Reno grumbled and pulled away from the little hands that were tugging at him. "Daddy, wake up!" His daughter Elly whispered. "We gotta bake a cake for Mama. It's her day!"
"Alright, Elly. I'm up." Reno rolled off the bed, red hair falling lazily over his eyes as he stumbled over to the door, Elly right on his heels. "But shush, we don't want to want Mama up. Let's cook quietly." He cautioned. She nodded, red hair bouncing up and down, and held a finger up to her lips, face serious. Reno bit back a chuckle.
*Downstairs*
"Alright, what kind of cake are we baking, Elly?" Reno turned to look down at his six-year old daughter.
"What kinda cake will Mama like, Daddy?" She looked up curiously.
Reno shrugged. "Let's see what we have before we decide, alright?" She nodded, solemn faced.
They dug through the cupboards, occasionally banging into something, after which silence would reign for a few moments before they resumed their separate searches, Reno searching high, and Elly searching low. They soon found a box of vanilla cake and a jar of chocolate icing. "Think Mama will like it?" Elly asked her father.
"If we make it, of course she will." Reno assured his daughter.
The matter settled, they turned to the more difficult task, the baking of the cake.
*A little later*
Tifa awoke to a loud beeping noise from downstairs. Still groggy, she slid out from under the covers, and made her way downstairs, the cold stairs on her feet making her head more clear second by second. She turned to the kitchen to find a cake being pulled out of the oven by her husband of seven years. A squeal of "Mama!" brought Tifa's attention to her daughter, who was currently holding tightly onto her mother's legs. "You aren't supposed to be down here! It was gonna be a surprise" her daughter said.
Tifa untangled her legs from her daughter and bent down to her level. "Sorry, Elly. Guess I ruined the surprise, huh?" Her daughter nodded, and then her face brightened. Throwing herself forward, she knocked Tifa to the ground, crying "Happy Mama's Day, Mama!!"
From her position on the ground, Tifa hugged her daughter, and laughed. "Thank you Elly!"
Reno finally looked over, and he himself broke into a smile as he wandered over to his family. "Now Elly, let your mama up." He mocked frowned. Elly gave her mama one final hug before standing up. "You gotta share her with me!" He tackled Tifa, making Elly shriek in glee, laughing and clapping, before dropping down, assisting Reno in his tickling of Tifa.
"Hey! Hey!" Tifa protested weakly. "It's my day, be nice!" she choked out through her laughter.
A few minutes later, they allowed her freedom, the interrupted baking session all but forgotten. "Breakfast?" Elly enquired, head cocked like a dog. Tifa nodded and headed to the kitchen, where Reno attempted to block her way.
"It's Mother's Day; let me take care of it." Reno told her, pushing her toward their daughter. "I won't burn the house down, I promise." He smiled, and Tifa sighed.
Before Tifa could protest anymore, Elly grabbed her hand, and tugged her along. "Mama, tell me a story, please?" Elly tried her best to mimic her father's puppy dog eyes, and Tifa gave in to the cuteness.
"Come here, and sit on my lap; I'll tell you a story." Elly broke out into a wide grin, and clambered onto her mother's lap.
Tifa wrapped her arms around Elly, and spoke quietly. "This story is from my hometown of Nibelhelm, a tale from when I was a little girl."
Before Tifa could continue, Elly interrupted. "You were a little girl?" Elly said, awed.
"Yes, Elly. Now, do you want to hear this story or not?" Elly nodded excitedly, hair wiping every which way. Tifa smothered a smile, and continued. "There was a mountain by our home town. Everyone who had gone there without a guide in the last hundred years had perished. There was one boy who made it back though. He was stark raving mad, blubbering on and on about giant walking trees, and mystical beings. Everyone just dismissed him, and he grew angry. He waited until a very cold, the coldest night in memory. He snuck into the house of the man who had scorned him the most. He stole upstairs, and kidnapped the man's two daughters, one age ten, and the other age fifteen. He brought them outside, and dragged them up to the mountain. When he reached the mountain's peak, he tied the two girls to the tallest tree, as high up as they could climb and still be seen. The man gagged them, and blindfolded them. He then climbed down, and the girls could only hear the man. When he reached the bottom, there was a horrible scream. The two girls could only feel the tree shake, as something broke it down. The tree fell, and the way the tree fell killed the two girls. The next morning, when they were discovered missing, the men realized what must have happened, and hastened to the mountain top. At the mountain top, they found the girls tied to the tree, dead and laying in the mad man's blood. Since then, the mountain has said to be haunted by the two girl's ghosts."
Reno, who had come out of the kitchen, set down the food. "Spooky story, Tiff. You sure it's true?"
Tifa nodded, and swallowed before speaking. "Yeah, I was five when it happened. Scared me, but I still wanted to be a guide."
"Weren't you scared, Mama? Going up the mountain?" Elly asked curiosity in her emerald eyes.
Tifa ruffled her daughter's hair before replying. "A little bit, I just pushed by it."
Reno leaned over and hugged his wife. "That's my girl!" he crowed.
Elly joined in the fun, hugging Tifa from her position on Tifa's lap. "Yay Mama!"
Tifa smiled and reached out one arm to hug her husband and another to hug her child. "I wouldn't be afraid if I went back now."
Elly pulled back, and questioned her mama. "Why not, Mama?"
Reno grinned. "I bet I know why."
"Why Daddy?" Elly gaze shifted from Tifa to Reno.
"Because she has us!" Reno said, grin widening. "Right?"
"Exactly right, love. Exactly right." Tifa hugged her family close. "This is the best Mama's Day ever."