Faithless Memories

Happy News?

Chapter 65

All sound in the room stopped, and Kris heard a rushing sound in her ears as she sat up and looked to Genesis in shock. He looked just as flabbergasted as she felt, though he recovered faster. It was only a moment later that he turned to Hollander with a glare. "That is impossible. Even if she were- if she is with child, then it could only be eight weeks at most."

Hollander looked between the two of them, and Kris felt her cheeks heating. Her attention was briefly drawn to the doorway where Angeal had pushed a fuming Zack out the door and was trying to talk him out of doing something stupid. She was still too shocked to even consider reprimanding him for it. Her mind was whirling as she tried to remember if her period had come since her first time with Genesis. She hadn't been thinking of it at the time with everything else that had been going on, but as she looked back, she realized she couldn't remember it happening.

Her gaze went back to Hollander as she tried to speak. "My cycle, it hasn't- I didn't-"

She couldn't bring herself to say the rest, but her point must have come across anyway. Genesis sat down hard on the bed next to her. He gave her a lost look. "Pregnant? You're pregnant?"

Kris had no idea how to answer him. She felt as lost as he looked. Thankfully she didn't need to. Hollander spoke up again to get their attention. "It would make sense, even if it has only been eight weeks. Both you and Angeal were born full-term at only six months. I imagine it has something to do with your genetic make-up."

Genesis stood with a growl and took a threatening step toward Hollander. The man must have realized that he said something wrong as he jumped up and took a few steps back. He held up his hands to ward off the oncoming Soldier. "Think about it, and you'll know I'm right. This should be fascinating. Between your genes and whatever she is now, I'm sure that child will be extraordinary."

It was obvious the man had no idea the hole he kept digging for himself. He figured it out quickly when Genesis grabbed him and nearly lifted him from his feet. His voice was a low growl when he spoke. "My child will not be a plaything for you or anyone else. The only reason you were brought here was because there is no other doctor close by. Trust me, I will take her back to Midgar, and you will not have to worry any longer. You should focus more on what your last wishes will be."

While Genesis was threatening Hollander, Kris was watching with wide eyes. She could hear them, but only part of her mind was on what they said. Even when Genesis so passionately claimed their child, it only made her heart clench. She was still too overwhelmed. Pregnant. She couldn't be, not now, not yet. They had too much to finish, and that was not counting everything else once they left Banora.

Her attention was jerked back to the moment when Genesis shoved a sputtering Hollander back toward Sephiroth with a snarl. "Get him out of my sight before I kill him here and now."

Sephiroth caught him with a frown. Kris wasn't sure who it was for until he spoke. "Genesis, you need to calm down. Do not fear that we will allow anything to happen to Kris or the baby. You are not alone."

Genesis looked torn for a moment. Kris could tell that he was very close to blowing up at Sephiroth as well, but he turned with a disgusted noise and walked back to the bed. The General shook his head but didn't hesitate to take Hollander back downstairs.

Kris' vision was suddenly filled with Genesis. He sat beside her and pulled her close, even though her body was stiff. He spoke to her gently. "Do not worry, love. This was unexpected, but we will figure it out together."

The shock that had taken hold of Kris finally broke, and she pushed back. "Get through it? How? We still have so much left to do. I can't afford to be pregnant right now! How is this going to affect us when I have to purify Angeal?"

A flash of something like pain passed through Genesis' eyes when she started talking, but by the time she was through, his voice joined two others. She didn't need to hear them all to understand they were all telling her that it wasn't going to happen. She glared over at Angeal since he was one of the ones telling her no.

"This isn't something that we were just doing for the hell of it! There is a very real possibility that a hostile alien could use the connection she has with you to facilitate the end of the world. This isn't optional."

Despite her words, Angeal just shook his head. "I'll be fine. We can't know if your illness is because you are carrying a child or whether it is something related to what happened earlier. Besides, I've seen it twice, and there is no way I could allow you to put yourself through that much pain now that we know your condition."

Kris rubbed her hands down her face. This was too much all at once, and she could barely handle herself. Hell, it had taken her nearly losing her mind again and Genesis helping her to keep it together for her to realize it was okay to want to marry him even though she was still essentially broken. She was drawn from her fractured thoughts when Zack sat down on her other side. He gave her a tentative look that nearly broke her heart, but she didn't hesitate to wrap him in a hug.

She felt him tense for a moment, and that alone had her tears falling again. As soon as he heard them, he pulled her in tight and tried to reassure her. "It'll be okay, sis. We'll figure something out. You don't have to do any of this alone. Don't forget that we're in this together."

She sat back enough to look up into his eyes. His pain hurt her, and she knew at least part of it was because of her. That didn't help the tears stop. She gave him a worried look. "How? It isn't like we can cleanse Jenova's taint another way, or we would have done it. It's not like I enjoy that. What are we supposed to do?"

Zack pulled her back in and then gave Genesis a glare over her head. The Commander was less than thrilled that Kris had turned to Zack, but he somehow managed to keep it in. At least until the boy spoke. "Well, the first thing I plan to do is slaughter Genesis. After that, we can head back to Midgar and find a real doctor to make sure everything is taken care of. I promise we'll make it somehow."

Genesis growled at the boy's impertinence, but they were both cut off at the sound that came from Kris. Neither of them realized it was laughter until she looked up and grabbed Zack's face. She still had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling. "Thank you. I needed that."

"Uh, sure thing."

Zack looked even more confused than Genesis until Kris pulled back and turned to take her fiancé's hand. She looked between them both and took a deep breath. "There will be no killing today or any other day. At least not the two of you. I need you both, so figure this out."

She then looked back at Zack. He could still see the pain and confusion in her eyes, but he was buoyed by her tremulous smile. He grinned back. "I suppose you did say he is going to be family. I guess I can't kill family." He paused, and his eyes got wide before he nearly started bouncing where he sat. "You know what this means!? I'm going to be an uncle! Yes! I get my very own niece or nephew to play with and teach and, Kris, this is great!"

Kris managed a chuckle for his enthusiasm, even though her heart was still breaking. She patted his hand. "Yeah, you're going to be an uncle."

Zack's exuberance died a little when he noticed his sister wasn't as enthused. She didn't give him a chance to say anything about it before she squeezed his fingers. "Zack, would you mind giving us some time, please?"

Zack's face fell a little, but he nodded. "Sure, just make sure you get something to eat before you turn in. I'm with him on this one. You need something." Kris gave him a nod and a smile before he jumped up and headed out the door with Angeal.