A still night is a stagnant night, and a stagnant night is a poisonous night. Oh, the torment the moon must've felt when it spent its evenings in such a state. Its phases seemed to pass faster through the days, just to disappear from sight.

There was a light snowfall at midnight. Cloud stepped out into the cold and pulled his coat tighter around him; only his nightclothes were underneath. His breath froze around his face. The snow crunched under his boats with each step. When he reached the middle of the street, Cloud looked up toward the forest and watched for anything…and everything.

Something strangely odd was coming towards the village. When he first sensed it, Cloud had stumbled out of his bed in fright and came rushing down the stairs. But now that he saw there was no threat, he was left completely dumbfounded. It made no sense to him…or maybe…just maybe…

"You can see them coming too," a voice observed in the night.

Vincent came towards him from behind, also in coat and nightclothes. He had a thermos full of tea under his arm. A few yards away, Sephiroth was struggling in the snow. His coat was well powdered, and he was not very happy.

"Blasted winter!" Sephiroth cursed. "How do humans stand for this?"

"Welcome to the mortal plane," Cloud teased. "Humans don't seem so weak anymore, do they?"

Vincent stopped right beside Cloud and opened up his thermos. The steam poured out as he drank some. Vincent gestured for Cloud to have some, but he refused politely.

"They're non-threatening," Cloud mumbled in surprise. "Perhaps, they're trying to escape from something.

Sephiroth reached them finally in a state of heavy breathes. "That would make perfect sense."

"Is there something you have failed to mention?" Vincent asked suspiciously.

"Not much," Sephiroth answered. "I left too soon to find out. But they were planning something. They won't give up the village without a fight."

Cloud let out an ironic chuckle. He tucked his hands into his pocket, regretting that he forgot gloves.

"I wouldn't be surprised," he confessed. "Not after my rather violent reception. Ah well, I'll just have to stave them off."

The wind gusted in their direction, and it seemed to come directly from the forest. The hanging shop signs swung back and forth; the creaking sounds cried through the night.

"But what of these people?" Vincent asked. "Why on earth would they come to this plane?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sephiroth asked in amusement. "There is going to a maelstrom. They don't want any part of it, but they can't move elsewhere. So, they have no choice but to come to the village."

Cloud sighed and looked at Vincent's thermos. "Actually, I could use some of that, thank you…"

--

Tifa quietly opened her bedroom door. She stepped into the dark hallway and shivered in the chill of the house; her bedroom had been warm. A few doors way, she could see Cloud's door, and it called to her. Tifa couldn't resist. Just a few steps, and she was right in front of the door. Tifa grabbed the knob quickly, but she hesitated to turn it.

"Well, this is brazen of you," she chided herself. "Standing outside a man's door."

She let go of the knob, only to take it again…more slowly this time.

"But it's not like I want to do anything," she thought. "I just want to sleep next to him."

A light blush appeared on her face. Tifa drew her hand away once more. She grunted in exasperation.

"Why can't you just grow a spine?" she hissed quietly.

"I'm not in there," a pleasant voice mocked.

Tifa gasped and looked into the hallway. Cloud, returning from wherever he came, walked towards her with a smile on his face. He rubbed his hands together and blew on them.

"I kept hearing a weird noise," Tifa lied. "I thought it was coming from your room, so I came to see if you were awake."

"Without knocking?" Cloud asked.

"I'll remember next time…sorry…"

Tifa turned to go back to her room.

"You know," Cloud said, "If you want to sleep in the same bed, you could just ask."

Tifa halted with a squeak. "What makes you think I want that?"

Cloud shrugged and came towards her, still rubbing his hands. Up close, Tifa saw that his hair was damp, and his face was light red. He was shivering.

"Because this isn't the first time you've stood in front of that door…during the night."

Tifa winced in embarrassment. A wrinkle formed between her eyes as they narrowed. Cloud gave her all-knowing smile and reached out to straighten a piece of her hair. His fingers accidently brushed against her cheek, and she flinched. Tifa grabbed his hand before he could take it back.

"Your hands are freezing!" Tifa cried.

She touched his face and found that he was also cold there.

"Were you outside just now?" she asked.

"Yes," Cloud replied.

"What for?"

"Otherworldly business. You needn't worry."

Cloud walked past her and into his room. He stopped a few steps from the doorway and peaked outside.

"So, are you coming in or not?" he asked.

"No!" Tifa yelled.

She rushed back into her room and the door creaked as she shut it behind her. Cloud shook his head and smiled in endearment.

--

A few hours later, Zack stepped out of his stepfather's house. He wrapped his scarf a little tighter and headed for Aerith's home. The snowfall had stopped, but it was still devastatingly cold. Zack didn't like the cold, and he had made sure to bundle up nicely.

The walk was not very long, just four blocks with a turn or two. He squinted because it was still a bit dark. When he saw the sign for Aerith's floral shop, he steps became more urgent and hurried. Zack nearly slipped on some ice but regained his balance.

He slipped between her shop and the neighboring building and stood below her window. Zack dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a small stone. He hurled it upward and hit the windowpane, hoping to cause some noise. He waited for a moment, pulled out another stone, and threw it upward again. After the second time, the window curtains were pulled back, and Aerith opened the window to see what was happening.

"Aerith!" Zack called out.

Aerith looked down and saw her boyfriend on the ground below. She swallowed hard as if she were sick.

"What are you doing here?" Aerith asked (in a scolding tone). "It's barely after four!"

"I need to talk to you," Zack said. "Please?"

"Right now?" she asked.

"Yes!" he replied.

Aerith shivered from the cold. She nodded reluctantly and shut the window. Like a mouse, she darted out of her room and down the staircase. She went through her shop and unlocked the door; Zack was already waiting there.

"Is something wrong?" Aerith inquired.

"Yes, there is," Zack answered. "Can I come in?"

Aerith stepped out of the way to let him pass.

"Just keep quiet," she warned. "We mustn't wake Mother."

Zack took off his coat and scarf. Aerith hung them on the coat rack and beckoned him toward the kitchen.

"Alright," she said. "So, you're here. What is it?"

"I met your mother in the marketplace yesterday afternoon," Zack informed.

Aerith offered him a chair at the dining table and sat in another. Zack slowly seated himself and cleared his throat.

"She spoke rather hoarsely with me," he continued. "She said something on the lines of 'stay away from my daughter and stop toying with her heart'."

"She said that?!" Aerith asked in surprise. "What for?"

"I hoped you'd tell me," Zack answered.

"Well, she's mistaken. I've never heard her speak like that."

Zack leaned closer to her girlfriend. His eyes darted all over face. Aerith began to fidget nervously. He took a deep breath and leaned back into his chair.

"There's something else," he said. "Something I've been meaning to tell you for a while."

Aerith straightened up in her chair; her face went pale. Zack took it to notice.

"W-what is it?" Aerith stammered.

"It's about my father," Zack explained. "My late father."

"Oh, your father!" Aerith murmured. "I liked him. He was so kind…a bit of a drinker though, but…"

Zack snorted and shook his head. He looked towards the refrigerator.

"You have something warm?" he asked. "Or something alcoholic?"

"We do have some opened sherry," she replied. "What? You want a bit?"

Zack closed his eyes and nodded. Aerith relaxed and got up to retrieve it for him. As soon as her back was turned, he began to speak.

"My birth father was a severe alcoholic," Zack revealed. "Very few people in the town knew. Dr. Hojo knew. Many of his partners knew. Some of the household knew…including Mother and me. But no one had the guts to say anything. He had so much power, and everyone was afraid of him."

Aerith stiffened and gulped. She walked back quickly toward the table, with sherry and glass in hand, and set it on the table. She popped the bottle open and poured a small amount into the glass. She offered it to her boyfriend, who took it abruptly.

"I don't usually drink," Zack said. "I hate it. I've always hated it. My father got drunk all the time…and when he was drunk, he was violent. Mother knew that more than anyone…"

"You're not saying he beat her?!" Aerith cried. "B-but that can't be true! I never saw bruise on her!"

"She wouldn't go out until the swelling went down," Zack countered. "And we always made excuses. We had to. Him…his business partners…his rich friends…they hounded us to keep it quiet. And besides…how can you tell a whole town that one of their biggest landowners is a…"

Zack stopped in midsentence and sighed. Aerith gave him a blank stare and said nothing. She left the table and got a glass for herself.

"I didn't want to keep quiet," Zack affirmed. "I actually tried to tell someone…but then, Father and his partners bribed that person to keep quiet. It was no use. I always…I always thought that villages were free from this sort of thing."

"T-there's evil e-everywhere, Zack," Aerith corrected. "Everywhere under the sun. Oh dear God, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Zack gave her an incredulous look and swallowed all of his sherry. Aerith offered to give him more, but he refused.

"No more," he said. "I might be susceptible too."

"He's dead now," Aerith reminded. "You don't have to worry anymore."

"May he burn in hell."

"Zack!"

"I'm being honest with my feelings. Ah, I'm a bloody coward. I only stood up to him once…the year he died. And he beat me good for it. Heh, the only person in town who wasn't afraid of was Miss Lockhart…"

Aerith sank into her chair. "Miss Lockhart?"

Zack went silent and pressed his lips together.

"Miss Lockhart?"

"I accidently got her involved," Zack responded. "It's a long story…"

Aerith drank down her sherry and poured herself another. "I like long stories."

--

Tifa slowly woke up before five, but she preferred afterwards. She stretched a little bit and yawned. In her movement, she realized that someone was holding her. Her hands traveled to her waistline until she touched a pair of arms, gently wrapped around her. Tifa gasped and wriggled herself around to see the trespasser.

"What are you doing here?!" she shrieked.

Cloud smiled and opened his eyes; he was obviously awake before her.

"I came here because you're chicken," he answered. "If you had just come to my room, I wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of sneaking in here…"

Tifa struggled to get out of his grasp, but it was a tight one.

"And don't say it wasn't what you wanted," Cloud warned. "You've been outside my door almost every night this week."

She frowned in protest, but eventually, she slumped in defeat.

"How'd you know?" Tifa muttered.

"I could sense it," Cloud replied. "Woke me up a few times too. I almost called out to you, but you left before I could… So, do you want to start sleeping in the same bed or not?"

"No!"

"No?"

Cloud shrugged and moved to get out of her bed. "Alright then. If you say so."

Tifa sprung up in bed and blindly wrapped her arms around him.

"Wait just a minute!" Tifa yelled.

"What?" Cloud asked teasingly.

There was a pregnant pause. Tifa let go of him and relaxed.

"We're going to a have visitor," she told him. "From a city off the mountain."

"Is that what you were going to say?" Cloud asked.

Tifa ignored the question.

"It's our tea shipments, Cloud. They come in every month."

"Right…so what were you really going to say?"

Tifa scowled and gave him an Indian burn on the arm. Cloud hissed in pain, but he didn't relent.

"My source tells me that he has brand new teas coming!" Tifa said cheerfully. "Brand new. So I need your help. He'll be coming at half-past six, so we'd better be ready."

"I can do that," Cloud replied. "So, what were you really about to say?"

"There was nothing else!"

Once again, Cloud shrugged and tried to get up. "If you say so, m'am."

But Tifa squeaked and held him down.

"Alright," she said nervously. "Alright! I guess we could sleep in the same bed…but not all the time. Just occasionally…understand?"

"Understood," he replied.

She sighed and rested her forehead in his hair. Tifa liked the smell of him in the morning. Perhaps, that was because he took his baths at night.

"So, are you going to ask me to take occasional baths with you?" Cloud joked.

"Let me see a ring first, buddy."

--

Tifa lounged in her bathtub. Her arms rested on the edge of the tub, and she breathed deeply to help her circulation. Some steam was coming off of the water. Tifa had already scrubbed herself from head to toe. Her hair was pinned up high, to keep it from getting wet. Despite that, her sweat caused her bangs to cling to her forehead.

The water was very hot, but she was tolerant. It came from standing over a hot stove all day long. The extreme heat always gave her a kick in the morning.

She drew her hands back. Tifa curled into a ball and hugged her knees against her chest. A smile curled on her pretty lips.

"He's still such a mystery," she mumbled.

Tifa noticed the heavy frost on the window. She then remembered that it was December 24th … Christmas Eve. A few days ago, she had happily bought more than enough food for two people…unless Yuffie decided to stop by. But for some reason, she sensed that she'd need much more this year. The very idea made her nervous.

--

A green truck arrived in front of the shop, half-past six on the dot. It stopped abruptly at the edge of the sidewalk, and the roar of the engine died down. The front passenger door popped open first, and Marlene jumped out. Barret, a large build of a man, opened the driver's door and stepped out. Tifa rushed out to meet them, and Marlene ran towards her.

"Tifa!" she cried.

Tifa bent down with her arms outstretched. Marlene ran into her and gave her a tight hug.

"Merry Christmas, Marlene."

Marlene gave Tifa a large smile. "Did you bake any cookies?"

"Sorry," Tifa said. "I'm all out. But I'll bake some more today."

She patted Marlene on the head and led her inside. Barret walked toward the back of the truck to pop the trunk open.

"Get the tea out later, Barret," Tifa called out. "We'll have something hot in a few minutes."

He stopped for a moment and frowned in confusion. "We?"

--

"Don't spill it on me this time," Cloud teased.

"You're terrible!" Tifa cried.

The teakettle had broken, so they were confined to pots at the moment. Tifa poured the hot water carefully into the teapot, hoping it wouldn't splash on the sides again. Previously, Cloud had not been very happy with hot water on his shirt.

The couple fussed over the next blend. Cloud wanted to try Azteca Fire (an herbal infusion) with MatéVana, but Tifa wanted to use teas that had berry ingredients. Nevertheless, they stood very close together and argued in whispers. Barret watched quietly while hunched over the dining table. Marlene was dreaming of cookies.

"Marlene can't have caffeine," Tifa snapped. "She's not even thirteen yet. Let's make it for our lunch instead."

"A little bit won't kill her," Cloud countered. "And the other blend has berries already."

"I'm in a berry mood," Tifa whined. "Come on! Marlene shouldn't have caffeine anyway; she'll bounce all over the walls… literally."

Cloud groaned. "Okay…how about Azteca Fire with Cloud 9 Rooibos? No caffeine there."

"But there's no berries!" Tifa complained.

"There's strawberries in both teas, bonny."

"That doesn't count."

They stepped back and stared each other down. Almost mechanically, their hands shot out in a game of rock-paper-scissors. Tifa chose rock, but to her dismay, Cloud used paper. He covered her hand with an evil, triumphant smile.

"So when are you two getting married?" Barret asked.

The conversation stopped dead. Both heads turned.

"We haven't gotten that far yet," Tifa replied.

Barret grunted in disappointment and gave Cloud a dirty look.

"What's taking you so long, fool?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow left to get the tins.

"Miss Lockhart," he answered. "That's why."

Tifa wrinkled her nose and threw a hot mitten at her boyfriend. The kitchen door swung behind him. He stepped the counter and immediately saw the Cloud 9 Rooibos. Cloud slid it out carefully and started to look for the Azteca Fire. He had only used that flavor once or twice, so searching was a bit difficult.

Suddenly, a painless yet jarring sensation hit the back off his head. He knew this feeling, and it was something he didn't want to feel again. Cloud turned towards the door, and someone watching him from behind it.