, but we do know that he's worried sick about Rufus. He's over by the room right now."

"What's the diagnosis for the Boss?" I asked almost not wanting to hear the answer. Going right back to sleep was sounding better and better.

"It…well, it's not good. Although he has survived this long, it isn't certain that he will continue to live."

As usual, there wasn't an ounce of feeling in that stoic voice and Tseng's unbreakable mask was firmly in place. Elena's eyes teared up again and she sat down heavily on one of the chairs.

"We look like shit," I mumbled a few moments later.

Here we were, the motherfucking Turks, crying and worrying like a bunch of women. Certainly there was reason, but it was still unsettling. We were supposed to be invincible, strong, and unbreakable. Yet here we are, tired and full of sorrow. Our leader, our beloved Boss was lying in some bed dying while we could do nothing.

"Partner, you should get some more rest," Rude offered as I winced in pain from unhealed injuries. "You've been through a lot yourself."

"Eh, I'm fine. Actually, we should all be over by Rufus's room. If he is gonna…die…well, he would want us there. I'll be fine."

The guilt was still eating at me even though I knew that he wasn't dead. I mean, the fact that his suffering was prolonged made me feel even worse. Now he had to suffer through living with those injuries. If only I had saved him, none of this would have happened.

Rude gently helped me out of the bed knowing full well that nothing that they could say would change my mind. A few nurses came in when all the machines started beeping loudly, but once Tseng explained things they just shut off the damn things and let us go our own way. At least they had enough sense not to try to keep us from being with our President. Once I was situated on my wheelchair, Rude tucked a warm blanket around my legs before pushing me along. I didn't like it, but I knew that I was in no condition to walk anywhere. I didn't even have to look at my broken body to know that.

A few hallways later and we could see Vincent sitting silently on one of the uncomfortable waiting chairs. His long hair was disheveled and his pale skin looked even whiter than I remembered. Those crimson eyes rolled over to glance at us before they went right back to staring at the body beyond the glass. The four of us Turks remained respectfully quiet as we joined him. I figure that in his fragile condition, any slight bug could do him in, so naturally everyone was banned from the room. I wanted to go in and hold my little brother, but I knew that it would be pointless. Tch, it might even kill him.

Even more machines were attached to President Shinra than had been attached to me. Blood stained bandages were wound around his head and chest and a transfusion bag was hanging beside him. I recognized one of the machines next to his head that was informing us that his brainwaves were slowly but steadily decreasing. I fought back the urge to cry as it was really sinking in that we were just here to watch the man we loved die slowly.

"Is he in pain?" I asked, roughly wiping my eyes before any tears fell.

"They don't think so," Vincent replied. "But in case he is, they loaded him up with morphine."

Gulping loudly, I nodded my head in thanks. There were so many things that I wanted to ask him about Chaos and about what that demon had to do with Rufus but now was not the time. Maybe it would never be the time, but that was something that I had to deal with later.

I was a little surprised when the foul-mouthed senior citizen known as Cid showed up carrying some steaming coffee for Vincent and himself. He nodded in acknowledgment to us, but just as quickly turned his attention back to the ex-Turk. Vincent took the hot liquid thankfully, but he didn't drink it. All of his attention was focused on Rufus. Cid just sat next to his buddy and smoked quietly.

The smell of the cigarette made a familiar desire stir up within me. It had been a little under six months since I quit smoking, but now that I wasn't pregnant anymore I could drink and smoke again like there was no tomorrow. I reached out towards Cid and silently asked for one of his cancer sticks. The old man obliged without a word and as I took a long drag, contentment settled over my mind. Good ol' nicotine always did the job.

My hand reached down and stroked my now flat stomach and sadness threatened to well up once again. I struggled to keep it all in, but all I wanted to do was have a good cry and let it all out. Once I'd done that, I decided that I wouldn't cry over the same things again. Might actually be best if I held my break down until after Rufus died.

I was so wrapped up in my own sorrows and worries I almost didn't notice the fact that a bunch of nurses were suddenly scurrying about. Rude rose an eyebrow and shrugged but it made me worry. Was someone else I cared about injured? At that moment, Yuffie came skidding down the hallway, completely out of breath and with eyes the size of saucers. Naturally, all of us thought that there was a brand new attack from someone or another.

"Guys, you'll never guess what!"

"Yuffie, is everything ok?" Vincent asked worriedly. "It isn't the Tsvietes, right? They're gone, right?!"

I had never heard the old guy sound so panicked, but I knew that he had a good reason for it. All of us had been going through a lot and now was not exactly the best time for some more shit to be coming up.

"No! I mean, YES!"

"What the fucking shit are ya saying girly?!" Cid roared with the white butt of the cigarette jiggling between his lips.

"CLOUD!" All of us stiffened expecting the worse. "Cloud just showed up carrying his huge motorcycle and with three little babies stuffed in his jacket! He looks just like a snowman!"

"Snowman?! Wait, where the fuck are we?!" I screeched.

"It's the new hospital that was built on the outskirts of Bone Village," Elena answered, still looking confused. "More importantly, where the heck did he get babies from?"

"I don't know!" Yuffie screamed happily. "He's too cold to say anything, but I can show you guys where he is!"

"Wait one fucking minute," I mumbled more to myself than the others.

If we were by bone village, then that meant that just north of here would be the plains that led to the City of the Ancients. That's exactly where I tore my babies from my broken body and abandoned them. What were the chances?! Now way, I mean, I saw all those fucking beasts going after them!

"Holy shit!" I screeched in a mixture of disbelief, panic, and fear. "Rude, move your fat ass and get me over there now!"

Even Yuffie looked shocked by my outburst, but that was the least of my worries. I had to see with my own eyes, I had to make sure that they really were mine. Without questioning me, Rude grabbed Yuffie's arm in one hand and pushed my wheel chair with the other.

"Lead the way, ninja girl."

"Sheesh, at least call me Yuffie," she grumbled before another burst of hyperness hit her and she began running down the halls.

Damn, that girl needed some Ritalin. Regardless, we all must have looked like a strange sort of stampede. A skinny ninja girl leading the way with a large bald Costan running along behind her as he pushed an anorexic red-head. Besides the fact that Rude running fast looked funny in itself, the entire scene must have looked ridiculous. A few seconds later I realized that it must look even worse because I could hear a few more people running behind us.

Thankfully, we finally made it to the right place. However, Cloud happened to be standing in the middle of our path and he was promptly run over by all of us. The doctor who had been talking to him managed to jump out of the way, but poor Cloud didn't have a chance. Too bad I didn't fucking care at the moment.

"Where the hell are those babies!" I demanded.

The doctor was obviously quite startled but he recovered quickly.

"Now just calm down. The babies are at the end of the hall in the intensive care because they're being checked up. Wait! Wait, no one is allowed in because of the sensitivity of the situation."

"But-"

I was about to protest, but Cloud groaned before stiffly standing up. Those golden spikes seemed cemented into position by ice and frost still covered every inch of him. What was exposed of his face from the bandages seemed red from being lashed by the cold wind and he moved as if he were nearly frozen into one position.

Before I could even try to stand, Rude put his hand on my shoulder and kept me down. I looked to him but he shook my head. Turning back I saw Cloud look at me almost shyly before looking back down. His chapped and torn lips moved painfully as he spoke.

"Reno, they're yours."

All of us remained exactly where we were and I gaped like a fish trying to breath on land. And no, stupid lung fish don't count.

"M-mine? No, no, they're dead, I told you they were fucking dead, yo!"

"I…uh, I found them. There's not a scratch on them, but they do need medical help because of exposure."

"Oh Shiva, gods, it…"

And yes, I, Reno Stryker, cried like a little girl. It was now relief, disbelief, and anger. It was nearly impossible to believe that my kids had survived, but I knew that Cloud wasn't pulling my chain. He could never do something that cruel. I was also pissed that my, I mean, the PLANET's hero went out into the cold plains just to find them and he ended up looking like this.

"What's wrong with you?" I snapped at him as I tried to wipe away the flood of tears.

He just smiled patiently and answered. "I didn't want to hurt the babies, so I had to walk over here carrying Fenrir. I'm actually not in as good shape as I thought I was."

"You stupid ass," I sobbed, holding my arms out.

Even if we couldn't be together, he could still hold me, still comfort me. Nodding, he came to me and gently wrapped his frozen arms around my delicate body. I didn't even care to notice how the others were reacting to this, I just closed my eyes and cried on his strong shoulder. It was hard to imagine living without this guy, even though I had every right to hate him. But honestly, something seemed very different about him. It was as if the long walk through the ice and snow finally made the wires in his head connect right.

Cloud was about to say something to me, but a doctor from the end of the hall approached us. I pressed my fingers to his lips to shut him up so that I could hear how my babies were.

"Doc, how are the kids?" I asked breathlessly. Tseng patted my shoulder to try to give me support for whatever the answer was.

The lady looked a little unnerved as she pulled off her gloves and gathered her thoughts, but I tried to push away any bad thoughts.

"Ok, first off, there are two boys and one girl."

Elena screeched in happiness and I wanted to roll my eyes. Damn it, yes I had a girl. Hopefully, she was as cute as a moogle.

"We don't really know who the oldest one is and they don't have any names, so I'll try to be descriptive. One of the boys has fine black hair and beautiful blue eyes. Now he is pretty much all right except for malnourishment. Remember, that this is also an initial diagnosis. Things might come up later, but for now, he's ok."

I nodded with a mixture of happiness and wariness. I didn't want my kids having issues for the rest of their lives, but at least it was better than them being dead.

"Now, the little girl has blond hair and blue eyes. Unfortunately, she's not as well as her brother."

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously.

"Physically, she's not much worse off. She's just smaller than the other two, so staying alive is more difficult for her, but we can take care of that. What I'm worried about is her mentally. She has practically no reflexes and well, we can't really be sure what's wrong with her until we run some more tests."

"So she's…"

I wanted to say retarded, but that didn't sound right at all. How many times had I used that term in a derogatory manner, dissing someone else for being an idiot? I couldn't use the same term for my daughter.

"W-why?" I asked sadly. "Was it something in my genes?"

"Actually, it looks like it's from Mako overdose and overexposure to other chemicals."

Hatred flared up in my veins. I knew that those doctors had screwed with my kids, and they were going to pay for that. They had made my perfectly normal baby girl mentally handicapped just for their own sick experiment! Wait…that meant…

"The other little boy…um, well…"

"What?!" I snapped at her more out of nervousness than anger.

"Ok, just hear me out. He has…platinum hair and red eyes."

I could feel everyone in the room stiffen and I was no exception. When I was pulling those kids out from my stomach I didn't have time to notice anything about them. However, we all knew that one of them was the experiment, the next Sephiroth that those nutcases wanted.

"Wait, red eyes?" Vincent asked.

I was surprised to notice that he was here. I thought that he would stick to Rufus's side the entire time, but I guess figuring out what the heck was going to happen next was important too. Looked like Cid was the only one who stayed to watch over the Boss.

"Yes," the doctor confirmed.

"But Sephiroth-"

Before Rude even finished his thought, Cloud sprang up and turned to face us all. We were all quite surprised by his reaction, but even more so by the look on his face.

"He is not Sephiroth," he stated without an ounce of uncertainty.

"But Cloud," Vincent questioned carefully, "even if the child isn't directly Sephiroth, he was made to be the next Sephiroth clone. He's the next weapon of Jenova."

"You're wrong," Cloud stated bluntly. "Just because he was born to be that doesn't mean that he doesn't have a choice. He has free will and it's our job to protect him from those who would want to take that away from him. Sephiroth lost his free will and that's why…that's why he tried to destroy the PLANET."

"What makes you so certain?" Tseng asked. "It would be far wiser to…to kill the child and be certain."

Hearing those words were painful, but it was obvious that it was what everyone was thinking. Even I had thought the exact same thing, but I knew that I couldn't do it. That kid was still my child and even if he was doomed to destroy the PLANET, I couldn't kill him.

"There are some things you'll never understand until you enter the Lifestream," Cloud said firmly and all of us looked confused. "However, I am going to protect Revelation until my dying breath. Do any of you really think you can get past me?"

More than being afraid of Cloud all of us were surprised by the firmness he portrayed. When the hell had Cloud gotten a backbone? He had always been so indecisive, but now? He was absolutely sure of what he was saying, of what he intended to do.

"So, you plan on staying with my kid?" I asked, more to see how he would react than anything else. I was graced with his blush and a few stammered words. "Excuse me? I couldn't hear that Mr. Strife."

All the composure that he had just a moment ago seemed to melt away as he looked around the hallway for a place to escape. I knew that I was asking him about commitment, the one thing that he hated above all else, but he had said it himself. Was he really going to follow through on it?

"Um, Reno, well…ok. Reno, I know that I'm a total jackass and I know that you have every right to hate me and to never want to see my face again."

"Yes you are, and yes I do."

"Still, even with all my faults and screw-ups and everything in between, will you take me back? I…want to come back to you, more than anything, and I've actually gotten attached to the kids. I don't know and I don't care who their father is, but I want to take care of them."

Cloud looked like an innocent child confessing that he had a crush on his cute classmate. Even his red skin deepened to a crimson shade. I just couldn't help but torture the poor guy a little more.

"Did you think I would jus' take you back with open arms, yo?"

"N-no, not really," he mumbled looking down miserably.

A smile crossed my lips and I spread my arms out.

"C'mere you big dummy," I commanded softly.

At that moment, no one else mattered; just him and me. The words I had longed to hear from him were ringing happily in my ears and those strong arms were once again wrapped around my body. His lips were caressing mine and I couldn't help but smile into the kiss. If he would stay with me there was nothing to worry about. No more worries about not being able to raise the kids or not being able to care and protect them. It would all be ok.

"Sorry to interrupt," Tseng grumbled, "but there are other issues to deal with."

Cloud pulled away and kissed my forehead before straightening up.

"As long as it's not about hurting Revelation, then let's talk."

"Revelation's a weird name!" Yuffie whined.

"Wait, what are you going to name the kids, Reno?" Elena jumped in before Tseng could get a word out.

"Uh, er…" I shrugged since I didn't really give that much thought. It hadn't exactly been on the top of my priority list.

"What do you mean, 'uh'?! Naming babies is super important!"

"But-"

"No buts! You need to name them now before we do anything else!"

"Wait a minute," the nurse interjected. "Didn't you already name them?" she asked Cloud who blushed.

"Well, uh, I just wanted to have something to call them by. I didn't really name them. After all, Reno should be the one to do that."

"What did you name them?" I asked curiously. Since he was the father of the kids he had every right to name them too. Besides, at least he had thought up some names.

"I just thought that, uh, Ana would be the girl since she's so small and cute," he mumbled looking down at the floor in embarrassment. It was actually pretty precious. "And, well, Teioh was the best I could think of for the other boy."

That name sounded familiar…hmmmm, where had I heard that before? It took all of three seconds to place that name to the stupid chocobo that Cloud had loved to race against. That meant that he had named my son after a bird, an animal, a beast. An ugly one at that.

"You named him after a giant chicken?!" I screeched in anger. "What the fuck?! You saw my child and he reminded you of a stupid bird? Is he so ugly that you named him after a damn beast with fucking feathers sticking out everywhere?"

How dare that insolent fucker name my child after a stupid animal. He was really going to get it if I had anything to say about it. That bastard had better watch his back if he didn't want a buzzed head anytime soon.

"I-"

"Rude, wheel me over there, now! I'm going to see how ugly that kid is to get a name like that!"

"Hold on a minute," Vincent jumped in wearily. "It's not written in stone, Reno, so you guys can always argue over the details later."

"That's right," Tseng added, thankfully nodding to the older man. "More importantly, we need to discuss going after the Franklins."

"Wait!" I jumped in making Tseng glare at me in exasperation. "This is important. Those two doctors have been following all our moves by using two kids."

"Two kids?" Vincent asked sharply.

"Uh, yeah. They were two boys who looked about six or seven, but they were badass fighters. Both of them were pretty messed up in the head and I had to feel sorry for them, yo. Those doctors weren't treatin' them right at all."

I shook my head just remembering those two nearly dead kids. It was pretty obvious that they had been brainwashed and it made me wonder how long they had been with those two nutcases.

"Those two really knew how to fight, and I'm sure that they knew surveillance and all other kinds of shit. Otherwise, they would have never been able to keep up with us." I shook my head in disgust. "I also think that Damon was sexually harassing at least one of them. That sick bastard was making a show of-"

Before I could even finish my sentence the sickening sound of Vincent's gauntlet going through the wall made us all jump. His blood red eyes were burning with hatred and disgust and his very aura was almost painful just by being in its presence.

"They never know when to quit!" he roared making the hair on the back of my neck stick straight up.

The lights began to flicker and no one knew what to do. What had set the man off? I mean, I could understand the stress he was in since his lover was dying and he had been through some kind of shit with Chaos, but what the hell? He had been in perfect control until now.

"V-vin!" Yuffie squeaked in shock.

"I'll kill those bastards, I'll make them regret ever being born into this world!"

Fucking Shiva I could see the flesh under his skin trying to morph, trying to take the form of a demon and I could see his fangs flash in the flickering light. Of course, Cloud was the only one who was even remotely capable of controlling a pissed off Vincent so he stepped forward.

"Vincent, all of us feel like that! What's wrong? Come on, just settle down a little."

The ex-Turk was trying to keep his anger in check but now that it had bubbled over, it was hard to put back into control. It was like unleashing a furious dragon from a cage. At least the guy was putting up a good effort.

"Vinnie, seriously, is something wrong?" Yuffie asked worriedly. "You aren't acting normal!"

The dark haired man pulled his golden fist from the wall, managing to pull out a chunk of the wall out along with it. His other hand pulled back the long bangs and he sighed heavily. All of us were backed into the other wall still a little scared that he would transform at any moment and tear us all into bite-sized chunks. Ugh, that thought was enough to make me feel sick.

"It's nothing," he answered calmly, but none of us believed that for a second. "I apologize."

Cloud glanced at him in concern but wisely backed off. He didn't want his head removed from his shoulders in case Vincent wasn't completely back in control. The cuts on his face were enough damage for his body at the moment.

"So yeah," I mumbled a little afraid to get him angry again. "We should save those kids, but be aware that they will probably fight back."

"Thank you, Reno," Tseng replied before looking around at all of us. "I have some information that those two are at a base not far from the Crater, so that's where we'll head next. Just like with the Tsvietes, we need to get rid of them all now."

"I think that we need to get out there pretty fast," Cloud added. "Who knows if they're planning to pack up and leave soon, so let's head out tonight."

"But you can't!" Yuffie objected. "Cloud, you've walked across the entire plains while carrying your behemoth bike. There's no way that you have the strength to on the offensive so quickly."

"I'll be fine," Cloud retorted. "I can sleep on the way over there as long as we're not taking an airship."

"Since I'll be going as well, Cid will probably watch over Rufus for me," Vincent added. "So we won't be going on his airship."

Cloud looked extremely relieved and I shook my head at the thought of a macho guy like him having motion sickness. I'd never had that experience myself, but I had seen a bunch of wannabe Turks who suffered from that.

"Hey doc, how long before I can go?" I asked hoping that it would be by tonight.

"Not at least for a few weeks!" she exclaimed. "You're seriously injured, and we can't risk giving you Mako shots to speed up the recovery because you're still suffering from Mako overdose."

"That's ridiculous!" I complained. "I need to be out there with them!"

"No way, partner," Rude jumped in. "You need to sit on your bony ass and actually get healed. Even normal pregnant women don't move for a few days after birth and you are nowhere near a normal woman."

"He's right," the doctor supported. "Besides, you may not feel it now because of the painkillers, but your entire pelvis is cracked from supporting the weight of three babies that your body wasn't made to carry. You couldn't walk, even if you wanted to."

"I can't just sit around!" I protested. "I've been doing that for months, and I need to do something now. Those bastards can't be killed if I'm not there to watch!"

"I have an idea," Cloud said calmly. "Why don't we have Reno be our information guy? He can stay in our vehicle where he'll be safe and he'll be monitoring all of us and the enemies that way we can keep in contact with each other and can efficiently handle the situation."

My stomach did a little flip when he stood up for me and I stroked his hand in appreciation. I'm glad that he understood where I was coming from.

"Yeah, let's do that," Elena replied. "That way I can get in on the action too."

Tseng thought for a moment before nodding. "If I don't agree now, you'll find a more dangerous situation to be in, Reno, so let's work with this. Everyone who plans on going should prepare for battle and we can meet up in the garage in three hours."

Everyone nodded and headed in different directions to prepare. Cloud pushed Rude over and began wheeling me down the hall.

"Hey, let's see Rufus first," I requested.

"Sure, just tell me where to go."

"And then we can go look at the babies."

"We're closer to them you know."

"Yeah, but…well, I don't know when the Boss is going to die."

Nodding, he followed my directions until we made it to where Cid was patiently smoking through his pack of cheap cigarettes. I looked at the form of my little brother once again and the feeling of guilt ran through me again. I really didn't want him to die, but what could I do now? Nothing more than I could do back then, and that made it even worse.

"Why are you here?" I asked Cid quietly. "I know that you don't like Rufus at all."

"Tch, 's none of your damn business, but I'll tell ya anyways. It's 'cause Vincent asked me to, and I ain't going ta say no. 'Sides, he wants his motherfucking revenge and he can't fucking do that if he's here watchin' this guy die."

"You're a good friend," I replied as I watched the brain waves go down a little more.

Would I be able to watch someone I hated die slowly for the sake of my friend? I mean, I could sit and enjoy watching Damon dying in the worst way imaginable, but could I watch over him for the sake of my friend? I don't think I could. There was no sign of enjoyment or hate from Cid as he sat there quietly, keeping watch over my brother.

A few minutes later, Cloud pushed me away from the room and back down to see our little ones. On our way over there I wondered if I should tell him that those children were his and mine, not the result of some freakish experiment. I didn't want him to run away again and I was scared that if he knew the truth he would forget all those nice things he said. Would he really abandon me again?

"Cloud?" I began nervously. I didn't want to start our relationship all over again on lies. "You should know something."

"Yes?" he asked softly.

"Well, um, you really like my kids, don't cha?"

"Of course I do, Reno. They…well, they're very cute." He nodded to himself as if agreeing with his comment.

"And you're ready to be their father?"

He took a deep breath, but nodded firmly. "I care about you too much not to help you out with the kids. Besides, I already like them, so caring for them won't be hard."

Clenching my fists, I let it all out.

"ThosebabiesareyoursandIknowthatyoudon'twantkidsbutIhopethatyou'llstillstaywithmeandlovethemjustlikeanyfathershould."

"Eh?"

I sighed in exasperation. "Fuck, you're going to make me say it again, aren't ya?"

"Yeah."

"Ana and Teioh are your kids. I was pregnant with them before Argos and the Franklins touched me."

Cloud froze in his tracks and I could feel him staring at the back of my neck. I squirmed around uncomfortably, but a sharp pain made me stop doing that pretty quickly.

"If I didn't come back, were you going to tell me?"

"No," I replied honestly. "I didn't want you feeling anymore guilt, yo."

He came around in front of me and pulled me into another hug. Damn, we hugged more times today than we had in our entire relationship before. I was just glad that he wasn't running down the hall by now.

"By Shiva, he was right," Cloud sobbed into my shoulder. "You're far better than I deserve, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Reno."

I didn't know who "he" was, but I was just glad that Cloud was apologizing. It seemed like he had grown up quite a bit since we broke up. The thought that he was ready to take some fucking responsibility made me feel a hell of a lot more relieved. This was the way that I wanted things to be.

"But I'm still mad about you naming our son after a damn oversized chicken," I teased as I stroked his wet hair.

"S-sorry," he sniffled as he carefully wiped his eyes. "I kept talking to them and I didn't want to keep calling them by something impersonal. Teioh always reminded me of strength and pride and I couldn't think of a better name for a son of yours."

"Well," I sniffed haughtily. "I suppose that you could have done worse. So let's keep the name."

His face lit up happily and he pressed a playful kiss to my lips.

"Thanks, babe."

"Use some fucking lip balm," I whined playfully as he pushed me eagerly down the halls. By god it felt good to have him back with me.

---

Two hours later we had signed all the documents, had finished all the shit that was mandatory for babies, and had doted on the little ones. I had to agree that my kids sure looked good. The cutest things I had ever seen.

Revelation took a little while to get used to, but Cloud absolutely adored him. Maybe it was because the kid reminded him of Sephiroth, but that didn't matter. I would love the kid just as much, I knew I would. It was sad to see my little Ana having to get tested, but it just made my desire to see those doctors suffer that much greater. She was every bit as beautiful as her father and I could tell that she was going to take after him much more than after me. I also couldn't help but tease Cloud about his hair color since Teioh had black hair. He kept insisting that it was natural but I just kept poking fun at him. He just retorted that none of my kids had my red hair, but I had a snappy reply for that.

"Well, our next baby might have my hair."

Cloud looked up in shock and I nearly died laughing at his expression. A chocobo in the headlights is what it reminded me of.

"Tell me you're kidding," he demanded. "I haven't even slept with you again, you can't be pregnant!"

"Aww, quit worrying," I replied. "Besides, we can fix that up real quick."

I wriggled my eyebrows suggestively and he smiled wickedly. After all, we were still both just horny guys and no amount of horrors would take that away from us. It wasn't hard to find a private room where we were able to have a few moments to ourselves. Since I was still in bad shape, Cloud handled pretty much everything. I leaned back on the bed, moaning as his mouth worked over my desperate member. Cold water from his blond hair dripped steadily over my stomach before rolling down my sides. Through the haze of pleasure I was relieved to see that he was taking care of his own lusts and was jerking off so that I didn't have to do a thing. I didn't notice who came first and it didn't really matter. All that mattered was the way he held me as we both waited for the rush to fade into the familiar warm fuzzy feelings.

"You came pretty fast," he teased as he stroked my short choppy hair, something I fully intended on killing some doctors for.

"So did you, dick."

He chuckled and kissed the corner of my mouth before he sat up and fixed up his clothes.

"Get some rest, Reno. I'll get our stuff together and come pick you up in a little bit."

"Sure thing, kitten. Just help me get dressed 'for ya leave."

Once I was fully clothed, I fell back softly on the bed as he left. It wasn't surprising that I fell into a light nap almost immediately. After all, I had gone through a hell of a lot, both emotionally and physically, and my body needed some time to recharge.

In my dreams I could see Sephiroth speaking to me, but I couldn't understand anything. His lips were moving but no sound was coming out. I saw the city of Midgar burning brightly behind him, but everything seemed so hazy. Reaching out his gloved hand, I could see a glittering piece of Materia. He wanted me to have it, but why? He shoved it towards me, but my body felt numb; I couldn't reach out and take it. In annoyance, the General pressed his palm to my forehead. Immediately, I could see a cave that was somewhere in the bottom of the ocean. Inside the cave, the sight of a woman entrapped in huge crystals nearly made me jump back. Her eyes opened and her hand slid right out of the crystals as if it were nothing but water. The same thing that Sephiroth was trying to shove into my hand was glowing on her palm. Obviously, this thing was important, but how was I supposed to get over there?

"Sephiroth, how do I get it?"

Once again, his lips moved but I still couldn't understand a thing. In the blur behind the General a new being was beginning to form. I tried to warn him, but it seemed that he was deaf to me as well. Piercing green eyes snapped open and Jenova screamed loud enough to shatter steel.

"Reno? Time to wake up."

I jumped as I felt someone shaking my shoulder. Looking around a little disoriented I saw that we were already in the command vehicle. Elena cocked her head and patted my leg.

"Are you ok? You don't look so good."

Only Elena and me were back there and I noticed on the screens that we were approaching the target.

"Eh, I'll be ok, Laney."

"That's good," she replied as she finished putting her sniper rifle together.

"Hey, I wanted ta say thanks, yo."

"For what?" she asked as she sat next to me.

"If…if you hadn't read that huge encyclopedia of pregnant shit…well, it saved my kids. Thanks."

She smiled and pulled me into a hug before kissed my cheek.

"No problem, Reno. All of us love you like a brother, and I had only wanted the best for you. I'm glad that it was able to help you, but I just want to say thanks for listening."

"Heh, I didn't have much of a choice," I teased.

"Psh, don't give me that. Anyway, you know that I have to be the godmother, right?"

She poked me in the temple before continuing to rant on how cute the little guys were and all the different kind of stuff she was going to buy for them. I just smiled and nodded as I slowly and painfully made my way to the control panels. Once seated, the pain was more manageable, so I tweaked the settings until I was happy with everything.

"Ok, Laney, it's almost show time."

Nodding, she put on her bullet-proof vest and loaded up herself with weapons. I slid on my headpiece and began checking that everyone had theirs on. It only took a few minutes to get everything done and I began to feel my heart beating against my ribcage. This was it, time to get revenge.

"Party 1, are you ready to go?" I called out.

"Aye," Tseng, Yuffie, and Cait Sith, and replied.

"Party 2?"

"Here," Rude, Vincent, Tifa, and Red XIII answered.

"Party 3?"

"Ready," Elena, Barret, Cloud confirmed.

"Party 1 will keep to the outside and monitor for any escapees, while 2 and 3 move in. Party 2, go in through the southern entrance. Looks like there are two security systems set up, but just barge through. Party 3, take the eastern entrance. Only one security system is set up over there, so go in with guns blazing."

They all voiced their understanding and the assault began. I monitored all of the screens easily as I yelled out information to all of the parties. Harder than the monitoring, was listening to all of the conversations for useful information to pass on.

"Damn it! Fucking poison!" Barret yelled loudly into the mouthpiece.

"Looks like it's a mixture of monsters and experimented humans," Vincent relayed.

"Guys, look for both monsters and experimented humans," I warned them in response.

"Whoooo hooo! Take that, hiiiiyaaaa!"

"Yuffie stop fucking yelling in the mouthpiece!" I screeched as I winced in pain. My eardrums were going to be destroyed by the end of this mission.

"Reno, I've found two exits, one in quadrant 3A and one in quadrant 4B."

"Yo, stuffed animal, get your rear over and support Tseng at quadrant 3A. Yuffie, cover for the damn robot."

"Sure thing, Reno."

"Cloud, use a fucking potion will ya?"

"Thanks, Reno."

"Tch, these monsters aren't dropping anything," Red XIII observed.

"Is anyone needed to get some more supplies?" I asked worriedly.

"Not yet" was the resounding answer, but that didn't make me feel any better.

On top of relaying the information, I was busy trying to hack into the surveillance cameras so that I would be able to warn them about the attacks ahead of time. A virus was sent to the computer in response, but the Shinra's top quality programs were able to crush it without much difficulty.

"Yuffie, looks like some of those experimented humans are coming out of quadrant 8A, so get them."

"Yeah, yeah, headed there now."

The sound of Ifrit burning opponents roars through the headpiece, but I ignore it and kept working.

"Tseng, I got through! I'm into the cameras."

"Good, do you see the doctors?"

"Not yet, but there's a fucking Malboro trying to sneak out through the exit at D3."

"Ah, thanks."

"Barret, use an Elixir."

"Got it, punkass."

I scrolled through the camera shots hoping to see the doctors, but the two assassins caught my eye first.

"Shit, Cloud, you're right in the-"

The shot rang out, and I jumped up, but I saw Cloud dodge the shot by a small margin. He immediately turned on the kid and attacked.

"Reno? Did you find something?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah, one of the kids took a shot at Cloud, but he's taking care of that."

"Don't hurt him!" Vincent yelled at Cloud.

"I'm…trying…damn."

"Vinnie, just focus on your battle," I warned. "And watch out, the other little guy is coming right for you guys."

"No one touch him," the ex-Turk hissed dangerously and everyone conceded.

"How is Party 1 doing?"

"We're good," Tseng replied. "I haven't seen any sign of the doctors, so keep going through the cameras until you find them. They're definitely in there."

"Got it."

My eyes scanned everything carefully even as my mouth and ears were otherwise engaged. Damn, I can never say that being the tech guy is boring again. All I needed was my helicopter and I'd be good.

"Sweet, Laney, I love this program!"

The computer program was automatically making a map of the hidden base as I scrolled through the cameras and was showing me all of the blind spots.

"No problem, Reno!" she shouted as she fired down a few more monsters.

"Fuck, he won't stop!" Cloud yelled as he continued his merciless assault on the kid.

"Pull out your Omnislash, kitten," I advised as I sent my own virus towards the base's security system so that the different groups wouldn't have to worry about dismantling them.

"Party 1, blow up the exits at D2, A3, and B4."

"Got it."

I turned my attention to Cloud's fight with the kid and was surprised to see the kid still standing. Normal adults couldn't handle the power of the Omnislash, much less a child. Man, he must have been pumped up with a bunch of Mako and other chemicals. Just as I was about to suggest something else to Cloud, something on the screen caught my attention. The Franklins.

"Whoah, whoah, buddy!"

"What is it, Reno?" Elena asked.

"Got them! The Franklins!"

"Where are they?" Vincent grunted as he continued to fight the kid. Dang, that little guy was pulling out some pretty acrobatic moves. It almost looked like his spine was non-existent.

"They're under some heavy security on the east side of the building. It also looks like they might be trying to plan an escape passage…"

I couldn't see their screen, but I recognized the room they were in. It was joined to the hallway that I had been running down a few days ago.

"Ok guys, there's an underground river running along the eastern wall and I broke it down in my escape. My guess is that they had shut down that area to keep the entire base from flooding, but they might try to open it to flood everyone out. I wouldn't be surprised if they had some scuba gear."

"Got it," Cloud and Vincent replied.

I knew that Tseng wanted a piece of those doctors for what they had done to Rufus, but he had enough control to hold back and defend the exits. He would always be a better man than I was. Looking over at the screen where Cloud is fighting, I saw my lover unleash a punishing flurry similar to the Omnislash, but with the additional summoning of Shiva. Her icy attack was sure to numb the kid and Cloud took that opportunity to hit the kid across the head with the broad side of his Ultima Weapon.

"Oh, ouch," I exclaimed as I watched the boy crumple to the floor. "You didn't break his neck, did you kitten?"

"What the fuck did you say?!" Vincent growled threateningly.

"No, he's alive. Vincent, get your head in the right place! I know that they're kids, but they're still the enemy. Take them out."

"Don't tell me-"

"Shut up!" I commanded them. "Party 3, take the hallway to your left and go down to the end and hang right. Tifa, you and Red XIII should tear down the wall on the right. That's a supply room and you guys can stock up before moving on. Rude, you help Vincent and take the kid from the back."

"I don't need-"

"I'm not asking for your damn permission," I hissed.

The older man shut his trap and performed a series of moves that would have made the Wutaiese gymnastic team jealous. Rude moved with him flawlessly, not giving that poor guy a chance. A few minutes later the kid was knocked unconscious. Vincent held the child tenderly in his arms and checked for vitals.

"Hey, Red XIII, go fetch the kid that Cloud took out and bring him over to this guy. Watch over the two of them if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Tell me the way."

I nodded and relayed the information. Vincent reluctantly let the child go and he headed off to go find the doctors. For a moment I wondered why he seemed so protective, but I didn't have long to contemplate that. I needed to guide the two Parties through the maze of the base as well as keep an eye on Party 1 and Red XIII. The doctors were getting more and more frustrated and that only made me happy. Seeing them suffer like that thrilled me to no end.

"This is what you get for hurting my Boss you sick bastards. Fucking suffer."

"Did you say something, babe?" Cloud asked as he tore down another wall with his giant sword.

"You're a beast, kitten, and you're looking great from this angle."

"Tch, pay attention to the mission," he teased. "But don't worry, I'll take care of you when we get home."

"Is that a promise?" I asked.

"Absolutely."

"Do you mind?" Tseng interjected making me snicker.

"Sorry, Tseng."

"Thank you."

"Hold up," Tifa called out. "I hear something rumbling. Can you tell me what's up ahead, Reno?"

At least she wasn't being hateful and cursing me out at the moment for getting back with Cloud. Maybe she didn't know?

"All right, let me look it up." I flipped through the camera shots and looked for any source of a rumbling sound. My eyeballs nearly popped out of my head when I saw a few monsters beating on the door that was keeping the water back. "Shit! There are a few idiot monsters trying to take out the only thing between you guys an' the icy river!"

"How far back?" Someone asked as I referred to the map.

"Ok, the doctors are in two halls down and those stupid creatures are right down the hall. Wait, it looks like the Franklin's are trying to stop them!"

I watched in horror as the monsters turned on the Franklins and began attacking them. Those creatures could feel the impending doom and they were in a frenzy.

"Reno, what's wrong?!"

"NO!! Crap, no, no, no! Those monsters just turned on the doctors! They're trying to kill them!"

"What?!"

"You guys are close, Vincent, bust through that wall, yo!"

Before my very eyes, the ex-Turk morphed into his Galian Beast form and tore down that wall. It had no chance against him and neither did those monsters that threatened to take our revenge away. Flesh, blood, gore, and splintered bones painted the wall as Vincent utterly destroyed those pitiful beasts. I laughed in sheer glee as I saw the two Franklins hold on to each other in fear of the towering beast.

Mercy didn't even come to mind as I watched them tremble in fear. How did they like being overpowered and having to fear for their own lives?! They had been so cocky and arrogant and now? How did it feel to be left with no where to go and no one to protect you?! I was a little disappointed in how quickly we managed to get them. It was almost anti-climatic considering the hell those two had put us all through, but at least we had them.

"You two are going to suffer," Vincent hissed through the sharp teeth.

"Tifa, why don't you and Rude just search the rest of the building?" Cloud suggested. "There might be other people in here that we can save. Elena, you and Barret should help them out."

"O-okay," Tifa responded as she turned back and moved out of the vicinity.

Everyone knew exactly what was going to happen in there and they couldn't bring themselves to stop it. They knew that their protests would fall on deaf ears and there was no way that the four of them could stand up to both Cloud and Vincent. Even if they disagreed with what was about to happen, they didn't have a choice in the matter. The best they could hope for was to be out of the vicinity.

"I'll stay here," Rude piped in as he stood tall and cracked his neck.

"I don't-" Cloud began, but I cut him off.

"Those bastards hurt the Boss, Cloud. A Turk will be there."

"Fine."

Silently, I thanked Rude for being willing to watch the massacre. He had seen his share of extreme torture on both the end of the giver and the receiver so I didn't doubt his ability to watch the horror calmly. It was all that we could hope to do for Rufus right now, so he stood there like a grim statue, ready to make sure that the punishment would be carried out.

I heard Tifa whispering her disagreement to Barret, but I ignored her. She hadn't lost anything to those two so her thoughts didn't matter. However, I was courteous enough to turn off the sound of Cloud, Vincent, and Rude's headpieces to everyone but myself and Tseng.

The faint voices of the doctors begging for their lives should have made me feel at least a little bit guilty about what we were doing, but I had seared my conscious with a hot iron until something like this actually made me happy.

"Too bad I can't be there, kitten," I whispered eagerly.

"Just stay put," he warned me just in case I had any bright ideas about going over there.

"Please, we were only doing what was best for the PLANET!" Sheryl sobbed as she clung to her husband's sleeve.

"You expect us to believe that bull-shit?" Cloud questioned.

"What about all the lives you ruined?!" Vincent snarled. "Hurting innocent children is never in the best interest of the PLANET!"

"But they were abominations!" Damon tried to reason before sharp claws slashed across his face.

Sheryl screamed and Damon held the bloody wounds and shuddered in pain.

"Lies!" Vincent screeched. "How dare you call them abominations?!"

"But they were!" Sheryl screamed back, her fear giving her the strength to argue in such a situation. "Anything spawned from you is a hazard because of Chaos!"

"What?!"

Rude, Cloud, and I gaped in surprise at the heaving beast. Vincent roared in fury, causing the entire base shake dangerously, but before he could charge at the doctors Cloud grabbed his arm.

"What are they talking about, Vincent?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter," he hissed as he pulled his arm away. "They're just trying to buy a few moments to scheme something else, no doubt."

"You know it's true," Sheryl challenged. "Why don't you tell your little friends all about poor Rufus Shinra and what you did to him."

Hearing the President's name, Rude automatically jumped in.

"Now you better tell us what the heck is going on," Rude demanded angrily as he placed his gun to Sheryl's head to keep her from doing something regrettable.

"Yeah, speak, Valentine!" I hissed in anger. "What the fuck is she talking about?"

He was obviously very angry at having been stopped from destroying those two, but with Cloud right there, he didn't have a choice but to answer. Snarling, he slashed at the wall, leaving deep gashes.

"Yes, I fucking screwed up! Rufus became pregnant with my children as a result of the extreme amount of Lifestream he had been exposed to, the beginnings of Geostigma, the Mako they were pumping into him, and chemicals running through my seed as a result of Chaos."

"That's right," she spat out hatefully. "You created little monsters inside of a dying man! I don't even know how he managed to survive the birth."

"No thanks to you!" he roared. "You delivered the babies and left him to die! You fucking kidnapped them for your own sick curiosity!"

I leaned back in my chair, my mind whirling with all this new information. That scar on his stomach, it had to have been the c-section. How had he…damn. For nearly a year no one was allowed to go in and see the President because of his fragile condition. Even when we did see him, he was always covered with heavy blankets and bandages and we didn't exactly think to look and see if he was pregnant. How did he manage to go through an entire pregnancy while in his fucking condition? I thought I had it bad, but that was just insane!

"Valentine, it's no different from screwing the pathetic invalid for your own sick lusts," Damon shot back, his voice shaking from a mixture of pain and anger. "We are no more disgusting than the lot of you."

It took Cloud a little more effort to keep Vincent from shredding the mouthy doctors. Shaking my head, I tried to sort it all out in my head. If the doctors kidnapped those babies, then Vincent and Rufus knew about them way before I got pregnant. Hell, even before the damn Remnants showed up! Why didn't they say anything, why didn't Rufus ask for our help? We were his fucking Turks for Shiva's sake! We should have been allowed to help him! And how the heck did those kids manage to look at least seven years old! Weren't they like, four or something?

"The phone call," Tseng reminded me and I felt like slapping my forehead.

He was absolutely right! That one time he got a call from Vincent and was all choked up, it had to have been news about these kids! And Vincent being all pissed when I told him what those two had done to the little guys, it was all falling into place! Even Vincent forcing Chaos into Rufus, it had to have been after the birth as he was slipping into death. The older man would have never resorted to something so foolish if it wasn't absolutely urgent.

"Don't try to twist our minds," Cloud replied darkly. My baby really hated it when people tried to mess with his head. "We could never sink to your level of filth. Of course we all make mistakes, but we don't destroy life and create horrors just because we can. You both can just burn in hell."

Cloud let his hand drop to the side to allow Vincent to tear them both apart, but a giant tremor knocked everyone to their feet.

"What the hell?!" Rude shouted and I began scanning the different charts on my screen looking for an answer.

"I don't know guys! It looks…aww, shit! Everyone get the hell out of there, now!"

The underwater stream had been beating at the walls that prevented it from flooding the base, and all the abuse that those walls had taken from Vincent as well as the other monsters had jeopardized its stability. A naturally occurring tremor coming from the Crater itself was the final touch to break down the only defense they had.

The deafening roar of the water breaking through the wall and pouring thousands of gallons of icy cold water on top of the inhabitants of the room made me wince and cry out in pain. Memories of the cold water crushing me flooded my senses, overwhelming me completely. My very breath seemed to be squeezed out by an invisible force and I couldn't feel any of my limbs. I was dying all over again, in a cold and dark place.

Shouts and screamed echoed through my ears but I couldn't make sense of any of it. It was like the time I blew up the Sector 7 plate, all the chaos surrounding me and crushing anything that made sense. I had laughed back then, back amidst the smoke and fire and I laughed now. Laughing at the irony of death by icy water instead of burning fire and twisted metal.

---

"Reno, look at what a mess you've become."

My body shook again as Damnation gained a little advantage over me. Both of my hands were already his fierce claws and I felt his wings beginning to push through my skin. Gasping in pain and in weariness from fighting the demon, I looked up through hazed eyes to see the face of a woman I had almost forgotten.

"Ar-Argos," I forced out before a demonic snarl pushed its way through.

Damnation wasn't used to having to put up a fight, but I couldn't let him take me. He wanted to escape while everyone was trapped in the base so that he could go about destroying all living things on the PLANET, but I wouldn't let him do it.

"Yes, it's me, darling." She calmly walked over to me and stroked the sweaty red hair practically plastered to my face. "I told you that you would carry all of our sins, that you could save everyone on this PLANET."

"But you-you said I w-would die."

Another convulsion shook my body as two wings tore through my back, splashing blood across the back wall of the vehicle.

"And you will. I'm so sorry, but it has to be done."

"Th-the others? Are they-"

"They're struggling right now, but it looks like Tseng and the others that were outside have gone in to help. I'm sure that most of them will come out alive."

Most of them, what a joke. I couldn't bring myself to believe anything other than that they would all survive. Cloud would come out from the crumbling base looking like a freshly bathed kitten, Vincent would come out pissed, and everyone else would come forth shivering but alive. I couldn't die while they all lived, I just couldn't. I had to give that fucking ex-Turk a piece of my mind for his involvement with Rufus, I had to live to see my Boss's last moments, I had-"

The sickening sound of a knife plunging into flesh brought me back to reality. Pain flared up in my chest and I looked down to see her skinny hands clenching the knife that was now hilt deep in my chest. It had cut right into my heart, but that wasn't enough to guarantee that I would die with this monster in my body. No, she had to struggle to twist the knife, to be sure that I could not be saved.

I was left there, choking on my own blood and feebly attempting to stop the bleeding. If the knife were pulled out I would die almost immediately, so I clenched the weapon with both hands to keep her from taking what remained of my life.

"I'm so sorry, Reno," she whispered as she stood up. Her age seemed to be even more pronounced than the last time I saw her and there was even a glimmer of tears in her eyes. "If those little ones hadn't died like I expected them to, then I would have had to kill them too. You understand don't you? I'm protecting the PLANET and those on it in a way that Mr. Strife never could. Without you around, no one will ever have to worry about life being destroyed or about Jenova coming back."

"Who will protect the PLANET when another disease comes through?!" Damnation screeched. "It was Chaos who kept this PLANET from being destroyed thousands of years ago when that Jenova first came! If he hadn't destroyed the infected Ancients, none of you would even be here! If I die, there will no longer be a safety for this fucking PLANET!"

Of course, I was the only one who heard that and the horror of realization was painted all over my face. He was absolutely right. Damnation and Chaos were supposed to be last ditch efforts in the PLANET's self-defense. The WEAPONS were supposed to be around too, but we killed those things as well. If we took away this, who knew what would happen when the next crisis arose. Cloud wouldn't be there forever.

"D-d-destroy…PLANET…"

"Reno, I know that's what he's telling you to do, but trust me, it will all be over soon."

Fuck, that's not what I was saying! I was trying to tell her that she was making a mistake that would destroy the whole fucking PLANET! It was just a tad bit hard to make sense when you had a knife sticking out of your chest, though.

"Y-you, des-destroy…"

Blood began to spill down my lips as my heart was still erratically trying to beat. I could no longer speak with the blood flooding my mouth and panic filled me as I could literally feel my life slipping away. Argos was standing there with such a sad but content look on her face as if she had finally fulfilled her life's purpose.

"I'll be going now," she informed me gently as if would soothe the pain. "Perhaps I'll one day see you in the Lifestream."

Before she could even reach the door, it was kicked in by a very pissed off Cloud.

"Reno, you ass-"

He was absolutely drenched and there was already frost forming on his hair, but the thing I noticed the most was the look on his face as he gaped from Argos to my dying half-transformed body.

Spitting out blood, I told him all that he needed to know. "Argos."

As my vision began to fade, I saw her pull out a gun. It was a wasted move though, as Cloud cast petrifaction on her. Running past her, he skidded over to my side, holding me close to him. Although it would have been more romantic if we could have carried on a dying conversation like they did in the movies, he didn't waste time like that. He grabbed my headphones which had been conveniently out of my reach and he began calling for help. The warmth of a Full Cure being cast on me relieved some of the pain, but I wasn't just going to be knocked out. I was dying. I closed my eyes as I grew too exhausted to keep them open any longer.

"Look, that smartass Turk is finally coming over, Mother."

"Kadaj, I already told you to quit calling me mother," a familiar voice giggled. "And it's not something to gloat about when someone is struggling in death."

"But he nearly killed my brothers with that stupid bomb," Kadaj reasoned.

"Well, you guys were trying to kill Cloud and destroy the PLANET."

"Minor details, Mother, just minor details."

Dear Shiva, even my death wasn't going to be peaceful.

"Now, now, Kadaj. You promised that you would be nice."

"…I know…"

"Reno? Come on, stay with me baby," Cloud begged as he stroked my cheek. "Rude's coming, and he'll make you all better."

What was I, a three year old? Lies like that didn't make me feel any better.

"Lady…lady in the stones," I mumbled as best as I could, remembering the dream that I had earlier. "Gre-green stones, lady…"

"What are you talking about?" Cloud asked almost fearfully. "Lady in green stones?"

"U-under water, there…there…"

I shuddered as I felt the last of my strength seeping away to transform me back to my original form. At least when they buried me in the ground I'd be pretty.

"Shhh, please just hold on. You have to remember that you're not just living for yourself, you're living for Revelation, Teioh, and Ana. They need you to hold them, to protect them, to love them!"

Every word that spilled past those lips was a desperate whisper, hoping beyond all hope that I could pull out of this. He was obviously wasting all his magic powers on casting his Mastered Full Cure on me, but I appreciated it.

"I r-really do…" a fit of coughing interrupted my nice little speech, "…do l-lo-love you."

"Damn it all, Reno!" he screamed with tears leaking out of those gorgeous eyes. "Don't leave me here, I need you. Please, fuck, please!"

I smiled, content to be in his arms as my eyes slid shut once more. The sounds surrounding me began to blur into one large annoying sound and I was happy when it all just faded away.

Although I was now in the realm between being dead and alive, it wasn't as peaceful as I thought it would be. Instead, it was the first time that my mind was truly clear and I was left to think about everything that had happened recently. Fuck, I had really given birth to three gorgeous kids. I, Reno Stryker, a failure that wasn't even supposed to live long enough to think about having kids much less having a family, had Cloud and my three babies.

Revelation, he was delivered from my body and I considered him my child as well, but here alone with my own thoughts I had to face the truth. I was scared of him. Cloud had let us all know in no uncertain terms that he was planning to protect that child from anyone who dared to even think about harming him. He said that Revelation wasn't really Sephiroth but did that mean he wasn't dangerous? He showed symptoms of carrying Jenova genes, of being related to that evil bitch. Did that mean he would be dangerous?

Still, just the fact that he had carried that child and that he had grown within the Turk's body, and that had to count for something. How could something so tiny and precious grow up to harm anyone? But he had to remember that Sephiroth and even the Franklins had started that way too.

"Do they really need me?" I wondered to myself. "Would Cloud take them in if I can't care for them?"

Possessiveness flared up in my mind at the thought of someone else taking care of my children. I may end up being a terrible parent myself, but that didn't mean that I wanted to just hand them off to someone else. They were mine for Shiva's sake!

"I want my babies!" I shouted to the emptiness. "They're mine, and I want them back! I want Cloud, I want my family!"

---

"You lucky bastard," someone whispered in my ear as I stirred. "You sure love scaring the shit out of me."

"Gah, Rude," I groaned forcing my eyes open.

Looking around I saw my best buddy leaning on the bed with puffy eyes that told me that he hadn't been sleeping in a long while. It soon became evident why he was whispering as well. Everyone else in the room was sprawled out fast asleep.

"You should be sleeping too," I chided him even as I winced from the pain of talking.

"And you should be dead," he retorted. "But I'm glad you're not."

"Heh, me too."

I wondered how I had managed to live through yet another attempt on my life, but I was too tired to put too much thought into it. Just being alive was enough for me.

"Notice anything different?" Rude asked as he pushed some of my stray hair behind an ear.

It only took a few moments before I understood what he was talking about. There was no bloodlust or voices in my mind.

"It's…it's gone. How did-"

"Cloud. As soon as you went into surgery, he dragged Vincent with him to some cave under the ocean and he came back with a strange stone called Protomateria. I don't know all the details, but as soon as it came in contact with you, your body absorbed it."

"I got more shit in my system?" I asked sarcastically. "Damn, there's more material in this body then there is me!"

"Shhhh," he warned me as Elena stirred a little. "They need rest, so let's keep it down."

"Where is Cloud? Where's my babies?"

"Cloud went to stay with the kids so that they wouldn't get lonely and so that no crazy doctor would get a chance to take them."

"Speaking of which, what happened?"

Rubbing his bloodshot eyes, he leaned back in his chair before answering.

"Get comfortable, buddy. There, now you probably know that the wall holding back the stream collapsed. When it did, most of us nearly got swept away. Vincent ended up clawing his way back into the building and Cloud kept a firm grip on me until we got pulled out by Tifa and them."

"And the doctors?"

"Dead. They were washed out by the river, but we found their bodies and verified that it was them."

I was disappointed to hear that they had died without their due punishment, but at least they could no longer hurt people or carry out the sick wishes of Hojo.

"And-"

"Let me finish first, Reno," he interrupted. "As soon as we got pulled out of the frigid water, we were all pretty much suffering from hypothermia, but when you didn't respond to our calls, Cloud went to check up on you. That's when he found you and Argos in the command truck. He managed to keep you alive until Tifa and Cait got there and they used their magic to keep you alive all the way to the hospital."

"What happened to Argos?"

Looking at me in annoyance, Rude continued with his story. "Tseng and Red XIII stayed behind to destroy the base and to take care of any records and the rest of us rushed you back here. Argos was officially arrested as soon as we got here and she's under watch right now. You were in surgery for 16 hours and during that time Cloud went off to find that Protomateria. Vincent didn't want to go with him because of the kids, but he got dragged off anyway. Cid was left to watch over the two kids and Rufus."

"Is Rufus-"

"Shit, Reno, shut up!" he hissed. I chuckled and leaned back to let him finish. There was so much that I wanted to know but Rude wanted to tell me stuff at his own pace. "Tseng has been bouncing between you and Rufus ever since he got over here. Although we all expected the both of you to die a few days ago, neither of you have given up. Of course, you got a hell of a lot better once the Protomateria was absorbed into your body. Rufus still hasn't improved, but at least he stopped getting worse. Now those two kids are seriously screwed up and they've been put into an intensive care room though they won't take any treatment. They seem to kind of like Cid, but are still wary of everyone."

He took a tired breath and scratched his bald head as he leaned back. I wanted to ask him even more questions, but I wasn't sure if he was finished or not. After a few minutes he leaned forward again and continued.

"Midgar's in an uproar with everything that's been happening and all of us are a little lost. I mean, they don't know what happened to the Boss or you, or anything relating to the Franklins, but there's too much to try to cover up. Rufus always knew what to do, how to handle these situations, and now? I guess Tseng would be the next in line to the Shinra Company, but I don't think that's a job that he wants. After all, we're Turks through and through. No one wants one of us scumbags to run any kind of company at all."

"If I'm stubborn, Rufus is extremely stubborn."

"Reno?"

Looking down at the sheets, I clenched them tightly, hoping that I was thinking straight. He had already lived through so much, so this just had to be another test. Heck, if I survived through the wilderness, then there was a chance that Rufus would be able to pull out of this as well.

"I need to talk to those kids."

"What?" he whispered in shock. "Valentine is being super protective of them, so he may not let you see them. Besides, you shouldn't even be fucking moving!"

Shrugging, I leaned over and shut off the machines. It hurt to move as much as I was moving, but I didn't have time to waste. Rude cursed silently as he helped me get untangled from the wires and get out of the bed. Elena and Tseng got a little more comfortable on the couch that they had converted into a bed.

Silently, my trusty partner wheeled me out of the room and down a few halls. As we made our way over there I took the chance to look at my chest where I had been stabbed. Argos had shoved that knife right into my heart and now looking at the bandage I wondered what the flesh looked like under. Did I still have unnatural healing abilities?

"Did I need a heart transplant?" I asked suddenly making Rude stop.

"Does it matter, partner?"

The question made me smile and I shook my head.

"Not at all."

"Ok, then."

It only took a few more seconds before we made it to the room that held the two strange boys. Vincent was pacing in front of the room, obviously at a loss of what to do. I looked in at the kids and chuckled. Now that I know that Vincent and Rufus are their fathers I couldn't help but see the similarities. Obviously, they both had that mess of chocolate hair that Vincent had, but the smaller guy had bright blue eyes, just like Rufus did. For some reason, the other kid was still wearing the blindfold and the box that kept him from talking, so I didn't get a chance to see if he had my brother's eyes as well. The fair skin, the bad attitudes, yep, they were definitely the spawn of two devils.

"Why haven't you taken that blindfold off?" I asked Vincent.

Instead of answering, he outstretched his gauntlet and Rude inhaled sharply as the nearly shattered metal was revealed to us. Cracks covered the entire surface and it looked like it was ready to fall off his arm at any moment.

"So he didn't like it huh? Well, I need to talk to him."

Pulling his hand back to his body and turned towards me. There was confusion and anger in his eyes. I could see that he didn't really want me to go near his children, but I just stared him right in the eye. He was not a beast, no matter what Hojo did to him and there was no reason for him to be so overprotective.

"I'm not going to hurt them, Vincent, and you know that."

He nodded briefly before returning to his pacing. Although he didn't show it, I knew that he was keeping his eyes on me. Oh well, it's not like I was going to do anything to them. As soon as the door opened, the two little guys looked up from the corner they were huddled in.

"Nice to see you again, yo," I started off. "I wanted to ask you guys for a favor."

The smaller one stared at me like I was a giant bug and the other one just pulled him closer. I was about to ask again, but the younger one turned and spoke to me.

"Reno, you are well?"

I was shocked to here just a weak and empty voice, but I recovered quickly.

"Better than expected. Are you guys doin' good to?"

"No. Our assistance is required?"

"Sheesh, don't make it sound like I need you guys to hit someone," I joked before I remembered that that's exactly what they had been used for. "Ah, sorry."

"No need for apologies. What do you want us to do, Reno?"

"Well, first off, you kids don't need to be such bastards to Vincent. He's worryin' over you all. Second, would you guys take a look at Rufus. He's my little brother and right now there's not much that anyone can do for him. Would you guys be able help him?"

The kid seemed to ponder it for a moment before he nodded.

"He is the one who bore us?"

"Er…yeah." How the hell did they know?

"Then." He paused and jerked his head before continuing. "We will see him and try to help. I will go, and you just need to plug me into the computer."

"Excuse me? Plug you in?"

"Yes. Do you not have that technology?"

"No, we sure don't."

"Then let me get near him."

Nodding, I signaled to Rude. He wheeled me out, and the little guy followed me. His body movements were jerky and seemed unstable, but I didn't say anything about it. Vincent seemed to be even more stressed out by his son leaving the room, but he didn't say anything. As soon as we got to the Boss's room, I glanced at the kid. Nothing changed in his facial expression at seeing the man who had tragically given birth to him.

"Ok, here he is. He's in critical condition, so be gentle."

"Understood."

Entering the room, the kid went straight for the computers. He didn't even bother to give Rufus a second glance and that made me feel sad. I didn't want my kids to be that insensitive to me no matter what. He fiddled with a few of the buttons before pulling one cord out. Watching in curiosity, I witnessed as he stripped the wire and shoved it into his arm. That's when I noticed the holes that he had in his body and I shuddered.

The kid convulsed a little and his eyelids fluttered before he pulled the cord out. Cid stood next to me, but didn't say a word. He looked just as confused as I did and he puffed heavily on his cigarette. The boy turned to us and nodded before he made his way back outside.

"What's up?" I asked. "Can you help him?"

"Number 1 did not shoot to kill. All he needs is a jump start to his brain, and he will live."

"What?!"

"Unfortunately, he will have damage and that may not be healed for a while."

"Still, that's a hell of a lot better than how he is now! Let's do it!"

"The doctors may not approve as this will not be at all conventional."

"I'll take care of that," Rude replied as he cracked his knuckles. "Just help him."

Nodding, the boy went back into the room and Cid and I watched as he fiddled with the machinery some more. It was scary to be honest, but I trusted that it would all be ok. I had no other choice. Besides, I knew that there was goodness in these little guys. The bigger one had let me know where I was when I had been kidnapped and they never seriously tried to kill me.

"Ya think it'll work?" Cid asked gruffly.

"Sure. If not, we're screwed."

"Yeah, Vincent will kill us."

"Yup."

It's probably better for everyone if I don't go into detail about what exactly happened next. Suffice it to say that Rufus didn't look like he enjoyed it and both Cid and I looked like we were going to be sick. Electricity does not sit will with the human body especially in large amounts. However, it was all worth it when Rufus gasped and his eyes flitted open.

"Rufus!" I cried, signaling for Rude to wheel me into the room.

Cid just stood out there and scratched his head while I was rushed to my brother's side. He didn't look very good, but it was still a hell of a lot better than looking dead. Those perfect blue eyes looked around in confusion and he didn't seem able to respond to my numerous questions.

"He will not be able to understand things for a while since his neurons are reconnecting and rebuilding," the little guy stated as he stared blankly at me.

"Then how is he awake?" Rude asked.

"Do you really want to know?" the kid deadpanned.

"Uh, I guess not."

"Good. You wouldn't understand it anyway."

"Don't be such a bitch," I replied before Rude could. "All that matters is that he's alive."

Rufus almost looked scared as I reached out my hand and stroked his cheek. It must be so strange for him to not understand anything we were saying or doing. In all honesty, he was probably acting a hell of a lot better than I would if I were in his shoes. He opened his mouth to say something only to realize that he couldn't even remember how to put words together.

"Shhh, it's ok, you're going to be ok."

"I'm going to wake up Tseng," Rude informed me as he headed out.

"Yeah, I'll…I'll fucking get Vincent," Cid grumbled before he left.

The boy looked at me with a tilt of his head as if he didn't understand the way I was comforting Rufus, but he didn't ask anything about it. Instead he turned his back on the both of us and headed towards the door.

"I will go to my brother," he stated plainly as his hand jerkily twisted the doorknob.

"Hey, wait," I requested. "What are you and your brother's names?"

His head jerked to look me in the eye before answering. "He is Number 1 and I am Number 2."

With that, he slowly made his way down the hall. It was hard to believe that when he was fighting he was so fluid and flexible, but just normal actions seemed so difficult for him. When I looked back at Rufus I was shocked to see tears rolling down his cheeks and he looked just as surprised. His mouth moved and a few experimental noises made their way past his throat as one of his hands slowly tried to brush away the moisture running down his face. It hurt just to see him so helpless, and I pulled him into a hug. He struggled against it for a little bit and it hurt pretty badly when he pressed against the flesh covering my heart, but I still held on.

"J-joph," he managed to spit out, still struggling stubbornly.

"C'mon Boss, you need ta take it slowly," I reprimanded gently. "Just let your brain chill out for a bit."

I smiled warmly as I wiped away the tears that he couldn't seem to stop crying. Looking into those unguarded and still icy blue eyes I chuckled and kissed his cheek. This was most likely the only time I would see such a juvenile and innocent look on his face, so I cherished it. However, I didn't have long as Vincent rushed into the room in a flare of tattered clothes and heavy buckles.

Rolling my eyes, I pushed myself away from the bed so that the ex-Turk could take my place. He knelt on the floor next to Rufus and took his hand gently. Rufus just stared at him in confusion, much the same way he looked at me.

"Rufus, I'm so sorry," Vincent apologized as he kissed that flawless hand. "So sorry."

The President just tried to pull his hand away which made me want to laugh, but I held it in for Vincent's sake. He was facing a whole lot emotionally and I knew how that felt. Tseng came into the room not long after and I saw a look of relief flood his face before he pulled back on his emotionless mask.

"Reno, it's a miracle, right?" Tseng asked me.

"Not really, the kid-"

"No, it's a miracle," he stated firmly.

Nodding I got his drift. "Yeah, I mean, I just walk in, yo, and he's all better."

"I owe you two an explanation," Vincent murmured as he turned to face the both of us.

"Yes you do," Tseng replied firmly. Damn, he was cold.

"I came to visit Rufus as he was on his deathbed. I cannot explain it, but when I saw him I wasn't able to control both Chaos and my own lust. It was a horrible thing for me to do, and I won't make excuses. I forced myself onto him." Those crimson eyes stared intently at the tile at our feet as he continued. "Several weeks later I came to visit him again, wishing to apologize if he even remembered but I stumbled onto something horrible. He was pregnant with my children."

"Dang," I mumbled. "How did you know? The rest of us didn't even have a clue!"

"Chaos instantly sensed it. The doctors were aware that something was wrong with him, but they just chalked it up to his numerous problems at that time. They didn't bother to think that it was something new."

"Why didn't you inform us?" Tseng asked calmly.

"Truthfully, I panicked. I knew that if I waited too long to tell him, he would find out the hard way, so I told him the moment he was conscious."

"Tch, I can't see that going very well," I snorted.

"You're right. He was already in so much physical pain and so mentally tired. Hearing that I had forced myself upon him and I ended up impregnating him had nearly made him snap. His first thought was to abort the children immediately, but I begged him to keep them. I swore that I would protect them and that I wouldn't even force him to stay with them. All he had to do was carry them to term and then he would never have to see them or me again."

"Guess that didn't work out," Tseng threw in a little vehemently. He hated it when he didn't know things about Rufus.

"No, it didn't," Vincent replied as he brushed back his bangs wearily. "He had me hunt down doctors that knew about special case pregnancies and I brought them in to care for him. Of course he had to continue with his numerous surgeries, but those two were always there to make sure that his pregnancy wasn't revealed to anyone including his Turks."

"Those were the Franklins?" I guessed, knowing the answer.

"Yes. Rufus…he suffered terribly during the surgeries. I could do nothing but stay in the shadows to make sure that he never tried to kill my children, and I made the mistake of focusing so much on them and my own personal problems that I didn't bother to care for Rufus. It wasn't until after their kidnapping that I realized just how much damage I had done to him."

"And that wasn't all," Tseng goaded.

"No, I hurt him even worse." He looked over at Rufus who seemed focused on trying to figure out what his hand was for. "His body reached its limit when they were seven and a half months old and the doctors performed an emergency C-section. I wasn't even there when they delivered my children and decided to kidnap them in order to experiment on them." Biting his lip, Vincent forced himself to finish his confession. "Rufus, he…he called me. He had stitched himself together and dragged himself to the nearest phone to call for help."

"Why did they leave him to die?" I asked softly.

"No witnesses. They told him that the babies had died during the childbirth, but even his drug induced mind realized that something was wrong. I arrived as quickly as I could, but it was almost too late. He was in shock and was dying too fast for me to get professional help. I finally realized what I had done to him and in horror I tried to save his life. I managed to force a part of Chaos into his body in order to extend his life, much in the same way that Lucrecia had saved mine. However, it wasn't long before I realized that even that had been a mistake."

"Chaos didn't like being torn in two," I added in and he nodded.

"We both knew what had to be done in order to keep Chaos from taking complete control of Rufus and wreaking havoc. Besides that, his body was too weak to handle something that traumatic. He hated me, completely and utterly hated me."

By this time, Vincent's voice was low and he closed his eyes at the painful memories. I couldn't really imagine what it must have been like for both Rufus and Vincent. To hate and be hated while in each other's arms constantly, it must have been horrible.

"So how did you two end up sharing feelings?" Tseng asked.

"Feelings? It's nearly impossible to be in a physical relationship like we had for as long as we had without some kind of bond developing. I tried my hardest to repay him for everything that I had done to him, and he just tried to forget it all. Unfortunately, after his Geostigma was cured, he remembered that the doctors had indeed kidnapped my children. Guilt for letting that happen plagued him, and nothing that I said made him think anything other than it was his fault. That's when we began our search for the children. Still, even that wasn't able to bring us much closer since I could still not deal with my own past. I regret it even more now that I have come to terms with my own ghosts because I do honestly feel appreciation and care for him."

"So you don't think that he'll love you anymore?" I asked curiously.

"Of course not," he snorted as if that thought was the most ridiculous thing in the world. "I ruined his life and on top of that, I let the lives of our sons be ruined as well. They are damaged practically beyond repair and that was all because I didn't realize that they had been kidnapped until it was too late. I had sworn to him that I would protect them, and in the end I protected them about as well as I protected him. He has no reason to love me, and now we don't even have Chaos to force us into a physical relationship. It's over for us, although it would be more accurate to say that there never was anything for us."

Shaking my head I couldn't believe that he was going to give up so quickly. If Cloud and I had managed to get back together than those two had a pretty good chance as well.

"Why do they look so old?" Tseng asked thoughtfully.

Vincent shrugged as he shook his head sadly. "I can only guess that it was the experiments they were forced into."

Setting his hand back on the sheets, Rufus turned to look at us calmly, almost with that abnormal certainty that he possessed.

"Josef," he said clearly, making all of us gape in shock.

Vincent chuckled as he stroked my little brother's cheek softly. "That's what he named the younger one," he explained. "Looks like he's too stubborn to stay confused for too long."

"I give him a few more hours," I said with a sad smile. It was obvious that Vincent cared deeply for my little brother, but I had no way of knowing if Rufus would return those feelings.

"What did he name the older one?" Tseng asked softly.

"Victor," Vincent replied with certainty. "Victor and Josef, two proper names for a Shinra heir."

"And a Valentine heir," I added. "I'm sure he'll agree to that.

Elena bursted into the room with tears welling in her eyes and I chuckled at how she immediately glomped the still unrecovered Rufus. He gave an unhappy grunt and tried to get her off of him, but she latched on firmly crying about how he shouldn't ever do something that would scare us that badly ever again. Leaning back in my wheelchair I sighed contentedly as I watched the scene play out before me.

So much had happened to all of us in only a matter of a few months and yet we were all still here together. I was in a firm relationship with Cloud and we had three beautiful children. Everyone who had contributed to these months of hell was dead or in jail, and we all came out of this mess alive.

Even though we weren't out of the woods quite yet, and there was still a lot of recovering to do, I was happy. I was sure that we would all heal and that everything would fall back into place. This was my happily ever after, sitting in a room with my brothers and sister, with my family a few halls away, and a new life full of certainty and uncertainty waiting for me.