Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 31: What Dream is This?

“You told me that shit was fuckin’ private!” Reno shouted. He’d long since abandoned the chair, and now was pacing the floor of Tseng’s office like a caged animal. Tseng wasn’t surprised by his reaction… He wouldn’t have been especially happy about it either if someone had just sprung it on him out of nowhere.

“Your conversations during mandatory psych evaluations are entirely private. Basic psychological profiles, however, are available to senior medical staff as a matter of necessity. You know perfectly well that Dr. Ward, for example, has seen yours, as well as mine. And Rude’s. And Elena’s.” He doubted that fact would assuage the redhead. He’d worked himself into quite the tantrum by now.

“This is bullshit, Tseng… I am not lettin’ that asshole fuck around inside my head!”

“I’m afraid it’s out of my hands,” Tseng said with a sigh, “Reno… you know I would never force you to subject yourself to any sort of experiment, psychological or otherwise, if I had any say in the matter. Hojo went over my head on this. He even went over Heidegger’s head on this, and got approval from President Shinra directly.”

Reno scowled and flopped into the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “So ’cause I just happen to be able to remember my dreams, I get drafted for this goddamn science project…”

“You and two or three other employees… yes,” he confirmed. Tseng hadn’t been pleased when Heidegger had handed him the orders that afternoon. In fact, he had reacted much the same way Reno had… though with significantly less swearing. But ultimately, it was beyond his control. Due to his tendency towards vivid dreaming and total recall of said dreams, the redhead was to report to Biology Lab Six tomorrow evening for a dream study experiment. “I’ve been assured that you will only be observed… There will be no drugs and no medical procedures beyond a standard physical exam.”

“And you actually buy that shit?” he scoffed.

“Were it Hojo conducting the study, not in a million years,” Tseng replied, with a slight smirk, “As it happens, this is apparently the pet project of one of his assistants. Hojo’s role seems to be limited to authorization and recruitment.”

“I’m not fuckin’ doin’ it.”

“Reno…”

“I’m serious, Tseng… I’m not doin’ it. Bad enough they wanna fuck around with my dreams, they gotta do it on my fuckin’ day off, too? No.”

Tseng sighed softly. He had hoped to avoid this. “Yes. You are. I’m sorry, Reno, but you are under orders to report to Dr. Skarn in Lab Six tomorrow… and I am personally ordering you to obey those orders.”

“Tseng…” Reno looked up at him in shock. The Turk leader could see the betrayal in his eyes, and it cut him deeply… but as he had already stressed to his lieutenant, the matter was out of his hands. If participants didn’t show up voluntarily, Hojo had somehow managed to get permission to send Soldier to collect them. Knowing Hojo, he’d do just that. And while Reno might have gone quietly, it was far more likely that he would put up a fight… and skilled though he was, he was no match for Shinra’s mako-enhanced military fighters. If he fought, he would lose… and likely be injured in the process.

“Fine…” Reno finally hissed, when Tseng refused to say anything farther. “Can I go now, sir?”

His voice was ice-cold It was going to take a lot to make this up to him… and it would probably be quite some time before Reno would let him make it up to him. The last time he’d been this angry with Tseng, had been when he’d had to order him to retreat instead of going back for a young rookie by the name of Cissnei. He couldn’t have saved her… or any of the people who’d been trapped with her… and the redhead almost certainly would have died, too, had he attempted it. In the end, he’d understood that, but he’d been furious at the Wutaiian Turk for days afterward, and even once the initial anger had passed, he had held onto a lingering grudge for well over a week more before he’d finally forgiven him.

“You may.”

Reno stood, wordlessly, and stormed out. It was past quitting time… Rude and Elena had already deserted the office. Which, Tseng mused, was probably for the best. The man was angry enough, he very likely would have taken his frustration out on his friends to some extent, even if he didn’t mean to… Reno had plenty to deal with without that bit of guilt hanging over him as well. Once he was gone, Tseng collected his jacket and a few files he’d planned on taking home with him for the weekend, before following suit. Even the prospect of a quiet weekend, however, did little to make him feel better about what he’d just done.

---

Reno took a left… cutting off two other cars, and jetting across three lanes of traffic to do it. Thankfully, he’d already missed worst of the evening rush, or such a maneuver might have resulted in more than just a couple of raised middle fingers and blaring horns. When he came dangerously close to rear-ending a pickup truck, though, he forced himself to calm down. And slow down. A stint in the hospital might feasibly exempt him from this little project, but he wasn’t quite that desperate to get out of it.

At last he pulled safely into his parking space at home, hauling himself from the car and into the elevator. He knew he’d reacted badly… Tseng really didn’t have any other alternative. It wasn’t his fault. That didn’t make the redhead any happier about being forced to participate, though, and he couldn’t help feeling deeply hurt and betrayed when Tseng had ordered him to comply. The Turk leader had always… always… stood up for him in the past over things like this.

He needed something that would get the little voice in the back of his mind, that was presently accusing Tseng of treason, to shut the hell up before he started agreeing with it a little too much. Rude would almost certainly be up for a trip to the Phoenix Nest – if he weren’t already there to begin with, which he very likely was. Though he wished the thought had occurred to him before he’d driven across town.

On the other hand… Elena hadn’t mentioned any plans for tonight…

He wasn’t quite sure what to make of the latest development with his rookie. There hadn’t been a repeat of the night after her friend’s wedding… but then, there really hadn’t been time for one, either. It had been a decidedly busy week. On top of that, he wasn’t even entirely certain Elena wanted a repeat of that night. Every time he’d caught her alone and tried to broach the subject, someone or something had interrupted, and he’d ended up putting it off… and he doubted very much she would have appreciated him discussing it over lunch with Tseng and Rude listening in.

Tonight, he supposed, was as good a time as any to finally sit down and figure things out with her. Particularly since he’d – somewhat accidentally – agreed to go running with her tomorrow morning before Tseng had dragged him into his office. If she were… amenable… to spending the night with him, he might manage to get himself out of that particular chore before he was forced to sacrifice even more of his weekend to an activity he didn’t especially enjoy. And even if he couldn’t, he had to admit… he’d been craving her company all week. For him, at least, that night had been all he’d wanted and more, but had always simply assumed he’d never have with Elena. It wasn’t often he found himself thoroughly unable to think of an encounter as merely a one night stand, and he was going to be on edge until he settled things with her one way or the other.

He’d just resolved to call her when he realized two things. One… his place was a disaster. Not only had he not had time to have a non-work-related conversation with the rookie, he hadn’t had time to clean all week. Or the previous week, if he was being honest, though that was due more to sheer laziness. It definitely wasn’t suitable for entertaining right now. And two… the door to his apartment was open.

His EMR was in his hand within seconds, as he made his way towards the door. Aside from the faint sound of someone’s stereo down the hall, he couldn’t hear anything… but he certainly wasn’t complacent enough to take a chance. He nudged the door the rest of the way open, and when nothing attempted to kill him, stepped inside. Reno hit the light switch and froze, blinking incomprehensibly.

What the hell kind of weirdo broke in and cleaned your apartment for you?

Things were definitely not the way he’d left them this morning. The dishes were no longer piled in the sink… the laundry was no longer scattered along the floor… and for fuck’s sake, someone had vacuumed! He moved silently through the living room, carefully checking any possible place someone might be lying in wait. The living room was clear… so was the bathroom, the closet, and the kitchen. That just left the bedroom. He tightened his grip on his mag-rod, and pushed open the door. The sight that greeted him nearly made him drop it.

She was deliciously naked, stretched out temptingly across the sheets of his bed, and she smiled seductively at him as he stepped into the room, stroking a hand sensuously along her side in invitation.

“You’re late,” she purred, coyly.

“Lira…”

---

Elena smiled to herself as she made her way, at a light jog, towards Reno’s apartment building. She loved her morning run. It was so relaxing… and she so seldom had company for it. She’d been ecstatic when the redhead had voluntarily agreed to join her. The only thing that even slightly threw off her pleasant mood was the inevitable conversation that had to happen. She’d had so little time to talk to him privately over the past week, and she knew she needed to. She was a little nervous about finally bringing up the topic that so desperately needed to be discussed. The sun was only just rising by the time the rookie reached his door.

She knocked, hoping she wasn’t too early. Reno wasn’t exactly known for regularly dragging himself out of bed before dawn. The door opened a crack, and then was suddenly thrown wide.

“Elena!” an easily recognized, though decidedly unexpected, voice cried out happily, and the next thing she knew she was being hauled bodily into the apartment by Lira… and she couldn’t help but think this seemed entirely too familiar. The woman pulled her into a tight embrace. “Oh, honey, it’s great to see you… Reno said you were comin’ by this morning. He’s gettin’ dressed.”

“I-I… um…” she stammered, feeling her throat tighten at the realization that Reno’d had… company… last night. It stung… though, she rationalized, it really shouldn’t have. It wasn’t as if she suddenly had some sort of exclusive claim on the redhead now. Which was precisely the reason she was so eager to talk to him and make it clear where they stood.

“Heard ya finally decided to take my advice and seduce him. Shocked the hell outta him, too,” Lira pushed on, grinning madly at the rookie Turk. “About damn time… I kept tellin’ him you two needed to just fuck already. Everyone knew it was gonna happen sooner or later.”

Elena shifted awkwardly, feeling her cheeks redden… both in embarrassment, and anger. It was bad enough he’d slept with someone else last night. Apparently he was perfectly fine with telling his other lovers that he’d bedded her,as well.

“I… I should go,” she said hurriedly, feeling tears of humiliation threatening. Lira paused, apparently only then becoming aware of the fact the Elena didn’t seem to share her excitement. She giggled softly.

“Oh, sweet Shiva, I’m an idiot… Elena, honey, I’msorry. I didn’t even think what this must look like to you!” the woman said, laughing apologetically. “Reno slept on the couch. Turned me down flat last night.”

“He did?” she asked, somewhat disbelievingly. Lira wrapped an arm around her and led her over to the couch.

“Yep… Said he wasn’t sure what was between you two yet, but he didn’t wanna do somethin’ that was gonna immediately fuck it up. I only stayed over ’cause he didn’t want me headin’ back down to the slums on my own after dark.”

“Hey, Lira? You seen my –” Reno’s voice began as he emerged from his bedroom. He cut himself off the moment he spotted Elena. “Oh. Shit… ‘Lena. Uh… This isn’t what it looks like…”

“Yeah, yeah… we’ve been through that already,” Lira said, dismissively, her attention still on the rookie. “I am so jealous of you, right now. The first time with someone new is always such fun! He’s always been my favorite, ya know.” She laughed again. “I was almost ready to give up on you two ever gettin’ anywhere without a firm kick in the ass. That Reno…” she added with a frustrated sigh, “I kept sayin’ he just needed to go for it. Woulda happened a lot sooner. Stubborn little bastard.”

“Uh… Lira? Standin’ right here…” Reno cut in, somewhat annoyed at being excluded from a conversation that seemed to be predominantly about himself.

“Annnyway… You two probably want some alone time, and I’m due at work in a couple more hours,” Lira went on, ignoring the redhead’s commentary. She stood up, walking over to him, and kissed him playfully on the cheek. “I’ll see ya later. You be good, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…”

“That’s… a pretty short list, Lira…” Reno responded, rolling his eyes.

“Exactly… Have fun!” With that, she was out the door, leaving Elena in a bit of a daze and Reno shaking his head.

“You’re not mad I told her, are ya?” Reno asked, sheepishly scratching the back of his head, “She kinda showed up unexpected last night, and Lira doesn’t take no for an answer without an explanation.”

“I-I… no… It’s alright,” she responded, blushing slightly, “Is she… always like that?” Elena had only met the woman a handful of times, but each time, she really seemed to have no filter whatsoever.

“Like what? Completely uncensored? Yeah, pretty much. Not a whole hell of a lot that embarrasses Lira… Actually, I don’t think I’ve found anything that embarrasses her,” he replied, smirking, “Even I have some sense of modesty… heh… fleeting though it may be. Lira… not so much.” He walked over to her and took a seat next to her on the couch, placing an arm around her shoulders. “So… ready to go? I mean unless you’d rather sit here and talk about… things.”

Elena smothered a quiet laugh. “Why do I get the feeling you’d rather not do either?”

“Because I hate bein’ awake this early almost as much as I hate bein’ serious?” he replied with a grin. Elena giggled and stood, pulling him to his feet. Reno groaned. “You’re makin’ me run, huh?”

“Actually, I’m making you run and talk.”

“… Fuck, ‘Lena… I told ya nothin’ happened last night. Why the sudden desire to torture me?” he teased.

Elena rolled her eyes and pulled him towards the door. “Oh, come on, you big baby…”

---

Running and talking was proving a little difficult with the pace the redhead had set. Elena was keeping up… barely… but she was rapidly getting more and more out of breath. She had been fine for the first mile. It was the two miles they’d gone afterward that were slowly killing her. Usually by now, she’d be at a cool-down pace… not still going full tilt.

“Can we… stop… for a minute?” she panted. Reno came to a halt a few strides later, and turned back to look at her. Elena smiled gratefully, and placed a hand to her side, rubbing at the stitch that had formed there a few minutes ago.

“Sorry,” he said, smirking.

They’d circled the neighborhood park three times already. It was one of her favorite places to run… one of the few places in Midgar where there were trees. Even in the chilly morning air of early spring, it was pretty. Elena planted herself on a bench, sagging as she tried to catch her breath. He took a seat beside her, his own breathing noticeably harsher than normal, but nowhere near as winded as she was.

“I don’t remember… you being this… dedicated the last time you ran with me.”

“‘Lena, the last time I ran with you, I had eight barely-healed broken ribs,” he said, snickering, “Wasn’t exactly at the top of my game.”

She giggled and poked him in the side. “The last time you ran with me you also told me you weren’t lusting after me, if I remember right…”

“Nice subtle change of topic,” he snickered, “But since you brought it up…”

Elena smiled a little sadly and looked down at her hands. She’d been putting a lot of thought into this, and seeing Lira this morning had only made her more certain.

“I… I really enjoyed being with you,” she began, searching for the right words, “And I don’t regret anything. I really don’t. But… it can’t happen again.” She glanced back up at him, and for a moment, thought she saw a flicker of… something… in his eyes. It was gone before she could really place it.

“I get it,” he replied, sounding a little resigned. “Kinda figured it was gonna end up bein’ a one time thing.” She nodded. It wasn’t that she couldn’t see herself with him. It was just… she couldn’t stand the idea of just being another oneof his lovers. She wanted more out of a relationship. Maybe not outright commitment right out of the gate… but… at least loyalty. Sure, Reno might have turned Lira down last night. But what about tomorrow night? Or the next night? The redhead had women practically lining up for him… and she’d seen a few of them. She could hardly hold a candle to some of them. Elena didn’t have any illusions that he’d be willing to give up that sort of freedom just for her, and she wasn’t going to ask him to just so he could say no.

“I’m really sorry, Reno… I…”

“Look, don’t be,” he said, with a somewhat forced grin, “It happened, it was fun… but it’s not what you’ve got in mind. It’s not a big deal.” He was on his feet before she could get anything else out, grin widening into one that was far more sincere. “Come on, ‘Lena… we got another mile. Race ya!”

It wasn’t much of a race. Even after having the chance to catch her breath, Reno soundly beat her back to his apartment building. Elena groaned and leaned against the fence that surrounded the parking lot.

“Heh… Maybe I oughta add some more endurance trainin’ to your regimen, ‘Lena… Looks like ya need it,” he teased.

“Please don’t,” she panted, “I want to live…”

“No promises…” Reno smirked and joined her at the fence. “You gonna make it home okay? I can drive ya if you want.”

Elena shook her head. “No, I’m good. Just give me a couple of minutes.” She glanced over at him, and smiled. He seemed to be taking her decision not to pursue an intimate relationship any farther just fine. She’d been a little worried… though in retrospect, she wasn’t sure why. Even Reno got turned down once in a while, and for Shiva’s sake, the man had practically made an art of the one night stand. “Hey… I just got a copy of the The Hand the Rocks the Coffin. Are you doing anything later? We can completely negate all this exercise and get a pizza or something…”

“Sorry, ‘Lena… Wish I could, but Tseng’s got me workin’ tonight… sort of… and there’s some shit I gotta take care of before I head in. Been pilin’ up all week.”

“What do you mean ‘sort of’ working?” she asked, curious.

“Tch… Biology department’s runnin’ some stupid experiment tonight. Couldn’t get out of it.”

“Hojo?” she asked with a shudder.

“Lucky for me – relatively speakin’ – No. One of his assistants is runnin’ things. Still not exactly lookin’ forward to it.”

“Well… security duty’s not so bad…”

Reno laughed… a little manically, by Elena’s estimation… “Nah, security duty wouldn’t be bad at all, even on a Saturday. ‘Cept that’s not what I’m gonna be there for.”

“Then what… ?” She couldn’t think of any other reason the Turks would have been called in to assist the biologics department… unless… Elena paled slightly. “S-something didn’t… escape… again, did it?”

“Relax, ‘Lena… Nothin’s on the loose,” he said, calmly, resting a hand on her shoulder. “We’d all be on alert right now if that were the case.”

“So why are you working, then?”

“I get to be a specimen…” he muttered, with no small amount of distaste.

“WHAT?” Elena’s eyes went wide in disbelief, and she suddenly found herself shaking her head in denial. “No… that can’t be right…”

“‘Fraid so… That’s why Tseng pulled me into his office right before we left yesterday. Orders came down with the president’s signature on ’em. Guess Hojo went straight to the top on this.”

“But… why you?”

Reno shrugged. “‘Cause some asshole in Biology got ahold of my damn psych profile and decided I’d be perfect for this shit. It’s some kinda dream study. Mine are… kinda unusual. I can remember ’em in damn near perfect detail. And when I’m havin’ ’em it feels almost real.” He raised an eyebrow. “Okay… ‘Lena? Could ya do me a favor and maybe try not to look so totally horrified? I’m uneasy enough about this as it is…”

“Sorry. Um… Do you want me to keep you company until you need to go? I was going shopping in a bit with a friend, but I can cancel…”

“Nah, I’m good. Like I said, I got laundry ‘n shopping ‘n shit to do. You’d just be bored outta your mind. Don’t worry about me.”

“Well… If you’re sure…” she said, uncertainly. He’d said he was alright. He even acted like he was alright… but something felt off to her. She couldn’t help thinking that maybe she should stay anyway. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t meet up with her friend, Sadi, tomorrow, or even next weekend if she had to.

“Yeah, go. I’m fine.”

Then again… if he wanted her to stay, he’d have said so. Wouldn’t he?

“A-alright. Um… Call me tomorrow, okay?” Elena pushed away from the fence.

“Sure. Later, ‘Lena.”

She turned and headed for home, glancing back in his direction a few times before she got there. For whatever reason, she couldn’t help but think maybe she was making a mistake.

---

Reno watched her go for a moment, before turning to head inside himself. Normally, he’d have jumped at the chance to spend some time with the rookie… but right now, he just couldn’t.

He’d thought he’d been prepared for the possibility of rejection. It was a very strong possibility, after all… and it wasn’t as if he’d never been shot down before. It happened more than he cared to admit, really… but it never bothered him. There was always another woman.

But there wasn’t another Elena. And somehow that made all the difference.

He sighed and trudged upstairs and into the shower, rinsing away the sweat from their run. What he really needed right now was someone to talk to. Normally, he’d have run straight to Rude. But Rude didn’t know what had happened between the two of them, and Reno wasn’t about to spread it around, when he knew it would just embarrass Elena. That eliminated Tseng, as well… though frankly, he was still just angry enough with the man that he didn’t feel much like talking to him anyway.

As he toweled off and dressed, he realized there was really only one person he could talk to right now… and he knew right where to find her.

Before he knew it, he was on train to Sector 6’s red light district. He knew the route so well by now that he didn’t even have to think about it. It wasn’t long before he was in front of the Honey Bee Inn.

The girl that approached him when he entered was young, and he almost cringed at the sight of her in that ridiculous costume. He’d always thought it was degrading. Lira tended to agree, but usually just laughed it off. She smiled sweetly… and a more than a little nervously. A new girl, he decided. Somehow he managed to return the smile, though his heart really wasn’t in it.

“Welcome to the Honey Bee Inn!” she chirped.

“Hey… Lira workin’?” Reno asked, though he already knew the answer.

“Sure is… But she’s with another guest right now.” She sidled up to him enticingly. “Maybe I could keep you company instead…”

Reno shook his head. “Maybe another time,” he replied, without much sincerity. The Honey Bee really wasn’t his thing. He only ever came here to see his friend… never as a client. “Today, I need Lira. I’ll wait… You got an empty room, I’ll even pay for it ’til she’s free.”

“Well… suit yourself. This way,” the girl responded, sounding a bit disappointed. She showed him to a comfortable room near the back, and, once he’d paid her, left him to himself. Reno snorted softly at the cheesy heart-shaped bed that took up most of the room and laid down, stretching himself out… then laughed aloud in spite of his terrible mood at the sight of the mirrored ceiling. How Lira could stand it here, he would never understand.

It was some time before the door opened, and she stepped into the room. Lira was all smiles, expecting to be greeting her next customer… When she saw who was waiting for her, her expression shifted to one of deep concern.

“Reno?” she queried, brow furrowing in confusion. Lira quickly shut the door behind her and snapped the lock shut.

“Hey.”

“What in the world are you doin’ here? I figured you ‘n Elena were gonna make a day of it…”

Reno sighed and let his gaze drop, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Yeah… well… I was right and you were wrong. She doesn’t want it to go any farther.”

“Oh… Oh, Reno, sweetie…” Lira said softly, taking a seat next to him, and drawing him into her arms. “What happened?”

“I kept tellin’ ya, Lira… I’m not what she wants. I already knew that. We had a good time at the wedding, and she got a little too caught up in the moment, that’s all. Never woulda happened otherwise. ‘Sides… better this way anyway. I’m not the kind of guy ‘Lena deserves.”

“Reno… You don’t mean that.”

“The fuck I don’t. She’s special, Lira. And she deserves someone who’s just as special as she is. Not someone who comes home with a different woman every time he goes out.” He closed his eyes and let Lira’s fingers gently play with his hair. “And let’s face it… I’m just a slum rat who lucked out and got a free ticket up to the Plate.”

Lira dropped a hand to his back, rubbing in light circles. He sighed softly, and let his own arms wrap around her, pulling her close, as he placed teasing kisses along her neck. She pushed him away, frowning.

“And just what do you think you’re doin’?” Lira asked.

“Gettin’ my money’s worth,” he shot back. The woman’s eyes narrowed, and she shoved him back, following up with a hard slap across his face. Reno’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden sharp sting in his cheek, and he simply sat there, blinking as he tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.

“I’m gonna chalk that little comment up to the fact that you’re absolutely heartbroken right now… even if you won’t fuckin’ admit it… and not thinkin’ straight,” Lira said firmly, a warning finger poking him squarely in the chest. “But don’t think I won’t slap some more sense into ya if ya keep it up. You’re not one of those assholes that come in here and treat us girls like a commodity… so don’t you dare start actin’ like one of ’em. Slum rat or not, you’re better than that.”

Reno looked away, feeling foolish. Lira was right… no matter how lousy he felt right now, that wasn’t who he was and he was ashamed of himself for acting like it.

“Sorry…”

“That’s more like it,” Lira said gently, slipping behind him on the bed and setting herself to work on the tense muscles of his shoulders. “Now… Why don’t you just tell Lira exactly what happened…”

“Nothin’ really…” he murmured, letting his eyes drift shut, “Pretty sure she had her mind made up before she even showed up this mornin’. Just said she had a good time but it couldn’t happen again.”

“She actually say why?” She coaxed him down onto the bed so that he was lying on his stomach, and moved on to his lower back. If it hadn’t felt so good, he’d have scowled… Lira knew just how he liked to be touched, and she wasn’t afraid to use that knowledge against him any time she thought doing so was ‘for his own damn good’.

“No… but it’s fairly obvious, don’t ya think?”

“Personally, I’m baffled,” she replied in a quiet, soothing voice, fingers sliding beneath his shirt, and beginning a slow, steady rhythm along his spine, “You’re the sweetest, kindest, most generous man I’ve ever known… and I’ve known an awful lot of men. Who wouldn’t want that?”

“‘Lena, apparently. Seriously, Lira… why’s it so hard to believe? You know me better than just about anyone… What do I have to offer her?”

“Okay. Reno… you’re scarin’ me a little here. It’s not like you to be so down on yourself.”

The redhead gave a frustrated whimper. “I can’t fucking figure out what I did wrong!” he finally shouted. “And if I didn’t do anything wrong… then it must just be me she doesn’t want.” He turned his head to look at her, and Lira leaned down and kissed his cheek.

“Oh… my poor Reno…” Lira purred, “It’ll be alright. I bet Elena just needs a little bit more of your natural charm. Don’t give up on her yet.”

He stayed silent… if he voiced his thoughts on the subject, she’d only tell him he was wrong. Or slap him again. He wasn’t really in the mood for either.

“I always knew this would happen sooner or later,” Lira sighed.

“What?”

She giggled softly. “That you’d eventually fall for someone. You’ve got too got a heart not to,” she informed him. “And damn, have you ever fallen hard.”

This time, Reno did manage a scowl. “Bullshit.”

“Yeah, yeah… keep tellin’ yourself that. But in the meantime… You’ve had a rough morning. And you’ve got this room for another hour. Why don’t you really get you money’s worth and take a nice little nap? You’ll feel better. And I’ll stay right here and make sure you’re comfy…”

“For fuck’s sake, Lira, I’m not five. I don’t need a fuckin’ nap…” Reno said, rolling his eyes.

A few minutes later… he was out like a light.

---

Later that evening, Reno made his way across town to Shinra Headquarters. Lira had been right… as humiliating as it was to admit, he had felt a little better after a quick nap. Though any relief it had given him had rapidly faded as the time he had to report drew nearer. On a good day, being forced to let complete strangers observe him while he slept would have put him on edge. After a day like today, he was absolutely dreading it.

Elena couldn’t possibly have picked a worse time to reject him… not that any of that was her fault, but the timing had been terrible. Being upset frequently had an adverse affect on his dreams… and, as if that weren’t enough,he was still undeniably peeved at Tseng, which only made things worse. He wasn’t exactly expecting pleasant dreams tonight. And people would be watching.

Not people who cared about him and would wake him up from a bad one… but cold, clinical academics who would probably be delighted by the fact he was having it. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought.

He groaned out loud as he pulled into his parking space, and simply sat for a moment, working up the will to get out of the car. Finally, he managed it.

Reno made the short walk to the elevators, and moments later was on his way up.

---

Elena finished washing the last of her dinner dishes and dried her hands on the towel before making her way into the living room and settling in front of the TV. Snuffy scrambled up onto the couch from the floor and nestled himself on her lap. The rookie laughed softly, and scratched him behind his ear.

“Guess it’s just you an me tonight, Snuffy. What should we watch?”

She glanced over at the movie sitting on the side table. It was one she’d been wanting to see for a few weeks now… but it didn’t seem right to watch it tonight. Reno wanted to see it, too, and it was always more fun watching with him than alone. She decided to save the movie for later, and instead pulled up last week’s episode of Shadow & Sword on her DVR with the intention of refreshing her memory before the next episode aired tomorrow night.

Her plans, however, were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

“Don’t tell me you ordered pizza,” she said teasingly to the little ferret in her lap. Snuffy gave a soft bark in response, and grudgingly moved when she shooed him off so she could get up. She walked over, unhurried, and answered it. The individual waiting for her on the other side was the last person she would have expected.

“We need to talk,” Lira stated, giving her no room for argument as she stepped past Elena, into her apartment.

---

“We’ll be starting with a brief physical exam to collect baseline vitals,” a young man in a lab coat said. Reno had found himself in a small group of Shinra employees… most of whom looked just as unsure about this whole thing as he felt himself. The kid in charge… and Reno insisted on referring to him as a kid, because there was no way in hell this Dr. Skarn guy was any older than Elena… had herded them into a small exam room partitioned off with screens around individual tables. Several lab assistants stood by, just waiting to get their hands on the test subjects. “If you’ll each step into an alcove, we’ll begin.”

The four test subjects did as requested, and the assistants went to work, taking readings on blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, and Ifrit only knew what else. Reno hadn’t been poked and prodded so much since Ward had demanded he submit to his annual physical. Though, on the bright side… at least there weren’t any needles in sight. When they were finished, the four of them were ushered down a narrow hallway.

“From here on out, all you have to do is sleep,” Dr. Skarn intoned, “You’ll be wired in to a monitoring system that will record any changes in your body in response to your dreams, and my staff and I will be observing you through mirrored glass. Our goal is to make you as comfortable as possible in order to obtain a good set of readings, so if there is anything you need, please let one of us know.”

Reno couldn’t help but scoff at that. Comfortable? Right… ‘Cause nothing made him more made him more comfortable than a bunch of scientists watching his every move.

“Don’t s’pose I could get a couple beers and maybe a nice aged whiskey…” he muttered.

“Sorry,” Skarn replied, not sounding the least pit remorseful, “No alcohol. We want clean readings.”

“Figures…” It was going to be a long night. The assistants guided them into their ‘private’ rooms… if you could consider a room with a giant mirrored window taking up most of one wall private. The girl assigned to Reno – apparently, as she’d also been the one to conduct his exam – let him change and get into bed, before applying a variety of electrodes to his body.

“This is s’posed to be comfortable?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. The young woman giggled softly.

“I guess it’s really not… but its the only way we can record changes in your vital signs and brain waves,” she replied, “Just try not to think about it.”

“Easy for you to say.” He shifted position, trying his best to find some way of lying down that didn’t make him feel like he was trapped under a net.

“Is there anything you need?” she asked, pulling the covers over him, and smiling.

“Nah… I’m good.”

“Well, then… Good night. And sweet dreams.” She turned away, heading for the door, and clicked the lights off as she exited. Reno snorted softly. Sweet dreams. Right.

---

“Lira?” Elena asked, confused as the woman made herself at home on the couch. She shut the door, and joined her. Snuffy curiously sniffed at the newcomer’s hand, and apparently decided she was acceptable, as he then happily curled up on her lap.

“Reno’s probably gonna kill me for this, but after what you did to him this morning, I’ll be damned if I’m just gonna keep my mouth shut,” she stated, and Elena began to realize that she was more than slightly annoyed with her. Actually… she seemed almost angry.

“W-what? What did I do?” Her tone was defensive. She hadn’t done anything…

“You can’t seriously be that oblivious…”

Elena shook her head and fixed the other woman with a somewhat baffled look. “I… guess I am, because I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You care about Reno, right?” Lira asked, and it suddenly clicked what was going on. Reno had mentioned that Lira had gotten pretty gung ho about getting the two of them together.

“Look, Lira…”

“No… answer the question.”

Elena sighed. “Well, of course I care about him, but – ”

“Then how could you hurt him like that?” Lira demanded.

“I-I didn’t… We both agreed that we weren’t right for each other. He was fine with it,” she said, though emotion in Lira’s voice was beginning to make her wonder about that.

“No… He wasn’t. Look, if he’s not your type, or if you cant see yourself with someone like him… though fuck if I understand why… that’s one thing. But did you really have to break his heart and then leave like it meant nothing to you?”

“I… what?” She couldn’t keep the incredulity out of her voice at that claim. “Lira… I… I think maybe you misinterpreted something…”

“Like hell I did. You have any idea what he did after ya left?” she asked, crossly, folding her arms over her chest, her posture demanding an answer. Elena silently shook her head in the negative. “He came down to the Honey Bee. Rented a room just so he could talk to me for awhile. That’s how upset he was.”

Elena’s stomach twisted uncomfortably. Reno really had had been fine when she left. Nervous about having to report for an experiment… but otherwise fine. She was sure of it. At least… she was pretty sure…

“H-he told me it wasn’t a big deal…”

Lira gave a frustrated sigh. “Let me guess… he also told ya he never expected more than a one night stand, too.”

Elena nodded. Reno had said something along those lines.

“Yeah, well… that’s ’cause he didn’t expect anything more. Doesn’t mean he didn’t want it or wasn’t hopin’ for it. Elena… I’ve known Reno for a long time. And I don’t think you realize at all how he feels about you. He thinks the world of you… to the point that he’s kinda put you on a pedestal that’s gotten so high it’s damn near out of his reach. For fuck’s sake, he expected you to reject him. Reno. And frankly… even though he knew it was comin’ he’s not takin’ it real well,” she paused for a moment, as if considering her next words carefully. “I think… I think he’s really convinced himself that he’s not good enough for you. And I think now he’s decided that he never will be.”

“But… he said – ” Elena began, not wanting to believe she might really have wounded him so badly.

“Can I ask ya somethin’?” Lira said cutting her off. The rookie nodded, though she doubted it would have stopped her even if she’d denied the request.

“How many times has that boy done somethin’ for you at at his own expense?”

“… More times than I can count,” she admitted.

“Exactly. Self-sacrificing little idiot is what he is… I don’t even let him pull that shit with me anymore,” Lira said with a warm smile, “But he’s a very sweet idiot. Just ask yourself… If it came down to your happiness or his, which do you think he’d pick?”

Elena looked down at her hands in her lap, and didn’t answer. She knew exactly what he’d pick… she just couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“Look… I can’t make ya see him any differently than you see him. If the idea of bein’ with Reno doesn’t appeal to ya, then I guess that’s just how it’s gonna be. I just wanted to make sure you knew, ’cause he’ll probably never tell ya himself.”

The rookie Turk took a shuddering breath, and finally looked up at Lira again. “I never meant to hurt him… I really didn’t. I really thought he was fine with it…”

“Mind if I ask why ya decided to call it off?” Lira responded, “You don’t have to tell me if ya don’t want to. I’m just curious. You don’t have some hangup about him bein’ from the Slums, do ya?”

“W-what? No! That’s not it at all!” she said, indignantly, “Is… is that why he thinks he’s not good enough?”

Lira shrugged. “Part of it, maybe. There’s a kind of stigma attached to comin’ from down below. Never really goes away, no matter who ya are. There are a lot of people up here who’d still see him as a slum rat if they knew where he came from.”

“I didn’t realize…”

“You wouldn’t.” At Elena’s offended look, Lira held her hands up, defensively. “Sorry… Didn’t mean that quite the way it came out. I just meant that people up top… they grow up kinda protected, ya know? A lot of ’em never give two thoughts to what it’s like for people in the Slums unless they absolutely have to. They’d rather just pretend we don’t exist.”

“Yeah… I think kind of know what you mean.” She’d been a little like that herself before becoming a Turk. Back then, the Slums were just a place she knew she didn’t want to visit. Half the time, she never even thought about them even being there, let alone the thousands of people who lived there.

“So? Ya gonna tell me why?” Lira prodded.

“I can’t… He’s so…” Elena blushed slightly, trying to think of a way to word it without it sounding like an insult. “I don’t want to be just another lover waiting for my turn.”

Lira eyed her for a moment and then suddenly burst out laughing. “That’s your only problem? You don’t like that he sleeps around? Oh, for fuck’s sake…”

“I just… I’m not comfortable with it. Not like he is.”

“So why the hell didn’t ya just tell him that? Sweet Shiva… the two of you are fuckin’ impossible. He’s developin’ a goddamn inferiority complex, and you’re so determined to sabotage yourself that you don’t even bother askin’ for what you want to see if he’s willin’ to give it to ya…” Lira ranted, rolling her eyes. “That’s it… we’re goin’ over to his place right now, and you two are gonna finish the conversation ya started this mornin’ if it kills ya.”

Elena shook his head. “He’s not home. He has an assignment tonight… I’m not sure when it’ll be over, exactly. Not until tomorrow, at least.”

“And of course I’m coverin’ another girl’s shift tomorrow… Figures.” She ran her fingers though her short, spiky hair. “Fine… Just promise me you’ll talk to him as soon as you can, okay?”

“I will…” Elena said, nodding. And she meant it.

---

“Subject two just entered REM sleep, sir.”

“Good…” Dr. Skarn replied with a thoughtful nod. “Let him sleep another five minutes and then introduce gas sample E. His exam results seemed to indicate a higher level of stress than the others. We’ll attempt to trigger a nightmare, first.”

“Yes, sir.”

In the room, though the two-way mirrored glass, a redheaded figure slept, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

---

Reno was curled up on his side, somewhere warm and comfortable. He wasn’t sure where he was, but he felt safe… protected. His eyes slowly opened a crack, and he saw flames dancing in a little iron stove. Oh… he was home.

He smiled, and let them close again, snuggling down into the blanket that enveloped him, enjoying the heat. He stayed like that, still and silent, for a long time, until the warmth began to fade. Reno shivered slightly, and opened his eyes again, confused. The fire was gone, and the room was dark. He sat up slowly, looking around at the familiar surroundings, eerie in the early morning shadows.

“Mommy?”

His own voice sounded far away to his ears, as though it were an echo coming back toward him. He quietly got to his feet, tiny hands clenching the blanket tightly around him, and took a few tentative steps towards the closed door.

“Mommy?” he called out again, hesitating as he reached up for the doorknob. He wasn’t supposed to open it if it was closed. Not ever. He was supposed to sit quietly, until mommy’s guest was gone. It was the only rule he had. But he was cold, and he didn’t know how to light the stove himself.

Finally, he found the courage to break that rule.

Reno twisted the knob and peered hesitantly around the door. He could see her, sleeping on the bed, alone, and breathed a sigh of relief. “Mommy? It’s cold…”

He crept forward on bare feet, toes icy on the wooden floor, and climbed into bed next to her, laying his head on her shoulder, shivering. He tried to sleep, but something was wrong. She was always warm, even when he was freezing. She always held him when he couldn’t sleep.

She always answered him when he called for her.

“Mommy?” He shook her, trying to wake her up. “Mommy?”

What was wrong? Something was wrong… Reno got to his knees and crawled over the mattress to the little lamp beside the bed, turning it on and banishing the shadows. She stared upwards, unblinking, bright blue eyes somehow duller than he remembered them. She was smiling… endlessly smiling.

“Mommy… wake up…” he said, voice trembling. He reached for her hand, pulling it out from beneath the sheets. Her skin was sticky and wet… Reno looked down. And saw red.

“Mommy!” he shrieked, releasing his grip and staring at his own fingers, now stained crimson.

---

“Sir? Readings indicate subject two may be close to waking. Should I add a sedative to the mix?”

Skarn glanced through the window to his left. The redhead was clearly agitated, tossing in his sleep.

“Yes… but keep the concentration low. I don’t want him so deeply under that he stops dreaming. Keep him right where he is,” he replied, making a few notes on the subject before turning to one of the other windows, and a different assistant.

“Is gas sample A having any effect?”

“It doesn’t seem to be, Doctor. She entered REM sleep twenty minutes ago… Readings have been consistent throughout.”

He nodded. “Very well. Evacuate the gas from the room and switch to sample B, then. Be sure to note the time.” Skarn continued his circuit of the room. The subject on the the other side of the next window was still awake. “Start her on a light sedative as well. She’s of no use to us if she never falls asleep.”

“Yes, sir.” The assistant assigned to the woman behind the glass pressed several buttons on the console in front of him.

“And what about our last subject?”

“He seems to be enjoying himself, sir.” The young woman in the lab coat snickered softly, before quickly clearing her throat, and resuming a more professional air. “That is to say, sir… He’s been in REM sleep for eleven minutes. Sample C was introduced five minutes ago, and there are definite signs of arousal.”

“Increase the concentration of the gas by ten percent,” Dr. Skarn replied.

“Sir? Subject two just reentered stage one sleep.”

“Did we manage to collect the requisite data?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent,” he replied, rejoining the woman at her window. “Evacuate the gas, and move on to sample D. Let me know when he cycles back to a dream state.”

---

Reno strained against his bonds. He pulled until his wrists were raw and bleeding… until his shoulders felt as though they would separate… twisting relentlessly in an effort to free himself.

“Stop!” he shouted, though his voice was barely audible over the sounds of Elena’s screams. He couldn’t stand listening to it any longer… Elena’s beautiful voice in such torment. At last the screaming stopped, only to be replaced by pained whimpers and harsh breathing.

“R-reno… H-help me… please…” she sobbed, and he pulled even harder.

“Poor little thing…” Scarlet simpered, cruelly. She let the hand holding the EMR drop and turned back to Reno. “You can stop this, you know…”

“How?” he replied, glaring at the woman.

“Oh… I think you know how…” she purred, giving his thigh a none-too-gentle squeeze, before allowing her hand to drift between his legs. Reno cringed, turning away from her.

“You’re fuckin’ sick… ya know that?”

The executive smiled cruelly, and kissed him, forcing her tongue between his lips.

“Maybe so,” she replied, a moment later, pulling away from the redhead. “But I’m the one in control here.”

He closed his eyes, as the woman’s hands touched him far too intimately, and felt ill as his body betrayed him, responding to the stimulation. “Fine… Do whatever the fuck you want. Just stop hurtin’ her…” He looked away from his captor as he found himself slowly being stripped. Scarlet laughed.

---

“Hmmm… That’s certainly an interesting reaction. You’re sure sample D was introduced and not C?” Skarn asked, dispassionately.

“Positive, sir. Could be an atypical response…”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps he secretly regards sex as a form of torture.”

The young assistant laughed and then quickly cleared her throat, trying to hide it behind a cough. “I don’t think that’s very likely, sir. That’s Reno of the Turks. He has something of a… reputation… in that regard.”

“Oh? Likely atypical, then. Move on to C and see how he reacts.”

---

Her skin was smooth as satin beneath his fingertips, and he eagerly let them roam. She moaned enticingly at his touch, and he needed so desperately to touch her… to taste her. His lips greedily claimed hers as she clung to him, urging him on, the heat of her body driving him wild. He took her weight gently in his arms, refusing to break the connection between their lips as he carried her.

Visions of what he wanted to do to her swam in front of his eyes as he placed her on the sheets with great care, arms slipping behind her and finding the closure of her dress. He forced himself to pause. To pull away. He had to be certain.

“Are you sure this is what you want, ‘Lena?” he asked, hardly able to catch his breath. If she changed her mind now, he wasn’t sure he’d survive it at this point. He was too far gone. The most beautiful eyes captured his gaze, and he stared at her, transfixed, as her hand caressed his cheek, moving slowly… so torturously slowly, down along his throat. His heart pounded, leaving him feeling light-headed.

“Yes,” she whispered at last. He didn’t need any further encouragement. He’d held back far too long as it was. He took possession of her lips again, fingers deftly opening the zipper of her dress, and letting it slip tantalizingly down along her back. The emerald fabric slid easily across her skin, revealing all of her to him, and he followed it with his lips as it fell away, laying claim to every part of her.

---

“Definitely an atypical reaction to sample D… His response to C is a bit intense, but entirely within expected parameters,” Dr. Skarn said, making a quick notation of the observation. “Extreme arousal and involuntary attempts at gratification.” he murmured, jotting it down, “What’s his heart rate?

“A hundred and thirty two beats per minute,” his assistant replied, and Skarn nodded in acknowledgment adding it to the log. “Should I let him continue?”

“No… I’ve seen enough. Evacuate the current sample and then give him another dose of the sedative… We’ll need to let him return to baseline before introducing sample A.”

“I trust everything is going well?” a nasal voice queried from the stairs leading out of the little observation center. Skarn turned, inclining his head in greeting.

“Quite well, Professor. Samples C and E have both shown expected results. There was one outlier with sample D, but the other subjects were all within the normal response guidelines,” he replied.

“And the other two samples?” Hojo asked, curious.

“Sample A has only been tested on subjects one and three. Both were non-responsive to it. We’ll be introducing it to subjects two and four shortly. Sample B’s results have been… varied.”

“Oh? In what way?”

“Subject one began sobbing inconsolably after less than forty seconds. Subject three experienced extreme nausea and vomiting and ultimately had to be removed from the testing environment. She’s been transferred to a medical unit for observation, but no further side effects have been reported. That particular subject is also pregnant, which may have contributed to the reaction. Subject four was exposed five minutes ago, with no measurable response. Subject two has not yet been tested, and is currently being reset to baseline before we can continue with him. His reaction to sample C was… rather strong.”

“Interesting. I look forward to seeing your final results.”

---

He was floating in nothing. There was absolutely no sensation. Even when he moved, he couldn’t feel what was holding him up, nor the rush of air over his skin. Everything was bathed in light… there was no up or down. No shadows. Just an endless expanse of nothing. The only sound he could hear was a soft, almost static-like buzzing in his ears. He couldn’t even hear himself. Not his breathing… not his heartbeat… not even his own voice, no matter how loudly he screamed.

It was maddening.

There couldn’t simply be nothing. The longer he floated, the more disturbing it became, and the more he was convinced he was losing his mind… or had already lost it.

He pinched himself… but he couldn’t feel that either. He did it harder, panicking, then began to claw at his skin, desperate to feel something. Anything. Even pain would be preferable to this.

Soon he couldn’t even be sure how long he’d been there. Minutes and hours seemed to run together. He could have been trapped in this Ifrit-forsaken limbo for years, for all he knew. It seemed ludicrous that he could feel so trapped and smothered in absolutely nothing. He couldn’t live like this. Something had to change. He couldn’t stand it.

But no matter how he screamed and begged and pleaded, nothing ever changed.

---

“Sir… Subject two’s heart rate is dangerously high, and his blood pressure has spiked.”

“Is it a reaction to the sample itself, or a reaction to what he’s experiencing?” Dr. Skarn asked. After yet another subject had shown no measurable response to sample A, he had opted to drop it from testing. Once this one’s vital signs had returned to normal levels, B had been introduced instead. The decision was proving fruitful… Unfortunately, the subject had already nearly woken twice, and if any more of the sedative was used, they would likely loose their chance to continue with him.

“It doesn’t appear to be pharmacological, sir. He’s displaying symptoms of extreme stress. He’s also torn loose several of the sensors. We’re still receiving sufficient data, but if he keeps thrashing like that, we may lose the feed.”

“Alright… vent the room and pump in fresh air. I’d rather cut things short than risk losing the readings while he’s waking.”

“Yes, sir.”

---

Reno woke in a cold sweat, tangled in a mess of sheets and wires and breathing in ragged gasps. He raised a shaking hand to his forehead, pushing the damp hair out of his eyes, and trying desperately to force down the lingering sense of panic. His heart was still hammering so hard it felt as though it was in his throat… something he’d always assumed was just an odd expression. Apparently, it could literally happen.

He looked around the darkened room, at first wondering if he was still dreaming. Nothing seemed the least bit familiar. It took him several seconds to remember where he was, and when he did, he let himself drop back onto the pillows, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt vaguely queasy after… whatever the fuck that was. Reno’d had some pretty messed up dreams in his day, but that was something entirely new.

And it wasn’t just the persistent memory of it. At the moment, he felt like he’d just left the training room after a particularly intense sparring match with Tseng. His muscles ached like they’d been over-worked, and in spite of the uneasy feeling in his stomach, he realized he was starving.

As he finally began to calm down, memories of other dreams resurfaced, and he groaned softly.

‘Those scientists must’ve gotten one hell of a show,’ he thought to himself. Particularly when he’d been dreaming so vividly of Elena that it had felt as though he were reliving that night.

Fuck it… he didn’t care. He was famished and drenched in sweat and, he suddenly realized, still slightly turned on. Right now, all he wanted was food and a cold shower… and not necessarily in that order.

A soft knock made him jump, and announced the arrival of one of the scientists. Scant seconds later the door opened, admitting the same young woman who’d seen him to bed.

“I’d ask if you slept well, but I already know better,” she said with a gentle smile.

“Hell of night,” he muttered, settling back.

“Well… strange places will sometimes do that to a person. If it’s any consolation, it was very helpful to our study. Dr. Skarn is very pleased. And very grateful.” She began removing the electrodes from his skin, untangling him from the wires, her smile never wavering. “The good news is, all that’s left is a quick exit survey and then you’re all done. You can clean up a bit through there and get dressed,” she said motioning to a small door opposite the one she’d come through, “And I’ll be back in just a few minutes with something to eat.”

The woman was nice. Almost bizarrely so. And she smiled too much. Something about her just seemed insincere… though at the moment, Reno wasn’t sure if it was instinct or just the fact that his nerves were shot to hell that was making him think so. Either way, he decided, he wanted out of there as quickly as possible.

---

By the time he returned home later that morning, he felt utterly spent… He might as well not have slept at all last night, for all the good it did him. He trudged toward the bathroom and turned on the shower, turning the water up as hot as he could stand it. The heat felt incredible on his mysteriously abused muscles and he could gradually feel himself relaxing. Normally, he preferred to be in and out as quickly as possible… but today he stayed under the soothing stream of water until it went cold.

Once it had, he headed straight for bed, pausing only briefly to check his PHS for messages. There were none, so he set it on the bedside table as he always did… and then thought better of it, and shut the damn thing off. It was eight a.m. on a Sunday and he was finally going to get some real sleep. Hopefully dream-free this time.

Reno curled up in his own bed, dragging the covers over him and burrowing into the pillows. He groped blindly underneath one of them, and after a few moment, found what he was looking for, dragging it out from its hiding place.

“Really coulda used you last night, El…” he said to the little stuffed bunny, before sighing and hugging her to his chest. It didn’t take him long to drift off into an uneasy slumber.

---

Elena frowned at her PHS as it went through to voicemail… again. She sighed and ended the call. She’d already left three messages asking him to call her. She would have understood if it had simply been a case of Reno being busy with his assignment… had it not been nearly ten in the morning. Where in the world was he? Surely they had to be done with him by now.

She didn’t really want to consider the other possibility… that the redhead was simply ignoring her calls. If Lira had been right about just how upset he was, she wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to talk to her right now… but she didn’t think he’d really do something like that. Even the handful of times he’d been furious with her he’d never simply cut her off.

But then again… they were kind of in new territory at the moment. It had, more than once, crossed her mind that none of this would have happened if she hadn’t gone to bed with him. At the same time, she was finding it increasingly difficult to regret doing so, regardless of the consequences. It really had been a wonderful night. Reno was every bit as passionate and – she couldn’t help but blush a bit even thinking it – as talented as his reputation led a person to believe. But it had been more than just that. She had never felt so… desired… before. Reno had made her feel as if she were the only woman on the planet who mattered to him… the only one worth his time.

It had taken her most of the week to convince herself that she was better off giving that up. And now, she was starting to wonder if she’d made the right decision. Maybe Lira was right… maybe she really was just sabotaging herself… thinking up excuses as to why it couldn’t possibly work with Reno without ever telling him what she needed so that it could work.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Reno’s intensity had scared her a little. He seemed to know exactly what he wanted, and there was no hesitation in taking it when it was offered to him. For all her forwardness that night, deep down she’d still felt so nervous. Every other time she’d acted on impulse, things always seemed to end badly… and in a way, that’s exactly what was happening again. Though this time, the result was due to her own over-thinking of the situation, not her lack thereof.

Elena huffed in frustration and dialed Reno’s number again. She needed to set things right.

---

Reno woke curled up on his side and shivering. His blankets had deserted him… and so, for that matter, had his bed. He sat up, and realized that he was lying on the floor, El still safely tucked into his arms. It was dark and cold, and he wondered if the building had lost power while he’d been asleep.

The redhead stood and stretched, debating on simply climbing back under the covers. But first… he turned the switch on the lamp by his bed and was greeted with a warm glow. So much for the power being out. Why was it so damn cold, then? He sighed, realizing that he’d better check on the thermostat before he risked falling back asleep and made his way into the living room.

Almost immediately, he became aware that he wasn’t alone. He froze just inside the doorway, eyes scanning the shadows. There. On the couch. He switched on the lights, fluidly falling into a defensive stance, expecting an attack… but the figure didn’t move. In the newly-illuminated room, however, he had no trouble at all recognizing the familiar blonde hair of his, apparently, still sleeping guest.

“‘Lena?”

He set El aside and took a few steps toward the slumbering rookie, wondering how long she’d been there.

“‘Lena?” he called out again, a little surprised he hadn’t managed to wake her yet. “Hey… Come on… Wake up.”

Something was wrong… He could feel it. Reno rounded the couch so he could see her properly. She stared upwards, unblinking, soft brown eyes dull and lifeless. She was smiling… endlessly smiling.

“No…” he said, voice trembling, “No… please, not this…” He reached for her hand, eyes going wide in horror. Deep gashes traversed her wrist, traveling upward along the vein.

“‘Lena!” he shrieked, releasing his grip and staring at his hands, now coated in her blood.

---

Reno jolted upright in bed, eyes wide as he looked around, trying to get his bearings. Horror still consumed him as he struggled to untwist himself from the blankets and bolted into the other room, eyes going immediately to the couch. It was empty.

He turned back, rushing for the phone and turning it back on, ignoring the message alerts that popped up as he did so, and forcing his hands to stop shaking long enough to dial.

“Reno?” Elena’s voice answered after a few rings, and he sank to the floor in relief.

“You’re alive…” he breathed. It had been a dream… Another fucking dream.

“R-reno? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

It took him a few seconds to find his voice again. “Fine… I’m fine.” He swallowed sharply. “Shouldn’t’ve called… sorry…” By now, he felt ridiculous. Of course it had been a dream. He’d still been so on edge when he’d crawled into bed, he should have known better.

“Where are you? Are you at home? Reno?”

“I’m fine,” he repeated… though at this point, he wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. “Forget it. Just… me bein’ stupid…”

He ended the call, tossing the phone onto his bed. He didn’t feel right. He never felt right after a nightmare… and this had been one hell of a nightmare. He felt dazed… only half-lucid. He needed to wake himself up a little more… That would fix things.

Reno staggered to his feet, walking unsteadily towards the bathroom, and turning the shower on. The water was freezing as he climbed in, and after a moment, he dropped to his knees in the tub, shaking as it chilled him.

---

“Reno?! Reno… answer me!” Elena shouted into the phone, but there was no response. When the call dropped, she dialed him back, but got his voicemail again instead. Finally, she grabbed her keys and ran for her car.

Within minutes she was at his door, knocking loudly.

“Reno?!” If he was there, he either wasn’t willing or wasn’t able to come to the door. She slipped a lockpick out of her pocket, and thrust it into the lock. After several tense seconds of poking and twisting, it snapped open, and she rushed inside. The first thing she heard was running water, and she followed the sound to the bathroom. He was curled up in the bathtub still fully clothed, the shower raining down on him. As she turned it off, she realized the water was ice cold.

“Oh, god… Reno… What in the world are you doing?” she asked, sitting him up.

“‘Lena?” he responded, confused.

“Come on, you’ve got to get out of there. You’re freezing,” she said, worry etched on her features. He clung to her, bracing himself on her shoulder as she helped him up and out of the tub.

“It usually helps…” he said, gradually becoming more lucid, “Felt like crap after that dream… Don’t think I was quite with it for a few minutes. I just needed… to wake up.”

Elena set him down on the floor, stripping off his sodden clothes, and wrapped him in a towel. His skin was so cold…

“Maybe next time try coffee instead of hypothermia…” she chastised, gently drying him off. He was shivering so violently, he could barely hold the towel himself.

“Yeah. Mighta gotten a little carried away…” he agreed, managing a smirk. “Don’t worry… I’m okay. Just help me up so I can go freeze my ass off in bed instead of on the floor, will ya?”

Elena stood and pulled him to his feet. She refused to let go of the redhead as they made their way to his bedroom, in spite of his half-hearted protests that he could walk just fine on his own, thank you very much. She let him drop onto the mattress, and pulled the covers up over him. Suddenly he looked up, concerned. Reno shoved an arm under one pillow then the other, then the blankets, as well, searching diligently for something.

“Dammit…”

“What’s wrong?” Elena asked.

“Can’t find her…” he muttered, knocking a pillow and half the covers to the floor in his frustration, “I just fuckin’ had her…”

It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about, and she smothered a giggle. Elena glanced towards the floor and had little trouble spotting the object of the redhead’s frantic search. She knelt down and picked up the little bunny, holding it out to him. It was a moment before he noticed, and she couldn’t stop herself from laughing softly at the look of relief on his face.

“… Thanks.” He dropped his gaze, looking embarrassed, and accepted stuffed toy. He laid back down, curling protectively around it. Elena reached out and tenderly stroked his hair back, pushing it out of his face, and smiling when he sighed contentedly… in spite of his continued shaking. “Go on home, ‘Lena… you don’t have to stick around and babysit. I know you’ve got better things to do.”

“Not really,” she replied, finally getting around to taking off her coat. She nudged her shoes off as well, and slipped under the covers with him and pressing herself against his back. “Besides… El isn’t going to do much to warm you back up all on her own,” she teased, as she nuzzled his shoulder, arms wrapping themselves around his waist.

She simply held him for a time, not saying anything. Gradually the warmth began to return to his body and the shivering subsided.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on yet?” she finally asked, as the minutes began to stretch on.

“Nothin’…”

“You said it was a dream…”

“‘Lena, seriously… I really don’t wanna get into this. Bad enough I’ve been dealin’ with this shit all night ‘n half the damn morning.”

“Was the experiment that bad? Is that what got you so freaked out?”

“You my goddamn therapist now?” he muttered, clearly annoyed.

“Something is obviously bothering you. So you can either talk to me or you can kick me out. But I’m not going to just accept ‘nothing’ as an answer.”

“Fine. Get out.”

“Reno…” she said, utterly shocked. He’d never been so cold towards her. She tightened her grip on him, unwilling to simply let this drop.

“Dammit, ‘Lena… just get the fuck off of me, and get out!” he yelled, twisting away from her, and clambering off of the bed. “I don’t want to talk… I don’t want company… and I definitely don’t want to be around you right now!”

---

He regretted it the second he said it. Particularly when he saw the tears gathering in her eyes. The worst part was that it wasn’t even remotely true. He wanted so badly for her to stay… but right now, her rejection was still too fresh in his mind. It was painful, looking at what he’d had a taste of and then been denied. Up until yesterday, he’d been worried that she would be the one who would have a problem going back to the way things were before, once she inevitably came to her senses. He was starting to realize, though, that he was going to have a much harder time of it.

Between that, and his asshole brain deciding to conjure up fuck only knew what every time he closed his eyes, he just couldn’t handle any more right now. He was beginning to feel like he was going to break.

“Reno… please, listen to me…”

“Just go. I’ll… see ya at work tomorrow,” he replied, with a little less venom. He wasn’t mad at Elena… he was mad at himself. He’d let himself get much too attached to the rookie, and now he was paying for it.

Elena slowly climbed off the bed, and moved toward the door. She stopped there, hesitating. When Reno refused to look up at her, she finally turned and left. Reno collapsed onto the bed as his apartment door clicked softly shut.

‘How the fuck am I gonna to fix this mess?’ he wondered.

~fin~