Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 15: Family Matters

Elena slipped into the elevator, narrowly avoiding a collision with the woman and her little boy who were disembarking. She didn’t bother to apologize for nearly trampling them, despite the mother’s peeved scowl. Instead, she impatiently mashed the button for the fifth floor and wondered if it would have been faster to take the stairs. Of all the times for Reno to have shut off his PHS! A phone call would have made this a hundred times faster. Elena hugged her arms nervously, silently pleading for the elevator to hurry up as the doors slid closed. Her stomach was in knots as it was… every second spent waiting was just making it worse. She desperately hoped Reno had stayed in tonight, instead of being firmly entrenched in the nearest bar.

The elevator pinged at her destination and she stepped out on Reno’s floor, walking swiftly towards his apartment.

“Please be home, please be home, please be home…” she whispered as she knocked on his door.

She and Reno, alongside Tseng and Rude, had spent the past two and a half weeks ensuring the security of a rather substantial transfer of weapons and other equipment from Junon. The ultimate goal was to better protect Midgar’s mako reactors; there had been a number of minor, but troubling, security breaches over the past two months, and the executive board was growing concerned. Tseng seemed to share that concern, at least to some extent. For some time now, the Turks had been tracking the activities of an anti-mako group calling themselves Avalanche. There was no definitive proof that they’d been behind the breaches, but Tseng had expressed no small amount of apprehension that they were gearing up for something bigger than just spreading anti-Shinra propaganda around the slums, and the timing of the breaches was somewhat suspect.

Thus, the security upgrades. Some of what she’d seen was fairly impressive… like the massive robotic drone the weapons research department had affectionately nicknamed the Guard Scorpion. But the transfer itself had been arduous and stressful for all four of them. Particularly for Reno and herself, since they’d jumped right into it almost immediately following their return from their mission in Costa del Sol. By the time it was all over, Tseng had practically ordered them both to take a week off to recuperate.

She hadn’t felt it was strictly necessary – not for her at any rate… it was Reno who’d had things rough in the resort town, after all. She’d just been there as part of his cover and for backup, and hadn’t even done much in the grand scheme of things. But now, she was glad she hadn’t argued about it with the Turk leader. After the phone call she’d received an hour ago, she was thanking her lucky stars that she wasn’t expected at the office for days.

She knocked again, more forcefully this time. She could hear faint music from inside… he had to be there. He just had to be. Rude and Tseng were still in Junon tying up a few remaining loose ends. They wouldn’t be back in Midgar for two more days, and there wasn’t anyone else who could –

The door finally opened. Reno peered out at her, looking decidedly cross.

“Uh… hey, ‘Lena” he said, hesitantly, “Look, don’t mean to be rude here, but now’s really not a good time.”

He was currently shirtless, dressed in only a pair of jeans.

“I-I’m so sorry to bother you, Reno. I tried to call first, but you didn’t answer, and it really couldn’t wait. I… I need to ask you to – ” she began, only to be cut off mid-sentence by the previously unnoticed second occupant of Reno’s apartment.

“Mmm… Reno, what’s taking so long?” A pair of toned, tanned arms wrapped themselves seductively around Reno’s waist from behind him. One perfectly manicured hand gently stroked its way up his chest, while the other toyed with his belt buckle.

“O-oh…” Elena managed, jaw dropping slightly in realization. Her heart sank. Reno had been her only option. She had no idea what she was going to do now. She blinked rapidly, feeling tears of worry and frustration – not to mention embarrassment for… interrupting – threatening to fall. “I… um… I-I’ll just go. Sorry…”

“Whoa, hey, ‘Lena… Hold up,” Reno called after her. She ignored him, having already turned and started back toward the elevator, only to suddenly be caught by the wrist and pulled back towards his apartment. The next thing she knew, he was guiding her inside and over to the couch, silently insisting she sit, and giving her little room to protest.

“Gimme a minute, ‘kay, ‘Lena? Just… stay right there,” he murmured, as he turned back to his date.

The woman in Reno’s living room was tall and fit, with platinum blond hair that came down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a strapless black dress that looked like it almost had to have been painted on, accentuating every curve of her body. She was utterly gorgeous… and she was presently glaring daggers at Elena.

“Sorry, Neela… family emergency. Gonna have to make it up to ya,” he said with a sigh. The woman pouted and cuddled up to him, whispering something in his ear. Reno’s eyes widened, but he glanced sideways at the rookie Turk on his couch and back, then shook his head with a groan. With a rather put upon look, the woman finally collected her things and let Reno escort her out the door. When she was gone, the redhead hit a button on the stereo, killing the music, and grabbed his shirt from off the back of a chair, pulling it over his head as he sat down next to Elena.

“R-reno? You… You didn’t have to – ” she began, somewhat in a state of shock that that had just happened.

“Don’t,” Reno cut her off, “‘Cause if I didn’t have to do that, I may have to kill you.” He couldn’t hold the annoyed expression long, however, before he flashed her a grin. “Seriously though, don’t worry ’bout it, ‘Lena. You show up at my door, almost in tears, and really think I’m not gonna drop everything? Give me at least some credit on my priorities.”

Elena quite literally had no words to express just how grateful she was to Reno right at that moment.

“So tell me what’s so important I just kicked out an – apparently very limber, judging by what she just offered to do to me if I told you to fuck off – weapons researcher…”

“I… got a call from my brother earlier,” she started, wiping away an errant tear before it had a chance to fall, “He and my grandmother… There’s some kind of trouble. I need to get to Veraheim, but it would take me days by land. I-I know it’s not even remotely Turks business… and that company vehicles aren’t supposed to be for personal use… and this is supposed to be time off for you… and it’s completely against regulations, but… I was hoping you could take me? Tonight? Please, Reno? I’m really worried about them. They’re miles from anything out there, and Delion wouldn’t have called if it was something he could handle himself. Please…”

It was asking a lot, she knew, and she was fully prepared to plead with him, bribe him, or do whatever else it might take to secure his help, including taking the blame if they got in trouble for it. Reno had the rank needed to authorize use of a company helicopter… but he still ultimately had to answer to Tseng. And if the Turk leader asked him to justify it, ‘taking Elena to her grandmother’s house’ probably wasn’t most justifiable of reasons. She wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he took some convincing… or even refused outright.

Reno rolled his eyes. “‘Lena… you don’t have to beg. ‘Course I’ll take ya. The hell with regulations. Tseng can chew me about about ’em… again… when we get back,” he replied. Elena felt dizzy with relief. Reno was on his feet in an instant. He disappeared into his bedroom, and reappeared seconds later with a standard issue travel pack slung over one shoulder and his mag-rod in hand. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who kept a bag packed in case of emergency. The next thing she knew, he was pulling on a pair of shoes and heading for the door. “So… which way to Veraheim?”

---

The Shinra helicopter cut its way through the thick clouds that hung low over the Nibel mountains. Veraheim, as Reno soon discovered, was a tiny mining town tucked away on the northern side of the range. So tiny, its population was only in the double digits, and many of the homesteads were miles apart. The town center, if you could call it that, really only consisted of a general store, a post office, and bar that doubled as the town meeting hall, medical clinic, inn, and whatever else the few residents happened to have need of at any given time.

This was where Elena’s father had been born and raised… before he’d come to Midgar to work on the Plate and its reactors, and raise a family of his own. It was where her grandmother still lived, along with the eldest of her two brothers, who had gone to stay there for a summer when he was seventeen and never looked back.

“That’s Veraheim down there,” Elena said over her headset.

“Not much to it, is there?” Reno commented. He could just make out the outlines of the handful of buildings through the cloud layer in the early morning light. They’d made pretty good time… it had taken nearly eight hours and they’d been on mostly fumes by the time they’d briefly set down in Rocket Town to refuel, but all things considered, that wasn’t half-bad for flying to someplace he’d never heard of, out in the middle of fuck knows where, in the dark.

“No, there really isn’t,” Elena agreed, “My grandmother lives farther east. There’s even less out there…” She had never cared much for Veraheim. Oh, it was beautiful enough and fun to explore, especially this time of year, when the mountain streams warmed enough that you could wade in them without worrying about frostbite and the summer berries ripened in the patchy forest that dotted the slopes below the treeline. But it had always felt so lonely and isolated to her. She’d never understood the appeal it held for Delion and her grandmother. Reno swung east as directed, and soon she spotted the homestead.

“That’s it… Right there,” she said. Rough-hewn wood timbers made up the walls of a two-story lodge that backed right up to the side of the mountain. The structure was well below the treeline, and tall mountain pines surrounded it on the exposed sides.

“Gonna need a better place to set down. Too many trees here,” said Reno, “I could probably do it if I really had to, but it’d be damned tight. I’d rather not risk it.”

“There’s an open field by the lake,” Elena replied, pointing to the northeast, “I think it should be big enough… It’s a little bit of a hike back, though.”

Reno debated a moment. He wasn’t exactly in the mood for a hike after flying all night. On the other hand, setting down here wasn’t going to be a picnic, either, assuming he could do it at all… and Rude would almost certainly kick his ass if he fucked up the helicopter so soon after his partner had gotten the damage Elena’d caused repaired. “Guess we’re walkin’ then,” he said, taking them towards the lake.

They set down in a wide clearing by the water, the downdraft from the rotors flattening the down the long grass in a wide circle. Reno killed the engine and the noise of their transport gradually whined into silence. He pulled off his headset and set it aside, and hopped out of the seat, sliding open the side door and making the short jump to the ground. Elena was right behind him.

Reno moaned in relief as he was finally able to stretch out after so long sitting still. “That was one long fuckin’ trip,” he muttered, “Any particular reason your family lives in the middle of the ass-end of nowhere?”

“If there is, I’ve never figured it out,” she replied honestly, “It’s really just Nana and Delion, though. Dad left for Midgar when he was my age and stayed there until the day he died… and my mom lived her whole life in the city. Belane… um… that’s my other brother… never really liked it out here for more than the occasional visit, and neither did I.”

The two Turks grabbed their packs and started along a narrow rocky path that led away from the lake, back in the general direction of the homestead.

“So if he’s not here, where’s your other brother?” Reno asked, out of curiosity.

“Wutai, last I heard from him,” she replied, “He’s an archaeologist for the biological research department… well… sort of. He kind of works on kind of a contract basis, so he’s not officially a Shinra employee. He’s always running from one place to the next, so I never know where he is for sure, or where he’s going.”

“Doesn’t sound like ya see each other much.”

“We don’t… Del almost never travels, and Bel travels constantly.”

Reno stopped dead in his tracks. “Del and Bel?” he smirked, “Please, please for the love of god,tell me they call you El…”

“Umm…” Elena blushed. Why her parents had thought that was a good idea, she would never know… and she had long ago vowed that if she ever had kids of her own, she would never do such a thing to them. But they were family nicknames, and they’d been calling one another by them for so long, it was second nature at this point. She had resigned herself to the fact that she would forever be ‘El’ to her two elder siblings. Reno was snickering loudly at her side, apparently considering the possibilities. But she’d be damned if anyone else was going to start calling her that again… she’d had enough of that in grade school. “Don’t you dare…” she said, her tone bordering on threatening.

“Heh… Don’t worry. It’s cute and all, but you’re stuck with ‘Lena. I’m sorta attached to it at this point,” Reno assured her, before grinning widely. “Still gonna laugh my ass off about this, though… and I’m telling Rude.”

The trail narrowed as it cut along the wall of a small ravine, forcing the two of them to move single file. Reno took the lead, following the the ledge carefully. As he rounded a curve, without warning, a shot rang out and part of a large boulder ahead of him exploded in a shower of stone shards. He swore and flattened himself against the wall of the ravine, stopping Elena from coming any farther down the path and shielding her as best he could, given their position. There was no cover at all. A second shot embedded itself in the dirt at his feet.

“Fuck… Go back!” he ordered Elena.

“Yeah, you better go back, you bastards!” an angry voice shouted at them from somewhere among the trees ahead of them.

Elena knew that voice. “Del?!” she called back, “Del, is that you? Don’t shoot! It’s me! Elena!”

“… El?” A tall, bearded man stepped into view, rifle aimed squarely at Reno’s chest as he did so. He looked to be perhaps slightly older than the Turk, with hair exactly the same shade of blond as his Elena’s. He had the look and build of someone who’d spent a lifetime in the mountains. “Alright, Red…” he said suspiciously, “You keep your hands where I can see ’em and step forward. Let me see my sister.”

Reno cast a glance back at Elena and when she nodded, he slowly raised his hands and did as requested. Elena hurried to move into view.

“El! It is you!” her brother laughed, lowering the rifle, and beckoning them forward.

Reno let his hands drop, and followed the ledge the rest of the way around, moments later finding himself standing before the man who’d just nearly put a bullet in him. Elena launched herself at her brother, hugging him tight around the middle.

“Nice welcome,” Reno commented, dryly, “People around here always so friendly?”

“Yeah… Sorry about that. I thought you must be the bastards that have been harassing us. Especially after we heard the copter circling earlier.”

“Reno, this is my brother, Delion. Del, this is Reno. He’s a friend. We work together,” Elena said, quickly making the necessary introductions.

“Friend, huh? Well, any friend of El’s is a friend of mine,” he said, offering Reno his hand. Reno shook it, having to put some effort into not visibly grimacing as the man came close to crushing his own in his enthusiasm. “Could use a few more friends, to be honest. This whole situation is getting out of hand.”

“Del, what’s going on? You were so vague when you called.”

Delion sighed, “Let’s head back to the house first… It’s not real safe out here right now.”

The party of three continued on for several more minutes, Reno growing increasingly wary as the trees became more dense. He was certain that someone was watching them… and being one to trust his instincts in such matters, he kept his electro mag-rod close at hand until the flora thinned and the house loomed before them. Del led them up the steps to the wide front porch and ushered them inside.

“I don’t believe it…” a boisterous, female voice called out the moment they stepped through, “Elena… Oh, my goodness, look at you!” An old woman all but bounded out of the kitchen with an energy Reno would hardly have thought possible of someone her age, and pulled Elena into tight embrace.

“Nana!” Elena cried, “It’s so good to see you…”

“And you, too, sweat pea!” Reno snorted softly in laughter at that. So many new nicknames for the rookie… he wasn’t sure what to do with them all.

“How’s city life treating you, Elena?” she continued, “And your promotion? How’s that working out?” But before Elena could answer, her grandmother’s eyes zeroed in on Reno, who’d been hanging back near the door somewhat awkwardly throughout the family reunion.

“And who’s this?” she asked, smiling from ear to ear as she advanced on the redhead.

“Oh! Nana, this is Reno,” Elena replied.

“Reno, eh?” she purred, patting him on the cheek, “About time Elena found herself a nice young man…”

“Nana, he’s not…”

“Oh, now hush, dear and let me take a good look at him. Aren’t you a handsome thing…” she said, raising a finger to her lips as she turned away from Elena, and giving him a conspiratorial wink. Reno immediately grinned. Now this was a woman after his own heart. “Those gorgeous eyes… and that hair! Oh, I always did like redheads. They’re so… feisty! Pity I’m not a few years younger. I’d give my granddaughter here a run for her money with you! Or hell, I still might… if you think you can handle the both of us.”

“Nana!” Elena squeaked, turning red, but her grandmother was making a point of looking her new co-conspirator up and down with a disturbingly predatory expression and happily ignored her.

“Ah relax, ‘Lena,” Reno drawled, “There’s plenty of me to go around… I’m sure we can work somethin’ out.”

Elena’s grandmother laughed at the twin expressions of horror on both of her grandchildren’s faces, and clapped Reno on the back. “Ha! I like you! Not often you find someone who’ll jump right in with an old lady’s teasing.” She looked him over again, appraisingly, and smiled. “Josephine Brewer, at your service… Jo if you prefer. But for a sweatheart like you… Nana’s perfectly fine by me, honey.”

Reno wasn’t entirely certain how to respond to that declaration, as Delion shook his head. “Before she decides to just be done with it and make your friend here an honorary Brewer… maybe I ought to explain exactly why it is I called you in the first place.”

“And while he’s doing that, I’ll see to breakfast,” Josephine added, prodding Reno in the stomach, “You’re nothing but skin and bones. Don’t they feed you poor things in Midgar?”

“Not nearly enough,” he replied, teasingly. A sense of humor and she was going to feed him? Oh yes, he could definitely get to like this woman.

Reno and Elena followed Del into the living room, and he began pacing. “I guess I should just start at the beginning,” he said after a moment, “About a month ago, I started finding my traps and snares either tripped with nothing in ’em, or just plain wrecked.” Reno raised an eyebrow, wondering if this was the really the reason they’d flown eight hours to get here. Del seemed to notice Reno’s expression and added, “It might not seem like a big deal, coming from Midgar, but you have to realize… we don’t get a lot of food trucked in out here. The general store sells some non-perishables… flour, salt, that sort of thing… but people rely on trapping and hunting for fresh meat. Around here, if someone’s messing with your traps, that’s a pretty loud message to be sending.”

“Point taken,” Reno acknowledged, leaning back on the couch.

“At first, I just figured it was the Calloway boys. Got into a bit of a disagreement with them not long before it started. But they denied it… and after awhile, things started getting a lot more serious. Definitely not things they’d do.”

“What do you mean by more serious?” Elena asked, concerned.

“Fires, for one. We’re in the coming to the end of the dry season, and the forest is like kindling right now, so everyone’s being extra careful about what and where they’re burning. Six brush fires in two weeks, though… all on our property… that’s no accident. Some were damned close to the homestead, too. Luckily, we saw them before they could spread too far. Then a week ago, the main support line on on the bridge over the west valley was cut halfway through. I was on it when it finally started to give way. It held long enough for me to get to safety, but that wasn’t a fun couple of minutes.” Del scowled and planted himself in a chair. “Aside from the bridge, there hasn’t been any serious damage, or even any injuries… yet. But it just seems to keep escalating.” He paused, hesitating.

“Something else happened, didn’t it?” Reno prodded. Del sighed.

“Two days ago someone tried their luck at breaking into the house in the middle of the night. And yesterday morning, someone in the woods took a shot at Nana while she was out in the garden.” Elena couldn’t help but gasp. Del nodded gravely and turned his gaze on her. “That’s when I finally decided enough was enough and called you. I don’t know what this is about, but it seems to be directed squarely at us. No one else I’ve spoken to has had anything like this happening to them. And you know Nana… stubborn as a mother nibelwolf and twice as territorial. She’s not going to let anyone run her out of her home, even temporarily. It was all I could do just to convince her to at least stay indoors until I figured out what to do about all this.”

“Well, that explains why ya greeted us at gunpoint…” Reno commented, more than a little miffed that someone would go after an old woman in so cowardly a fashion. That was low.

“Yeah, well… When El said she’d be here as soon as she could, I didn’t think she meant she’d be strolling in the front door by dawn the next morning. Hope I didn’t scare you too bad.”

Reno smirked and raised an eyebrow. “She did tell ya what we do for a living, didn’t she?” Del inclined his head in acknowledgment.

“But why would anyone want to target you and Nana?” Elena asked, shaking her head.

“I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to figure that out… and I’ve come up with exactly nothing,” Del said.

“Well, you can sit there and keep trying to figure it out if you want to, Delion,” Josephine called out from the kitchen doorway, “But these two must be starving after coming all the way from Midgar, and breakfast is ready.”

---

Elena had been shocked at the sheer amount of food her grandmother had prepared. It was as if she intended to feed a small army, not a group of four. But then, Reno could happily eat enough for a small army. And Josephine had kept plying him with food, telling him he was much too thin and needed to eat more.

Eventually, though, even he had to start refusing additional helpings… Elena had nearly lost it when Reno had emphatically stated that he couldn’t eat another bite and actually meant it. She had truly begun to believe it wasn’t possible.

“My god…” Reno moaned softly as he dropped onto the couch. Josephine had shooed them both out of the kitchen so she and Del could take care of the dishes. “For a minute there, I thought she was going to start force-feeding me… I stay here much longer, she might actually manage to fatten me up some…”

“I… umm… that kind of reminds me…” Elena began. Reno raised his head from its resting spot on the arm of the couch, “I know I only asked you to bring me here. You’re supposed to be on vacation, and I go and drag you away from it… and totally wreck your evening while I’m at it… and I haven’t even thanked you for going out of your way like that. If you want to go back to Midgar… I… well, I mean you never agreed to stick around, and I really can’t ask that of you.”

“So don’t ask. Just assume I’m stayin’… ’cause I am,” he replied, letting his head drop back to its previous position, “And you’re welcome. But seriously, ‘Lena… Between bein’ up all night and bein’ literally stuffed full of everything from pancakes to… whatever the hell that awesome shit with all the cinnamon on it was… I’m about to pass out. If ya need me, I’ll be in a food coma.”

He raised his head one more time. “Don’t need me,” he quickly added.

Elena snickered. “Wait until Tseng and Rude find out your stomach has finally met its match…” She reached for the quilt that was draped over the back of the couch, and spread it over the sleepy redhead. And no wonder he was tired, too… she’d at least dozed a good bit during their flight in. Reno had been up the whole time… and the entire day before. In fact, probably hadn’t slept since the night before last, and knowing his usual off-duty habits, quite possibly not then, either.

“Mmhmm… They’ll never believe ya, and I’m gonna deny the hell out of it. Got a reputation to maintain,” he said, curling up on his side under the blanket and letting his eyes drift shut.

Elena gently tucked the quilt around him, earning a contented sigh from the redhead, and let him be, making her way back into the kitchen.

“Congratulations, Nana,” she said, smiling, “You’re the only person I know of who’s ever forced Reno to concede defeat at a meal.”

“That boy can eat, I’ll give him that,” Josephine said with a soft laugh.

“Well, while he’s sleeping it off, I’m going to go take a look around outside.”

“I’ll go with you,” Del said, “There’s a few things I want to show you… and it’s probably best not to head out alone anyway.”

“You two be careful,” Josephine cautioned them.

---

Reno woke with a start and shuddered. He wasn’t having nightmares every time he drifted off anymore, as he had been for nearly a week after returning from Costa del Sol… but damned if the ones he did have weren’t still disturbing as fuck. The one he’d just come out of was no exception. At least he’d gotten to the point that he eventually recognized them for what they were and could wake himself up before things got too… unpleasant. Even so, they still left him feeling raw and anxious for some time after he woke.

He sat up and stretched, pushing aside the quilt. Early afternoon sunlight was streaming in through the windows. Apparently he’d been out for awhile.

“Finally awake, eh?” Josephine made her way down the staircase, a large box tucked under one arm. She set it on sideboard at the foot of the stairs and made her way over to Reno. “Poor thing, you must have been up all night getting here… I’d have put the both of you straight to bed if I’d been thinking a little more clearly earlier. Don’t say anything to Delion – that boy frets about me enough as it is – but this whole business has me a lot more flustered than I care to admit.”

“Heh… Not a word,” Reno promised, “And don’t worry about it… I’ve got no complaints against eatin’ ’til I drop. So what’s in the box?”

“Figured I’d better grab some candles. There’s a storm due later and we almost always lose power. Hope those two get back before it hits.”

Reno froze, feeling his heart skip a beat.

“Back?”

“Elena and Delion took off… hmm… few hours ago, I suppose. Wanted to take a look around and see what they could see.”

Elena had gone off without him? Hours ago? What the hell had she been thinking? He pulled out his PHS, intent on laying into her for doing something so incredibly stupid and demanding she get her sorry ass back to the house. Immediately. One thing was certain… he wasn’t going to be shaking off that dream anytime soon now.

“Oh, you won’t get a hold of anyone on that,” Josephine said, “No signal out here. Only way to call out is the landline in town at Gilly’s.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding…” Reno groaned. He was going to have to go look for her… which ought to be interesting, given that he had exactly zero idea which direction she might have taken off in. He’d finally done it. He’d lost the rookie. On a fucking mountain, no less. He was torn between being supremely ticked off and worried half to death, and he jumped when Josephine placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Now, don’t worry about those two. They’ll watch out for each other,” she said, smiling warmly, “You’re a protective one, aren’t you? Got a bit of a soft spot for my granddaughter?”

“I take my job seriously,” Reno stated, getting to his feet, “And part of my job is to stop your granddaughter from doing idiotic things like runnin’ off into a forest full of people that may be tryin’ to kill her.”

“Now, you sit down and relax,” Josephine chuckled, and gripped him by the shoulders, pushing him back down onto the couch. He stared up at her, mouth agape, not quite sure what surprised him more… that he’d just been manhandled into compliance by an octogenarian, or that he’d been so caught off guard by it that he’d allowed it to happen. “Take my word for it. Delion knows these woods like the back of his hand. There is no one better to look out for his sister on this terrain… and that includes you, honey.”

Reno dropped his gaze to the floor. No one better… including him. The notion of being less than ideal for that particular job struck a little too close to home in his present state of mind.

“Well, now… that certainly seems to have hit a nerve.” Josephine sat herself down next to the redhead, and the next thing Reno knew, she had an arm hooked around him and was pulling him down sideways to lay with his head on her lap.

“H-hey!” he cried, having little time to put up much of a fight, even if it had occurred to him to do so, “What the hell?!”

“Something’s obviously bothering you… so why don’t you just tell Nana what it is?”

Cool fingertips glided across his temple and along his cheek. Reno held his tongue. He should be out looking for Elena, not having an impromptu therapy session with her overly-affectionate grandmother. Oh, but the way her fingers were carding his hair did feel nice…

With an irritated growl, he tried to sit up, only to find himself held firmly in place by the hand he hadn’t even noticed on his shoulder.

“Oh, no you don’t,” she murmured, “I raised four boys of my own, and two more I brought in from the cold… and that grandson of mine since he was a teenager. If you think you can get away from me, you’ve got another thing coming. I’m a stubborn old bat.”

“And I’m not in the mood to sit around wasting time…” Reno snapped, as he made a second attempt at extricating himself from the woman’s grasp… before realizing that, unless he was willing to physically fight off a sweet old lady who had to be pushing eighty-five – and who had a surprisingly strong grip, all things considered – he was stuck. She was determined to keep him there.

Reno sighed in defeat. “Tch… And I thought being cornered by Rude was annoying…” he muttered. Rude, at least, let him remain upright when he decided Reno had too much on his mind and needed to talk to someone.

“Well?” Josephine prodded, “I’m waiting…”

“Fine,” the redhead grumbled, “You wanna know what’s bothering me? I screwed up. That’s what.”

“And I take it this mountain of a screw up had something to do with Elena?”

“… It could have gotten her killed,” he admitted. It could have gotten him killed, too, for that matter.

“Obviously it didn’t.”

“It could have,” he stressed, angrily. It wasn’t even so much the mistake itself that bothered him. The best, most experienced of Turks still made mistakes… not even Tseng was immune. It was how completely moronic and avoidable it had been. All he’d have had to do to prevent it was scout the area before approaching that door. If he’d just taken thirty seconds to do that, he never would have been ambushed, never would have been immobilized, never would have been tortured… never would have put Elena in danger. But he’d rushed… and saving himself less than a minute had come dangerously close to costing him both their lives.

“But it didn’t,” she reiterated, as her hand moved from his shoulder to the back of his neck, fingers tenderly kneading away at the tension in his muscles, “And I’d wager that you’re not going to be making that same mistake again.”

Reno didn’t answer, but silently acknowledged the point.

“Now tell me something…” she continued, “What does Elena gain from you behaving like her over-protective brother every time she steps foot outside?”

“A longer lifespan?” he replied, almost meekly. Whatever the hell she was doing to his neck, it was making it very hard for him to stay annoyed with the ‘stubborn old bat’… and even less inclined to want to get up.

“Hmm… I don’t know about that. You keep someone in a bubble, and they get dull to the world around them. They forget to watch their own backside, because they’re so accustomed to someone else doing it for them.”

He tensed, forced to admit to himself that he had never considered that.

“It’s fine to want to protect someone who clearly means a lot to you… From what she’s told me in her letters, you Turks do seem a close-knit bunch. I’m extremely pleased to know my little Elena has people watching over her like she was one of their own kin. But let her make a few mistakes of her own once in awhile. Otherwise, she won’t have anything to learn from,” Josephine said. She laughed softly, “Only small, unlikely-to-be-fatal ones, though, if you please.”

“And for Ifrit’s sake,” she added, “Stop beating yourself up over something that’s over and done with. That doesn’t help her, either… or you, for that matter.”

Reno snorted softly. “You sound an awful lot like my boss,” he muttered as he suddenly realized that at some point during her lecture, she’d gone from simply massaging his neck to flat out stroking him from his head to his lower back, as if he were some sort of oversized cat. Worse still, he’d instinctively curled himself up to give her a better angle to do so.

He felt ridiculous.

And oddly content. In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was what having a grandmother was like. He’d never met his own, assuming she’d even been alive by the time he came along.

“Hmph… Smart man, then. You should listen to him.”

By the time the front door opened several minutes later, Reno had nearly allowed himself to be lulled back to sleep.

“Um… Nana?” Elena’s voice spoke, jarring him back to reality, “Why are you… petting… Reno?”

No longer restrained, the redhead sat up, suddenly very much awake. ” ‘Lena… Uh…” This was absolutely not something he wanted to explain, least of all to the rookie herself. Josephine was snickering softly.

“Well, you see, I just couldn’t resist that pretty red hair of his,” she offered, gently fondling his ponytail, “He’s such a sweet young man, humoring an old lady… Just what I need around here.”

She was covering for him? Reno breathed out and relaxed, eternally grateful. That could have been more than a little embarrassing. It also occurred to him that Josephine was much more devious than he ever would have thought… that lie had been pitch perfect and delivered without the slightest hesitation. Even Tseng might have bought it.

Elena shot him an apologetic smile as Del rolled his eyes.

“I told you she’d be trying to adopt the poor guy by the time we got back…” Del commented, “Never should’ve left him alone with her.”

“And on that note,” Reno said, quickly changing the subject, “Find anything interesting?” He bit down on the all-encompassing desire to shake some sense into Elena for leaving without him in the first place. Josephine had been right about at least one thing… he couldn’t let himself fall into the habit sheltering her more than she needed to be.

“Sprung traps and a few broken branches,” Del replied, “No tracks to follow, at least none that I could see… I’m not the greatest tracker, though, if I’m being honest. Could maybe coax old Aven out tomorrow. He’s been tracking in these mountains for decades. He might have better luck.”

“We did find these just past the edge of the forest,” Elena added, handing Reno three spent casings from a rifle, “Del’s sure there not from any of his guns.”

“Wrong caliber,” Del nodded, “Don’t have anything that’d take something that big. I can’t think of anyone else offhand who does, either.”

“Wutai-made. Don’t recognize the mark, though,” Reno mused, brushing some dirt away from the etched symbol on the end of one casing, “Tseng’d know… but apparently there’s no wireless service out here, so sending him a photo isn’t really an option.”

“They didn’t get them locally, if they came from Wutai, then,” Josephine spoke up, “General store doesn’t stock anything but the basics, and no one would waste the money importing anything like when something closer to home would do. Half the people around here just load their own, anyway.”

Reno stared at the three casings with a frown. They reminded him of something… but he couldn’t quite dig up the memory.

“What is it?” Elena asked, noting just how deep in thought he seemed to be. Reno sighed.

“Maybe nothin’,” he replied, “Just can’t help thinkin’ I’m missing something here.” It was going to bug the hell out of him, he just knew it. He turned to Josephine. “You said you can call out from in town?”

“Sure can. But it’s close to an hour both ways on foot,” she said.

“Longer with the west bridge out. You’d have to go around the south end of the valley. If you’re thinking about making that trip, I’d hold off. We could see the storm front moving in on the way back,” said Del, “I’d guess we’ve got maybe another hour… hour and a half at best… before it’s right on top of us. Looks nasty, too. You might make it there before it starts, if you’re quick, but you’d never make it back.”

“Reno?” Elena questioned. He shook his head.

“Wanted a word with Tseng about these,” he replied, lightly tossing the casings in the palm of his hand and debating with himself on whether it was important enough to risk it. He hesitated… It was certainly a pain in the ass when he couldn’t remember something – and he had the nagging suspicion that whatever he was forgetting was relevant – but it wasn’t worth potentially getting caught in a raging downpour on the side of a mountain with nowhere to take shelter. He supposed the helicopter was an option… but clear areas to land seemed to be a bit lacking. He might end up having to hike in as they’d had to do from the lake… and then hiking back… which left him with pretty much the same problem he’d have if he just made the whole trip on foot. “I guess it’ll have to wait,” he said at last, pocketing the shells for the time being.

“Oh, good,” Elena sighed, relieved, “For a minute there, I was worried we were actually going to try.”

“Wasn’t plannin’ on takin’ you with me, ‘Lena,” Reno noted, smirking when he caught sight of the insulted and somewhat hurt expression on her face, “Hey, no offense… but I do move faster on my own, ya know. Besides which, least one of us should be keepin’ an eye on things here.”

“Well since you’ve decided not to do something as unbelievably daft as going out in bad weather,” Josephine interjected, “you can give Delion a hand getting things squared away before said bad weather gets here. Del, chickens in the coop, extra wood in the bin, and make sure those damn shutters upstairs stay closed for once. Elena, you come help me with a little lunch.”

---

“A little lunch?” Reno asked, incredulously, eying the spread on the kitchen table. It was easily as much food as, if not more than, what they’d been served for breakfast.

“I think Nana’s determined that you leave here at least fifty pounds heavier,” Elena said, smothering a laugh, “She’s got it in her head that you desperately need to be fed properly.”

“Yeah… Tseng tried that with me once. It doesn’t stick,” Reno replied.

“What do you mean ‘Tseng tried that with you’?” Elena asked.

The redhead shrugged. “I’m naturally skinny. Always have been. First medical workup I had after I was promoted, they told Tseng I was underweight. Apparently, some chart says I’m ‘sposed to be somethin’ like twenty pounds heavier for my height,” he said, rolling his eyes at the memory, “He decided to fix that personally… pretty much like this.”

“So I guess you didn’t gain much,” she mused, as she set another dish on the table, which already nearly didn’t have room for the place settings.

“Actually, I lost two pounds.”

“What?!” Elena’s eyes widened, as she looked from Reno, to the table, and back again, “How is that even possible?”

Reno was sniggering unabashedly at her expression. “Ah come on, ‘Lena… you gotta remember the first couple months after you made probationary status. Workout hell, followed by mission briefings, followed by more workout hell, ’cause you’re not actually bein’ sent on the missions yet, followed by Tseng kickin’ your ass in the practice room… lather, rinse, repeat? Even eating twice what I was used to, I was burnin’ it off just as fast.”

“Yeah… I remember that. Except in my case, it was you kicking my ass, not Tseng. And I didn’t lose anything!”

“Huh… Guess I must’ve been kinda lazy, then, not workin’ ya as hard as Tseng woulda,” Reno teased, ignoring Elena’s glare. He knew perfectly well that he hadn’t cut her any slack. “‘Course, eventually, that all kinda calmed down… Got into the normal routine and everything. Never gained much past the two pounds I lost, though. Tseng eventually gave up on shoveling food down my throat and told the doc to shut the hell up about my weight. Thank fuck, too… it was takin’ all the fun outta eatin’.”

“So basically, you’re a total freak of nature, that can eat as much as you want of whatever you want and still look like… this,” she groused, gesturing to Reno’s slender figure.

“Pretty much,” he cheerfully confirmed.

“I hate you, Reno. I hate you so much…”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” said Reno, grinning manically, “Especially right around New Year’s when half the company’s suddenly on a diet. Ya know… ’bout the time they always start that all ya can eat dessert bar in the cafeteria. Man… some of the looks I get at lunch time…”

Elena’s opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly realized what he was implying.

“You evil bastard.”

“Heh… yeah, took for-fucking-ever to work that deal out… and I kinda had to whore myself out to get final approval – think I may have mentioned that to ya once, actually – but it was so worth it…” he said, proudly. As Elena was trying her best to figure out when on earth Reno had ever mentioned anything about trading sexual favors for a dessert bar… and frankly she couldn’t fathom not remembering something that bizarre, even where Reno was concerned… Josephine and Del made their way into the kitchen.

“Looks like we got everything battened down just in time,” Josephine said nodding toward the window, where the first rain drops were spattering the glass. Reno suddenly found himself being physically steered toward a seat at the table. “Now there was no need to wait on our account… you two should’ve dug right in. Especially, you!”

Reno glanced over at Elena, who was practically shaking with amusement over her grandmother’s single-minded quest to stuff her guest to bursting, and readied himself for round two, determined not to be defeated this time.

---

The driving rain filled the house with a droning patter broken only by the frequent crashes of thunder that rattled the windows in their frames. Josephine had made herself comfortable in front of the fireplace and its fire with a lap-full of knitting, and Del had opted to make himself useful by disassembling and cleaning two of his rifles on the kitchen table.

Trapped inside by the weather, there was little the two Turks could do to make any progress on unraveling the mystery behind who was harassing the family and why. Elena watched the rain falling in sheets through the window. From time to time, she glanced over at Reno, who had retreated to the couch, and was again staring at the spent casings she and Del had brought back.

“Oh, fuck…” she heard him whisper and looked back again.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. Reno looked up at her.

“Close the curtains, and get the hell away from that window… Do it slowly. House might be bein’ watched,” he replied, evenly.

“In this?” Elena dubiously responded, but she did as she was told, tugging the heavy curtains shut as casually as possible and moving toward where Reno was now sitting upright on the couch, no longer relaxed. “Now are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“You said you found these right at the edge of the forest?” he asked, ignoring her query. Elena nodded. “Were they scattered, like they’d been fired and then ejected?”

“No…” Elena replied, her brow furrowing, “They were lined up next to each other on a stump.”

“Let me guess,” he deadpanned, “Standin’ on end, with one upside down, right?” Elena’s eyes went wide and she nodded hesitantly, as she realized that, while she and Del had discussed it at length, she’d completely forgotten to say anything about it to Reno. Reno squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, in much the same way Tseng had a habit of doing when he was particularly frustrated with the redhead. “And in your infinite wisdom, ya didn’t think to mention that little detail to me…” he prodded, his tone growing increasingly annoyed.

“I-I messed up… didn’t I…” she squeaked. She felt chilled as she wondered just to what extent.

“Yep.”

“How bad?” she asked, cringing.

Reno smirked. “Let’s just say you’re lucky we’re not here in any kind of official capacity… ’cause I really wouldn’t wanna be in your shoes if you had to say that to Tseng.”

“Oh, stop stringing the poor girl along and say whatever it is you mean to say,” Josephine’s voice chastised from her seat by the fire.

“Ever heard of the the Zenshou traders?” Elena shook her head. It sounded vaguely Wutaiian, but beyond that, she knew nothing about them.

“Yeah, I actually don’t know a whole hell of a lot about ’em myself aside from what Tseng’s told me. Been drivin’ myself nuts tryin’ to remember why three empty shells seemed so goddamn familiar… Finally did. It’s their fucking calling card… I saw it ’bout a year ago when me ‘n Rude got sent in to investigate some thefts from the Junon weapons depot.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” said Elena, “What would they be doing here?”

“Anything valuable around this place? Family heirlooms? Somethin’ from the mines? Fuck… I dunno. Ya got a secret weapons bunker ya didn’t tell me about? They’re mostly just black market scum operatin’ outta Wutai. Deal exclusively in the hard to find shit. Tseng told me they don’t really get violent unless they don’t get paid… or ya got somethin’ they want. If that’s the case, you either give it to ’em, or you get the fuck outta town and hope like hell they don’t find ya, ’cause if they want it bad enough, they’re relentless.”

“Oh, dear…” Both Turks turned as one to look over at Josephine.

“Nana?” Elena ventured, “What is it… ?”

“Your brother was here not more than two months ago. He’d just come from Wutai… left a couple weeks later.”

“Belane? Bel was here?” she said, shocked. Her grandmother nodded.

“He bring anything… unusual… with him?” Reno asked.

“Not that he ever showed us. But he did ask if he could leave something in the attic. Said he didn’t want to travel with it all the way to the Great Glacier on account of it being very old and delicate.”

“More like he didn’t want to get caught with something these ‘traders’ were after…” Elena said in disgust. He almost certainly had to have taken it from his most recent dig site in Wutai.

She hadn’t been entirely honest with Reno when she’d told him what her brother did for a living. Oh, he was an archaeologist, alright. Trained, accredited, and everything. He was also a thief. His ‘contract work’ for Shinra mainly involved selling the company anything he came across that happened to be on their unofficial list of desirable artifacts… mostly relating to a race called the Ancients, but really anything he dug up was fair game. He had similar ‘contracts’ with other parties, as well.

It seemed pretty obvious to her that he’d taken something – and then had hidden it here and run off, apparently not especially concerned about the danger he might be placing his own family in – and Elena was furious. She turned on her heel and marched toward the stairs.

Reno was in front of her, blocking her path, before she’d even realized he’d gotten up.

“Where ya goin’, ‘Lena?” he asked, voice almost taunting.

“To find whatever that asshole of a brother of mine left here,” she stated, angrily pushing past him. Reno sighed, and grabbed her around the waist from behind, physically lifting her off the floor and carrying her back to the couch as she protested… loudly. He set her down and spun her around to face him.

“Okay… Lemme rephrase that. Where ya going, without a weapon, and without askin’ me to back you up, knowin’ that someone might be watchin’ us, and could even be in the house for all we fucking know?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest and fixing her with an irritated glare. Elena’s eyes went immediately to the small table next to the window she’d previously be staring out of… on top of which was her sidearm. She paled.

“Yeah. Look, I know we’re not on the clock right now, but I don’t think Tseng’d be any less pissed at me if I brought ya home anything less than alive, so… think ya might wanna grab that before we head upstairs?” Reno withdrew his mag-rod from its holster at his waist, extending it to its full length with a flick of his wrist. Josephine gave him an approving grin as a very flustered rookie retrieved her weapon.

The pair of them started up the staircase, Reno taking the lead. Cautiously, they did a quick sweep of the second floor, and, finding nothing, moved on. Elena pulled down hard on the cord that hung from the ceiling in the hall, revealing the attic stairs. She climbed, weapon drawn, with Reno close behind, tugging the string above her to turn on the light.

The attic was surprisingly orderly. Reno had expected it to be crammed full of unneeded things… like pretty much every other attic he’d ever been in. Apparently, Elena’s penchant for neatness was hereditary… Boxes were carefully stacked and labeled by year and contents. Unused furniture was arranged by size and pushed against the far wall. More frequently needed items, like boxes of candles, identical to the one Josephine had carried downstairs earlier, were placed on a set of shelves near the entrance. On the plus side, it was easy enough to see that they were alone.

“Shit… and I thought you were a neat freak,” he commented. Elena rolled her eyes.

“Reno, the way you live makes a hyperactive two year old look like a neat freak.”

“Not true. I clean. I just do it kinda… sporadically. Not my fault you have a habit of showin’ up at my place on the off weeks,” he replied, walking to the far end of the attic.

Now that she thought about it, his apartment really hadn’t been bad at all when she’d turned up begging him for a ride. She’d been a little too concerned with other matters to pay it any mind.

“I’ll start at this end, you start down there. Shouldn’t be too hard to find somethin’ out of place up here.” Elena nodded, and began her search.

As it turned out, however, Reno was wrong. By the time the pair met in the middle, neither had come across anything that looked like something black market thugs would have any interest in.

“Guess I stand corrected,” he muttered.

“Maybe he decided to take it with him after all…”

“Yeah, maybe,” Reno answered, though he sounded less than convinced, “You keep lookin’ up here. I’m gonna find out what room your brother stayed in, and take a look in there.”

The redhead headed down the attic stairs to the landing, leaving the rookie to her task. As he made his way down the main stairs to the ground floor, though, the sight that greeted him caused him to freeze in his tracks. Delion lay facedown on the floor, hopefully, Reno mused, just unconscious. Josephine, however, was very much awake. As were the two Wutaiian men who flanked her on either side, one holding a gun to her head, the other glaring up at the Turk.

Heavily armed, and they had a hostage. Elena was still in the attic, and would take time to reach him if he risked calling for her. Even with the advantage of having the high ground, Reno didn’t like his odds.

“Crap…”

“You know why we’re here?” one of them asked.

“Yeah, I know why you’re fuckin’ here,” Reno sighed, “Whatever it is you’re lookin’ for, we haven’t found it yet.”

“Then I suggest you look harder. In the mean time, she’ll be coming with us. You have until dawn.”

Reno growled in his throat as the pair roughly forced Josephine to her feet. Something told him that if they took her, he was probably never going to see her alive again… and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

“Leave her here,” he said, “I’ll go with ya in her place.”

The one holding the gun on Josephine glanced at his partner. “And why should we agree to that? Trading a docile old woman for someone obviously much more dangerous…”

“I’m a lot less likely to fall and break a hip,” he said, smirking slightly at the dirty look Josephine cast him, “Hostages aren’t much good to ya if they don’t survive. And ya can move faster with me than her.”

“Leave your weapons where you are. Come down the stairs,” the man’s partner intoned dangerously, “Try anything and we shoot her now.”

Reno set his mag-rod on the railing and raised his hands as he did as instructed. The one who’d spoken grabbed him the moment he was in range, slamming him down on the floor and pressing a knee into his back to keep him there. He heard Josephine cry out his name in alarm, but he didn’t resist as the Wutaiian thoroughly searched him. He grunted as his arms were wrenched behind his back.

“Easy,” he growled, “I’m not puttin’ up a fight here… long as you let the nice lady stay behind, I’ll behave myself.”

His captor said nothing as he looped a length of rope tight around Reno’s wrists, binding him securely, and then hauled him to his feet. He nodded to his partner, who released Josephine.

“You have until dawn,” the first man repeated, addressing the old woman this time, “Find our merchandise and hand it over, and you can have him back safe and sound. Otherwise… you get him back with bullet in his head.”

“Oh… Reno, honey…” Josephine whispered, horrified.

“Don’t worry. I can take care of myself. Just tell ‘Lena to find the damn thing before these guys get too impatient,” he said to her before they pulled him towards the door.

“And for fuck’s sake, tell her not to do anything stupid… like comin’ after me!” he yelled as they dragged him out into the storm and vanished into the night

When they were gone, Josephine hurried to check on Delion first – who, aside from being unconscious, seemed to be fine – before rushing up the stairs, calling for her granddaughter.

---

Elena swatted her hair out of her face, frustrated. She’d gone over the whole attic three times now, and come up empty. There was just nothing that looked like it might contain an ancient Wutaiian artifact of some kind… or even like it just didn’t belong in her grandmother’s attic. Maybe Reno was having better luck. As she started towards the hatch that would take her back to the second floor, though, she heard a commotion downstairs.

“Elena!” Josephine’s voice called out. Elena couldn’t ever remember hearing her grandmother sound so frightened. She practically threw herself through the opening, taking the narrow stairs leading down two at a time.

“Nana?! What’s wrong?” she asked, nearly running into the woman as she reached the landing.

“They’ve taken Reno,” Josephine said, her voice wavering.

“W-what? Who?!”

“While you and Reno were up here scrounging around in the attic, two men came in through the kitchen. They must’ve caught Del by surprise, because he’s out cold. They nabbed me before I could call for help, and demanded I give them their merchandise,” she explained, “When I told them I didn’t know where it was, they got real quiet… and then they just… waited. When Reno came down, they told him we had until dawn to hand it over.”

“But I don’t understand… What happened to Reno?”

“They were planning on taking me with them as a hostage. Reno volunteered himself instead, and they just took him! Said if we didn’t have whatever they’re looking for by dawn, they’d… oh…” she shook her head, distressed, before taking a deep breath and continuing, “They’ll kill him.”

“No… Reno… What were you thinking?” she groaned, biting down on the panic that was making her stomach twist uncomfortably. She was no closer to finding Bel’s stolen relic than she had been when they’d first started looking. And now Reno was counting on her to find it. On her own, without his help.

“He was protecting me,” Josephine lamented, “Oh, Elena… if anything happens to that boy, I’ll never forgive myself. He should have just let them have me. He didn’t have to go and take my place like that…”

“Nana, don’t worry… I’m going to go get him back,” Elena replied. What else could she do? If she didn’t find what they wanted, Reno was as good as dead. If she tried to mount a rescue, he might at least have a chance.

“You most certainly are not!” Josephine nearly shouted.

“Nana…”

“Now you listen, young lady,” she said sternly, “The last thing Reno said before they dragged him off was to tell you to keep looking. And not to do anything as foolish as going after him on your own. Apparently, he knows you all too well… he was very specific on that point.”

Elena hesitated. A part of her felt like she was abandoning him by not trying to get him back. On the other hand, the storm was still raging and following Reno and his captors’ trail would be next to impossible. For all she knew, Reno had his own escape plan, and her turning up… on the off chance she managed to find him… could ruin it. She chewed at her lower lip, not liking what she knew she had to do.

“Then… I guess I keep looking,” she said in resignation.

Josephine pulled her into a tight embrace. “We keep looking,” she corrected her.

“There’s nothing in the attic,” Elena said, doing her best to push her concern for the absent redhead aside for the moment so she could concentrate on the task at hand, “Reno was coming to ask you where Bel stayed when he was here. Maybe he hid it in his room instead.”

“Well… he stayed in your father’s old room,” Josephine replied, gesturing down the hall. Elena hurried along the corridor. Just as she pushed open the door, there was a deafening crash of thunder. The lights overhead flickered and went out.

“Oh, for Ifrit’s sake!” her grandmother cried, “Every damn time we get a storm… Wait here, sweat pea… I’ll get the candles.” Elena could hear her footsteps on the stairs, and waited impatiently for what seemed like ages. At last Josephine returned, a lighted candle in hand with several more cradled against her chest.

“Your brother’s coming around,” she said, “But I don’t think he’ll be of much help for awhile.”

Elena took a candle from her and lit it from the small flame of its twin. “Then it’s up to us.”

The two women began tearing the room apart from top to bottom, pulling out drawers, shifting furniture, shaking out the linen in the closet. Elena even pulled down a heavy mirror from the wall to make sure nothing had been hidden behind the frame. They checked everywhere they could think of, spending more than an hour searching every nook and cranny by candlelight. Their efforts, however, went unrewarded.

Elena did her best to ignore the growing sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. Now was not the time to panic.

“It’s not here…” she sighed in frustration, dropping heavily onto the bed… only to immediately stand up again as she came down painfully on something hard. “What the… ?” Most of the covers had already been pulled back and tossed aside. She stripped away what remained, exposing the bare mattress. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but as Elena looked closer, she could see that a seam had been cut and resewn, somewhat haphazardly, by hand.

“Nana… get a knife… scissors… anything!” She silently pleaded for this to be it. Josephine wordlessly withdrew from the bedroom, and returned moments later with a folding knife, handing it over. Elena sliced through the newer stitches, and slide a hand into the hole. Her fingers closed around smooth, polished wood.

She pulled the object loose from its hiding place, drawing out a short, ornately carved box, its lacquer chipped and faded with age. A pair of interwoven dragons decorated the hinged lid, in a uniquely Wutaiian motif. She carefully lifted the delicate-looking latch that held the box closed and raised the lid.

The inside of the box was lined with pale blue silk, and pillowed in the center was a translucent orb, deep crimson in color with a faint glow emanating from deep within. Summon materia… Well, that certainly fit the Trader’s criteria of rare and hard to find.

Summons were dangerous under the best of circumstances… and devastating in the wrong hands. And she was expected to just hand it over to a pair of black market profiteers in exchange for Reno’s life? Who knew where it would end up… or with whom. The responsible thing to do would be to destroy it. Now. But… Reno…

And it went without saying that Reno wouldn’t be the only casualty. They knew her family had it. Surely the Zenshou Traders consisted of more than just the two that had turned up here. If they were really as relentless as Reno had said they were, Nana and Delion would likely never be safe if they didn’t get what they wanted. Belane, as well, though at the moment, she was having a very hard time being particularly concerned for her wayward brother.

“Is that what it looks like?” Josephine asked, somewhat awed.

“Yeah, Nana… it is.” She snapped the lid shut and stood up. The responsible thing would definitely be to destroy it… but she wasn’t feeling especially responsible right now. Right now, all she wanted was to get Reno out of their clutches, and keep the rest of her family safe.

---

Dawn seemed as though it would never break. The storm had ceased the worst of its fury sometime in the early morning hours, leaving nothing more than a chilled drizzle in its place as the sky finally began to lighten. Elena sent her grandmother to bed hours ago, and tucked a blanket around Del where he lay, nursing a pounding headache but mostly unhurt, on the couch. She herself had been pacing anxiously throughout the night, her gaze drifting between the clock on the mantle, and the old Wutaiian box that rested innocuously on the table.

As the gray morning dawned, Josephine made her way down the stairs. She didn’t look like she’d slept any more than Elena had. Del, too, had been roused from his slumber and was pushing himself upright on the couch. The rookie Turk pulled aside the curtains and peered out toward the forest. She could see someone moving in the shadows of the trees.

“Both of you stay here,” she said, scooping up the box.

“I’m going with you,” Delion said, getting to his feet.

“No, you’re not. This is going to be a simple trade. The box for Reno… I don’t want to give them any reason to think we’re double-crossing them.” Del frowned, obviously none too pleased, but nodded.

Swallowing nervously, Elena stepped out the front door, shivering in cold mist that had settled. As soon as she did, one of their two visitors from last night stepped into the clearing around the homestead.

“Put any weapons you’re carrying on the steps, and walk forward to that stump with the box,” he called out to her. Elena hesitated only a moment before unholstering her gun, and setting it down. She also put down the folding knife she was still carrying, just in case… it wasn’t much of a weapon, on the whole, but she really didn’t want to run the risk of pissing these guys off while they still had Reno. That done, she slowly walked to the large stump in the middle of the yard.

“Open it… let’s see it,” the Wutaiian called. He hadn’t yet moved from his position at the treeline. Worse, his partner was nowhere in sight. Elena grudgingly opened the lid of the box, tilting it slightly to display the contents. “Good. Now set it down, and take ten steps back.”

That would put her roughly center between her weapon and the box, and completely exposed. She didn’t like the idea of making herself even more of a target than she already was… but realized that that was probably the point. The man’s partner was likely watching… likely had a gun aimed at her.

“Where’s Reno?” she called back.

“Safe enough. And he’ll stay that way, as long as you do as you’re told.”

She set the box down, and glaring at the man, slowly backed up the requested ten paces. As soon as she stopped, he started forward, claiming the box for himself.

“Your friend is seventy yards up the main trail, on the high ground by the three large boulders. Bring a shovel. He’s still alive… but we thought we’d save you the trouble of burying him just in case you didn’t find our merchandise on time.” Elena paled. They’d buried him alive?!

“Pleasure doing business with you,” the trader added, before melting back into the trees. The moment he was gone, Elena ran for the house, collecting her sidearm and knife and shouting for Del and Josephine.

---

Seventy yards up the trail placed them directly before a trio of boulders and a disturbed patch of earth. Elena and Del dug in immediately as Josephine looked on anxiously, shoveling aside large piles of dirt and rock. Elena felt a familiar queasiness come over her as she thought back to the last time she’d had to dig someone up… unbidden, images of finding Reno in the same condition as they’d discovered Zedge Wymer in Costa del Sol popped into her head, and she shuddered.

Finally, almost three feet down, the shovels struck something hard. They dug faster, clearing away the earth from the top of the object. A heavy wooden trunk began to take shape in the expanding hole. Del began to dig an incline down on one side of the trunk… they’d never be able to lift it straight up, but they could drag it up a makeshift ramp.

“Reno?!” Elena tried, not knowing if he was conscious or not… or, much as she hated to consider it, alive or not. To her express relief, she heard a muffled groan of acknowledgment.

“Oh, thank heavens,” Josephine sighed, “Hurry and get him out of there!”

Pulling the trunk out of its subterranean confines, Elena broke of the lock with a few well-placed blows from her shovel, and forced open the lid.

Reno’s tall frame was curled up in what had to have been an extremely uncomfortable position in the tiny space. He’d been bound tightly and gagged. He was drenched from the night’s rain and shivering, and there was a ragged cut along his jawline that was still bleeding sluggishly, but other than that… and the fact that he looked like he hadn’t gotten much sleep… he seemed to be no worse for wear.

Del was quick to lift him out of his cramped prison setting him down on the ground. Elena fumbled with the folding knife for a moment, and cut through his bonds and the gag.

“Fucking took ya long enough,” he said once he was free, grinning weakly through chattering teeth. Elena threw her arms around him, hugging him tight against her. “Gah… ‘Lena… Appreciate the warmth and all, but… kinda hard ta breathe…” he managed as he suddenly found himself in the woman’s death grip. She really was clamped around him like a vice, and he wasn’t sure if it was the strength-sapping cold and lack of sleep that made him wonder if the rookie was secretly possessed of inhuman strength, or if she was simply capable of squeezing him to death out of pure enthusiasm.

“Elena, don’t crush the poor thing,” Josephine chided, “Let the boy go so we can get him home and warmed up.”

Less that ten minutes later, Reno found himself being stripped of his wet clothes and redressed in warm flannel that he suspected belonged to Delion. Whatever energy he’d still had when they’d found him had been spent on the walk back to the homestead. He hardly even noticed the sting of antiseptic as Josephine cleaned and dressed the cut on his face, and the raw rope burns on his wrists.

Wrapped in a heavy quilt, and parked on the living room couch – which had been shoved several feet closer to the fire burning in the hearth – he was now laying flat on his back with his head, for the second time in as many days, pillowed on Josephine’s lap. She was firmly kneading the back of his neck again, and he had to admit… he was really beginning to like that. So much so that after awhile, he’d completely lost track of just how long he’d been there.

“How is he?” The rookie’s voice filtered through to his half-awake mind, but he didn’t bother stirring. The immediate danger had passed, and given that he’d just spent the better part of eight hours in a very cold, wet hole in the ground, he’d decided he deserved a break… and if Elena’s grandmother wanted to spoil him a bit, he was damn well going to let her. All he particularly cared about at the moment was that he was safe and warm and being looked after.

“Out like a light, I think,” she responded, “Hasn’t moved a muscle in ages.” He decided against correcting her. He was much too comfortable. And warm. And comfortable. And screw it.. Let ’em think he was asleep. He didn’t want to move.

“I just thought you should know… Del’s in the kitchen. He claims he’s going to make us breakfast.”

“Oh, my… that boy can hardly be trusted to boil water, let alone cook a meal,” Josephine groused, though she kept her voice low to avoid disturbing her charge. “Elena, be a dear and switch places with me. I need to see to my kitchen while I’ve still got a kitchen left to see to.”

Reno felt himself being gently lifted from his cozy position, and almost deigned to open his eyes… but moments later, he was carefully resettled and it seemed like far too much of an effort. The hand at the back of his neck was gone, however, and he found himself decidedly annoyed by the sudden lack of attention. He listened as Josephine’s footsteps faded into the next room, disappointed at the loss.

Before he could rouse himself enough to make his disapproval known, though, he heard a quiet sigh from above him.

“I can never thank you enough for what you did,” Elena said softly, and for a moment, Reno assumed she’d realized that he wasn’t quite as unconscious as Josephine had believed him to be. Elena was well aware of how easy he was to wake. “I’d never admit it if I thought you could hear me, but I was so scared out there… The whole time we were trying to get you out of that hole, all I could think about was Wymer and how I didn’t want to see you like that…”

He felt her shudder. So she thought he was asleep after all; and apparently had decided that, since he wasn’t awake to hear it, now was the perfect time to say whatever happened to come to mind. He appreciated the sentiment… but he definitely didn’t need that particular thought bouncing around in his head.

She snickered suddenly and added, “I’d never actually tell you this, either, ’cause you’d just laugh at me… but you’re really kind of adorable when you’re asleep. You look about ten years younger. I bet you were a really cute kid.”

Reno caught himself before he did laugh. Even so, the corners of his mouth quirked upwards into a smirk, though she didn’t seem to notice. Suddenly Elena’s fingertips were lightly teasing his hair, indecisively at first, as though she thought she were taking some great liberty, before the hesitant touch became a gentle caress. He let her continue for awhile before he simply couldn’t hold back.

“What’s with you people all wantin’ ta pet me?” he asked lazily. Elena yelped in surprise, and Reno frowned as her hand withdrew. He should’ve just kept his mouth shut for once instead of teasing her. He’d been enjoying that.

“Didn’t say ya had to stop…” he prodded.

“R-reno?” the rookie began, ignoring the implied request.

“Hmmm?”

“Um… H-how long have you been awake?” the rookie asked, sounding slightly concerned.

“Wasn’t ever asleep…” he said, grinning as he cracked one eye open to look up at her. She looked slightly horrified, and extremely embarrassed. “I was a seriously cute kid, by the way,” he added, grin widening. Elena groaned.

“Heh… startin’ ta wish you’d left me in the hole yet?”

“Kinda,” she replied with a half-hearted glare, before smiling, “Not really.” Her fingers came to rest on his hair again, and she resumed her slow, gentle carding. “I… I really owe you, Reno. If they’d taken Nana instead…”

“Ah hell, ‘Lena… don’t go makin’ a big deal out of it. I knew ya wouldn’t just leave me there,” he murmured, as he closed his eyes again, “‘Sides… Got kind of a soft spot for nice old ladies that feed me…”

“Still… it’s not as if they’re your family…” she began.

“No… but they’re your family. And far as I’m concerned, you’re part of mine… which isn’t very big, and tends to get shot at a lot, so… ya know. Gotta look after you guys when I can…” Elena didn’t say anything… in fact, she seemed to have frozen altogether, as the rhythmic stroking of his hair ceased. The longer it went on, the more concerned Reno became. Finally he dared to open his eyes again, groaning upon seeing her expression.

“‘Lena, I swear… if you’re gonna start cryin’ every time I say somethin’ even remotely sincere, I’m gonna stop doin’ it. You get nothin’ but jokes, Turks business, and the occasional comment about the weather from here on out. I mean it.”

Elena had started snickering before he’d even finished. “Sorry. Can’t make any promises.” She paused a moment, considering something. “Nana will be happy you feel that way. I think she laid claim to you pretty much the moment you walked in the door.”

“Well… she does have a habit of taking in strays…” Delion, who had apparently been run out of the kitchen entirely, commented from the door.

“Del! Don’t call him that!” Elena admonished, frowning. Del raised his hands in surrender.

“Easy… I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” he replied. Seconds later, Elena was on her feet, arguing with her brother. Reno considered intervening and telling her that he didn’t really mind being thought of as such… he’d always kind of considered himself a bit of a stray anyway… but this was far more entertaining. Instead, he sat back and watched as the rookie backed her older brother into the corner, berating him mercilessly on Reno’s behalf until Josephine summoned them to eat.

---

“Now you two be careful getting yourselves back to Midgar,” Josephine said.

“We will…” Reno replied, though his voice was somewhat muffled by virtue of the fact that he was currently locked firmly in the old woman’s arms with his face pressed against her shoulder. Her grandmother seemed determined to keep them there as long as she possibly could. Elena had already gone through much the same ritual, herself.

“And make sure you’re eating enough. You’re still too skinny.”

“Uh… sure…” he replied.

“And look after my little Elena.”

Elena groaned. This was getting a little embarrassing. And poor Reno… he was kind of trapped at the moment.

“I will…”

“And yourself…”

“Yes, ma’am…”

“And don’t you ma’am me, young man… You call me Nana,” she insisted.

“Yes, Nana,” he acquiesced. Josephine finally released him, and Elena giggled quietly to herself at the sight of the faint hint of pink coloring Reno’s face.

“Take care, you two,” Delion said, smiling warmly.

“Bye, Nana! Bye, Del!” Elena replied, as she and Reno started down the trail that would take them back to the helicopter.

“Is it me… or was I just forcibly adopted?” Reno joked as the homestead disappeared from view.

“I don’t think its legally binding,” Elena returned, “But just so you know… Nana always sends great Christmas and birthday gifts, so you might want to go with it.”

Reno snorted in laughter, and the pair walked in silence for a little ways.

“So you don’t think we should be worried?” Elena asked, turning the conversation to more serious matters.

“‘Bout the materia?” Reno asked, and she nodded, “I’ll let Tseng know about it… but I got a feeling I know who the buyer is.”

“Who?”

“Us… well, Shinra, I mean. ‘Course they never came right out and said it… but I got the pretty strong impression that’s who they were talkin’ about,” he said, smirking. Elena stared at him, “What? Wasn’t in that hole the entire time, ya know… took ’em a while to actually dig it, and those guys liked to talk. Especially when they thought I wasn’t listening.”

“So… we let them take something we’re just going to end up buying back?” Elena asked incredulously.

“Seems that way.”

“That… That’s so…”

“Yeah, I know. Annoying, isn’t it?” Reno said with a grin, “You’d be surprised how often shit like that happens, though.”

The helicopter was in sight now, and Elena found herself looking forward to being home again. She still had four more days off and after the last two, she finally felt like she needed them.

Elena climbed aboard while Reno checked for damage from the storm… or potentially from the two Zenshou traders that they now knew had been watching them since they first arrived. Finding none, he followed her into the aircraft, stopping short when he saw her.

“Oh, no you don’t… Don’t even think about it,” the redhead said, narrowing his eyes.

“Come on, Reno… I need the practice!”

“Move.”

“Please?”

“Move now.”

Elena sighed and got up from the pilot’s seat, switching to the co-pilot’s chair on the other side, as Reno took her place.

“Can I at least take over from Junon to Midgar?” she ventured, hopefully, “I mean, we’ll have to land and refuel anyway…”

“Nope… Not stoppin’ in Junon,” he replied.

“B-but… we can’t make it all the way back to Midgar from here on just what we have in the tank…”

“‘Course we can’t. That’s why we’re stopping in Costa del Sol,” he said, his grin widening, “And since we’ll be there anyway, why not take the opportunity to enjoy the beach without someone tryin’ to kill us?”

“I… but… can we just do that?”

“Why not? We’re officially off duty for four more days. Worst case scenario, Tseng’s kinda pissed at me for borrowing the copter without tellin’ him… which he’s probably gonna be anyway, so I might as well make the most of it.”

He did have a point. And four days of sand and surf sounded a lot more enticing than her apartment. Not that it sounded like she had much choice in the matter. He hadn’t asked her if she wanted to stop in Costa del Sol. He’d basically said that was what he was planning to do.

Reno was already warming up the engine.

“Fine… but no day trips to Murder Island this time,” she said, pulling on her headset.

“Heh… no argument here.”

The helicopter rose steadily above the treeline, and headed east.

~fin~