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Someone to Love/ Someone to Protect	By : MidoriBond Category: Final Fantasy VII > Het - Male/Female Views: 1756 -:- 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
- 4
- 5
- 6
Someone to Love...

by Midori Bond

Chapter 5

Everything
around her was muffled. There was a dull ache in her abdomen while
the faint cry of a baby could be heard. A frown crossed her face as
she tried to remember what happened. She barely had the energy to
lick her dry lips. Almost at once, she could feel an ice cube being
rubbed along the contours of her mouth.

Hazy chocolate
eyes slowly opened to see Reno calmly watching her. A soft smile
crossed her face as he grinned at her. "... baby?" she whispered.

Reno dropped
the ice cube he was holding and continued to grin at her. "He's
here," he said brushing her hair out of her face. "He's his
father's son, but he's still too cute for words."

"Wanna
see," Tifa groaned. She was so tired and weak, but she wanted to
see her son. Had
to see him. As Reno moved to the side, Tifa looked towards the other
side of the room.

Kaitlyn looked
up from the now calm infant. With a saddened smile, she went to
Tifa's side. He looked exactly like his father, and the atrocities
that shaped the man's genetics. "Your mama wants to meet
you," she said looking into slumbering eyes.

Tifa weakly
reached for her son. A part of her mind couldn't grasp the fact that
he was really here. Her eyes widened when delicate hands lifted her
up. She looked over her shoulder and saw Yuffie smiling gently. Her
eyes quickly filled with tears as the ninja pulled her into her arms.

"He won't
find out from me," she smiled.

Tifa's eyes
stayed focused on her friend. She didn't want Cloud to know about her
son, but Yuffie was too close to him not to tell. Her eyes
drifted shut as she felt Reno take her hand.

"We can't
hide forever Babe," he said softly. "Maybe you and Cloud
can finally sit down and talk about what happened."

Almost sensing
his mother's confusion, the infant started to whine and struggle in
Kaitlyn's arms. Tifa instantly stilled and turned to her son. A gasp
escaped her as she laid eyes on him for the first time.

Two almond
shaped eyes, the color of rubies looked out from raven colored hair.
His skin was the color of ivory, making his features stand out even
more so. But what caught Tifa's attention were the elongated fingers,
and black wings he bore.

Reno saw the
startled look Tifa was wearing and carefully took the baby from
Kaitlyn. "Now Tifa, Babe, you and I talked about this. We knew
that Lucky here could come out like his dad."

"Lucien,"
Tifa corrected automatically. She reached out and caressed his soft
hair. "His name's Lucien, not Lucky."

Reno grinned.
"That's what you say," he said easily. He looked at Lucien
and smiled. "He's lucky to have you for a mom, and me for an uncle."

Tifa tried to
laugh, only to fall back against Yuffie in pain. Her eyes were closed
as she felt both Yuffie and Kaitlyn hold her. She felt like her
abdomen was on fire as she tried to curl up into a ball. Before she
could cry out, Tifa felt the gentle sensation of a cure spell wash
over her. She opened her eyes and saw Yuffie holding the materia over her.

"You know
the drill Tifa," Yuffie started in a reasonable tone. "Take
it easy for a while. No sudden movements for the first day or so."

"Dr.
Yuffie's orders?" Tifa mused.

"You got
it." She smiled and winked. She then ran her fingers through
Tifa's hair and sighed. "The smile that was normally there faded
into a serious expression. "You really should get some rest.
Don't worry about Lucien. Between the three of us, he'll be fine."

Kaitlyn moved
away from Tifa and went to the window. When she first came to Costa
Del Sol, she had felt the dark soul residing in the younger woman.
Now she knew why it felt so familiar and so right to help her.
The child was the incarnation of the thing she helped create.

Chaos.

Jade eyes
closed as she thought of the man she helped condemn. She didn't think
Vincent would have gone back to stay in the mansion. It had been his
prison for so long, now that he was free, it didn't make any sense.

"Hey, you
okay Kaitlyn?" Reno asked softly.

She blinked
and brought herself back to the present. Reno was sitting next to a
slumbering Tifa, and Yuffie was holding Lucien. "Shinra will be
looking for her," she said quietly.

Reno lost all
traces of a good mood. Never had he mentioned any of their ties to
Shinra. His eyes remained focused on Kaitlyn's face. "What would
you know of it?" he asked lowly.

Kaitlyn tucked
a lock of hair behind her ear. "More than my fair share,"
she confessed. She turned and looked towards the baby. "But
there's no time to get into it. You need to take them both away."

Yuffie looked
at Kaitlyn wearing a frown. "Why?"

Kaitlyn folded
her arms over her chest. "Shinra's scientific department hasn't
changed as much as everyone wishes it has. Vincent Valentine was one
of Hojo's few successes, and his child is prime for experimentation
in his own right," she explained. "I have a house, just
South of Icicle Inn. No one knows about it. You should be alright for
a little while."

Reno's eyes
were hard as he looked at the midwife. He begged Tifa to trust the
woman. He swore she had nothing to do with their pasts. She was a
miracle worker when it came to delivering babies, and countless other
medical circumstances. Everyone in the city vouched for her, and the
background check he ran all said that she was perfect. Now, here she
stood, betraying him. "You want us to trust you? Knowing what
we're up against?" he challenged. "Why should we?"

"Because
I'm asking you to," Kaitlyn said simply. She turned and looked
into Reno's eyes. "I would never do anything to harm Tifa or
Lucien. They're precious to him."

"Him who?"

"To Vincent."

A gasp escaped
Yuffie as she placed Lucien in his bassinet. "No way," she
whispered. Her eyes stayed locked on Kaitlyn's. She followed Vincent
the second time they went to that cave. She remembered hearing a
woman's voice whispering her goodbye to the gunman. "No way,
this is too wrong," she said walking closer to the tall woman.
Yuffie could hear Cid's description of her perfectly. "Long
chestnut hair,
smooth peachy skin. But her eyes, God. She's got these light green
eyes. They're Mako eyes, but they don't always look it."

Reno looked at
Yuffie before turning his attention back to Kaitlyn. "What are
you talking about?" he asked the shorter girl.

"You're her,
aren't you?" Yuffie asked, never allowing her attention to
waver. "You're Lucrecia."

Reno's jaw
slowly went slack. According to Tifa, Lucrecia was not only the woman
Vincent was hung up on, but she was also supposed to be dead.
"Are you?" he asked in a whisper.

A sigh escaped
her. "It's been years since anyone called me that. But yes, I am."

* * * * *

Cloud hated
feeling like he was being followed. As he walked through the
marketplace, he could feel eyes watching him, waiting for him. It
grated his nerves. With practiced ease, Cloud turned down one of the
many alleyways and hid in the shadows. It was probably some kid with
more hero-worship than good sense.

What he wasn't
expecting was a woman with short blonde hair wearing little more than
her bathing suit. He watched as she walked down the alley, completely
sure of herself. Tifa carried herself like that. He shook his head
and stepped out into the street behind her. "Why are you
following me?" he asked. He noted the way she froze. As if to
stop herself from attacking.

She turned and
looked at him with a small smile. "I thought I heard someone
call you Cloud," she said carelessly. "I wanted to know if
you were Cloud Strife."

"Why?"

"Because
I've heard so much about you. I wanted to see if the real thing came
close to the myth."

There was
something about her answer that Cloud decided he didn't like. Her
flirtatious smile didn't reach her unnatural eyes. Her every moved
seemed too smooth to be forced, but too awkward to be practiced. He
frowned as her eyes gave him the same assessing look he was giving
her. "Who are you?"

"My
name's Sophia," she answered. "I'm a researcher for
Shinra." Her eyes widened when he turned his back and started to
walk away from her.

"Stay
away from me," Cloud said coldly. He heard the way her footfalls
seemed to stumble and continued to walk.

Sophia smiled
as she watched him. He was exactly like Hojo described. The only
disappointment was his eyes. They were still such a vivid blue, but
they no longer shined with Mako energy. "We could have had so
much fun," she mumbled before turning and continuing down the
alley. "Maybe another time then," she said to herself.

* * * * *

Lucrecia
turned and went to where Lucien was sleeping. "I've spent the
last few years trying to atone for what I allowed to happen,"
she confessed.

"Sephiroth?"
Yuffie questioned.

She nodded.
"As well as Vincent." She reached down and caressed
Lucien's hair. "But we don't have time for all of this. Both
Tifa and her child need to leave here. You have to keep them safe."

"What
about you?" Reno asked.

"I'll go
and look for Vincent," she said softly. "He needs to know
his son."

Yuffie frowned
as she leaned against the windowsill. "I can have Cid take us
someplace in his ship. It doesn't have to be up North."

Reno nodded
slowly. "When Tifa wakes up, I'll let her know everything. We
can get out of here in the morning."

Lucrecia
frowned as she continued to gaze at Lucien. "How many people
knew where you were going?" she asked quietly. "And how
many knew she was pregnant?"

Reno's frown
deepened. "Reeve was the only one that knew everything. Rude,
Tseng and Elena all thought Cloud was the father."

Yuffie chewed
on her lip. "With everything that happened to Cloud, his kid
would be a nice experiment too," she said darkly. Her eyes then
turned to Reno. "And what about Rufus? Did he know about Tifa?"

Lucrecia
inhaled and shook her head. "When was the last time you spoke to
the one that knows everything?"

Reno rubbed
his eyes. It had been months since he had been interrogated like
this. "The boss has been doing some business in Fort Condor. And
Reeve was in a car accident the last night I talked to him."

Yuffie looked
at Reno and their eyes locked for a long moment. It was clear that
Lucrecia was worried about something, and now they were starting to
see what she did. They shared a nod and Yuffie went towards the door.
"You pack. I have a call to make."

* * * * *

Cid chewed on
the end of his cigar thoughtfully. He didn't want to get in the
middle of Cloud and Tifa's relationship, or lack thereof. Frankly,
the only reason he was even helping was because he missed the fiery
little fighter. But he knew something was off. There was some reason
why Fate chose to separate them all, and it was all coming to a head.

He heard the
familiar tone of his cell phone and easily picked it up. "What?"

{Cid, it's me,}
Yuffie said lowly. {We need to to ready to go, like tonight.}

"What the
hell are you talking about?" Cid asked as he straightened.
"Where are you?"

{Cid, just
be ready to go tonight.}

His eyes
narrowed as his chief mechanic came up to him. "Did you get
caught stealing?"

{Oh for
Ancient's sake,} she cried in frustration. {It's Tifa. I found
her and she's in trouble. We need to leave here tonight.}

Cid jumped to
his feet and stalked down the corridor. "Where are you?" he
asked again. "Is she with you?"

{The
President's mansion, and yeah, she's here.} There was silence on
the phone for a moment. Cid could only wonder at what was going
through her mind. {Cid, is Cloud there yet?} she asked in an
almost timid voice.

Cid's frown
deepened. "No, he ain't here. Why? What's wrong with Tifa?"

A soft sigh
escaped her. {I can't get into it now. Just make sure we're ready
to go tonight.}

The pilot
growled low in his throat as the phone went dead. He walked onto the
bridge and frowned as he eyes scanned his ship. Tifa was in trouble
and now, they'll all have to do a mad scramble to make sure she's
alright. "Malloy!" Cid shouted.

The mechanic
behind him winced. "You wanted me to let you know when the
navigation system was finished," he said lowly.

Cid turned and
glared at the young man. "Is she ready to fly?" he asked roughly.

Malloy nodded
quickly. "We can have her ready to go in the hour."

"Do
it," Cid ordered before leaving the bridge.

* * * * *

Sophia calmly
sat in her beach chair next to Peter. "You know I've been doing
some thinking," she said lowly. She saw the way his eyebrow
arched and stretched her arms over her head. "Cloud Strife is
here, and he's looking for a woman named Tifa Lockheart."

Peter turned
to face her. "Really?" he questioned, his tone mocking.

Golden eyes
narrowed for a moment. "It's her, isn't it? She's
Vincent's lover." She inhaled slowly as Peter leaned back in his
chair. "Is she?"

"We're
back to Vincent?" Peter asked. "What happened to Valentine,
and Experiment C?"

"Answer
my question Peter," she growled.

He watched
her. For as long as he had known Sophia, she had always kept her
temper under iron control. But recently, ever since she had Nibelheim
leveled, she always seemed ready to snap. Peter leaned back in his
chair and pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes. "Yes, she is
the mother," he said easily.

Sophia nodded
and rubbed her eyes. Her head was starting to hurt. Ghosts long
believed to be exorcised were demanding to be released. Unleashed on
the whore that took what was rightfully hers. "We need her
alive," she said, pressing the heels of her hands against her
eyes. "After the baby's born, I can kill her."

Peter calmly
sat next to her and tilted her face to his. Her gold eyes were dark
amber, almost on the verge of turning red. He frowned as he pulled a
bottle of pills out of her beach bag. "We need to wait until the
baby's born before we make a move."

"He was
supposed to be mine!" Sophia screamed. Before Peter could say or
do anything, lightning flashed across the sky.

* * * * *

Lucrecia
gasped as she felt the numbing jolt of power. She looked at Yuffie
and frowned. "We have to get them out of here now," she
said urgently. When Yuffie frowned at her, she shook her head.
"There is someone very powerful nearby, and she'll be drawn to
Lucien," she explained as Lucien started to cry. "Epy,"
she called, turning to look into Tifa's room again. She looked at
the Summon spirit and tucked her hair behind her ear. "You have
to stay with Lucien. No matter what happens, you have to shield him."

Yuffie frowned
as she watched to wolf go over to the bassinet and stood on guard.
Almost instantly, Lucien settled. She went into the room and saw Reno
closing a large bag. "What do you need all of that for?"
she asked with a frown.

"It's for
Lucky," he said in his own defence. "Tifa's stuff is ready
to go." He handed over the bag in his hands and gasped as Yuffie
shoved her hands into his pants pockets. "Hey, what are
you...." He trailed when she smiled and held up a set of keys.
He shook his head and mused as she started for the door. "Next
time, go a little lower and to the left."

Yuffie rolled
her eyes. "You wish," she chimed before going to the car.

Reno looked at
the bed and saw Tifa slowly starting to wake up. He went to her side
and took her hand. "Babe, I want you to stay calm," he said
in a low voice. When she frowned, he shook his head. "Lucky's
fine. We just have to get you both out of here."

Tifa slowly
started to move to sit up. "What's going on?" she asked as
he helped her.

"Well,
from the way Kaitlyn tells it, Shinra's coming," he said,
refusing to reveal Kaitlyn's real name. She could only take so much
at a time. He saw the way her eyes widened and squeezed her hand.
"We'll be fine. We're gonna go to the North. Who knows, if we
get desperate enough, we could go to the North Crater."

"Not
funny," Tifa said, forcing herself to stand. She was so tired,
and it didn't help that she felt like something was missing now that
Lucien was born. She swayed on her feet, grateful to Reno for
catching her arm. "I have to change," she said motioning to
the closet.

Reno helped
her over to her clothes and bit his lip. "How 'bout I get Yuffie
in here to clean you up," he suggested. "I can finish
packing the car."

Yuffie entered
the room, and inhaled when she saw Tifa standing at the closet with
Reno next to her. She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair.
"I'm sorry," she said before looking behind her.

As Tifa opened
her mouth, only to freeze when a familiar mop of blonde charged into
the room. Sapphire and chocolate met, and Tifa found that she
couldn't breath. "Cloud."

TBC...
- 4
- 5
- 6
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Someone to Love/ Someone to Protect