Disclaimer: Still don't own...

Back again... Now, if only I could find the spark for Children again... Anyway, things are not looking good for Vincent, or Cid. What will I do to them now? Please enjoy.

Tea

The act of avoiding Cid was null and void now, after all, the Captain of the airship did an abrupt about turn if he stepped into a room or corridor with Vincent. Everyone had seen it, and none of them could understand why the usually so companionable Cid was obviously shunning Vincent. He had had more than a few of them asking him about it, worried about him. Vincent wondered how many of them would do so when they found out what he had done. But it had been days, and no one knew, which meant Cid was not talking about it.

Cid was honest, very very honest. He had not once lied, in all the time Vincent had known him. If asked a question, even if it was an uncomfortable one, he would answer. So for no one to know what had happened meant that Cid was not only avoiding him, but everyone else as well, or he had started lying. Vincent felt guilty, deservedly so, because he felt as if he had broken Cid, turned him into something he wasn't. He hated himself for it.

That was why it came as such a surprise when the airship came to a halt one afternoon and Cid requested his presence on deck. He went, apprehensive, but willing to accept whatever Cid wished to do to him. He was surprised it had taken so long for Cid to either decide to punch him, kill him or kick him off the Highwind, but he had known it was going to happen. He arrived on deck, looking around for Cid, he saw him, leaning on the railing, lit cigarette hanging from the fingers of the hand that hung over the railings, the other arm supporting his weight. His eyes set in fierce concentration, almost glaring at the ground below them. His blond hair shifted in the light wind.

Vincent shoved away the stray thought that told him Cid was beautiful, ruthlessly locking it away. He stood, still and silent, unsure how to begin, how to apologise. Because he owed Cid one.

"I need you to get off my ship." Cid said suddenly, not moving even an inch.

Vincent lowered his chin more into the collar of his cloak. "I understand." he said. He turned towards the ladder.

He almost missed the whispered. "Ye have no fucking idea."

He reached the ladder, before he swung himself over it he said. "For what it's worth Highwind. I am sorry for this." He let himself drop the distance to the ground, landing easily, cloak swirling as he straightened from his landing crouch. He waited to hear the whir of the Highwind's engines as it lifted off, but there was nothing but the steady thrum that always reverberated from the ship. There was a soft thump behind him, he turned, surprised to see Cid there, leaning on his spear. The spear made him wary.

Cid didn't look at him, his eyes turned instead towards the left, his jaw set. Vincent turned to see what he was looking at, wondering what was going on, half expecting there to be some sort of arrangement for a death match, but instead all he saw was the big gun that towered over Junon. He chose not to say anything, there was really nothing he could say, he couldn't begin to imagine what Cid had planned.

"I'm not gonna kill ya if that's what yer thinking." Cid said, and Vincent noticed his voice was husky, disused, and he knew then which route Cid had taken the past few days, it hurt to think of the man cutting himself off from the others, that wasn't what Vincent had wanted. "Come on." he started walking towards Junon.

It wasn't until they were walking through the lower part of the city, following a path that Vincent found familiar, that Vincent realised why Cid had taken him here, and his heart clenched. He was tempted to turn, to walk away. But he owed this to Cid. This whole damned situation was because of him, so he would see it through. Whatever humiliation Cid wanted him to go through, he would. The reached a small house, hidden behind some others.

Iit hadn't changed in 26 years, not a single thing.

Cid marched to the door and gave it a good thump with the butt of his spear, hitting it again when it wasn't answered immediately. Vincent moved back slightly, as the door was thrown open, and the infamous Aunt May stepped out, waving a kitchen knife dripping in what looked suspiciously like blood.

"You mind my door Cid Highwind or I'll take that damned spear and shove it up yer ass!"

"Ya'd have to get the spear first woman." Cid groused back, pushing past her and inside the house, leaving Vincent to face May, who was now eyeing him suspiciously.

"Who're you?" she demanded to know.

He looked at her, studying her features. She looked older that the faint glimpses of her he could remember, her blond hair hiding the gray, a little more weathered, but it was nothing major. She had aged well. Had Karen? He shook his head to chase that thought away. "Vincent." he said, leaving off his last name, not knowing what would happen if she remembered.

She eyed him shrewdly. "I can see that." she turned back into the house. "Well, you'd best come in."

He followed her into the house and to the kitchen where Cid was rooting through the cupboards, three cups already sitting out beside the kettle, he was muttering to himself, when he realised that he was not alone he turned to May. "Where th' hell you keep the tea?"

May non to gently pushed him out of the way, setting the knife back down on her chopping board. "Sit yer ass down Cid. You know you can't make tea right."

Cid slumped into one of the seats, his eyes resting on the flower tablecloth, Vincent knew he was deliberately not looking at him. "That's just 'cause you hide the goddamned teabags every time I visit. Yer just scared I can make it better than you." His entire demeanour lacked his normal vibrance, though it was obvious he was making an effort to act normally. It was also obvious that May was pretending not to notice.

May snorted in response, pulling the teabags out of a jar cleverly labelled 'Tea' and popping one in each cup. "You haven't a hope of making Tea better than me brat."

Why Cid treated Shera the way he did was perfectly obvious now. It wasn't just because she had ruined his dream of going into space, it was because he was used to stronger willed women who would argue back with him, the fact she didn't probably made him more annoyed with her. It made sense. Vincent stayed silent in the doorway, wondering what Cid had planned, watching the man out of the corner of his eye. It was a surreal situation this, he did not know what Cid had planned, but from the way he was slumped in his seat, looking just a little bit depressed, and tired set to his shoulders, and unhappy twist of his mouth it was unclear if he intended anything at all.

"Sit down, ya ain't invisible, an' hiding in the shadows won't make ya that way." May said, startling Vincent as she sat a cup of tea at a free space on the table.

Vincent took the seat, looking at the tea. He had not had tea in a long time. Before the experiments he had lived on coffee at work, the only time he had ever had tea was when he came to visit... And Karen had always been waiting, tea in hand at the door. He had never acquired a taste for it, but nevertheless he accepted the cup with a smile and thanks...

"Now, what brings you to my door? Thought you were off saving the world or some such nonsense." May asked.

Cid was silent, still staring at the tablecloth. "May..." he said finally, though May was waiting patiently, tapping a cigarette against the ashtray on the table, ignoring Vincent. "What was his name?"

May rolled her eyes. "I know you like to play dumb Cid, but I know ya ain't. You know his name well as I do."

Cid shook his head. "His last name. Ya never did get round to telling me it."

"You never asked." May retorted.

"I'm asking now!" Cid snapped, jerking his head up, his eyes flashing to Vincent for a second before boring into his aunts. "Damnit woman, this is important!"

May held his gaze, and stared him down, when Cid looked away she turned her eyes to Vincent, and studied him, and Vincent saw the moment of realisation in her eyes before she looked to Cid, understanding sadness. "I'm thinking you already know the answer I'm gonna give."

Cid slammed his chair back and left the kitchen. The slamming of the front door sounded loud, and echoed in the small kitchen, like a death knell. Vincent was quiet, choosing to stare into his tea rather than meet this formidable woman's eyes.

"Vincent Valentine." there was a soft chuckle when she said this. "If I didn't think you had a damn good reason for never coming back I would slap you."

Vincent looked up, surprised.

"Left a lot of broken hearts when you never came back. But Cid's was the worst. He did everything you told him not to, thinking if he did you might come back to make him stop. Karen had to tell him you were dead, just to get him to let go. Worked hard convincing him, almost ended up believing it herself in the end. He never believed her though, I could tell, as bad as each other those two." she chuckled again, sadly. Her eyes raking his face again. "What happened?"

"Hojo." Vincent breathed out, she cocked an eyebrow at him, and Vincent was reminded that not everyone knew about Hojo. "A scientist, he experimented on me. I forgot everything, The whole four years I spent... I spent the last twenty six years in a coffin."

May shook her head. "A bad business." she said.

Vincent frowned. "You believe me? No questions? Why?"

"I never forget a face, and unless yer Valentine's son, which I know he never had... It was your eyes, they're a different colour, but they read just the same." She shrugged. "Always thought you were hiding everything, but we could always read ya. You told him... When did you start to remember?"

Vincent was momentarily stunned. How could anyone take this so easily? A fuzzy memory slid into his mind, of May, and it let him know that very little phased this woman. She had watched, impassively and without judgement as he had executed, in his most heartless fashion, a man who had thought Taking Cid would be a good way to make him back off the hunt. "Just over a week ago. I told him a few days later."

"There's more to that story, but I reckon I ought to hear it from Cid." She pushed her chair back and stood. "Drink your tea." she told him, going to the side where two cups still steamed, taking out the tea bags, adding the milk and sugar and lifting them. She left the house.

Vincent stared at the tea he had forgotten about, and reached out for it, taking a sip. Exactly how Karen had always given it to him. He recalled, briefly, sitting in this kitchen, and someone, who must have been May, mocking him for taking his tea so weak, with Cid sitting across from him, his own tea almost black, giggling while Karen stood to the side, drinking her own and smiling. It flitted through so quickly he could hardly grasp everything, and was lost like all the others. If he struggled he might remember the events surrounding it, might be able to recall his feelings, if he had just arrived, or was getting ready to leave. But more often than not the memory remained just a fragment floating in that lost time.

It was a long wait, and he fought with himself over whether to get up, to look round the house, to see if he could regain anymore memories, or to sit here and await May's return, and perhaps Cid's. Just as he was about to give in to the temptation the front door slammed open again, and Cid burst into the kitchen, and Vincent could immediately see the difference, gone was the slump, and when he looked at Vincent he really looked.

"Come on, we've been away too long already. The others'll think I've killed ya." Cid said.

Vincent blinked, confused, and unsure. Cid was inviting him back onto the ship? Why? Surely his presence would make things more difficult for the man. "Highwind, would it not... perhaps be better if I did not continue--"

Cid waved a hand dismissively. "Cid, Cid, Cid. Call me Highwind again and I'll clock you one. Back to the ship!" he ordered, and left the kitchen.

Vincent was left feeling like a whirlwind had hit, and remained sitting in shock until May returned to the room.

"Shouldn't you be back on that flying contraption already. He'll be back in in a minute to drag you by your hair." May said, her lips twisted into a smirk.

Vincent looked at her, had Cid told her? And if he had, why on earth was she not angry with him. He had... Cid had been... And he had...

"Don't think so hard." May said. "Now git, I don't want to see you again until you actually have a decent story to tell. Hell, destroying a damned nut bag and taking out a giant meteor would be better than this soap opera drivel." She went back to the chopping board she had been working at before they arrived, and did not turn around again. Vincent stood and left without a word. Not knowing what to say. Cid was waiting outside the house, looking ready to do just as May had said and come in to drag him back kicking and screaming.

The walk back was silent, Vincent trying to sift through his confusion over the entire situation, Cid smoked, but his eyes held a faraway look. Once back on deck, Cid reached the door back inside first, and stopped, holding the handle for a long time. "Meet me, tonight, my quarters, after everyone goes to bed." he said, his voice a little gruff sounding.

"Highw--" Vincent cut himself off when Cid turned to glare at him. "Cid..." he amended.

"There's some stuff we need to talk about." There was an instance of hesitance, before Cid pressed forward, his lips connecting with Vincent's in a brief, and chaste kiss before he pulled away. "Yeah, stuff we gotta talk about." and Cid was gone, into the ship, leaving Vincent standing on deck, fingers pressed lightly to his lips, wondering just what had been said between Cid and May, and how he could talk Cid out of the destructive relationship he had alluded to.

Yes... I'm not sure what to say about this. I'm not too happy with this, but as I have no one at home who's willing to read it over before I post, and I cannot for the life of me work out what's wrong, It'll just have to do. May still rocks. Please review, and if anyone can see anyway to get this chapter to flow better let me know, I just need a little hint, and I can redo it so it fits better.

Again, please review, and the next chapter should be done soon.