Disclaimer: All characters belong to SquareEnix, we just brought them out to play.

Sorry for the long wait, but Writer Chica and I really wanted to get this chapter just right, it is quite a pivotal one for Sephiroth and Vincent.

000

The next day and everyone was pretty much going about their normal everyday business, Barrett had to get back to Kalm, while Cloud ran the kids to school. Sephiroth had finally fallen asleep in the early a.m. hours and had been quiet since. Tifa meanwhile gave 7th Heaven a thorough scrub down, in between checking in on Sephiroth every once and awhile.

Finally she heard a familiar motor in the garage and went into the kitchen to find Cloud entering, arms full of several large grocery bags.

"Cloud, what in the name of Minerva...?"

"Well after creating and emerging a wing and nearly having Jenova take over, Sephiroth requires some binge eating to help recuperate." Cloud said setting the grocery bags down on the table.

Tifa's eyebrow arched, "Really...?" she thought as she began helping to unload the groceries, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised after how he was eating last night..."

"Remember when I came home after fighting Jenova and the remnants, I was a bottomless pit?" Cloud said with a half smile.

Tifa laughed at the memory, like so much in their lives it wasn't so funny at the time but looking back... "I remember you devoured that enormous pile of my special pancakes... to say nothing of the leftovers in the fridge."

"Plus a five egg omelet, three slices of french toast, a fruit salad, five slices of buttered toast with honey and three large chocolate chip pancakes..."

"And those four pizzas for lunch..." Tifa added.

Cloud chuckled. "And I'm not even as superhuman as he is, I could see it coming when he inhaled that gallon tub of my rocky road."

"That was impressive." Tifa agreed, having secretly timed Sephiroth while he devoured the ice cream Cloud had introduced him to, "and a little scary."

"Yeah he didn't even have a brain freeze." Cloud shook his head. "He and I had a talk last night after you went to bed, he handed me his bank card and a very long list of foods he wanted." Tifa laughed and just shook her head.

"Mind whipping up some of your special pancakes?" Cloud asked widening his eyes in an attempt at a puppy look Zack had tried to teach him. The pinks lips pursed in mock thought before Tifa pointed to them, a playful expression in her eyes, "Kiss. Then maybe I'll think about it."

Cloud did as requested complete with tongue. "Good enough?"

"More than." Snatching a kiss to his cheek, Tifa began pulling out her pancake supplies. But rather than Mideel Hard... her precious Banoran Hard Cider came out. Now, only once before had she used this precious liquor, and that of course the aforementioned giant stack of pancakes after Cloud came home for good.

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Going all out?"

"Yesterday calls for it." Was Tifa's justification over the whirl of the mixer.

"You're very generous." Cloud smiled, hugging her around the waist. "I think we should all have a little straight."

"Sounds good, and I suppose I can spare us big kids a taste of the good stuff."

Cloud took the offered shot glass grinning. "I think we're going to be an okay little family."

Tifa offered Cloud a tender smile as she touched Cloud's cheek, "Chocobo-head... we already were."

After another kiss they began work preparing the feast .

When they are nearly done. "Should we go wake him?"

Cloud listened and heard soft footfalls from the floor above. "Nah, his nose and stomach have already done the work for us."

Sure enough not 10 seconds later Sephiroth came down the stairs and into the kitchen. Carefully moving so as not to brush his wing against the walls on either side of the stairs, even when folded it still stuck out a bit.

Tifa exchanged a tiny grin with Cloud before addressing Sephiroth, "Hey, how you holding up there?"

"Well enough," the one winged man answered sounding tired, but less dreary than the previous night. "Do you need any help?"

"No, no you sit, dishes will only make you hungrier then we'll have to bring the grocery store here, not to mention knowing my luck, I'm going to get whapped with that thing several times before it's over." Cloud smirked motioning to the wing as Tifa poured some batter into a perfect circle.

"There's a seat ready for you at the table."

"Are you sure?" Sephiroth asked. He always felt a little awkward when people around him were working and he was doing nothing.

"Sit." Cloud ordered.

Tifa took a deep whiff of a her pancakes and smiled contently.

"They smell quite good." Sephiroth said taking a seat, enjoying the smell himself.

"They do, don't they?" Tifa said modestly, smiling in a pleased way.

0000

Vincent rarely used the door these days. For a start, he didn't have to, for another... well he supposed it was an old Turk instinct. Take the target by surprise, immediate upper-hand. However, he had a feeling from the message Yuffie left him that respect and absolutely every last decorum would be necessary. Which was why he knocked on 7th Heaven's sturdy door.

Cloud cautiously opened the door, his guard up as he wondered who would be visiting them at this hour. To his surprise he found fellow AVALANCHE member Vincent standing there.

"Vincent...?" Cloud stammered a little caught off guard but he quickly collected himself. " I'm sorry I'm not used to you using the front door."

"... Instincts."

"I guess..." Cloud said awkwardly when Vincent fell silent. "So... what brings you by...?" He asked more out of courtesy as he knew exactly why Vincent was here.

"Sephiroth is not at his apartment, I thought he might be here. I would... like to talk to him." Vincent answered softly.

Cloud let out a weary breath as his thoughts were confirmed. "You can try. That's all I can promise."

Cloud motioned for Vincent to follow him back into the house. Once inside Cloud speeded ahead to give Tifa a little warning.

Tifa was cleaning the kitchen, it being her turn, glanced up when Vincent came in. Immediately her eyes narrowed and she took a defensive stance, arms crossed with her rag clenched in her hand. She laid it all out for him, "You put him through hell the other day."

"I know. I'm-"

Tifa silenced him by holding up a hand, "But that will be nothing compared to what I'll do to you if you make it any worse right now."

"I did not come here to start a fight."

"And I'm not starting one." Tifa informed him, "I'm clarifying my position here."

"Okay, okay momma bear, calm it down before he picks up on the agitated vibes." Cloud stepped in between them. "And Vincent we're being serious," Cloud said gravely. "He had a bad attack last night where Jenova almost had him, it stressed his mental and emotional state so much his wing appeared."

"He's been through enough, period." Tifa softly declared, then hardened again, "Don't screw this up Valentine."

"It might be better if you came back in a few more days when he's got his head together a bit more." Cloud told the man.

"Then he'll think I'm trying to avoid him further." Vincent said, his voice was firm indicating he had no intention of leaving come what may.

"Fair point." Cloud nodded letting out a rather put upon sigh. "All right, but be aware of the symptoms, if he starts shaking or his eyes start glowing, come and get us immediately. And like Tifa said be careful, if he has another breakdown as severe as the one last night so soon... We... might not be able to... pull him back. He's in the living room with the kids, that might be your safest bet."

Vincent's eyes widened even more at Cloud's warning, but nodded before striding into the living room,

Sephiroth was sitting on the couch next to Denzel to help explain his algebra homework, using his wing to keep Denzel from being distracted by the TV that Marlene was watching. On the whole a rather pleasant family scene, Vincent wished he could be a part of.

He briefly wondered if that would have been the picture of his life if he had managed to escape ShinRa, spiriting away Lucrecia and an infant Sephiroth with him. Would he be there sitting on a couch in a normal house helping a young Sephiroth with his homework?

"Hi Vincent!" Marlene called out startling the other man out of his thoughts.

"Hello Marlene. I thought Sephiroth and I should... talk..." Vincent said softly, Sephiroth looked up at him with an icy stare. And surprisingly so was Denzel.

"To what do I owe this honor of your presence?" Sephiroth said in a deadpan voice calling upon both Genesis and Cloud's brand of sarcasm.

Vincent opened his mouth as if to say something but stopped when Denzel continued to glare icy daggers at him. "Perhaps we can discuss this in private?"

"I thought you said plenty yesterday." Sephiroth scoffed.

"I have... more I would like to discuss with you."

"I'm not sure I want to hear it."

Marlene tugged at Sephiroth's shirt sleeve looking worried. "Seph, why don't you want to talk to your dad? I thought you said you wanted a family."

Sephiroth's harsh gaze softened as he looked down at her. "It's a little complicated..."

"Course, it's family! But family's gotta stick together!" She protested.

"Sephiroth doesn't want to talk to Vincent because he's not a very good dad," Denzel suddenly snapped surprising everyone. "he left and didn't even say good-bye!"

"But he didn't mean to hurt Seph's feelings!" Marlene turned to Vincent eyes big. "Did you?"

"I... did not."

"It doesn't matter! He did!" Denzel snapped back. His teeth and fists are clenched in anger, but his eyes are welling up with tears. "He left and he didn't even say good-bye!" He choked out. "And didn't come back..."

"Denzel..." Sephiroth put a hand on Denzel's shoulder, clearly there was something more to this than face value, but the boy shrugged it off and ran from the room.

Marlene made to follow Denzel but Sephiroth stopped her.

"Sometimes people want to be alone to sort complicated things out." He explained, then gave her a half smile. "I have some complicated things to sort out with Vincent."

Marlene smiled and nodded and grabbed her coloring book before heading into the kitchen with Cloud and Tifa, who she found upon entering had moved the kitchen table a lot closer to the door.

Once Marlene was gone Sephiroth straightened, and looked back at Vincent, his eyes firm and serious, not not nearly as icy as before. "So say what you have to say."

Vince was silent for a moment before he let out a breathe. Now that he was here and his son had agreed to hear him... he wasn't sure how he wanted to phrase this, "My reaction was poor."

"I agree with you." Sephiroth answered stoically as if he were once again in a formal military situation.

"But it wasn't…" Vincent fought a ball of anger in his gut, angry that words were failing him now, "It was not towards you."

Sephiroth knew deep down that any coldness was meant for Hojo or Lucrecia, but it still didn't make him feel any better that once again he was taking the brunt of the anger for what his parents – no creators, had done. But he promised himself for Marlene's sake that he would hear Vincent out, give his family a chance, "I'm listening."

Vincent decided perhaps he should explain his background a little bit further. "How much do you... know of me? My history?"

"You were once a Turk, you had demons fused to you in the labs, you were asleep in a coffin for some years although at some point Veld woke you for help, you helped Cloud and the others defeat Jenova and me, prevented the reunion and obviously you had some relationship with my - Lucrecia Crescent."

"She was... I was in love with her. And she with me... or so I thought."

"When did you stop loving each other?" Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow, genuinely curious now that Vincent admitted feelings for his mother were genuine love. A tiny part of his heart was comforted by that knowledge that at least his conception might have been in love rather than solely for experimental purposes.

"I never really stopped I suppose... not until yesterday." Vincent said unable to keep a touch of sorrow from entering his voice. "I... cannot speak for her."

"What changed for you?" Sephiroth asked his voice not nearly as cold as before.

Vincent a little encouraged by Sephiroth noticeably lowering his formal walls, laid it out plain. "You. You were OUR child, not theirs. I was against you two being involved in the project to begin with, but had I known..."

Sephiroth swallowed hard, his voice growing dark again as they had come to the question that had been plaguing Sephiroth since he had found out Vincent was his father. "What would you have done?"

"Taken you and fled. Somewhere. Anywhere."

"I wish you had, even if I wasn't your son." Sephiroth admitted.

"I wouldn't have felt the right."

Sephiroth looked away feeling the anger and resentment he felt the previous night rising up again. "Why?" He asked making no attempt to hide the anger in his voice. "Because I wasn't your son, I was just an experiment, not worth saving?"

"Because you were your mother's son."

"The Calamity's Child?" Sephiroth spat.

"Lucrecia's child..., I thought I had no claim to you, and your mother had chosen Hojo and I honestly thought she was happy and I had no right to interfere with that... Retrospect is a hard thing when examining your own foolishness and weakness."

"Like Father, like son," Sephiroth snorted, remembering how he had given into Jenova at Nibelheim, and let his anger get the better of him when Genesis asked him for his cells to cure him, and for sending Zack after Genesis and Angeal, when he should have gone himself.

"Even still when I saw things were going too far, how sick Lucrecia looked, I couldn't let it go on. So I made a stand, unfortunately there I made my greatest mistake. Instead of just running away with you and her, I confronted Hojo over Lucrecia's condition, that it wasn't right to do such things, even if the mother was willing it wasn't fair to the child. I said would stop him by any means necessary to save Lucrecia and her child. And he shot me."

Vincent reached up and touched the spot where buried under the layers of cloth was the scar, "I should've died... it was right to my chest. I was bleeding out on the floor. Your mother... took drastic actions to save me."

Sephiroth slowly turned his head around to face him with a blank expression ,but with eyes wide.

"I don't... remember much after that. Hojo kept me asleep until I woke and I was... this. By then it was too late. For either of us." Vincent sighed and gazed at Sephiroth, "I was foolish, I should have said nothing, took you and your mother far away. We might not have made it, but there might have been a chance."

"You would have done that for me?" Sephiroth said the shock still apparent in his eyes as he began to realize Vincent had tried to help him all along.

"You were a child... not a lab rat."

"Even if I was not your son?"

Vincent nodded.

Sephiroth remained silent for a moment and looked down at the floor. When he spoke it was soft and distance as if he were speaking more to himself than Vincent, but he still wanted vincent to hear. "Last night, after the wing appeared and I managed to supress Jenova's attack, I had a dream..."

"What of?"

"Some wishful thinking, another world of what might have been" Sephiroth said, a small sad smile crossing his face. "I was not born into ShinRa, I was working in the ER as an RN like I am now. And even in this other world I met Genesis just by chance, he was brought into the hospital. and a gash needed stitching on his face. We hit it off right away this time. and I was told my parents were trying to call me to confirm a get together at their house that weekend."

Vincent was silent for a long moment before, "I wonder what we'd have been doing. Lucrecia and me."

"Sitting on a veranda drinking tea like those married couples in the magazines." Sephiroth smirked.

"I meant... never mind."

"So it was mo... " Sephiroth paused, at this point in time Lucrecia seemed less than worthy of the scared title of mother, "Lucrecia that fused the demons to you?"

"No. Just Chaos... Hojo did the rest."

Sephiroth looked appalled. "Oh... Was it before or after chaos was fused to you...?"

"After." Bile rose in Vincent's throat at the even vaguest memory from that time, not that there were many, thankfully.

"She saved you only to abandon you to... him?" Sephiroth spat out the last word as if it were poison.

Vincent was hesitant, because Sephiroth could very well be right... but there remained a twisted instinct in him that said no, it was NEVER that simple. Lucrecia was never that simple. "I'd like to think not... that perhaps Hojo just took over. He had a way of getting under your skin as good as Jenova, worse in some ways. She was already ill when she fused my body with Chaos to save me. Then she had you and... the birth was very... taxing on her."

"I'm not surprised... and she had Jenova's cells in her as well... she leaves your mind a mess..." Sephiroth said bitterly, then a thought occurred to him."How did you know how difficult my birth was for her?"

"She told me."

"Told you?" Sephiroth tilted his head clearly didn't fit. He heard she had died not long after his birth, and if Vincent had been experimented on at that time how could they have communicated?

"I'm not entirely sure about all that happened... but she left ShinRa after Hojo took you away. She tried to end her life, but the Jenova cells wouldn't let her die."

"Are you quite sure it was Jenova? Or perhaps Lucrecia's inner desires to make right unrequited promises. Sometimes the cells respond to deep desires and give the bearer the power to..." Sephiroth looked away. "...enact them."

"Either way, unable to live or die... she sealed herself inside a crystal." He said softly. "She'd dream of you... from time to time."

"Dreams of the morrow hath shattered the soul..." Sephiroth murmured barely audible.

"What?"

"A poem, it was read to me by Genesis practically everyday, in the times before all of this madness. It got so monotonous I became annoyed by the very mention of it." Sephiroth let out a heavy sigh and shook his head with a bitter smile. "Now I would give anything to hear him read it again."

"Hindsight... always a grief.'

"So... Lucrecia is still alive..." Sephiroth felt his heartbeat speed up.

"In a sense, yes." Vincent said distantly, a slightly forlorn tone entered his voice that he could not hold back.

"Is that where you were after you... left..." Sephiroth asked.

"For... a moment the demons were riled and going to her seems to help calm them a little. Once I had suitable control, I walked for a while."

Sephiroth's eyes widened slightly, and then he looked away realizing that Vincent had left so suddenly to protect them all from the demons inside him. "That's why you left so suddenly."

Vincent merely nodded, "I will never allow my demons to to injure an innocent."

"I misjudged you. You were only acting for our benefit. I apologize."

"You drew conclusions on what you saw. As I said, my reaction was poor."

Sephiroth shrugged still looking away. "So now what?"

Vincent, after some silent reflection, spoke softly, "If we do not wish it... this new truth doesn't have to change anything between us.

Sephiroth shook his head gravely. "One thing I have found is that lies can be forgotten and overlooked, but once a truth is learned it can never be unlearned."

"I accept your logic, but that still leaves your original question." No one could mistake an undertone of sadness, "You're grown. A Strife now. I have no greater place than Reeve. Where do I fit in now that we know?"

Sephiroth stood up and paced, still keeping his eyes averted from Vincent until he had an answer to that question he had often wondered himself. He stopped with his back to Vincent and let out a weary sigh. "So far my family life has been upside down. Those who should have loved me turned their backs on me, and used me for their own purposes and those who had every right to hate me, took me in and showed me what a family actually was."

Vincent nodded in agreement, but remained silent feeling another crack form on his heart.

After a heavy pause Sephiroth broke the silence with another sigh. "I wish... I had gone into the room where your coffin was instead of the library."

"You had no way of knowing." Though of course, Vincent wished just as much that Sephiroth had.

Sephiroth shook his head resignedly. "I must stop living in the past."

Vincent was stoic, no matter how much it hurt, "I understand. I represent everything you wish to forget."

At that Sephiroth finally turned around to face him eyes sad. "No. You represent one bearable thing in those wretched memories. The one moment when someone cared enough to try to save me. You died trying to save me and my... mother." he said offering Vincent a small smile. "Though it was a failed attempt, it was more than anyone else had done for me then. Even Dr. Gast who was kind to me suddenly left. Gone without a word, not even a goodbye." Sephiroth's fond smile at the mention of Dr. Gast, turned bitter at the truth that yet another someone who had cared about him disappeared from his life, and went of their own free will. "He just left me there..."

"If only..."

"If only what?" Sephiroth tilted his was at him.

"Succeeding at the attempt... would've been nice." A beat's silence, "But you're correct... it's time to let the past go."

"Mhm," Sephiroth murmured non-committally before changing the subject, "What do you think you would have done instead of being a turk?"

"I... don't really know. I read and speak several languages, a translator and interpreter perhaps.

Sephiroth nodded. "I think you would have done well with that."

"You think so?"

"Your intellect seems high, a great attention to detail and keep quiet until spoken to." Sephiroth said simply.

"Traits passed on from my Grandmother and Father."

"What was your father like?" Sephiroth asked genuinely curious about his human side of the family, and hoping to get some advice on how to proceed with this new father-son relationship.

"He was... scarily smart, busy. Very busy. I was pretty much on my own after my grandmother and mother were gone.

Sephiroth raised a surprised eyebrow. "He... didn't take care of you..?"

"It... wasn't his way." At seeing the expression that crossed the green eyes he added "He loved me Sephiroth, was always proud of me. But his true passion was his work." Vincent had learned to read, write and even walk in his father's study, his mother often teased the duo how Vincent aged one, had pointed at the empty study and declared "Daddy!"

Sephiroth shook his head a wry smile on his face, this new information was strangely comforting."I guess you can be normal and still not have the ideal."

"It was normal for me. I adjusted."

"I know all about "adjusting"" Sephiroth huffed.

"My childhood was more pleasant than yours, I expect." Then his brain caught up with his mouth, "That was insensitive."

Sephiroth looked away. "But a true statement." After a beat he looked back. "Do you wish to have the same relationship with me as your father did with you?"

"We're not the same, people, the situation is not the same."

Sephiroth nodded, slightly frustrated, he had no idea how a true parent child relationship was supposed to work, the only inkling he had was Barrett and Marlene and Angeal and his mother, but that was father and daughter, Son and Mother , but not father and son. and it seemed Vincent wasn't much help either as he and his own father were just as distant. Strangely for being a distant person himself he did not want that same relationship with Vincent. He was the only parent he had now, or at least the only one who actually seemed to care about his well being with no desire to use him as a tool for their own ambitions.

"I guess..." Sephiroth said slowly, recalling something tifa had said a few times about his new life. "We shall have to play it by ear as Tifa says."

"A sound plan."

After a pause Sephiroth stood up and made his way toward the kitchen. He stopped and turned back. "Vincent, do you like ice cream?"

A weary eye was cast towards the kitchen door, this being the deepest of his secrets, he lowered his voice to a hush, "Rocky Road. Get between me and that, there will be injuries."

Sephiroth smirked. So that's where he had inherited his sweet tooth from. "Could you bare to share it with your own flesh and blood peacefully?"

"I... suppose."

"You ought to I bought the stuff in the first place." When he received a raised eyebrow in response he continued. "Cloud introduced it to me and I almost instantaneously developed a taste for it"

"It is the best."

"Cookie dough comes in a close second." Sephiroth said thoughtfully.

"I like to seperate the bits of cookie dough from the ice cream." Vincent confessed.

Sephiroth released a soft partially hidden laugh, he could see where this was going. "and put them off to the side and eat the rest of the ice cream first?" He continued.

"Of course. The ice cream melts."

"And you can savor the dough at your leisure later."

"Precisely."

Both men exchanged faint half smiles at finding this clearly inherited, yet positive commonality as father and son.

When Sephiroth opened the door to the kitchen, he could hear the sudden sounds of shuffling. Just as he stepped in he spotted a blonde head of hair disappearing around a corner. He looked to the kitchen table and saw a tub of rocky road sitting there fresh out of the freezer and two bowls.

"I do believe we are being observed. " He said with a soft chuckle.

"I see that." His voice went up a notch, " And it stops, now."

"It's no good." Sephiroth shook his head. "Cloud will just go up their bedroom which is over head and put his ear to the floor. His hearing is almost as good as mine. Almost"

"Underneath that depressed adult exterior... he's 15-year-old brat."

"Really...?" Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow as he sat down at the kitchen table. "I knew him as a very quiet and polite young man at 15."

"That's because he was new, plus you were his hero. Ask Tifa sometime. She'll tell you stories about Cloud as a child."

Sephiroth nodded with a slight smirk. "She's told me a few, people change when they grow up or taken out of the environment they are used to." The smirk turned into a small fond smile. "But to Cloud's credit I think the other reason he wants to listen in is to make sure you are not going to trigger another nervous breakdown from me."

"I suppose I can't blame him for that."

Sephiroth let out a weary sigh. "It wasn't just you it was of things that had been building up and troubling me since even before my rebirth, the seeming rejection of my real father was just the last straw, it all came down on me together."

Vincent handed him a spoon, "Ice cream is good for that."

Sephiroth smiled a little as he took the spoon. "Always has been...it was Genesis who introduced ice Cream to me in the first place. And I couldn't eat it for a long time after he left."

Vincent took a spoon, as he remembered a night, shortly before the festival where Sephiroth was conceived Lucrecia caught him in the fridge, nibbling on a roll of uncooked cookie dough.

He hadn't been able to eat cookie dough unless it was in ice cream since.

Sephiroth swallowed his own sad yet happy memories with a spoonful of the rocky road, it was indeed a good chaser. He looked over at Vincent and noticed the sad look in his eyes as he stared at the ice cream before eating it. "Did you have a similar experience with cookie dough?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"You look sad."

"I'll tell you about it... but later."

Sephiroth understood and nodded dropping the subject. "Did you and your father do anything together besides work.?

"Languages." More memories of the study... but the best ones, where he'd had his father's complete attention. "My mother was a Ph. D. in Wutaiinese, they metwhile teaching at the same university. We'd learn a new one every year until your grandmother passed."

Sephiroth perked up a little bit at finding another thing in common."Sounds intriguing, I learned quite a few myself, including sign."

"What about Mideelan?"

"Fluently." Sephiroth smirked and then spoke in fluent Mideelan. "Maybe this would be better to fool our eaves droppers"

"This was the second language I learned, so I may be a bit rusty." This was all said in equally fluent Mideelean.

Sephiroth chuckled. "Perhaps I can help refinish it."

" ... I would like that."

After a silent pause and a few more spoonful of ice cream. Sephiroth steeled himself and asked a question that had been at the back of his mind since Vincent's mention of his mother's crystal tomb. "Maybe some day you can take me to see Mother?"

"Whenever you'd like. Perhaps someday you'll tell me about Genesis."

Sephiroth put on a genuinely happy smile. "I could talk about Genesis anytime. Lucrecia...maybe later when my head's more together..". He looked down at the empty bowls of ice cream. "Would you like more?"

"Maybe a little bit more.."

"So do the demons like ice cream too?" Sephiroth asked as he spooned out another couple of scoops.

" ... I've never asked. Though Chaos certainly seems to be a bit more content."

Sephiroth hesitated eating his next spoonful, at a rather frightening thought that occurred to him. "How does he feel about your son also being the son of the calamity?"

"Initially... he was enraged. But for now he's ignoring it.

Sephiroth nodded, but stored the wary information in his brain for later use if necessary. "Let's hope it stays that way."

From that point on they decided to keep the chit-chat more idle, and on happier subjects. Vincent asked Sephiroth about his work at the trauma center and Sephiroth asked about Vincent when he was younger. Finally Vincent excused himself stating Sephiroth needed to get some more rest, and Sephiroth went to find Denzel, remembering how upset he had been when Vincent first arrived.

Even Sephiroth could tell from the boy's outburst that there was more to the story. He found the boy sitting solitary on the roof, knees pulled up to his chest his head resting on them, eyes sad. Sephiroth walked over and sat down calmly next to him.

"My meeting with Vincent seemed to cause you some distress, If you wish I am willing to listen to your concerns." Sephiroth said softly.

Denzel did not look at him, not bothering to hide the still fresh anger, his parents last words to him echoing in his ears. "How can you forgive him after he left like that?"

"I found out his reasons," Sephiroth replied calmly. "He was in such emotional distress himself, he could not properly control the demons inside him. Had he not left when he did, one might have taken control and attacked us. He was acting for our benefit, in my own confused state of mind I could not see that far."

Denzel grumbled something incoherent that sounded alot like, "They always say that" but even he admits from what's he's heard Vincent's demons could get pretty scary...

"There were other lingering questions that Vincent answered that were satisfactory to me, and I have learned that holding grudges against those that currently or once loved you avails nothing but misery for yourself." Sephiroth said, then paused looking thoughtfully in direction, where years ago the plate had been dropped on sector 7. That had lead to the deaths of many, including Denzel's parents.

"Are you angry at Vincent because your father left you when he died?" Sephiroth decided to take his usual direct approach.

Denzel finally looked up angry grief flashing through his eyes and one didn't need enhanced hearing to note the strangled tone to his voice, "They both left me."

"They both died at the same time." Sephiroth corrected. "I am sure they would have prefered to have continued living with you." At Denzel's continued silence. "Which one left first?"

"Mom." He could see still the shocked horror in her eyes as his dad told her the plan, then the grim determination, "Said she was gonna warn our friends... about the plate. We were s'pposed to be moved. Dad went after her."

"You think they should have stayed with you?" Sephiroth asked

"Or take me with them." Denzel scuffed the ground with his shoe.

"If they have done that you might have died too." Sephiroth said simply.

Denzel bent his head down a bit. Because part of him knew that Sephiroth was right, and that his parents hadn't wanted to leave him, and there was no way to know what would happen after the plate fell, and he felt very lucky to have found his new family. But still...

"Just... wanted them here."

"I know..." Sephiroth said allowing some of the sadness of his own tragedies come through in his own voice. "But remaining angry at them for leaving you won't bring them back anymore than wishing it so with your prayers. However, remaining angry will only taint the good memories you still have of them. I know this first hand, and I am sure you do not want to lose the good memories of your parents as well as them physically do you?"

"Well... no!"

Sephiroth searched for something else to say, something motivating, then a memory popped up. One of those strange memories that weren't truly his own, but he had acquired by the cellular connection via Jenova and all those who bore her cells. This was especially true of Cloud since he had also been infused with Sephiroth's own cells. This was from two sources, Cloud and Zack, that's why it held so clear in his mind like a true memory of his own, as if he had been there himself.

At Zack's death.

"You must remember," Sephiroth said softly, remembering the encouraging voice Zack had used. they wanted you live. "You are their living legacy... you are... the very proof they existed."

"The proof they existed?"

"You are their son," Sephiroth continued. "They had to have existed in order for you to be. And... you are probably the only person left who remember them as they were."

It was slow, because part of him was still angry, but there was comfort in the thought of being his parents 'living legacy', that maybe that had trusted him to live and carry on their dreams of better things, the corners of his mouth turned up to form a tiny smile.

000

I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as we did writing it. Don't worry another is in the making!