(AUTHORS NOTE & MATURE WARNING): Here it is, the grand finale! Also it's the chapter that is main reason this story is rated M. There is a sexual scene, so please use discretion if it bothers you!

The next day most of Avalanche had left and headed back to their own homes in their own part of the world. Cloud and Tifa offered Zack and Aeris to stay in their house until they were able to get on their feet and settle back down on the world. Professor Gast also stayed with Aeris, he had stayed with Vincent for the last 2 months trying to find ways to make up for what he had done, but now he was focused on trying to catch up on everything he missed with the world around him. Trying to fit in as many conversations with Aeris as possible and even a few with this new fellow, and soon to be son-in-law Zack.

Cloud entered the living room where Aeris was curled up in a blanket staring at the wall alone being as silent as mouse. He walked in and sat next to her also without making a word to interrupt her silence.

"Isn't it a little lonely for you here?" Cloud asked suspiciously.

Aeris shrugged looking down in her blanket covered lap.

Cloud shifted in his seat. "What's wrong, Aeris?"

She shook her head slightly. "I wish he'd stayed."

Cloud's gaze also then fell too. "Aeris, he did what he felt he had to."

"He shouldn't have felt like he had to leave."

"There's nothing we could have ever done. He knows he'll never belong here, maybe somewhere out there will be more accepting." Cloud spoke slightly comprehensively.

Aeris shook her head slowly. "I, I hope he does. It's the least he deserves."

Cloud nodded in return. Of course there was still a part of Cloud who thought the only place Sephiroth belonged was in hell, but he knew better than to tell Aeris that.

Aeris then looked to Cloud and gave a small smile. "Do you know where Zack is?"

Cloud nodded again, "He just got back from training a while ago. Went to take a shower."

Aeris smiled again. "Thank you Cloud." She said as she stood up slowly and left the room.

"Hey! I like it when my ever-so-lovely fiancé is there to greet me as I finish my shower!" Zack said playfully as he sat down on the bed next to Aeris with only his towel on.

Aeris smiled looking at him, still not feeling the happiest, but she didn't want to damper Zack's teasing. He smiled back at her, as moved back laying against the bed, and he leaned forward and grabbed Aeris by the waist and pulled her up close against him and his chest. "I've been thinking 'Ris, that we should get married as soon as possible. What do you think?"

She turned her neck to look up above her where Zack's adoring face that was smiling at her before dipping down and kiss her forehead. She nodded back to him, "That sounds, nice. I'll have to grow a lot of flowers first though."

Zack gave a laugh. "Then that's it, as soon as you have enough flowers grown, we'll have our wedding."

Aeris smiled at him almost feeling uncomfortable thinking about what she was jumping into with somebody, just a few years ago this was what she dreamt of, but now things were different. She knew she should've felt happier, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit anxious and guilty. As if she were betraying herself.

"I have to make sure I snatch you up before somebody else tries to make a move at stealing your heart." Zack teased playfully holding his girl closer and giving her light kisses along her neck.

Aeris shifted against him almost avoiding the touches but she eventually slowed down and let him begin. What was coming would be the true test of their love, and Aeris would give in, as she knew the one she had truly fallen smitten to was gone, and most likely not coming back.

His hands moved down towards her legs pulling her new sun dress up to her thighs slowly as his lips remained on her neck. She made no move to stop him, she had been the one to say yes a few nights before, and by doing that she had already surrendered herself to this, prepared or not.

Zack than grabbed Aeris's waist again, and turned her around, switching spots, laying her on the bed. She looked up at him, looking down at her. He supported his own weight as he rested his body atop hers and met her lips with his own passionately.

She returned it the best she could not being nearly as experienced as he was in this sort of behavior but even her skill seemed to fire the black haired man up even more. After the passion became boiling for Zack he retreated slightly, his body already taking deep breaths of anticipation. He looked down at his slightly dazed looking partner.

"Aeris, do you want to?"

She just looked at him, knowing it'd be cruel to even go this far and deny him of his happiness he'd waited so patiently to get from her. She nodded swallowing all suspected regrets.

He gave a big grin as he gave her a quick kiss and looked down at her. "I love you Aeris." His whisper was so true and powerful Aeris almost wanted to break down and cry that she could never be able to say it to him with so much sincerity anymore.

"I love you too." She said quietly out of nervousness. Zack didn't catch it though. He went back down to kissing her passionately celebrating as he knew she was about to become completely his.

Zack then moved down passed her lips, and began along her jaw line to her ear and then back down her neck. The actions almost made Zack want to lose it right there, as she began to shiver and tremble underneath him.

As his kissing went lower and lower and his hands traveled that direction to looking to find the bottom of her dress to pull up. Aeris couldn't help but let her own body's excitement infect the uneasiness of her mind. She felt her self trembling in anticipation as her blood began to boil and her head began to fog.

Zack's lip left her body as he sat up on his knees and grabbed the bottom of her dress. He pulled it up and over as Aeris sat up to help him get her out of it. As her skin became bare with only her last two garments hiding her most tender of regions. Zack stared down at her beautiful pale skin laying before him, as a wide smile grew on his face. Aeris looked at him somewhat shyly feeling more uneasy again unsure of what he was thinking about her body.

He looked at her expression and only chuckled a little bit before quickly coming back down and kissing her face passionately. He left her lips only to say with a happy chuckle, "Aeris you're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

She smiled back at the compliment and gave him a kiss in return. Feeling her confidence raise she began to move her hands up his arms by her sides that were supporting his weight. They were strong and muscular. Her hands moved to his chest, she outlined the muscles of his torso. His skin looked dark with only one light in the room. He left her lips and she came back to, instantly putting her hands down wondering if he was offended, he only smiled, his eyes glowing brightly in the darkness. He went back down and put his own hands behind her back reaching for the clasps of her bra. She didn't refuse as he undid the clasp and lifted it off over her arms. She could spot the lust in his eyes as he looked down at her breasts for the first time they've known each other. A grin a mile wide came upon his face at the revelation of one of her well kept secrets.

"I suppose it's my turn now huh?" Zack said playfully to Aeris. Confusedly she cocked her head on the bed looking at him quizzically. He only laughed back. He reached for his towel at his waist. He quickly pulled it off and almost laughed as Aeris gave a shocked look at the extent of his excitement.

He put himself back down upon her, his mouth now over her breasts, caressing them with his tongue as he felt them grow even more hard and erect with the pleasure.

The sensations intoxicated Aeris as she trembled and shivers ran through her body. Her mind was now in a dense fog as the sensations Zack sent through her body and the pressure she felt up against her panties begging for entry as they both grew even more excited.

Zack felt himself moan when she arched her back beneath him, putting her close against his own aching body as he was finishing up on her breasts. He didn't even waste time to kiss his future bride, as he sat back up and his hands went straight for the thin fabric separating him away from his prize. He went back as he lifted her smooth and long legs to take it off over them. He looked at what those garments had been hiding from him all these years. He instantly reached forward not sure how much longer he could keep himself away from her. He bent down and kissed her passionately on the lips again, she kissed back even harder than before, driving him even more wild as it confirmed what he hoped his hardest for.

He let go, "You ready?"

Aeris nodded. Honestly she wasn't sure but she knew herself she was much far too gone to give any reply. She watched as he smiled and felt him back away and get ready to plunge within her depths.

She looked up into his glowing eyes as he wrapped his arms under her, and put his hips in between her legs readying for what he was about to do to her purity. He didn't even give warning as he quickly broke her barriers and penetrated her depths sending a quick and sharp pain through her body to the unfamiliar feeling. Her back arched as she took in a deep gasp.

"Are you okay?" She heard faintly, or seemingly so, as she nodded as the pain began to spill out of her and she felt her body still wanting more. Zack didn't budge as he looked upon her worriedly, growing impatient Aeris tightened her legs around him urging him for more. He gave a confused smile as he did as he was beckoned.

The pleasure quickly began to overtake the sore pain as Zack sped up feeling more confident that his partner was indeed not bothered. Aeris felt her head began to be consumed, she had close her eyes, not sure if she could focus the energy to open them. As the motions became quicker and quicker she felt herself unconsciously moving her body and moaning with the sensations that came along with them. The body that was dancing with hers came down still not interrupting the dance and it's lips pressed upon hers. They were hot and the tongue was familiar as it entered her mouth and explored. She leaned back into her pillow and moaned. Even through her closed eyes she could see somewhat of the luminescent glow, or maybe she was only imagining it. She grabbed onto the strong arms beside her and felt the abs of the one above contract as she felt the shapes against her own bare midsection.

"Aeris, I love you." She heard a deep velvety voice whisper to her, interrupting their lips. She didn't mind, she missed that voice, and it was comforting to hear it.

"I love you too…" She said breathlessly as she pulled those warm lips back down upon her own hungry ones. They shared the kiss some more, only interrupted by breaths and the motions that were still speeding up.

She felt bare as her partner left her. His thrusts getting strong enough they were causing her breasts to be almost thrown around with the way he had began pushing against her body. She heard that velvet deep voice let out a moan before one last powerful thrust inside her and she felt an explosion of warmth inside her.

Slowly after that she felt the presence withdraw itself. She smiled as she then grabbed the hands of the warrior and pulled him to rest atop her again, missing the presence of his body. The body returned to her. She moved her lips close to his ear as she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace, "I've missed you sooo much."

The other's lips only kissed her lips as she finished and rested within the embrace she was holding. She moved her hands down towards his back to run her hands through the length of his long hair. She felt herself frown as she went to touch the hair of her partner and her hands only touched wet, tough skin.

She opened her eyes and she frowned. Reality was in front of her, the deep velvety voice was not the one she was hearing, and the man in front of her had black hair. She had been imagining Sephiroth to herself the whole entirety. She squeezed tighter to Zack as she rested her head on his shoulder and she frowned, fighting hard to keep her tears away.

She had ruined everything that could have ever been.

"Aeris, I love you so much." Zack said after they held each other for what he would've guessed to be several moments.

He picked himself up off of her and looked down. She smiled crookedly, her eyes droopy from what seemed to be exhaustion which made him smile more as he rolled on the bed and lied next to her.

"I'll do whatever I have to, to make sure you are the happiest girl in the world."

Aeris just nodded. She sat up now with the absence of Zack. She frowned as she realized how dirty she felt, and sore she had become only minutes after finishing. She still wanted to cry her eyes out in shame, but she held them back and it was taking all of her.

She turned back to him and gave him another reassuring smile. "I'm going to go cleanup."

Zack grinned and sighed. "Oh fine beautiful, I can't guarantee I'll keep awake till then, so I expect my kiss goodnight now."

Aeris leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. "Goodnight Zack." She said as she quickly turned and walked fighting a harsh limp from her soreness towards the bathroom connected to their room.

As soon as she entered the bathroom she turned on the shower, and with the water around her covering up any noise she could make she fell to the bottom and sat their crying. She curled into a ball and she sobbed as the water tried to wash away her sin to no avail.

After about an hour of being in the shower, Aeris had cried so much that her eyes were hard to shut and burned with dryness. Her body ached from sobbing, and then the other part still hurt from her mistake before. She slowly turned off the water as she stepped out. She walked into the bedroom, Zack was thankfully asleep, she found herself a pair of pajamas that she put on trying to cover up her embarrassing nudity. She then looked back at Zack sleeping peacefully awaiting for his fiancé to join him within his dreams. She quickly turned back and left the bedroom.

She made her way down the stairs, she wasn't sure where she was going but she didn't want to have to be next to Zack after what she did only a few moments before. Maybe Tifa was awake, could she tell Tifa? No, Tifa didn't need that stress added on. She needed to find Sephiroth, she needed Sephiroth, and she'd have to go find him. Could she desert Zack like that though? No she never could, she couldn't be that selfish to just leave Zack for her own reasons.

She descended down the stairs, body aching, mind aching and tired. She began to hear a commotion down the stairs. She put her eyebrows together instantly worried. She heard a woman crying.

It was coming from the kitchen, she hurried through the hall into the Strife's large kitchen where the voices were sounding from.

She walked in. A lady with long brown hair was sobbing madly over the kitchen table. Cloud and Tifa were standing on the other side of the kitchen with worried looks on their faces. Vincent who must have brought this lady here was sitting on one side of her holding her hand, and her father was on the other side of the lady trying to talk to her.

"I can't believe he's gone!" The woman cried out loud.

Vincent and Faremis began trying to calm her down and reassure that it was all okay and there was no need to cry. Cloud saw Aeris and motioned her to come stand with him and Tifa. She did so.

"Lucrecia, please don't cry for him. It's better off things are this way." Faremis tried to tell her.

Aeris who just made herself sit by Tifa and Cloud instantly turned as she heard that name. That was the name of Sephiroth's mother. She turned to the lady with long brown hair, an older lady, still slim, and deathly pale. But Aeris almost gasped when she almost thought she could see Sephiroth's exact face within hers. The two shared a strong resemblance.

Cloud leaned to Aeris's ear. "Vincent went to visit her. She had been freed when Hojo was killed, the magic bounding her was worn off. Sephiroth had actually stopped and saw her for a few moments before he left. But she was barely conscious at that time. Vincent brought her back here, not sure what else to do." Cloud whispered explaining.

"I would've died there, if he hadn't healed me, and I his only mother couldn't even thank him. I couldn't even talk, I've never gotten to hold my baby, and I still never will!" Lucrecia cried to herself.

Aeris felt sympathy take over her mind, her own sorrow completely forgotten at the sight of the heartbroken mother before her. Aeris walked up to the kitchen table, her pain now seeming completely gone.

Lucrecia looked at the unfamiliar girl as she stopped on the other side of the Faremis, her father, and met eyes with Lucrecia. "Lucrecia, I'm Aeris. I talked to Sephiroth before he went to see you. He told me he might come back after sometime." Aeris paused as Lucrecia stared at the girl desperately. "But, I'm actually a Cetra, so I can bring him back too."

Lucrecia looked suspiciously as she wiped her eyes, she looked from Aeris then to Gast. She grew suspicious and looked back at Aeris. Gast interrupted, "Lucrecia, this is my daughter, Aeris. Her mother was a Cetra."

Lucrecia stared hopelessly at Gast. Than she turned back to Aeris, "I can't ask that of you. I ruined my son's life by giving him life, I'm not going to ruin yours by sending you after him. I have to accept my consequences."

Tears began streaming again. "If only I could've killed myself. None of this would have happened. It's all because of me, what's wrong with me. Why can't I be dead now. I ruined his life by giving him life, and now he punishes me by making me keep mine." Aeris couldn't help but see herself in Lucrecia a little bit. The self-blaming, was almost nearly identical to what Aeris frequently did to herself.

"Lucrecia! This is not your fault. It's the fault of many that one person could not have prevented. You need to calm down, you have a second chance now, you should take it." Vincent spoke impatiently to his love.

"Let me tell you something Lucrecia. Though it was a minor role, I helped raise that boy for six years of his life. I met him again just a few months ago, and I saw the man he's now. His intentions were not that of punishment. He did it because you are his mother, and he's taking care of you like a son should." Gast spoke proudly.

Lucrecia broke down into more sobs. "I've never gotten to hold my own baby. I never saw him again after those few seconds until now, I don't even know who he is. I don't know anything about him. I can't be his mother."

Gast grabbed her shoulder. "Listen to me Lucrecia, you are the only mother he knows of anymore, and if you decide to refuse him, than you're only hurting yourself more."

Lucrecia didn't respond she only sat there and cried more. Aeris felt her own eyes begin to water as she listened to her story, it wasn't fair and it wasn't right.

Lucrecia began to calm down, still crying her sobs softened. "Gast?" She asked him.

"Yes, Lucrecia?"

"Will you tell me about him? Everything you know? I don't care what it is, the good and the bad I want to know it all." Lucrecia asked but sounded more of a beg. "I've seen dreams, dreams of all kind. Are they true? Did it happen?"

Faremis, smiled at her and grabbed her other hand. "I'll tell you everything I can."

Vincent then spoke up, "He was quite famous, there is a lot of footage around of him. We can find all of it for you."

Lucrecia smiled slightly. It was beautiful, her mouth and lips just like her sons, Aeris knew she already had her mind made up. Through her sobbing eyes Lucrecia looked at both Gast and Vincent. "Thank you so much."

"You can all stay here as long as you like." Cloud offered as Tifa stood next to him, tearing up herself.

Lucrecia cried a little bit more. "Thank you too. I really don't deserve any of this."

Vincent reached over and grabbed the woman and wrapped her in his arms. "You deserve all of it and so much more. The stars, the moon, and the Earth all in one."

She only cried as Vincent held her close. "I'm so sorry Vincent, you deserve so much better yourself. I let you down so much."

He said nothing in return, he wasn't concerned with what she had to say, just that she was there again with him.

Aeris wiped some tears she thought she had already exhausted herself of tonight and she quickly left the kitchen and went back up stairs heading straight towards her room.

She knew she had to chase after that man. She loved him, Zack wasn't for her anymore, and she'd only hurt both of them if she tried to pretend he was. Lucrecia needed her son, and deserved her son, Aeris would chase after that man and bring him back if it took her the rest of time. She had no other choice.

She reached her room where she was very quiet as to not wake Zack up and have him ask questions. She was going to leave tonight and she needed to change her clothing and at least bring some materia with her.

She changed her clothes and filled a bag with all the materia she had gotten from Sephiroth. She didn't see a point in bringing any money with her as the other places probably didn't have the same currency. She finished packing a few more pieces of clothing and armor.

She left the bedroom as soon as she could. She ended up in the bathroom right next to it. She now had her boots on and pants on with a shirt. She wore a backpack on her back. She had finished writing a note explaining to the others what she did, hopefully they'd understand.

She wasn't sure how she was going to travel the cosmos but she could figure it out. She grabbed her materia that Sephiroth had returned to her, she held her mother's gift in her hand. She didn't think it'd do any good but she seemed more in touch with the planet when she held it and when she prayed.

She bowed her head and said a quick prayer to the planet begging it to help her with her endeavors. She closed her eyes as she felt a presence around her blowing her hair around and rushing against her clothes.

The next morning Zack woke up and found his love still not by him. Assuming she must have woke up already he sat up in bed. He cringed as he looked at the mess on the sheets that was proof he was Aeris's first.

"I'll have to get these washed today…" He mumbled to himself.

He stood out of the bed, going over to the closet he pulled out some clothes he could wear when he went training today. Soon he would have a job and start saving up to make sure Aeris had her dream wedding.

He walked over to the bathroom after he was dressed to brush his teeth and gel his hair up again. Upon walking in, he found a note on the bathroom sink. He read through it's short contents.

Zack,

I'm very sorry but after hearing what his mother said, I have to go get him. Please don't be sad, hopefully I'll be back soon.

Aeris

(A/N): That's all folks! Sorry to leave you with sort of a major cliff hanger but that's why I'm working on the sequel! Thanks to everybody that has read, and I hope I didn't disappoint you! I can't wait to start uploading the sequel, most likely going to start in 2-4 weeks so lookout if you're interested.

Orochimaru-sama animexx: When I saw your review I was pretty impressed because you really predicted the Vincent/Lucrecia part! Also I thought Aeris had to say yes because she does like Zack and has had feelings for him for a long time, plus she's never been good at saying no to a friend. Sorry it's not quite a fairytale ending, but it's not too bad hopefully.

OnyxRose13: I would say it was more of a knee-jerk reaction. As it's easier to see in this chapter she ends up regretting the decision and gets a bad case of cold feet. Ha, I also noticed I have sped up the ending a little bit, but it's hard not to when you got this great idea in your head you just want to get it out as quick as possible! Thank you very much for continuously reading and reviewing!