Disclaimer: All characters and places belong to SquareEnix.

Mystic: Well, this fanfic has come to a close, dear readers. Thank you all so much for your support and wonderful, well-rounded reviews. I've received some excellent comments and advice that will surely help me when I try to get published in the real world. You guys are great. Don't forget to tell me what you thought, 'kay? Try to find the Mulan reference. :)

While Wutai reaped the financial benefits of the new alliance, Mr. and Mrs. Tuesti adjusted to their new lives together. For the most part, the transition was smooth; only poor Cait Sith needed time to discover his new role in the family. Wasabi could care less as long as food was brought to her and her sunny spot by the window went undisturbed. Reeve still has the scars from that mistake. Note to self: Do not attempt to awaken sleeping tabby lest you summon a demon cat worse than Chaos. Yuffie laughed, then went to the first aid in the kitchen. A bandage and kiss made it all better.

Arguments between the couple classified as a battle of wits more than a battle of words. A successful tactic (she thought so anyway) of Yuffie's was to lock Reeve out of the house; it calmed her nerves and raised his blood pressure at the same time. He'd break back inside and aim a glare that caused Cait to duck under his creator's desk. She'd mock him with a curt smile, but it disappeared when his arms crossed over his chest. Like at WRO, that action prompted Yuffie to actually shut her trap and listen to what he had to say; though, the latter came about thanks to his few choice words.

"Keep doing that, Yuffie," he said one day, "and you'll screw it up."

She decided to open her ears.

Life at headquarters remained relatively the same; Yuffie continued to go out on field missions to gather information, and Reeve ran the boardroom with stoic authority. Not that they kept the marriage separate from work; on the contrary, lunch and breaks were shared together, and Reeve wasn't beyond a kiss in the hallway or whispering 'I love you' after a meeting. Working alongside one another proved a valuable asset to the marriage because they never missed each other. They worked as a team to bring the world into unity.

When asked by the press what the best part of being a top spy was, Yuffie responded, "Sleeping with the boss! Duh!"

"What was your opinion of him when you first met after Meterfall?" Cameras flashed at the pair.

"I thought he was weird like whoa."

"When did that opinion change, Lady Tuesti?"

Snerk. "I still think he's weird." Along with being called "Lady Tuesti", but she wasn't about to tell them that. Torturing the press got old after a while.

Reeve chuckled, pulled her into a kiss, and told the press to "take five". He had no qualms of kissing her in public, though he did keep it clean. Showing outward affection meant he held no regrets over the union, and also brought out his inner caveman by stating that Yuffie was his wife and no one else could have her. She didn't mind it; in fact, she welcomed any advances Reeve made. Yuffie wasn't aware of his internal reasoning, but if she could mind-read, she'd find that his excuses matched her own.

Questions aimed at the commissioner: "What did you first think of the princess?"

"Jailbait," he answered. "Someone I needed to stay far away from."

"How would you describe her now?"

"Mine," he winked.

Yuffie clapped her hands. "Yaaaaaay!" Another kiss; this time, initiated by the Lady Tuesti herself.

Three months after Reeve and Yuffie's wedding, Shera went into labor. All of AVALANCHE made the trek to Rocket Town, excited that the second-generation of their historical group would make his or her arrival. They traveled via a WRO plane and, unlike before, ginger tablets failed to work their stomach magic. Yuffie spent the majority of the ride with her head buried in a brown bag, or collapsed on her husband's lap with a cool cloth on her forehead. Cloud mentioned a tranquilizer, but Reeve denied him with a quick 'no'. Until their own pregnancy test read positive, they weren't about to risk unnecessary medication.

Reeve picked up that one test at the hospital pharmacy, thinking that Yuffie would take it after the Highwind baby's birth. He thought wrong; Yuffie snuck into the maternity floor restroom and made quick work of the device thanks to the twenty ounce bottle of lemon-lime soda in her stomach. The box read five minutes for the results and those results were supposedly ninety-nine percent accurate. Too nervous to wait those five minutes, she left the stick on the sink and exited toward the hallway, bumping into Tifa.

"Uh ... how's Shera doing?"

Tifa smiled, quite excited. "She's nine centimeters dilated. The nurse is getting the warming bed set up."

"Cid still freaking out?"

"More like jumpy," Cloud explained. "The no smoking rule is putting him on edge."

Yuffie snorted, then looked to the left where her husband stood by the nursery window. He gazed inside the glass pane, watching with a softened gaze as a pediatrician hovered over a newborn. His eyes drifted over the bassinet where tiny hands squirmed and little legs kicked. He continued to stare as the doctor swaddled the baby in a blanket and handed him to a nurse. A few words passed between them, then the pediatrician left to await the birth of the baby in Room 216.

"I think someone's getting Daddy Fever."

He jumped, startled. "Oh!"

"Gee, Reeve; lost in thought there?" Yuffie wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Daydreaming."

"I took the test."

His eyes widened. "And?"

"... It takes five minutes."

His sigh echoed down the hospital hallway, only to be drowned out by a shrill shriek from behind a closed door. Elmyra ran out moments later, face white. "Is everything alright?" Reeve asked.

The woman swallowed once, before answering, "Let's just say that Shera is in a really foul mood right now."

"No shit, Sherlock," Barret scoffed. "She's having a baby."

"That's not entirely it," she said. "Shera's almost ready to start pushing and the nurses aren't allowing anything except ice chips."

"So?" Yuffie asked.

"Oh, boy." Tifa facepalmed and shook her head.

Elmyra nodded. "No tea allowed."

As if on cue, another shriek, then, "I WANT SOME DAMN TEA!"

Loud sobs were heard shortly after the outburst. Later, Cid refused to say whether they were his or his wife's.

Another hour passed. Yuffie fell asleep in Reeve's lap as he sat on the floor. Barret sat in one of the few chairs, Marlene happily content on his lap and reading her schoolbook. Denzel stayed close to Tifa and Cloud, all three watching a comedy show on the television set. Vincent flipped through a few of the magazines, but quickly stopped when he realized most of the articles discussed episiotomies and the benefits of breastfeeding. He resigned himself to staring at the wall. Cait Sith and Nanaki remained outside on the hospital grounds; Cait's robotic engineering had a tendency to screw with the hospital machinery and Nanaki, being the other non-human in the group, decided to accompany him.

Reeve's mind continued to drift off to a hopeful future, to an expanding family. Baby fever didn't strike just women, and he desired the cure that was a tiny being comprised of his own flesh and blood. He remembered the pregnancy test then, his eyes darting down to his sleeping wife. With the commotion of Shera's labor, both had forgotten about the stick on the bathroom sink.

"Yuffie." He tried to gently shake her awake. "Yuffie."

" ... Huh?" She rubbed her eyes, looking around at her surroundings. "Did they have their baby yet?"

"No," he answered, his voice rushed. "Go check in the bathroom."

" ... Huh?" Yuffie stared at him briefly, then her eyes brightened in realization. "Oh, no! I completely forgot about it!"

The others in the room turned to stare, but before anyone asked a question, heavy footsteps thumped down the hallway. Cid poked his head in the waiting room, a tiny bundle in his arms. "Y'all come meet my daughter!"

Reactions were immediate. Squeals, expressions of approval, and congratulatory remarks. Denzel and Marlene stood on tiptoe to see the baby girl, the newest AVALANCHE addition.

"Apple of her daddy's eye, this one, " Cid beamed. "Rebecca Highwind."

Baby Rebecca had small tufts of the lightest blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and her father's nose. Her cheeks were round and red, but one could easily tell they resembled Shera's more prominant ones.

"She's adorable, Cid." Tifa gently stroked Rebecca's hair. "How is Shera?"

"Tired," he said. "And hungry; pushing this little munchkin out zapped her energy. The nurse is supposed to bring her something." He looked down at his daughter, suddenly understanding the special bond between Barret and Marlene. His smile showed not just pride, but also fear of raising an innocent child, tender love for his little girl, and a more appreciation for all things female. "Off to the nursery, Becky. The baby doc' wants to peek at ya."

The test results lay on the sink, forgotten once more.

Another few hours passed.

Rebecca "Becky" Highwind was fawned and cooed over. Shera took a much deserved rest, then happily breastfed her daughter, Cid grinning all the while. He managed to sneak out for a smoke, but not before a quick bathroom break. A stick lay on the sink--a girly stick. The same style of stick that revealed to him and Shera nine months earlier that they spawned a tiny tax deduction.

"Whose pregnancy test is this?" he gruffed, holding the device in his hand. "And what the hell is it doing lying on the counter? That's just nasty."

Eyes widened and eyebrows raised to the ceiling. Yuffie paled. "Uh ... what does it say?"

"Hell should I know. Shera used a digital one."

Reeve facepalmed. "Are there two lines?"

"Yeah."

He achieved the cure. Amidst claps and pats on the back, between Yuffie's embarrassed giggle and Tifa's excited squeal, Reeve's fever of fathering a child skyrocketed to proportions unmeasured by top medical researchers. He sat down as the information fully registered, catching his wife when she glomped his lap. His large hand rested on her stomach.

"Wow," was the only word he could think to say.

"A grandchild!" Godo exclaimed over the phone. "Are you sure? You're in circumstances?"

Yuffie made a face. "In cirmcum -- what now? I'm knocked up!"

The emperor couldn't see the slight hollow of Reeve's cheekbones, a sure sign that the commissioner was scowling. His phone lay open on the kitchen counter, the speaker function being put to use. "A nurse/midwife confirmed the pregnancy this morning, sir," Reeve stated. "The due date is March twenty-first."

Godo laughed. "Praise Leviathan! Oh, I know I shouldn't have doubted you, Mr. Tuesti."

"Wait, what? You doubted ... what did you doubt?"

Yuffie snickered and leaned down to reach the phone. "You owe me a night of babysitting, old man!"

"Do you remember my old bedtime song?"

"Oh, no! You can't make me say it!" She crossed her arms in defiance.

Her father laughed again. "Stop crossing your arms and humor your 'old man'." He cleared his throat and began to chant. "We all must serve the emperor, especially in one way..."

"Daaaaaad!"

Reeve started to chuckle. Godo's chant was an ancient tune, and used for centuries to define everyone's proper place in society.

"Boys by bearing arms ..."

She relented, dropping her arms. "Girls by bearing sons."

Reeve's chuckle elevated to the status of guffaw. His head tilted back, and soon even Godo joined the fun from over the wireless cell phone. After a minute, Reeve collected himself and went to hug his wife, ignoring her heated glare. "Don't be angry, Yuffie. My father often called me a nerd."

"I wonder why," she deadpanned. "Did he attempt to see you married off like cattle?"

"Take care of her, Reeve," Godo advised, voice breaking slightly. "She houses my grandchild."

"You have my word."

The phone closed with a click. Reeve reached around to take his wife's hand, and brought her knuckles to his lips. It wouldn't be an easy word to keep, but it would be the most rewarding.

Godo leaned back against the cushions, a cup of hot sake in his hands. One sip brought a grin to his face, and the second sip brought a tear to his eye. A portrait hung on the wall beside him, a woman with the painted white face of royalty. She looked young and healthy, and bore the crest of the Kisaragi name. "It's done," he whispered. "Our daughter has her family."

A faint breeze sailed inside from an open window. With it came a caress, a touch.

"Rest now, dear emperor. Leviathan is pleased."

Fin