9.

::I was afraid this would happen…::

"So…now what?"

::Put me back in the box. I have to think.::

Rufus stared at the teapot for a moment, debating whether to use a strainer or a coffee filter to separate the contents.

::Don't worry about it, just pour it all in!::

"Typical woman," Rufus grumbled as he pried open the black box and lifted the teapot. "Do it this way, then do it that way, put it over here, move it over there…first you want the teapot, now you want back in the damn box. There's seriously no pleasing you, is there?"

Jenova didn't answer.

Rufus sighed and settled the box on his lap under the blanket. He had to admit, now that it was filled with warm tea, it didn't feel half bad.

Through the window, he could see Cid's airship speeding the hell away from there. They had dumped their chemical toilet on the lawn in protest against All Things Shinra, and Rufus was fairly certain he wouldn't be seeing the Highwinds again any time soon. With them gone and Jenova plotting quietly, Rufus settled back in his chair for a much-needed nap.

The door burst open, startling Rufus into an adrenaline-enhanced wakefulness.

Reno and Elena were engaged in a catfight over a scrap of paper clutched in the blond Turk's tiny yet lethal fist. Behind them, Tseng and Rude watched intently, as though they had money riding on the outcome.

"What the hell are you doing?" Rufus shouted, startling them into a momentary standstill.

"Oh shit," Reno muttered. "Sorry, boss, thought we were in the kitchen…"

"Next room over," Rufus reminded him, gesturing at the door.

Elena took the opportunity to stuff the paper down her shirt and bolt for the window.

Tseng caught her by the necktie and let her dangle like an unrepentant chihuahua.

"Before I kick you all out so I can get some goddamn sleep," Rufus said in a deceptively mild tone, "do be so kind as to tell me what's on the paper?"

"It's an invitation," Elena panted, toes finally getting enough purchase to take the weight off the makeshift leash.

"It's my invitation, yo!" Reno snarled, reaching for her.

Tseng cleared his throat. "Just because you're the one who found it on the fax machine does not make it your invitation, Reno."

Rufus held out his hand in an imperious gesture of 'gimme'.

Elena sighed and handed over the rumpled sheet of paper.

Rufus cleared his throat and read out loud. "You are invited to a family reunion!" He met Tseng's gaze and exchanged a concerned, yet heated, look. "We apologize for the short notice, but we were just so darned excited at the thought of having everyone here for Christmas that we just couldn't help ourselves! That's right, we want EVERYONE to come together for this once-in-a-lifetime event! There's an address, but no names… You don't think…?"

"I do think, and I think it's probably them," Tseng stated, rubbing his butt where Loz had kicked him and vowing vengeance.

"Uh, 'Lena?" Reno muttered. "You can have the invite, yo. I don't want it anymore."

"There's only one thing to do, then," Rufus said calmly.

Rude cleared his throat. "You want me to turn off the fax machine?"

"No," Rufus replied with near-infinite patience. "We are going to this reunion. All of us."

"All, sir?" Tseng asked as the other Turks left to pack.

"I said 'all', didn't I?" Rufus grumbled, his patience now gone: the tea in Jenova's black box had gone cold and was starting to chill his nether parts.

Tseng nodded solemnly. "Yes, sir. Then you will be forwarding this invitation to those guys in the basement?"

"…what guys in the basement?"