Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)
Author's Note: Chapter Thirteen...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)
Chapter Thirteen: The Woman and The Cripple
Reno's lips parted, but only wavered slightly; seemingly unsure whether to smile or grimace.
"Tifa…"
The young female stood barely half a metre from him, her body seemingly held upright only by the mere force channelled through to her left hand which lent, pressed against the door frame, her wrist reddening ever so slightly under the pressure.
Reno's aquamarine gaze narrowed to a degree, as it roamed over his friend, though not through lack of remembrance, or want to, but rather concerned surprise.
She looked terrible, ill almost; her once radiate skin lay dulled and taught; the pale brightness that it had once possessed seemingly erased, whilst soft, dark bags settled heavily beneath her warm, crimson-tinted gaze, which in itself too, looked drawn.
If anyone was to view them both side by side, they would surely have believed that Tifa had been the one spending the last few months located inside a hospital wing, even with the Turk's butt sat so firmly upon a wheelchair.
Her clothes looked rather well worn; though that's not to say they were very tattered, or especially dirty, but just old, lived in.
They weren't her usual style, they were baggy, dreary, and in all honesty rather unflattering, and in fact Reno had only ever seen her wear such clothes once before during the first few months of Cloud's disappearance.
For a moment he thought she might have relapsed into her frantic depression that had taken hold of her so firmly during that trying period, but there were too many disagreeing factors for that to be correct.
The red head's fingertips tightened slightly upon the wheelchair's leather coated arms.
Did I do this to her?
After he'd taken in as much as he could by appearance alone, the young male slowly made to direct his attention purely upon the female's own slightly tired gaze.
It might have been true to say that she did not look anywhere near her best, but still, as his own heart began to thump forcibly against his ribcage, it became clear that her mere presence was enough to cause all of the Turk's long hidden affections once again to light within him.
The silence between them had only lasted a moment, and although Reno had been brought to realise many things within that short space, the first query that flooded into his mind upon finding his voice was one of pure, nervous curiosity.
"What- what are you doing here?"
The brunette's brow furrowed lightly, though before she could answer, the Turk's nervous curiosity had transformed into something close to distressed panic.
"Wait…how did you even get in?"
His eyes widened suddenly.
"Was the door already open? Did I leave it unlocked or something?"
Reno slammed his right arm down upon his leg in self-annoyance, and groaned deeply.
"Damn I bet those kids from twenty-one had a right field day when they-"
His voice faded swiftly as the young brunette reached out behind the doorway and brought forward a small metallic object.
She began to twirl it began two of her delicate fingers.
"You made me a spare ages ago Re…"
A light red hue formed upon his cheeks, and his face muscles clenched, as one of his nimble hands ran through his fiery spikes.
"Oh yeah…forgot about that."
For a few moments the pair remained opposite one another, silence seemingly winning through over confusion.
Eventually Reno decided to air his query once again, whilst softly tapping his fingertips upon the wheelchair's arm.
"So then, why are you here…in my house?"
This time the query appeared to both surprise and aggravate the young female, whose brow rose suddenly, before returning back to its original placement.
"I was waiting for you."
Her voice was softer than usual, and somewhat perplexed; obviously under the assumption that he should have either known or guessed her reason for being there.
The Turk appeared to become flustered once again, though managed to utter out another simple query.
"How- how did you know I'd be home today?"
"I didn't."
As Reno's brow contorted, the young woman began to elaborate on her rather brief answer, though her tone become noticeably unsteady as she started to lose control over her emotions.
"I didn't even know if you were still alive."
"Huh?"
The male's lip quirked slightly; confusion setting in once again, though this time it was quenched swiftly.
Tifa shifted, as she turned inward so her form was now side wades towards the male, as her head bowed in some sort of attempt to conceal the distress now clearly marked upon her face.
"They didn't let me see you; they didn't even tell me what was going on!"
Strands of her dark brown hair whipped about the air as she shook her head; seemingly trying to disagree with her emotional reaction.
"You could've died in the hospital weeks ago for all I knew!"
Without warning Tifa swiftly retuned her attention towards the red head, a few moist trails now evident upon her skin.
"What happened Re?"
Reno diverted his gaze before emitting a soft, lingering sigh.
"Tifa, can we do this inside?"
He took a brief, somewhat anxious glance around the corridor, before whispering almost pitifully.
"…Please."
The young female finally allowed her gaze to roam over her friend's form; her eyes widening slightly as realisation hit with the full comprehension of his state.
Her corner of her mouth curled slightly; emitting something of a small kindness.
"Sure…"
The wheel from Reno's chair emitted a high-pitched creak as it was forced to turn in order to avoid the closest corner of the large sofa that resided within the centre of the apartment's living room.
He'd entered in silence, making no attempt at eye contact or conversation; the only sound escaping his lips came in the form of the odd grunt of expelled air as his arms strained with every push upon the wheels beside him.
The brunette had appeared to follow his lead, and had remained by the door for some time after he had passed; her gaze fixed upon the male's slowly moving form with a mixture of pity, uncertainty and frustration, before sighing, bringing the door to a quiet close and making her own way towards the living room.
The male came to rest his chair within the space between the window and the outer edge of the coffee table, which in turn created a sort of barrier between himself and the sofa, whilst Tifa, who entered only moments after, choose the closest end of the cushioned furniture, though made sure to keep just enough distance to display her current feeling of unrest.
They remained that way for some time; each either not knowing what to say, or unwilling to start off what both knew would be something of an emotional 'discussion'.
As the seconds passed by Reno's aquamarine gaze began to flicker across the young female; first focusing for a moment upon her knee, then rising slightly to concentrate upon her hands which lay entwined within each other upon her lap, before finally drifting up and coming to rest upon her face and taking in each softly defined feature; but as he did so he noticed the direction of her own gaze; his wheelchair.
His gaze quickly diverted towards the floor, as his brow furrowed.
"You don't need to feel sorry for me."
Tifa eyes neither widened nor flickered with surprise from the sudden and unexpected utterance, but instead proceeded to narrow; the crimson flecks dancing even brighter than usual upon their warm brown base, as though alight with their very own brand of passionate emotion.
"Don't worry, I wasn't."
"Oh."
The young male's face flushed lightly; a mixture of embarrassment and hurt and feel self-hate.
Her tone had been so cold, ruthless even, and yet the display revealed quite clearly that the feelings held by the female had themselves been hurting for quite some time.
She crossed her arms and let out a quiet outward breath; close to a sigh and yet holding none of the usual sentiment.
"What happened anyway?"
The query delighted and distressed him; the conversation finally being started, and yet he knew the answer given would not be of any satisfaction.
"I can't…"
Reno's voice seemed to lose itself for a moment, and his gaze became held upon a single spot for no more than a fraction of a second.
"…I'm not at liberty to discuss-"
The brunette unlocked her arms and flung them angrily down upon the free space around her; the cushioned surface denting easily with the sudden pressure.
"Oh for-Reno! I'm sick and tired of this! How do you expect us to maintain a friendship if you refuse to tell me anything that's going on in your life?"
The red head turned towards the female; his brow furrowing further as frustration began to set in.
"Excuse me, but what is it that you want me to do exactly? I'm a Turk, always have been, was when you met me and still am now! You signed up for this…"
Although his words clearly irritated her, Tifa merely huffed.
"I just thought…"
She leaned back upon the sofa; her hands returning to her lap as she did so.
"I thought it might change…in time."
Reno cocked an eyebrow.
"Well it doesn't work like that."
His tone been harsher than anticipated, and upon seeing the mingled upset and annoyance within the female's crimson-tinted gaze, the young male emitted an apologetic sigh.
"It doesn't matter how close I am to a person Tifa…"
He bowed his head and nestled it deeply within his cupped hands.
"I still can't."
Tifa's brow rose, as she emitted a soft grunt.
"So this is how its gunna be huh?"
When her query went unanswered she made to rise.
"I need a drink."
As the female came to stand, she wavered on the spot, and gestured questioning with nothing but her own gaze.
Reno's lips curled ever so lightly in to what could have hinted at a smile, and gave a brief nod, to which she responded with a somewhat half-hearted sigh before proceeding towards the kitchen.
She returned a couple of minutes later carrying two relatively clean tumblers in one hand, and a bottle of amber shaded liquid in the other.
Soon enough the brunette was re-seated and pouring the warming alcohol; her hand shaking ever so slightly as she did so.
Reno watched the liquid lap over the bottom of the glass intently; the motion almost smoothing.
"How long have you been here Tifa?"
Having filled one glass with an appropriate amount of whiskey, she made to hover the bottle over to the other, before beginning the action once again.
"A week or so."
His aquamarine gaze flickered up towards hers.
"Why?"
"I told you…."
She halted her poured with one swift motion and began screwing the cap back on; all the time keeping her crimson-tinted gaze locked upon her tumbler.
"…I was waiting."
Reno's brow cocked.
"But-"
"They informed me that you'd returned and were in hospital."
He watched her for a moment; his contorted features softening as he did so.
"I'm sorry you weren't allowed in."
"I wouldn't have come anyway."
His brow furrowed deeply; so very similar to her earlier, harsh retort, and yet this one seemed softer, truthful, and altogether more to herself.
"I didn't want to see you."
She took a swig from her own tumbler; grimacing slightly as the burning liquid prickled down her throat.
"I was too angry."
As she made to slide the now, single full tumbler over to the red head, his brow furrowed yet again.
"Then…why were you waiting for me."
A small chuckle escaped her lips; Reno somewhat unsure as to whether it was through true amusement or an effect of the sudden rush of strong alcohol.
"I'm human Reno…I can be angry, upset, hurt, and infuriated to my very core but…I still care…"
She brought the tumbler's rim up to rest mere millimetres from her lips, and muttered.
"What else was I meant to do?"
Again the pair seemed to become consumed by an overwhelming silence, though this time it was swiftly broken by the red head.
"You didn't seem very shocked by the wheel chair."
The female shrugged.
"Elena told me you were in a pretty bad way."
Reno's brow rose.
"So Elena was the one who informed you?"
Tifa merely nodded, before slowly taking another warm, sharp sip from her tumbler.
The young male smiled, and appeared to remain unaware of it for quite some time.
Eventually he spoke, his tone soft and strangely happy, and like Tifa had done only moment before, seemingly directed at himself.
"Well I'm glad you're here…It's nice to know you-"
For the second time that evening, the brunette made to explode with anger.
Her eyes flashed dangerously, and her chest rose and fell with an accelerated rhythm.
"Your job is so dangerous Reno! Do you have any idea what it's like for me to sit around and wait for you to come home safely? It's torture."
Once again the male attempted to defend himself.
"It's not always like that! And I've been doing this job for as long as I can remember and as far as I know I haven't died yet!"
She made a direct, dramatic gesture towards him.
"You're in a wheelchair Reno!"
"Yes I am! And it's my own fault…I messed up, and I'm paying the price for it."
He stared blankly, unable to think, unable to move; his gaze becoming cloudy as a moist sheen formed through a sudden wave of long pent up emotion.
The voice that finally emerged was soft, broken, and yet distinctly bold.
"Do you have any idea what I've had to go through…what I'm going through now?"
His gaze darted up to meet hers; the sudden motion forcing a small jolt from the brunette.
Reno's tone rapidly began to increase in volume.
"I'm basically a cripple Tifa! I may never get out of this damn chair, my partner is lying half dead in the hospital wing because of something I did and now I may have messed up my life with Shin-Ra completely! So don't you dare try to make this about you!"
His final words seemed to echo around the room for an eternity, before the finally became nothing but silent wisps.
The red head growled in annoyance, though it appeared to be directed more at himself than the brunette.
He swung his head back and took in a deep, steadying breath.
"I know you worry, and I appreciate what it must feel like for you, but don't forget I'm on the receiving end of it all…I'm the one in danger."
Tifa, who had been both shocked and fuelled by his outburst, made to carry on where she'd left off.
"If it hurts you so much then why even do it?"
"Because it's what I do!"
He buried his head briefly inside his cupped hands, before sliding them up and through his flame red spikes, sighing with a hint of frustration as he did so.
"I can't explain it…being a Turk…it just fits! It's just me."
He brought his gaze back around towards the brunette.
"Why are you asking me to change?"
Reno made to lean forwards; his elbows resting steadily upon the wheelchair's leathered armrests.
"Am I not good enough the way I am?"
Her eyes widened in a kind of disbelief.
"What? No, that's not-"
"Because correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure nearly every single one of your friends have some pretty big flaws!"
"Don't go bringing anyone else into-"
She was cut off by a somewhat triumphant Reno."
"You know I'm right though!"
The female fell silent for a moment before emitting a huff.
"Fine, fine, just tell me this, if you had to decide between …me…and Shin-Ra, who would you pick?"
The red head's face paled.
"Don't ask me that Tifa."
His bright aquamarine eyes seemed to plead.
"Please don't make me choose."
"I just want to know."
Reno stared intently into her warm, crimson-tinted eyes for one lingering moment before seemingly breaking and diverting his weakened gaze towards the carpeted flooring.
She huffed again, though this time it was almost completely silent and filled with edged with a blend of hurt and disappointment and yet there was no hint of surprise.
"And now I do."
The male sighed with light exasperation.
"That isn't fair and you know it."
Tifa grunted; unimpressed, and rolled her eyes.
The male watched her and mocked a silent laugh; all amusement mixed with disbelief and frustration.
"You think you're so perfect don't you? You're morals, your beliefs, your actions, all of it. Nothing you do is wrong, you always make the right choice, you never hurt your friends."
His brow rose lightly, knowingly.
"Has it ever occurred to you that you're just like me? In your own way?"
When his comment received nothing but another rolling of the eyes he dropped his head; nestling it in a single palm.
After a moment of quiet he muttered softly.
"Shin-Ra is my family. Don't you get that?"
Tifa's gaze flickered over the male's still form.
"Well what about me? I thought we were friends…good friends…Do I always have to come second best?"
Reno emitted a half-stifled, high-pitched grunt.
"You're not second best! There is no 'best'!"
"Then why does it feel like it?"
His face had lost all essence of 'serious', 'fuelled' emotion, and instead it appeared childlike, almost 'light'; the mixture of annoyance, anger and constant retorts bringing their conversation close to being described as 'bickering'
"I honestly don't know Tifa, and frankly I'm not sure what else to say…this…this jealousy is just-"
Tifa's brow rose to something of a dramatic level.
"Jealousy?" Pfft I'm not jealous!"
The red head turned towards her and nodded mockingly.
"Oh really?"
Her cheeks blushed a gentle red.
"No! I just-I just care!"
A small sheen of glistening moisture began to form around the inner corners of her eyes though never fell.
Reno's own gaze narrowed as he watched the stunning, painful, beautiful display.
He wasn't being fair, but then neither was she.
Maybe she'd never understand.
He emitted a light sigh
I guess I'll just have to try…
He pushed down hard upon the rubber coated wheels beside him, thus bringing his chair as close as possible to the emotionally shattered form of the brunette.
His fingers reached out and curled over the female's entwined hands; his gently cold skin tingling from the comforting warmth of her own, before his bright gaze flickered up to meet with hers.
"You don't know how much I hate this…if I could tell you…"
He leant forwards and with his free hand he grabbed his still full tumbler, creating a miniature amber-shaded whirlpool as it twirled in his grasp.
"…oh the things I could tell you…"
The young female bowed her head; dark, brunette strands falling forwards to dance in the open air.
"Reno…"
He lifted his hand from hers and brought it up to brush against her cheek; slowly drawing her gaze back up to his.
"I'm sorry Tifa."
She looked at him for a moment; not with anger or annoyance but just a kind of tired acceptance.
Eventually her gaze diverted and she shifted to pour herself a refill.
As the liquid lapped over the tumbler's base once again, the brunette smiled sadly.
"You know I lied earlier…I did feel sorry for you."
Reno let out a somewhat disdaining chuckle.
"Hm, pretty much everyone does-Wait 'did'?"
She took a smooth taste from the tumbler and shrugged.
"Well I don't know what to feel anymore. Since Cloud, I've started to feel confused-"
Reno emitted a dramatically exasperated groan.
"Is this always gunna be about Cloud!"
The female appeared to choose to ignore the red head's heated query completely, with her thoughts seemingly lost in the warm amber liquid tightly grasped within her fingers.
"I was supposed to wait for him…"
The red head's fingertips clutched tightly at the arm rests as he desperately tried to suppress the desire to rip out own hair in frustration.
"Chocobo head might never come back, he's a complete and utter bastard! He doesn't care about you!"
Tifa's eyes widened with a pained vulnerability.
"You're wrong! He did…he does!"
"Then why did he leave you?"
Although her heart was beating rapidity with as a result of the constant torrent of rather jarring truths, her body stayed perfectly still, nervous uncertainty seemingly paralyzing her; only her bottom lip managed a slight tremble.
"I don't…I don't know."
Her fingers began fumbling with each other.
"He left once to impress me…and now…and now I'm just worried that-"
The young male slammed his tumbler down upon the coffee table with a dull clink.
"Tifa, I'm not him!"
Her eyes narrowed in a kind of annoyed disbelief.
"You disappeared Reno! I didn't know where you were…when you were gunna come back…if ever…"
Her warm, crimson-tinted gaze wavered over his face as if taking in every little detail; remarkable or not.
"I just…don't want to feel that…way again…the fear, the worry, the uncertainty…it's too much."
Reno's facial muscles contorted.
"Why do you care?"
Her brow furrowed lightly in genuine confusion, and yet her voice came out with a hint of self-conscious nervousness.
"Because…you're…you're my friend."
Reno's bright aquamarine eyes narrowed.
"Is that all?"
Tifa's brow lifted ever so slightly, as her voice melted away into nothing but a whisper; the tone dangerously close to awe.
"What?"
Reno hovered the now half-full tumbler by his softly parted lips, and muttered.
"Never mind."
A brief silence passed, whilst Tifa rubbed her thumb rhythmically along the facing semicircle of her tumbler's rim.
After a few moments the tempo increased as her voice made to sound; albeit quietly.
"So…did you think about me at all?"
The young male smirked inwardly.
How could I not…
"A bit."
The beginnings of a shy smile began to form upon his lips.
"I tried to ring a few times…I actually got through to Yuffie at one point but…"
His own voice faded out as the familiar high-pitched, confident tone of the ninja's
'I hope you can suck it up and finally tell her'
He allowed a coy, yet knowing smirk to grace his thin lips and muttered quietly to himself.
"Damn girl…"
He emptied the rest of the tumblers contents onto his tongue; perhaps hoping the alcohol would help steady him in some way.
"Tifa."
"Hm?"
"I lied too."
That brought her attention back around to him; her eyes darted to his own, and flickered with both surprise, bewilderment and a hint of curiosity.
"I thought about you a lot. Too much."
He ran a slightly self-conscious hands through his flame red spikes and sighed; a light blush warming the upper heights of his pale cheeks.
"I couldn't stop."
Tifa didn't display any noticeable reaction, in fact, her expression was utterly unreadable, as if she was, herself, unsure of her true feelings concerning the confession.
After a moment she allowed her brow to furrow lightly.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Yuffie."
The answer clearly wasn't what she had expected, her brow rising, and furrowing again, almost simultaneously
"…Yuffie?"
Reno grinned to himself; a soft chuckle emerging soon after.
"She may be an annoying little shit, but…but she has a knack for being blunt, in a good way."
The female's brow furrowed in further, as if she was somewhat unsure as to whether she was hearing him correctly.
"Right…"
He seemed rather unaware of the brunette's confusion; instead he appeared to be amazed at his own words, as though he was realising the somewhat amusing truth for the first time.
"And she also seems to be very insightful."
This forced a rather disbelieving smirk onto the female's own, soft pink lips.
"Insightful, Yuffie? Come on…"
Reno's brow rose with a kind of amusement.
"Well she saw it before you did…maybe even before I did."
"Saw what?"
The red head paused for a brief moment; snatching a second to calm himself.
"That…that I've developed feelings for you."
This time her reaction was clear; her eyes widened, though not through discomfort or disgust, but rather a mixture of surprised awe and genuine delight, both of which sounded in her hushed tone.
"What…?"
"I care for you Tifa…more than I've ever cared for anyone and… and I want to be with you."
His gaze seemed to brightened as it locked with hers.
"Now...can you honestly say that you feel nothing for me?"
Tifa seemed to become transfixed in thought, though when she made no move to speak, the young male took the lead; in one smooth motion he brought his lips to meet with hers, their mouths melting againist each other as though they'd been doing it for a lifetime.
A strip of pale, cold light peered through a small gap hidden between the folds of the curtains that danced ever so slightly as small infiltrated their way through the poorly constructed window frame.
Reno head lay rested upon his open palm, which in turn was propped up upon his elbow that sat placed on the sofa's arm.
His eyes stared blankly at the opposite wall, unblinking, and unfocused; he'd been that way since his she'd gone to bed, sleep unable to claim him through both excitement and trepidation.
Everything that had been said, everything that had happened between them that previous evening had felt like some kind of dream; the reality of what had commenced was something so surreal that the male had been trying to convince himself of its truth for the remaining lightless hours.
In fact, he was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that the young female had roused and was now walking down the corridor towards him.
Her feet fell softly upon the light carpeted flooring.
"Morning."
Reno's form jerked with surprise, though he only took a moment to recover, and after refreshing his senses with a quick head waggle and running a nimble hand through his spiky red locks, he turned to smile at the brunette.
The smile swiftly melted away into a half concealed smirk as his aquamarine gaze came to meet with the sight of the young brunette whom was clad in a familiar item.
"Is that one of my shirts?"
She took a brief glance down at herself, before bringing her arms to wrap around her chest and cling ever so nervously at the sides of material.
"Yeah, I hope you don't mind, I just didn't have anything to wear, and I didn't fancy sleeping naked."
Reno's previously hinted smirk grew to his trademark standard.
"Shame."
Tifa's crimson-tinted gaze widened, as her arms unlocked and placed themselves firmly on her hips; the whole display both incredibly amusing and rather intimidating.
"Oi!"
She went to give him a playful slap on the shoulder, but before her fingertips could reach there destination, the young female fell pray to the red head's own swift reflexes and soon found herself being pulled down beside him, her form brushing warmly against his own.
A light smirk still graced the male's thin lips, as Tifa scowled rather unconvincingly at him.
The play-match only lasted a for a few moments, before the female finally gave in and placed a soft, let warm kiss upon the red head's lightly curled lips.
A couple of minutes passed as the couple sat together, quietly happy in each others company.
It was Reno whom eventually stirred them out of the peaceful atmosphere, his brow furrowed as he did so, for the unease which had clouded his mind just a few minutes earlier had crawled its way back; the female's presence now fuelling its central qualms.
He extended a couple of fingers and began to gently stroke the skin of her forearm; a few downy hairs prickling at the sensation.
"So…what's gunna happen now."
Tifa's gaze faltered, as her eyelashes flickered uncertainly, before it settled upon the Turk's knee.
"I don't know."
Her voice was softened and yet harsh, as though her words and her emotions were battling against each other.
Her brow furrowed lightly as she emitted a sigh or both confusion and frustration, and yet her one of her hands lay tightly curled around Reno's shoulder, as though he might slip away if she let go.
"I…I don't want to lose you again…I don't want to be scared that you'll just…"
Her voice wavered as she locked eyes with Reno, whose bright aquamarine gaze appeared to sparkle though the dullness of the room.
"I'm not going anywhere Tifa."
A small smile graced her lips, though it was brief, and followed by a short, disbelieving grunt.
"So you say…"
The red head's gaze narrowed through a soft sort of distressed offence at her distrust.
Tifa ran her free hand through to the ends of her dark locks and sighed.
"I'm sorry it's just…if we are going to work then-"
Reno silenced her with a comforting hand that came to rest upon the space that joined the side of her neck to the start of her cheek; his thumb brushing against her chin as he did so.
"What do you want me to do?"
A/N= Sorry for how late this is, I had planned to get it out a while ago, but I got struck by a rather nasty cold and it kinda wiped me of all my creative energies…plus my normal energies! And then my friend went back to Uni, so I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before she left! Sorry X(! Hopefully the next update will be sooner!
Anyway onto the chapter!
Finally Tifa is back! XD She's kinda been 'absent' from this fic for quite some time now…I mean she's been there in the sense I've been mentioning her a fair deal and she's been present in the flashback scenes, but of course she hasn't actually been…there haha
But she's there/here now! I thought I'd have a rather RenoxTifa focused chapter and get out a lot of things that were clearly bothering them both before the missions start.
I know this update had a VERY different feel to it than the last chunk since our favourite red head left Edge, but I did try to ease it away from the mission and back into the feel we had at the beginning of the fic with the last chapter, though of course it was still different because it was purely Turk based, and this one isn't exactly as 'light' as at the start but hopefully it had a somewhat more 'romantic' feel.
Oh and also, it may have appeared that I 'rushed' into them relationship, but trust me they're not suddenly a couple, and there are still a lot of issues concerning the pair! It's not going to be prefect and happy all of a sudden, but that's not to say it's going to be heavily depressing XD I just wanted to have some emittance of feeling in this update, and that's why I didn't take it too far…physically, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and it just didn't seem right this time, or for this couple.
Oh and between the kiss and the start of the last section, I'm allowing some 'reader imagination' though they most certainly did not do anything close to sexual! Mostly because of the obvious 'RENO'S IN A WHEELCHAIR' and he is still rather battered! I would, in my own mind, have assumed they'd talked for quite some time, or maybe just sat there in each other's company, or probably a mixture of both; I mean come on there's still a hell of a lot of sort out between these two…
But anyway, hope I did ok with this chappie XD It's been awhile since I've written them together and there was so much that I wanted to say…and I'm fairly certain I haven't gotten it all out just yet XD but that's what the sequels for…(btw that doesn't mean this is the last chapter of this one…not quite yet anyway XP)