Because Lefora is Down

Shaun moved into the drawers and started pulling out the paperwork. When Rosetta spoke he stopped and glanced up at her frowning.
"It never feels the way you'd imagine it would have..." he mumbled remembering the car accident.

Cloud frowned slightly as she continued to speak. He glanced over to her once he pulled into the driveway, but he didn't move to get out.
"I have. Yes." he said softly. "I never...like doing it. I don't seek out those jobs or anything. Call it whatever you want I suppose..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rosetta had heard bits and pieces of Shaun's life before she knew him, but she realized then she knew very little.
"You sound like you know." She said softly, wondering if he wanted to talk about it or not.

Aeris tucked on leg under her as she turned to face Cloud. She reached out and rested her fingers on the side of his neck, admiring the blue of his eyes.
"I liked you so much." She smiled slightly. "Sometimes I think we could get along so well, but then I-" She shook her head, removing her hand to put it back in her lap. "But then you do the most monstrous things. I don't understand you."

Shaun chewed the inside of his cheek, debating.
"I do." he said running his fingers through his hair. "Dad was the town drunk, beat my mom, beat me when he was done with her...so...when I was sixteen I caused a car accident. I killed them both...I didn't want my mom to die. I didn't like her, but I didn't...hate her enough to want her dead..."

Cloud found himself leaning into her touch. As she spoke he closed his eyes frowning. He felt himself wanting to tell her, let her know the truth, it certainly seemed like she already knew to begin with. They could never work out, even if he hadn't done the things he did, they were two very different people.
"Aeris..."

Rosetta had sat down on a sofa to listen to him. Before he was finished with his story she reached out and took his hand, pulling him closer to her. She hadn't known that, but it explained some things, like why he had just said what he said.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." She said softly, carefully. She wasn't judging him. People did what they needed to do all the time to survive. She did feel badly for the loss of his mother, though.

She lifted her hand and pressed her fingers lightly against his lips, not wanting to hear it. No matter what he was going to say, it wouldn't undo or fix anything. She liked him, she could deny it all she wanted to, but that night in the hotel room after Fischer had made her fall, even if just a bit.
"You're much sexier when you're not talking." She whispered, smiling slightly, repeating to him what she had said the first night they were together.

Shaun looked up at her then, clearing his throat. He moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her.
"it's alright..." he mumbled. "But the point is...we both did what we did. Now I just want to have a kind of normal life...for as long as we can at least."

Cloud gave Aeris a small smile and he glanced over at the clock. Emma would be getting out of school soon. She had opted to take the school bus, so that was the way she'd come home.
"Emma should be home from school soon." he whispered. "She'd love to see you."

Rosetta nodded, smiling slightly when he wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into him, closing her eyes. She loved being held by Shaun. It was such a different feeling, letting herself be vulnerable to someone.
"Me too. Starting with a vacation." She whispered, referring to the passports.

Aeris let her fingers fall, nodding.
"I'd love to see her too." She smiled. She loved Emma like she was her own, but she would never try to replace Julia. She had been a really good mom and Aeris knew her boundaries.

Shaun smirked at her and he nodded.
"Ever been to Paris?" He asked. "Or did you have something else in mind?"

Cloud nodded and he got out of the car making his way inside with Aeris. He moved into the kitchen and rumaged through the contents to start getting a snack ready for Emma.
"Want anything to drink?"

"Paris, huh?" She asked him, thinking about it. She had been all over the Middle East, even to Egypt, but she had never been to Paris or Rome. "I think that sounds like a great starting point." She smiled. "No, I've never been."

Aeris shook her head, kind of nervous. What if Emma was mad at her? But surely Emma knew that if Cloud wanted her back, Aeris didn't really have any say.
"No, thank you though." She told him.

Shaun smirked and he nodded.
"We could go all over the world if we really wanted to." he chuckled. "We could even go tonight...let me just make sure blondie is still alive."

Emma came home twenty minutes later, making her way through the door. When she saw Aeris her eyes lit up and she ran over to her, practically tackling the woman.
"Aeris!" she said excitedly. "I didn't know you were back!"

Rosetta hadn't forgotten about Aeris either, nodding.
"I'll throw some things together, you call Aeris and make sure she's okay." She told him, kissing his cheek.

Aeris intercepted the tackle, bending at the knees to catch Emma. She laughed, hugging her tightly.
"I am, I missed you." She told Emma, kissing the side of her head before pulling back. "How was school? I heard you rode the bus today."

Shaun nodded and he grabbed his phone texting Aeris.
So if you don't respond to this I'm gunna assume the worst and go on a spree. Y/N?

Emma nodded.
"Yeah! My friends Zack(Hue) and Cassie take the bus." She said excitedly. "Zack snuck in his pet lizard, had it in his pocket all day."

Aeris heard her phone go off, but she focused on Emma first.
"A lizard?" Aeris asked eyebrows raised. "Was it green?" She smiled, thinking of when she owned anole lizards.

She peeked at her phone and texted Shaun back.
Getting to talk to Emma again, don't shoot I'm fine.

Two Years Later

Rosetta was in Thailand with Shaun. Slowly, she had shed the more guarded part of her personality and opened up to him. She was the same Rose, just more free and easy going. Surprisingly, Arcadia had yet to come after her for Marcus's death. Apparently the investigation had gone cold. She took the honorable discharge, she had more than enough money anyway. Instead she busied herself with exploring the world with Shaun.

Aeris had gladly accepted Cloud's offer of becoming Emma's legal guardian. After the assassination of Marcus, she had done what she could to fade from Arcadia, and surprisingly it worked. They had replaced her with someone named Tifa Lockhart, who was apparently more of a bruiser than Aeris and didn't mind getting her hands dirty. That worked for Aeris, and she took the opportunity to use the money she had made in Arcadia to go to school. She got her degree in Computer Science and Graphic Design, and worked mostly from home. She got to take Emma to school and do fun things, like taking her horseback riding for the first time when she got an A on a test. Aeris would never admit it, but she liked Cloud. She knew Shaun thought she was crazy, but she couldn't really help it.

Shaun was surprised that Arcadia wasn't tracking them, but the worry was always in the back of his mind. He figured that maybe as long as he kept quiet and didn't cause anymore trouble they would just let them fall off the face of the earth.

That afternoon he flopped on to the bed with Rosetta, looking up at her.
"Sick of Thailand yet?" he asked.

Emma was completely over the moon with Aeris, and she even bonded with Cloud within the two years. Through trial and error there thing became fishing, Emma unafraid of the touching the baits and fish and they went out every other weekend. Cloud was kind of surprised how much he enjoyed himself, even getting a boat so they didn't have to rent one all the time.

Rosetta was in her pajamas, having a lazy day. She smiled at Shaun when he flopped, running her hands through his hair.
"I don't know, it's beautiful. But I could do without the heat." She admitted, laughing.

Aeris was on the boat that day with them, wearing one of those big straw hats and her black bikini. It wasn't skimpy, so she didn't mind wearing it around Emma. She was scarred and tattooed, but now a days who wasn't? She didn't mind baiting the hook, but she always wanted to release the fish. She was kind of a softie.
"Catch a fish before your old man and I'll give you five dollars." She told Emma.

Shaun nodded in agreement.
"Way too humid." he laughed wrapping his arms around her.. "Well, I was thinking then, end of the week, we head a bit more north. Or just continue to head south." His hand trailed down her stomach, moving slowly between her legs.

Cloud raised an eyebrow at Aeris and he shook his head.
"What if I catch a fish first?" he laughed.

Rosetta's breath caught in her throat when his fingers continued to inch downward. She loved it when Shaun put his hands on her, but part of her was always worried that he would see her body and run. She often wore a t-shirt when they messed around, or asked for the lights to be off. She just didn't want to gross him out.
"I like both." She whispered, naughtily biting her lip. "You pick."

"You don't get anything, you're an old man. I'm happy you can even sit up to catch a fish." She teased him, reaching down and bringing up a handful of water to splash at him. She laughed, but when Emma wasn't looking her wiggled her eyebrows at him. "That's what you get."

Shaun smirked at her and he nodded. He kissed her on the lips then on her neck before moving down. He minded her clothes, getting the hint that she didn't like revealing herself to him. He did however pull her pants just low enough to expose her center and kissed along her inner thighs.
"South it is." he whispered.

Cloud smirked and when Emma was busy with casting her line, he quickly moved over and lightly tapped Aeris on the bum.
"Yeah, and you'll get that if you keep it up." he whispered.

Rosetta's fingertips pressed into his scalp as his lips traced the inside of her thigh. She let out a shaky breath, but nerves ran up her spine. She definitely didn't like all of the attention to be on her. Usually with Shaun she was overly giving and not very into receiving. Still, she couldn't help the slight roll of her hips as she felt his breath against her underwear.

Aeris jumped when his hand connected with her butt. She laughed, leaning into him as he moved by her so that he'd brush against her.
"I can keep it up alright." She whispered.

Shaun smirked as he felt her hips roll up against him. He hooked his fingers into her underwear and tugged them off before he buried his face between her thighs, finding her clit with his tongue. He flicked lightly, wanting to drive her crazy.

Cloud's eyes widened and he shook his head.
"Look, it was one time!" he whispered, blushing. "It worked out in the end...you know..."

Rosetta's lips parted with a shaky sigh as the first sweep of Shaun's tongue moved over her clit. They had done this before, and she had reciprocated for him, but that didn't mean she loved it. She was never really fully comfortable being touched the way he touched her. She wished she could relax, she certainly tried. Maybe she was just a failure in that department.

Aeris raised her eyebrows, shaking her head back at him.
"I was trying to be flirty." She whispered back. "I wasn't referencing that."

Shaun smirked at the shaky breath, and he continued to flick his tongue against her clit before inserting a finger. He kept it nice and easy for her, wanting to build up it slowly.

Cloud blushed and he turned away from her, messing with his fishing pole.
"R-right, I knew that!" he said casting his line.

Rose slowly inched out from under him. When she was going down on him it was fine, but she didn't like all of the attention on her. She tugged on his arm so that he would move up her body, her fingers on his neck as she pressed her lips against his. She liked kissing.

Aeris shook her head at him, sitting back down. She probably shouldn't even be sleeping with Cloud, but she couldn't really help it. Sometimes when she felt like they were so different, they would wind up in bed and she would feel like they were the same person there.
"Hurry Emma!" She whispered, smiling as she tried not to scare the fish. "You gotta win."

Shaun had already removed himself as he felt Rosetta move away from him. He'd be lying if he wasn't slightly disappointed, but he didn't let it show. He kissed her tenderly, his arm moving up along her arm.

Emma giggled, recasting her line. It didn't take long, five minutes later there was a bite and she was reeling it in.
"Nuhuh, that fish is mine!" Cloud said, playfully blocking Emma's eyes.
"Nooo I caught it!" she giggled.

Rosetta hated herself. She didn't want him to stop, but then she did. She wanted to make it up to him, but she didn't know how. She hated how this happened every time. She pulled back a moment later. Shaun wasn't showing disappointment, but it didn't mean she could just act like it was fine. It wasn't fine, and it wasn't normal. Couples didn't wait years to have sex, they just didn't. And while she didn't know what she was missing out on, he did. He had been with people. That just made her feel even worse. She rolled onto her side when she felt her eyes burn from self loathing and embarrassment, so that he wouldn't have to look at her.

Aeris whooped, clapping when Emma pulled the fish up.
"Hey, cheater!" She shouted at Cloud, but she was laughing. "Let her net her fish!"

Shaun frowned then, moving to lay behind her. He wrapped an arm around her as he nuzzled into her neck. He didn't feel any particular way about it, knowing Rosetta was working through her own issues. He wished he knew how to help her, but he felt useless. He kissed the back of her head softly.
"Love you." He whispered.

Emma scooped up her fish and examined it.
"Looks like a trout!" She said excitedly.
"Yeah he's a keeper definitely." Cloud said opening up the cooler. "We're eating like kings tonight!"