Twenty years later, Marlene tells her children a bedtime story.
Bedtime Story
Marlene brushed her bangs from her face as she placed the remaining dishes in the cupboard. Once satisfied that the kitchen was relatively tidy, she walked up the stairs, stopping at the first door in the corridor. She smiled slightly as she heard the muttering on the other side before she quickly opened it and flicked on the light.
"I knew you two weren't asleep." She teased at the two startled girls who were lying down, pretending to be sleeping. The brunette sat up with a small frown.
"I cant sleep!" She moaned. The blonde nodded in agreement.
"Tell us a story!" She pleaded. Marlene rolled her eyes.
"Aren't you a little old for bedtime stories?"
"No!" They cried together.
"Alright," She sighed, walking over and pushing them back into bed before sitting on the end. They lay patiently as she tried to think of a story.
"Once upon a time," She began, smiling as the children's eyes widened in interest.
"There was a man named Cloud. Cloud was a cold-hearted man who didn't care about anything or anyone but himself. He worked for the evil President at that time in a group called Soldier. However, he quit Soldier and a few years later joined a rebel group led by a man named Barret."
"Isn't that grandpa's name?" The blonde asked sleepily. Marlene smiled.
"Yes, that's Grandpa's name." She replied before returning to her story.
"So anyway, Barret, Cloud, and the three other members of Avalanche set out to destroy a reactor in the capital city. After the job was done, the group split up and agreed to meet up at their base.
"As he walked along, Cloud met a girl named Aerith selling flowers on the streets. He bought one from her and headed back to the base. There he gave the flower to Barret's daughter and met up with his old friend, Tifa.
"The group discussed what to do next and planned to blow up another reactor and this time Tifa went too. However, during the attack, the President came and brought out a robot to fight Barret, Cloud and Tifa. The three beat it but when it blew up, it made Cloud fall from the bridge down onto the Midgar city below."
"Oh no!" The children cried simultaneously sitting up and staring wide-eyed. Marlene had to suppress a laugh at the reactions.
"But it was okay because he landed on flowers in a Church. It turned out to be Aerith's church. The two talked until a man named Reno came along. Reno worked for Shinra who wanted Aerith to co-operate with them.
"Cloud agreed to be Aerith's bodyguard in return for one date and the two escaped the Church and went to Aerith's house where her step-mom lived. Elmyra was grateful that Cloud helped Aerith but she didn't want her involved with Shinra so she asked him to leave.
"Though Cloud did this in the morning, he soon met Aerith along the way and she brushed the matter aside and told him she would help him get back to Tifa's bar. On the way, they stopped at an old playground where Aerith asked Cloud about Soldier. He told her that he was a First Class, the same as her old boyfriend.
"At that moment, a carriage drawn by a Chocobo appeared with Tifa on the back. Cloud and Aerith followed it into the market place and found out that Don Conereo had her captive. In order to get her free, Cloud and Aerith had to work together. Unfortunately, only woman entered so Cloud had to dress as a woman in order to save his childhood friend.
"After they found Tifa, the three of them challenged the Don who revealed that the President was going to crush the part of the city where Avalanche dwelt. Cloud and the girls raced to the scene where three members of Avalanche have fallen and Barret was left alone fighting.
"Cloud told Aerith to stay with Wedge, one of the members of Avalanche, while he and Tifa ran to Barret's aid. At the top of the pillar, they met Reno once again who pressed the button to start the bomb.
"Tifa tried to stop it from working but she didn't understand the buttons. Cloud tried too but even he couldn't work it out. A helicopter appeared at the side and another man from Shinra, Tseng, told them that it was no use. Barret was angry so he opened fire on the helicopter but Tseng wasn't bothered. He just revealed Aerith, who he had taken prisoner. Cloud asked why they wanted Aerith but he just said that she was going to Shinra Headquarters. That was when the pillar began to crumble."
"Why are you stopping?" The blonde asked, stifling a yawn. Marlene smiled and brushed her hair back.
"Because you two can barely stay awake."
"No! Please finish it!" The girls begged but their mother shook her head.
"I'll continue tomorrow night so long as you're in bed at the right time."
"But we're not tired!" They whined. Marlene shook her head and switched off the light before slowly closing the door. After a few moments, the silence showed her that her daughters had fallen asleep.
She made her way downstairs just as the front door opened, revealing a blonde man. She smiled and hugged him in greeting.
"Are the girls asleep?" he asked, glancing up at the ceiling warily.
"Yes," She answered giving a proud smile. He smirked as he pulled her back into a hug.
"You know casting sleep doesn't count right?" He joked.
"Denzel!" She hissed, slapping him playfully on the arm.
"So what did you do then?" He asked.
"I told them a story."
"Which one? Sleeping beauty or Snow White?"
"Neither, it was the one about Cloud and Avalanche saving the Planet." She replied.
"Best story ever." Denzel muttered with a smile.
"The saddest story ever." She sighed. Denzel squeezed her shoulder, knowing she was referring to the loss of someone in particular.
"Come on, let's go to bed." He said. She nodded in agreement and followed him up the stairs.
TBC