Chapter 30: Shadows Of The Past

A/N: Rated M for language.

Oy, a lot of you did NOT like that last chapter. I forgot how poorly I handle even mildly negative reviews. Guess it's a good thing the beginning of the end is coming soon.

Chapter 30:

Tifa was putting her panties back on and asking herself why she kept letting her first sexual encounters with men take place outside. She at least wouldn't let this one be a repeat of her and Cloud under the Highwind when everyone watched. Though she was exhausted after burning so many calories with Reno, she refused to fall asleep with him in the forest. The others might get suspicious if they woke up and discovered she and the loudmouth Turk were gone.

Reno watched her dress with a rueful smile on his face, hating to see her wearing clothes. He couldn't read her expression, but worried she was immediately regretting what had happened between them.

"You worried the others'll find us?" he asked, in no mood to get dressed or part from Tifa.

"Yeah," she said as she pulled on her tank top. She was still wearing just her panties below. Reno made a mental note of this particular look. "I don't want to get caught again."

Shit, she hadn't meant to say "again," and froze for a moment, hoping Reno would connect it to back when Rude saw them in Junon.

"They're asleep, babe."

"If we stay out here, they could wake up before us and wonder where they are."

"Let 'em wonder," Reno said, getting to his feet just in case she hadn't had a clear view of his naked body whilst lying down. He closed the distance between them and regarded her darkly. "You're not having regrets, are ya?"

Tifa finished pulling up her pajama shorts and reached out to put a hand on his cheek. "Of course not, I just don't want to get caught."

She looked around briefly to make sure she hadn't brought anything with her. Reno reached for his boxer briefs to slip them on and again approached her, still unsure of her mood. He rubbed her arms and looked down into her eyes.

"An' don't worry about anything, yo, I'm fixed and clean." He figured Tifa would be concerned about that. He usually wore condoms when picking up whores – to protect himself, really – but with Tifa, well, the moment just swept him away.

Tifa looked up at him a little confused. "Fixed?"

Reno's cheeks flushed and he let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Don't want kids right now, seemed like a good idea."

"So, you want kids someday then?" Tifa asked with mock eagerness that was missed by Reno.

Reno again blushed and stammered. "I, uh, maybe, I dunno…" he scratched the back of his head. He wasn't exactly dad material, but no one can predict the future, right?

"Relax, cowboy, I was just teasing," Tifa said, smacking him on the chest with the back of her hand.

"Cowboy?" he asked as he stepped into his pants. "Oh, that reminds me, you still got that cowgirl outfit you wore in Nibelheim?"

Tifa froze. How the hell did Reno know about an outfit she wore seven years ago? Reno realized his mistake and offered a courtesy laugh.

"How did you…?" she asked suspiciously.

"I, uh, saw it in your file?" He was stuck now, might as well come clean.

"You… read my file?" She figured Shinra would have a file on her since she was a former leader of a terrorist organization, but she hadn't expected Reno to read it.

"Had to, yo," he said, casually waving his hand through the air. "Had to know who I was up against, yanno?"

The truth was he had only glanced at her file before dropping the plate on Sector 7. Hot, fights with her fists, member of AVALANCHE – what else did he need to know?

He hadn't actually read the whole damn thing a dozen times until after he kissed her for the first time. He read the reports from the Turks who had been in Nibelheim at the time of the incident and saw the picture of Tifa, Zack, and Sephiroth taken before the latter went crazy.

"Uh huh," Tifa wasn't convinced, but didn't feel like fighting him on it.

"I'm gonna head back," she told him. "You should wait a few minutes before following."

Reno grabbed her to steal one more kiss before pulling back and saluting. "Yes ma'am."

She giggled and started walking back toward Aeris' lake.

Reno watched her walk alone through the woods and reached his hands behind his head, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He had been with women who were good in bed – great in bed – or who were good at particular things, or who were just good enough for him to get off. But he couldn't remember a time when he had actually felt during sex like he had with Tifa. He had always enjoyed sex, but that last encounter was on a whole other level. It suddenly felt like every other sexual encounter he ever had was just mediocre, like he had finally had good sex.

He knew that wasn't right. He'd had good sex before, great sex before. He was good at it, and a lot of the women he bedded were also good. Tifa, however, put them all to shame. It was like her body was made for his.

Hearing her scream his name was the prize he had been waiting for. If he could somehow make that scream into a trophy, he would proudly display it on his coffee table at home. He could almost hear it now…

Wait, Tifa actually just screamed. Reno took off running toward the sound of her voice, taking several thin branches to the face and chest as he darted through the forest. Some of his scratches were already drawing blood when he found her crumpled on the shore of the small lake clutching her head.

"Tifa!" he called as he rushed to her, falling to his knees beside her and picking her up into his arms. "What's wrong?"

Tifa's eyes were scrunched closed and she was covering her ears. Her head sounded like the inside of a crowded stadium, with loud screams and murmurs but she couldn't understand anything being said. It felt like there were people in her head, banging on the walls to get out. She wondered if this is what Aeris heard all the time and how she could stand it.

"Make it stop!" she yelled. "I don't understand!"

"What? What don't you understand?" Reno asked her, cradling her in his slender arms and rocking her gently.

"Aeris, please, stop! It hurts!"

Reno looked around but saw no sign of the dead Ancient. Having no idea what else to do, he picked Tifa up off the ground and carried her into the shell house and down the glass stairs. As they descended, her screams subsided into whimpers. Reno set her down on the stone bench in the small room with the secret passage as she regained her composure.

"What was that?" Reno asked with deep concern, kneeling in front of her.

Tifa placed a hand on her head, even though it didn't hurt anymore, and winced.

"I…I don't know," she said. "When I got back to the lake, it was like Aeris was screaming at me, but I still don't know what she's saying."

"It's better now though?" Reno asked, cupping her cheek in his hand. Not exactly the reaction he wanted from a woman so soon after sex with him.

"Sort of, now it's just that feeling that I need to leave."

"I can fly you home."

"No, no. I want to stay and help."

"That's my girl," Reno said with a tap on her cheek, which Tifa did not really appreciate.

He stood up and offered her his hand. She accepted.

"If it gets bad, yo, let me know," he said, pulling her in for one last hug before they needed to get back to the others.

Tifa nodded and pulled away from him to slide down the secret chute. She figured it was safer not to wait for the Turk and headed back to the room she was sharing with Yuffie. The young ninja was still fast asleep when Tifa entered the room and returned to the bed on which she had been sleeping. The two women had found a preserved bedroom up the grand staircase. The beds were undeniably comfortable, so comfortable, in fact, Tifa considered how she could get one home with her.

Sleep eluded her for a few hours as she struggled to process her encounter with Reno and what happened at Aeris' lake. The feeling that Aeris was trying to tell her something had been stronger near that lake, but it suddenly sounded like a chainsaw in her head after she slept with Reno. She hated that she couldn't have slept next to him after having sex. It cheapened the whole moment, she thought.

It was some of the hottest sex of her life, for sure, but she couldn't help but feel guilty. She was supposed to be helping her friends find information about Jenova, not screwing around with a former enemy. But Reno had really brightened her life in the past two months, and while sometimes she thought things had moved pretty fast between them, it didn't feel fast while it was happening.

Her mind turned, as it so often did, to Cloud. He may have literally left nearly two months ago, but it had felt like he had left her emotionally long before that. The headaches had been getting progressively worse and he was spending more time away from Tifa so she wouldn't see his pain. He stopped touching her, he stopped joking with her – he pretty much stopped being with her without an explanation. She couldn't forget that.

But if the headaches were really the Jenova cells acting up again…

She finally fell into a fitful sleep, waking a few hours later when Yuffie called her name.

"Hey sleepy head! Get up! I'm not looking through that library by myself!" the young ninja shouted in Tifa's ear.

Tifa stretched from her position lying down on the bed before sitting up with a yawn. Her hair was a mess atop her head – both from the rough sleep and Reno. Before Tifa could get up toward her belongings to get ready for the day, Yuffie gasped.

"Tifa? Is that… bark… in your hair?"

Tifa quickly reached up into her hair to retrieve the offending item. Goddammit. She threw the piece across the room quickly as if it had been some kind of insect.

"Oh, man, how long have I been walking around with that in my hair?" she asked to mask her embarrassment.

Yuffie seemed to be placated. "Must have fallen on you when we got here yesterday."

Tifa didn't really believe Yuffie could have gone all day not noticing tree bark in her hair but didn't want to put the younger woman on the right track.

"Y, yeah, must have," Tifa said sheepishly. Close one.

The women dressed and returned to the library to find Nanaki and Vincent already there. Just as in Cosmo Canyon, it seemed Vincent didn't sleep. Nanaki had just curled up in a corner and slept as needed.

Tifa looked around to see the Turks had not joined them yet. Nanaki turned immediately when the two women entered, his nose twitching almost violently. He recognized that smell. He had first smelled it on Cloud and Tifa after they came back aboard the Highwind that one time.

"Good morning, Yuffie, Tifa," Nanaki said, trying to hide the fact that he wanted to gag. "I think it might be best if we split up around the library, I'm going that way."

Without waiting for a response he galloped off to another corner of the room.

"What was that about?" Yuffie asked Tifa, who shrugged.

The two girls walked deeper into the room and split up to look around. Rude strolled in several minutes later, but it would be a couple hours before Reno showed his face. He swaggered in to the room and stood for a moment, basking in his own presence even as no one else regarded him. He wanted to walk up to Tifa just to see her blush, but knew he couldn't. What would he normally do the day after he had sex with a woman? Nothing, because he wouldn't be there the next day. Well, that didn't help. What if he had been there the next day? Ignore her, because he wouldn't have wanted to be there. That wouldn't work either.

He decided the best course of action in that moment was to go bother Rude, whose nose was buried in a book.

Nanaki's nose perked up again when Reno entered. The red beast whipped around and gagged when he realized Reno carried the same stench as Tifa. "Tifa, what have you done?" he asked himself, now having the answer to his question from the day before regarding why Tifa carried the same scent as the two Turks who had arrived with her. He suddenly realized that other than the previous week, he had not seen his friend in nearly a year. What had been going on in Edge? Could he have helped her?

He watched in disgust as Reno was shooed away by Rude before making his way toward Tifa and Yuffie. He saw Tifa blush and Reno seemingly tease Yuffie by placing a hand on her head to indicate how short she was. Humans were weird.

Nanaki scratched his nose with a paw and turned back to the books. They smelled much better.

"I'm gonna go see what's on the balcony," Yuffie told Tifa and Reno. She had wanted to climb up the day before, but she especially wanted to get away from the hot-headed Turk that seemed to hate her but have the hots for her friend.

"Don't die," Reno said sarcastically, prompting a sharp look from Tifa.

Yuffie was already trotting toward a spiral staircase but turned around to stick her tongue out at Reno.

"Need anything on a high shelf over here?" Reno asked Tifa coolly, trying to seem casual.

Tifa giggled at his lame attempt to be near her.

"I think I'm good," she said.

Reno shrugged and picked up a book nearby and pretended to read it. He thought the words had just blurred together before he realized – a few awkward minutes later – that he had been "reading" a book written in the ancient Cetra language.

"Good read?" Tifa asked, having recognized the strange characters on the book as soon as Reno picked it up. She had just watched him pretend to read it, smiling to herself. Reno made a face at her as he returned the book to the shelf.

"You know, you won't feel so superior if it turns out that book had all the answers," he quipped, sticking his tongue out at her.

Vincent hadn't been paying attention to what anyone else had been doing. Nanaki interested him in a sense, but he didn't see much need for human interaction. They needed answers and they wouldn't find them by talking. So, he stuck his nose in a book and hadn't stopped reading. He'd made good time searching through the shelves near the entrance, but only because most of them had been written in the ancient Cetra language. He now wished he had spent that 30 years in a coffin doing something useful, like learning that language instead of unsuccessfully trying to atone for his sins.

Rude had hoped he would be the one to find the necessary information. He wasn't cut out for this kind of work. Sure, he was no dummy, he had read the classics and enjoyed a good thriller once in a while, but history had never interested him. And the books in this library were either in a language he didn't understand or too dense to follow. At least Hojo's notes had been scratched in a contemporary dialect. These books were difficult to understand even when written in English. That also confused him. Why were some of the books in English?

Yuffie had a beautiful view from the balcony where she currently stood. Even the library in Wutai wasn't so magnificent. Not that she spent much time there anyway. Reading books about materia was nowhere near as interesting as finding it or using it.

She could see everyone from up here, too. Rude and Vincent were quietly, boringly reading. Yuffie made a face after watching each of them for a few seconds. Nanaki had been acting weird and was now as far away from everyone else as he could possibly get. While that was interesting, it was also boring, so Yuffie quickly turned her attention to Tifa and Reno. They were in their own little world. Tifa seemed to be trying to research, but Reno kept pestering her like a schoolboy with a crush. Yuffie was surprised he was so brazen with everyone else around. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could hear the occasional scoff or laugh as Reno would, say, take the book Tifa was reading and not give it back. He must have been a bully in high school.

She might as well look at the books while she was up there. She missed the days when their adventures required actual action – and materia. So far this time around she had spent more time in a library than she had throughout her entire life up until that point. Based on the progress they were making so far, she figured they'd be here a week unless someone found something sooner by chance. But when had chance ever been on their side?

Tifa rather welcomed Reno's interruptions because they took her mind off that sinking feeling of doom. She couldn't figure out why she seemed to be the only one feeling this way or thinking she could hear Aeris.

Nanaki, Vincent, and Yuffie had all been her friends, too. Tifa's head wasn't hurting anymore, it was more like a feeling in her gut several minutes before she had her panic attack. Except the panic attack wasn't coming. She kind of wished it would just come, because Reno had taught her how to handle it, and then she could be over and done with it and get back to helping everyone without issue.

She had thought Reno would be cold to her after she had given him what he'd wanted all along. She thought he'd ignore her all day – whether because he was done with her or to keep the others from suspecting anything – but he seemed to be flagrantly daring them to suspect. He was teasing her in an obviously flirtatious manner, and not even being quiet about it, considering they were in a library.

For his part, Reno was trying to be Reno as much as possible. He didn't know how to act in this situation because he had never been in this situation. He knew he must be driving Tifa crazy by sticking around her, but embarrassing himself and possibly letting everyone know there was something between them was a small price to pay to avoid reading through these boring old books.

A sudden shush from Nanaki brought him back to reality. He shrugged at Tifa and gave a sheepish smile before digging his hands in his pockets and slumping away. Tifa composed herself and returned to her reading. The task at hand seemed daunting, and she hoped someone would find something soon.

Reno cursed himself for drawing the red beast's attention. This isn't how he acted toward a woman after having sex with her. This isn't how he felt toward a woman after having sex with her. He had to get under control. He didn't like this version of himself, acting like some schoolboy with a crush? He had to retain his cool. He grabbed a book off a shelf and, first making sure it was in English, actually read it. He refused to turn back to look at Tifa, too worried the others – mainly Yuffie or that creature that was somehow not setting the books on fire with his tail – would think he'd gone soft. They were still members of AVALANCHE and he was still a Turk. They may be currently working together, but the animosity lingered. Reno considered this a temporary truce.

With Reno looking through a shelf somewhere behind her, Tifa could feel whatever it was that made her want to leave this place. It was stronger when he wasn't near her, but that was probably because he took her mind off of it rather than his presence alone. She fought to suppress or ignore the feeling as best she could. She could never get over the idea of needing to be the team's rock as she had been when they were chasing Sephiroth. She was counted on to make sure other people held up, even if she herself was struggling. It was easier back then when Cloud needed her, and she merely had a crush on him. Now she was with people who were all mentally strong, so no one needed her.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe the next book would have the answer.

Later…

By nightfall Tifa was ready to claw her hair out. Aeris was practically shoving her out of the Forgotten Capital and she didn't understand why. The butterflies in her stomach were starting to grow razor-sharp teeth and bite her insides. She sat up in her bed and tried to remember what Reno taught her about panic attacks. Yuffie was asleep and snoring, but it was the closest thing Tifa had to someone else's breathing, so she tried to match her breaths with the sounds emanating from the young ninja. She then focused on a point at the far end of the room. What else did he say? Oh yeah. She started saying as quietly as she could, "This shall pass, this shall pass."

"Tifa?" Apparently Yuffie wasn't always a heavy sleeper. "Tifa are you okay?"

"I'm," Tifa started while taking a deep breath, "fine."

Yuffie hopped out of her bed and ran over to her friend. Tifa almost looked like Yuffie did when she was seasick.

"You don't look fine," Yuffie admonished. "What's going on? You've been acting weird since we got here."

Tifa continued to try and regulate her breathing, even though she wasn't having a panic attack. She thought that maybe if she treated it like that she could make the feeling go away.

"I think I need to leave this place," Tifa said finally. "I just have this overwhelming feeling like I need to go home. I can't explain it."

"If you need to go, then go. No one's going to blame you for not helping. I mean, it's not like all of AVALANCHE is here anyway."

Tifa was appreciative of Yuffie's concern, but she wasn't about to abandon her friends. Besides, if she left, Reno would have to take her, and there's no way her friends would trust him to come back for them. She just needed to fight harder to get through this.

"It's okay, I just need to fight it," she told the ninja. "It's just a feeling. I can overcome it."

"Tifa, stop it," Yuffie said. "You're shaking."

Tifa hadn't even realized she was quivering. Goddammit, she was stronger than this. She made a fist and pounded it on the bed. The two women heard a faint crack.

"Yeah, you're doing great," Yuffie added with a sarcastic eye roll.

"Just go back to bed, I'll be fine," Tifa nearly hissed.

Yuffie narrowed her eyes for a moment. She returned to her own bed as Tifa asked, but gave her friend one last sharp look.

"If you get any worse I'll make that Turk take you home."

Tifa got back under the oddly preserved bed covers and concentrated every fiber of her being on controlling her movements to stop making others uncomfortable. She started with her toes and worked up – trying to control the shaking, calm her breathing, release the butterflies, and clear her mind. Zangan had taught her some meditation techniques along with her fighting moves, and she was using them now more than ever.

Within an hour she was at least able to sleep somewhat peacefully until daybreak. She joined the others in the library and continued her meditation whenever she felt she was starting to lose control.

By noon, the techniques were no longer helping, and she couldn't read and meditate at the same time. She tried to just read to be useful but was quickly noticed by Yuffie.

"That's it!" the ninja said loudly, flailing her arms to the side and drawing everyone's attention – except Vincent's.

She approached Reno and pointed a finger at him. "You! Helicopter man!"

"That's Mr. Helicopter man, thankyouverymuch," Reno retorted without missing a beat. Yuffie rolled her eyes.

"You need to get Tifa out of here, she's not feeling well."

Reno blinked at Yuffie and then glanced at Tifa, who was visibly distressed. He had been trying to ignore her since yesterday to stop his mind from getting… giddy. Now he was being offered the chance to rescue her. He kind of liked the idea.

"Uh, what's wrong?" he asked, as if he didn't know. He scratched the back of his head for added effect.

"She just needs to get out of here! Take her home!" Yuffie demanded.

"Hey! You don't give me orders!" Reno snapped. Regardless of Tifa's needs, he was not going to be hassled by a pest like Yuffie.

Yuffie scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. Tifa stepped forward, shaking like a leaf.

"Please, don't be angry," she implored both of them. "I just… I think it would be best if I went home. Reno, can you take me?"

"What about us?" Nanaki asked, having padded up to the group from across the room.

Reno rubbed the back of his neck. What a hassle.

"Yeesh," he said. "I can come back for you all after."

"How can we trust you?"

"Rude'll stay behind as collateral," the redhead offered.

Rude huffed and crossed his arms.

"Excuse me?" the bald man asked indignantly.

"I'm sorry this is so inconvenient for everyone," Tifa said, hanging her head. "I'll just push through."

"No, I'll take you back, Ti—Lockhart," Reno insisted. "I'm taking Rude, but the rest of you'll just have to take my word for it that we'll come back."

Nanaki seemed to be the only one concerned about being left behind. Vincent was still engrossed in a book and Yuffie was the one insisting Reno take Tifa home. He looked around at the others for support. Finding none, he sighed.

"Fine," he said after a moment.

Reno and Rude nodded to each other and approached Tifa to accompany her to get her belongings.

Once they reached the helicopter, Rude stepped into the back to sit with Tifa as Reno settled into the pilot's seat, suddenly not as excited to be Shinra's only chopper pilot.

"What's been going on?" Rude asked Tifa once they were in the air.

"I don't know, really. I can't explain it," Tifa said, her eyes on floor. Rude grunted simply to acknowledge he had heard her.

Tifa could feel the weight lifting as soon as they were heading away from the Forgotten Capital. Was she just homesick? That had never happened before. But the closer they were to Edge, they better she felt. The butterflies were gone and Aeris' voice had disappeared, though part of Tifa liked the fact that she could hear her best friend's voice again – even if she couldn't understand what Aeris was saying.

"Any better?" Rude asked once they could see Edge from the windows.

Tifa looked up and nodded weakly.

Reno set the chopper down just outside of the city, scaring away a few groups of fiends.

"Man, we've only been gone a few days and it's like this," he observed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rude helped Tifa out of the chopper and toward Edge. Reno hopped out and caught up to them. He blushed a little, and turned to Rude.

"Hey uh, can you give us a minute?" he asked. Rude's eyebrows pinched below the top of his sunglasses and he scoffed but complied.

Tifa watched Rude walk away and turned her attention to Reno, a puzzled look on her face.

"Uh, did you want me to come by after I drop off the chopper?" Reno asked nervously, not even making eye contact.

Tifa smiled warmly.

"It's too dangerous out there. Your place is closer to Shinra, right? I think I'll be fine."

"Uh, yeah, okay then," Reno stammered. "Hey, Lock—Tifa, look… I usually don't date…"

"Usually?" Tifa asked, cocking her head to the side. She crossed her arms and regarded him skeptically. "I didn't think you ever dated."

"You didn't let me finish," he said. "I don't date but, ah," he looked down and scratched the back of his head, "maybe I could take you out sometime?"

Tifa's smile grew a little wider, but she showed no teeth.

"I usually don't accept dates…" she teased, "… but I think I'll make an exception."

Reno half-coughed and straightened up a little, trying to maintain his cool.

"Okay, yeah. I'll see ya Lock—Tifa." Reno turned and trotted back to the helicopter to join Rude.

Tifa watched him a moment but decided to use the distraction caused by the chopper to get through the monsters in the area. She managed to make it home relatively easy, and leaned back on the door once she was inside.

The mysterious, terrible feeling was gone, replaced with the guilt she felt from leaving her friends to conduct the search and wait for Reno to decide to go back and get them – if he did at all.

That night…

The residents of Edge living on the main street into town were awakened one by one by a strange and grating sound. It was different than the usual noises made by monsters at night – it wasn't a growl or a hiss or a thud from one being pushed up against a building. No, this was much more irritating and frightening – because it was new.

It sounded like something heavy getting dragged along the pavement. It wasn't a non-stop sound, and so those who woke up assumed it must be some new kind of creature. Not one person ventured to turn on a light or approach the window. It was one thing to hear the new beast, it was quite another to actually see it.

One little boy was awakened and looked in the direction of his window as the sound became louder. He thought it must be a monster due to what could only be a staggered gate causing whatever was being dragged – possibly some kind of horn or spike on a tail – to cease every so often. Schlenk. Schlenk. Schlenk.

It was like nails on a chalkboard, and as the sound approached the street below his window, the boy swore he saw a shadow pass across the cool blue light streaming into his room. Knowing that blankets are a surefire way to keep monsters from attacking, the boy hid under his bedspread, curling into the fetal position and shutting his eyes tight. Whatever was outside couldn't get him as long as he didn't look out from under his sheets.

Schlenk. Schlenk. Schlenk.

The sound was not tinny enough for it to be coming from some annoying soul dragging a trash can, too heavy to be someone simply dragging their feet. The sound, gritty and imposing, continued to travel up the main street of Edge, ruining the nights of those who lived in its wake.

The next morning, the townspeople would find a trail of large blood drops leading from the desert outside the city and up the street, partially smeared by whatever had been dragged along the pavement. Boots, caked with mud and splattered with blood – some of it dried weeks ago, some of it new, and some of it not even belonging to the owner of the footwear - struggled to travel deeper into Edge.

The dragging sound kept most of the fiends startled enough to stay away, but when the source of the noise approached one particular building along Edge's main road, a wild elfadunk just refused to budge.

The boots picked up their pace and the dragging stopped. As the elfadunk charged at its intended target, a streetlight caught the side of a large metallic object and blinded the creature long enough for a sharp weapon to slice it from chest to chin. With just feet left to travel, the source of the dragging's last ounce of strength expended on the fiend, it collapsed on the steps outside Seventh Heaven, managing to rock the front door on its way to the ground.

End Notes: Well, here we are, the beginning of the end. I don't know how many chapters are left, but we're definitely closer to the end than the beginning.

I again apologize to everyone who hated the last chapter, I must have written it all wrong.