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Someone to Love/ Someone to Protect	By : MidoriBond Category: Final Fantasy VII > Het - Male/Female Views: 1757 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Someone to Protect...

by Midori Bond

Chapter 12

Tifa looked
out of the window as she waited for Vincent. He had mentioned that he
and Reno were going out into the snow dunes. She had a feeling that
they had gone after Lucien.

Yuffie frowned
as she looked at her friend. With everything that was going on, she
was sure that Tifa wasn't up for thinking about her son. A sigh
escaped her as she thought about a lighter subject... for Tifa at
least. And one that she knew she needed to think about. "I think
I'm falling for Reno," she said walking into the room.

Tifa looked
over her shoulder and frowned at the smaller girl. "Excuse
me?" she asked.

She made her
way over to the bed and sat heavily on it. "I think I could be
falling in love with Reno," she said again. "It's not like
I want to or anything. I think it's just sorta happening."

Tifa felt a
small smile tug at her mouth. She knew what Yuffie was trying to do,
and was thankful. "You two would be good for each other,"
she said quietly.

"I don't
doubt it," Yuffie said moving to lay down. "I just don't
know if I can trust him."

"What do
you mean?" Tifa asked going to the bed as well.

Yuffie looked
up at the ceiling. It felt good to be able to actually voice her
thoughts to someone that had a clue. "He has all of the right
moves and lines. He's like Prince Charming wrapped up in a bad boy image."

"But..."
Tifa prompted.

"But I
don't know if he'd feel the same about me. I don't know if he's just
showing off the Prince, while he's really a toad." Yuffie
frowned as Tifa started to laugh. "I'm serious Tifa. For all I
know, he could be like the rumors say. You know, a girl in every port."

"He's a
Turk, not a sailor," Tifa laughed. She looked at her friend and
brushed her hair out of her eyes. "But I can tell you, Reno
isn't like that." She bit her lip, knowing that she was going to
make two of her best friends very happy. "Actually, he's kinda
like Cloud."

"Great,
another high maintenance man."

Tifa shook her
head. "Hear me out. They both crave attention. They want to be
in the middle of everything. They have to be. It's just how they
are." Her eyes then turned to the window again. "But where
they differ is that Reno will give as much as he gets." She
locked eyes with Yuffie and smiled. "If you make him the center
of your world, he's willing to make you the center of his. He knows
that there will be times that you can't be at his side, and he's
alright with that. He can put his own feelings to the side, and deal
with what's in front of him."

Yuffie watched
Tifa for a long moment. "He's come a long way from that asshole
we knew back then, huh?"

Tifa smiled as
she nodded. "Yes, he has." She saw the way Yuffie lowered
her eyes, and sighed. "Go ahead and ask," she said waving
her hand.

"I don't
want to get too personal," Yuffie started. She chewed on her lip
as she thought about one of the conversations she had with the
redhead in question.

"After
the last few weeks, nothing's too personal," Tifa mused.

Yuffie sat up,
knowing that her face was on fire. "Well, when we talked, you
said that Cloud's kiss was everything a first kiss should be."
She saw the way Tifa nodded, and continued. "Was that how it
felt when Vincent kissed you?"

Tifa blinked.
That wasn't the question she was expecting. A smile crossed her face
as she thought about the night she made love to Vincent.
"No," she said shaking her head. "It was nothing like that."

"What was
it like?" Yuffie asked softly.

Tifa felt
herself blush as she tucked her legs up under her. "It was
amazing," she said shaking her head. "I can't really
describe it without sounding like some cheesy romance novel."

"The
Earth moving, the being set on fire, and not knowing which way was
up. That sort of thing?" Yuffie offered.

Her blush grew
as she laughed. "Yes, that's it exactly."

Yuffie groaned
as she fell back. She covered her face with a pillow. "Don't say
that," she moaned. "Please don't say that."

Understanding
struck, as Tifa realized what she just told Yuffie. "Sorry,"
she laughed as she took the pillow away from her friend. "But
if it makes you feel better, he feels the same."

Yuffie looked
at her. "Really?"

"We
talked about it when we got here." Tifa leaned against the
headboard and hugged the pillow close. "I told him that if he
wanted you, he'd better treat you right, or answer to me."

Yuffie smiled
before moving to hug Tifa. "You're so good to me," she giggled.

"And
Reno's good for you," Tifa said softly.

"Yuffie,
Tifa," Reno's voice called.

Both women
jumped from the bed and ran down the stairs. Tifa gasped as she saw
Vincent helping Lucien over to the sofa. "Lucien," she
breathed as she went to his side.

He looked at
her with glazed indigo eyes. "Mom," he whispered. When her
cool hand touched his face, he passed out.

Tifa looked at
Vincent as they moved to lay him back. "What happened to
him?" she asked removing his cloak. When Vincent moved past her,
she grabbed him arm and made him face her. "Vincent. Tell me."

"They
want to make him into another Sephiroth," he said in a low
growl. He lifted Lucien into his arms.

Reno pulled
off his coat. "Take him to my room. We can check him out
there," he said. He looked at Yuffie and kissed her hand.
"I'll be back in a sec," he said before leading Vincent to
the stairs.

* * * * *

Cloud walked
into the bar in Icicle Inn. As he expected, it was empty save for one
or two people. As he went over to the bar, he spotted a woman with a
long chestnut colored braid going down her back. His eyes widened as
he realized how familiar she looked.

"Brad,
can I have another?" she asked holding up her glass. She smiled
at the tall man as he easily poured her a glass of soda.
"Thanks," she chimed as she turned back to the files in
front of her.

"What has
you so focused Carrie?" Brad asked as he gave her the drink.
"I haven't seen you like this in ages."

She shook her
head. "I'm trying to clean up a mistake that I made."

Cloud walked
over to the bar, making sure not to sit too close to the woman.

"You
wanna talk about it?" Brad asked as he walked over to Cloud.

She looked at
the new patron and gasped. Before either man could say anything, she
snapped her folder closed. "Actually, I'm going to up to my
room. There's a few things that I have to check out from up there."

Cloud frowned
as he caught the sight of Shinra's company logo on her folder.
"You work for Shinra?" he asked quickly going over to her
side. It was nerve-wracking to stare in her face, and see how much
she resembled Aeris. "I didn't think there were any offices here."

Carrie tucked
her files close and looked at him with large brown eyes. "You
know very well that there isn't one, Mr. Strife," she said
calmly. She brushed her hair our of her eyes as his own widened.
"And I would rather not discuss what I am doing, with someone
that has repeatedly turned his back on my company whenever the mood
struck him."

As she turned
and walked to the door, Cloud continued to follow her. "What do
you mean your company?" he asked. When she shook her head, he
grabbed her arm.

With ease, she
twisted out of his grasp. "It's none of your concern. Please,
leave me alone. This will be the only time I'll ask."

Cloud blinked
as she continued to go on her way. She knew his name, and she was a
part of Shinra. There was something off, and he knew it. The
bartender called her Carrie. He started to walk after her, only to
pause when Brad cleared his throat.

"I hope
you aren't going to cause trouble for her," the bartender said
lowly. When Cloud looked at him, he went back to cleaning glasses.
"She's a good girl, and we all like her around here."

"Who is
she?" Cloud asked as he walked over to the bar again. As he sat
down, Brad started to pour him a drink.

"She's
Carrie Shinra."

Blue eyes
widened. "I never knew Rufus had a wife," he said lowly. He
frowned when Brad laughed. "What?"

"She's
his sister," he answered.

Cloud nodded
slowly as he drank his drink. Carrie Shinra. There was something
going on with her. He was sure of it. And it also didn't help matters
that Tifa's son, who was kidnapped by her company, was hidden here.
He frowned as he sat his drink on the bar. "Which room is she
in?" he asked. When Brad frowned, he shook his head. "I
won't harass her. I just need a few answers."

Brad looked at
him for a long moment. He knew Carrie didn't want to speak to this
guy. She was in mid-sentence, and practically ran out of the bar when
she saw who he was. He had no other choice but to shake his head.
"Sorry pal. I told you all that I'm going to," he said
before turning his back to the younger man.

* * * * *

It had been
hours since they had brought Lucien back to the cottage. All of his
injuries were healed, and now only his parents were sitting quietly
with him. He was finally sleeping, even if it was fitfully. Tifa
could only sit next to him and comb her fingers through his hair.
Vincent frowned as she wiped her face. "You should rest,"
he said lowly.

Tifa turned to
look at the quiet gunman. "How could they do this to him?"
she responded. "What do they want with him?"

Vincent walked
over to her side and sat gingerly on the bed. "The Promised Land."

Her eyes
filled with tears again. The Promised Land. Everything around them
revolved around that cursed place. Jenova, Sephiroth, and now her own
son. She ran her hands up and down her arms. "Why Lucien? He's
only a baby."

"He's the
physical form of Chaos. Chaos was one of two demons that almost
opened a path there."

She turned
back to Lucien when he started to moan. She caressed his face and
smiled as hazy purple eyes opened. "You're safe Lucien,"
she whispered as he started to look around. She leaned forward when
his lips started to move. She felt her eyes widened as she made out
what he said. "No Lucien, you don't have to go," she said
running her fingers through his hair again. She leaned forward and
kissed his forehead as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Vincent saw
how she was shaking and gently touched her hair. "What is
it?" Vincent asked as she straightened. He frowned when she
stood and ran out of the room.

* * * * *

Lucien
looked around the field he was standing in. It was dark, and he could
only make out the petrified trees surrounding him. Something about it
was familiar. "I'm dreaming again," he breathed as he ran
his hands through his hair. "Aeris!" he called. When he
turned around, he saw a tall woman wearing white. He took a step back
as she smiled at him. "Who are you?" he asked.

"You
know," she said in a soft voice.

He felt
drawn to her. In the back of his mind, he could hear voices
whispering to him. As he looked at her flowing white hair, and
glowing green eyes, a sinking feeling came to his stomach.
"You're Jenova, aren't you?"

She
continued to smile at him. "You're the first to call me by my
name," she said walking over to him. "The others just
called me Mother."

"You're
not my mother," he said shaking his head.

She
laughed. "Do you even know who your mother is?" she asked.
When he blinked at her, she shook her head. "A woman with a
damaged mind, or a woman that you know nothing about."

Lucien
continued to shake his head. "Either one would be better than you."

Jenova
wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the moan that escaped his lips.
"No, they wouldn't, and you know this," she cooed. As he
started to tremble, she tilted his face up to her. "Come to me
Lucien." His eyes glazed as her melodic voice washed over him.
"Come to my Reunion."

His eyes
widened impossibly as he realized what she was asking. A whine
escaped him as he pulled away from her. "No," he moaned. He
backed away from Jenova and was soon surrounded by black.

"You're
safe Lucien," Tifa's voice whispered.

She was
hovering over him, and his father was standing right behind her.
"Don't make me," he whispered. He frowned when the sound
barely reached his own ears. As she leaned closer to him, he
swallowed. "I don't want to go to her Reunion."

Her eyes
widened as she started to comb her fingers through his hair. "No
Lucien, you don't have to go."

His eyes
drifted closed as she sat up. He would be safe. In his heart he knew,
his mother... his real mother wouldn't let anything hurt him.

* * * * *

"Tifa,"
Vincent called as he went after her. He caught her arm before she
could reach her room. "Tifa, what did he say to you?" he asked.

She looked at
him with tears streaming down her face. "Why?" she asked
shaking her head. "Why does everything have to revolve around
Jenova?" she asked in a choked voice.

Vincent looked
into her eyes. "What did he say?" he asked again.

"He
doesn't want to go to her reunion," Tifa repeated. Her eyes
closed as Vincent caressed her cheek and sobs wracked her frame.
"When is all of this going to end?" she asked before
looking up into Vincent's closed expression.

He wrapped her
into his arms. "Soon," he promised. "We will deal with
what Lucien is going through, and he will be happy and healthy."

Tifa held onto
Vincent as she cried. She wasn't a fool. She knew that now that
Lucien's fate was tied to Jenova, there was only one way for it to
end. The same way it ended for Sephiroth, Kadaj and the others. But
the question that tore at her heart was if she could stand by and
allow her friends to kill her son.

TBC...
- 11
- 12
- 13
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Someone to Love/ Someone to Protect