"What in the hell was I thinking?" Cid kept his eyes on the trail. "How could I run out and leave my kid all alone?"

The moment of his desertion played over and over his head like the reel of a bad movie. "If You paid more attention to THIS baby, instead of THAT baby," said the ghost of Shera's voice. "You'd know the answer to your own question."

Had it been that bad? Had he really been neglecting his son? Now he remembered Shera telling him, most disposable diapers were covered with print. She always held up two packages in the store, then bought the diapers the baby favored. He thought back to the diaper he had almost put on his son, and tried to remember what was printed on it. He couldn't.

How had that happened? He could remember the day he held his son in his arms for the first time. How fragile that little body seemed. How trusting were the little blue eyes. His son. His baby. His only child. His eyes burned. Cid shook his head angrily. This was no time to get mushy. His son was out there with a monster . . . if he wasn't dead already. His thought moved on to tomorrow. He could almost see the look on Shera's face when she found out she'd left home a mother and come home childless. Her imaginary screamed ripped through his head. She'd leave him. He was sure of it.

He wasn't a bad husband. He loved her and he knew without a doubt Shera loved him, but he was what he was, and that was . . . well . . . grouchy sometimes. They had their tender moments, sure, and she made him happier than any woman ever could. She'd reached places in his soul he didn't know existed, but even then, he couldn't help barking at her sometimes, or complaining about something real or imaginary that she'd done.

For the most part, Shera took his grouching silently. She understood it was one of his ways of communicating. It didn't stop her from taking him in her arms and making him fly without the Highwind. What a woman! He couldn't think of anyone he'd known in the past, who would have put up with him. Shera understood his love of flying and his dreams of being the first man in space . . . or on the moon. She'd been there all along trying to help him reach his goals. The designs and plans she came up with beat the hell out of anything the Shinra corporation had ever offered to build. Shera was wonderful . . . and the beautiful mother of his son. How could he have done this to her?

He was going to find his son damn it, and he'd find the boy alive. He didn't if he was surrounded by twenty fire breathing dragons. He'd kill them so quick they wouldn't have time to growl. He was going to find his boy and take him home!

All cried out, Baby Cid was feeling sleepy, but the coldness of the ground in the den offered no comfort. His damp blue eyes sought out the only source of heat. The monster. She was settled on her bed of brush with her young curled up beside her. Shivering a little, Baby Cid crawled toward them. The mother raised her head to watch. The baby hesitated but his need for warmth sent him forward again. Reaching her side, he pushed his way into the midst of her babies and lay down. The warmth of their bodies was soothing. Closing his eyes, the baby fell asleep.

The Velcher Tusk dropped her head and sniffed at him. The baby didn't move. He had an enticing scent that spoke of tender sweet meat. Extending her tongue, she licked his back. The taste of his skin teased her taste buds. Once she devoured him, the flavor would linger on her tongue for hours. The tongue withdrew and the monster yawned. As tempting as it was to take a nibble, she decided not to. Her belly was tight as a drum. Yawning again, she lowered her head to sleep. She had no objections having her food being in bed with her. If nothing else, it would save her the trouble of having to cross the room to get him.

Two hours later, his mind beating him up all the way, Cid was still walking. His determination to save his son had dwindled into an emotion, he'd rarely experienced. Fear. From the time he'd learned to walk, Cid was a daredevil. Always pushing into situations where his playmates feared to tread, he kept his parents pulling him out of one situation after another.

They thought they could relax when he took an interest in birds, but their relief turned to dread when they realized it wasn't the birds he was interested in. It was their ability to fly. A broken arm put an end to flying out of a tree. A sprained ankle was the result of jumping off the roof. His mother was ready to pull out her hair when his father decided the best way to get a handle on things was to teach the boy to fly the right way. It was he, who steered his son toward aviation books. In later years, it was Shinra's fleet of aircraft, that led Cid into the deal he made with President to build a vehicle capable of space flight. The launch that should have taken him to glory ended in failure when he'd had to abort his launch to save Shera's life.

For a long time after that day, he'd hated her. Or at least thought he did. He blamed her for everything that had gone wrong. Hiding behind a barrage of verbal abuse, he'd hidden the depths of his true feelings for her. It took Sephiroth killing Aeris to make him see the light.

Cloud's grief, and putting himself into Cloud's place made him realize what he could have lost. He could have been a hero. Shinra would have smothered him in money. He could have improved his designs, built more rockets and gone into space several times. But what would all of that have been worth without Shera?

Cid stopped, shaded his eyes and peered into the distance. He'd run out of grass. Sparse vegetation, low lying hills and scattered clumps of bushes and trees dotted the land on rocky soil. If there were any footsteps to see, only a tracker could have picked them out. Cid dropped to his knees, then sat down hard. The lance rolled out of his hand. It was over then. His son was dead. Without a trail to follow, he could walk for hours in any direction without any hope of finding him.

Cid something he hadn't done since he was a little boy. He put his head in his hands . . . and cried.

Ordinarily, sleeping with their mother was something the little Velcher Tusks enjoyed, but today it was different. Today there was a creature in their midst who was competing with them for warmth and they didn't like it. They didn't like it one bit.

If they'd had the teeth to do it, they would have torn the interloper apart, but all milk teeth were good for was nipping, so they made the best of it. The oldest of the brood nipped the baby. Baby Cid woke up immediately, but dulled from sleep, he didn't realize what had happened. He knew it when the second monster bit. Baby Cid gasped and pulled away, a look of pain and surprise on his face. One of the monsters nipped him on the arm. The baby yelped and broke into tears. Another monster went for his arm arm. The baby pulled it out of the way and swung at the creature with his other hand. He received another nip in return.

He cried out loud and tried to crawl away. They followed, nipping at his bare flesh. The baby screamed.

Lost in misery, Cid didn't hear it.

Growling in their throats, the little monsters darted in and out, nipping at the baby. The anguished child screamed again.

Cid heard something. He raised his head, but the sound was not repeated.

The monsters were enjoying their sport. They closed to inflict more damage, but their mother had other ideas. Still tired from the hunt and having to carry the human home, she was in no mood for a lot of noise. She snarled at her brood.

They stopped tormenting the baby immediately. Running to her side, they threw themselves on her body, licking and whining to win her good graces again. The Velcher Tusk merely grunted and rolled over with her back to them.

Not wanting to be ignored, her babies rushed around her and curled up next to her feet, vying for space. Once they were all settled in, they lay still. Their mother snorted. Baby Cid wasn't screaming now, but his crying was annoying. Determined not to let it bother her, she closed her eyes. Five minutes later she was snoring. Bleeding and hurting from several cuts, the baby went on crying.

Cid stood up. A light breeze made some of the bushes rustle, but Cid strained his ears. He was sure there was an underlying noise. Whatever it was, it faded in and out of range. He took a few steps to the north. It was gone. No . . . there could be something . . .

A bird flew by overhead, screeching.

"Shut up damn it!" Cid shook his lance at it. "Get the hell out of here!"

The bird circled him once, then flew away. Cid cocked his ear to the wind. Nothing. He started walking northward again. After a few steps, he stopped again. There it was. It sounded fainted . . . muffled somehow, but kind of like . . . crying. Hope bloomed in his heart. Cid listened harder.

The wind picked up the sound and carried it to him. Yes . . . it was sound of a baby crying. Cid opened his mouth to shout, then stopped himself. This wasn't just a case of a wandering child. Wherever his son was, a monster was with him. The last thing he wanted to be was cause that monster to attack and kill his son.

Taking care to step on firm ground, Cid moved toward the sound.

Baby Cid wanted nothing to do with the monsters. Whimpering, he looked around. Dull sunlight came through the dens opening. He crawled toward it.

"Damn!" Cid threw his cigarette down. The crying had stopped. Which way should he go?

Baby Cid reached the entrance of the den and peered up at a incline of packed dirt. The sunlight he'd seen before was shining over the top of a bush that grew about a foot away from the den's opening. He started up. Behind him, the monsters slept on.

Cid ran back and forth in this direction and that. He stopped several times to listen. The sun was just over the tops of the distant hills. If he didn't find the baby soon, it was all over. The night creatures would be out soon. It was hard enough for an adult to survive an attack. A baby had no chance at all. Cid wondered if he should just stay out here and die with his son. At least they might end up in the same stomach together.

You sound like you're giving up, he told himself. You think the kid is dead already. Cid shook his head.

"My son is not dead!" He looked at the sky. "My son is not dead!"

Baby Cid crawled up the incline. It was a painful climb. One of his knees left a trail of blood on the ground. It was colder here than in the den. His lower lip trembled. The creatures in the den had hurt him. Frightened and cold, he kept moving. At last he reached the opening. He crawled to the side of the bush and looked around.

Cid turned in a circle letting his eyes move over every bush and hill. His son had to be out here somewhere. The first edge of the sun was sliding behind the hills. The lump in his throat was big enough to strangle him. Desperately he kept scouring the land.

A bright red bug came ran from under the bush and paused facing Baby Cid. He stared at it, fascinated. The bug thumped its rear legs on the ground. Baby Cid didn't move. The bug made a loud buzzing sound and thumped its rear legs again. The baby reached out to insect with his right hand. Hissing and spitting, the bug leaped past the extended hand and landed on the baby's arm. Before it could bite the baby reacted shook his arm so hard, he fell over on his back bumping his head. The bug jumped to avoid being crushed. It hit the ground running for another bush.

Baby Cid had had enough for one day. He screamed and cried at the top of his lungs.

Cid's head snapped around at the sound.

In the den, the Velcher Tusk raised her head.

The monster scanned the den.

"Where are you?"

Cid ran toward the baby's cry.

The Velcher Tusk checked her babies. They were sleeping peacefully. She scanned the den again. Her nostrils widened as she tested the air.

Pausing to gasp for breath, the baby heard his father's voice and cried even harder. Pushing at the ground with his hands, he did something, neither of his parents had ever seen him do before. He stood up and took his first baby step. Shaky on his feet, he took another.

Cid ran to the top of the next hill. His eyes searched desperately. Somewhere before him, he could hear the baby crying, but he couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. A cluster of smaller hills were all that he could see. Sparse but thick vegetation was scattered between and around them. Cid propped his lance against his leg, and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Cid!" His voice cracked. "Where are you kid? Where are you?"

He was just about to shout again, when a tiny figure lurched around the side of a thick bush. The pilot raised his foot to dash forward, but froze when he realized what he was seeing.

"Cid," gasped the pilot. "You're . . . you're walking boy! You're actually walking!"

At the sight of his father, Baby Cid stopped crying. A smile lit his little face and he tried to hurry. His gait was like that of drunken man.

Cid started down the hill. "Come to Daddy, baby. Come to Daddy."

Something hurled itself through the bush. Before Cid's horrified gaze, it knocked the baby flat on his face. Baby Cid was too stunned to cry. The Velcher Tusk planted her body directly over the baby and snarled at his father.

Cid was outraged. "Get your ass off my kid!"

Baby Cid raised his head, trying to spit out dirt and cry at the same time. The monster lowered it's jaws until they rested just over the baby's neck. Saliva dripped on the infants back. Her eyes never left Cid.

Cid kept his voice low, but his words were sharp.

"Get your moth eaten carcass away from my son," he growled "Or I'll make you wish, you'd never been born!"

Velcher Tusk opened her jaws wider. Just as she dropped them over the baby's neck, one of her young ones scampered around the bush and ran into her. Forgetting the humans, the angry mother turned on her baby biting and snapping. Howling in pain, it tried to get away from her. Cid started forward. Baby Cid was too to the melee. There was no way he was going to stand by and watch his child crushed underfoot.

The mother's attack sent the young monster running behind the bush. She went after him. Cid closed the distance to his son. Before he could get close enough, the monster broke through the bush again, placing herself between Cid and her meal.

She wasn't happy. Hidden from her enemies, this den had been her home for a long time. She'd raised several litters here. Now these humans knew where the opening was. The den had to be protected at all costs.

Cid kept his eye on her. Having young, she was far more dangerous than the garden party variety monster. He crept closer.

"Come on you big mother!" he challenged. "Come and get me if you can!"

Baby Cid raised his head. The monster leaned down, took the baby's arm in her mouth and ran away with him.

Cid shouted in anger and followed them. He was hard pressed to keep up. The only thing that kept him from giving up was his anger. He'd run the beast to the ground if he could."

But the Velcher Tusk wasn't running away. Her only reason for fleeing was to get as far away from her den as she could get before she killed the humans. Bloody soil was magnet for attracting other predators. If the den was attacked by something larger than she, her family

"Damn you!" Cid caught up to the monster and stopped a short distance away, winded.

"Maybe I ought to stop smoking," he said to himself. His face twisted in a frown. "Nah!"

He raised his weapon.

"You see this "stick?" he said the monster. "Take a good look at it you mother, because in a few minutes, you're going to feel it all upside your head!"

The Velcher Tusk lowered her head and charged. She was like a moving freight train. Cid dived out of her way. She turned incredibly fast. His next jump wasn't far enough. One of the huge shoulders grazed him, spinning him around and knocking him off his feet.

The monster turned again. Cid kicked out with his feet. One of the heels on his worn black boots caught the monster dead center in its snout spraying blood everywhere. She pulled up short of trampling Cid and wheeled away. Running a few paces, she stopped, blowing blood out of her nostrils.

"How do you like them apples?" smirked Cid. "I bought these boots on sale!"

The monster raised its head and charged. Cid waited until it was close. He leaped aside at the last instant, holding out his lance to scrape along the side of the passing beast. It howled in pain. Cid glanced at the sun. Almost half of it was in hiding now. He didn't have time to extract a slow revenge. He had to end this quick and get back to the house.

Baby Cid was standing again. He stumbled toward his father. The monster turned its head in the baby's direction and snarled. Gathering itself, the creature leaped toward the helpless infant.

Unable to call for the Highwind, Cid used Big Brawl. The first blow sent the monster careening off course. The second knocked it off its feet. He got in two more strikes against its body before the creature rolled to its feet and wheeled away. The next four strikes just missed its haunches.

Cid rushed forward, grabbed Baby Cid and retreated. The Velcher Tusk slid to a stop and faced him. Keeping an eye on the monster, Cid started backing up. The last third of the sun was resting on the hills. Once it was gone, darkness wasn't far behind. Cid could only wonder what was waking up now. He kept moving. The monster stamped its hind feet.

It's going to charge," he told the baby. "Daddy is going to have to put you down and fight. Be a good boy and don't move. You hear me? Don't move."

Cid backed a few feet up another hill. Glancing around quickly to make sure nothing was sneaking up on them, He gave the baby a quick kiss on the head and put him down. Deprived of his father's soothing touch, the child's cries began anew."

Sh?h-h-h!" Cid raised his weapon. "I'll be back soon."

Slowly he moved down the hillside.

"Bring it on," he said to the monster. "It's just you and me now."

The sun slid beneath the hill. The monster charged. Cid ran to meet her. The Velcher Tusk opened her mouth to make the kill, Cid aimed his spear, rammed it forward and jumped. The monster tried to stop, raising her head to follow his movement. Her sharp teeth grazed his leg. The lance pierced the monster's hide just inside her shoulder blade. The sharp tip found her heart. Still moving upward, Cid relinquished his spear, completing his vault over her body. He landed just behind her, dropping heavily to his knees.

The Velcher Tusk uttered a gurgling cry, her legs unsteady. Blood gushed from the wound. She turned in place to face Cid again. Lowering her head she charged. Her legs gave out almost immediately. Lying in the dirt, she howled. The Venus Gospel quivered in her flesh. Cid went to her and pulled it out. The monster sighed once and died.

"Da!" Baby Cid cries were pitiful to hear. He shivered in the cold.

"I'm coming!" Cid ran toward his son. Halfway there, he heard a sound. He turned back to look.

The little Velcher Tusks, hearing their mother's death cry were running toward her. They ran by Baby Cid as if he didn't exist. They saw nothing but the creature who had borne them. Reaching her side, they nosed her body, mewling like kittens. Getting no response, one by one, they lifted their snouts and howled.

Cid climbed the hill to his son. Fumbling with the buttons, he pulled off his shirt. Leaning down he picked up his son and wrapped him tenderly. Baby Cid's cries subsided a bit.

"It's okay now Cid," the pilot whispered. "We're going home."

A trio of growls caught his attention. Standing in front of their mother's body, the young monsters pawed the ground, their eyes fixed on the humans.

"Oh." Cid adjusted the baby on his hip. "You want some of this too?"

The monsters took a step forward. They had milk teeth, but there was still enough weight behind them to knock him off his feet if they tried. Maybe they didn't eat human flesh yet, but their milk teeth could cause enough damage to get him to bleed to death if they really worked at it. Worst still, he'd be so busy fighting them off, it would give something bigger a chance to join in. Cid raised his hand and cast Fire 3.

A ball of fire engulfed two of the youngsters where they stood. The third tried to flee. Cid stopped it with quake, followed by another fire spell. It dropped in a fiery heap.

"You're getting off easy,"he said to the burnt carcasses. "I can see what you did to my kid."

The baby laid his head against his father's shoulder with a sleepy yawn. Cid adjusted him in his arms and started for home. If he was lucky, he wouldn't meet anything on the way.

He hadn't gone far when a Baba Velamyu galloped over the next hill. Cid sent it running in another direction with a carefully aimed Bolt 3.

By the time he reached the tall grass, it was almost too dark to make out anything around him. Far in the distance, he could see a faint halo of light. Rocket Town. He turned his face to the light and kept moving.

He stumbled several times, jarring the baby awake, but he never lost his footing. It was hard navigating through the moonless night without knowing where he was putting his feet. Once he stepped in something squishy. The fetid odor and the crunch of bones told him he had stepped on the victim of a predator. Cid quickened his steps. Predators didn't go far from their kills and he didn't want to be there when this one came back.

Soon after they left the kill, Cid began to suspect something was pacing them. Under the sound of his leather boots, he caught the traces of questionable sounds. He hugged his son closer. The thought of having to fight with a baby in his arms was too wild a thought to entertain, but putting him down to fight wasn't such a hot option either. While he was trying to feel his way around a foe he couldn't see, it or its partner would snatch the child and run. For now all he could do was pause and listen, pause and listen. Every time he did, the noises stopped. He walked for an hour wondering if the creature stalking them was harmless or dangerous to humans.

Rocket Town was closer now. Cid was kicking himself for not bringing a PHS along. He could have called ahead for a group of people to meet him with lights and weapons. That's two stupid things you've done today, he thought. Something snapped on his left. Cid stopped to listen. He could feel the hair standing up on his neck. The breeze shifted, bringing with it, the smell of sour meat. Cid wanted to want to gag. Worry lined his face. Now he knew what was out there. They were being stalked by a predator.

Since it hadn't tried to attack them yet, Cid wondered if it was following them more out of curiosity than hunger. He certainly hoped so, because if that wasn't true, they were in for an attack soon. For lack of a better option, he started walking again. He could hear the sounds of the monster pacing them again.

Cid grit his teeth and kept plodding. If he ever got out of this alive, he would never look at darkness the same way he had before. Childhood nightmares were tame, compared what he was experiencing now. He kept looking around, but there was nothing to see. For thirty minutes he feared his next step would b his last. He was halfway to the distant light when it happened.

Whatever was following them, suddenly thundered around in front of them and stopped, barring his path. Cid stopped. It wasn't being coy anymore. He could hear it breathing. Carefully he reached into a pocket and pulled out his lighter. He hadn't used it before because he didn't want to attract attention to himself and the baby. Obviously that didn't make any difference now. He coaxed the flame into existence.

The lighter wasn't able to put much of a dent in the gloom, but it showed him more than he wanted to see. It was a Velcher Tusk, and this one was even bigger than the one he had killed. The flame of the lighter gave its eyes the brilliant glow of luminous green fire. Cid's heart sank. This monster wasn't curious. All he saw in those eyes was hunger and death. He raised his staff in one hand. Maybe it would kill him. Maybe it would kill his son, but he wasn't going down without a fight.

A deep throated growl almost made him jump out of his skin. Cid turned. Heavy footsteps were coming toward him. Oh shit, he thought. This is all I need. The second monster's eyes were glowing long before it stepped up to the edge of the light. To Cid's dismay, it was another Velcher Tusk. He looked from one to the other. What was he going to do now?

The first monster lowered it's head and growled at him. Cid back up a step. The second monster moved a step closer. Clumsily holding the lance and the lighter in the same hand and trying to drop neither, he rocked on his feet trying to anticipate which one would attack first. The second monster stepped forward again, slashing at him with a claw. As Cid ducked out of the way, he saw the first monster coming at him from the opposite side. He threw himself aside feeling his right ankle protest against the awkward movement. The cigarette lighter flew out of his hand. It struck the ground and went out. The baby whimpered in his sleep. Cid stroked his back to quiet him. It's over he thought. I've killed my own son.

The first monster roared in his face. Foul smelling breath and spittle forced him to turn his head and retreat. He braced himself waiting to feel teeth or claws digging into his flesh. The Monster roared in his face again. Heavy footsteps came in from Cid's left. The roaring in his face ended with a loud grunt. There was another roar. It was followed by a howl of pain, then all hell broke loose. Cid's ears were filled with the sounds of ferocious growling and snarling. The monsters were fighting over them.

From what he could make out, they were rolling all over the ground. This was confirmed when they rolled close by, brushing him just enough to knock him down. He managed to take the brunt of the impact, but it woke the baby just the same. Baby Cid opened his mouth in a loud cry. Cid slapped his hand over the baby's mouth to muffle the sound. There was no way he was going to wait around to find out who'd win the fight. Clutching the baby against his chest, he ran for the lights of Rocket Town.

It was hard going. Unable to judge what the ground was like, he stepped too high when the ground was low and too low when the ground was high. His ankle, already sore, began to throb in earnest. He grit his teeth against the pain and kept running.

The fight was getting more violent. Each monster wanted to run him down, but the other was preventing its opponent from doing so. Cid prayed the fight would last long enough to let him reach the village alive.

His ankle was screaming now. Relentlessly he forced it to take more punishment. If he slowed down or stopped now, he wouldn't be able to force himself to go on any further. His ankle would swell up like a sausage in his boot. He wouldn't be able to get it off or walk on it again. He and Baby Cid would be sitting ducks. Tears of pain bled from the corners of his eyes, but he pushed himself still harder. The lights were his only hope. Even if he could stop the monster with magic, the glow of his spell would attract more creatures. The odds of survival would go from fifty-fifty to almost nil. I've got to keep moving, he told himself. If I give up we'll die.

Cid pushed himself to his maximum speed. His ankle was in agony. Behind him, one of the growls, turned into a series of horrible screams. One of the monsters was losing. When those mournful cries stopped, it would be his turn. Baby Cid was whimpering in his arms.

Cid broke out of the tall grass and ran toward the powerful light posts that surrounded the outskirts of Rocket Town. Two men were standing with guns aimed in his direction.

"Don't shoot!" gasped Cid, shambling into the pool of light. "It's me! Cid!"

One of the men lowered his weapon.

"Captain? You're still alive!" He turned to the other man. "Don't shoot. That's the Captain!"

The other man lowered his gun.

"No!" Cid staggered toward them. "Get those weapons up! There's a monster right behind me."

The screams had stopped. Now they could hear the sound of something crashing through the grass.

The crewman looked at each other.

"It's a monster!" panted Cid. "Shoot the damned thing!"

The men raised their rifles just as the creature charged out of the darkness. They fired simultaneously. The Velcher Tusk tumbled onto its face, hopping up immediately. It growled at them and ran back into the darkness. They could hear it running through the underbrush. Cid held his breath until he couldn't hear it anymore.

"It's gone Sir," said the crewman, Cid recognized as Klynn. He took a good look at his boss. Seeing the blood on Cid's shirt, he recoiled. "Captain! Are you injured?"

Cid straightened himself with some difficulty. "It's nothing. I just twisted my ankle."

Yarvin, the second crewman stepped forward.

"Let me carry the baby for you," he said. "That's less weight on your ankle."

Cid gave him a look that dried the saliva in his mouth.

"NO!" He hugged the baby closer. "I'm not letting him out of my sight again."

He hobbled home. The neighbors came out of their homes to stare and whisper. Everyone knew about the baby being taken away and Cid going after it. No one had ever expected to see him alive again.

The front door was still hanging open. Cid went inside and closed it. Baby Cid started crying.

"You're hungry huh?" He gave the baby a tired smile. "Me too, but I'll take care of you first. Just let me do one thing."

In his haste to leave home, Cid had forgotten to take his Cure materia. He picked up one of the orbs and cast the spell on himself. His ankle felt better immediately. He cast a spell on the baby. The bloody cuts healed. Cid held the baby out a arms length to look him over.

"Good as new," he said.

Baby Cid smiled at him.

Cid took him into the kitchen where he prepared a bottle. He sat at the kitchen table, his shirt still wrapped around Baby Cid and watched him feed.

"You're going to need a diaper," he said when Baby Cid was done. "But first a bath."

Having never used the fancy bathtub Shera had purchased, Cid opted to bathe the baby in one of the double kitchen sinks. He didn't even have to go into the bathroom for bubble bath or shampoo, since Shera kept an extra bottle or two in the cabinet.

Baby Cid played happily in the suds until Cid pulled him out of the sink and dried him. Finding the baby something to wear and dressing him was a lot easier than Cid remembered it last. He was looking forward to reading his son a book, but the baby fell asleep before the last snap was in place.

Cid carried him to his bed and pulled back the cover. He the baby son before he laid him down and covered his small body with a light quilt. On the way back to the living room, he passed a mirror and realized how filthy he was. His next stop was the shower.

He emerged from the bathroom clean and exhausted. He started for the bedroom, then stopped, suddenly filled with the need to see the baby again. Cid went into his child's room and stood over the bed. Little Cid looked like a tiny blonde cherub. Cid smiled wiping a tear from his eye. Just one more time, he thought. I just want to make sure he's really okay. Leaning down, he picked up Baby Cid and cradled him in his arms. Looking down into the small peaceful face, Cid felt love spreading through his heart. This was his son. His only child.

He knew he should have put the boy down and gone on to bed, but somehow he wasn't in much of a hurry to be separated from the baby. Taking the quilt along, Cid carried his son into the living room and sat on the couch. He leaned back, laid his son on his chest and covered him with the blanket. He was only going to hold him for a little while, that's all. Just for a while, then he'd put him back to bed. Five minutes later, He was asleep.

It was almost nine o'clock when the mail plane landed on the runway. Shera climbed out. Cid wasn't there to meet her. It was to be expected. He probably hadn't checked the answering machine. She'd called several times with no answer. That was to be expected too. It meant he was in the hanger babying his aircraft. She'd put the phone down. It wouldn't have done any good to call the hanger. Knowing Cid, he'd let that answering machine pick up too, but again, he wouldn't get around to checking his messages until he was finished what he was doing. The same thing with his PHS. It was one of the things that annoyed her. Cid was a good man, but sometimes he couldn't get past his flying machine long enough to think of the little things. Shera waved goodbye for her friends and started walking.

She was just thinking about what beautiful day it was when a little boy riding a bike, glanced her way. His eyes widened and he skidded to a halt staring at her. Shera smiled and kept going. She glanced at a shop as she passed. Three faces were pressed against the window. She knew those women, she was just about to wave and smile, when the faces disappeared. Shera paused in the act of raising her hand. The faces didn't reappear. She shrugged and kept going.

What in the world is that all about? she wondered. She debated going to the house to find out, then decided it wasn't worth the effort. She went on her way, but the peeking faces had made her a lot more observant. As she moved toward her house, Shera realized everyone was watching her. Some people, smiled and said hello before they rushed by, but mostly there were sly glances, vanishing faces and whispering voices. Anytime she passed people having a conversation, they stopped until they thought she was out of earshot. Shera knew these people. Why were they acting like this? She was just about to walk by the door of a dress shop when she heard her name.

"Well I don't care what you say!" Shera recognized the voice as Mrs. Heddington, the nosiest woman in Rocket Town. "I'm going to tell Shera! When I think of what could have happened . . . it just burns me up!"

Puzzled Shera stopped to listen.

"It's not your place to tell her." Shera frowned in bewilderment. That was Elmyra's voice. "Cid will tell her in his own way." "What makes you think he'll tell her at all?" asked Mrs. Heddington. "If I was Shera, I'd rip his guts out and hang them on the clothes line to dry!"

"Stay out of it Edith! He has to tell her. After all . . . the whole town knows!"

Shera stood back, letting Elmyra and her companion exit the shop. They saw her and froze in place.

"Tell me what?" she asked.

Elmyra's face went white. The other woman, Mrs. Heddington, looked surprised for a moment, then a knowing smile appeared. "Hello Shera."

She ignored the greeting. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

Mrs. Heddington opened her mouth.

"Edith don't!" cried Elmyra. She turned to Shera. "Go home Shera, your family is waiting for you.

Shera looked from one to the other. "What does the whole town know?"

Mrs. Heddington turned to Elmyra. "If she heard that much, she might as well hear the whole thing."

She opened her mouth, but Elmyra shoved her out of the way and stepped up to Shera.

"Go home Shera. Just remember, to error is human, to forgive is divine."

"Forgive what?" A look of alarm spread across Shera's face. She looked at Mrs. Heddington. "What did you mean about Cid? Is he okay?"

Mrs. Heddington laughed at the look her face. "What Elmyra really means dearie, is go home and check on your baby."

She winked at Shera and turned away.

Shera blanched and looked at Elmyra.

Elmyra shoved Edith again, giving her a dirty look..

Mrs. Heddington returned Elmyra's look, then glanced at Shera. "If I were you, I'd hurry!"

Shera turned around. Everywhere she looked , there were people staring at her. Her house wasn't far away. There were no signs of life. Cid was usually up at this time. She looked at Elmyra.

"Excuse me," she said. "I'm going home."

"Shera wait!" called Elmyra. "Don't listen to this . . . this old busybody!"

Shera only ran faster. She was breathless by the time she reached the door with her overnight bag. Even the birds seemed to quiet down as she walked up to the front door and put her hand on the knob.

She opened the door, holding her breath. The crowd behind her did the same. Shera stepped inside, closing the door in their faces. With her back to the door, she stood surveying the room. It looked the same as always. No. It didn't. Shera opened her eyes in surprise. Why was Cid sleeping on the couch? And what was wrong with his chest? She moved forward cautiously until she was standing in front of the sleeping man. Her eyes softened. Cid was sound asleep with the baby in his arms. Shera clasped her hands in front of her lips, moisture forming in her eyes.

"Oh how sweet," she whispered. "They look so cute like this."

This was definitely a photo to remember. Shera sat her bag down quietly, along with her purse and went into the bedroom to get her camera. She stopped in the doorway. Both of the lamps were on the floor broken. All but one part of a large spot near the foot of the bed had dried. Shera went to the bed and leaned over to examine it. It smelled of urine. She straightened up in surprise. Her eyes fell on the vanity table. Her lipstick, a nail file and a bottle of fingernail polish were on the floor. Shera picked up the lipstick. It was flattened in some places and protruding in others. It was ruined.

Hearing a sound, for the first time she noticed the telephone receiver on the floor. She picked it up.

"Did you like that baby?" asked a weary voice. "Next I'm going give you a great massage. I'm going to get this really hot smelling oil and I'm going to . . . "

"And who the hell are YOU?" asked Shera.

The voice paused. "Huh?"

Shera tightened her grip on the phone. "What are you doing on my phone?"

"Look lady," said the voice. "I can only take one paying customer at a time. If you want a Hot Babe of your own, you're going to have to hang up and call back."

Shera's gripped the phone so hard, the plastic creaked. "A HOT WHAT?"

"You heard me," answered the bored voice with a touch of annoyance. "Put that guy back on the phone."

"Guy?" Shera turned toward the bedroom door. "What guy?"

"Look," the voice sighed. "There's a guy paying for this call. Put him back on."

"My husband called you?" Shera's voice rose a notch.

"Yeah your husband called me," replied the voice in a mocking tone. "He likes to listen. We've been on the phone for hours now. Hell . . . it's his dime."

"YOU BITCH!" Shera slammed the phone down in the cradle. "Damn you Cid!"

Shera stormed out of the bedroom. She went straight to the baby's room to get his bed ready. First she'd tuck the baby in, then she'd throw Cid out. How dare he? She left home for one day and he jumped on the phone with a bimbo. She stomped into the baby's room and stopped. Her mouth hung open.

There was a diaper lying on the floor next to the dressing table. It was obviously soiled. If the smell wasn't a clue, a pair of flies circling over it like two tiny airplanes searching for a place to land was a dead giveaway.

She counted to ten as she went into the kitchen to get a plastic bag. Another shock was waiting. Muddy droplets were spattered around the double sink. One sink had traces of mud that hadn't washed down the drain. One of the baby's bath cloths lay nearby along with a damp towel. There was no top on the baby shampoo. The baby powder was on the kitchen table. Dirty footprints all over the kitchen led to Cid's boots by the back door. They smelled like they had died. Holding her nose, Shera backed away.

She stumbled out of the kitchen and went into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. She almost tripped over Cid's pants, lying in front of the door. His shirt was near the bathroom sink. She picked up his pants and gasped, they were covered with dirt but there were smudges of blood too. She found the same thing on his shirt. The lance was propped against the wall. Shera's eyes settled on the materia slots. When the lance wasn't in use, Cid put his materia away. Shera touched the colorful stones. The lance was dirty, and she knew battle materia when she saw it.

The phone rang. She went back into the bedroom to pick it up.

"By the way," said the same female voice she'd talked to before. "Your husband is still going to pay for this call. If you took care of things at home, he would have to call girls like me, so watch who you're calling names."

Shera slammed the receiver down.

"CID!"

She couldn't get to the living room fast enough.

"CID!"

He twitched in his sleep. Shera grabbed a handful of blonde hair.

"Wake up, Damn you!"

"Yeowwwww!" Cid sat up blinking fast. The sunlight burned his eyes. He shaded them with one hand holding the baby with the other. His vision cleared.

"Shera?" His face lit up. "Shera? You're back!"

She put her hands on her hips. "I'd think you'd be disappointed about that Cid, considering you can't talk to your Hot Babe while I'm here!"

His face dissolved into bewilderment. "What?"

"How long did you wait before I got out of the house?" she asked. "Talking for hours huh? You were so eager to get on the phone, you left a mess in the baby's room? And what happened to our bedroom? And the bathroom too? Just what the hell did you do while I was gone?"

The baby stirred. Cid adjusted the child in his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about Shera."

"Oh I'll just bet you don't," she said. "Hot Babe indeed!"

Cid glanced at the baby. "He isn't hot. He's fine."

"Smart Ass!"

Cid's eyes widened. Shera rarely swore. "Was the play that bad?"

"I should ask the same about your Hot Babe," she countered. "What did you do? Have one on the phone and one here with you?"

"Hot Babe?" Cid gave her a strange look. "What's wrong with you?"

"What wrong with me?" Shera's voice rose. "What's wrong with me? The whole town knows what you've done. They're out there right now, whispering and pointing at me. Why did I have to find out like this?"

He blanched. "They told you I lost the baby?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "What are you talking about? The baby is right here in your arms!"

He swallowed. "Then you don't know about the monster?"

"What monster?" Shera gave him a strange look. "What are you talking about Cid?"

He swallowed hard. "I almost lost the baby Shera."

"Cid," said Shera slowly. "You've got our son. What do you mean you almost lost him?"

"Oh man," Cid looked away. "Man, oh man. You're not going to like this, babe."

"A monster." Shera stared at him. The muddy boots, mud in the sink, the dirty lance and blood. She looked at her baby. "Is he all right Cid?"

Cid looked down at his son. "He's fine Shera. I got him back okay."

She just stood there looking at him.

"Shera, I'm sorry." Cid could barely speak past the lump in his throat.

She reached out. "Give me the baby, Cid."

He clutched the baby too him. "What are you going to do?"

Her expression didn't change. "Just give him to me."

Cid felt a cold lump in the pit of his stomach. He gave her the baby. Baby Cid opened his eyes for a second, then went back to sleep. Shera went to the front door.

Cid jumped off the couch. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be back."

The door closed behind her. He wondered if he should run after her. If Shera took the baby and le his life would be empty. Not even the Highwind would fill the void she'd leave behind in his heart. With that unexpected revelation, Cid sat down expecting the worst.

The crowd was even bigger than before. Shera ignored them. They parted for her as she approached and closed in her wake. She walked right up to Elmyra and held out the baby.

"Please take care of my son," she said to the startled woman. "I'll be back shortly."

"With or without your suitcases?" asked Mr. Heddington eagerly.

Elmyra glared at her. "Knock it off!"

Mrs. Heddington kept her eyes on Shera's face. "That's what you're going to do to Cid right? You're going to knock his block off!"

Elmyra looked as if she wanted to deck her companion.

Shera turned and walked away without answering. As before, the crowd parted to let her through, then closed behind her. She kept her head high until she vanished into the house.

"Fight, fight, fight!" Mrs. Heddington laughed. "She's going to kick his butt!"

"Oh shut up Edith!" snapped Elmyra.

A few of the children took up the cry. "Fight, fight, fight!"

Elmyra looked around. "Can't you people control your children?"

The parents shushed them at once. They waited.

Shera walked into the livingroom and sat down, on the other end of the couch with her hands in her lap. "I'm listening Cid."

Cid started at the point he'd seen her last and continued his story up until the time she woke him up. Shera never said a word the whole time he was speaking. Not even the part about the Velcher Tusk holding Baby Cid by the arm changed her expression. By the time he came to the end of his tale, his voice was hoarse with emotion. Shera took her eyes off his face and focused on her hands.

"Are the repairs on the Highwind finished?" she asked.

He cleared his throat. "I don't know."

She kept her eyes down. "Didn't you check?"

He shook his head. "No"

"Why not?"

"I had more important things on my mind Shera."

She didn't say anything for a long time.

He couldn't take it anymore. "What are you thinking about Shera?"

She raised her eyes to his. "I'm thinking about taking the baby and running just as far away from you as I can get.

"I made a mistake," he said. "And it will haunt me for the rest of my life."

She didn't speak.

"But I can promise you one thing Shera. It will NEVER happen again."

She looked down at her hands again.

He was rewarded with a faint smile. Encouraged, he went on. "If I were you, I'd beat the hell out of me. I deserve it. I could have lost our son forever. Just thinking about something like that chills my blood. The things that went through my mind!

He dropped down on his knees in front of her. "Please give me a chance to prove things will be different. I know you probably won't trust me alone with the baby for awhile, but I can live with that. You're an important part of my life Shera and so is my son. I won't ever forget that again."