Awaken
Chapter Seven

Rating:PG
Category: AU
Pairing(s): Cloud/Reno, Tifa/Barret, Aeris/Tseng, Zack/Sephiroth, Vincent/Cid, Reeve/Rufus, Yuffie/Elena, Charles/Nathan, Toki/Skwisgaar, Murderface/Knubbler.
Warnings: Loz, arachnids, Norwegians. Oh and Mpreg. Do I even NEED to warn readers who come here about that anymore?
Summary: Things are slowly settling down. For Now.
Notes: Last chapter in the series! Hope you enjoyed it!

Weeks slowly turned to months in Costa del Sol. Kadaj had not been seen, but that did not mean he was not around. Loz and Yazoo were both aware of his presence, as was Sephiroth, and while Kadaj had permitted them to re-establish a psychic link with him, he did not give them access to his thoughts. Kadaj was evil, and Kadaj was mad, but by no means was Kadaj stupid. He was hiding until he had formulated a plan, and in the meantime he was not accepting visitors.

Things were slowly settling back into some semblance of normalcy. Sephiroth, Zack, Angeal and Genesis, along with numerous volunteers, were rebuilding Zack’s house, and setting up a place where Angeal and Genesis could build their own. Soon Edgington the chocobo and Ralph the Wonder Amphibian were back at their respective posts, and while Satin the Peacock would never again stroll the grounds, his marble likeness graced the garden, watching over the little silver pheasant Tifa had given Sephiroth. It was filling the role of arrogant noisemaker that Satin had left vacant admirably.

Miki named the bird Shrieky.

Loz was finding himself less popular than usual, although he had briefly redeemed himself by apologizing to Reno as well as Kin for the accidental kicking of the cradle. Reno forgave him, though it was clear the whole incident was still very upsetting for him. Then, having basked in his moment of redemption, Loz proceeded to get himself in very deep doo-doo with one Angeal Hewley. It started when Phoenix tromped into Cloud’s house, tiny fists clenched, tears running down his delicate little china-doll face, and announced to everyone within hearing range that he just caught Loz having an affair with the girl at the gas station.

“Which one?” asked Genesis as Angeal dove for his sword. Cloud pounced on him and tried to wrest it away in order to avoid a bloodbath. “Was it the little redhead with the gap in her teeth?”

“No,” said Phoenix, sniffling.

“The little blonde with the balcony you could do Shakespeare from?”

Phoenix shook his head, then burst into tears. “The one that looks like a troll and hasn’t bathed in a year!”

Genesis’ face took on an expression that none had seen since a theatre critic told him ‘Loveless was a hack play suitable only for old housewives. He cleared his throat, trying to muster some self-control.

“Well then. I suppose I needn’t tell you that I do not wish for you to have anything more to do with Loz. We will just put all of this behind us, and move on, all right? And you can resume your studies and…”

“I want to be a drummer in a death metal band,” said Phoenix.

Genesis blinked. He looked as if he didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or vomit. Finally he turned to his husband.

“You kill the remnant, I’ll kill Pickles.”

“Right.”

Cloud was very much looking forward to having his house back. However Cid and Vincent were far less concerned about their own roommates. Probably because Aeris was quiet and clean and didn’t get drunk off her ass and start throwing swords at the dartboard the way Zack and Angeal did.

“You don’t have to go, y’know,” said Cid. He was seated in his favourite chair, reading the newspaper, while Aeris sat on the floor and put the finishing touches on the lace and silk gown she was commissioned to make.

“You and Vincent have been very sweet to me,” she said. “To all of us. But I would like to be in my own house again.”

“Gonna go back to Kalm?”

Aeris shook her head. “I don’t know.” She sighed. “I don’t think so. Ifalna has made friends, I’ve built up a clientele, it just seems sort of silly to go back to Kalm and disrupt all that. And everything I like about Kalm I can find here. It has all the little markets and shops and things, and they’re better stocked than the ones in Kalm because of the huge tourist industry. And there is a little green and white house just on the edge of town that would be perfect for all of us. It even has a downstairs recreation room for Tseng to throw his lemon wars.”

“So what’s the hold up?” asked Cid.

“I would have to sell my house in Kalm to afford the Cricket House.”

He peered at her from over his newspaper. “Cricket House?” he inquired.

“That’s what Ifalna calls it.”

“So sell the house in Kalm.”

“And what would you like me to do with my mother, Mr. Highwind?”

Cid grinned wickedly but said nothing. Aeris snatched up a ball of lacemaker’s yarn and bounced it off his head. He laughed.

“Well come on, it’s your house. And if you ask me it’s time she said she was sorry.”

“Yes but she won’t,” said Aeris. “She’s just so certain that Tseng is up to something. I can’t convince her he’s not. He’s been protecting me for so long, and she refuses to see it!”

Cid turned a page on his paper. “Maybe Tseng’s not the issue. Maybe the issue is you’re happily married with two kids and all she has is a dead husband and a life that didn’t work out the way she wanted. Maybe she’s mad Tseng actually pulled through, and you don’t need to rely on her.”

Aeris snapped her gaze towards Cid, her eyes large, her jaw hanging. “Cid that’s horrid!”

He shrugged. “Yeah but it might be the truth.”

“You think my mother is jealous because I have a live husband?!”

“I think people are stranger than anybody. And I think the two of you should talk.”

Aeris gazed at him for a few moments, blinking. Then she got up and walked over to the sofa, seating herself on it and picking up the phone that rested on an end table. She called the number in Kalm, feeling a knot of fear in her gut as it was answered.

“Hello?”

Skippy wandered over to mooch for attention, and Aeris rubbed his broad furry head, comforted by his presence. “Hi mom, it’s me.”

Ifalna drifted into view, her little china teapot in her hands, Capey-cape following like a faithful red octopus. Funny how kids always showed up at the wrong time. Meanwhile Elmyra did not exactly exude joy at the sound of her adoptive daughter’s voice. Her tone was controlled and cautious.

“Hello Aeris. Are you coming home soon?”

“No, we’re not. We’ve actually decided to stay here in Costa del Sol.”

Ifalna uttered a tiny squeak, her eyes lighting up at the news. Aeris motioned for the child to be quiet.

“You’re staying?” said Elmyra.

“It only makes sense to stay. Ifalna has made friends, my business is taking off and the schools here are better, so I think we’re all going to live here now.” Aeris drew a steadying breath. “However that means we need to sell the house in Kalm.”

There was a long, uncomfortable pause. “I see,” said Elmyra.

“I would like you to come live here with me in Costa del Sol.”

“Is Tseng still there?”

“Yes, he is, mom. He’ll be ready to return to work next week.”

There was another long uncomfortable pause, and then the soft click of a phone being hung up. Aeris put the receiver down.

“Well to paraphrase Pickles; if she’s trying to depress me, it worked, I need a drink.” She pointed to her tea cup. “And not that drink, but a different drink. In a different location. Excuse me.”

Cid watched Aeris leave the living room in tears, heading upstairs to her room, quietly closing the door after herself. Ifalna seemed to gather that whatever had happened had not been good and fled for her own room, Capey-cape slithering after her. Cid narrowed his cold blue eyes in a manner that would have had his crew scattering for safety. He set aside his newspaper and rose from his chair, crossing the stone floor with its scattering of vibrantly coloured rugs over to the phone. He picked up the receiver and hit ‘redial’, then reached down to give Skippy a slow thorough scratching, causing the massive animal to groan with pleasure. The line rang twice before there was an answer.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Elmyra? Cid Highwind. Just wanted to let you know that your daughter is crying, your granddaughter is crying, and if you set out to be a class ‘A’ selfish cunt then you succeeded. Congratu-fucking-lations. Hope you’re proud of yourself ‘cause no one else is.”

He hung up, then stretched his large body, hearing the bones snap and pop into place as he did. He then gave himself a shake before taking a cigarette out of the ever-present pack in the headband of his goggles.

“It’s good to be a bastard,” he said to the wolf.

He looked towards the stairs as he heard footsteps. Moments later Nathan appeared, wearing black shades, black swim trunks and carrying a black and red surfboard. He pointed to the upstairs level.

“Do not go up there. Seriously. Don’t.”

“Oh yeah?” said Cid. “Why not?”

“Rufus and Charles are playing Monopoly.”

Now that was a gruesome thought. That was only slightly less scary than the night Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal and Zack played Risk. Cid indicated the surfboard Nathan was carrying.

“Gonna catch a few more waves before you leave?”

“Yeah. We’re heading out in a couple hours. Skwisgaar is still kind of a mess but he doesn’t need any more treatments. He’ll probably be happier at home.”

“And what about those Tribunal morons?”

Nathan shrugged. “I dunno. What about Kadaj?”

Cid shrugged. “Dunno. Guess we’ll just have to stay on our guard. At least he’s all alone now. Jenova is finally gone for good, and so are Hojo and Lucrecia. Well, have fun surfing.”

Nathan left for the beach. Cid walked out of his house, ignoring the happily drunken red-haired drummer snoring in the porch hammock with the bald Turk, and made his way into his hangar. He had no sooner settled at the workbench in his office than Benji came scooting in.

“Daddy!”

Cid was currently bent over something small and fiddly, but as usual he had a moment for his eldest son, even at the risk of being hit in the face by a screw mounted on a spring that just did not want to go into its hole.

“What is it, Benji?”

“Spider!”

Cid flinched. The screw shot out of the hole accompanied by the spring, and the delicate gadgetry fell apart. If there was one thing Cid Highwind could not abide, it was an arachnid. He yanked off his boot and brandished it.

“WHERE?!”

Benji held up his hand. Settled there was a tiny spider, and Cid’s phobia momentarily took a backseat as he caught sight of the wee beastie. It was small, and not hairy at all but smooth, and looked a fair bit like an eensy-weensy crab… if crabs were a violent yellow-orange in colour.

“What the hell is that?” asked Cid.

“Spider!”

Cid stared at the spider. The spider stared at Cid. Neither knew what the hell the other was. Only one thing to do – ask the hippie.

“Teddy!”

Teddy came in, smeared in grease and looking like he had just been chest deep in an engine… which he had been. He looked at what Benji held.

“Oh, that’s a kind of crab spider!”

“That’s the sissiest damned spider I ever saw!” declared Cid.

“Unless you’re a bee,” said Teddy.

“Thing doesn’t look like it could catch a cold.” His eyes suddenly became large. “Shit, it’s poisonous, isn’t it?”

Teddy rolled his eyes. Cid turned to the computer and looked up crab spiders.

“Huh. It is also called the flower spider because it does not make a web, but prefers to live on the heads of flowers and ambush its prey, and some types can change their colour to match their background. Huh.”

“Pretty flower-spider!” said Benji.

“Yeah it’s adorable. Go show Mommy, he loves spiders.”

Benji scooted off to show the tiny spider to his mother. Teddy studied Cid from behind his ever-present rose tinted glasses.

“Do I detect a hint of arachnophobia?” Teddy inquired politely.

“No! Cid Highwind is nobody’s phobe!” He began scrounging around for the engine bits.

Teddy studied him for a minute, then briefly left the office. He returned a few moments later with not a wee flower spider, but a marbled orb-weaver spider that had been in a particularly good spot for hunting. It had grown to a truly prestigious girth, and was as spiny and ugly an adversary as one could wish for. Teddy showed it to Cid, and watched in absolute fascination as Cid seemed to ricochet around the office in his desperate search for an exit. He finally located the door and took off. Teddy watched Cid flee for his life.

“Dude. Harsh.”

***---***

“Aw why am I in trouble again?” wailed Loz.

Cloud stared at the big dumb lummox, trying to determine if he really was just that dumb.

“Loz, you can’t tell me that you had no idea Phoenix would be upset by you sneaking around with the girl at the gas stationed.”

“We weren’t sneaking!”

Well there was no arguing with that.

“Loz…”

“Why’s he mad? He told me he didn’t want me seeing other guys and I wasn’t. Randi’s not a guy she’s a girl.”

Cloud had seen the infamous Randi. Personally he was pretty sure he’d seen her in a tank in Hojo’s lab. He wasn’t sure she even qualified as human, but she certainly was female.

“Loz, the point is, when you are with someone, you don’t…”

“Aw I’m not with him anymore. All we do is fight. And he’s dumb.”

Pot, meet kettle.

“Well did you tell Phoenix that you didn’t want to be with him any more?”

“I figured he would work it out sooner or later.” Loz blinked. “I have to go help Tifa again don’t I?”

“Yes.”

“Aww.”

Loz departed for Nibelheim. Cloud sighed heavily.

“I was so much happier when I was insane.” He smiled faintly as he felt someone nuzzle up to him. “Hi beautiful.”

“Hey,” said Reno softly. “Just think, in a couple more weeks it will be you and me and baby makes three.”

“I can hardly wait, though I’ll miss having Zack here.”

“More time for us,” said Reno. He kissed him softly. “Wanna go make a baby?”

“Are you sure you want another baby this soon? Kin’s only one. Do you really want to be pregnant and chasing after a toddler?”

“No. But my common sense and my urge to procreate are not listening to each other, yo.” Reno kissed him again, pressing his long lean body against Cloud’s.

“Let’s just have some nice dirty sex while Kin’s asleep and everyone else is out of the house,” said Cloud, stroking the long red hair. “We’ll make a baby next year.”

“Fine,” said Reno, nipping Cloud’s nose. “I’ll get the leather harness, you get the whipped cream.”

“We’re out, how do you feel about chocolate sauce?”

“In that case you better get the strawberries too.”

***---***

Rude lay in the hammock with Pickles, eyes closed, just enjoying the last moments they had together. In very little time the band left for Earth, and there was no way of knowing when they would be back, if ever.

“I’ll miss you,” said Rude.

Pickles yawned. “I’ll miss you too.”

Not surprisingly, no one offered to either stay or go along. Rude had no urge to leave everything he loved behind, and Pickles felt the same way. They had forged a close friendship, and that was as much as they wanted of each other. They would call, they would keep in touch, and if Pickles should return to Gaia they would likely pick up where they left off, but that was it. In many ways it was the perfect relationship. They were utterly comfortable with the bonds they had. There was no need to tighten them.

Skwisgaar stepped out of the house and onto the porch. He was a veritable bone rack, and it was a little hard to look at him in that shape, but he was up. The deep-set blue eyes were circled with bruise-like darkness, and his long golden hair was dry, but he was arrogant again, which was always a good sign, and his broken leg was almost completely mended. He climbed onto the hammock with Pickles and Rude, and Rude found himself getting nudged out.

“I was here first!” he said indignantly.

“Ja now I heres, you can goes.”

Rude sighed. “I will not miss you.”

Skwisgaar snapped at him. Rude groped for a fly swatter. Pickles just looked annoyed.

“Will the two of you behave? Dood. Seriously.”

“I don’ts likes dis guy.”

“Well I do so behave.”

Skwisgaar and Rude glowered at each other. Pickles rolled towards his band mate and snuggled against him. This was another good reason for Rude not to get too attached; these boneheads were inseparable, and if he and Pickles got married then Rude had no doubt in his mind that they would not be alone on their honeymoon.

“I have less than an hour left with Pickles and I would like to spend it with him.”

“So who is stoppings you?” said Skwisgaar.

“Dood, I’m out of here,” said Pickles.

He managed to squiggle out of the hammock, falling over Rude and ending up on his butt on the porch, fortunately managing not to re-break his wrist. Rude and Skwisgaar glared at one another. Rude cracked his knuckles meaningfully. Skwisgaar growled. Then Badger the roadie appeared and gently scooped Skwisgaar out of the hammock.

“Come on, that’s not where little sick guitar players need to be,” he said gently.

Rude got out of the hammock, then bent to help Pickles to his feet before he straightened out his suit.

“Yes you should probably put him someplace safe, before he gets hurt,” said Rude.

“I t’inks you is da ones gettingks hurt,” said Skwisgaar.

Rude just smiled. “How does that verse go? ‘Ten thousand Swedes, running through the weeds, chased by one Norwegian’?”

“Ja I hears dat,” said Skwisgaar. “An’ here is comingks da Norwegian now.”

Toki tore out of the house like a judgement, his normally meek nature giving way to that part of himself that did not suffer taunts on his bandmates lightly, or at all in the case of Skwisgaar. Rude fled, Toki hot on his heels. Pickles just sighed, then looked at Badger.

“When’s dinner?”

“Four more hours.”

“Dood I’m hungry now.”

“I’m just the roadie in charge of sick guitar players. Complain to the roadie in charge of feeding you.”

“But then I have to walk all the way to the Kopter!”

“There is nothing wrong with your legs.”

Pickles coughed hopefully. Badger was not buying it.

“Come on, little bird, you can walk with me.”

Pickles walked with Badger to the Kopter, leaving Rude to be chased by Toki. Eventually Cid stepped out of the house to find out what the noise was about.

“Toki! Leave that alone, Pickles isn’t done with it yet. Get over here.”

Toki left off his hunt and went over to Cid, hugging him.

“You sure you can’ts comes back home wit’ us?”

Cid stroked the long brown hair. “You know I can’t do that,” he said gently. “I have a family here.”

“I know, I just… wish you was coming.”

“Toki I am never gonna be more than a call away, okay? And you can always come visit.” He looked into the big blue eyes, realizing that Toki was not significantly shorter than he. In fact the kid might even be a hair taller. “I’m always gonna be your Papa Cid, and I am always going to be here, okay?”

Toki nodded, but he didn’t seem any happier about the situation. He held onto Cid until at last the kopter was packed, Pickles said his goodbyes to Rude, and everyone was on board. Then, reluctantly, he released the only loving father figure he had ever known to go back to Earth. Cid just stood and watched, smoking as the massive doors were closed, and the gigantic blades began to rotate.

“Bye Toki,” he said softly.

***---***

It was a slow quiet year, not that anyone was complaining. Sephiroth and Zack finished their house, as did Angeal and Genesis, and they moved into their own homes at last. Andy turned 18, finished high school and rented a little apartment near Healin. Yazoo moved in with him, and the pair happily embarked on their life together. Yazoo didn’t get a job, but that was probably for the best. He was still not quite versed in how to interact with other people, and Andy was firm about not wanting his delicate little flower exposed to brutish things like idiot co-workers.

Loz stayed with Sephiroth and Zack, but he did get a job on a demolition crew. Loz had never been happier. He had no idea there were people who would pay him to wreck stuff. Unlike Yazoo, it was Loz who was fitting well into the everyday world, making friends, drinking beer, and becoming just another one of the guys. Sometimes Yazoo envied him his delight in simple pleasures, but then he reminded himself that he did not have things so very bad. And it was nice to see Loz find someone he really liked to be with, even if it was Randi the Troll-Girl. At least he had someone who found amusement in his ability to fart small animals a couple dozen yards.

The red squirrel that had previously delighted in making Cid’s life hell had called a truce and moved into his office. Getting farted eighteen feet into a heap of moose-doots was not an experience she wished to have more than once in her life. Cid taught her how to hit the buttons on the coffee maker, and the two settled into a comfortable Loz-free friendship.

Aeris sold her house in Kalm and moved her little family into the bright green house that Ifalna dubbed the Cricket House. Elmyra had returned to her house in the Midgar slums, and neither was speaking to the other. Aeris sent her mother a card for her birthday, and it came back unopened. Aeris was forced to content herself with the knowledge that she had not been the one to shut the door. It was very cold comfort.

Kadaj was still circling their perimeters like an unfed dog, but he was wholly alone now, and remained a vague and distant threat. He dared not take on his old adversaries alone. He did not even resurface when Charon returned from his long journey amidst the stars, as many had feared he would. But his time in space amidst his celestial brethren had changed Charon. He returned larger, more powerful, and imbued with a sort of star-light glow, as well as a sense of profound inner calm. He had met his people, and looked forward to the day when he would rejoin them, but for now he was glad to be with his family. He was a great comfort to his mother, who had to watch Phoenix devote himself to being a drummer.

Angeal built the kid a soundproofed room. It made everybody somewhat happier about the boy devoting himself to a form of music that Genesis considered only somewhat more refined than chimps in a dung-flinging frenzy. But Phoenix rapidly became proficient, then good, then awe-inspiring. The boy wasn’t bright, but he could play the drums. Now Genesis had a new problem – the idea of his baby boy on the road with some pack of filthy shrieking monkeys. Charles offered to help find Phoenix some reputable representation, and Phoenix was well on his way to becoming a drunken brain-dead rocker. Genesis was beside himself.

Yuffie kept her job as a Turk. She still wasn’t crazy about Rufus, but she liked the uniform, the pay, and pretty much everything else about it. Besides she was rather warming up to old Rufus. Elena said it was because Rufus really was a sweetie. Yuffie held to her opinion that she was being brain-washed through expensive candy.

Tseng returned to his place in the Turk pecking order, and was happy to be in his rightful position once more. Tifa was as well, having finally closed up the tunnels under Shinra Manor and buried them in dirt and concrete. She and Barret returned to restoring the house, and Vincent breathed a silent sigh of relief at the symbolic burial of his past.

They threw their first Garden Party in ages, at which Reno announced Cloud had exactly six hours to get him pregnant.

It took two and a half.

It was a very interesting party.

“It’s so damned nice to have things back to almost normal,” said Yuffie. She was sitting on the grass, glass of wine in one hand, feed for the chickens in the other, smiling as the birds surrounded her.

“Define normal,” said Tifa. “Last night I found a Boundfat in my kitchen.”

“What was it doing in your kitchen?” asked Zack.

“Making coffee,” said Tifa. “I thought about killing it but I just can’t find it in my heart to hurt something that can make coffee.”

“You hurt Rufus!” said Reno, still trying to wipe the smile off his face that Cloud had put there. Cloud was dozing beside him on the wide outdoor couch… which was not where they had performed the afore-mentioned baby making. That had happened further down the hill in an isolated spot under a tree.

“Rufus can’t make coffee,” Reeve reminded him. It had been a long time since they had last seen him, and it was good to have him back in his usual place at the party.

“Oh yeah,” said Reno.

Cid’s phone rang. He carefully moved Vincent off of himself and handed his inebriate lover over to Tifa.

“Your charge, my lady.”

“Awww…” she said, smiling, carefully snuggling Vincent against her impressive bosom. “I am once more the Minder of the Drunken Vincent. It’s been too long. Who’s on the phone, Cid?”

“It’s Toki,” he said, sounding pleased. “He’s sending me something.”

“Oh what is it?” asked Yuffie.

Cid did not answer. He was looking through something on his cell phone, eyes fixed on the screen, his cigarette clenched in his teeth. His whole body seemed to be vibrating, and then he suddenly handed the phone to Tifa, rising sharply to his feet and quickly walking away, obviously very emotional and not wanting to fall apart in front of his friends.

“Oh gawd, who died?” asked Yuffie, her eyes large and worried.

“We’ll know in a minute,” said Tifa.

She began looking through the message. It was brief, written in butchered English, basically saying he hoped Cid liked his surprise, they had worked on it hard for a long time, though Charlie helped with part of it. The first half was a picture of a document making Cid Highwind the legal parent of one Norwegian guitar player. Part two was a second picture, this one of Skwisgaar staring cold angry Nordic death at the photographer, hair rumpled, body gleaming with sweat, and seated beside him was Toki, holding something tiny wrapped in a green blanket.

“Is everything all right?” asked Aeris. “I’ve never seen Cid come apart like that before!”

Tifa just smiled, and passed her the phone to share the news.

“I think we’ll just let Cid get himself together,” Tifa said. “I think he’s feeling a little overwhelmed.”

“Well what is it?” asked Barret.

Aeris smiled. “Klas Wartooth, five pounds, two ounces, and arrived in the world eight minutes ago.”