Two Letters and a Number

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Unable to help himself, Cloud’s eyes were pulled back to the grey window and the freezing rain falling outside. It was so different from the burning buildings and screams of the helpless that night, and Cloud shivered as he wrapped his arms around his knees, hugging his legs tighter to his chest. He could feel the first fluttering of panic beat at the back of his mind, urging him to get out of this place while he still could, but he beat it back with the logical argument that he couldn’t leave Daniel here, no matter how much *Cloud* wanted to burn this damn place to the ground again and let Gaia reclaim it.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Cloud jumped at the sound of Daniel’s voice, and he turned his head to look over at the archaeologist who was regarding him with a concerned look on his face. “You didn’t look this jittery back at the mansion.”

A bitter laugh slipped out of Cloud as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I want to burn this whole town to the ground and leave as fast as Fenrir can take me,” he confessed, gripping his hair tight enough to hurt. “But I can’t because the weather’s trapping us here, and I don’t have a Fire materia mastered to that point yet.”

Daniel sat down on the bed next to Cloud and wrapped an arm around his bare shoulders. “You can’t set the town on fire,” Daniel said in a perfectly reasonable tone. “Everything’s too wet to burn right now.”

That startled an honest laugh out of Cloud even as he soaked in the simple contact of someone who wasn’t afraid of him or what he could do. Even after watching him destroy an entire laboratory with his bare hands, Daniel wasn’t shying away from Cloud or treating him as if he was a wild animal, barely in control of his actions. “Why aren’t you afraid of me? Most people are when they see my eyes.”

“After facing down System Lords, Replicators, and Sam before her morning coffee, nothing can really scare me anymore,” drawled Daniel. “Besides, you’re hardly the only ally we have that has glowing eyes.”

Cloud turned his head to face Daniel. “What do you mean?”

The shoulder he was leaning against moved slightly as Daniel shrugged. “'The Tok'ra are like to Gou'ald, except they have a true partnership with their symbiotes. When they symbiote takes control of the host, their eyes flash gold.”

Cloud nodded, remembering Daniel talking about both the Gou’ald and the System Lords back at the Seventh Heaven in what seemed like an eternity ago, but he didn’t remember Daniel telling him that their eyes glowed.

He looked up to find Daniel was staring out the window as if completely content to just sit there, offering silent comfort to Cloud, and the blond warrior came to a decision, one he had been debating on making for a while. “Vincent’s been following us for the entire trip.”

Instead of getting angry like Cloud had expected, Daniel only glanced at him and nodded. “Makes sense for one of your allies to follow us. You don’t know me that well or what I can do. But why the change in topic?”

“The other reason he’s been following us is because of me,” confessed Cloud, his left hand wrapping around his forearm to hide the scars left by Hojo’s needles. He could feel Daniel’s curious gaze on him as he continued, his fingers rubbing against the pale spots. “I suffer from night terrors twice a year. I don’t know everything that happens, but I have found holes in stone walls when I woke up.”

“Is he here just to help you during the night terrors?” the archaeologist inquired, his tone casual. “Or is he here to protect you from accidentally hurting me?”

“Yes.” Cloud felt his lips twitch slightly as Daniel stared at him before shaking his head and muttering something in a strange language. Cloud rose to his feet, scooping up his PHS as he did. “I’ll be back in a while.”

Daniel nodded as Cloud slipped out of the room and wandered down the hallway to another empty room. He slipped inside, closing the door behind him before making his way over to the window and curling up on the seat placed there. The dim lights of the other buildings were the only source of illumination, but it was more than enough for Cloud as he dialed Reeve’s number for the second time in as many hours.

The next couple of hours slipped away as Cloud enjoyed talking with Reeve. While the engineer hadn’t replaced Zack in Cloud’s life, Reeve had managed to fill a small part of the hole the dark haired SOLDIER’s death had left. Halfway through the conversation, Vincent quietly slipped into the room, a silent presence that Cloud acknowledged with a quick nod before returning to his conversation.

Cloud answered all the questions that Reeve had about the Tau’ri and provided as much information as he could once they had gotten caught up on their lives. He gave Reeve permission to answer any questions the Tau’ri might have about him since it was Rufus’ actions that caused the tension. Finally, he worked up the courage to ask Reeve the question that had been bothering him since his first call. “Reeve, how much do you know about the Shinra family?”

“Old Man Shinra and Rufus you know about so I’m guessing you’re asking about the lovely Maria Shinra,” remarked Reeve with a small sigh that accompanied the faint creaking of springs. The combination told Cloud that Reeve was just getting more comfortable instead of upset. “Maria was quite the Lady of Society and set quite a few trends during her marriage to the Old Man. She also helped out various charities, specifically some orphanages that were in the Slums. Her health wasn’t the best, but she was determined to help where she could.”

“She sounded nice,” Cloud said, a wistful note in his voice as he stared across the town square to the house that had replaced his mother’s. He still wasn’t sure if he believed Hojo’s notes, even with Rufus and the birth certificate backing them, but the possibility of the truth was beating at the back of his mind like a butterfly desperate to get free of a net. Absently, he wondered if this was what Sephiroth felt like all those years ago when the need for answers drove him mad. He took a breath and braced himself for his next question. “Do you know if she had any more children other than Rufus?”

There was a soft hum from Reeve as he thought, the noise indicating that he wasn’t disconnected. “I vaguely remember something about twins, but Old Man Shinra kept promoting Rufus as his heir that if there was another Shinra child, they fell out of the spotlight pretty fast. Why the interest in the Shinra family?”

“Found some old notes of Hojo’s. They were... enlightening,” began Cloud, tightening his arm around his knees. “But being Hojo, I don’t know if I can trust them or not. Even with the independent evidence that was there.”

A startled hiss came from Reeve. “You think you’re Rufus Shinra’s twin brother? Why?”

“Elena, Daniel and I were in Hojo’s office,” Cloud began, not bothering to hide the tremor in his voice. There was a whisper of movement, and he briefly glanced up to find that it was only Vincent moving closer. “Daniel pulled one of the journals off the shelf randomly, and when he opened it, he found a notation in it about Specimen C’s mako sensitivity and if his brother had the sensitivity as well. He also found a birth certificate for Rufus Shinra and his twin that apparently fell out of the book.”

He took another breath, trying to get through his explanation before he accidentally crushed his PHS. “When I confronted Rufus with the evidence, he stated that he apparently had always known and his father held it over his head.”

A bitter laugh slipped out of Cloud. “He also accused me of knowing as well since I was being prepared to take over Shinra if he couldn’t live up to his father’s standards.”

“Cloud, I’m going to get to the bottom of this even if I have to take Tifa with me to threaten Rufus,” announced Reeve, his voice firm, and Cloud felt something settle among the jumbled emotions that were fighting to get free. If anyone could find the information, it was Reeve. It had stopped amazing Cloud the amount of information that Reeve could find after Meteor. Rufus Shinra might have offices all over, but Reeve knew people.

“Thanks Reeve,” breathed Cloud, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against the window, and he let the chilled glass chase away some of the ache behind his eyes. The creaking of leather warned him before a strong hand rested on his shoulder, reminding him that he wasn’t alone even with Reeve an entire continent away.

“Now since I know you’re not going to get any rest tomorrow, head to bed now and we’ll talk the day after,” Reeve ordered, and Cloud let out an honest laugh at the mothering. It felt good that someone was worried about him but didn’t nag him like Tifa did at times. “Vincent, since I know you’re there, make sure he gets some sleep tonight.”

“Yes, Mother Tuesti,” drawled Vincent, and Cloud laughed again at the put upon tone in the gunman’s voice before he hung up and leaned into Vincent’s touch. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the simple contact, letting it push the fear and uncertainty back for now.

Cloud wasn’t sure when he dozed off, but he woke to the sound of Daniel and Vincent quietly talking nearby. A soft warmth was around his shoulders and as he uncurled from his spot, the blanket slid off to pool around his waist. It was still dark outside but the rain had lessened in intensity. They might be able to get out of Nibelheim the day after tomorrow if it didn’t decide to drowned them again.

“How are you feeling?” asked a quiet voice, and Cloud looked over to find Daniel regarding him with curiosity and concern from where the archaeologist is sitting on the bed.

Standing up, Cloud stretched, feeling stiff muscle loosen under the motions, before he scooped up the blanket, tossing it back on the bed. “Fine. I’m going to head back to the room and get some sleep.”

He didn’t wait for either one to acknowledge his words before he was out the door and heading back to his original room. Opening the door, he found the lights turned off, and he slipped out of his jeans before sliding under the covers, sighing softly as the fabric caressed his bare skin. Wrapping his arms around the pillow, he sank into a restless, haunted sleep.

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It had rained all day, a nice steady, ground soaking rain that ensured they weren’t going anywhere without getting completely drenched or sliding on the ice that was slowly melting under the warmer water. Cloud spent most of the day in the barn with the chocobos, and Daniel kept him company, listening him talk about the birds and his own flock. In return, Daniel talked about Earth and some of the more interesting places that he had seen during his travels with SG1. Vincent lurked in the hayloft, quietly watching them with a piercing red gaze that seemed to see everything, but it wasn’t uncomfortable in any way. When he joined them for lunch, Daniel was certain he saw elongated canines in Vincent’s mouth but shrugged it off as another trait characteristic of this planet, like Denzel's eyes.

Slowly the day dragged on until it started getting darker as the temperature dropped again, turning the rain back into ice. Daniel chatted more and more as Cloud grew more quiet just to fill the air and give the blond something else to think about other than the upcoming night. Finally, Cloud offered a sad smile before vanishing into the inn.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but why doesn’t he just stay up all night?” Daniel asked after the door had closed behind Cloud.

There was a soft snort from Vincent from where he was sitting above the stall. “He has tried in the past, but he inevitably ends up falling asleep,” explained the dark haired gunman before he slid to the floor, his cape settling around him. “The only way to make sure he only goes through it once is to wait until it is finished, otherwise he'll have to go through it again and again.”

“Has he been to a psychiatrist to help?” The more Daniel heard about it, the more he wondered if Cloud was suffering some sort of PTSD. Instead of replying, Vincent looked at Daniel as if he had no idea what Daniel was talking about. “A doctor of the mind? You talk to them and they help with mental problems?”

“Turks are trained to know how people think to be able to break them better if needed, but I have never heard about a doctor for the mind,” confessed Vincent, a thoughtful look on his face.

Daniel resisted the urge to groan and bury his face in his hands. Maybe he could get Janet to talk to Tuesti to see what this planet needed in the way of medical help, both physical and mental. “Looks like there’s going to be more help needed than just helping you get back on your feet. I’ll have to see what General Hammond can arrange for you.”

There was a soft snort from Vincent as he leaned against the stall door, ignoring the green chocobo that was eyeing them both curiously. “You assume your general will help with a great deal,” he remarked. “What is the price he will demand from us?”

“I honestly don’t know,” confessed Daniel, not willing to lie to Vincent. He was getting to like these people almost as much as his family on Abydos. “I won’t lie to you. We always need allies against the Gou’ald System Lords and new weapons that they’re not familiar with to fight them are welcome as well, but you’re recovering from your own disasters that have nothing to do with a Gou’ald.” He rubbed his arm to counter the chilled breeze that had slipped through the barn, and he blinked down at the bracer he still wore with its glowing materia. “I don’t know exactly how your materia works, but it could be useful against the Gou’ald. If it works on other planets other than this one.”

Vincent turned to look at the inn, the silence between them filling the barn, and Daniel reached up to scratch below the chocobo’s eye, getting a soft sigh for his actions. The tapping of ice on the roof mixed with the sound of large birds settling in for the night, and Daniel smiled as the chocobo flicked its crest at him before moving farther back into its stall. He turned to talk to Vincent only to discover that the other man had vanished while he had been distracted by the chocobo. He rolled his eyes as he quickly made his way back into the inn, muttering under his breath in Sumerian about mysterious men who took the cliche to extremes

As he approached the room, Daniel thought he head a soft moan coming from it and carefully opened the door. Cloud was asleep in the bed, the blanket crumpled on the floor from his tossing, and Vincent stood nearby, a pained expression in his eyes as he watched his friend. Walking over to the bed, Daniel grabbed the blanket and shook it out, before he carefully covered Cloud with it.

It all happened so fast that Daniel wasn’t sure exactly what happened. One second the blanket was settling over Cloud to protect the naked blond from the chill in the air, and the next, Daniel was on the floor and there was a large hole in the wall with a light coming from it. His sleeve was torn where metal claws neatly sliced through the fabric, drawing blood from the faint scratches on his skin, and Vincent was no longer in the room. Cloud was gasping broken sentences as he thrashed on the bed, sweat coating his skin, and Daniel watched as his hand lashed out, smashing the night stand to splinters.

A low growl came from the hole in the wall, and Daniel’s eyes turned to stare at it. Cloud must have lashed out faster than Daniel could see when the blanket was settling on him, but not so fast that Vincent was able to get Daniel out of the way. But Vincent must be hurt when he went through the wall. Raising his arm, Daniel remembered what Cloud had told him when he had strapped the bracer and materia to his wrist. He felt a warmth gather inside of him before racing down his arm and leaving the tips of his fingers in a green stream. The next growl was more curious instead of warning, and Daniel stared at the creature that emerged from the hole, shaking rubble and dust off.

Dark gray fur covered a large form that was a mix of humanoid and animal, smoky mane falling around a canine shaped face. Ebony horns rose above its head, looking sharp enough to gut someone if it chose to, and it padded across the floor on all fours even though it looked like it had the capability of walking upright. Green light faded from its fur and mane as the creature paused in front of Daniel and he managed not to flinch as it sniffed him in a curious manner. The long cat-like whiskers tickled his face before a raspy tongue licked his cheek, and Daniel watched in amazement as the creature walked over to the bed where Cloud was still thrashing.

As he watched, Cloud gave one last soul shattering scream before falling motionless, and the creature whined softly as it nosed Cloud’s hand. The giant beast made the room seem much smaller, and Daniel figured that its size was somewhere between a tiger and an ox in sheer body mass. The beast whined again, licking Cloud’s face but only succeeded in turning Cloud’s head, and Daniel couldn’t stop the startled hiss at the sight of the empty blue eyes that were open and staring. The beast glanced back at him before it somehow hopped on the bed to curl around Cloud, the massive head resting on the broad chest as it stared at Cloud.

Daniel took a careful step towards the door, determined to go sleep in another room since it looked like Cloud was perfectly safe with the creature when a threatening growl stopped him, and he looked towards the bed to find glowing amber eyes staring at him, almost daring him to take another step. He took a step back and the beast returned its attention to Cloud, apparently content as long as he stayed there.

With a sigh, Daniel sat on the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees to make himself as small of a target as possible as he got as comfortable as he could. He wasn’t sure what exactly happened to Vincent, but it looked like Vincent had transformed into the creature when he had been knocked through the wall, which was probably what that strange light was. Physics weren’t his strongest area, but even he knew that the increased mass of the creature was much more than Vincent’s, even taking into account his clothes.

‘But then, they have glowing globes that let them do things like heal people, a Lifestream that’s like Paradise where the dead can talk to the living, and people strong enough to tear metal apart like tissue paper,’ he reasoned, turning everything he had found over in his mind. He was certain Sam could figure out the physics to explain everything, but a large part of him just wanted to shrug and accept it for what it was. Magic.

A few hours later, Daniel watched as the creature seemed to flicker before fading, leaving a confused looking Vincent sprawled on the bed next to Cloud. Confused red eyes looked around the room before settling on Daniel who quirked a small smile at him. “Mind if I get up now?”

Vincent shook his head, the curiosity spreading to the rest of his face as Daniel groaned, his legs protesting him sitting on the hard wooden floor for so long. “Thanks. I’m not use to sitting on a hard wood floor for so long. So, mind telling me what that was about?”

“What what was about?” asked Vincent, his voice confused.

Daniel sighed as he worked the stiffness out of his legs. “First, you get knocked *through* the wall which caused this strange light, and then this creature stalks *out* of the hole you made, licks me and then curls up with Cloud. When I try to leave, I’m growled at.” He rested his hands on his hips as he tilted his head, his gaze never leaving Vincent’s. “I just want to know how often I’m going to be growled at like a troublesome child.”

A faint blush raced across Vincent’s cheeks before the other man tuned back to Cloud. Daniel ran a hand through his hair and decided that a quick shower was in order to get the strange dusty feel off his skin. He knew it was ridiculous because he hadn’t been close enough to the wall to get any of the plaster on him when Vincent punched a hole through it but he still felt covered in the stuff. Besides, a shower would give Vincent the privacy to do what was needed for Cloud.

When Daniel emerged, the scene that greeted his eyes was not one he had expected to see. Vincent had stripped and was stretched next to Cloud, looking like a pair of lovers who had decided to forego the covers to cuddle. Vincent’s face was buried in Cloud’s neck as his right hand stroked across bare skin darker than his own, but what was odd was that Vincent had left the large metal gauntlet on.

“Is there anything I can do?” Daniel asked in a soft voice, and Vincent looked up, pinning him with the intensity burning in those red eyes. He managed to resist the urge to look away and fidget like a child called before the principle.

Vincent must have seen whatever it was he was searching for in Daniel’s eyes because he raised his bare hand from Cloud’s chest and beckoned him over. "Undress and lay on the other side. He needs to know he's not alone anymore."

Nodding, Daniel wiggled out of the pants he had put on after the shower and stretched out on the other side of Cloud, ignoring the fact that he was naked in bed with two other naked men. He reached out and ran his hand down Cloud’s arm, keeping his touch friendly without being ticklish, watching as Vincent went back to petting Cloud’s chest and whispering in his ear. Daniel couldn’t make out what Vincent was saying, but as time passed, Cloud stirred under their hands. Awareness trickled into glowing blue eyes as a questioning hum echoed in his throat.

“Welcome back,” greeted Vincent, and Cloud frowned in confusion as he reached up to finger a bit of white plaster dust caught in the dark hair.

“You have plaster in your hair,” he murmured, rubbing it between his fingers before his gaze slid past Vincent to stare at the large hole in the wall, and a look of self hate slid over his face as realization appeared in his eyes. “I threw you through the wall. Oh gods!”

“I am unharmed as is Dr. Jackson,” murmured Vincent, reaching up to grab Cloud’s hand before it could be pulled back.

Daniel casually sat up on the bed, folding his legs in front of him as he twisted to stare at Cloud and Vincent. “So are either of you going to tell me what that beast was and why Vincent turned into it? Just so I know what to avoid in the future.”

Cloud turned confused blue eyes on Vincent. “Galian showed up? I hit you that hard?”

“He actually got between me and your arm since I wasn’t expecting you to lash out like that,” remarked Daniel with a sheepish expression. “Saved me from a trip through the wall, and while Jack may complain about my head being hard a times, I don’t feel like spending the next few weeks in Dr. Fraiser’s tender mercy.”

Instead of lightening the self hate on Cloud’s face, Daniel’s words only increased it, and Daniel felt like groaning in frustration when those glowing blue eyes closed as Cloud turned his face from Daniel, misery and shame in every tense line of his body. “Janet’s not that bad, but it seems like every time we come back from a mission, usually either Jack or I are banged up and beat up enough to warrant a visit to the Infirmary for at least a couple of hours where we’re patched up while Janet lectures us on the proper care before threatening us with a needle if we show up again within the next week.”

He grinned, good naturedly. “Janet’s the biggest mother on the base, and don’t let the fact she’s small fool you. I think the only one she doesn’t order around is Teal’c, and that's usually because she says he has enough common sense to report to her first when he’s injured.”

As he talked about the SGC’s head doctor, Daniel could feel Cloud slowly relaxing, before the blond’s breathing returned to the deep, even rhythm that announced he had fallen asleep again. A quick glance at Vincent showed relief on his pale features, and red eyes rose to meet his own.

“He will be fine the rest of the night,” Vincent reported, pulling the discarded blanket up onto the bed and smoothing it over Cloud before he resumed his previous position on the bed. Daniel nodded and was about to get off the bed to get his sleeping clothes on when Cloud’s hand grabbed his wrist.

Daniel tried to ease his hand out of the grip, but it was impossible to free himself from the iron band disguised as flesh and blood. There was a soft chuckle from Vincent, and Daniel threw him an exasperated glare, not wanting to wake Cloud but feeling the sharp chill of the air more keenly now. A pale hand rested on Daniel’s arm, a sharp contrast to the almost golden skin of Cloud’s fingers. “Just rest for now. Apparently, you are comforting to him and he doesn’t want to loose that yet.”

Suddenly, the grip on his arm shifted, and Daniel managed to stifle a yelp as he was pulled down next to Cloud, and the blond flipped over, pulling Daniel’s arm around him as he buried his face in Vincent’s chest. Startled blue met amused red before Vincent wrapped his bare hand around Cloud, pulling the other man against his chest. Daniel watched as Vincent’s face smoothed out as he fell asleep too, and Daniel muttered a few choice curses under his breath as he managed to wiggle under the covers before following them into sleep.