Aeris Kills Cloud (Maybe)

Aeris pulled her gun so fast it probably made Cloud's head spin. She put the barrel right underneath his chin, her butt slamming back against the table as he pushed her.
"Get the fuck off of me." She hissed, finger on the trigger.

Cloud didn't flinch when she pulled the gun on him, and he took his hand over hers, his touch gentle as he moved the barrel right between his eyes.
"Go ahead." he whispered. "Do it. Pay back, right?"

Aeris's fingers put pressure on the trigger before the rational part of her brain let up on it. Yes, it would be payback. She'd avenge her mother, father, and sister. Sora already thought his father was out of the picture. But when she looked at him, she saw her little boy asking her to read him Goodnight Moon.
"I need you for this job." She told him quietly, and it was true. "I need the money for my son. But after we're done," She whispered, moving the gun away from him. "I'll take you up on your offer."

"You don't need me." Cloud whispered. "You never did."
He moved away from her and moved to the other side of the table looking over the plans.

Aeris felt the strong urge to take a shower, wash him off of her. She shuddered as he moved away, she wouldn't have shot him in the head but she would have shot him in the foot if he kept it up.
"I wanted Bruce dead." She told him, holstering the gun. "He slaughtered my mother, because when he hit on her at the diner she waited tables at, she turned him down." She said after a moment. "My father and sister were supposed to be on a camping trip, but they decided not to go that night because my mom worked late. So when his men came in, they just killed all three of them. My sister was seven. I don't know, and I don't want to know what they did before they killed them. What I was at the Angels' place for that night, was for payback. You don't care about any of this, and that's fine but you should know that if you hadn't put your hands on me I wouldn't have against you. It's not like I don't understand how hard it is on the street, or like I don't know how hard it is to survive without some powerful dude like Bruce supplying you with all the shit you need. You're right, I didn't need you, life would be a lot less complicated without you. But I'm not going to waste my valuable time daydreaming about some life cause I was never going to fucking have that anyway. You were a wrench in the chain, that's all you'll ever be to me. Just do this job, then I can go back to hiding away from you and pretending that kid isn't yours, and we can be happy fucking campers, okay?"

Cloud raised his eyebrows at her when she began to speak, only half listening. He didn't care, he wouldn't care. It's not like they would be friends after this assignment anyway.
"Yeah, we can do that, just kill me so I can be free of Lockhart alright?" he asked.

Aeris shook her head.
"I should leave you alive just for that, maybe that'd be payback enough." She smirked softly. "I think the big guy is gonna take her off your hands, though. Saw them making eyes at each other the other night."

"Aeris, Cloud, you there?" Tifa asked over the walkie. "Head out, Cragen will drive you to the compound."

The compound was a far drive. Aeris rode next to Cloud in silence, her window rolled down and a cigarette perched between her fingers. When they arrived, they were given cocktail party clothing, a tux for Cloud and a black dress for Aeris. They were dropped off that night at the palace, and Aeris threaded her arm through Cloud's heels touching the pavement as she stepped out of the car.
"You're going to have to distract the Sikh. I'll find a way into the basement." She whispered.

Cloud shook his head at her, and rode in silence. When they arrived to the compound he moved with Aeris and he looked at her.
"How the fuck am I supposed to do that?" he whispered. "I know nothing about this shit...why didn't Sanders come."

Aeris looked up at him. If it was any other man, they would look like a couple. She raised an eyebrow at him, then smiled.
"Relax. Try to act like you're a normal guy and not a complete psycho, for starters." She told him softly, her lips by his ear. "Bow to him, then drink with him. Make some shit up about here with your wife. Supposedly he knows Bruce, weapons exchange."

Cloud shook his head at her, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Ugh, I guess so..." he mumbled. "Here goes nothing."

He moved away from Aeris and went to the Sikh and did the whole bowing thing.
"I heard many great things about you from Bruce. It's an honor to meet you."

Aeris moved by a few party goers, picking up a glass of champagne. She watched one of the guards near a door in the back of the gallery, waiting until he was distracted. She edged toward the door and slipped through while his back was turned to watch the women outside in the garden. Once she was through she went down a flight of stairs and into the Sikhs private chambers, closing the door carefully behind herself. At his computer she inserted the USB and began downloading his files, looking for a way into the security room.
"Come on..." She muttered, breaking through one wall and then another, until she found the codes for the door. When the data was finished downloading, she grabbed the usb, wiped down her prints, and left. Back in the main gallery she spotted Cloud doing his job, heading to the other quieter side of the palace. Up the stairs she found the security room. Two guards were inside, so she routed her walkie to their channel and told them there was an emergency outside. When they fled she moved in, getting on the computer quickly and opening the West Wing, where the terrorists were having a meeting in the board room.

She exited once more and headed back to Cloud, putting her arm through his.
"This must be your beautiful bride." The Sikh commented, and Aeris smiled, sliding her hand into his as he extended it.
"It's an honor." She told him, not missing a beat. "I have to steal my husband for a moment, if you don't mind."
"Of course not. Enjoy yourselves. It was nice meeting Bruce's second." He told Cloud, and Aeris moved with Cloud toward the back of the room. "We're going to take the elevator to the eight floor. Once we're up there, I'll open access to the inner chamber. You're going to move through the air duct while I disarm the sensors, then aim and shoot the leader. When he's down, we'll call in Tifa and Amon and we're out of here."

Cloud moved with Aeris and he listened to her plan.
"Alright...sounds kind of easy..." he mumbled. "Too easy, I don't fucking like it. If a job sounds too easy, we pack up and go home..."

Aeris stopped moving for a second, facing him. She cupped his face in her hands, smiling slightly as she looked up at him. People would think they were a cute couple, sneaking off to make out.
"Cloud, focus." She whispered. She busted her ass everyday for Sora, but she still had the smoothest hands, her fingers cool against his skin. "I don't know who we is, but we're going to stick together and get this shit done." She told him, letting go. She took his hand and headed toward the elevator with him, the Sikh nodding at them with a smile.

She helped him put his earpiece in, testing out their communication.
"I'm going to disarm the sensors one at a time. If they go down at the same time, it'll trigger a alarm." She told Cloud. "Don't move too fast, wait until I tell you to go."

Cloud looked into her eyes as she touched him, almost backing up from her. He nodded, following her. He moved to the entrance of the vent and looked back at Aeris.
"Alright..." he mumbled. "Ready when you are I guess..."

Aeris hacked into the terminal and told him to go. As he moved she shut down the system one by one, until he was over the board room.

The Arabian man that was head of the operation was obvious. He was standing in front of the vent and to the right, Cloud could see the top of his head.

Cloud made his way through the vent and stopped when he saw the guy. He pulled out his gun and aimed, the silencer going through the opening. He took a deep breath and as he was about to pull the trigger, taking the shot and blowing his brains out.
"Boom, headshot." he whispered.

The building was quiet for a moment as the man slumped, but then all hell broke lose. One of the other terrorists let out a spray of bullets all around the room, some going through the vent. There was so much commotion that most of the palace heard the scuffle. The shots were heard from the grand hall that the party was in, and someone pulled a fire alarm. Aeris quickly logged off the terminal and waited for Cloud, soaking wet.

Cloud felt a bullet, but he was sure it was nothing, crawling away from the room. He ran out and saw Aeris, smiling.
"Well that went well..." he said before he stumbled, losing blood quickly.

Aeris's eyes widened before she reached out, catching Cloud. Just then a bullet hit her in the shoulder, and she cried out in surprise. She drew her gun and fired around Cloud's body, killing the man.
"Come on, we have to get you out of here." She told him. Because of the fire alarm, the elevators were down, so she headed to the side down that led down a staircase. She could hear yelling and screaming, people fleeing below. "Careful." She told him, looping his arm around her shoulders so that he could put some of his weight on her.

Cloud held on to Aeris, taking his gun and aiming it as best as he could. He moved with her, heading down the stairs.
"Aeris...I need to sit down..." he mumbled.

"I know, hang on." She told him. She propped the fifth floor door open before helping him down the hall and into an empty bedroom. She locked the door behind them, helping him sit on the bed. "Let me see." She told him, tearing apart the bed-sheet.

Cloud was shot on the right side of his stomach. It was a clean shot, but that meant he was losing blood quickly.
"Ah...it's not so bad..." he mumbled.

"That's bad." She told him, knowing about gut wounds. She moved into the bathroom and broke the towel holder off of the wall before heading back to him. She folded the sheet in half and wrapped it tightly around his abdomen, using the rack to twist it so that it would staunch the bleeding further. She radioed Tifa, her hands over Cloud's bandage.
"She'll be here soon, they're on the premises." She told Cloud. "Hang on."

Cloud groaned when she tied the towel around him, his vision blurring.
"Wait, Aeris..." he mumbled grabbing her hand.

Aeris looked up as he took her hand, her eyes concerned. Blood streamed down her arm from the gunshot to her bicep, but she didn't seem bothered by it.
"You're going to be fine." She reassured him, putting her hand over his.