"Excuse me miss, I've been waiting a long time to meet you"

Startled you tried to keep up a poker face and knowing that you have the literal worst poker face you didn't face them, "excuse my suspicion but why wait until my friends are away?" You asked.

"Your friends are intimidating" he replied. You caught a glimpse of the man in one of the vodka bottles, you recognized him as the man in his late 30's the one that had skeeved you out for no apparent reason.

"What can I do for you?" You asked as you turned around, you caught a glimpse of Tifa, she was in the middle of a story with some mechanics from Pop's, she'd be occupied for a while.

"Well I hear you're looking to start a clinic here in Edge"

"You heard correct," you replied. "Why have you been waiting to meet me?"

The man's jaw twitched, he didn't think this through, you read his body language like a book, he was nervous and clearly had no interest in your plans for a clinic. He had brown eyes and dark hair that had started to grey. He may have been attractive some years ago but it seems years of alcohol abuse gave him a beer belly and you assumed a weak liver.

"Autumn?" Cloud said from behind you, you could hear his heavy footfalls as he approached. "Who's that?"

"I'm not sure" you turned to Cloud, his hair was damp but still perfectly gravity defying. "Is there something I can help you with?" You asked turning back to the man.

As Cloud took a seat next to you, the man eyed him carefully. "I guess not" he mumbled as he nervously tapped his fingers against his legs, it was then that you noticed a tattoo on his forearm, it was messy, definitely not the work of a professional and it read 'Adaline.' "Sorry to have bothered you," he said and began to turn away.

"Hold on" you said suddenly, connecting the pieces. Cloud glanced over giving you a confused look, but you ignored it. "You're Damon Everhart"

"Everhart?" Cloud mumbled more to himself, "I think there was a family in Nibelheim"

"What gave it away?" The man asked curiously.

"You have my mother's name tattooed on your arm," you told him. Your mouth felt dry, your chest hollow. "You should probably go" you told him before turning back around.

"What's going on?" Cloud asked eyebrows knit together in confusion. You could see his biceps twitching as he tensed.

"My mother only told me a few things about my father, that he wasn't ready to be a dad, that he had her name tattooed on his arm, his name is Damon Everhart and he's from Nibelheim" you said bitterly as you took a sip of your French martini. Cloud was caught pretty off guard he definitely wasn't expecting to meet your biological father let alone your response to it.

"So you've figured it out" Damon said, "I was hoping we could talk, get to know each other, maybe make up for lost time.." he rambled on as he approached again. Cloud was tense, you knew he was waiting for Damon to make one wrong move.

"Not interested" you said simply feeling empty. Why find you now?

"What?" He gasped in disbelief, his face contorted into a frown.

"I never really understood why we would go to Nibelheim so much when I was little, but it makes sense now," you figured out. "Mom was trying to get you to meet me, right?" You asked.

Damon sighed. "Yes" you weren't sure if he was ashamed or uneasy.

"Then I think you should go," you told him looking away. You weren't sure how to feel. Your life had always been filled with so much love, and you never really cared who your biological father was, but now that he's standing in front of you, it only made you miss your mom and Zander.

"Don't you want to get to know your dad?" He asked.

"I had a dad, his name was Zander Hewley," thoughts of the man who helped to raise you as his own flooded your memories. Zander really was a great father to you. Even Vincent was more of a father figure to you than Damon ever could be.

"I know I wasn't there for you or your mom but I'm here now. You don't have any family left, we should stick together."

You blinked a few times, unsure what to say, what to feel, most people would be angry but you felt like crying or punching you weren't sure. Maybe both? And the nerve, he knows nothing of your life, you have a family, it's a bit weird but they're still your family. Cloud placed a hand on yours in an attempt to comfort you. As if on cue the door to the bar flew open and all the kids ran in. Riley ran straight to you completely unaware of the tense atmosphere, followed by Skylar, Marlene and Denzel, all excited to chatter about their trip. Riley jumped into your arms as he usually does nearly making you lose your balance. Cloud wrapped an arm around your waist to help steady you.

"Oh kiddo you're getting too big for this" you laughed as Riley released you. He started chattering to you and Cloud about riding the chocobos.

"That one, is he yours?" Damon asked, pointing to Riley. You ignored him.

"Who is that?" Riley asked, noticing Damon for the first time.

"We'll talk later" you told him, then turned to Cloud, " can you take them into the kitchen? we made some cupcakes for them"

Cloud gave you a look, he wasn't sure what you're doing and he clearly does not like this situation but trusts you. "By we? You mean you right? Tifa can't bake." Cloud said bluntly.

"Yes Cloud, I made them, and take Cid and Barret with you". Cloud really did not like that, but you gave him a look and he begrudgingly complied. Once they were out of sight you glanced over to Tifa, she was still in the middle of her story, she'd be occupied for a while.

"He's got to be like eight, you were younger than your mom was. Do you even know how irresponsible that is" Damon scolded you.

"Can you stop making assumptions" you asked, turning to face him, you were losing your temper. You took a deep breath. "That's Riley Hewley, my little brother." You could tell that struck several nerves with Damon, either because he made a wrong assumption or because your mom had a kid with someone else. You sighed, "Look I don't know why you're here but you come in here after 21 years and start judging my life, assuming you can make up for lost time but did you ever wonder if I wanted that?" You asked. Damon stayed silent. " When I was little I used to wonder why my dad wasn't around, but I stopped caring because mom always made sure my life was filled with love, I had Zander, Angeal, Genesis and Vincent in my life, I accepted that you didn't want to meet me a long time ago and i was ok with that"

"I wasn't ready to be a dad."

"And mom wasn't ready to be a mom but she was the best"

"I had so much to lose, it's complicated."

"You made your choice, you have to live with it"

~The past~

Terrified, your future seemed so uncertain as you stared at the pregnancy test on the counter. You were only sixteen, there's so much you wanted to do, places to see, how would you get into medical school. Taking a deep breath you tried to calm your nerves. You had to find Damon, he loves you, you knew he wouldn't be happy but at least you'd have each other.

Pulling yourself up from the cold bathroom floor, you took a deep breath in an attempt to calm yourself.

Snatching the pregnancy test off the counter, you figured the best place to hide it was in your room.

It was still pretty early, maybe a little after breakfast time. You wandered downstairs and tried to sneak past your parents. Mom was making some eggs while Dad sat at the table drinking his morning coffee as your little sisters Mandy and Helena were eating their breakfast. You had almost made it out of the house when you heard your dad.

"Adaline where are you going?" You dad asked, his voice was warm.

"Oh I was going to head over to Damon's we were supposed to go on a hike today" you replied stepping back into the kitchen. It wasn't a total lie.

"Aren't you going to have breakfast first?" Mom asked.

"Mrs. Everhart was going to make us breakfast" you told them.

"Well have fun" Dad said going back to his coffee.

"Don't get home too late" mom reminded you.

As you closed the front door behind you,you released a breath you didn't even realize you were holding in. It was a beautiful bright sunny day, but you couldn't appreciate it, you were far too nervous. You hadn't wanted to admit it but you hadn't gotten your period in 2 months and you've been waking up with morning sickness for the last week and half. The positive pregnancy test just confirmed what you already knew.

"Good morning Adaline, are you looking to join the dojo?"

"No thanks Mr. Lockhart, how's your wife and little Tifa?" You asked.

"They're good. Tifa is getting really talkative now, you'll have to babysit for us sometime" he replied.

You nodded in agreement before continuing on to your destination. As you approached the front door you took another deep breath. After knocking it seemed like an eternity passed before the door opened.

"Hey babe, are you ready for the hike?" Damon asked as he ushered you into the house.

"Yeah" you mumbled. "Hey can we talk?" You asked him

"Yeah yeah, let's just get going" he said as he led you around the kitchen, gathering food and water and throwing them into his backpack.

"Damon," you tried to get his attention.

" You ate breakfast right?" He asked but didn't wait for your answer. "Let's get going" he said as he practically dragged you out of the house.

"Damon slow down" you told him as you nearly stumbled.

"What?" He asked curiously.

"We need to talk" you told him as you dusted yourself off. By now you were just outside the town in the fields on the way to Mt Nibel.

"Hey what's wrong?" Damon asked after a moment. His tone had changed, it was full of concern. You were getting nervous, how would you tell him, the mere thought terrified you. "Babe, what's wrong? Come here you can tell me anything" he tried to calm you as he pulled you into his arms.

You absently bit your lip as you tried to figure out how to tell him. He held you for several moments before you decided to just be blunt about it. You took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant"

the present~

(Cloud)

You were frustrated that Autumn had sent you away, you just wanted to be there for her. You had already told Cid and Barret what little information you knew.

"I'm sure Missy has a good reason for it" Cid stated.

"It doesn't make sense man, deadbeat comes out of nowhere twenty years later" Barret said as he crossed his arms.

"I'm going out there" you said. You'd deal with Autumn's wrath later, there's no way you're leaving her unprotected.

"She's not gonna like that" Marlene chimed in. Which caused all three adults in the room to turn their attention to the troublemaking tween. "You should send me out, I'll make sure everything is ok and if it is we leave Autumn alone and if she's not I can run and get you" Marlene suggested.

"Or we can trust my sister," Riley added, crossing his arms.

"I trust Autumn" you said automatically. "I don't trust Damon"

"Well he is her dad, maybe he has good intentions" Denzel reasoned.

"No way! Cloud you gotta save Autumn" Skylar gasped suddenly in a panic. "They only hurt, parents only care when it's convenient" she mumbled.

You frowned, Skylar's still dealing with so much. You gave a look to Riley who instantly knew what you meant. He motioned for Denzel who nodded and the two boys began comforting their friend. They convinced her to go upstairs to play. Marlene stayed back.

You sighed knowing that Marlene was going to get her way.

~the past~

You could feel tears in your eyes but you refused to let them fall. It was only this morning that you told Damon about the pregnancy and now you and Damon are sitting in your living room in silence as your parents argued about your future. You glanced at Damon, his face was in his hands, he's been like that for a while.

You absently bit your lip, when you told Damon this morning he freaked out. First he was shocked, then he was angry, the names he called you... you didn't want to think about it. Yesterday he loved you but today you weren't so sure. He yelled at you that you should have been more prepared, you knew the risks. You were thinking about going to school to be a gynecologist but were leaning towards becoming a general practitioner. You hated that you felt like he was blaming you. You felt stupid for thinking this wouldn't happen.

You were about to speak, you needed to know what Damon was thinking because right now you're scared and lonely and you desperately needed support, but you were startled into silence when you heard a door slam. Seconds later Mr. and Mrs. Everhart stormed into the room, they refused to even look in your direction.

"Get up we're leaving" Mr. Everhart snapped as he ushered Mrs. Everhart out of the house.

Without a word Damon stood and headed towards the door.

"Damon?" You asked quietly.

He looked you, eyes puffy and red, he was about to speak when you heard his parents calling him. He sighed, "tomorrow, I can't deal with this right now" before he left the house.

You wiped your eyes, still refusing to let the tears fall. Just when you thought you'd have a few moments alone your parents walked in. They both looked exhausted and angry. Your mom sat across from you while your dad stood.

"Well what do you have to say for yourself?" Your dad asked. You just bit your lip. Your dad pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"We thought you were smarter than this" your mom reasoned.

"Everyone is acting like it's just going to go away" you mumbled in frustration.

Then pissed your dad off. "Oh yes it is" he snapped.

Your eyes narrowed, doing the math in your head quickly- you were about 6-8 weeks along- before speaking "unless you mean in roughly seven months plus eighteen years, I don't like where this is going" you said.

"You didn't think you were going to keep it" your mom said at the same time your dad said "oh no you're not throwing away your life"

You were shocked, you weren't sure what the future would hold but you're healthy and strong, you made a mistake and you're scared now but you were going to accept all of your new responsibilities. You paused a moment collecting your thoughts. "Mom, Dad, I know I messed up but I'm going to keep this kid"

"Oh no you aren't, and you'd be throwing your life away"

"What about medical school"

"I can still go to medical school," you told them. " Theirs scholarships and.." you were cut off.

" You can't with a kid, medical school is a huge undertaking, you won't be able to be a parent and go to medical school" your mom reasoned.

"I've always wanted to go to medical school" you snapped. "I'm going to be a doctor."

"Then it's settled," your dad said.

"Wait what?" You questioned.

"You're getting an abortion"

"No way!"

"Theirs adoption, I hear people in Midgar pay, they may be willing to pay for medical school!"

"Stop!" You screamed. " I'm keeping this baby"

"Not if you stay under this roof" your dad snapped.

"You'll really kick me out if I keep the baby?" You asked almost timidly but there was a certain venom with your tone.

"Adaline Rose Knight, you go up to your room this instant and tomorrow we're leaving for Junron. Within a week this will be all over and we can get back to normal"

Without a word you stood up and headed for the front door. You felt a numb, you knew your parents were yelling for you to stop but you wouldn't listen.

"If you walk out that door don't even think about coming back"

"I'm keeping this baby" you said without turning around.

"Then get out of my house"

Without another word you walked out into the night.

present~

"Why now?" You asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Damon asked, genuinely confused.

"Why now?" You asked again, "you had 21 years to meet me, why did you pick now?".

Damon stayed silent for an uncomfortably long period of time before finally speaking. "I found out that Adaline passed…" he trailed off. You weren't sure how to respond to that.

You felt a tug at your shirt, you turned to see Marlene waiting with arms crossed. "Marlene?" You asked, she's definitely up to something.

"Cloud, Cid and papa Barrett are arguing about if you're ok being alone with this guy or if they should kick him out" Marlene said bluntly. You frowned a moment, but before you could speak Marlene continued. "I think they're just worried about you and have trouble expressing their feelings unless it's with their fists"

Her response surprised you but you couldn't help but laugh. You did feel bad about just sending Cloud away, you just weren't sure how to feel.

"Should I tell Cloud you have everything handled?" She asked.

"Yes" you told her. "And he doesn't have to stay away."

Marlene nodded and was about to run off when she turned and said, "I'll make sure he knows how sorry you are"

"Thanks kiddo," you said as she ran off, then you turned back to Damon. He seemed to be lost in thought, you still weren't sure what to say to him.

"I know I wasn't there for her, but news of Adaline's death hit me really hard."

"How did you even find out, we stopped going to Nibelheim when I was a kid, the Hazelton incident was three years ago."

"I moved to Midgar about 15 years ago" he started." That lined up with when you stopped going to Neiblheim. "I was living on the outskirts of the sector 7 slums. I thought I was down then but then I started working for a slimeball by the name of don Coreno."

By now Cloud had taken a seat next to you, trying not to look intimidating. You gave him a smile and reached for his hand as you continued to listen to Damon's story.

"That was about as low as it got. Conero's empire collapsed after some trouble makers, some crazy Eco terrorists i think, humiliated him and then the upper plate fell on the sector 7 slums shortly after." Once eco terrorists were mentioned, you could feel Cloud tense, you half wondered if that had something to do with the crossdressing story Tifa and Barret told you. "I took that as my cue to leave. I realized I made too many mistakes in my life, I wanted to make something right so I went to Hazelton.." he trailed off again with a far off look in his eyes.

You took a shallow breath as you remembered the flames, the screams and just how quickly your whole life changed. You lost your train of thought when you felt Cloud brush a stray tear away from your face, it always surprised you how gentle his touch is. You gave him a small smile before the sound of Damon's voice caught your attention.

"I had heard what happened to Nibelheim and the reactor but I never heard about Hazelton… I'd missed her. I think a part of me still held hope that Adaline would wait for me…" tears were trailing down his face as Damon lost control of his emotions. "Walking around your town and the houses…" he trailed off losing his train of thought. "Was she happy?'" he asked you.

You put a hand on Damon's, "I think she was. Mom always had a little bit of sadness behind each smile but she made sure my life was filled with love, as I got older that saddess seemed to go away." You remembered how so many nights of your early childhood was spent in juonon with Dr. Winters babysitting you, as your mom worked on her medical degree. So many of those nights your mom spent crying but she always made sure you were taken care of no matter how stressed and upset she was. Things started to change for the better once Zander came into her life.

Damon composed himself and you removed your hand. Almost instantly Cloud grabbed it. You gave him a look but he just shrugged.

"What type of guy was this Zander Hewley?" Damon asked suddenly, he seemed pretty jealous.

You were a bit uneasy talking about Zander to your biological father. Damon must have sensed your unease.

"He treated Adaline well?" He changed his question.

"Yes" you told him, "Zander really loved mom, he treated her like a queen, he waited patiently for mom to.." you paused a moment choosing your next words carefully. "Well he waited for mom to get over you, it wasn't love at first sight but she grew to love him."

Damon nodded thoughtfully, you could tell he was hurt. "This Zander, was he good to you?"

"From the moment he came into town, Zander was always good to me, he really was a father to me" you told him. You were about to speak again to fill the awkward silence when you heard the door swing open, within a matter of seconds a crimson blur obstructed your vision as Damon was thrown to the floor and you were pulled into Cloud's arms.

You blinked a few times trying to make sense of what just happened. Vincent now stood between you and Damon.

Cloud was holding you just a little too tight, you could tell he was worried, from this breathing you thought his PTSD may have been triggered. You looked up at him and whispered "it's ok Cloud" as you squeezed his hand showing that you're ok. That seemed to work because a few moments later Cloud loosened his grip as his breathing returned to normal.

"Why are you here?" Vincent asked his full attention on Damon.

"Who are you?" Damon asked completely confused as he rubbed his head, he must have hit it when he was thrown to the ground.

"Vincent what are you doing?" You asked, pulling away from Cloud.

Vincent turned his attention to you, "I've been tracking him"

"Vinny you know I love you dearly but I cannot deal with you being cryptic about this" you sighed in frustration.

Vincent looked between you and Damon before speaking, "I wanted to protect you" realizing that his answer was still rather cryptic he added, "at least until I knew his motive."

"I wanted to meet my daughter" Damon finally spoke up.

"Vinny I know you're very protective of me but I think he's harmless" you told him, you still aren't sure how you feel about this but Damon has been pretty honest with you and if anything you pity the poor shell of a man..

Vincent turned his attention back to Damon and raised his clawed hand as if it was a threat. "Explain why you met with Ryan" Vincent ordered.