Disclaimer: Please Refer to Chapter 1; I don't like to repeat myself and basically, all Final Fantasy related characters are Square Enix owned; characters like Raechel, Nicholas, Mark and other filler Characters like Sephiroth's House Cleaner are copyrighted by my thoughts...they were people I created to make this fill out since this is an AU fanfic.

AN: Thanks for your reviews thus far, especially to Kags21 who reviewed every chapter, and don't worry, even if you review every chapter or just the newest one to a few in and far between; I still appreciate them, kind of gives me reason to go "WTF is with the number of emails on my inbox?" when most are related to Yahoo Group stuffs, YouTube comment/messages and random spammage to ongoing emails with the girl I'm collab'ing "The Tiger and Chocobo" with being that it is her baby in a way since she proposed the Fanfic pairing idea. I know this leaves you hanging with, "Uh oh, Sephy mad...SEPHY SMASH NICHOLAS' FACE IN!"...Okay. Bad Hulk humor. But in either way, prepares you for the jumping off point in 22; there we have as bad as it may sound...Sephiroth and Cloud's first encounter with Nicholas which kind of almost leads to a moment stolen from the Blockbuster movie "Paparazzi" where the man beats the crap out of the Photographer and the guy knocks on the door to the van behind him where a gaggle of his fellow Paparazzi buddies are to talk photos and film of the guy to smear him over the news. Because...this jumping off point coming up in Chapter 22 is going to be the jumping off point for the MAJOR drama in this...and possible turning point that'll have you guys wanting to roast me at the stake for harming Cloud like I'm unintentionally going to do.

"Dr. Mathers, please report to Exam Room 2, Dr. Mathers," the sounds of pages being sent out could be heard all over the Hospital while the sounds of people waiting to be seen could be heard among the grumbles and mumbles, "Paging Dr. Mathers."

Sephiroth was uncomfortable with the atmosphere, ever since he had been a little boy; he had grown to hate the sterile building ever since having a bad experience with a visit to the Emergency Room following a tumble off the local Jungle Gym. From the Nurses that had all but told him that they could just eat him up, to the creepy doctor who had approached him and had checked him over while he sat with an unnerving stare at the man. To waking up in the backseat of his Mom's car, not sure what had happened only to be told later that he passed out at the sight of the Doctor telling him he would need stitches. Needles were something that didn't bode over with him even as a child and even now as he saw a Patient strolling through the hallway no more then ten feet away from the Visitor Waiting Room.

You're doing this for Cloud…All for him…He doesn't need to visit more then one person today, so stay strong…keep a strong stomach, don't look at the I.V. in the perso---

"Oh sweetie!" Sephiroth's inner ego of himself may have not had any kind of human form to take on, but he was going to muster up as much inner strength as his little self could muster to keep the man erect, "Oh Seph sweetie…I know you don't like those needles, but you need to keep your head up or else Cloud is going to be rushing over to help you…He's got enough on his plate as it is…"

"C-Cloud…"Sephiroth started to come around as he saw that the line to the Nurse's Station was thinning out and the bob of blond spikes was getting closer, but each time he would, someone else would walk in front of him.

Cloud sighed once more as he saw the same hypochondriac of a woman push past him with an air of, 'I'm far more important then whatever little woes you have' as she slapped her hands down on the Nurse's Station. As always, like the same times before when the woman had pushed away in front of him; she had held up a finger or her hand to halt the woman's words. Something was going to give and it was going to be the hypochondriac woman telling the Nurse what she thought of her; at any other time, Cloud would've been proud to see someone sticking it to another. But at the moment, that wasn't the case; he was ready to tell this woman to back off and let the lady do her job, but that could result in a number of bad results.

"Excuse me! I've been waiting for almost an hour and yet you have the nerve to ignore me? I could be having a heart attack right now and if I am, when I get better, I'm going to come back and sue this hospital! Even you!" the woman's face was turning red with anger as she watched the petite Nurse still on the phone and from what Cloud could pick up over the hypochondriac woman's ranting; it sounded serious.

"Hello! I am speaking to you!"

"Ma'am…"Cloud finally spoke up as he managed to politely tap her on the shoulder; that act alone almost had the woman ripping it off his hand.

Her stern eyes turned on him, "And what are you? Some pint sized Hospital Administrator?"

"No, but…If you would see," he pointed out to the other truly in need patients behind her in chairs and in the line behind them, "there are people here more serious then you. Just sit down and let others be cared for before you start throwing around false accusations and let those who really need to be seen, be seen."

A light sound of applause could be heard behind him and from the chairs as the woman stood dumbfounded, but unmoved as she stared at him even more, "Well aren't you something big and proud?" this is when things got out of control.

"Security to the Nurse's Station! Security to the Nurse's Station!" Sephiroth heard the call going out over the loud speaker, but for what reason that Security was being called; he had no idea.

It wouldn't be known till he saw the sight of people fleeing the Nurse's Station as a young teen was being thrown up onto the Nurse's Station and being throttled; he was about to write it off as just a scuffle between a Mother and her mouthing off child, but when he caught baby blue eyes. Filled with panic and distress with the woman's hands trying to grapple around his throat with spikes of yellow swaying about in a flurry on the Nurse's Station as Nurses tried to retrieve the boy. He then knew this wasn't a scuffle of Mother and Child; this was a scuffle of Cloud trying to make the woman back down in order to get the help he needed.

Right now, he was going to get it.

"You little hot shit! Trying to tell me off!" the woman screamed as her fingernails clawed for Cloud's face; a scream left Cloud's lips which caused Sephiroth to leap in alarm, charging full speed over to the scene as the Security finally showed up.

Security managed to pull the woman away as Cloud was carried off the Nurse's Station desktop with marks from the woman's fingers around his throat still visible and her claw marking fingernail marks starting to show across Cloud's eyes. What should have been a simple visit to the Hospital to try and see Angeal turned into a nightmare, especially since Cloud was doing what he could do for the people behind him. An elderly couple that had been a few people back behind Cloud had seen all that had gone down and had feared for the young man. Even the elderly old man had attempted to brow beat the deranged woman to make her back down, but she had all but wrenched the cane of his hand just as Security had started to show up.

Sephiroth ran up to the Nurse's Station where he saw Cloud being sat down on a chair behind the Station as the Nurse's began to attend to him, "Oh you poor thing…"

"CLOUD!" Sephiroth all but threw his weight over the top of the Nurse's Station as he the boy's soft baby blue's peeking out through stinging facial marks, "What the Hell happened?!"

"Are you with him?" one of the Nurse's peeped up as she came walking into the Station, carrying supplies to help with his wounds.

"He's with me…We came here to see a friend of mine and I guess, I turned into more then just a Visitor."

"Damn near killed us, sweetie…" Cloud's inner ego began to rub at his throat and checked on his face, "Neanderthal… she tore up my best feature…and…Oh…I hope I can hide these marks…"

Angeal had been quietly reading when the alarm about Security to the Nurse's Station was called out, "Don't they know there are people trying to recuperate here? This is a Hospital, isn't it?"

"I guess some people just don't know how to keep quiet," Zack called out as he played with the bed next to Angeal's; he had taken interest in finding out how the Up and Down button worked on the bed since his last bit of "fun" was ruined.

"Sorry for the disturbance you guys might have heard earlier," Angeal's Nurse chose the time then to pop in to speak to them since Nurse's had been sent to various floors once the incident had been contained, "It seems that someone who is a Regular and known for coming in here when she's having one of her Hypochondriac moments took it out on a innocent guy who was trying to help and at least get her to leave."

Zack stopped playing with the bed as he left it in its regular position as he hopped off and looked up and down the Hall, "What are you looking for, Pup?"

"You called Cloud this morning right?" Zack inquired as he pulled back and started to walk towards Angeal's bed again.

"Yeah…And he said he was on his way over to see how things were going and possibly give you a punishment for what you did earlier…"

Zack rolled his eyes, "How long ago was that?"

"Maybe a half hour ago?"

"And…Oh no…"

"What is it? Zack? ZACK!" Zack had left the room as soon as the light went off in his head, more or less, a kind of "Cloud Radar" he had developed after he had picked the boy up from Tifa's the night she had stolen from him what should've been done out of honest and true love, "Damn it…"

Cloud was getting tired of the coddling and cooing from the Nurse's of how they admired his hair and everything else about him as he tried to mentally message Sephiroth to do something. At least put on his charm that could get these ladies off him; he wouldn't mind him using it to make them go away if he was to point out that he was the renowned Romance Novelist, Sephiroth Maximus…just anything to get them away from him. In a way, he had a thought that Sephiroth was enjoying watching him be coddled and cooed over by such beautiful ladies, but he could tell that the man was just looking for an opening to sweep him away. Go racing down the halls and peek in every room till they found Angeal.

Good plan.

Stupid, but good.

Sephiroth cleared his throat, "Ladies, I think my friend here would like to maybe ask the Nurse what he was planning to ask her before he was attacked."

Cloud mouthed a thank you to Sephiroth as he watched the Nurses converge on him once again; whimpering and whining for them to just stop, giving the one thing he had hoped to never give. Being that Zack was well known for doing it.

"What do you want to ask me sweetie?" the Head Nurse asked as she began to shoo away the others.

"I'm here to see a Patient, Angeal Hewley…would you by any chance know of which Room he's in?" Cloud tried to turn on the charm, but it seems, in the world of Hospital Administration, there is no leeway for people who aren't next of kin or a close member of the family, or at best, spouse.

As much as the Nurse would've loved to tell Cloud the answer, she couldn't, "Sorry doll, I can't…Hospital Policy."

"Can't you make an exception?" Sephiroth spoke up as the Nurse's eyes turned from the sweet and innocent face of Cloud as they grew to the size of saucer's as she laid eyes on Sephiroth, "Please?"

"I-I-I guess I can…" the woman could barely hold back the giddy glee in her voice as she went to her Computer, and began to haphazardly type away at her keyboard; she was overcome with her giddy glee that it made it hard to type, "W-What…What was the Patient's name again?"

"Angeal Hewley."

Angeal was none too pleased with the sight he beheld next; Zack had been caught by Security that had come to know of the boy after his little antic in Angeal's bed earlier that morning. They had caught the boy running towards the Nurse's Station and with what had transpired earlier at the Station; everyone was taking precautions that there might have been another that would come after the boy who had been harmed earlier. Zack's puppy like eyes were on a full blast along with the boyish pout; if he could be wearing ears and tail at the moment, he would've looked like the spitting image of a puppy that had been caught peeing on the Master's carpet. His Nurse couldn't help but laugh as Zack was plopped onto a chair and all but handcuffed to the chair by the Security officer. This left Zack with a feeling of, 'but I wasn't doing anything wrong, honest' etched all over his face that disappeared as he watched the Guard glare at him before leaving.

"Zack…You know the rules, no running in the halls…"Angeal sighed as he ran a tired hand down his face, "Did you figure out who it was that got attacked at the Nurse's Station?"

With a shake, negatively, of his head, "No…I only got as far as the corner that leads to the Nurse's Station when Mr. Rent A Cop nabbed me…not my fault that I'm curious."

"As it is said, curiosity killed the Puppy," Angeal chuckled at his own joke as he watched Zack turn his confused, but yet, 'I'm not laughing' gaze on him.

"That's not how that saying goes…"

"It does now."

A soft knock came at the Hospital Room door as the giddy Nurse from before poked her head in, "Mr. Hewley, you have Visitors; I wasn't aware you were friends with someone so popular in the Literary World…"

"What?" Angeal was confused as he saw a cream faced Cloud with a bandage about his throat walk in with a looming silver haired figure, "Oh, yes…I try and keep interesting company."

"CLOUD!" Zack about fall out of his chair along with the chair as he scrambled to get a grip on his friend, "What happened to you? What's with the lotion on your face and the wrap around your neck…You guys…oh that is sick!"

Cloud blushed as the marks on his face started to hurt slightly, "It wasn't because of us…it was that psycho hypochondriac at the Nurse's Station earlier that was delaying my coming…"

"…Oh, OH…Oh Cloud…"Zack embraced his friend gently as Sephiroth took a seat next to Angeal.

"How are you holding up?" Sephiroth asked, knowing the question was seemingly stupid to be asking.

Angeal shrugged as he tried to shift upwards to get more comfortable, "I've been better…I'm going to live is the good thing…"

"That's all that matters, isn't it…?"

"Sephiroth, don't do this to yourself…Don't start blaming yourself for Genesis' behavior. We both know that he was beyond all hope after his experimenting in High School, and I know I wasn't the first he tried to go beyond it all with…That is in the past…"

"No it's not…"Sephiroth looked over to where he saw Zack fussing over Cloud while giggling at Cloud reminiscing over with him all that had happened the day before; there was a sense of happiness on his face, "…Before I went to dinner with Cloud for our date the night we made it official we were meant for one another…Genesis called my house."

Angeal looked away as he played at the sheets, "Zack," the man called the boy over who still had Cloud's hands in his own, "Why don't you and Cloud go down to the Cafeteria and go get some lunch together? And maybe bring Sephiroth and I back something to eat, I want to talk to him about something, alone."

"Okay," Zack's smile had since returned while he had been talking to Cloud as he let it stay on his lips as he softly kissed Angeal on the lips, "I'll miss you…"

"Just get out of here for a little while, no wonder you're wound so tight, you've been cooped up in my room since yesterday," Angeal chuckled as he ran fingers against the stray locks of Zack's hair as he tucked them behind his ear, "Go and get some fresh air…"

"Sure thing…Love you Angeal…"

"Love you too, Pup."

Things seemed to quiet down once the two friends had left; compared to the sound of a light hearted squeal that was heard among the sounds of an elderly gentlemen railing the boys for playing in the hall. Cloud's soft voice could be heard apologizing immensely to the gentlemen as it began to be rushed as Zack rushed to get them out of the hallway and to the Cafeteria before Mr. Rent A Cop showed up again. Angeal chuckled at the sounds as he turned back to Sephiroth who had been staring off at the doorway; he had watched as the youthful blond had been dragged along out the door by his cheerful friend. Sounds of a voice being cleared brought Sephiroth's attention back towards Angeal once again.

"You were saying that Genesis called your house before you left for your date with Cloud, what did he say?" Angeal was curious of this new bit of news; he didn't think that either man was even speaking to one another.

Sephiroth sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "He wanted to know how things were going, how was life, was I seeing anyone, it was as if he was trying to ask me how like he had in High School. It was kind of sad."

"Genesis was always a sad drunk…no matter how much booze he had in him, he would be a soppy and sad drunk; heck even you use to be one Sephiroth…" when there was no chuckle from Sephiroth, Angeal shut up, "And then yet again…given the right kind of alcohol he was a different person."

"Much like he was the night he tried his experiment on me…I thought I was willing to humor him, thinking it was another phase like that phase he went through with the Drag Queen phase, but…when I saw him approaching me like he had that night…I knew this wasn't a phase," Sephiroth placed his hands in his lap.

"He came on strong, like the liquor on his breath, professing that ever since he had seen me in the guy's locker room after Gym one day; he thought of ways of getting his hands on me. Even surprised that never once I had been with a girl…I was more intoned with my studies and getting out of that small town…"

Angeal harrumphed, "Genesis always called what he did with his experiments of his different phases his own way of entertaining himself in a two bit horse town…"

Both men laughed at the man's old words, "Yeah, but that fun that he called entertainment for himself nearly cost me my standing with his folks…"

"They…"

Sephiroth nodded.

"…Same with me."

"What do you mean?" Sephiroth's brows pulled together in a puzzled look.

Angeal could feel his pelvis starting to scream with the memories of what Genesis had done to nearly break that had landed him here, "I was willing to humor him as well and was just starting to come out back then…we told each other we would only go so far with one another, but before I knew it…I was…"

"You don't have to go on…"

Angeal waved the man's words and gesture off.

"…I was standing there with only my shirt on my chest, Genesis was standing there in the pale moonlight as bare skinned as the day he came out between his Mom's thighs…I don't know why I let it go on…it was merely just hands touching one another, but before I knew it…I was falling backwards. I never once felt my legs moving back and to the sides, and just as he was about to penetrate…His Mom walked in on us."

Sephiroth grabbed the tissues nearby as he held them out to Angeal who refused them, "She was screaming and his sister was doing all she could to avoid staring at what Genesis had done beforehand and all I remember was waking up on their sofa in the Living Room with my pants back on. And a blanket draped over my lower half."

"I never saw hide or hair of Genesis again till recently…the last time I heard anything about him before that was he had attempted to rape an underage boy and that was why he had been placed in prison. He was up for Parole the other day and like a fool…I went."

"You didn't know before then that he would do something like this," Sephiroth sighed as he shook his head; he knew Genesis was a sick puppy, but he didn't know he was this sick.

"I told Zack as much as I can about Genesis without getting to the gritty half of it all…" Angeal gritted against shifting himself around again to get comfortable, "Kid doesn't need to know that side of the world."

Sephiroth couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of Genesis being anything but gritty; Genesis had, even before his experimenting with trends, been nothing more then a fashion guru. Wearing only the newest things and latest trends, never once wanting to be out of the loop and always standing out against others, gritty was not one of them; he would always claim that no such thing would ever hug itself around his form. Where had that Genesis gone? Where it had gone; he was gone for a long time for assault as well as possession of the narcotic he had slipped in Angeal's coffee to take advantage of the man as well as kidnapping in a sense. Things truly had changed from when they were younger, but now, they were filled with something else.

Two of the craziest young friends who filled their lives with even crazier times ahead…

"What happened to us Angeal? When did we grow up?"

"I guess it was the day…the ones in our lives now…walked into them."

Cloud tapped his finger against the side of his tray as he watched Zack with a sigh that he had done numerous times before; he had sighed when Zack had dragged him into the Girl's Locker Room in High School. Main intention: Raid their lockers and do as much trouble as possible, unfortunately, one of the girls then had walked in on them doing the Locker Raid and had all but made the accusation that they wanted their panties or some kind of garment to sniff. Cloud wasn't allowed to play around with Zack for almost two months after the Locker Raid; he had sighed when Zack had come out to him that he was into guys and had all but grimaced about Zack talking about his first kiss. Sighs had become a thing of Cloud's life, but this time, the sigh was a tired one, of annoyance and just wanting to eat and get back to Sephiroth; especially now that possibly every Nurse in the Hospital knew who the man was. Not that he was jealous or anything it was just, well, Sephiroth was his man! Backing up there, he wasn't his man, more like Cloud was Sephiroth's man, but that was something entirely different. Even the attendant behind the glass barrier of the food was beginning to sigh with a heaviness that was to say 'Pick or move on.'

"Come on, Zack, make up your mind already…I'm getting hungry and we promised we'd bring something back for the guys…"Cloud rolled his eyes as he watched Zack tapping his fingers in a rhythm against the glass.

A slight yelp left Zack's lips as someone behind him shoved him, "I'm moving Gramps! You don't rush these kinds of things, food must be decided upon, questioned, and overall," he picked up an apple nearby, "Savored."

"You better have money to pay for the apple, kid," the attendant grumbled as he watched Zack munch on it.

"Give me that and anything else your fingers have touched," Cloud all but growled at the teen as he took the apple and his own tray, setting it on the Register Counter, "You owe me later…"

Zack waved it off as he took their trays to a secluded table in a far corner, "Yeah, yeah, you know I'm good for it. But enough about all that, what was it like to get to spend the day with Sephiroth yesterday?"

"…It was…fun."

There was one thing about Cloud's personality that always stuck out; he never was one to speak his mind about previous excursions; it had mainly started after a bad experience at a Summer Camp his Mom had sent him to when he was in Grammar School. Curious bunkmates, a canoe, rooftop of the Camp Counselor's Cabin and a mountain of excuses of why half the forest was in his Cabin made for why Cloud hardly spoke of things that happened while he was away from those who knew him best. It was especially clear and out there in the open the night Zack had been called to pick him up from Tifa's.

Zack had respected it then, but this time now…it was different.

"Fun? Come on…there has to be a little more to it then that," Zack goaded as made a stab for one of the fries on Cloud's tray.

"…We talked about the book he wants me to help him write…its more of a fluff piece between a Teacher and a Student; Teacher likes Student in a way different then liking them for their smarts…made lunch together, had lunch, talked about it some more over lunch and…"

"And?"

Cloud all but clammed up, and Zack knew what this meant, "…What did you do, Cloud?"

"Nothing…"

"Come on, this is the Zack Meister you're talking to…"

"Zack…"Cloud groaned as he tried to hide himself in his seat, nearly slipping to under the table.

"Come on…"

"FINE! I CUT MY HAND ON A KNIFE IN HIS SINK WHILE WASHING DISHES AND I FAINTED AT THE SIGHT OF MY OWN BLOOD! HAPPY?"

Cloud's outburst could be heard throughout the entire Cafeteria and by this point; all he wanted to do was become the smallest speck imaginable and scurry back to Angeal's room so he could hide in the pocket of Sephiroth's jacket. Zack was flabbergasted by his friend's remark and the way it had come out; he didn't whether to laugh or feel sorry for his friend.

Zack had to get back in the zone as he looked up to answer Cloud, "I'm sorry…"

"For what?" Cloud became confused by his friend's words.

"I didn't mean to upset you like that…I'll stop probing into your day with Sephiroth…"

As Zack was preparing to go back to the jumble food on his plate; he looked down to find that Cloud had latched onto his wrist, "Something wrong?"

"…There was more to it then that…but I…don't know how to explain it…"

"Did you guys do it?"

There it was.

Blunt Zack had reared its head.

It always found a reason to rear its annoying little head when it was least expected and at the worst times possible. It had reared itself after Cloud had come over to his place just shortly before he had been asked by Tifa to come over to her place, just to "talk", but he had perceived it as something far more then just "talking". Zack's bluntness had reared its head when he had managed to get it out of a flustered and embarrassed by the mere act of fornicating with a woman. Blunt Zack would never emerge after that night, but now, it had chosen its time to rear again when it involved intimacy with another and from the way Cloud's face turned several shades of red. Blunt Zack was laughing on the inside; it had been a while since it had been able to make Cloud blush that hard.

Cloud slowly nodded his head, "…I don't know how to explain how it felt…just the sensation of knowing, I was his…and he was mine…two bodies becoming one…filling one another with other ecstasy…I just don't know how to explain it…" a cheery blush had started to return to the rosiness of his face, "I don't know if I can go into detail like you did when you and Angeal did it the first time…I was scared at first, but…once I realized that we both wanted it…then it seemed to fade away with each time he drove it home into me…"

"I think my toes are still cramped from clutching the sheets so hard with curled up toes from each time he moved into me…"

Zack chuckled at his young friend as he leaned forward and ruffled his hair, placing a chaste kiss against his friend's forehead, "Welcome to the World of Adults little man…"

Fingers played with twirling a cellular device in fingers while the others tapped against the table of a Patio table at a local Café; to call or not to call was the question playing about the red head's mind. Raechel a women renown for her devious acts of countless actions in her past, from mere childhood till adulthood; working to make sure that all clients under her succeeded. She had thought that was to be the case with Sephiroth when she taken him under her wings, but after he had all but turned the Café table over on her the day he had told her they were through. She had to rethink how she perceived people and used the masks that she wore. Masks that she had developed from a young age. Everyone had assumed that she had had a happy childhood, but that was an entirely misconception; from as young as she could remember, her home had been less then happy. Mom and Dad were always fighting with one another, Dad had left when she was fairly young and her Mom had all but blamed young Raechel for her Dad's leaving their supposedly "happy home." She had placed on herself a mask that portrayed her to be a happy young girl who could make any and all friends out of her classmates, even children that weren't even in her classes. This would continue on into Junior High when she had developed a crush on a young man that she knew another young girl had a thing for and was known for under minding others to get the things she wanted.

Another mask wearer perhaps.

The secondary mask had developed then during that fight over a young man that would later come out that he wasn't interested in either girl; he was overall in love with another young man. She had held onto the secondary mask even after the fall through and had used it to her advantage to help the young man claim the love that he sought after; after she had helped him, she had no use for developing other masks. At least that was case up until the end of High School; she wanted to be as popular as the other girls on campus and by the time Senior Prom had rolled around. She had all but destroyed the competition, was going out with the biggest man on campus and was going to live happily ever after with him. But it was short lived. It was all cut short when she found that he had been seeing another person entirely while going with her; you have to be used to use others. A simple philosophy she had developed once she entered College; got top grades and top placement for being hired on with the biggest Editors Firm in the County, from there, there was only one place to go. Up.

And she had.

Now, she was a simple Editor for a sleazy magazine and sitting here, questioning whether or not to call up the one person that had been her only friend at one time, or so she had hoped was a friend. Warn that person that their future was in jeopardy as well as their own will being and livelihood, possibly even the one thing that was liable to be used against the friend to destroy the friend.

"Can I get you anything miss?" a familiar voice piped up next to her ear; it was the same waitress for that day Cloud had walked up to the table she had been sharing with Sephiroth, "Glass of water, perhaps?"

Raechel had to shake her head to clear out the past, "Water would be fine…thank you…"

"I know this might sound crazy, but…Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"Maybe…once upon a time…"

"I'll be back with your water…"

Once upon a time…I was a somebody…but now, I'm just a somebody sitting on a fence of worry…Sephiroth, you don't know how much trouble you're in for…or what I'm in for doing this…

Raechel stopped the twirling of her phone as she punched in the familiar numbers; hoping that it would ring up to the same familiar person, "Hey Sephiroth, its Raechel…guess you're screening your calls. Anyway, just thought I call to say 'Hi' and see if you'd like to get together for all time sake…maybe you could bring along the man in your life…I'd like to meet the kid responsible for melting your cold heart…Call me back when you get this. It's important."

"So, what of the photos that you snapped do you think would work best to work around the story I want you to create for this?" Mark asked Nicholas as he pawed over them once again, sipping at the coffee in his hands.

Nicholas pulled up the one that was going to land them the money shot of it all, "This one with a little headline reading 'Romance Isn't Just On Paper' with a story written up saying that it seems the well renowned Romance Author, Sephiroth Maximus, better known as Taylor McLure, draws inspiration for his work not off some Muse in his head and from life experiences, but from his own personal interactions."

"Good, good…"

"As seen in this photo, it seems that his "Romance" ideas come from spending time with young men that seem of be slender build and attractive looks with the touch of innocence…the younger the better as it would seem…"Nicholas chuckled as he placed the photos back into the envelope, "Want me to tail the guy, Mark?"

Mark shook his head, "Nah, the better off he doesn't know you're snapping photos of him hooking up or better you, shacking up, with young male escorts or prostitutes or whatever this kid is…the better it'll make for a sale of the magazines," the man raised his coffee mug, "To your future earnings…"

"To ruined lives…"

"To the money…"

Nicholas laughed harder, "To a hard earned profit!"

Both cups clacked loud and hard as both men laughed at the misfortune they were going to impose on unsuspecting victim; it was disgusting to watch from where Raechel saw them sitting at a Café across the way. Sick men they were. She knew of what Nicholas was capable of doing to ruin people and if it involved Sephiroth and whatever young thing he had in his life…Nicholas would find a reason to destroy not only Sephiroth's career. But he would be looking for a way to destroy his blooming relationship, maybe even psychologically destroy the young man with Sephiroth.

Please call back soon, Sephiroth…

"We're back," Cloud chimed up quietly as he saw that Sephiroth was quietly watching T.V. while Angeal was lightly napping, "Don't tell me you talked him to death?"

Sephiroth quietly chuckled as he waved Cloud over as Zack went over to Angeal's other side, leaving the leftovers from lunch on the hospital tray near Angeal's bed. Softly leaving a soft kissed on Angeal's forehead as his hands played with Angeal's fingers on his right hand calloused hands that were limp with slumber and even Zack was to find reason to kiss them. He knew Angeal wouldn't wake up from sleeping that easily.

Cloud gave Sephiroth just the same kind of kiss to the man's cheek as he handed him over a to go box, "I think we should let Angeal get some rest and I probably should get back to your place to get my stuff and take it home…"

"Take your time, Cloud," Zack whispered as he nuzzled in gently close against Angeal's shoulder, "I probably won't home till late…or at least till they kick me out of here when Visiting Hours are over…"

"Are you sure, Zack?"

Sephiroth nudged at Cloud softly, "I'm pretty sure he's sure…"

"See you guys later then I guess," Cloud softly patted the side rail of Angeal's bed and gave a soft smile to Zack as he and Sephiroth made their way out of the room.

Sephiroth pushed Cloud on ahead towards the car as he fumbled about in his pockets for his car keys and when he did; he found that his phone had a missed call with a voice message, now who do you suppose that could be.

Hey Sephiroth, its Raechel…guess you're screening your calls. Anyway, just thought I call to say 'Hi' and see if you'd like to get together for all time sake…maybe you could bring along the man in your life…I'd like to meet the kid responsible for melting your cold heart…Call me back when you get this. It's important.

"Sounds serious, sweetheart…" the man's inner self decided to speak up as it listened to the message again, "Besides, she could probably be helpful for the little man in regards to helping out with the story…Why not give her a ring and find out what's up?"

It had been almost a week or more since he had last spoken to Raechel being that they had left on less then pleasant terms before, but it couldn't hurt; she had been on his mind now and again. As he pushed the buttons to call her, he heard Cloud calling out from the car, "Come on, slowpoke, I'm sure you want to get the fair damsel home before midnight and I've got a little bit of homework I need to just do really quick before class on Tuesday."

Cloud's somber, happy smile nearly broke his heart, "Hello?"

"Raechel?" Sephiroth was taken back by the sound of her voice.

"Yes?"

"It's Sephiroth…"

"OH! So you got my message?"

"Yes…what did you mean by all that you said in it? Something wrong?"

Raechel paused momentarily as the waitress walked up with her glass of water, "I'd rather talk to you about here…at the Café…because it might involve the young man in your life…There is a man at my place of work who works in creating smear stories to ruin people and…Sweetie I didn't want to have to say this over the phone, but…"

She didn't know what to say next as she heard the man's demeanor changing, "Sephiroth? What's wrong?"

"When and where do you want to meet?"

"The Café where you met your man at…? Say about noon?"

"We'll be there…"

Click.

Raechel was worried; did Sephiroth know in some way of Nicholas or even the smear stories that were printed? Oh dear…things were going from bad to worse for her as she guzzled the water down as she waved the waitress over again, "Yes ma'am?"

"I'm going to need something stronger then this…"

"O-Of course…"

Can't anything go right this time around?