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"Hello?"
"Hi, Madeline! It's me!"
"Oh.....Rufus."
"Listen, I was thinking a lot on the way back to Nibelheim, and I decided to pay your fare to come here next weekend."
"Oh........um.......that's very nice of you, but I'm busy."
"Are you working?"
"No....... I just have things to take care of."
"Oh....okay. Another time, then. Look, Madeline, I--"
"I'm sorry, Rufus, but I really gotta go."
"Oh, all right. I'll to you later then. I love you, Madeline."
"Yeah, bye." And that was it as she hung up.
Rufus had only been back in Nibelheim for a day, but already he missed her terribly. It didn't seem right that they had had that night together, only for him to leave the next day. He was a bit confused at how she had brushed him off, but he ignored it for now. Now he had the building to concentrate on. Placing down the PHS he returned to the construction site.
Reeve was staring in awe at the structure, amazed to see his own drawing come to life. He seemed in his own world, as if he didn't believe it.
"Hey, Reeve." The blonde came to his friend's side and glanced briefly at the building before settling on the older man again. "Amazing, isn't it?"
"Wake me up?" Reeve was completely emotionless as he turned. His eyes met the other man's, and Rufus was shocked to see how dead serious he looked. "Just wake me up."
Rufus furrowed his brow. "What? Reeve, what are you talking about?"
"I can't believe this. It's too good to be true."
The younger man burst out laughing.
"I'm being serious," said Reeve. "My wife's having twins, and a building I designed is practically complete. I can't believe it.
"Well, believe it." Reeve reassuringly pat his friend on the shoulder. "Cause it's all happening right here, right now." He smiled. "Speaking of these kids you're going to have....do you know what it's going to be?"
"I want to be surprised," Reeve admitted. "So she didn't tell me."
"You've got willpower. I'm dying to know and they're not even mine."
"Well, we'll all know any day now." Reeve laughed nervously as he turned away and walked back towards the hotel.
Rufus just shook his head and let him go.
"Rufus, you're back!"
As he turned he laid eyes on a smiling Cloud. "So I am."
"Did you have a good time?" the other man's Mako sprinkled eyes sparkled.
"I had a *wonderful* time. It couldn't have gone better."
"That's nice to hear. Things were pretty normal around here for a change."
"Yeah," Rufus replied, squinting in the sun. "That is a change."
"Another weekend gone." Reno squinted, despite the shade. "Sucks, huh?"
"That's your fault." Rude was looking straight ahead.
".....................nothing I can help." The redhead turned away.
"I'm just wonderin' if this is about Shinra or about Trini."
Stiffening, Reno turned his head and snapped, "don't talk about her!"
Rude crossed his arms and muttered, "I knew it."
"You know *shit*," Reno snapped, blue eyes flashing. "Just shut the fuck up, man."
"You're messed up, man."
"Shut the fuck up, man!"
Rude turned suddenly, whipping off his sunglasses and glaring at his friend. He was squinting more than Reno was in the bright light. "Don't tell me to shut up when *you* don't know what the fuck you're talking about! Stop moping, Reno! You gave up your sister like you had to. You can't be yourself no more because Shinra fucked with your life, and you can't take care a' her. Stop regrettin' that choice, Reno. You ain't supposed to."
The redhead returned the gaze, staring unblinkingly at his tall friend. "Fuck it, Rude. We ain't Turks no more. I can regret whatever the hell I want."
"Not Turks, huh?" Rude slipped his sunglasses back on. "Then why can't you cry." It wasn't even a question as it came from Rude's lips.
Reno clenched his teeth hard, the anger boiling at such a temperature that he could not even speak. Instead he flashed his friend the finger, and stalked back to the hotel.
Rude just felt sorry for him.
His heart relaxed as he caught sight of her, sitting on the bed, just putting the PHS down. "Oh, Reeve, thank god."
"Thank god I found you," he said, coming to her side. "Is something wrong? Something's wrong, isn't it?"
"Not really..." She looked up and met his eyes. "I just called for an ambulance."
"WHAT!?!? WHY?!?" exclaimed Reeve, immediately flipping out. "WHAT'S THE MATTER!!"
"Darling, calm down!" She soothed him, chuckling lightly. "I've gone into labor."
All the hysterical behavior Reeve had been displaying ceased instantly, and instead his jaw hung open like a rusty screen down. ".....what?"
"I've started having contractions," she explained, smiling brightly. "We're going to be parents soon."
His green eyes met her blue ones for a moment, and for that moment he was totally and completely calm. Then he blinked, and lost it. "And you're CALM about this?! Aren't you in pain?! Do you need anything?! Do you want me to do anything?! I should do something, shouldn't I?! What should I do?!" panicked Reeve.
"Honey! Relax!" she grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him down on the bed besides you. "Just relax, or I'll have to call an ambulance for you too!"
He could hear the distant squeal of a siren, and Reeve felt a numbing sensation come over him. "Oh my god..." he breathed, holding his wife's hand with an iron grip. "Someone wake me up. Just wake me up." He turned to Bria, still in wide eyed disbelief. "I love you. You know that, right?"
Squeezing his hand, she leaned over, gave him a peck on the lips and said,
"I know, *daddy*."
Today was a good day, he decided with a smile, sitting back in his chair and flexing his fingers. Long, but good.
He was just about to get up and return to the hotel for the night when the shrill ring of the PHS stopped him. Wondering vaguely who it could be, he reached for the device and put it to his ear. "Hello?"
"......Rufus?"
"Oh! Madeline! Hi! I was just going to call you."
"...Oh..."
He frowned. "Honey, is something the matter?"
"Um....actually......yeah."
He froze, dread coming over him of what she could possibly say. "What's the matter?"
"You are probably wondering.........why I blew you off before..."
"Not really," he admitted. "I just figured you were preoccupied."
"........In a way I was...." she said slowly, speaking as if she had been thinking about her words for a long while. "My mind was preoccupied with something..."
"And what would that be?" he prompted, unable to shake the feeling of dread that had settled over him.
"Rufus, I hate to say this, I really do," the words were flowing easier now. "But, I've been thinking, and I don't think I should see you anymore."
The words hit his heart and soul like an ax to his flesh. His mind seemed to melt, and he could not quite grasp what he had just heard. ".....what?" he could only hiss his question.
"I've been thinking, about our future, about *my* future," she was babbling now, "And even though I really like you, I like you a whole lot, I was thinking that we could never end up together, so there really is no point in continuing this relationship."
"What? What do you mean?" His questions were frantic.
"I.... Well... You're not going to like this, Rufus, but it's your last name."
"My last name?"
"I thought I could handle dating someone from Shinra, and I could, if only.... If only that wasn't their last name wasn't Shinra."
"You're breaking up with me because of my fucking last name?!"
"I don't know if you understand what that means!" Her usually soft voice had a harder edge to it now. "You're *the* Shinra! You're the real one everyone hates. If I married you, how could I ever show my face? I would be a total outcast!"
"I didn't do anything!" Rufus protested firmly. "Just because everyone is fucking dumb enough to place my father's wrong doing's on me, doesn't mean you have to play along with them!"
"I can't do it, Rufus!" she cried. "I can't live my life in fear! I can't!"
"I'm not afraid! I'm not afraid you shouldn't be either!" he insisted, sounding desperate, because, really, he was.
"Rufus, I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind."
"No! Madeline!" he pleaded. "How could you do this to me! I thought you were different!"
Only silence was transmitted from the other end.
"MADELINE!" he yelled, desperate for any sort of answer. "Don't-don't-*please*!"
"I'm sorry," her voice was tiny. "Good-bye, Rufus."
"No! No, Madeline, I--"
But the only sound from the other side was the steady hum of the dial tone.
Rufus shook as he placed the phone down. He shook so terribly he nearly fell off his chair. Twice. Twice he had lost the woman he had been in love with. Only this time, it hurt so badly he thought his own heart would rip itself in two from anguish.
And it was because of that name. That name he had thought he had put behind him.
The PHS rang again, interrupting any future thoughts. Thrilled at the chance it might be her, calling back to say she had changed her mind, Rufus leapt for the device. "Hello?"
"Hey, Rufus, it's Cloud."
"Oh. Hi." There was no emotion in the fallen man's voice.
"You have to get over to the hospital right away."
Jenova fused eyes widened in panic. "Oh no. What's the matter?"
"Nothing. Bria's gonna have the twins!"
Not that in any manner, he was a calm man.
"How long does this usually take," he mumbled as he continued to pace, flicking the cigarette ashes into the air. "I've been here hours already! How much more of this do they think I can take!" He took another drag from his cigarette and then stared at the item in horror. "What the hell am I doing?! I shouldn't be smoking these!" Crossing to a table, he quickly extinguished it in an ash tray. "Oh my god, this isn't happening. Tell me this isn't happening." He turned to Rufus. "Rufus."
"Huh?" the blonde looked up, snapping out of his other world. "Calm down, Reeve."
"Right. Before you have some kind of attack," Cloud added.
Rufus sighed and returned to his previous position, with his hands between his knees.
"Rufus?" questioned Cloud. "Are you all right?"
"Fine," the blonde answered shortly. "Leave me alone."
Cloud looked at him with concern but said not a word more.
"Oh *god* this is killing me," Reeve whined, pulling at his hair now as he paced. "I've never been so anxious in my life."
"Have you thought about names at all?" Cloud asked, trying to calm down the older man.
"Names? Oh, Bria and I decided that since it's twins, we each get to pick the name of one of the kids. I don't know whether it's going to be a boy or a girl, but I have a few ideas for which name I want."
"Don't name it Midgar," Rufus mumbled unhappily.
Reeve turned, dark green eyes flashing out of hurt more than anger. "Don't say that."
The former President said nothing, eyes to the ground.
"Something's wrong," said Reeve, frowning now. "Rufus, what's the matter?"
"Just leave me alone. I think you have other things to worry about," he muttered.
Before the older man could ask another question, the doors opened and a doctor came out, pulling down his face mask. Silently, all three men in the room turned to him, faces blank in anticipation.
"Mr. Leander?"
"That's me." Reeve rushed forward. "Is it over? Is everything okay?"
The doctor smiled and chuckled. "Everything's *fine*, Mr. Leander. Bria's doing just fine, and you now have two beautiful boys."
A hand went to his head as his mouth fell open, and Reeve stood there in complete and total shock. "I--I--w-wow."
"You can see her now." the doctor stepped aside.
He didn't hesitate a moment, and went running into the room. "B-Bria?!"
Rufus looked up and met eyes with Cloud, who smiled at him. He managed
to smile, but even then, he had to force it.
The boys were out too that day. Reeve held one, and Bria cradled the other. Both had black hair, like their parents, and the blue eyes that all babies were born with. The doctor said one's would stay that way, while the others would turn green eventually, just like Reeve's. No names for the babies had been announced yet.
"This is like, amazing," Reno commented, watching in fascination as the baby Reeve held grabbed his finger. "Look at that."
"He did that to me yesterday and I almost passed out," Reeve bubbled, smiling at his newborn son. "It was just so wonderful."
Reno turned to grin at his friend. "Do you think I could have kids someday, Rude?"
"Not with me, man," Rude answered quite seriously, causing Reeve to laugh.
Reno glared at him. "That's not what I meant, you jackass!" But then he laughed too.
"Was it terribly painful?" Tifa asked Bria, chewing her lip thoughtfully.
"Not so much," Bria answered as the child in her arms pulled insistently at her finger. "But they did pump me full of drugs."
"That's the way to go," Tifa said with a grin.
"I'd want to be full of drugs too if I was having a human being coming out of me," Cloud commented, grimacing a little.
Vincent was mostly quiet, and had been. "You have beautiful children," he said eventually to Reeve, watching the baby in his arms with a bit of envy.
"Thank you, Vincent." The younger man watched the expression on the pale man's face and offered, "would you like to hold him?"
The former Turk looked shocked at such a proposition. "I...oh... Thank you, but I don't think I can, with my claw..."
"Sure you can." Very carefully, Reeve transferred the child into Vincent's arms. "There you go."
Vincent was silent, and he watched completely mesmerized as the child explored his claw in equal fascination. But he didn't have to say anything. Reeve could tell everything he felt from the half smile on the older man's face.
Rufus was silent, leaning against the wall. He had congratulated both Reeve and Bria, but he was feeling too down in the dumps to celebrate. His mind drifted as he stood alone, a bit away from the rest, being taunted by his own thoughts.
I should have known it would be my name. Whoever wrote that a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet didn't know what the hell they were talking about. Am I *not* trying to rebuild my life? Am I *not* trying to make up for what I've done? I've not my father, and I never intend to take responsibility for what he did, whether it comes with my fucking name or not. My name once made me a god. Now it's made me the devil. Won't anyone ever love me again? Has this name cursed me to be alone for the rest of my life? To think a name--a few letters put together to form a word--means so much to so many people. No woman is strong enough to love me. Or maybe I'm just not good enough to be loved.
"Rufus?" Cloud was at his side, interrupting his thoughts. The younger man put a hand on Rufus' arm and shook him slightly. "Are you all right?"
The former President looked up, accidentally locking eyes with the other blonde. "Huh? ...Yeah. Yeah, I'm all right, Cloud. ...Thanks."
"We're about to announce what we're going to name the boys," Bria told him.
"Oh," said Rufus, straightening up, "announce away."
"This is little Tseng," Reeve said, tickling the baby Vincent held. "That was an easy decision for me to make."
A few eyes in the room widened, but no comments were made.
"And this is Rufus." Bria looked at the former President as she spoke. "As a second chance."
Rufus met eyes with her a moment, giving her a longing, loving look. Her own eyes lingered on his, almost returning the gaze.
"Y-you can't," he stuttered out finally. "You can't name him that."
Everyone turned to him in confusion.
"What now?" asked Bria, brow furrowing.
"Because I'm a loser. That name is cursed." He sounded like a defeated man.
"Rufus.... What happened...?" Cloud asked gently.
"Madeline broke up with me," he said simply. "It was because of the name. Because I'm a Shinra." He paused briefly, taking several steps backwards towards the door. "I'm sorry, I--" Glancing over everyone in the room once more, he then turned and made a quick exit.
Tears burned in his Jenova fused eyes as Rufus cleared the doors and made his way through the sitting room. His footsteps felt so heavy, as though any moment he would trip and fall, never to stand again.
"Rufus!" It was Reeve's voice calling him urgently.
For some reason he froze, staying where he was, feeling the first tear fall down his face. He could sense Reeve was right behind him, and so, he said softly, "I was so happy, Reeve. I thought I had another chance, I thought I--" Turning, he met with Reeve's compassion filled green eyes. "What a joke. Why did I think anyone could love me? I'm a Shinra. I'm cursed. Who would ever want to curse themselves by falling in love with an outcast with me. I'm going to be *alone*. Alone forever. Just like I always was. Some things never fucking change." He grew bitter, a fist clenching. More tears flowed down his face.
"You're not alone," Reeve said simply, his voice soft. "That room is filled with your friends, whether you think so or not, we're here for you. We have the bar, Rufus. We rebuilt our lives. Isn't that what it's always been about? You'll find someone, and build again. It will be all right again. I promise."
"T-they said they had never seen me cry," Rufus whispered. He wiped the tears from his face and looked at Reeve, pleading. "But what are these? Don't they see, I have feelings too, no matter what my last name is?"
Reeve stepped forward and hugged Rufus, letting the younger man cry into his shoulder. With a sigh, he whispered, almost choking on his own words, "someone once told me...that crying is part of our humanity."
"Who told you that?" asked Rufus, sounding almost child-like.
"Tseng. But he got it from Sephiroth." The older man paused, swallowing before claiming his true voice again. "We are all of us human, Rufus. All of us that choose to be."
And Rufus whispered, as a steady stream of tears flowed from his poisoned
eyes, "if only my tears were proof enough."