HHHEEEELLLLLOOOOO!!

How are you guys?! I really hoped you liked the previous chapter. I don't think I'll be able to update too soon. For one thing, I'm sick (I think it's strep) and I have FCAT for all of the next week. Then I have to stay after school late, because I'm the manager of the boy's track team (which is so awesome because half of the team have their shirts off half the time. Then I feel bad because I have a boyfriend, but he's on the team, too!)

Please enjoy!


He watched her suffer and then scream again, fainting. She wasn't dead. Werewolf blood wouldn't kill you, just heal you-thank God. But she was unconscience, and he didn't know how long she would be that way. Almost as soon as the blood hit her stomach, he saw the tissue begin to seal itself in. Everything would be ordered and ready to go in a way. She probably wouldn't be able to digest for the next month. Then again, she could still die if he left her bleeding the way she was. Looking around, he saw that there were splatters of blood in different places around the bar. He sighed and picked her up, placing her gently on the couch. From a nearby cabinet, he got bandages and ointments to fix up all her wounds. As he did so, Cloud briefly remembered his own cut. He bandaged himself when he was done with Tifa. She lay there on the sofa, asleep but not asleep, recovering, and he watched her for a soundless minute.

I knew what she was trying to do. I know all she wanted to do was protect the kids, and I should've been here to help. To protect her. He shook his head. Damn! I'm so stupid! Always getting other people fucked up because of my dumb decisions. He turned away and began cleaning up around the bar and living room. A few times, he would hear her moan or shift, and his head would snap up in response. She would still be there, quiet on the sofa. It took him a couple of hours to get the stench out and straighten up. When he was done he looked around, sighing from mental and physical exhaustion.

Just as he walked over to pick Tifa up and take her to her room, he heard shuffling noises. Right in front of the sofa, he stopped. Bending down, he picked up his blade, waiting. Within the next five mintues, he was being hugged and questioned by a seven- and ten-year-old.

"What happened?"

"Is Tifa okay?"

"She won't die, will she?"

"Cloud, what happened?"

He bent and sat down in front of the sofa. When he put down his blade, they climbed on him and started their questions again. "Hey." They were quiet, which was a good thing. He couldn't say much right now. Cloud's voice was quieter than he anticipated, so he cleared it and said, "Tifa'll be alright. She just really needs to rest right now." He glanced back at the sofa and added, "She needs a lot of rest." They continued to look at him with big brown and blue pleading eyes. "I won't let her die, okay?"

They nodded and decided to curl up in him. Within moments, they were asleep. He didn't want to move in the event of waking them, so he soon fell asleep, too.


A certain brunette woke up to pain. She didn't yelp, because the sight of her family in front of her helped to ease the pain a little. She smiled to her best extent, and then darkness took over her mind once more. For how long, she didn't know.
Tifa didn't wake up for four days.

After coming out of his slumber that night, Cloud saw that the kids had already done what he meant to do. They spread blankets over Tifa's body, including one over his own. He didn't see them downstairs, so he thought they must be in bed. He sighed, bent his neck to the side to crack it, remembering everything that had happened. Like it just came crashing down. Either that, or the smell of bleach reminded him.

He turned around sharply to face Tifa's sleeping form. One hand was draped across her abdomen, and the other had fell over the side of the sofa. He slid his hand under hers, gently, and she didn't even flinch. He sighed for the zillionth time that night, standing. Taking a minute to look at her, he picked her up and carried her off to her room. He could feel her soft, raspy breathing ruffle his shirt as he held her to his body.

When he got to her room, he was thankful that the door was open. He kicked it to widen the space a little more and walked over to her bed. The warrior placed her body on the far end. That way, she was in no danger of falling, since her bed was against the wall. After a while, he decided to sleep in the bed with her. For one thing, her barely moved when he slept, and . . . he would be closer to her. That thought struck him first. He stripped down to his briefs and undershirt, went to his room for a pair of holey pajama pants, and put them on. Cloud went back to her room and saw that she hadn't stirred. He was really afriad that she had died. When he could hear her labored breathing, he knew that she hadn't. Seeing that he had changed his own clothes, he thought he should change hers, too. After all, she needed it more than he did. The only thing that disturbed him was seeing her . . . naked. He shook it from his mind, proceeding with the task. When she was down to just her bra and panties, he thought, Oh what the hell. Her bra's already torn anyway. This was true. The vamp's nails had raked right through it. He removed it and tried his best not to stare at her lush, full breasts. It was very hard. So he blinked, and removed her panties. Then he went over to a drawer and pulled out a new pair. When he had those on (which was very hard to do thanks to his state of mind), he covered her and went back to his room. Figuring that one of his t-shirts would be better, he got one. They were a lot more loose than hers, which he could see after putting it on her. When she was safely covered, he sighed. Beads of sweat had had risen on his forehead and arms, and it wasn't from the room's temperature. Climbing into the bed, he took her hand and fell asleep.

And for the next four days, she did not wake.


Cloud was downstairs washing the dishes. Denzel was at a booth with Marlene, helping her with homework. It was really quiet, save for their occasional whispering. A few times, they glanced up at Cloud, and he saw them. He was starting to wonder if they were really doing homework. And he didn't have to wait very long to recieve his answer.

In an instant, they had jumped down and declared that they were done. The kids rushed passed him and up the stairs. Cloud finished drying a cup and yelled up behind them, "Don't make too much noise. Tifa's still sleeping!" Of course, they probably didn't hear him. He shook his head and went back over to the sink, where about three plates were waiting for their baths. "Yeah, I'm coming," he grumbled, and set out to work.

About five minutes, a soaked shirt and ten raisin fingers later, he was done. Thank God. I hate dishes. I'm going to start buying plastic cups, plates, and silverware. He thought about that for a minute. Well, then it'd be plasticware. Cloud found that amusing, which was soon rushed away by his next thought. Damn. Then there'd be more trash to take out. I just can't win. Another minute went by. Within it were the kids, jumping up and down in front of him.

"Tifa's up!" They shouted. "Tifa's up!"

Cloud's grip in the plate he was drying loosened. It fell to the floor with a clatter. He didn't care. Rushing up the stairs, he ran down to Tifa's door, pushing it open. There she was, lying on the bed . . . asleep. Asleep in the same slumber she had been in the past four days. He turned to the kids, not glaring, but telling them with his eyes that he needed an explanation.

Marlene was the first to their defense.

"She was. We swear, Tifa was up."

"She didn't really say anything at first." Denzel was shuffling his feet. Cloud knew that he did it the out of nervousness. "See, we came upstairs to check up on her. We wanted to help, like you. When we got up here, she was still asleep. Marlene and I waited for a minute, and then heard something go hi." He looked up at Cloud, straight in the eye. "We barely heard it, so we thought we were imagining things. Then Tifa opened her eyes, and said it again. We were really happy, and then she said that she wanted to talk to you."

"Honest," Marlene added.

The blonde nodded. He believed them. He was just slightly agitated that they got to talk to her before he did. Why was Cloud troubled by this childish matter? He did not know; he just was. That bothered him slightly. What also bothered him was that she wanted to talk to him. He knew exactly what she wanted, too.

She wanted to know why he left.

She wanted to know why he just had to go after a vampire.

She also wanted to know why he didn't, couldn't, or wouldn't tell her.

"You two go back downstairs and finish your homework. If you're done, you can watch tv." They ran down the ascenders as he took a step into her room. It always smelled nice in here. Almost like . . . honey and milk. That's exactly what she smelled like. He walked over to the bed and sat down. He remembered waking up after changing her clothes. His hand still being enclosed around hers. He shuddered, recalling how marvelled he had been at her naked body. Cloud knew how disrespectful he felt-and how disrespected she would feel-if he had been staring. The clothes he put on her were the ones she continued to wear to this day-one of his t-shirts, and her panties. A bra would hurt whenever she woke.

He took her hand and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles softly. They were still slightly bruised. The warrior sighed and leaned his head back on the headboard. About three minutes had passed when he felt a very light, weak pressure on his hand. He looked down with one eye.In that instant, Cloud was staring into a wine-colored abyss. He couldn't say anything; his mouth was temporarily out-of-order.

A weak, almost pained whisper brought him back down to Earth. "Hi . . . Cloud."


Chapter Three!! This revised edition is a lot more comprehensive, huh?

I know it wasn't much to be waiting for, but you just had all of that action. Toning it down was the best thing I could've done.

Any suggestions for me for the next chapter? I'm kind of stuck a little. I have a general idea of what's going to happen, but I need some more . . . stuff to put in.

Hope you enjoyed it!