Completion Chapter 5
Interlude One: Vincent
By Drakonlily
"Me and Lucrecia as lovers?" Vincent looked at Yuffie with a perplexed eye. "Hardly. She was my sister."
"WHAT! Okay now how the FUCK is this day going to get any stranger." Cid's cig fell from his mouth. "That is it, everyone sit the HELL down. I want to know what the fuck is going on! Explain, you first Vincent." The pilot then pointed at Tifa, "Then you better make your reason for making Mr Clean over there talk a God damn good one, Tifa."
Vincent sat at the table with his eyes closed. This was going to be hard.
***
"My sister and I were orphaned very young. A gang massacre left her to take care of me. I joined SOLDIER at 14 to help her pay for school. I was inducted into the Turks when she graduated from College. She met Hojo when she came on as an assistant in the labs." Disgust flooded his voice, "She was so in love."
"Vincent he asked me out!" She jumped up and hugged her brother. "He likes me!" Her dark pony tail bounded up anddown as she jumped like a school girl. It was hardly becoming behavior for a scientist at Shinra
Vincent looked up from his case file with a snort. "He's a creep like the rest of them Lucy." Lucrecia made a face and punched his arm
"Don't call me Lucy, Vinnie."
" Don't call me Vinnie, Lucy."
"Vinnie-poo." she taunted in a baby voice.
In mock anger Vincent Valentine slammed the files on the coffee table "I've killed for less." He picked her up and thrust her over his shoulder. He began to walk to the front door with her "Maybe there will be someone out there who would be willing to buy you in wall market."
Lucrecia started kicking and laughing. "If you sell me, then who will protect my baby brother?"
Vincent made a face as he sat down his sister. "Baby brother? I am a foot taller then you, toots."
"Only nine inches hot shot." She looked at the clock "OH I gotta get ready!"
"He asked her to marry him of course. She was a gorgeous bride. His money paid for everything. I had never seen her so radiant, so- so happy. As much as Hojo made my very skin crawl Lucrecia loved him. She grew more beautiful with that love."
"When I was 18 she brought an experiment to my apartment. She was crying, angry with herself...."
Vincent went to the door, as he opened it Lucrecia rushed in with a thin red headed girl. "Vincent help me!" He took the younger woman from her as Lucrecia closed the door. "I just did something horrid to Peter."
"Clam down! Who is this and what is going on?"
Lucrecia wrung her hands and sobbed. "He wanted her destroyed. I- I-I couldn't do it. She's been through nothing but pain her whole life. She's been neutralized, she's harmless. Please, she just needs a chance to have a real life."
"I was always a sucker for her crying. So I agreed. We named the girl Suzanna, and she was nice to have around." The dark Turk looked up at the sky as if he wanted it to fall on him. He took a deep breath and sat there for a while. "I need coffee."
"I'll get it." Reeve moved quickly, he already knew this story.
"GET ON WITH IT!" Cid yelled, he lit another cigarette with intensity.
"Suzanna was more then just nice to have around. She refused to let me be 'cranky' as she lovingly put it. She was so humane, so honest, so beautiful. I was used to attractive women, my sister always had cute friends and I was a Turk. But Suzi was something else. Her smile could light up my worst day." Vincent sighed again in longing. "Her eyes were so green, she was perfection. I feel in love with her."
"Vinnie, come on smile." The red head put her face in front of Vincent's. She then snagged the paper he had been reading and darted across the room.
"You little viper! Get back here!" Vincent wasn't really angry, she knew that.
"Make me Vinnie." He rushed her, but she was much faster then the Turk. "Slow poke," she jabbed him in the side as she spoke. Before Vincent could react Suzanna was across the room again.
"Don't call me Vinnie."
"Why?" She was honestly curious about it. Vincent hadn't expected the question.
"Because I don't like it. It isn't my name."
"Well Vincent isn't your first name either." She reasoned, placing her hands on her trim, shapely hips.
"Okay so it isn't. " Vincent tore his eyes from those hips. "Its part of my name."
She pretended not to notice him staring. "So is Vinnie" she stuck out her tongue. Vincent found himself wondering how she could make even that movement sexy.
"No where is 'Vinnie' in the name Vickaler Vincent Valentine." he crossed his arms over his chest and Suzanna laughed. "What?"
"You are so cute when you pout, Vic."
"She was unexplainable." He shook his head, "she made me feel like I could do anything."
"Vic, you okay?" It had been a very tough day for him that day. As much as he wanted to, he could not pretend that he wasn't killing people for a living. Vincent felt like a monster. No matter what he had to do for Shinra, he couldn't help but smile as Suzanna beamed at him. Her smile was a lighthouse in the fog of his life. She made Shinra and that world seem to fade. He sat on the couch.
"I guess." He put his head in his hands. "How can I stop from feeling like a monster?"
She slid beside him and put her arm around his shoulders. It felt good to have her so close to him. She believed in him, Vincent needed her. "I couldn't tell you that Vic, I'm not even human. So I am told." He snapped his head up at that. How could such an amazing woman not be human?
"You are more human then any one I have worked for." Vincent said earnestly. They were suddenly kissing. They drew to each other like separate poles on a magnet. It escalated to them on the floor, Vincent over her. "I think I love you, Suzanna."
"We were married, just a year after that Reeve caught wind of Hojo cheating on Lucrecia. I was furious with him when I found his wedding band at the Honey Bee Inn. I showed it to her outside the Shinra mansion."
Lucrecia and Vincent were walking through Nibelheim, she clung to his arm weakly. "I feel so sick Vincent, my stomach won't settle."
"The shop is just over there. Are you going to be Okay?" He left her sitting at the front gate. She looked around very sadly and waited. She stood up slowly as her brother returned. "Here." He watched her drink the tonic with a look of pity, "Lucrecia, I know you told me to keep my nose out of your business with Peter, but I can't let this slide." Vincent took out a wedding band. Lucrecia stared at it blankly.
"Lucrecia and Peter Hojo, always and forever...." She started to cry, "Where did you find this?"
"The Honey Bee Inn. Listen, you don't need him. Divorce the-"
"I can't! I am pregnant Vincent!" Shaking her head furiously she ran from Vincent to ask Hojo the truth.
"I looked all over for her, I was worried that she would do something to hurt herself. I found her at the gate, with Hojo. He had apparently smooth talked her into staying after he found out she was pregnant." He looked at Reeve, "You asked me how I could stand it, remember? My beautiful sister being strung along by that psycho. The more Suzanna told me about him the more I hated him. And all I said was 'If she is happy then I don't mind.' I just stood there and watched him lie to my sister. The only person who kept me alive when I was a child. The one person that had all of my respect, I just stood there...." His voice trailed off.
"You don't have to explain any more Vincent." Tifa said tearfully.
"No, I have to finnish this." The dark ex-Turk took a deep breath and another sip of coffee. "When she told me that Hojo wanted to use her as an experiment I was outraged."
"After all that Suzi has explained to you! After all that you have seen him do!" Vincent paced the room in Icicle Inn. "You would let him do this?"
"I am aware of what I am doing Vincent. It is perfectly harmless, and it could save people millions. Imagine never having to give your child a flu shot, or having to sit though chicken pox. They are little things, but it is a start." She was sitting on the bed, looking very strained. "I hate it when you two fight, please."
"Yet again I stood by and did nothing. Oh sure, I fought with him, I made her cry. But in the end I let it happen. When Sephiroth was born Hojo told her that the baby died in birth. He called Lucrecia all sorts of names, but she was my sister. She was strong. She divorced him and came to live with me and Suzi for a few years. Six years to be exact with you. That's when Reno was born. I was proud of him, I still am proud of him." That earned a snort from Barette. "There is just this feeling that you get when you hold your child, Lucrecia never got to feel that..." Vincent sighed, he looked over to Rude, "give me a smoke?"
The bald man tossed the pack over, no one dared to even breathe to loudly as Vincent lit his first cigarette in over twenty years. "Thank you, " Vincent said as the smoke blew out his nose.
"Its a boy!" Vincent was too elated to be calm. He jumped with Lucrecia in the hospital. "Renald Vickaler Valentine."
The young doctor leaned in the waiting room door. A big smile on his face for the new father. "They are ready to see you Mr. Valentine."
It was all he could do not to bounce into the room like a five year old. Lucrecia laughed at him. As Vincent held the little boy, a tear worked it's way into his eye. "Renald." was all he said. He looked over to his red headed wife. "I love you so much Suzanna." She smiled at him, never had they been so happy, so in love.
"I suppose that seeing all of that made her curious. She went to Icicle Inn the next week, never to return. I got the call that she was dead, I knew it was Hojo. I confronted him against Suzi's wishes."
"Where is she you monster!" Vincent was inches from the doctor.
"You dare insult me? You damn slum born cur! She is dead! Haven't you seen enough dead bodies, Turk?!"
"If you didn't do anything to her what harm will there be in letting me say good-bye to my own sister!?" Vincent had enough of Hojo, he moved forward. Hojo pulled out a gun from his lab coat and shot.
"I should have seen it coming a mile away. That son of a bitch shot me like I was some fish in a barrel. Point blank in the stomach. I fell to the ground in a pool of my own blood. Thank whatever powers had control that day. I woke up on the operating table very much unrestrained. My left arm hurt, it felt like it was asleep, there was also a sharp pain. I just stared at my hand, I was clueless. I reached my fists to the sky, pleading for help. Then I thought about my family. I had to go to them."
Vincent rushed into his apartment, clinging his left arm. "Suzi get Reno we have to go!" She didn't ask any questions, she only grabbed the baby and a bag. Hojo was waiting with over a dozen SOLDIERS just outside the door. When Suzanna saw him she started shaking. Vincent stood in between the mad man and his family.
"Well, so this is something I wasn't expecting." Hojo smiled. "Very interesting. Take the baby alive." A car squealed though the troops. Reeve and Scarlet jumped out.
"Get out of here sir!" Reeve yelled. Suzanna got into the car with Reno. Vincent looked at his partner, hesitant to leave him. "Move it Vince! You have more important things to worry about then us."
"Yeah, we can take care of ourselves," Scarlet confirmed.
Tseng drove them to a hotel in the slums. Suzanna sat on the bed, still trembling. "Vic, don't let him take Reno, please anything is better then what they do there...." She sobbed uncontrollably.
"Tseng go report to the president; let him know that Hojo's off his blasted rocker." The young Wutain saluted and left. Vincent kneeled next to Suzi, he took one of her hands in his. "I have to go make sure that they are alright. I will be back."
"How do I know that Vic?" She fell to the ground with him. Vincent hugged his family tight and vowed to protect them.
"I want to come back." He left his navy blue hoodie on the chair and left his wife, never to see her again.
"I didn't make it." Vincent snuffed out the cigarette and lit another before the smoke from the first even cleared. "I would rather not get into the rest, if you all don't mind. When I saw Reno I knew he was my son, but there was nothing that I could do at that time. Other then an apology on my part I haven't spoken to him. I want to, but I feel ashamed. Part of me can't bare to hear how Suzi died, or what he has had to do to survive. If I would have listened to Suzi, then maybe none of this would have happened to him. I let him down more then I let Lucrecia and Suzi down. I don't even know where to begin. I never got to tell any of then good-bye."
"He's understanding, Vincent." Tifa responded ignoring another snort from Barette.
"I have to face that I blew it, Tifa."