AN: W00t! Second update! More of a catching-up-filler chapter than anything else though. And if the pace is too slow, I'd appreciate it if you tell me. Thanks in advance.

Also many hugs and scooby treats to: mom calling, gingerbreadbear, ajax710vv, mirrorshine, vLuna and Vanilla Raindrops for reviewing.

Till human voices wake us, and we drown

- T.S. Eliot

Chapter One

When the bough breaks

"Then one night the short stubby man knocked on her doorstep. And he asked the queen, "What's my name?"

Cloud shifted his weight on the chair and leaned forward, clearing his voice. Perched between the index and thumb of his right hand was a thick bright-yellow volume of children's fairytales. The moogle-shaped alarm clock next to Marlene's bed displayed the time as ten o' clock.

"Is your name Conrad?"

Cloud cringed. His voice sounded strained and unnatural even to his own ears but he smiled when Marlene giggled. It was hardly a huge feat. The girl took after Tifa and was always chipper but the sound of laughter loosened another knot inside him. He waited for Marlene's reply.

Holding her doll close, she crossed her eyes and grunted. "No, it isn't!"

Their eyes met, and instinctively he grinned back. He knew his self consciousness would never fade completely. He had too many scars, too many burdens to ever feel wholly free, but moments like these helped him imagine.

"Is it Michael?"

"No, it isn't Michael!"

"Is it, by chance," began Cloud, then paused for dramatic effect. "Rumplestilskin?"

The thin trace of pent up excitement which underlay Marlene's tone had not escaped him. While she must have heard the story read over a dozen times, Marlene never seemed to tire of its ending. She pounced at once.

"No, no, no!" she cried, thumping the covers with her fists for good measure. "Someone told you!" Then she drew in another breath. Cloud put the book down and smiled at her encouragingly. "And the little man stomped his feet so hard he broke through the floor and nobody saw him again. The end."

Sighing contentedly, Marlene looked to Cloud, her eyes bright. "Isn't it lucky the boy heard him singing? I don't think anyone could have guessed it right. But why want a baby? If I were him, I'd ask the king for my own castle!"

"Well," said Cloud slowly. "He did live in the ground by himself. Fellow could get lonely."

"Maybe. But you know what," Marlene added, turning her head thoughtfully towards him. "Even though he was evil, sometimes I don't think the troll was all bad."

His eyebrows went up.

Marlene flushed and hastened to explain. "Nobody's born mean. That's what Tifa says. And he did help the girl when she was crying…he just probably didn't have very nice parents. Who names their kid Rumplestilskin anyways?" She scrunched her nose in distaste. "That's such a silly name."

Cloud chuckled and ruffled her hair fondly. "I think so too. Or maybe he named himself. When you fall asleep and dream about him, ask him for me."

'Kay.'

Cloud tucked the blankets snugly under the girl's chin, his chair giving a creak as he stood up. A cool breeze fluttered the curtains and out of habit he glanced out the window. Since there was a full moon outside Marlene could flip off her night lamp. Four months ago Denzel had jokingly teased her and afterwards Marlene had refused to sleep with it on. However, because she was still afraid of the dark despite her determination not to let it show, this led to more nights than Cloud could count where either he or Tifa would stay up with Marlene until she fell asleep. He hadn't really minded, business was slow these days but eventually, last month, they'd come to a compromise and now Marlene only turned off the light when the moon was full.

"Sleep tight." said Cloud softly, twisting the knob on the door.

"Cloud?"

There was a slight quiver in Marlene's voice that made him pause. He walked back. In the darkened room he first noticed the small bump in bed then two brown eyes peeped sleepily over the pink covers. Cloud could tell she was fighting to stay awake when she yawned. He

"Yes?"

"…You..you don't think.."

She stopped.

"I don't think.." he prompted gently.

"..that Rumplestilskin's real." Her eyes skirted around the room. "Lani told me Neely hasn't seen her brothers since Monday. But they'll come back home, won't they? He's just a story person."

As she said it, Cloud felt a chill prick the nape of his neck. He hesitated, mulling the answer in his head then looked down at Marlene. She was watching him, trying to determine the seriousness of the situation from his expression. Should he lie to comfort her? Though what happens once often happens again. If she found out, it would break the fragile bond they were building. He might never repair the damage. And he knew firsthand how easily lies could unravel. Wasn't the truth always better?

"Neely will see them again, won't she?" Marlene repeated.

He was only standing next to her bed, and yet he knew her body was stiff.

"I don't know." he replied. "I wish I did. But you're right, Rumplestilskin isn't real, sweetie. So he can't have taken them. But sometimes boys will run away. We're a hotheaded bunch and we don't learn well. If we give them time, they might come back by themselves.

"And if they don't?"

"Then we'll look for them." he said quietly, patting her hand. "You, me, Tifa and Denzel. We'll comb the whole neighborhood until we find them for Neely. Promise."

Marlene let out her breath in a sigh and relaxed. "Really?"

"We will. Now go to sleep."

Cloud waited until her breathing became slow and regular before walking towards the door. He made sure to leave it ajar in case of any nightmares. After their talk, he had a feeling those would return in a short while.

He passed Denzel's room and was surprised to find the boy already fast asleep. Usually Denzel would be busy at his desk, happily gluing another piece to his airplane model. Hovering near the doorway, Cloud smiled when Denzel gave a snort and rolled over. As his eyes scanned the room, Cloud quickly found the culprit. A pile of unfinished math homework lay on the floor, however the pencil and eraser was nowhere to be seen. Cloud made mental note to ask him about it the next time Denzel was awake.

The smell of warm apples and cinnamon wafted under his nose as he padded down the stairs. It eased his thoughts and he was grateful. He didn't want to admit, but Marlene's words had disturbed him. Though Cloud wasn't altogether clear why. Kids disappearing weren't an uncommon occurrence in Edge, specifically in the slums. Nobody wanted to die an unachiever. Boys especially. They wanted to make something of themselves and those who were orphans often simply up and went without so much as a bye to the rest of the neighborhood.

He knew that.

Almost first hand, if it weren't for Tifa. Still he couldn't shake the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. At the landing he stopped, straining his ears for any hints of whimpers and when he heard none, Cloud gripped the banister tighter. At least his conscience, if not his stomach, could rest easy. He honestly did not know. As far as he could tell, the brothers would probably return home within a few days or send a letter.

Pushing open the kitchen door, Cloud resolved to have a talk with Yuffie soon about the going ons of the city. And perhaps bring along Tifa as well. They could both go visit on Saturday morning after she closed down the bar. He sighed. His head throbbed just thinking of the meeting. Coffee and Yuffie never did mix well. They would have to plan it precisely so they arrive right before her lunch break.

"I can hear your forehead scrunching, Cloud. What's wrong?" Tifa sounded curious rather than troubled. She was bending over the sink, washing the supper dishes.

Even so, he pulled his hands out of his pockets, scratching his neck. "Sorry. Just thinking about something." He tried a smile; gave it up with a shrug.

"Tell me." Tifa straightened her back slowly, hands dripping soapy water, but she did not turn to face him. He knew she was listening by the way she stood so still. He took a seat at the counter. Tifa's opinion mattered to him greatly. Even if in the end he couldn't do much to help find Neely's brothers, her listening carried the reassurance that he'd tried and they would face the matter together.

There was no point in delaying so he inhaled then plunged in. "Neely hasn't seen her brothers since three days ago."

Now she did look at him. "What do you mean? Did they go off to find work somewhere?"

Frowning, Cloud raked a hand through his hair with his shoulders slumped and elbows resting on the table. "I don't know. Marlene didn't say. But I don't think so. I don't even think they said goodbye, when they left, to Neely. Otherwise, she shouldn't be as worried. If it was just a case of the two leaving to join up somewhere and make money, they would at least mention it to their sister."

"But those three had a fight," Tifa pointed out. "Mr. Bell came in complaining last week that he couldn't sleep a wink. They were making so much racket."

"I remember. I passed by their street last Tuesday and I saw Leron storm out. Didn't even see me."

"And Jerome's only fifteen." she murmured, pouring Cloud a glass of brandy. He mumbled out his thanks and took a gulp, feeling the liquid hit his stomach like fire. It was soothing, mellow and full of warmth. "Aren't they too young to venture out of Edge by themselves?"

"I know. They are." replied Cloud seriously. "There shouldn't be any jobs available that could tempt them. Nobody would hire a fifteen and seventeen year old. Not without collateral. And definitely not when there's about a hundred other able men scrambling for work."

Tifa winced, not at his calloused words, but knowing the reality behind them was true. Ever since the Deepground incident, most of the population was still resentful of those who had been afflicted with Geostigma. The way they perceived it, the tainted were saved at the expense of the pures. Of course, these accusations were baseless but still they blamed them for the abduction and massacre of their relatives and though two years had gone by, were reluctant to forget. And being cursed at the bottom of society, those living on the street had nearly all contracted Geostigma at one point in their lives. Particularly the orphans.

Eyes downcast, she accepted the seat beside Cloud. She wished with all her heart the world was kinder to its children. None of the orphans deserved to pay the full price of an adult's mistake. They had rescued Denzel but there were more like Leron and Jerome, and they both knew that.

"You don't think we're being too jaded, are we?" she wondered aloud with a wry smile but her eyes were dark with worry. He knew fear and recognized it with instant familiarity. He felt sick.

"No," he told her. "There's a possibility somebody hired them but it's a slim to none chance. I think those boys are missing, Tifa. And whether they ran away or not, I don't like this. Mr. Bell said they were having screaming matches the night Neely saw them last. They used to be inseparable, those three."

Tifa digested the information in silence and again felt an acute sense of dismay. It sounded nothing like the sweet girl she had known. "What about the archives? Whenever a citizen exits the borders, the city guards keep a record of their statement."

"Yes. I was going to call up Yuffie tomorrow myself and see if she'll make room for us on Saturday."

Cloud swallowed another mouthful of brandy as Tifa stared hard at her mug of cocoa. They were both quiet, each lost in their own thoughts but concerned on the same subject. He looked at her eyes momentarily, and knew from a single glance, just as she knew it of him though neither was yet ready to find the words.

He looked down at her hands on the table. They were very slender, small but strong, made to protect. A fighter's hands. They would be broken before they let harm befall anyone but they would allow a butterfly to leave as simply as it had come. He loved her hands. He wanted to reach out and touch them but he felt self-conscious when there was so much more urgent business at hand.

"Barret is coming back from Mt. Corel," she said suddenly, not meeting his eyes. "He rang an hour ago but he didn't say when. I haven't told Marlene but I bet she'll thrilled. Do you think you can take the rest of next week off, just in case?"

"Probably," he confessed. He felt a rush of anticipation as the surprise news bled the tension from his chest. Three weeks from now would mark the fourth month since he'd last seen his friend in November. He knew it was tough for Barret, not having Marlene along, riding on his shoulders and calling him Papa but he sometimes wondered how the man coped. It couldn't be easy. Since moving in with Tifa and the kids, Cloud would admit he was different. Happiness had made him more relaxed. And family, not guilt, was what drove him on to confront each new dawn with a smile.

A shrill cry descended from upstairs, effectively breaking the silence. Tifa stood up. "That's Marlene. I'll go check on her. You look tired. You should go to bed. Whatever happens, we'll worry about it together. You shouldn't save all the wrinkles for yourself." She said it gently, but she was not going to accept an argument and he had no desire to offer any.

"Yeah." He rose too and took their cups, flashing her tired smile.

Tifa smiled back, and reaching out, touched him quickly and very gently on the cheek. He felt the heat of it run through him. Then she turned, disappeared out the kitchen and the room seemed a little less bright.

As he strode up to the top of the stairs, he touched his cheek experimentally. It was still warm.