Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Mark of the Phoenix ❯ Chapter 13

“Mark of the Phoenix”

Chapter 13

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*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all characters therein belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can't get enough of this world and the characters.*

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For a while they didn't have any meat and they had to make due without it. Rude went hunting every day and it took a week for him to finally have any luck. Dragging the carcass of a wild boar back by himself wasn't easy, even with the collapsible stretcher he'd brought with him. Reno took care of skinning it and cutting it up for him. The snows were coming heavier now and Reno had to risk another trip to icicle to get more supplies before the weather got too bad. Fortunately he didn't run into any other aircrafts as he flew and he found no sign of other Turks in town. He figured they must have given up on finding them in that area…at least, he hoped so.

 

One morning Reno and Rude were chopping wood for the fireplaces and an idea occurred to the redhead. “Hey Rude, I just realized something.”

 

“What's that, partner?” grunted the bald man as he swung the axe and split an upturned log.

 

“Sadie doesn't have any godparents yet. How would ya feel about taking up the title, man?”

 

Rude stopped what he was doing and looked at the smaller man, lifting his eyebrows. “Seriously?”

 

“Well, yeah,” Reno shrugged. He gathered an armful of prepared wood and loaded it onto a wheelbarrow. “I can't think of anybody I'd trust more to take care of her if something ever happened to me and Cissnei. I know it's a lot to ask but she's gonna have all kinds of losers trying to get down her pants when she grows up and if I'm not around to weed `em out, I'd want you to do it for me.”

 

Rude smiled with modest pleasure. “I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself, but I'd watch out for her like she was my own. It's a promise, Red.”

 

“Thanks, man. I've gotta clear it with Cissnei too but I don't think she'll have a problem with it.” Reno shivered and jogged in place a little, trying to warm his body up. “Shit, it's cold out here! I hope the bosses are almost finished doing their thing so we can get back to civilization, yo.”

 

Rude split another log. “Would you rather it get done fast or right?”

 

Reno sighed. “I guess you've got a point. I just want it over with so I can get my place fixed up for my girls and start planning for Sadie's schooling.”

 

Rude chuckled softly and Reno raised a brow at him. “Something funny about that, partner?”

 

“Who are you and what have you done with Reno?” the bald man answered levelly.

 

“Hey, don't tell me if you found out you had a kid with a lady you were crazy about you wouldn't be acting the exact same way,” Reno huffed.

 

“I'd probably be making the same plans,” Rude conceded, “but I wouldn't be as high-strung about it as you are. So are you planning to pop the question or what?”

 

Reno stared dumbly at him and Rude paused in his work. “You haven't even thought about it?”

 

The smaller man shook his head, a bewildered expression on his face. “Marriage? Can Turks even do that?”

 

“Sure they can,” Rude sighed. “Not many do, but there's no rule that says we can't get married. I think the reason it's so rare is because unless you marry another Turk, you've got to keep your work a secret from your spouse. You and Cissnei wouldn't have to worry about that, man.”

 

Reno absorbed his partner's words silently. He remembered Rufus talking to him about how hard it must be for Turks to have a “normal” family life and the conversation took on a whole new meaning to him. Had the president been hinting that he thought Reno and Cissnei should get married? It was so hard to tell with Rufus.

 

“What do you think I should do, Rude?” He normally wasn't the sort to ask advice but Reno's head was spinning with all the possibilities. “I mean, do ya think she'd even say `yes' and what kind of husband material am I?”

 

Rude shrugged. “I can't tell you what she'd say but you're obviously doing something right as her boyfriend, so I don't think you'd do any worse as her husband. I just wondered if you thought about it, that's all.”

 

Reno swallowed, wondering if he could ever muster the nerve to ask her in the first place. “I've gotta think about this,” he murmured.

 

“Hey, don't freak out,” Rude said evenly. “It's not like I'm holding you at gunpoint and Cissnei isn't a helpless little girl that needs people to babysit her. I just figured since you two are so nuts about each other you might have considered it.”

 

“Well, I wasn't thinking about it until you said something,” Reno answered in an accusing tone. “Now it's gonna nag at me until I can figure out what I want to do. You don't talk a lot but sometimes when ya do, you come up with some fucking revelations.”

 

“Sorry I made you think,” Rude smirked. Reno rolled up a snowball and Rude dodged it as he threw it at him.

 

~********************************~

 

After they finished bringing the wood supply into the house they had hot sandwiches for lunch that Elena made. Reno was a little surprised when he asked the blonde where Cissnei was and she informed him that she was fixing a hole in the roof.

 

“Don't worry, your daughter's having a nap upstairs,” Elena said with a wink when she noticed the question in his eyes. “I don't know anything about carpentry and Cissnei didn't want to bug either of you to fix it, so I've been watching Sadie while she patches the hole.”

 

“How's she patching it?” Reno asked curiously.

 

Elena swallowed a bite of food and shrugged. “She put together some kind of plaster concoction and took the toolbox with her. She's pretty inventive, you know.”

 

His surprise faded and he grinned. Yes, Cissnei had always had a pretty good imagination and once she set her mind to something she didn't stop until she finished it, whether it was a success or not. He doubted that he or the others could have come up with a makeshift plaster mixture the way she had. The more Reno thought about her, the more restless he became.

 

“So she's on the roof now?” he asked after finishing his sandwich.

 

“In the attic, actually,” Elena informed him. “The roof was too slippery so she's trying to fix it from the inside.”

 

Smart girl. Reno felt a little nudge of pride to go along with his increasing desire. “Hey, would ya mind keeping an eye on Sadie for a little while longer?”

 

Elena shared a knowing look with Rude before answering. “I don't mind. Go get you some, Red.”

 

Reno chuckled, unperturbed by her candor. “Thanks, toots. I'll try not to be too long.”

 

~********************************~

 

Cissnei sighed and arched her back, stretching the sore muscles. She'd been at it for two hours but she thought she had it taken care of now. She lifted the lantern and studied her work, checking for any spots she might have missed. Nodding in satisfaction, she started to gather her tools to return downstairs when a familiar head of vivid hair poked up through the hatch leading into the attic.

 

“Hey,” she said with a smile as her boyfriend looked up at her. She grimaced down at herself, knowing she looked a complete mess in her plaster-stained overalls. “Can you just pretend you didn't see me like this?” She asked sheepishly.

 

Reno scanned the petite brunette with more than a passing interest. “Why would I wanna do that?” he asked truthfully. “You look fucking adorable.” He meant it. She looked innocent and youthful in the blue denim overalls and he wondered how she wasn't cold, considering that she wore no shirt beneath them. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and there was a little smudge of white on her left cheek. His groin pulled taut shamelessly as he appreciated the sight of her.

 

“I look like a hillbilly,” Cissnei said with a faint blush. She wiped the sweat from her brow and hugged herself, beginning to feel the chill in the air now that she'd stopped working.

 

Reno laughed softly and climbed the rest of the way into the hatch. He was carrying a quilt, a blanket and a pillow under one arm and he winked at her. “If all the hillbillies looked like you, everyone would move to the country. Now take a break, doll.”

 

“I'm finished anyway,” Cissnei smiled, “but thanks for trying to keep me from exhausting myself; that's sweet.”

 

Reno shrugged and spread the quilt out on the floor. “Yo, I've got more selfish reasons for doing it.” He dropped the pillow on top of the quilt and spread the blanket, then sat down and patted the spot next to him with a suggestive smirk.

 

Cissnei winced. She wanted nothing more than to lie down and have sex with him but unfortunately, it wasn't an opportune time for her. “Um…I can't,” she said as color flooded her cheeks.

 

Reno tilted his head with confusion. “You can't?” he echoed. “Baby, if you don't want to all you've gotta do is say so. I won't get mad if you're just not in the mood.”

 

“Oh, I'd love to,” Cissnei said sincerely, “I just…it would be really messy, you know?”

 

Clearly, he didn't. He looked up at her blankly and she cleared her throat and tried to think of a dignified way to explain the situation. “Uh…I've got my Horribles,” she said.

 

Reno barked a laugh. “Your `Horribles'? What the hell does that mean? You're not making any…oh…that.” It finally dawned on him that she was trying to tell him she was menstruating. He felt a swift, unreasonable sense of disappointment that had nothing to do with their inability to have sex without making a mess.

 

~Huh. I'm actually upset that she ain't pregnant. Well that's just stupid.~

 

Reno forced his inappropriate disappointment down and smiled at her. “It's okay, Ciss. Just come lay down with me for a little while. I can control myself.”

 

She smiled and took his offer, lying down beside him and cuddling close to him as he pulled the blanket up over both of them. She kissed his neck and he shivered a little in response, his stiffened groin pressing against her thigh.

 

“So where'd you come up with the `Horribles' code word?” Reno chuckled, trying to calm his arousal as her slender curves pressed against him. “I've never heard ya call it that before.”

 

“Oh, that's what Elena calls it,” Cissnei giggled. “I just thought it was appropriate since mine used to be so bad so I borrowed it.”

 

“You cramping?” Reno asked as he began to gently probe her lower back.

 

“Yeah, but it's not the same crippling, nauseating kind I used to get.” Cissnei sighed as his strong, talented fingers messaged just above her kidneys. She frowned after a moment when she realized that the cramping was lessening and she pulled her head back to look at him with amazement. “Okay, how are you doing that?”

 

“Is it working?” Reno sounded a little surprised. “Cool. Tseng got me this book about pressure points for my birthday last year. I never thought I'd get into reading it but I got really bored one night and there was this one section that said if you do it right, you could help cramps.”

 

“Interesting,” Cissnei murmured. She groaned softly with pleasure at the massage and she kissed his throat again. “I might end up having to fight Elena over you when she gets hers. I think she and I are synching up so you're probably going to end up with both of us harassing you soon.”

 

“Don't say that,” Reno muttered with dread. “Two women with `horribles' under the same roof? Shit, Rude and I might go camping for a few days if that happens.”

 

Cissnei laughed and squeezed him around the waist. “I'm not that bad!”

 

“Nah, you're pretty chipper even when you feel like shit,” agreed the redhead. “Elena though…she's fucking scary.”

 

“It's not her fault,” Cissnei protested. “It's nature's fault. I'd like to see how you men would do if you got a blast of hormones and cramps every month.”

 

“Yes ma'am,” Reno said meekly. “Don't hurt me, now.”

 

Cissnei giggled again and swatted him lightly. She felt the bulge in his pants still pressing against her thigh and she chewed her bottom lip in thought. There was no reason she couldn't give him a massage too, after all. She kissed him on the mouth and slid her hand down his chest and stomach, eager to touch him and make him feel good.

 

“What are ya doing, babe?” Reno asked in a tight voice as she popped the button open on his pants and dragged the zipper down. “I said I've got self-control but I don't know how much.”

 

She reached in and discovered how horny he really was when she grasped his marble-hard cock. “I'm just saying `hello',” she whispered seductively as she slowly stroked her gripping hand down over the length. She kissed his parted lips again and traced them with her tongue. “Can't I just give it a little rub?”

 

“I don't think a `little rub' is gonna be enough to satisfy me,” he groaned against her mouth.

 

“Then I'll give it a good long one,” she insisted. She began to stroke him off rhythmically, squeezing the rigid flesh firmly as she moved her hand up and down the length of it. He gasped a breathless curse and she muffled it with a demanding kiss, taking delight in the power she had over him. Her customary shyness vanished as her arousal increased. “Sexy phoenix,” she purred against his lips.

 

There was a reason that Reno preferred to take the initiative in bed with Cissnei and that reason was demonstrating itself plainly as her skilled touch made his groin throb deliciously. He couldn't contain his soft moans and gasps anymore than he could control the motions of his hips. He began to hump her stroking hand helplessly and he stopped rubbing her back to hold her tight.

 

“Cissnei,” Reno groaned. He bucked into her touch and began to pant heavily as the pressure and sensations increased with her strokes. He never could control his reactions when she gave him a hand job or sucked him off and he generally preferred to be the one causing those sounds, rather than making them. It felt too good to stop her, however. She'd managed to wipe away his self-restraint in just a few short minutes and all he could do was hold her and move restlessly against her as her relentless massage continued.

 

“I want you to come hard,” Cissnei moaned before kissing him aggressively. That was one frustrating thing about her cycle that had changed—her sexual aggression increased and if the thought of doing it didn't squick her out so much, she would have loved to ride her lover until he collapsed. She settled for making him moan her name instead and he made a sound of delighted surprise when she sucked on his tongue.

 

Reno's hands slid down the brunette's back to squeeze her ass as her efforts brought him closer and closer to an explosive climax. ~I think she's gonna get what she wants…Gaia, she'll be lucky if I don't blow her clear across the room when I come! How does she do this to me?~

 

The mental picture of him blowing his load hard enough to knock Cissnei across the room would have made Reno laugh if he weren't on the verge of climaxing. He whimpered and kissed her with desperate passion as his balls began to tighten and he grunted a warning, knowing that even though it wasn't possible to literally do what he pictured he was still going to make a big mess on her clothes.

 

Cissnei broke the kiss and watched her lover's flushed face as he began to peak. She loved the expressions that danced over his fair features and the way his gasping mouth moaned her name. His eyes unfocused and fluttered shut as his cock began to spasm in her hand. He grunted helplessly and squeezed her ass with trembling hands, unloading a healthy jet of creamy spunk all over her torso. He groaned long and loud, licking his lips as he bucked again and spurt more of his seed. His sex twitched in her hand for several minutes after he emptied his reserves and he pressed his face against her neck and panted heavily.

 

Cissnei stroked him until his cock stopped pulsing in her hand and began to soften. Once he was spent and trembling against her, she reached up and stroked his hair, murmuring soothingly to him as he caught his breath. She smiled with satisfaction and pride, thrilled as always to make him come so hard. When she thought he was calm enough to comprehend words, she gathered her courage and decided to satisfy her curiosity about his reactions to her.

 

“Reno, am I just lucky or are you this intense with all women?”

 

Reno pulled back to look at her, his tourmaline eyes serious. “Nobody's ever made me come the way you do, Ciss. Believe me, I tried to…when I thought you were dead, I…but it wasn't the same.” He averted his eyes, feeling uncommon guilt. If it had been any other women, Reno doubted he'd feel like he cheated but with Cissnei it was different.

 

“I wasn't asking to make you uncomfortable,” Cissnei assured him with a soft kiss. “As much as I hate the thought of you being with another woman I'd never expect you to go celibate if something happened to me. I just asked because I wondered if my little ego trips have any weight behind them.” She blushed and her shyness returned as she admitted: “I've never been with a man that makes me feel as good as you do.”

 

Reno laughed breathlessly and stroked her back. “Oh yeah, there's tons of weight behind your ego…don't you worry about that. As for how I make ya feel, it's too bad I'm limited right now. I'll bet I can still give you an orgasm, though.”

 

“How?” She asked with innocent confusion. “I mean, without touching me down there?”

 

Reno chuckled and he slid his hands up and to the front to unbutton the shoulder straps of her overalls. “Lay on your back and we'll find out if I'm right, babe.” No two women were alike but if she fit into the common group, he knew he could have her coming soon without ever going below the belt.

 

She looked up at him with a touch of wariness as he eased her onto her back and began to pull her top down to expose her breasts. “It's okay,” he assured her softly. “I'm not going to do anything that's going to make a mess.” He glanced at the evidence of his pleasure messing her outfit and he smirked. “Well, nothing that's going to make a bigger mess than I already made,” he amended.

 

Cissnei took a deep breath as her breasts were bared to the cool air. Reno admired them for a moment before he kissed her and propped himself up on one elbow. He massaged one and then the other slowly, warming the flesh with his hand and starting out slow. Cissnei's breath caught as he stimulated her nipples one at a time with his fingers.

 

“Are they sore?” Reno murmured, pausing for a moment.

 

She shook her head and licked her lips. “No, just a little more sensitive than usual.”

 

He smiled with satisfaction and lowered his head to tease one with his tongue. She said his name in a trembling whisper as his tongue circled the areola and flicked against the nub. His lips closed around it and drew it into the moist heat of his mouth while he fondled the other nipple with his fingers. Cissnei arched her throat and slid her fingers into his hair, encouraging the tingling pleasure he was giving her. Now she understood what his goal was and it didn't seem unlikely that he would succeed. She'd come close to orgasm before when he'd stimulated her breasts but Reno tended to go for the core source of her pleasure and she'd never found out if he could make her come just by fondling her breasts.

 

The redhead switched after a couple of moments; teasing the wet nipple he'd been sucking on with his hand while giving the other one the attention of his lips and tongue. Cissnei moaned as the pleasure shot through her all the way down to her loins. She began to throb inside as he leisurely sucked, licked and rubbed her pebbled nipples. A familiar, heated tension built and built between her thighs and she opened her eyes wide with astonishment.

 

“Oh…my…god,” Cissnei panted, “Y-you're really going to…it's really going to make me…oh…Reno!” The tingles almost tickled and the thrill of sensation pulsing through her body built to climactic heights. He pressed a long-muscled thigh between her legs and rubbed against her with it, stimulating her through the layers of clothes. Her thighs squeezed the one that was pressed between them as her orgasm approached. Reno maneuvered himself so that he could use both hands without losing his balance and he cupped both breasts, pushing them together so that he could lick both nipples at the same time.

 

Cissnei's back arched as the pleasure erupted into a sweet, throbbing climax. She clawed at his back unconsciously and panted his name, shuddering as she rode her orgasm out. He kept teasing her nipples until she was limp and gasping, and then he stretched out beside her and put an arm around her.

 

“So, did I do a good job?” Reno asked in a droning voice.

 

“Oh yes,” Cissnei confirmed. She laid her head on his chest and caught her breath, hardly believing that he'd actually managed to do that to her. “I think I'll keep you.”

 

Reno chuckled and nuzzled her hair.

 

~**********************************~

 

After resting for a bit, Reno got up and told Cissnei to wait there while he got a change of clothes for her. Rude was waiting for him in the hallway when he climbed down the ladder and the redhead looked at his partner quizzically.

 

“What's up, man?”

 

“I just got a call from Tseng,” answered the bald man. “All of the arrangements are finished. We can go home.”

 

Reno blinked, hardly believing it. “You serious?”

 

“Why would I joke about this?” Rude asked. “Apparently he tried to call you first but he couldn't reach you.”

 

“Yeah, I've got my phone charging,” explained the redhead. “Wow, so we're clear to head back, huh? I guess we should start packing our shit right away.”

 

“You okay, Red?” asked Rude with a frown. “You seem a little worried.”

 

“Can't help it,” Reno shrugged. “We're still gonna have to deal with the questions about us killing another Turk and if that doesn't go well, we'll be in steep shit.”

 

“You were protecting your own kid,” Rude shrugged. “Even the organization can appreciate that. How were we supposed to know the guy wouldn't shoot? He'd just plugged the babysitter and he had the gun trained on Cissnei and your daughter when we walked through the door. That's exactly what happened and that's exactly what we'll tell them when they ask.”

 

Reno relaxed a little. He and Rude had a reputation for being the best and he knew that would work to their advantage when anyone questioned their judgment. “You're right. I don't think they'd expect me to stand by and let someone shoot my kid and we'll have Tseng on our side, too. Did he make any changes to our cover story?”

 

Rude shook his head. “No, it's still the same. We tell `em we did a little research of our own when we heard she was alive and we picked her up and took her somewhere safe until we could get enough proof to send to Tseng. He's already had a meeting with the top dogs and shown them the proof. All we've got to do is get home and answer some questions, and this will all be over with.”

 

Reno nodded and shut his eyes. “Thank fuck for that. So do they want Cissnei to come right back to work or are they gonna give her a little time to adjust first?”

 

“It's like you told her before, they're going to give her paperwork and communication assignments to start out with,” answered the bald man. “She's going to have to play her part and act like she's recovering from amnesia, though. If she decides later on that she wants to go back to her old position she can pretend she's made a full recovery.”

 

“Makes sense,” Reno shrugged. “I don't think she'll want to do that, though.”

 

“Sounds like you don't want her to do that either,” reasoned the bald man.

 

Reno considered the observation and sighed. “Maybe I don't…I dunno. I'm not gonna lie and say I wouldn't feel a lot better if I knew she wasn't working dangerous assignments like she used to, but she said herself when we picked her up that she didn't want to go back to that anyhow. I guess I just want to keep her safe and happy, man.”

 

“Yet you wonder what kind of husband you'd make,” Rude smirked. “There's your answer, Red.”

 

~******************************************~

 

They hauled most of their belongings to the helicopter the next afternoon and Reno did a bit of maintenance on the craft and tested the engine and rotaries. Elena stayed at the house with Sadie because she wasn't feeling well and Cissnei didn't see a point in dragging her daughter out into the cold wilderness until they were ready to leave in the morning. When they returned back to the house it was getting dark. Elena was curled up on the couch with an expression of discomfort that Cissnei was all too familiar with.

 

“Have you taken anything for it?” the brunette asked softly while the guys went into the kitchen.

 

“Yeah, but the aspirin were expired and I think they were stale,” Elena replied, “It's not doing me much good.

 

Cissnei bit her lip in sympathy. “Maybe I could lend you Reno. He rubbed my back yesterday and it made my cramps feel better.”

 

“From a backrub?” Elena asked dubiously.

 

“It had something to do with pressure points,” Cissnei explained with a grin. “He rubbed two spots on my lower back above my hips. You should let him try it on you.”

 

Elena thought about it, but she figured it would be too weird. “Maybe I'll ask Rude to try that,” she mused. “I wouldn't feel right getting your boyfriend to ease my Horribles.”

 

Cissnei blurted a soft laugh. “It's not like he'd be giving you a boob massage! I think I can contain my jealousy, Elena.”

 

The blonde shrugged. “It's me. I've got problems with that sort of thing. My last boyfriend cheated on me and it started with an `innocent' shoulder massage. Not that Reno or I would do something like that but it icks me out, you know?”

 

Cissnei reached down and stroked her daughter's hair absently when the little girl hugged her leg. “Sorry you had that experience,” she said to her friend. “Your ex was a rat. You shouldn't apply his actions to Reno or you, but if it bothers you that much I'll just go get Rude and ask him to help you out, okay? Just tell him to press down above your hips with his fingers and rub in circles.”

 

Cissnei picked her daughter up and went into the kitchen, where Rude and Reno were munching on the roast that Elena had cooked. “Rude, when you're finished eating would you mind going into the living room with Elena?” Cissnei asked politely. “She needs a little help with something.”

 

“She's not going to bite my head off, is she?” The bald man asked warily. Evidently he was aware of why the blonde was so lethargic and moody and like many males, he had a healthy respect for hormonal feminine rage.

 

Cissnei resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “No, she just needs a little relief. I'm sure you'll be safe.”

 

Reno chuckled around the mouthful of food he was chewing and shook his head. “I'll pray for ya, man,” He said to his partner after swallowing.

 

Cissnei shot an annoyed look at him and he spread his hands. “What? She ain't like you, toots. Elena turns into the dragon lady around men when she's like this.”

 

The brunette sighed and shrugged as she set Sadie down and started putting a plate of food together to share with her. “Maybe so but making cracks about her condition isn't going to endear her to either of you. You guys make fun and that just pisses us off. Maybe if you just tried to be nice and a little understanding you wouldn't see the `dragon lady' as often.”

 

The two men looked at each other. “Guess it couldn't hurt,” Rude muttered. He finished his meal and got up to put his plate in the sink. “Okay, I'm going in. Wish me luck.”

 

Reno saluted him and Cissnei couldn't resist rolling her eyes this time. She finished setting up the plate and got some silverware out of a drawer. “Let's eat dinner, sweetheart,” she said to her daughter as she set the plate on the table and picked her up.

 

Reno watched her feed some potato and broccoli to the toddler and he smiled. “She's doing pretty good with the solids now. You want me to feed her for ya so you can eat yours in peace?”

 

Cissnei's irritation with him faded and she smiled gratefully. “Thank you.” She handed the toddler over to her father and gave him the fork she'd selected for her. After she had a couple of bites of roast, Elena's voice floated in from the living room.

 

“Ow, that's my KIDNEY!”

 

Reno and Cissnei looked at each other with identical expressions of amused curiosity. “You told her about the pressure points, didn't ya?” he said.

 

“Yeah, but it doesn't sound like Rude's picking up on it very well,” Cissnei answered with a little grin. She put her fork down and held her arms out. “Why don't you see if you can give them a hand? I can finish feeding both of us.”

 

He sighed and handed the child back to her. “Okay, but if you end up with a headless boyfriend—”

 

“Don't go there,” Cissnei ordered firmly, though her lips twitched with amusement.

 

~**********************************~

 

“No, I've got rules about that kind of thing,” Elena said when Reno tried to shoo his partner away to show him where to rub. “I already told Cissnei.”

 

“What, you've got rules against redheads or something?” Reno asked with a puzzled smirk.

 

“No, I've got rules about other people's boyfriends giving me massages.” Elena crossed her arms over her chest with finality.

 

Reno grumbled impatiently. “Just chill. I'm not going to jump you or anything, I'm just gonna show the big guy how to do it right. Would ya rather sit there in a miserable little ball and take it out on us?”

 

Elena wavered and pulled her legs up, hugging them with her arms as she turned sideways on the couch. “Okay, just this once.”

 

Reno approached and sat down next to her while Rude watched. “Here's where you rub,” he said to his partner as he demonstrated and began to knead the two spots on her lower back. Elena groaned softly and closed her eyes, making both men grin. “See? Just don't press too hard and you'll be right as rain. You'll have to do it for a while to make `em go away but it does the trick.”

 

“How'd you learn about this?” Rude asked as Reno moved aside for him to try it out. He was careful not to apply too much pressure, unwilling to make Elena mad at him again.

 

“That book Tseng got me for my birthday that I thought was so stupid,” Reno shrugged as he stood up. “Turns out it was useful after all, man.”

 

“Mmm, that's better,” Elena sighed, her tension fading as Rude's careful massage eased her pain. “Thanks, guys.”

 

Both men looked at her with unmasked surprise, amazed at how much a little relief sweetened her mood. “Someone should invent a personal massager just for this,” Rude muttered, thinking that it would not only benefit ladies like Elena but also anyone that had to live with them.

 

~***********************************~

 

They set out the next morning, bringing their remaining belongings with them. They left the power generator behind, considering it an unnecessary burden to haul now that they were returning to civilization. Reno called up Tseng and told him they were on their way before he started the chopper up. Once they'd ascended to a decent height and Reno set the course, he put on the autopilot and got out of his seat to check on his daughter and Cissnei.

 

“Well, we should be home free now,” he said as he squatted in front of his lover's seat and squeezed her knees. “How do ya feel about you two moving in with me? My place has enough room and if you want, we could look for a bigger one later on.”

 

“That sounds great, Reno,” Cissnei answered with a nervous little smile.

 

He noticed her tension and he held her eyes with his. “It's gonna be okay, doll. Promise.”

 

She nodded stiffly. “It's just nervous instinct,” she said as she reached down and covered one of his hands with hers. “I'm so used to running and hiding I can hardly believe it's going to be over with.”

 

“You're in the clear now,” he assured her. “We've just got some explaining to do and after that, everything will be back on track. Oh yeah…forgot to tell ya; I asked Rude if he'd be Sadie's godfather. You cool with that?”

 

She blinked at him. “Of course, but you telling me everything's going to be okay and then telling me you've set it up so that if anything happens to us Sadie will have someone is kind of contradictory.”

 

Reno grimaced. “I didn't think of it like that. I just thought I should clear it with ya while it was on my mind. Didn't mean to make you worry, babe.”

 

Cissnei smiled at him. “I'm sorry for being such a wimp.”

 

“You ain't a wimp,” scoffed the redhead. “If ya were, you never would have lived through everything that's happened. You're a strong lady, Ciss.” He rose to give her a brief kiss before turning his attention to his daughter, who was staring out the window with rapt fascination.

 

“When you're older, maybe I'll teach ya how to fly one of these yourself,” he said with a grin. “Would ya like that, kiddo?”

 

Her face lit up and she nodded. Reno chuckled and gave her a kiss on the cheek before returning to his seat in the cockpit. Rude was frowning thoughtfully and Reno paused in the action of buckling himself back in.

 

“Something wrong, partner?” the redhead asked.

 

Rude seemed a bit startled by the question and Reno could have sworn he flushed a little. The bald man shook his head. “Just thinking about all the paperwork we're going to have to do when we get back.”

 

Reno studied him suspiciously. There was no reason for interrupted thoughts of paperwork to make the man so uncomfortable. He didn't say anything but he watched his partner out the corner of his eye as they traveled. After a while he finally got a hint when Rude glanced back into the cabin and looked at Elena briefly. Reno hid a grin behind his hand.

 

~Looks like the big guy's reconsidering whether Elena's wrong for him or not. It's too bad she's still hung up on Tseng.~

 

He twisted in his seat and had a quick look at the blonde in question and his eyebrows shot up when he noticed that she was looking back at Rude with an equally thoughtful expression on her face.

 

~Or maybe she's not so hung up on Tseng anymore after all.~

 

~********************************~

 

-To be continued