Disclaimer: I do not now or before and most likely not in the future, own Final Fantasy, Square Enix or any of the characters.

A/N: It won't be too much longer and we will have a baby! Be sure that if you haven't sent me your name choices, get to it. I am currently working on the next chapter and will get it to my beta soon, I hope. After that chapter is done, I hope to start working on the baby chapter (giggles). The title of this chapter is kind of a play on words from one of the many great Clint Eastwood movies.

Thanks to my wonderful beta SubZeroChimera!


"Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us." –Thomas Paine

To You I Give My Heart

Chapter 24

~The Good, the Bad and the Pregnant~

Backing out the door, she tripped backward over the carcass of the dead epiolnis that was left on the porch, sliding down the stairs on her back, she came to rest at the foot of the stairs on her rear end, sword still in hand. Bursting through the door, Zack yelled in concern, "Cloud!"

Flopping over to her side, she struggled with her burgeoning belly, using the sword to help her to get to her feet. With swift, but clumsily made movements, when she saw the raven haired man coming toward her, she jerked sideways and lifted herself as she lifted the sword. She had the tip of the sword pointed at Zack's neck as she spoke, "Stay back! I don't know what is going on, one minute I'm standing in the lobby of Shinra, joining the army and next thing I know…" Cloud looked around at the dense trees that surrounded the house and the small yard in the front, where they stood, "-You have me held prisoner here, doing Gaia knows what to me!"

The former Soldier heard the familiar voice before his eyes registered the sight, "You're right Miss, you don't have any idea what that boy is capable of." In surprise at the voice behind her, her legs gave out and she fell to her knees in the overgrown grass, and like a turtle on its back, she again struggled to regain her footing, "May I help you up?"

Zack bristled at the man reaching out to touch the one person who he wanted so much to protect, "Cloud, don't!"

Completely ignoring Zack's exclamation, a gloved hand grabbed a hold of Cloud's hand and gently pulled her to her feet, "Madame," Kissing her hand, she visibly shook in recognition of who the man was, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Genesis Rhapsodos at your service," He bowed deeply at his waist and glanced up with a twinkle in his eyes as he asked, "And you would be?"

A blush crossed her cheeks as she forgot all about the goings on just moments before, "I-I'm Cl-Cloud Strife, sir!"

Zack eyed the man; greying hair, worn out red leather coat frayed at the edges and his overly pale and whitened skin, he looked like the walking dead, "Genesis! Get away from her!"

With a quick whip of his head, the twinkle that once was dazzling Cloud, turned into a smolder of anger, looking at his childhood friend's prized student, the former red Commander snapped, "Be careful how you address me, boy; Angeal isn't here to protect you from your mouth anymore; but you saw to that well enough, didn't you?"

Those words hurt, he hadn't wanted to kill Angeal, but it was unavoidable, or so he thought. Had Angeal lied to him because he just wanted it all to end and couldn't find the strength to end it himself? Did his teacher, mentor and friend use him? Shaking his head, he fought his urges to lash out blindly and he kept control of himself, he had to do something to get Genesis away from his family.

Cloud still held Zack's buster sword, but she was distracted, if he could just grab it, he could do it quickly, before she knew what happened. Willing the mako in his blood to his muscles, he darted forward, but was stopped short by a burning red rapier cutting shallowly into the skin on his chest, "Don't even think about hurting this creature that even the beauty of Loveless pales in comparison to her exquisiteness."

In a breathless momentary girlish blush, she raised her hand to her face, covering her mouth, "Really?!"

Rolling his eyes, Zack couldn't help the scoff that left his lips and Genesis took advantage of it, "See, not everyone is appreciative of genuine grace and refinement."

"Shut up Genesis!" Trying to recover the situation, Zack pleaded with the distracted blond, "Cloud, he is just saying these things because he wants something from you."

Glancing to Zack's violet eyes, Genesis lowly asked, "And you don't?" Leveling his eyes back to Cloud, Genesis smiled a suave smile, "He speaks nonsense. The only thing anyone who would be lucky enough to have you, would be to simply look upon your radiance."

"Cloud! You can't possibly believe this bullshit!"

Turning to look at him, her eyes welled up with tears as her face contorted in emotional distress, "What is happening?"

Still being held back by the fiercely glowing rapier, Zack held his hands up and spoke calmly, "He probably just wants the same thing he wanted from Sephiroth and when he didn't get what he wanted, he killed dozens of Soldiers and hundreds more infantrymen. He just wants something to stop his degradation and he will stop at nothing to get it." Waiting a moment, she still stared at Zack in confusion and he added with indignation and exasperation, "Look at him!" A quick wave of his hand, Zack got Cloud to look at the man and she finally could see past his fame and saw what was happening to him, she winced at Zack's next words, "He's desperate!"

This time, Genesis scoffed and swept his free hand lightly across her rosy cheek, taking away a tear that fell loose from her eye. The red-head's words were soft and gentle, "I don't want to hurt you... but that abomination that was placed in your womb could save me."

She looked down at her enlarged belly and back up at the greying man. Zack jerked forward, daring the sword to go deeper, "Don't you lay a finger on her or the baby!" His passionate yell got her attention, the look on her face tore his heart open, the pit of his stomach churned with the anticipation of danger, of the possible abandonment by his family that would do nothing but leave him a sniveling mess on the lush and dense forest floor, "The baby… That child was made in love." Zack's desperation bubbled over, "Please, don't listen to him Cloud," Waiting and seeing indecision and confusion muddy up her eyes, he pleaded dramatically, "Please!"

Turning to face Zack, Genesis's threatening tone clashed with his calm exterior, "I will have liberation of this debilitating and life engulfing curse, I must be free of this pain," Light blue eyes turned back to the blond, and in the split second that both were preoccupied with each other, Zack shouldered his way over to Cloud, taking the hilt of his buster sword from her.

"I can free you of the pain," Zack stepped in front of Cloud and narrowed his eyes at his former Soldier superior, "It will only take a moment," A growl of anger rolled out of his throat, "Trust me."

"Oh, is that how long it took you to kill my childhood friend, a mere moment?" Genesis stepped back when the sharpened edge of the overly large sword ran closely to his neck.

"I should have made sure that I killed you back in Modeoheim, but don't think that I won't make that mistake again," Zack widened his stance and narrowed his eyes. Fully preparing his body for battle, the mako flowed freely, his breathing calmed and time slowed, he had every intent on killing him where he stood.

A small hand tentatively flinched its way on his enlarged bicep, pushing down on it, willing the sword down and away from the crimson Soldier's neck, "Wait, he is in pain, that's all. I don't think he means any harm."

"Listen to your new master…Puppy. She speaks the truth," Being called Puppy by Genesis was made worse by the way he let an animalistic loathing drip from the once innocent nickname, it was just another reason to hate the man. The greying former Soldier lowered his left hand and a small ball of fire burst into existence and roiled over in his palm, his sword wavered slightly as his strength seemed to be sapped by the magic he called forth.

Zack's electric eyes, glowing from the mako, enhancing his vision like a predator. He never let his eyes leave those of the light blue luminous eyes of Genesis as he spoke to the blond beside him, "The hell with that, he means to kill you, me and the baby."

Pushing at his arm, she twirled him around to look at her, and the surprise at her strength made her gasp, "I don't even know you, and after what you did to me, how do I know you don't want to do the same?"

"Cloud! I-I didn't DO anything TO you," Keeping Genesis in his peripheral vision, he almost yelled his indignation to Cloud's implications, "I brought you here to keep you SAFE!"

"Who are you keeping me safe from?" Moving back a step, she continued with a sob and her voice cracked, "Why? Why did you take me?"

"I-It is a very long story, can we talk about it later?" Glancing back to Genesis, he spoke to Cloud again, "I promise I will tell you everything, and I promise that this man will kill you if you give him a chance," Turning his undivided attention back to his blond lover, "Trust me please, I only want to keep you safe."

Lowering her voice and letting her face fall, she asked, "How can I trust someone that I don't even know?" That took the breath away from Zack again. It was weird how words did more to him than any sword could.

When the red-head spoke something that the former Soldier didn't expect, while he didn't want to believe anything the man said, suddenly being defended took him by surprise, "Miss Strife, it would be in your best interests to trust him. Although we have our differences, his words reflect what is in his heart," Retreating slowly, he bowed shallowly toward Cloud, "Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return."

Yelling after the long shadow of the unwelcome guest, Zack followed a short distance, "Oh, please, let it stall your return! If I see you again, I'll kill you." Finally seeing Nanaki emerge from the house, he stood on the porch, but said nothing. Zack however had plenty to say to him, "Where the hell were you?!" Looking from Zack to Cloud and back to the brunette, Zack felt Cloud move behind him, hiding from Nanaki, so he tried to reassure the blond, "It is okay, he won't hurt you, he's a friend."

Seeing Genesis was gone, the strange feeling that he had had before made sense now. Perhaps if he could feel when the man was near, he could be ready sooner, now that he knew. Perhaps with Hojo's experiments, Zack was like the monster that Angeal described himself as at one time. One monster knows another monster. Waiting a few more moments, he flexed his shoulders hoping to relieve some tension in them, the tension that the presence of the former Commander had apparently caused.

Glancing to Cloud and knowing her well enough, he knew that she wouldn't relent without it being a challenge, so he spoke over his shoulder, "You can either come inside where we have food, a roof and it is safer, or you can stay out here and fend for yourself, but watch out for the Slaps that roam out here after dark, they can be pretty nasty to deal with." Hauling his sword over his shoulder, he slowly walked up the stairs, silently urging Nanaki inside.

With a questioning glare, his four-legged housemate went through the door and watched Zack shut the door just as slowly as he had walked up the stairs. Zack winked at him and added, "Watch this." After waiting for several minutes, Zack peeked out of the small window next to the door and smiled at the sight, he whispered to Nanaki, "Look."

There on the porch, she sat on the middle step, nervously looking around. A rustling noise just out of sight caught her attention. Shuffling back, she struggled to her hands and knees, reaching for the railing so that she could pull herself up to her feet. Zack could tell that she fought the urge to knock on the door, but a louder noise closer to the porch shocked her to fall to her side before she could make it to her feet. The thumping at the door wasn't knocking necessarily, but more of a panicked pounding just before the frantic, but quiet, pleading, "Let me in."

Opening the door, Zack fought a laugh when she fell inward and slid herself through the doorway and the rest of the way in the room, on her butt. When she looked up, her perpetual innocence reflected in her eyes and it made his heart melt. Reaching down, he held his hand out, "Do you need help up?"

With a huff, she pushed his hand away, "No! I can do it." Sliding the rest of the way in to the room, she slammed the door shut with her foot. An amused grin spread hesitantly across his face, Zack watched as the blond battled, panted, rolled, heaved, and scooted her way to her feet, "Okay, I'm not saying that I believe you, but I would like to stay here tonight and I'll leave in the morning, once all those… things… outside are gone."

Trying to keep calm, Zack sighed and asked, "Are you hungry?" Leading her into the kitchen, he drew the curtains closed on the window, he was on edge and stressed out and he was not going to let Genesis weasel his way into their lives. Right now though, he was just going to enjoy the fact that she was awake, whether she remembered him or not.


A/N: Thanks to everyone who reads, favorites, subscribes and/or reviews, I appreciate your time and I dedicate all of this to you. To quote another author, "Getting reviews makes me feel all warm and squishy."

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