By Kristen Gupton-Williams

Jaras stepped up onto the flight deck with Jeanine at his side, at once realizing that he had managed to stumble into some awkward situation. Tifa and Vincent were there; lips joined in a passionate kiss. It wasn't for several moments until Vincent and Tifa realized that he was there and broke off their embrace.

Tifa smiled upon seeing Jaras. Although he had been on the ship all day, she and Vincent hadn't run into him until now. "Hey Jaras."

Only then did he approach them, his companion following a short distance behind. "Hi, I wanted you two to meet Jeanine."

She came forward and extended her hand first to Tifa, then Vincent. "Nice to meet you."

"She's Brandon's daughter." Jaras explained. "I've known her since I arrived in Mideel. She just recently returned from Junon where she had been helping with some medical research. She is a doctor like her father."

Vincent was impressed. "A doctor, huh? That's quite an achievement."

Jeanine blushed slightly, dropping her gaze to the ground. "Thanks."

Vincent looked over at Tifa, "Do you mind if Jaras and I have a minute alone?"

Tifa nodded, knowing that this would give her a chance to get to know Jeanine better. "Not at all, I'm sure us girls can entertain ourselves for a while."

Vincent smiled in appreciation as Tifa and Jeanine made their way back below deck, leaving him and his son alone. He faced Jaras. "She seems like a good woman."

Jaras hung his head shyly. "We've been friends for a long time, and I just wanted someone to come on this trip with me that I knew."

"I understand." Vincent was pleased that Jaras seemed to be getting on with his life. "I wanted to just ask you how you've been feeling lately."

Jaras looked thoughtful for a few seconds before responding. "I've been all right."

"The memories haven't been haunting you anymore?" Vincent asked.

"No, not since I returned to Mideel." Jaras shrugged. "It's almost as though once Hojo was gone, something inside me calmed down and I just sort of became myself again… or at least, the person I was in Mideel before learning about my past."

Vincent accepted this answer, finding it to be truthful. "I'm glad to hear that."

"And yourself?" Jaras met his father's gaze, knowing that his answer wouldn't be so simple or pleasant.

Vincent took a deep breath. "It hasn't been easy. I haven't really been able to figure out what I should do or how to act. I know I've upset Tifa lately. I killed my brother, Jaras and I don't know how to deal with it."

Jaras shook his head. "From the way it was explained to me, you didn't kill him, Chaos did. I can't imagine what it's like to lose someone that close to you and I'm not going to lie and tell you that I understand, because I really don't. I can see that you're very unhappy right now, though."

Vincent confessed to his son, "I am."

"It has nothing to do with Tifa though, right?" Jaras dared to ask, fearing the end to his father and Tifa's relationship.

"No, not in the least. The only way she plays into it is that she has to be around me when I'm feeling like this." Vincent leaned against the railing. "I know I'm not any fun right now."

"What will make you feel better?" Jaras asked, wishing that there were something he could do to help.

"Having my own body back will be a big step." He sighed. "They think that might happen within the next six months. With that, I won't have to look at the body I have now and constantly be reminded about what I did to earn this."

"Six months? That's not very long, really." Jaras said, amazed that it might happen so quickly.

"I think maybe my mental state will be a lot better after that. Then I can lose this depression that's holding me down." Vincent narrowed his eyes. "That's what it is, you know that makes me act this way. Tifa just called me on it and as much as I hate to admit it, she's right. If Chaos was still in me, I'm sure I'd have more feelings to display, but it'd probably just be anger. I need help, Jaras."

Hearing such a plea from Vincent struck something within Jaras. "Jeanine is a psychiatrist as well as a general practitioner. Would you like to have her talk to you?"

Vincent in all his years had never sought professional counseling, as he'd never believed in it. Just this once though, for Tifa's sake he supposed he ought to give it a try. It was almost impossible for him to get his answer out. "Yes, I think so."

Jaras smiled at him and patted him on the back. "It'll be okay. Maybe she can help you figure out some things for yourself. No one wants to see you hurting."

Vincent realized that Jaras's friend would have her work cut out for her, trying to sift through his tangle of emotions and thoughts. It might take years for the contents of his head to make sense to anyone, doctor or not. "I appreciate this Jaras."

He was just happy to know that he could actually do something to help his father. "This will be good. Jeanine is wonderful. When I first came out of my coma in Mideel and was trying to cope with my amnesia, Brandon had me meet with her a few times to let me get out some of the anxiety and confusion I was feeling. She helped me an awful lot."

Vincent smiled and looked over at his son. "Isn't hanging out with her like you are now a violation of some patient-doctor ethic or something?"

"She isn't my shrink anymore." Jaras winked. "We're just friends now."

Vincent couldn't help but nudge his son, "Just friends?"

"For now." Jaras turned red. "I'm not going to deny the fact that I like her."

He pictured the woman in his mind, remembering the striking green eyes she had and her long, dark hair. She wasn't bad looking at all and could see how Jaras was attracted to her. "Well, you've got to do what you've got to do. Finding a doctor your own age who's that good looking and single is a Hell of a find."

"Luckily for me, she was about seventy pounds heavier until the last year or so. Otherwise I'm sure someone else would have stolen her away. She was cute anyways, but now that she's gotten into shape…" Jaras's words trailed off as he raised an eyebrow.

Vincent could see that his son was getting well past his brief infatuation with Tifa and was glad that his feelings were beginning to center around someone much more appropriate. "I hear you."

Jaras laughed. "I don’t know, I guess if she likes me beyond the friendly that something could happen."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed for you." Vincent said back, the pained expression he had been showing earlier now long gone.