About two weeks later, I was back in Sector 5 one bright afternoon. I'd just finished up another job—that big outdoor TV had gone on the fritz again, so I'd headed over here with Cloud to fix it. Once I'd gotten that all done, I had him hang out at the weapon shop and look around for a bit while I went to see Lena again.
But when I knocked on the door, nobody answered. Guess she and Biggs had gone out, maybe to visit the Leaf House or something. It was good that Lena was moving about and being active again, and I figured that's all it was, so after waiting a few minutes, I started back down the road toward the weapon shop to see Cloud. But about halfway there, a familiar voice suddenly called out to me.
"Jessie!" Maddy shouted.
I turned to see her rushing toward me, her dark ponytail flying out behind her. "Maddy? What's going on?"
She stopped in front of me, panting as she caught her breath. "Oh, am I glad to see you! You've gotta come, quick! I was on my way to the Leaf House when I spotted some bad-looking guys following Biggs and Lena into the alley around the corner. So I went looking for somebody from the watch to help. Found you first, though."
"I'm on it!" I said, pumping my fist. "Go to the Leaf House and stay there 'till this is over, alright? This won't take long."
"I will, and be careful!" Maddy nodded, adjusting her glasses.
I winked. "Always!"
Then she hurried off like I'd told her. I knew the alley that she was talking about—it wasn't far from the clinic, which explained why Biggs and Lena might've gone in there. A shortcut that had just become a lot more dangerous. Parking my little cart nearby, I raced up the street and around the corner to the alley. There wasn't time for me to go back and get Cloud, so I'd have to handle this myself. I'd known that Vice would go after Lena again sooner or later. And when I slipped into the alley, I found my instincts were right on the money.
Biggs and Lena were there, not very far in, cornered by four goons from the Vice gang. The ugly brutes' bright orange mohawks and dirty, sleeveless denim jackets told me right off who they were. Biggs scowled at them, his fists up as he stood protectively by his sister, but the idiots just laughed and brandished their knives. They had cut my friends off, and I realized that two of the thugs must've followed them in here while the other two waited on the other side.
"Boss sent us to finish you off," one of them taunted.
"Any way we want," another one laughed, his hungry eyes going to Lena. "We gonna have us a good time."
Biggs glared at him. "The hell you will!"
The first thug hefted his club. "Boss don't like loose ends."
"Then he's gonna love me!" I quipped.
"What the—?" he sputtered.
By the time he whirled around to face me, the metal backing of my gloved fist was already introducing itself to his face. He staggered back, blood pouring from his busted nose as he dropped his club. While the others just stood there for a moment, taken by surprise, Biggs grabbed the arm of the thug nearest him, slammed him hard into the wall, then slugged him in the gut as Lena's jaw dropped.
"Jessie!" she called, her eyes wide.
I laughed as I threw another thug over my shoulder after he lunged at me with his knife. "Hey there! Good seein' ya again! Not exactly the visit I'd planned, but what can you do?"
Biggs dodged the last goon's clumsy knife swipe and punched him out. "Damn am I glad you showed up!"
"Always happy to help you kick ass!" I laughed.
"And then some," he agreed. "C'mon, let's get outta here. Knew this little shortcut was a bad idea. Thought I'd save a little time getting Lena to her appointment. Guess I was wrong, though."
I took his shoulder. "It happens, Biggs. Don't sweat it."
He grinned. "Thanks, Jessie."
"Wait a goddamn minute..." one of the thugs snarled as he started to get up. "You! You're that... that girl! That little bitch the boss is after! When he hears about this, you're dead! And he's gonna take back what you stole from him. He ain't forgotten about that."
"Bring it, asshole!" I shot back.
He sneered. "Oh, we will, girl. We will."
Then he and his buddies limped away. When they were gone, Lena hugged me, then we left the alley ourselves, going out the way I'd come in from. The larger street was bustling with activity, and for a moment, I wondered why the Vice gang had tried to kill Lena in broad daylight. But then I remembered how untouchable they believed they still were, and that finishing her and Biggs off in the alley would've been a lot less likely to have been seen or overheard.
"How'd you know to come after us?" Lena asked.
I walked with them back to my cart. "Maddy saw those guys follow you into the alley, then she found me."
She sighed in relief. "Thanks for being there."
"You bet!" I smiled. Then I looked at Biggs. "Might be a good idea for Lena to stay at the Leaf House for a few days. The gang's gotta know where she lives by now, and they might try again."
He rubbed his arm where one of the goons had nicked him. "Yeah, I think so, too. Miss Folia won't mind having her over there. I'll talk to her and let her know what's going on."
"I hope this'll be over soon," Lena sighed.
"It will be," I promised.
Biggs frowned as we started walking. "Jessie, what'd that guy mean about you stealing from their boss? Sounds like you pissed 'em off real good. This have to do with you getting mugged?"
"Uh, well... kinda," I admitted.
"Kinda?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Mind telling me what happened? And why they're after you?"
I pushed my cart along. "Wedge hasn't told you yet?"
"Been busy with his patrols," Biggs said.
Then I saw the clinic. "And here we are! Safe and sound! I'd love to stay and fill you in, Biggs, but I gotta go. Lots more work to do, gadgets to fix. You know how it is. Be safe, you guys."
He nodded. "Yeah. Gonna worry about you, though."
"So what else is new?" I quipped.
"Bye, Jessie!" Lena waved. "I'll come see you guys soon, maybe this week. And, um... be sure to tell Wedge, okay?"
I grinned. "Will do! Later!"
Then I took my cart and headed back to the weapons shop, hoping Cloud hadn't left to try and find me. But he was still there, looking at a few of the nice swords they had there. He didn't see me at first, so I just went over and stood quietly next to him, a little smirk on my face. The store was mostly outdoors, with the clerk working in the rusted shell of what looked like an old motor home. He stood just behind the window near the door and helped his customers from there.
I looked at Cloud after a moment. "See anything you like?"
"Huh!?" he blinked, so startled he practically jumped a foot or two into the air. "Oh, uh... no, not really."
I couldn't help giggling. "Spooked ya, did I?"
Cloud shrugged. "A little. Did it on purpose, didn't you?"
"Maybe..." I winked. "Anyway, ready to go? We've still got a couple more jobs to do before we can call it a day."
He nodded. "Let's mosey."
So we left town, walking side by side, and slipped into the outskirts northwest of the train station. As always, Cloud kept a close eye on our surroundings, watching for trouble. I let out a soft sigh of contentment, absolutely loving how vigilant he was. Even though I'd only known him for a couple weeks, I felt totally safe with him. We'd fought more eaters in that time as well as a few wererats, and being with him made me feel a lot more confident and relaxed in battle. Sometimes he'd even share a few tips with me to help me improve my skills.
I'd often cover him with my gun while he sped right in and slashed the monsters to pieces, but sometimes, if they got too close, I'd use the martial arts skills Tifa had taught me to beat them to a pulp. I wasn't as experienced as her, of course, but I could hold my own well enough. So between me and Cloud, we usually decimated any monsters that made the mistake of attacking us. It was actually fun.
I reminded myself to have a word with him later on about the Vice gang. Something had to be done about them, and I knew that if anyone could smack them down hard enough to put an end to their bullshit, it was Cloud. With me right there at his side.
As we were leaving the scrapyard, we saw a few hedgehog pies. The red, spiked things bounced around like demented balls with their little arms and bright green eyes. I stopped and reached for my gun as soon as they scampered toward us, but by the time I'd brought it up and had started to take aim, Cloud had already rushed in and expertly cut them down in only a few quick, spinning slashes.
I laughed as I lowered my gun and put it back on my belt. "Damn, Cloud! So that's what a merc can do."
"That was a warmup," Cloud said as he shouldered Buster.
"Well, save some for me next time," I teased.
He smirked. "Move faster."
That little ghost of a smile he gave me was faint, just the barest hint of his mouth turning up at the corners, but even seeing just that much made my heart skip a beat. My eyes kept drifting back to him as we got underway again. Even though I'd seen him fight plenty of times before, he never failed to impress me. And I loved our walks back to my place at night. Although I hadn't gotten around to inviting him in again after that first dinner, we'd had lots of lunches together when we were out on our trips. He was such a calm, careful eater.
My next job was back in Sector 7—replacing Tom and Katie's water filters—so Cloud and I made our way out of Sector 5 and into Sector 6. Like we always did, we stayed on the trail instead of going through the collapsed expressway. It was usually safer. Still a few monsters here and there, but nothing we couldn't handle.
We were almost to Evergreen Park twenty minutes or so later when Cloud stopped for a moment. Something had caught his attention, and I swallowed nervously as I joined him and saw what he was looking at. It was one of the wooden Avalanche signs that Biggs, Wedge, and I had put up. Cloud stared at it, reading the words.
Don't let Shinra fool you!
Mako energy won't last forever!
It's the lifeblood of the planet!
And someday it'll be gone!
Protectors of the planet:
Avalanche
He blinked. "Avalanche? Who are these guys?"
I looked away and sighed. "I... I've heard about them. They believe Shinra's killing the planet. And us along with it."
"What do you think?" Cloud asked.
I shrugged, hating that I couldn't be totally honest with him. "Well, um... I don't know. Maybe. What about you?"
He shook his head and turned away from the sign. "Doesn't matter to me. Handwriting's terrible, though. Did a kid do this or something? And it's totally covered with graffiti."
He didn't understand, so I let what he'd said slide. Barret had made this sign along with several others that Biggs, Wedge, and I had posted in and around Sector 7. And because the only hand he had was his left one, his writing naturally wasn't very good. None of us had ever held it against him, though. But Cloud wasn't wrong about the graffiti. Lots of messages, some nastier than others, had been spray-painted across the sign in a riot of bright, clashing colors.
"So what if it's not perfect?" I said, folding my arms in front of me. "The message still gets through."
Cloud sighed. "Doesn't seem like people are listening, though."
I couldn't argue with that. "Yeah. Looks that way."
There were a lot of opinions down here about mako, how harmful it was, and whether anything should be done about it. For most people, talking was about as far as it ever got. And while some understood and were sympathetic to the cause, others were skeptical or even bought all the Shinra propaganda the company kept spewing out. I hoped that the reactor mission would make a statement, though, and get people to see that the danger was real and that we had to act.
"Well, whatever," Cloud grimaced, walking back onto the dirt trail. "I doubt they'll be able to do much."
"W-What!?" I gaped.
His eyes met mine. "I just don't think they have a clue what they're up against. Shinra's way too powerful, Jessie.
I frowned, not looking away. "At least they're trying, Cloud."
"Won't make a difference," Cloud said.
"Don't be so sure," I shot back, lifting up my right index finger with a smirk and dramatically sweeping it across. "They might just surprise you. I wouldn't go writing their epitaphs just yet."
Just as we got moving again, we heard the sound of scuttling insect legs coming toward us. Eaters, no doubt. I quickly let go of my cart and drew my gun, then stood next to Cloud as he readied Buster. But as he and I listened, I realized something wasn't quite right about the sound. It was different somehow. Louder and fuller.
"What do you make of it, Jessie?" Cloud wondered.
I thought for a moment. "Sounds like there's more of them."
Then they burst into view, scuttling out onto the road from behind several junk piles ahead of us. A whole, writhing, ugly mass of bugs. At least twelve for sure, but they all tumbled over each other so much that there could've been twice that many. That meant there had to be a nest nearby. Biggs and Wedge had told me about them before—they always loved to boast about their exploits in the watch over Tifa's cooking or a few slices of my famous Midgar Special.
My eyes widened. "Okay, make that a lot more."
Cloud started to reach for his sword. "We can handle it."
"No, Cloud!" I caught his arm, then quickly turned him around to face me as I met his gaze. "I'll take care of this."
"What? How?" he wondered.
I smirked as I put my gun away. "Watch and learn."
Then I took a raspberry from my belt pouch, held it ready in both hands, and waited for a moment. Had to be sure I timed my throw just right. Seconds later, I pulled out the pin and threw the grenade into the path of the approaching swarm, just as I'd planned. They'd reach it just as it went off, and there'd be no escape.
"What now?" Cloud asked.
I grabbed his hand. "Run and duck!"
We did just that, pelting down the trail away from the bugs. When the grenade exploded a moment later, filling the air with fire, thunder, and smoke, Cloud grabbed me and dove onto the ground, rolling away from the blast and shielding me with his body. As heat washed over us, I ducked my head into his shoulder and held on tight.
When the dust had settled, I slowly looked up and saw that Cloud's face was only a few inches from mine. My heart slammed into my ribs, and although I knew from the sudden silence that I'd wiped out all the eaters, I was hardly aware of it, as lost as I was in Cloud's glowing baby blue eyes. And as I lay so comfortably in his strong arms, the sounds of our breathing oddly loud in the stillness, I realized then that I couldn't deny anymore what my heart already knew.
I'm in love with him...
As I marveled at that simple and amazing fact, I had to repeat it in my mind a few times before it really sank in. I was in love. With Cloud. I hadn't expected to feel that way again after I'd lost Kunsel, but... there it was. It made me so happy and excited I felt my skin tingling all over, and seeing the clear concern for me in Cloud's eyes as he looked at me only made me fall that much harder for him.
"Are you... are you alright?" he asked, his voice a whisper.
I sighed longingly. "Oh, yeah... I am so alright..."
Cloud swallowed, and I was delighted to see how adorably nervous he was as he held me. "That's... that's good, Jessie. You weren't kidding when you said you'd take care of 'em."
"Ha!" I laughed. "Aren'tcha glad to have me around?"
"Yeah..." he admitted, his eyes on me.
I couldn't help smiling at what Cloud had just said, and as I looked at him, I slid my fingers up to the back of his neck, my thumbs behind his ears, and gazed wonderingly at him. That boyish face of his was just so cute and such an amazing contrast to how much of a total badass he was in a fight. I just couldn't get enough of it. Or him. I'd have pinched myself at that moment if I could've, just to be sure, but I knew that this was no dream. He certainly was, though.
"Glad to be here," I whispered, my heart racing. "So glad..."
"I..." Cloud began.
He couldn't seem to figure out how to finish it, so I decided I'd just do it for him. I nudged him toward me, my eyes going to his mouth as my lips tingled in anticipation. Cloud didn't resist, that totally adorable awkwardness of his making him like putty in my hands as the distance between us got less and less. But then, the sound of scuttling insect legs all around us jolted us out of the moment.
"Damn!" Cloud swore. "Looks like there's more."
I groaned, unable to believe it. "Are you kidding me!? Of all the...! They couldn't have waited another five minutes!?"
Cloud grimaced. "Guess not. You know what to do?"
To say I was pissed would've been a massive understatement. That pack of ugly, no good, interrupting bugs had the worst timing ever, and I was gonna explain that to them. Painfully. They were twenty yards or so away on all sides, but they were gonna get crushed. And hard. Cloud watched them closely, gauging the distance, and I nodded in answer to his question as I tensed myself to move.
He looked back at me a moment later. "Now!"
As Cloud rolled away, I did the same in the opposite direction, and we both drew our weapons and sprang to our feet in one fluid motion, standing back to back as the eaters closed in. There weren't as many as before, only about half a dozen, and we took them down without much trouble. I was getting more used to firing the A32 and better at making sure I compensated for the recoil when aiming, especially with rapidly moving targets like these. Cloud, of course, made fighting look so easy with his sword slashes and bursts of magic.
I blasted apart bug after bug, still mad as hell about them getting in the way of our moment and what it could've led to, and seeing them go pop one after another was very satisfying. They did get a few scratches in on us here and there, but nothing serious. And as hard as Cloud was fighting, I had to wonder if he was pissed about the interruption, too. It was over in only a few minutes, and as I hung my gun back on my belt, I looked at the eaters' torn bodies in satisfaction. Fitting punishment, I thought, for daring to get in our way.
"Whew! That'll teach 'em!" I grinned, hands on my hips.
Cloud nodded as he shouldered Buster and looked around. "Yeah. But about before... you made that thing?"
Flattered by his interest, I laughed even as my heart sped up. "Yep! Sure did, Cloud. One of my newest inventions. I like loud, flashy things like that. Made quite a blast, didn't it?"
"No kidding," he agreed. "What was in it?"
I giggled as I admired my handiwork. "Not much, really. Just a few household chemicals in the proper proportions."
"Do you have any more of them?" he wondered.
I patted my belt pouch. "Gotcha covered, Cloud. Why?"
"Just in case," he said. "There's gotta be a nest around here, and I'm sure that's where the eaters are coming from."
"Think we can take it out?" I asked.
It wasn't so much that I didn't know if we had the ability—between Cloud's epic fighting skills and my raspberries, I didn't have any doubt that we could pull it off—but more that I wondered if I could persuade Cloud to actually do it. He was a merc, after all, and he wasn't out there patrolling with Wedge every day for free. Same with the other odd jobs he sometimes did around town. Escorting me was the only exception I knew of, and it meant a lot to me. It also told me more about him than he realized. How much he really cared.
Cloud sighed. "Maybe. Wedge and I can come back tomorrow and do it. I didn't come out here with you to go bug hunting, Jessie. I think it can wait. This isn't what we're here for."
I frowned. "So? We're here now. We should do it!"
"Don't you have customers to see?" he said.
"Not anymore," I pointed at what was left of my cart, just a charred and blackened mess. "I'm gonna have to replace that first. And besides, taking out that nest is more important."
He folded his arms in front of him. "This isn't what I agreed to."
"Who cares?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes. "Wedge told me once that the eaters sometimes move their nests. This one might not be here tomorrow. This could be our only chance to destroy it."
I stepped closer to him, intent on convincing him to do this. Cloud had his typical merc act up in full force, that mask of cool indifference that I'd seen him wear around just about everyone but me and Tifa. He must've had another reason to be so stubborn about this, because even though it hadn't been planned, I knew Tifa wouldn't mind paying him a little extra for taking out the nest. And so did he.
"Cloud..." I told him, my voice softer as I eased back a bit. "I know you're a mercenary and that Tifa's paying you to fight those eaters with Wedge. But you've been helping me simply because she asked you, so I know there's a part of you that's about more than money. The part that leaped right in to rescue me from a pack of thugs the night we met. I'll never forget that, Cloud. Not ever."
And I never would. That night and that moment were burned into my memory, another turning point in my life. What Cloud had done to save me, how he'd made me feel, sharing a quiet drink together after I'd patched up his arm. I hadn't been so happy in a long time, and the fact that I got to spend hours at a time with him almost every day now still amazed and excited me just thinking about it.
Cloud gave in. "Just didn't wanna put you in danger."
Feathers swirling in my stomach so much I almost felt giddy, I gave him a tender smile. "I appreciate it, Cloud. I really do. But I don't mind taking the risk if it means protecting my home."
"Let's get to it, then," he said. "Keep those grenades handy."
I grinned. "You got it! And, Cloud... thank you."
He nodded, and then we got moving, climbing easily up the side of the junk piles ahead of us and to our left, where most of the eaters had come from. Lots of scrap metal, debris, and all kinds of broken things. It made for unsteady footing, and as we made our way across the top, I missed a step when a pair of rusted iron beams suddenly shifted under me as I tried to put my weight on them.
My eyes widened as I started to fall. "Shit!"
Then Cloud was there, quickly catching me by the hand and saving me from a nasty face plant into the middle of the scrap heap. A second later, he took my other hand as well to help me back up, and although I stumbled a little, I managed to get my feet firmly under me again. But I didn't let go at first. Neither did he. For a long moment, we didn't move but just stood there gazing at each other.
My heart was pounding like a drum as Cloud's hands held mine so carefully. Firm but surprisingly gentle. It was wonderful, and I loved it. I tried to think of a witty line or clever joke to alleviate the tension and hide how nervous I was, but I couldn't come up with a single thing. My mind was just a jumble of happiness, longing, attraction, even shyness. Truth be told, that's how it was most of the time now, ever since Cloud had come into my life—and my heart.
Even when Cloud finally let go and we got moving again across the top of the scrap pile, he stayed close, ready to catch me if I needed him again. But I'd already fallen more than he knew. For him. As I followed him to the other side and we started down the slope, I giggled softly to myself while butterflies fluttered in my stomach again. I knew what we were here for, though, so I forced myself to focus as we descended into a small clearing in search of the eaters' nest.
But damn, it was hard.