Summary: Laura was just your average woman, until a freak accident involving her television set, the Advent Children dvd, and lightning strike transported her to Gaia. And that's only the beginning of the story!

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own FFVII or Advent Children. Just a single copy of the movie. Now put the pitchforks and torches away.

Queen's Quornor: So here's the next chapter. It's the big reveal-most chapter I'm sure several of you have been expecting, and of course, there's some fluff and angst mixed in. Plus the general sarcasm that always seems to appear whenever Laura is thinking. Is it just me, or does it seem like Kadaj already knows, to a certain extent, what's going to happen to him in Advent Children? Maybe it's just me, but he always seems to give off this vibe that says "I know I'm going to turn into Sephiroth, and there's nothing I can do about it." Or maybe that's just me being cynical. I dunno. Regardless, if anybody else gets that feeling, this might be just how he found out about his ultimate fate, for all we know. Read on and review if you don't mind! Reviews keep the writer posting!

One Woman's Choice Can Change the Course of a World

When Laura awoke, she found that the light of the rising sun was streaming through the windows directly into her eyes and Kadaj was sleeping on top of her again. She smiled down at him, softly tracing meaningless trails up and down his naked back with her fingertips, the other hand twined with his by their sides. He had taken her hand just as she was dozing off last night, and it seemed that the connection had been retained throughout their sleep.

A sign, perhaps?

Laura had no idea how they had managed to get onto the bed, much less beneath the covers. After that round of mind-blowing window-sex, they had fallen to the floor, her back against his chest and his arms around her, still connected at the most intimate physical level. Her last memory of the previous night was of relaxing against him and his taking of her hand, a gentle kiss being pressed to her temple as sleep rolled over her.

A thought struck her as she watched him sleep, fully conscious of the warmth invading her left breast, the odd, fluttery feeling in her stomach.

I love him.

There was no shock, no disbelief. Not even a 'you must be crazy!' from her mouthy, sensible side. There was only acceptance of a truth as real as the silver-haired man atop her. She loved him, no matter how little sense it made.

And she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he loved her in return.

Actions truly speak louder than words. Especially the little ones. And he's made plenty of those. Not only last night, but ever since I got here.

A thought struck her then, one that terrified her.

What if my love isn't enough? Enough to keep him out of Jenova's clutches?

There is so much at stake now. Not only his sanity and his life. Not only the lives and sanity of his brothers. Not only all those people who will die from Geostigma, from the attack on Edge.

My life, our love, and anything that might come out of it, will be lost if I should fail.

Jenova...

I would kill you if I could. Put you in a blender, drop-kick you into outer space, chuck you into the hottest fire imaginable... Anything to stop you from hurting him, from using him.

Kadaj is not Sephiroth, and he never will be. Sephiroth is dead. Can't you understand that, you bitchy little manipulative worm? You can't bring back someone who is already gone!

"Laura? Are you ok?"

She was suddenly aware of a pair of yellow-green eyes staring at her, their expression soft and curious. "Yes, Kadaj. I'm fine."

He reached his free hand up to gently cup her cheek; Laura leaned her face into his soft, warm palm. "You were snarling."

"It's nothing."

He snorted softly, bracing himself on his forearm and bringing their entwined hands up to press a kiss to her knuckles. "You know I hate liars, Laura."

To tell him or not to tell him? That is the question!

"Kadaj... How devoted are you to Jenova?"

His gaze snapped up to her own, surprise written across his features. "What do you mean?"

"Do you have any idea what will happen to you if you find her? What will happen to Loz and Yazoo?"

He laid his head back down on her chest, where she couldn't see his face. "Laura, I'd do anything to shut up the voices in my head. I just want to be left in peace, in control of my own body and thoughts. That's it."

"Then why do you think of her as your mother? Do you even know the truth of Sephiroth's origins, the truth behind his birth?"

"What does he have to do with this?" he asked, his voice taking on a defensive tone.

"More than you might suspect. Far more."

Laura laid her head back on the pillows, trying to sort out the tangled threads of the story in her head so they would make sense to him. "From what I understand, Sephiroth's birth certificate lists Jenova as his mother, with the father unknown. That record is totally inaccurate. In truth, his conception was the result of one woman's choice between two men. One of these men was Professor Hojo. The other was a member of the Turks assigned to act as her bodyguard, a man named Vincent Valentine. Does that name ring any bells?"

Kadaj was silent for a moment, then "Wasn't he one of the members of AVALANCHE?"

"Yes. Vincent was also the other man vying for this woman's affections. But she chose Hojo out of guilt rather than love, because her research had resulted in the death of Vincent's father, a fellow professor and close friend of hers named Grimoire Valentine. Vincent reminded her too much of his father, and so she distanced herself from him, despite the love they shared.

"One of them, it is unclear whether it was Vincent or Hojo, impregnated her. And she willingly volunteered her unborn child for an experiment Professors Hojo and Gast were involved with, entitled 'the Jenova Project.' The child was injected with Jenova cells, a massive amount of them. They bonded with the existing human cells and transformed the fetus, turning it into a hybrid completely unlike any child ever seen on Gaia.

"That child was Sephiroth. And his mother was not, and never was, Jenova. She was a Class A scientist of Shinra, specializing in biotechnology. Her name..." Laura took a deep breath, praying that he was listening and would believe her.

"...was Dr. Lucrecia Crescent."

Kadaj was quiet, then hesitently spoke. "What happened to her?"

Laura sighed. At least he's willing to listen to the rest of the story. "Lucrecia's is not a happy story. As far as I can tell, Hojo took Sephiroth from her immediately after she gave birth, so he was denied the first touch of his mother, the chance to create a mother-son bond with her. Soon afterward, Hojo shot and nearly killed Vincent, and it was only because of Lucrecia's efforts that he survived. But the stress of his brush with death, and the pain of never seeing her own son, was too great. After leaving a copy of her records and research for Vincent to find, she journeyed to an underwater cavern that Grimoire had shown her, a cavern with a massive mako fountain inside. She sealed her body inside the fountain; basically, she commited suicide. Sephiroth was told that Jenova was his mother by Hojo, whom we both know was a raving lunatic. It was the one truth he clung to, when in fact it was no more than a lie. So when he discovered the documents beneath Shinra Manor, Jenova was able to take over his mind.

"From that point on, Sephiroth was no longer Sephiroth; he was merely her puppet. And now she is trying to do the exact same thing to you and your brothers." She raised his head gently, so she could look into his eyes. "If she succeeds, all three of you will die. Sephiroth will be resurrected, and Jenova will abandon you in favor of him.

"I don't want that to happen, Kadaj. I don't want her machinations to kill you."

Please believe me.

Please.

Kadaj searched her face for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he sighed and laid his head back own, his ear against her heart. "I think I believe you. You have no reason to lie to me. And... Somehow, I know you speak the truth."

They lay on the bed, silent, for a long while.

"Laura, say you won't leave me. I promise I won't leave you." There was a subtle desperation in his voice, almost undetectable. But Laura heard it nonetheless.

She closed her eyes, stroking his back soothingly. "I can't control circumstances, Kadaj. But I can promise you one thing: I will never, ever leave you of my own free will. I could never leave someone I love."

There was a stunned silence, then Kadaj lifted his head, staring into her azure eyes with shock. "You...love me?"

Laura nodded. "Yes, Kadaj. It's true. I love you."

He stared at her, then his lips were on hers and he was kissing her quickly, passionately. And between each kiss, he was gasping out a word. "I." Kiss. "Love." Kiss "You." Kiss. "Too." Kiss. "Holy take." Kiss "Me, but." Kiss. "I." Kiss. "Love you."

Kiss.

I knew it! IknewitIknewitIknewit!

By the time they got out of bed, it was close to midafternoon, time to catch their ship.

Captain Stu is going to kill us...