A/N: So here it is, my first and probably only Cloti AU story. But then there's also the saying "Never say never." Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter. Let me know if you're interested in the continuation of this. :)

~ "Are you the Tee-fah?" ~

It was one of those normal, lazy Sunday afternoons in the 7th Heaven. Well, as normal as it could get for a bartender who had to take care of her friend's two children. Still, it was nothing she couldn't handle. Denzel and Marlene were great children. They listened to her and respected her. These two were the perfect children she never had. Well, until now, because she kind of regarded them their own too, seeing as she spent more time with them than anyone else.

"Marlene, please put on a sweater or vest, before Jack Frost nips at your nose!"

"Aye aye, Tifa!"

The girl saluted her and then ran upstairs to look for something warm and pink to match her cute outfit.

"Who's Jack Frost?" a ten-year-old boy asked curiously.

Tifa ruffled his hair affectionately, messing it up even more now. "You'll get to hear more about him right before bedtime, okay Denzel?"

Denzel nodded, a wide grin appearing on his face. "Okay, cool!"

It was nearly six o'clock and Tifa was almost done with all her chores. Everything looked spick and span, from the bar to the kitchen. One could probably eat from the floor without having to worry about dirt. The kids were clean too and they had finished cleaning their bedroom. All in all, she had been pretty busy this weekend, but that was nothing new. There were just things that had to happen every week. On weekdays, she would be too busy with running 7th Heaven to worry about such things. Of course, things could have been a lot easier if there had been a man at her side to help her. But Tifa refused to let a man in her life just for that reason. She had no time for nor interest in having a relationship. Unfortunately for her, she had to tell that over and over again to some people who didn't seem to get it.

But she was digressing. For now, all that was left was the garbage that she had to bring outside, and the dinner that she had to prepare. And she was about to take care of the first. She would worry about the second as soon as she had taken care of the garbage. It was a pity that it had been raining cats and dogs for the past two hours now, because that meant that she wouldn't be able to stay dry.

That being said, the pretty bartender took the full, dark-grey bag with her and she tried to open the front door with her free hand. However, the door jammed.

"Ugh, stupid door!" Tifa muttered irritably under her breath, while giving it one last pull.

She would have to take a look at that tomorrow…if she doesn't forget, that is. It was getting too dark to take care of that now. Maybe if it hadn't started raining, it would have been possible, but alas.

After putting down the garbage bag, she opened the door, now using both her hands. However, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw next. Before she knew what hit her, a tall, blonde man, who was about to knock on their door apparently, fell forward, right in her arms. Unable to cope with the newly added weight (the guy was rather heavy, despite his normal figure), Tifa's legs gave away and she fell too.

Before she could even ask the stranger if he was all right, he lost consciousness.

Maybe today was not one of those normal, lazy Saturday afternoons after all.

Everything hurt, so much. Even muscles of which he had no idea that they even existed were hurting. And it wasn't just one kind of pain. Apparently, there were different kinds of pains too. His head felt too heavy too. Was this what it felt like to be run over by a train multiple times? Possibly, though this felt worse. It was a wonder that he could still think, even if it wasn't as clearly as usual.

And was it just him or did the ground feel more comfortable today? He had no problem with lying here for a bit longer until at least his dizziness would go away (he already knew that the pain wasn't temporary, unfortunately). Maybe if he didn't open his eyes just yet, people thought he was dead and everyone would leave him be.

Sounds...like a plan, he thought. Cloud shifted a bit, but noticed the weight on his stomach. What the...

He sighed and opened his eyes reluctantly. The blonde had to blink a couple of times to clear his vision. There were a few things that he noticed all at the same time. One: a cute little girl who couldn't possibly be older than four was sitting on his stomach, staring curiously at him without blinking. Two: he was lying on a soft couch, in an unfamiliar, dimly lit room. Three: judging by the way his shirt was scraping against something that wasn't his skin, someone had actually bothered to clean his wounds and bandage it and he doubted that it was this angelic little girl.

How did he get here in the first place? Why couldn't he remember anything?

"Hi. Tifa says you're a sleepy-head." Even her voice was like a sweet medley of little bells.

Wha...? he thought, his thoughts still kind of fuzzy.

He tried to sit up slightly, leaning on his elbows, so that the girl wouldn't fall off him and get hurt. "Who's…" Cloud shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Where am I? Who are you?"

She tilted her head to the side, still not breaking eye contact. "I'm Marlene, but I'm not allowed to talk to strangers. Tifa told me to keep an eye on you in case you roll over in your sleep and fall off the couch. That's why I'm sitting here; so you won't fall. I'm heavy."

The corners of his mouth quirked upwards at that, despite the fact that he felt miserable. This kid was adorable. He was about to tell her that, when he caught movement in the corner of his eyes. Cloud blinked, vaguely aware that his mouth had dropped open at the sight of the beautiful dark-haired woman who had entered the room. Her long, silky smooth hair matched her black outfit and those dark, dark eyes. That color seriously looked good on her because of her flawless skin.

When he regained his composure, he asked, "Are you the Tee-fah?"

Whatever the hell that was.

He must have pronounced it oddly, because she laughed. "The one and only. I see you woke up. How do you feel?"

He shrugged and instantly regretted doing so when a sharp pain shot from the back of his shoulder all the way to his skull and back.

The woman must have seen his grimace, because she shook her head. "Liar." He opened his mouth to protest, but she beat him to it by saying, "Why don't you freshen up? The bathroom's upstairs, first door on your right. We'll meet you in the kitchen, alright?"

He nodded and got up from his place. Cloud could feel her watching him, in case he'd lose his balance. The last thing he could hear was the little girl asking in a hushed tone, "Will he be okay?"

Once he'd reached the bathroom, Cloud turned on the light and looked at his pale features in the mirror. He had bags under his eyes from here to Midgar (assuming that he wasn't in Midgar right now of course). At the moment, he looked more like a dead zombie than a living person. No wonder the woman saw right through his lie. It was hard not to when he looked like shit.

If only he knew why his memories were gone. Was it amnesia? If so, then what had caused that? Where did he come from? Why was he so weak and hurt?

He opened the faucet, cupped some water in his hands and splashed it in his face, even though he already knew that it wouldn't make any difference. But since he couldn't let them wait too long (that would be plain rude), he decided to dry his face and go downstairs again.

As soon as he'd entered the clean and cozy kitchen, Tifa greeted him with, "Hey. I made you something to eat meanwhile. Have a seat."

His sat down where Tifa had put a plate with what seemed to be Spaghetti Bolognese, and a cool glass of water. The cute girl was sitting on the chair on his left side, and a boy with messy hair was sitting on the opposite side of him. He wondered if they were Tifa's own children. If so, where was her husband? How could he leave her all by herself at this time of the day? Not that it was any of his business, but still, he thought it was a little odd.

He picked up his knife and fork and started eating. As it turned out, Tifa was a great cook. For some reason, he hadn't expected any different. The children seemed to be following every move he made, to the point that Cloud started to feel a little uncomfortable under their stares. Eventually, he gave up and made eye contact with the boy.

Almost at once, he asked defiantly, "What's your name?"

"...Cloud. Yours?"

"I'm Denzel." The boy's gaze travelled once again to Cloud's hair. "How'd you get your hair like that? It's awesome!"

Cloud frowned, averting his gaze. "…I don't remember."

Almost as if by that reply he had given them a sign, both Denzel and Marlene started firing questions at him, until Tifa finally decided to intervene. "Denzel, Marlene, leave the poor man alone, so he can eat in peace."

Reluctancy was written all over their young faces, but they did as they were told. Cloud let out a relieved breath. Thank heavens they listened to her.

Tifa continued, "Now, I don't remember seeing you two do your homework today. You better start right now, because I know it's due tomorrow."

"Aww!"

Cloud watched the kids leave the kitchen. He guessed that she either felt bad for him and wanted to give him a short break, or she wanted to have a word with him to find out who he really was. It was probably the latter. Too bad that he didn't know it himself.

When they were alone, she said softly, "I'm sorry about that. It's not often that we get visitors here."

He shook his head, slowly this time, because he had learned his lesson. "No, it's fine. They're just kids."

That reply earned him a small smile. "So what do you do remember about yourself?"

He looked down. Cloud had been waiting for this question, but it still did sting a little when he replied, "Only my name."

Tifa nodded thoughtfully. "I was afraid you'd say that, seeing the state you were in when I found you. It's okay, though." She gave him an encouraging smile as she continued, "We'll work from there. And if you promise not to cause any trouble, you can stay here as long as you'd like."

"Thank you. I won't."

With that, he finished his dinner in pure silence.

A/N: Aaand? How did I do? What are your expectations for this story? I'll say it in advance though, this might be one of those stories that I won't finish, but I'll try my best. I'd also appreciate it if you could take a look at my new poll and vote. It's about chapter length in general, but I guess I will apply it to this story too. Thanks in advance. :) Also, please keep in mind that I might update very VERY slow from now on (maybe once per three months), because of real life issues, so I hope you understand.