AN: I'd like to thank you all for the reviews/favorites/alerts. Now behold. Chapter 18! Yeah... *flails*

Ratings, Disclaimer, and iWarning! are still the same.

Heavy in Your Arms
By: Florence and the Machine

CH 18

**20+ years ago**

"Vincent!" Lucrecia gasped as he skillfully snuck up behind her. They were alone in the lab. She playfully hit him with her latex gloved hands for scaring her as he wrapped his arms around her. "Don't do that!"

"How can I not when you make it so easy?" he flirted. She giggled, rewarding him with a light kiss. "What are you doing now?"

"Just some more breakdowns of this genetic code for Professor Hojo," she smiled, turning back around to her work. The J-cells weren't her passion. Her studies went into the Chaos Theory. She had books in her rooms stacked up like mountains with information on the Weapons. They were said to come out in a time of crisis, but she put those on hold while she would do this for her husband. For Professor Hojo.

That knowledge was hard for Vincent and he never forgot about it. Even when it was just them, even when she made it so difficult to believe they were married because of the way she spoke about him, as if Hojo was just her superior, Vincent could never forget that she was a married woman. He never received the details from her on why she had married Hojo, but the man was obsessive. He had to delegate and micromanage everything in his life. Vincent had no doubts that Hojo was a brilliant man, but he was not the best in his field. That spot had been reserved for Professor Gast for many years now, and it gave Vincent satisfaction to know that it was the one thing that made Hojo mad.

He looked over at her and smiled. Whenever they were alone he got to see this playful side of her, and she allowed herself to be taken in by Vincent's boyish charm. She was optimistic and happy by nature, and being with him allowed her to be herself, even though he was younger than her by several years. To him she was the most beautiful thing that walked the planet. He was just thankful that she allowed him to show her that, and he did... every night he was able to. Right here in this lab.

The science wing was one of the many areas that the Turks had to watch over, just in case someone was selling information or trying to break in. The work done in here was ingenious if not dangerous, but for him it was boring. If not for Lucrecia he would have been begging to leave here and do something worth his skill.

Vincent was still doing special missions, of course. The lab didn't need to be watched by the same individual 24/7. He may have been a Turk, but he was classified as an "Elitist". He was not the best one in this subgroup, but he'd come to gather a lot of respect from them. He was the youngest Turk to ever join their ranks.

"Vincent?" she turned back to him, a serious expression on her face.

"Lucrecia?"

"I just wanted to say," she started biting the tip of her thumb. A nervous habit she picked up. Vincent loved all of her little quirks. "Be careful. I know you're a Turk, but there's something going on. I don't want you to get in the middle of anything dangerous."

He smiled, feeling joy to know she cared for him so much.

"Stop it! I'm serious!" she yelled as he nuzzled his face into her hair, smelling her floral perfume. She may have been yelling, but there was no intensity behind her words and he knew she would tell him off if she wanted to. He brought her legs up to wrap around his waist as he laid her on the table, hiking her skirt up as he did so. She didn't try to push him away, but instead held onto him like he was her lifeline.

*~0~*

It had been weeks last since he saw her, his beloved Lucrecia. He'd been sent on a mission to destroy some samples that had escaped from the labs. They had a tendency to do that at the worst times, but how they did it was anyone's guess.

He didn't complain. He would gladly go out to do some fool's errand if that meant he could be closer to the love of his life. His friends noticed his behavior, though they never guessed who held so much of his attention. He was careful and made sure to sneak into Sector 4 after work as if he was meeting someone. He wished he didn't have to. He wished he could tell everyone that Lucrecia was his. She called him a fool when he first told her of his feelings and he really was. Turks weren't allowed to have lovers. They weren't allowed to join if they had a family. It could cause too much of a distraction, too much of a threat.

He wanted to see her again. The time apart had not been kind to him, but it was finally over. He was back where he belonged. He snuck into the lab and found her in her chair.

"Lucrecia!"

"Vincent!" she gasped and got up, though it was slow. It was his turn to be shocked at the belly she was sporting. It wasn't big, but it was definitely noticeable.

"...Lucrecia?"

"You shouldn't be here!" She said as she started crying. He came up to her and held her in his arms. She accepted the comfort as always.

"What's going on? What's wrong?"

She brought her bloodshot eyes up to meet his. She's been crying before he came. "You must leave. We can't see each other anymore. Please."

He looked back at her belly, realizing the implications. "Is it mine?"

She immediately pulled away, shaking her head. "No, it's Professor Hojo's."

He should have known that this day would come, but it was how she said it that sent Vincent off. It wasn't "my husband's" but " Professor Hojo's".

"What did he do? Did he force you? Lucrecia?!"

"NO! He didn't force me!" she said, her eyes looked right into his, unwavering. She was telling the truth. "We've been married for so long. His job is steady and it pays well. He can support a family. He'll always be there! It was time we had a child. I was the one that went to him."

He backed away from her, hot acid swirling in the pit of his stomach. "Why?"

"Please understand."

"Lucrecia?"

"I'm sorry!"

*~0~*

Days passed by, and then weeks... months. He had once asked to have been removed from the labs to continue with higher ranked missions, but his friends just laughed and thought he'd finally gotten board.

They didn't move him and he was forced to watch the life in Lucrecia grow.

If he acted any differently, Hojo didn't notice. The doctor still had him as an extra hand just like before, still joked that he'd never had a Turk as a test subject, asking him if he'd like to volunteer. He politely declined every time.

It was when Lucrecia was almost due that he stepped into a conversation that was not meant for him.

"-this is for the greater science! My son will be gifted with the blood of an Ancient. Do you know how many breakthroughs we can make when studying a living specimen?"

"Of course, Professor Hojo," Lucrecia sounded defeated. Hojo took it at that and left.

"Blood of an Ancient?" Vincent questioned as he came out of the shadows.

"Vincent?" Lucrecia's eyes watered. "What are you doing here?"

"What does he mean by that?" he could feel himself getting angry. "'For the greater science'? 'Specimen'? Just what is he planning to do with your child?"

"He... this is just as much Professor Hojo's child as it is mine," she looked down, ashamed.

"That's not what he believes! No father would call their child a specimen! Whatever he has planned... Lucrecia, you can't go through with it!"

"This is not your decision," Lucrecia stood up as straight as he body allowed her. "You are not to decide what is right. This is for the greater good, to find out just who Ancients really were, and just how they connected with the planet."

"You can't."

"Please leave."

Vincent watched as she turned her back on him and he left without another word.

*~0~*

Professor Hojo had been told to go to Nibelheim and collect samples on the wildlife. There was a mako reactor close by that had been recently built. He had to see if it was causing affects to anything. The professor brought his wife along for the studies as she was also his assistant. Vincent was ordered to follow.

Every now and then he would watch as Professor Hojo and Lucrecia worked in the mansion's basement. Neither knew he was there, and although they were in Nibelheim the experiments done to Lucrecia and her unborn child continued. Hojo had injected the Ancient's blood into the fetus at first, but it seemed as if there had been no effect. Then he'd begun doing something else. Whatever they had seen on the screen had seemed to please Hojo greatly.

Vincent was going to keep his distance, had planned to never speak to her again, but then it happened. During the midnight hours, he was making his rounds when he found her collapsed on the floor.

"Lucrecia!" he called as he rushed to her side. She woke up in a daze, but then suddenly screamed in pain.

"It's coming!"

No, it shouldn't have been here yet. It should've still been a few weeks away. He panicked as he picked her up and carried her to the lab. It wasn't anything great, but it had a table-like bed that was found in the medical rooms back home . He gently laid her down while he dialed the number to call the town's hospital, but only the answering machine picked up. He decided it would be faster to find help himself.

"Vincent," she said pleadingly as tears poured down her cheeks, "don't leave. Please don't leave."

Against his better judgment, he stayed. He held her hand throughout her contractions, even when it felt like she was trying to break it. He soothed her with his voice, petted her sweat soaked hair, and whispered how much he loved her.

It was then that the good doctor came in, and the look in his eyes told him that he had heard everything. Hojo commanded his other assistants into action, pushing Vincent away from Lucrecia as they did so, but she still reached for his hand. He was about to push his way back to her and when his boss moved to stop him. When did he arrive here?

"I'm sorry, kid, but you're not allowed."

He could only watch helplessly as she continued to scream. Hojo looked on impassively as he helped birth Lucrecia's son.

" Professor Hojo," one of the assistants came up to him, "her pulse is dropping."

"We figured it would happen. The female specimen is not going to survive after much longer. Take the new specimen and contain it." Hojo handed the infant to another assistant. He looked toward the Turk. "And you, get rid of him. He's caused too much trouble and has broken Shinra policy."

Lucrecia cried out, "Please, NO!"

Vincent didn't have time to move before a bullet went through his chest at point blank range. He only felt the coldness of the floor as his face landed against it. Lucrecia's pleas were fading as he lost consciousness. Pleas to save him, to let her hold her son.

He only had a moment to see the child. He thanked Gaia that the kid looked nothing like his father.

*~0~*

Vincent thought he was dreaming when he woke up, a green tinged hallucination that was border lining a horror film.

Lucrecia was on the glass opposite from him, pale and fading as she made bloody footprints where ever she went. He wanted to cry for her. He faded instead. He could only hear her begging for forgiveness.

*~0~*

It felt as if he'd been asleep for days, but then he felt hands on him. They were touching his mouth, his neck, his chest. He didn't understand how they would declare him dead. He was still alive. Lucrecia had to be alive too. He wanted to say it, but he couldn't wake up, couldn't open his eyes. He couldn't feel his heartbeat.

He could only feel as they laid him down on a wooden panel. Something was draped over him, hiding him from the light of the room. Then the pounding started, the sound of nails being driven into wood.

He was in a coffin.

He wanted to yell, tried to, but his body was unresponsive to the point where it didn't even draw breath. All pounding stopped as the last nail was placed and the men moved out, leaving him in the burial place underneath the mansion. He thought he was alone.

Then something sinister crept into his senses. Something dark and vile and evil. Something that wanted to kill, and it was inside the coffin with him.

"Hello," the thing whispered into his ear.

Vincent was finally able to open his mouth, but it lacked the scream to go with it.

*~0~*

*Present - Junon*

"So, let me get this straight." Lazard took a deep breath and looked up at them from behind closed hands. "You all think that there's a demon-"

"Alien," Sephiroth corrected.

"-on the loose, who is Sephiroth's genetic mother, and is summoning a Materia-"

"Meteor."

"-right, Meteor- in order to destroy the planet?"

They were quiet, nodding their heads while the Director repeated what he'd just been told. Lazard continued, giving the impression that he was at least trying to follow along. "And you say that Hojo, our top scientist, is going around making babies-"

"Making monsters," Zack corrected. His new hairstyle didn't escape Lazard. He had it sleeked back like Angeal's ever since he got back, only he kept it in spikes.

"-with this alien in order to create the perfect specimen that will lead us to some Promised Land?"

"That's what they said," Angeal mumbled, arms crossed and refusing to look at anyone.

"And it's only Hojo who thinks that," Sephiroth explained again. "He thinks that Jenova is an Ancient, but she's really out to destroy the planet and all of us with it."

"Where is Cloud?" Angeal inquired. "Wasn't he supposed to be here too?"

"We sent him to the labs to get checked." Lazard told them. "He can't be suffering from mako contamination because he's the only one here that hasn't gotten any shots. The tests they do for normal people takes a bit longer than the ones they do for the enhanced."

It was a good thing they told Yuffie to stay in Nibelheim. It would not settle well with the Wutai if they heard that their princess had been detained by Shinra.

Tseng was looking at them the same way he did Reno, as if they all were beyond psychological help. "And you believe Hojo is going around doing what else?"

"Injecting SOLDIERs with J-cells in order to create the perfect SOLDIER that will be part of what Hojo likes to call "Reunion". He's doing that is because the ones under Jenova's-"

"Your mother," Lizard quickly re-identified, making sure to keep the information clear in his head.

"-influence are going around the planet in search of other cells. They're bringing them back to her."

"And that's what Reunion is." It was more of a statement than a question, but Sephiroth nodded anyways.

Genesis finally moved from his motionless state. It was a slight movement that barely brought his body forward as he looked at each individual, interlacing his fingers in his lap and taking it all in. He released his hands to bring them back to the chair handles as he came to a decision. "Ok. So this is what I heard-"

They all looked at him, hoping for something that would declare that he believed them or would at least continue to keep an open mind. Sephiroth needed him to believe them.

"You're all mad." Genesis stated. "You've all gone absolutely bat-shit crazy! I believe we need to have some doctors look at you and take some CAT scans. It must have something to do with that mako reactor. Maybe it's breaking down. We'll send some men over there and see if any of the townspeople were affected."

"Genesis," Angeal broke in, "can you give this just a little more thought? I know it's strange, but there's something going on that isn't right."

"Angeal, don't tell me that you believe them. Even now I can tell how skeptical you are. They must be delusional! Think about what they're saying!"

"What I think?" Angeal echoed, having given the brief for the second time while telling of the strange occurrences that had led up to the failed mission. "Genesis, I saw mountains come crashing down, killing most of my team because one of our men went crazy. He'd also mentioned this Reunion. I saw Zack freezing to the point of dying and then waking up and acting as if he's aged ten years! I saw some young ninja, who we all know love to steal Materia from us, give Zack a Range just because... because I don't know why! I saw Sephiroth coming out from the mako reactor with cat eyes, which he still has by the way, and he didn't have them when we left. I saw Cloud hugging that girl like he'd known her for most of his life, and then he'd talked to Zack as if he hadn't seen him in years. Tell me, Genesis, explain to me what I saw because I'd really like to know what I'm supposed to think about all of this!"

Angeal slumped in his chair, drained as he finally let out all of out. He was still confused. No one had ever seen him come unhinged like that, but due to the stress he'd been through the last few days Sephiroth could accept it. At least Angeal was trying.

Genesis only breathed and brought his hands back up to interlace them in front of his face, mimicking Lazard. They were going to need more convincing. A lot more. "I don't know why Angeal is humoring you, but if you want us to believe this nonsense then we're going to need proof. Tell us where we can find it and I'll send a team."

"What about the monster in Nibelheim?" Sephiroth growled out. "You're just going to forget that it was obviously a creation that had escaped Hojo's facility?"

"There's no proof that the monster was created," Lazard spoke. "All documents state that the beast had been captured and brought here to be researched on."

"That's such bullshit." Zack said as his fists tightened in anger.

"Then it's settled. Since none of you can give any real evidence I have no other choice but to hand you over to the mental health clinic. They'll do some tests to see if any of you have mako poisoning or have anything else that could be potentially harmful. If you're clear, then we'll consider this the product of being overstressed and send you on vacation," Lazard stated as he closed the documents to the mission.

Sephiroth stood in silence, accepting Genesis' order to them.

Then Zack suddenly jumped up, as if just realizing that all of them also meant him. Angeal had to help keep the younger man down. "No, Angeal, you don't understand. Don't go to the labs! It's not-ah!" Zack cried out as Tseng grabbed a hold of him. To Tseng, his panicking only solidified the fact that he may not be completely there. Tseng took out a needle, its contents weakening the SOLDIER instantaneously. Zack collapsed in Angeal's arms.

"It's ok, Zack," Angeal tried to comfort him. "They're just going to run some tests. We'll be fine."

"Angeal," Zack blearily looked up at him. "Please don't go to the labs."

"There's nothing wrong with the labs, Zack. You've been in there with me plenty of times before."

"But..." He lost consciousness. Angeal carried the dead weight that was Zack in his arms and cursed Tseng for using such a powerful drug. He could have calmed him down without it.

"Are you going to be observing, Genesis?" Angeal glanced over his shoulder. He expected a smart ass reply, but there was none. "Genesis?"

"Hm?" He finally had Genesis' attention. "Yes, I'll be right there."

Genesis looked back on the desk after everyone had left. There had been two documents on the table. A brief from the SOLDIER mission and one from the Turks, but now there were three. It must have been placed on the desk during the commotion. He closed the file as soon as he opened it up. Along the first page it was stamped as TOP SECRET, along with names of people and DECEASED. He'd take a look at it when he was someplace else. Somewhere away from prying eyes.

He gave the room another look. No one was there.

He picked it up with his good arm and tucked it away in his jacked. He winced as the fabric of his jacket irritated the wound on his shoulder. It was strange it wasn't healing, stranger yet that it was getting worse. Dr. Hollander said it would take a while to heal. He wasn't worried about it. The Generals of Shinra were fast healers.

To be continued…

AN: I'm not going to lie. I had fun with Genesis' reaction. I had about 15 pages, but I'd taken a lot out because I'd realized it was crap. I wanted this chapter to be longer and was going to work on it while on leave, but no one left me alone and I promised this to be out today... I hope you guys enjoyed it anyways even though it was so short. I'm so sorry. T.T

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