We're on Chapter 3, there are a total of 7 and a new one goes out every Friday morning. Glad to get reviews saying you're digging our fic, review away and Happy Canada Day to Canadians and Happy Memorial Day Monday to our neighbours, hope you enjoy it as much as I am :)
Roll 'em...
Sephiroth took a shower the next morning, having enough of a conscience that he didn't want to face Tifa smelling like a brothel. In hindsight he should have been a tad kinder to her, but the situation had overwhelmed him and had forced his hand and made his need to spend the night with Scarlet all the more prevalent. It was a good thing that Scarlet had had Mako injections because a normal woman would have been corpse this morning at how forcefully he had taken her.
Scarlet yawned stretched and put on Sephiroth's jacket as a lark over her bare skin, liking how it smelled like him. They had been together for about eight months and she secretly hoped for more one day. She placed her hand in his inner pocket and frowned when she felt paper there. Thinking it an old receipt or something, she pulled it out, enjoying snooping a bit in his life. However, what she found made her gasp.
"Why are you wearing my jacket?" He asked her.
"Why did I find a marriage certificate for you and Tifa Lockhart?" she demanded.
"Because we got married yesterday" he said, pulling his underwear on.
"What!? I didn't even know that you two were involved. Why is this first time I'm hearing about it?" She cried in outrage.
"We're not, it is actually like something out of a comedy. She got artificially inseminated with what she thought were Cloud Strife's children because someone gave her my service number by mistake and she had someone steal my semen from a cryogenics lab. So we got married for legal purposes, oh and we're having twins" he said in causal voice that caused Scarlet to want to scream.
"So why did you marry her?" She demanded.
"I just told to you: she's carrying my children" he said as if she were dense. "It's just a marriage on paper and won't change anything about us."
"How will nothing change about us? You have a wife now" she snarled.
He got into his pants and boots. "Are you jealous? You know that I don't like that in a woman. Yes, I am married, but she is also my ex-enemy after all and heavily pregnant. I am so certain will want me in a physical way after I impaled her all those years ago...and not in a way that a woman enjoys" he said with sad sarcasm, as he normally did when something pressed a terrible memory.
"I'm not jealous, but of all the women in the world, why did it have to be that slut?" She complained.
"I'm new to being a husband, but I rather resent you using that sort of language to describe someone who technically is my spouse. I owe her that much respect. So kindly cease to do so in my presence" he ordered her.
"So you have feelings for her now?" She snarled.
"I barely know her; she has certainly grown into an attractive woman and seems to have the respect of many people, she is, as I recall, a brilliant martial artist and kind and loyal" he said, just saying what he had observed about Tifa and that made Scarlet want to claw her own eyes out with each word of praise he dropped regarding her rival.
"Are you going to live with her?" She demanded.
"She's at my place now until we relocate" he said.
"To where?" She asked him.
"Well to where we buy our house" he replied, not understanding the problem and wondering if perhaps she was close to her time of the month.
"I haven't ever seen your place and you have her living there?" she asked him incredulously.
"She is my wife, where else would she live?" He asked her with a shrug, not seeing the problem.
"I'm your lover, she is beneath me" she challenged him.
"I'm not with her, it is a slip of paper that means only a photocopy of something that was never meant to be. All we shall do is be together in name only, having two children in common, then I'm certain a nanny shall be engaged and we shall lead separate lives" he assured her.
"You said you never wanted kids" she reminded him.
"Well fate intervened and we are both slaves to her folly" he said.
"So where is your wedding ring?" She asked him sarcastically.
"I have one as they came in a set, but I am not the sort to wear jewelry, I might wear it to special events I guess" he mused not noticing the anger burning in Scarlet's eyes. "Now, I must go. I have a new wife that I'm sure is very irked at how I left things between us. If I could have my jacket back please?" he said as gently as possible, wondering why attitude was coming off of her in waves.
"Sure, here's a little wedding gift from me" she said with a devilish smile and handed him his jacket and before he knew it, her mouth was clenched onto the right side of his Adam's apple with the force of a leech. If there was one thing Scarlet could brag about, it was the force of her suction and she used it big time on him on a place that his bangs refused to cover, his hair parting easily to show her brand upon him.
Sephiroth felt himself blushing as he examined himself in the elevator mirror on the way up to his place and nodded politely in recognition at his "nodding neighbour," whose name he didn't actually know, he only knew her from seeing her around the building with her two children. The dark haired woman seemed to suppress giggles at the prominent red-purple mark on his neck and he could have sworn that her tiny little human daughter was laughing at him behind her mother.
This. Was. Going. To. Be. So. Bad.
On an average man, a hickey was prominent, on his own snow white skin, it glowed like a beacon. He suddenly had the urge to run to a drugstore and see if he could find concealing makeup to match his hyper pale skin tone.
He let himself into his place stopped in shock at the domestic scene of his chauffeur wearing only half of his uniform and seated at his kitchen table with his wife and they appeared to be having breakfast together.
"What is going on here?" He demanded.
"Sir, I was just finishing breakfast. I shall go finished getting dressed" he said abruptly standing and fleeing the kitchen.
"General" Tifa said in a voice that could have curdled cream. He examined her, struck by her beauty again and saw it was all natural, she wore not a speck of makeup and her complexion was flawless, her carmine eyes were enhanced by the pure blackness of her loose hair that was almost as long as his, if not longer. Had she had a tail, she would have looked like a pregnant mermaid. She wore a simple blue sleep shirt that terminated almost at her knees, but rode up enough to expose long legs. Even in her condition, she was easily one of the most desirable women he had ever met. She sat there in the wooden chair in her simple garment, yet it was like she was a reigning queen about to pass judgement on one of her not-so loyal subjects. Finally, she deigned to look at him and froze at what she saw.
"Miss...Tifa" he answered back, trying not to blush.
"What is that on your neck?" She slowly demanded.
"That is none of your concern" he replied in his own frosty voice, his sense of self preservation kicking in.
"That's a love bite. You forget where I am from, where I grew up, and honestly, where I work. You left me alone on the night of our wedding, in this crappy condo so you could get laid?" She all but snarled at him. "I'm sorry, marriage of convenience or not; does that strike you as being the way to treat a new spouse on any level?"
"What's wrong with my place? I have needs like any other male and had pre-arranged to meet the single lover I maintain before this fiasco and was in need to relief. Surely you don't expect me to live like a monk?" He demanded through narrowed eyes.
"I had assumed that you and I...would" she said, feeling kind of hurt by what he was saying.
"Ah, that. Perhaps once you have given birth? I am not given to gentle bed play, I like my sex to be highly aggressive and almost brutal, but still consensual. You have not been enhanced in any way, whereas my lover has been, so I don't really need to hold anything back with her. I'm not a normal man. I could easily hurt you without meaning to. So for the sake of the children, it is better that you stay away from me. If you have lover, feel free to see him, but discreetly and never bring him back to our place" he said.
She looked away "yeah, like anyone would have me in this condition" and seemed to be struggling not to cry.
"I'm not saying you're not desirable, I just don't want hurt you" he said, wondering what to do, having never been an actual relationship before. It boggled his mind that men willing married in the first place.
"I don't have a lover " she said turning back to look at him and glaring at him in challenge. "Oh" she suddenly interrupted.
"Tifa are you okay?" He asked her at how she was touching her belly, yet she was smiling.
"Baby number one is kicking, that means that his brother will start any second, they practically have a kick line thing happening when they both get excited" she explained. "Would you like to feel it?" She asked him.
"I don't know; you're not wearing very much" he said.
"I have shorts on underneath my shirt" she said and lifted her shirt and put his hand on the tight dome of her belly and he actually got a bit startled to feel tiny nudges against his palm and got that same funny feeling in his stomach as when he learned she was having twins. Suddenly it hit him, the children were real and on their way and could interact with them even now and felt overwhelmed, like he was going to start hyperventilating, especially when Tifa cooed, "Morning boys, this is your Daddy."
"Daddy?" He thought with a wince, hating the moniker. "Why are you talking like that?" He asked her, his eyes wide and scared.
"It's good to talk to babies while they are in the womb so they will get to know your voice. Say something" she said.
He looked down at her belly and said in a dubious voice "hello, my name is Sephiroth, but I guess you will have another form of addressing me. I'm not really comfortable with being called Daddy. Father, I don't mind so much, I'm sure we can reach a compromise. Oh this is stupid, I feel ridiculous. They can't hear me!" He said dismissively and pulled his hand back.
"Then why are they kicking even harder now?" she asked him, giving him a crooked smile that would have been endearing to anyone else.
"I have to go into the office" he dismissively said, going into his bedroom to change into a fresh uniform and was surprised when she followed him, but as a challenge, he started to strip and noticed that she blushed and turned away when he got down to his underwear and felt somewhat offended at this. "Have you never seen a man naked before?" He asked her facetiously.
"No" she said.
"What, are you saying you're a pregnant virgin?" He said in a strangled voice.
"Yes, if you must know" she replied. "I was saving myself for Cloud!"
"And you plan to have two children with your hymen intact?" He could feel his snowy eyebrows creeping up in shock at her admonition.
"I have a sex toy that I intend to use on myself but, it weirds me out and I don't like the cold rubbery feeling of it, I just couldn't bring myself to...to do that yet" she said with a full body blush.
"Yes, I can see that being unpleasant" he said with an answering blush. "So then the only thing to go inside you, was at the fertility clinic where you were inseminated? Which makes me wonder why they didn't catch you then, my stolen sample would have been reported as they need check that all sperm samples are obtained by legal means before they proceed" he mused.
"I didn't use a clinic" she admitted.
"Then how?" He asked her.
"I used a turkey baster."
"My sperm was in a turkey baster?" He asked her in faint sounding voice, obviously not liking the idea. "Did you even sterilize it?" He demanded.
"No I basted my turkey, sucked you up and plunged you in. I must say that you are very generous with your portions, I had enough for two attempts; the first one didn't take" she said sarcastically.
"I was fourteen when it was taken, it's not like I had a lover back then, hell masturbation was a big deal at the time" he said defensively.
"Oh my goddess, I keep forgetting how young you were when forced into your role. That's horrible. You should have been playing video games, not war" Tifa said, aghast at the idea and suddenly shocked at who must have demanded the sample from him.
"It wasn't that bad" he said, trying not to blush at the memory of the bare breasted nurse Hojo had hired to "milk" him, his fourteen-year-old self had certainly approved, hence the abundance of the sample.
"But for them to have done that to you" she said.
"For your information, I this is why I never wanted children because I never wished what I had experienced on anyone else, let alone an offspring of myself that...that could be taken by law from its mother and... just" and Sephiroth fizzled out as if all the words had just run out. Tifa knew though. She knew that Hojo could have the child or children taken away from their mother, from HIM, and experimented on because he, himself was thought of as a "it", a project, a specimen and NOTHING more.
Before Sephiroth could move, her arms were around him and his own dangled limply in shock that someone would dare to touch him without his permission, yet it felt good as her belly was nestled against his own and her hair smelled of strawberries, she was so petite he realized. When fully dressed, how she held herself gave the illusion height but standing so close to him, she barely came up to his shoulder. "Sephiroth, it must have been so horrible for you" she said with so much grief in her voice that he stiffened up.
"I don't need nor want your sympathy, what was done is done, hence the necessity of why we are together, the children shall be protected" he coldly said and pushed her away with as much force as he dared. "I'm stronger for enduring what I did. Now unless you want your first sight of a naked man to be right now, I suggest you leave and let me get ready for the office" he said.
"Can I fix you some breakfast?" She asked him.
He was rather surprised by her offer, considering he had just come home after staying all night long at his lover's place and she knew this, yet still wanted to tend to his needs.
"I thought you were too busy making Mark breakfast. The hired help does not expect such privileges" he chided her.
"He's a nice man and he was hungry, it doesn't hurt to be kind to people, it doesn't cost anything" she said in her defense and left.
He joined her. "I don't expect you to cater to me. I shall be home as my schedule permits but don't depend on me for company. Find things to do, take a college course, run your bar, entertain your friends, and well perhaps not here, the place is kind of small" he suggested.
"I'm allowed to see my friends?" She asked him.
"Of course, as I said, I'm not a monster. I'm sure there will be consequences for what we did yesterday and many shall disapprove, but I have you to witness the fact that you did this of your own free will to them. I'm sure we shall all be able to reach a compromise given time and I was even thinking of asking Vincent to be legal guardian of the children should something happen to us" Sephiroth said.
"Why Vincent?" She asked him.
"He's an honorable man that I remember from my own childhood, has longevity on his side and also suffered at the hands of Hojo, so would be all the more motived to keep them safe" he said.
"I approve" she said.
"Okay, I must go. When the realtor calls me, I shall have him get in touch with you. Make a list of the features you want in a home and let him know price is no limit, I can pay cash for your dream house. I shall ask you to pick where we are to live and decorate it, I suspect my taste in decorating a home is lacking" he said looking around his sparsely furnished condo then focusing back on Tifa with those blue-green cat eyes.
"Just how much money do you have" she asked him.
"You're married to a wealthy man. Don't let this place fool you, I don't need much when it comes to shelter, but it won't suit us and I realize that" he said looking around.
"Are you still going to continue seeing... your lover?" She asked him.
"Yes, until she no longer suits me. Have a good day" he said, sweeping from the room without a backwards glance.
Sephiroth could feel all eyes on him as he stepped into the office, he was positive that everyone knew that he had gotten married and seemed frozen in shock at the hickey on his neck that indicated a more passionate nature than anyone remotely thought him capable of. His face was perfectly neutral and all he did was nod politely to his coworkers and then stepped into his own office. He could hear snickers on the other side of the door and actually gave a slight chuckle and smiled himself from inside the safety of his office.
Tifa sat down, conflicted about their conversation. It seemed at some points like they had established a connection, only for him to turn into an iceberg once again. She wasn't sure if she felt sad or relieved that he didn't expect sex from her, but was wildly uncomfortable at the idea that there was another person in their marriage, sham or not. Technically he was cheating, but at the same time, she really had no claim on him. She pulled herself together and texted her friends to tell them to meet her at the bar in an hour. It was time to face the music.
As soon as Sephiroth sat down to start the piled high paperwork, one Zachary Fair snuck into the room and plopped down into his favorite chair across from his friend, firmly crossing his legs and putting his booted feet on the edge of the desk, grinning from ear to ear like an idiot.
Sephiroth had started his work, used to Zach's antics and while trying to be serious, but not looking up stated, "Zachary, how many times have I asked, that you at least keep your feet off my desk if you must barge into my office? "with no real heat and his lips doing their hardest not to smirk.
Aerith apparently knew that he would be alone and seek some sort of familiarity with his revival, so she'd sacrificed her love of Zachary and sent him as well as a sort of "living, breathing consciousness" or moral compass for Sephiroth when he struggled with the darkness and sadness, which he still did. Zach had protested leaving her in the Lifestream alone but all she had did; was promise they would see each other again but in "different shades of light".
With a kiss to Zach's forehead, all thoughts of their shared love were erased from him, only to be rewritten as her being his one true best female friend. With that, he was rising and rising and suddenly found himself on a cliff just outside of a thoroughly decimated Midgar with Sephiroth patiently waiting for him, as if he knew this would happen. It seemed after a quite lengthy conversation, Sephiroth did know what was going on, when in time it was, and how he'd had died.
Sephiroth had had a curious look on his face when Zachary regaled his memories and Aerith was thought of as only a best friend, but never moved to correct that detail, knowing that Aerith worked in strange ways. It made him strangely saddened that she'd removed those deep feelings from him, purposefully downgrading her worth, just so Zach wouldn't have struggled to stay with her.
Back to the present day, Zach bounded out of his chair and dead weight lifted Sephiroth into a bone crushing hug. Sephiroth was as stony as they came, but then slightly relaxed as the man placed him back on his feet and his casually patted Zach's back like the excitable puppy he was.
"Aw man, why didn't you tell me? I could totally have been your best man! Congratulations though, she's a looker and I know that she will make you a good wife, man" Zach spoke about Tifa, reminiscing about when they had dated, but Sephiroth didn't know that.
They both sat back down as they had been before Zach's show of affection, that Sephiroth was used to at times that normally warranted it.
As Sephiroth went about his paperwork again, he spoke to Zach. "Since you are my friend, I will take your praise and compliment for the occasion, though it is a front. Had it been a real wedding, I am more than positive that you would have been in the role you sought."
Zachary was confused and Sephiroth had began to tell him all that had transpired and led to his impromptu wedding. Sephiroth even told him he planned on living as he had before marriage, still taking his mistresses and the like. When Sephiroth sensed killing intent not from his own person, his head shot up to land on Zachary Fair's violet blue eyes. Sephiroth had NEVER saw Zachary as he appeared now and his face actually cowed him for a moment.
"So let me understand", Zach began, as at some point where his feet had rested, he stood before the desk, arms braced in that very place.
"Because of a mistake that I will agree was dangerous, not well thought out and based on the heart that can be treacherous, you married Tifa Lockhart, and plan to still play the field like some perpetual bachelor? Sir, Seph, as my friend; don't you think that's the pot calling the kettle black? Tifa made a colossal mistake, but the rules have changed. There are children involved. Yes, they are not born yet, you forcibly made her marry you only to treat her like this? Stress…stress for her and stress directly transferred to them. They are hurting and haven't been born yet." Zach finished looking at his superior and totally misguided friend who'd stop moving behind his desk.
See this is why he didn't WANT children and the whole process involved. He narrowed his eyes at Zach's tirade and spoke "You are out of line First Class Zachary Fair, I could have you court- "only to be interrupted.
"Go ahead and see how well that flies over Sephiroth. She's one of the freedom fighters that put you down not once, but twice. She even went head to head with you in Nibelhiem. . . Yeah I remember. Remember how you almost cut her in two?" Zach had sat back in his chair, arms crossed across his chest staring at Sephiroth for him to dare. He'd been dating her for awhile then, her cute cowgirl outfit on, bloodied by Masamune's wrath.
Sephiroth wanted to be outraged by this whole turn of events but he knew Tifa in her own way, had her own clout in their world. She and her band of misfits had bested him twice before Aerith sent him back with his act together. Yes, she has stolen government property but one really looking could see that it was out of the heart's despair. She had given Cloud Strife everything and gotten nothing in return and her blinding love had clouded her judgement, its just unfortunate that she's carrying Sephiroth's children. He knew he didn't have to marry Tifa, yet something inside him had said to. They could have just as easily worked out a custody agreement for the children. No, he'd uprooted her from her life, forced her to tell her friends, and while he played single and live with him. That was not a conducive environment for anyone, let alone children.
Sephiroth thought all this in a span of a minute in his mind. Zachary was right. He'd would have to try or this would end badly. He decided that he would not see Scarlet going forward. He knew he couldn't have sex with Tifa for his roughness, so he would persevere.
Sephiroth was slightly startled out of his inner musings by Zach.
"Hello to Sephiroth! Did I get through to you or are you gonna be bitchy about this? Tifa can be your world, ice prince…trust me, I know" Zach said with a smile to Sephiroth, while Sephiroth wondered about his wording somewhat. It seemed that he was to be truly the family man.
Tifa had just gotten out of the chauffeured car feeling so much older than she was.
Her friends, sans Vincent, Nanaki, and Yuffie, took it horribly. They just couldn't understand why'd she'd chose to carry "those abominations" and didn't she know who the father was, and despite him "changing" he couldn't be trusted.
Another, Barrett, simply just said he was disappointed that she hadn't said it was this bad, that she simply felt she HAD to carry someone's children, that hadn't shown her an ounce of that same love back.
Above all the yelling from Cid and Cloud's still apparent absence, that hurt her the most. She couldn't control it then and she'd cried as she had every single day since this all came to light. Vincent had helped her to sit and had glared something unholy at both of the caterwauling men, until they left for good, leaving Yuffie sad for her friend's choices, but excited about the babies. She knew that Sephiroth was beautiful, so there were no problems there. Maybe one would come out looking like Vincent, since Sephiroth looked like him, all angles and Tifa had the burgundy eyes and dark hair. It wouldn't be spot on, but it would be cute and she would dub it "baby Vince".
Vincent, ever the gentleman, was tending to her and making sure she was okay, which was at odds with his always stern face that caused a watery giggle from Tifa. Vincent's eyebrows lifted as he looked at her asking, "Are you well?"with his deep gravelly voice, to her perplexing action. Nanaki was bumping his head against her legs and she reached to scratch the lion-like creature. She knew that Barrett and Cid would come around, they just needed time.
After she'd sufficiently calmed to Vincent's liking, she hugged Yuffie and gave Vincent a small kiss on the smooth pale skin of his cheek, that oddly enough looked like it was blushing slightly. Vincent helped her to the waiting vehicle and they were on their way.
Before talking to her friends, she'd found this land right outside of Edge, crazier still, her dream house's blueprint on the internet. She'd talked to the man at like 9am the day before and him saying it would have it all taken care of. She'd stayed in her small apartment upstairs to allow her friends to get there, hoping Cloud would come as well, but it didn't happen. Now she noticed that the driver was going the opposite direction of their condominium.
She'd pressed the intercom button to inquire where they were going and he simply said with a laugh "your new home".
New home? He couldn't mean that home? That had been less than a day and a couple hours…
Yet there they were driving up to the very house she'd talked about, complete and…and there on that land she'd talked about! What did they do, empty out Edge's builders to build this house in a day? The power of the name Sephiroth, she thought sadly.
She jumped out before the driver could get to her and a housemaid answered! What the actual fuck? She went through the house finding it just like the blueprints. She'd made a list for furniture the first night she'd stayed at Sephiroth's desolate condominium. Every stitch of furniture was there. She touched her stomach thinking about the boy's room and headed to their rooms. There, in front of her, was each baby's room made how she'd had only dreamed that they could look. Tears sprung to her eyes as she saw the bassinet and wallpaper and the toddler bed in each, with a rocking chair for her. She touched the soft terry cloth stuffed animals and just cried. She then headed for what was to be her room.
It was beautiful. It had a four poster king size bed with two bassinets for the boys should she wish to keep them with her at night and another oversized upholstered rocking chair by the hearth of the fireplace. Her master bath was across from it all and the bathroom had French doors that lead to the backyard that had a large swimming pool and hot tub.
Tifa just sat down on the edge of the bed thoroughly overwhelmed, but enjoying this after the day she'd had.
She knew she had no right to snoop, but she was curious about Sephiroth's room, knowing that the man would have talked to the realtor as well, if nothing but for the financial aspects. She crept down the hallway, passing some of the servants until she reached his room. Slowly, as if he'd jump out from somewhere, she entered.
It was gorgeous. Though the room was dark wood and black, it had splashes of the Orient everywhere. Cherry blossoms, even on the katana that rested above his dark platform bed. A large tatami mat acted as an accent rug, the fireplace in his room looked like it was from nature. The attached bathroom was a fucking man made hot spring surrounded by flowers and plants. The French doors in his also led to the backyard, his more accessible to an apparent dojo they had as well. He was ostentatious even when not here. He definitely left his mark. As she was coming out, she smacked into something that smelled of leather and vanilla and had a pale chest and…. oh hell.
"I see you've saw all of the house. Does it meet your standards? "Sephiroth asked in that low, sensuous voice.
Did it meet her standards? Was he still crazy? A mansion, complete with servants and utilities all built and ready to go in 24 hours?
What instead came out was "Sephiroth, did you use a mastered time materia and build this house yourself, because…24 hours? "Tifa struggled with her words.
"Eloquent and ever astute, Tifa. No, I am not a builder but there are many ex-SOLDIERS that now are and are excellent with mastered materia, in this instance 50 I believe and paid handsomely for such wonderful work, would you not agree? "he teased.
"Yes…thank you" Tifa said shocking Sephiroth with her thankfulness.
"Nothing to be thankful for, you are my wife and carry my sons, it is as it should be" and after seeing her face so elated and thankful, he tentatively reached up with his gloved hand and rubbed his fingers lightly against her face, she instinctively followed the warmth of his hand.
He took in what he was doing and withdrew from her as if she had burned him and turning about face, he walked out the room and towards the kitchen, leaving a bewildered Tifa there to touch her cheek where his large hand had just been.