Chapter 4: Best Laid Plans

Fenrir was waiting faithfully for him to jam in the key and tear out of the parking lot. Cloud started searching the immediate area, hoping that Denzel hadn't gotten too far. After an hour of fruitless driving around and searching, he knew that the teen had gotten too much of a head start. The rapidly approaching darkness wouldn't hinder him much, but the boy could by anywhere by now.

On top of that, he'd run out without his phone and Tifa was probably worried half to death. He turned Fenrir around and headed back toward home.

When he pulled into the parking lot of Seventh Heaven, he recognized another complication he hadn't foreseen. It was after opening time for the bar, and the parking lot was already half full. It was enough for Tifa to manage without the worry of both of them missing. He was relieved to see Yuffie rapidly serving drinks when he came through the front door. Without pausing her pouring, she locked eyes with Cloud. "You jerk! Where have you been?"

He walked quickly up to the bar. "Where's Tifa?"

Yuffie scoffed and gave him the stink-eye. "She's upstairs calling everyone she's ever met in her entire life. Now where have you been?"

Cloud ignored her question for the second time, running through the kitchen door and up the stairs. He burst into the bedroom. Tifa jumped up from the bed, immediately hanging up the phone in her hand. "Did you find him?"

He shook his head. He should have realized that Tifa would know he was out looking for Denzel. "I thought he might have gone out to find some monsters to work off some anger, but I checked the whole perimeter of Edge and didn't find him anywhere."

Tifa's brow furrowed. "That sounds like an angry rage. I thought Denzel was past that."

"I don't know," Cloud sighed. "He was doing so well, but this might have pushed him too far."

"What happened?" Tifa asked, sitting on the corner of the bed.

"He just…well, he walked in on something that probably looked really bad, and I didn't get the chance to explain anything to him."

"Ah." Comprehension donned on her face. "Something with Alicia?"

Cloud ran his hand through his hair uneasily. "Yeah, but I swear nothing happened, Teef—"

"Did he even take his sword?" Tifa asked thoughtfully. She didn't even seem concerned about what might have happened, which was an immeasurable relief to Cloud. Then again, maybe she was just too focused on Denzel at the moment.

"Oh. I don't know." It hadn't even occurred to Cloud to check. He walked across the hall and opened the door to Denzel's bedroom. The fading sunlight glimmered off of Skoll's blade in the corner. Cloud sighed and closed the door, irritated with himself for wasting so much time looking for Denzel in all the wrong places. He returned to their bedroom, shaking his head. "He didn't take it." On the one hand, it was a good sign; it meant the teen hadn't gone on a murderous rampage on the local beasts, but Cloud had no idea where else he would go when he was upset.

Two sets of footsteps could be heard rapidly ascending the stairs. Cloud and Tifa looked at each other and then ran out into the hallway. Marlene and Lexi stopped at the top of the stairs, the smiles sliding from their faces as they took in the expressions of the adults. "What's wrong?" Marlene asked.

"Denzel…got upset and ran off somewhere." Cloud said uneasily. "He didn't take a weapon and we don't know where he went."

Lexi looked thoughtful. "Did you check the town square?"

The other three stared at her. "I don't know why he would go there, sweetie," Tifa said gently.

"He sometimes goes there when he needs to think. He likes the new monument they built," Lexi said matter-of-factly.

"How…do you know that?" Marlene asked.

Lexi shrugged bashfully. "He told me once. He said it helps him keep things in perspective."

It made a morbid kind of sense. The square was where he had saved Jesse, and failed to save Jason. It was where he thought he lost Cloud, too. There was nothing like facing death to keep the trivialities of life in perspective.

Tifa nodded. "Alright, let's go check," she said. "We don't have any other leads—"

"No," Cloud interrupted. "I have to go alone. It's between him and me." He met Tifa's eyes. "I'll explain everything when I get back, I just…have to do this myself. Ok?"

Tifa squeezed both of his hands. "I trust you," she said with a small smile.

He felt some of the strain leach out of his shoulders. He'd really needed to hear that. "I'll be back soon," he said.

Denzel stared at the list of names he'd read a thousand times. He wasn't seeing them anymore, but the names had long been committed to memory. Jason was number 72 on the list. It seemed so insignificant: that one tiny name, squeezed between Jacob Kale and Susan Kiefer. Eleven letters to encompass fifteen short years on this planet.

The new monument had been erected to memorialize the lives lost during that attack. All 207 names were etched into a stone set in the middle of a gently flowing fountain. A bench wrapped around the circular fountain, with the cobblestone sides serving as backrests for the bench.

Denzel sat on his knees on that bench, facing the fountain with his arms resting on the cobblestone edge. His fingers trailed lightly across the water. The setting sun painted the sky in hues of pink, purple, and orange, just like the first sunset he'd watched with Alicia. It seemed so long ago. She was so innocent and sweet back then, so shy when he finally got up the nerve to put his arm around her.

He missed that girl. She had changed so much in the last year, becoming more aggressive and physical. Denzel had liked it at first. It had taken some of the pressure off of him when she took the lead, but she kept pushing him to go farther and faster and, while his hormones were just fine with the foot on the gas, his mind was a different matter. He started to get uncomfortable, bothered by the fact that she seemed to know exactly what to do and how to do it. Where did she learn those things? How did she get so good at them? Why was she so demanding about it?

Denzel had hoped that the calm peace of the square would soothe his wounded pride, but he just felt empty. Alicia had been his first love, his first real girlfriend. Even though things between them had changed over the past year, she had a special place in his heart, and probably always would.

The familiar roar of Fenrir's engine broke through his melancholy. Still, he didn't move. His eyes stayed locked on the slab of stone as the noise of the engine echoed off the refurbished buildings of the square. He was keenly aware of every tiny sound behind him: the rustle of clothing, the squeak of the kickstand, the soft tap of boots against cut stone.

Cloud sat down beside him on the bench, leaning his back against the fountain wall. Denzel could feel those intense blue eyes on his face, but he wouldn't look at him. His unfocused eyes stared straight through the monument. "Denzel. What you saw…it wasn't what you're thinking." His voice was gentle, feeling out the teen's mood.

"Really? I was thinking my girlfriend was throwing herself at you," Denzel said blandly.

That was obviously not what Cloud was expecting. He was speechless for a moment. "Oh," he said finally, scratching the back of his head. "I guess it kind of is what you're thinking, then." He put his hand on Denzel's shoulder, finally prompting him to make eye contact. "I hope you know I would never…I mean, I wouldn't do something like that. I wouldn't hurt you like that."

Denzel let his eyes close, just soaking in the sound of splashing water. He didn't want to think about this anymore, and he definitely didn't want to talk about it, but Cloud wasn't going to go away. Finally, he turned around on the bench, slouching against the fountain wall. "I know. The truth is, I'd been waiting for something like that to happen. She's been obsessed with you for a long time."

Cloud looked confused. "Wha—why?"

Denzel let out a short laugh. Cloud was so oblivious to his awesomeness. The teen just shook his head, deciding to leave that alone. "Never mind. I know you didn't…encourage it or anything. I mean, no offense, but you're not exactly the smooth, seductive kind."

"Uh…thanks?" Cloud said awkwardly. He couldn't really be offended; it wasn't news to him, and it was a relief to know that Denzel wasn't blaming him. "So…now what?"

"Now? Well, I guess it's over between us." He said it with an air of calm, but the thought still cut him up inside. He couldn't even imagine what school would be like on Monday. They had been "Alicia-and-Denzel" for so long that he wasn't even sure about his social identity apart from her. Were the people he thought of as "friends" really his friends? Or were they just Alicia's friends who allowed him entrance into their group as long as he was attached to her? Outside of his family, the only people that he could really say for sure would still be there for him were Jesse and Lexi. A year was a long time at his age, and any other connections he'd had when he was "just Denzel" were long dissolved.

Cloud looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry."

Denzel shrugged sadly. "It's ok. Honestly, I think we were just staying together out of habit. We're so different now. We really don't have much in common anymore." Had they ever? He wondered. She had always felt so out of his league. What had she seen in him, anyway? His 15 minutes of fame were long past.

They sat there in silence for a while longer, listening to the calming fountain and watching the moon rise. As always, Cloud's presence was calming to him. There was no need to talk, and he appreciated the way his guardian understood that. Finally, Denzel stood. "Let's go home."

"Alicia." Cloud sighed as he looked at the girl standing timidly in the kitchen doorway. "I told you not to come back here. What do you want?"

"I—I want to talk to Denzel," she said, raising her chin. "I need to explain what happened."

"He knows what happened. You need to leave him alone," Cloud said stonily.

"It's ok, Cloud," Denzel said softly from behind him. "We do need to talk."

Cloud turned around, still blocking the doorway. He locked eyes with Denzel, trying to decide if he should just forbid it altogether. But he was 16, not a child, and Cloud had no right to make those decisions for him. "You're sure?" he asked.

"Yeah," Denzel sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table. "Let her in."

Cloud didn't look too convinced, but he stepped aside to let Alicia come inside. "I need to go to the store. I'll be back soon," he said, giving Denzel a meaningful look.

Denzel rolled his eyes. "We'll be fine, Cloud," he said.

Cloud fidgeted with the keys in his hands. "Call me if you need anything," he said before finally leaving.

Alicia watched the door shut behind her, then turned around nervously to face Denzel. Slowly, she came closer and sat down in another chair. She didn't seem to know how to start, but Denzel wasn't going to make it any easier for her. He sat and stared at her, crossing his arms in that intimidating way he'd picked up from Cloud.

She twisted her fingers together uneasily. "I just wanted to say…I'm sorry."

Denzel raised an eyebrow. He wasn't going to let her off that easy. "For what?" he asked innocently.

Alicia looked stricken. "For…for the way I feel about Cloud."

Denzel laughed incredulously, his arms unfolding to slap down on the table. He had been ready to hear her apologize for her actions, but her feelings? "Oh come on," he scoffed. "He's practically twice your age, and you don't even know him!"

She slumped lower in her chair. "I know. I can't explain it. I just feel this…draw…to him. It was the same way I felt drawn to you before I knew you, Denzel. It just felt right. And after a while, it just felt comfortable. I liked being around you. You're a good person." Denzel shifted uncomfortably. It was harder to stay angry when she said things like that. "But when I met Cloud, it was even stronger," she continued. "I couldn't stop thinking about him. You said that thing about how he didn't really talk to strangers unless he was rescuing them so I kind of…let myself need rescuing."

"What are you talking about?" Denzel asked, lowering his brows. He had never heard the story about her adventure in the ruins.

Alicia just plowed on like she hadn't heard. "I really did think it would go away if I could see him as a real person, because he was just this…mythical god or something. I wanted it to go away, Denzel, I swear. But it didn't. I just felt it stronger. I found reasons to be here, but he wasn't always here and it didn't feel close enough and—"

"Whoa. Wait. Are you talking about when we were doing sword training?" Denzel interrupted, feeling numbness spreading across his tongue.

She looked ashamed of herself, but finally nodded. Denzel got to his feet, the fury building. "So every time you were here with me, it was because you wanted to be with him?" His face burned with heat at her hesitant acknowledgement. It wouldn't have been so bad if they'd actually been training that whole time, but it almost always seemed to get physical in that room. "So when we were…you were thinking about…imagining? Wow. I can't even…I…get out, Alicia. We're done talking. We're over. Don't ever come back here again."

"Denzel, wait!" she said desperately, getting to her feet. "I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore, but please don't take away my lessons with Tifa."

The fury ripped through Denzel like a tide. He knew he wasn't supposed to let himself get angry. He had even managed to brush it off when he saw her and Cloud in the hallway, both dripping wet from the shower. He told himself that there were logical reasons why Cloud would be holding her face in his hands. He had convinced himself that he had known all along that she would try to insinuate herself into his life, but it didn't matter because Cloud would never betray him like that.

This was different. It wasn't a spur of the moment, bad decision. It wasn't a mistake. She had deliberately used him, stringing him along to get to someone else. Even after admitting that, she wanted him to say it was ok for her to use Tifa as an excuse to be near Cloud? No. Hell, no.

Denzel gritted his teeth and towered over Alicia, flexing his hands. For the first time ever, he saw fear in her eyes, and it made him feel powerful. She was afraid of him. He grabbed her shoulders roughly. "Don't ever come back here, for any reason."

"Denzel, your eyes…" Tears glistened in her lashes and trailed down her face. "You're hurting me."

"Stay away from him, Alicia. Stay away from me." He shoved her and she stumbled backwards, landing hard on the kitchen floor.

"Please, just listen," she sobbed, scuttling quickly back to her feet and holding up her arms appeasingly. "I can come when he's not here. I don't need to be near him. But I can't go home. Please don't make me quit, Denzel. I can't be there every night without learning how to keep him away. I can't do it anymore. I can't—"

Denzel's nostrils flared and he stalked closer. Alicia squeaked and scooted backwards until she hit the wall. There was nowhere else to go. With a desperate look in her eyes, she balled up her fist and tried an attack she'd learned from Tifa, but Denzel was much too familiar with her style, and regardless of how natural it was to her, Alicia was still a beginner. He caught her wrist and pulled, moving his body to the side and throwing her to the ground behind him.

"Denzel! What are you doing?" Lexi emerged from the family room connected to the kitchen, snapping her fingers.

The green flickered for just a moment, allowing a tiny peep of blue to show through in his eyes, but then it was gone again. He was angry, and he had a right to be. He wasn't going to let Alicia use him like that and get away with it. She deserved his righteous anger.

Lexi looked down at Alicia on the floor. One hand was on the ground, propping her up, the other hand over her mouth. She was crying hard. She had no idea what was going on with Denzel, no idea how to deal with him when he lost control. "Alicia, go," Lexi said, putting herself between the two of them. Alicia didn't have to be told twice. She scrambled to her feet behind Lexi.

"Lexi, move," Denzel hissed.

Lexi moved, but only to keep her body between them while Alicia lunged for the door. As soon as she was gone, Lexi snapped her fingers again. The blue of his iris made a slightly longer appearance, but again disappeared behind the green.

"This is none of your business, Lexi," Denzel growled.

Lexi put her hand on his arm. "She's controlling you, Denzel," she said, quietly but firmly. She watched the struggle going on in his eyes. She put her other hand on his other arm, pushing away his anger with her calming presence. "This isn't you," she added, warm brown eyes locked onto his.

The green disappeared entirely. His irises went back to solid blue and his pupils rounded. He blinked rapidly, fighting to get his emotions under control. He pulled away from her and sat down heavily on the chair. "Thanks," he muttered.

Lexi sat down in the other chair. She watched him pick at a chip in the paint on the table. He was obviously feeling guilty and trying to process what had just happened, but she had to say her piece. "Denzel…I think you should let her keep taking lessons from Tifa."

"What?!" He immediately sat back up, but then clenched his fists and let out a slow breath. "You know what, Lexi? I appreciate you helping me come back down and everything, but this is none of your business."

"Were you even listening to what she said?" Lexi asked gently. "I think…I think Alicia has a real reason for wanting to protect herself."

"Who cares!" Denzel said irritably. "Do you have any idea what she's done, Lexi?"

Lexi blinked and looked down. "No, but—"

"But nothing! She needs to just stay away from all of us."

"Denzel, this isn't just about you and her. This is—"

"Alicia can figure out her own damn problems. She brought them on herself!" Denzel snapped.

"Please, just listen, Denzel. What if Tifa is the only one who can—"

"Quit trying to act like you know what happens here! Quit trying to act like you're one of us, Lexi! You are not a part of this family!" he steamed.

Lexi's head jerked back like she'd been slapped. "I'm not trying to—"

"You're always here, Lexi. Well you know what? You still have a mother. You still have a home. Maybe you should appreciate that for once and actually spend some time there."

Lexi's eyes took on a slight greenish tint, but she pushed back, letting out a calming breath the way Cloud had taught her. "Fine," she said, standing. "I'll go home."

"Good!" Denzel spat, pushing away from the table.

She pressed her lips together and held her chin high as she walked out the back door. He stormed up to his bedroom and slammed the door.

Once inside, he kicked his dresser, smashing a hole in the side and starting a sharp throbbing in his foot. He braced his hands on the top of the dresser, staring at his reflection in the mirror. What's wrong with me? What the hell did I just do? Did I really hurt Alicia? Did I just kick Lexi out of Seventh Heaven?

His irises flickered between blue and green. He was still struggling for control when his eyes landed on his earring in the reflection. Alicia had wanted him to get that earring. No, she'd wanted him to get one that looked an awful lot like Cloud's. And she sure liked to touch it when they were making out. Denzel's eyes welled up and he struggled with the back of the earring. He finally managed to get it unhooked and tore out the diamond stud, throwing it across the room. His eyes scanned over his bedroom. There were reminders of Alicia everywhere - picture strips, gifts she'd given him, notes they'd passed back and forth in class, and little mementos from special places they'd gone.

Denzel angrily swiped the tears from his face. They all had to go.

Lexi stared at her sneakers as she walked home. One was untied, the formerly white lace dragging on the dusty ground. She didn't care. She was upset that she had let Jenova in for even that tiny moment. Now she was going to have to deal with an unstable mood for the rest of the day. It wasn't helping that she was still angry with Denzel. He knew he couldn't let himself get mad like that, and he knew he was losing control, and he chose to stay mad. He ignored Lexi's signals and let the Jenova cells take over.

A part of her even understood Alicia. She felt that same draw to Cloud. She always had, even before he had spent all that time teaching her how to control the Jenova cells. The difference was that she felt comfortable and safe around him. It was more of a paternal feeling than what Alicia had been describing – which Lexi thought was honestly pretty creepy - but just the same, she understood that pull. She was pretty sure Denzel felt the same way too, judging by the way he'd always looked at him and talked about him.

Perhaps what bothered Lexi most of all, however, was the thought that he had been right about her. She wasn't even with Marlene. Lexi had just been relaxing in the family room off the kitchen, watching TV by herself. It was Sunday evening, and her mom was probably home alone. She didn't have any good reason to be sitting there, other than the fact that she wanted to be a part of what they had there. It was something special. Four very different people, with no blood to tie them together, had forged bonds stronger than many natural families. They had all experienced loss and hardship, and they all understood each other. Cloud and Tifa were the perfect combination of soft and strong, individually and together. Denzel and Marlene were both caring and thoughtful kids, even if they occasionally fought.

So yes, maybe Lexi was being selfish. Maybe she wanted to be part of something secure and stable for once, instead of the full-time caretaker of her own mother. Maybe she wanted to know how it felt to just be a teenager.

As she trudged up the steps of her grandmother's old house, Lexi pushed down her feelings and put on the happy mask that she always wore. She called out to her mother when she walked through the door. "Mom, I'm home!"

Her mother scurried out to the foyer, and Lexi's stomach sank like a rock. Her mom was wearing pants that may have fit her twenty years ago, but she couldn't even button now. It was paired with a bikini top tied so loosely that she was falling out of it. Her hair looked like it had been styled by a three year old, and worst of all, her arms were overloaded with Joey's toys.

It was clearly a bad day, and Lexi hadn't been there for her.

"Lex!" Her mother squealed. "Jojo won't come home! I saw him outside, but he was too scared to come to the door, so I'm putting all his toys on the porch. Once he gets close enough, you have to help me catch him. I couldn't find your butterfly net, so I just got some plastic bags, but now that you're home you can help!

Lexi sagged against the wall. "Mom—" She sighed. "Let's put the toys right here for now, ok? Have you eaten yet?"

Her mother gave her a look of consternation. "I can't think about food while my Jojo is missing! What's wrong with you?"

What's wrong with me? You have no idea, Mother. Lexi tried to swallow her guilt. Her mom had gotten so good at taking her medication on her own that Lexi had stopped monitoring it. She had been spending so much time at Seventh Heaven lately that she hadn't even seen the woman for over a week. She could have stopped this spiral before it got so out of control. Lexi was going to have to force feed her the pills again.

"Well, Jojo will probably be hungry too, Mom. Maybe the smell of food will bring him in."

Her mother's face brightened. "What a great idea! He always liked pizza. Let's make some pizza."

"Sure, Mom," Lexi said wearily. "Why don't we get you a sweater? You must be cold without a shirt."

"I'll get the pizza going. Jojo loves pizza!" The woman said, fluttering around happily.

"Don't worry about it, I'll get it in a second," Lexi called as she went into her mother's bedroom. She winced and knelt down on the ground to dig through a pile of clothes. It looked like her mother had gone on a rampage. Every garment she owned had been torn from the closet or drawers and strewn across the floor. Many of them were torn or cut with scissors, meaning Lexi would be spending the next few days trying to salvage her clothes with a needle and thread.

She sifted until she found a knit sweater that was still intact and she could easily get over her mother's head without fighting her. She brought it out to the kitchen, where her mother was setting up Joey's toys around the table like they were getting ready for a tea party. "Here, Mom. Put this on," she said, holding the sweater around the collar.

Her mother swatted the sweater to the floor. "Alexis! Can't you see I'm doing something important? You are the most inconsiderate, ungrateful child!" Lexi's head started ringing. She pressed the heels of her hands against her temples. "Don't you care about anyone but yourself? Jojo is gone and it's your fault! If you were a better sister he wouldn't have run away!"

Lexi squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed her hair in her fists. After the argument with Denzel and the Jenova flare-up, she was far too unstable to be dealing with one of her mother's episodes. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she burst out. "You don't know what you're talking about! Joey is dead. He's been dead for years! He's not going to come back for food or toys or love and you can't just—" Lexi screamed in frustration. She just couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't be strong enough for both of them. Balling up the sweater and throwing it in the general direction of her mother, she stormed out of the house.

Everything inside of her hurt. Even though the woman hadn't known what she was saying, there was a part of Lexi that always felt responsible for letting Joey die. Somehow, if she would have taken better care of him, found a way to keep him alive just a few days longer, he would have been there when the cure came. Just a few days, and Joey would be alive.

She had accepted the things that had happened and whatever role she had played, because there was no going back. Taking care of her mother was her duty and there was no point in being bitter about it. That's what she always told herself, and things were going fine.

But then she had made so many mistakes.

She became friends with Marlene, letting herself be distracted by friendship instead of focusing on her duty. She let herself get comfortable in the easy atmosphere in Seventh Heaven, making it harder and harder to come back to the tension and mounting responsibilities at her house. She got to remember what a real smile felt like, instead of the forced one she always wore. She had thought herself special for her singing ability, but even that had turned out to be candy with a poison center.

Yes, Lexi decided, she had brought this down on her mother and herself with her selfishness. She needed to cut ties with everyone at Seventh Heaven. The thought stabbed her like a knife, but she pushed it back down with every other bad feeling she wouldn't allow herself to have.

By the time she had finished cooling off, the sun had completely set. Her walk had gone on much longer than she intended, but at least she knew what she had to do. She was going to get her life back on track, where it was supposed to be.

Cloud barely heard the ringing of his phone over the noise of the bar. The Sunday night crowd was generally pretty tame, but there was a rowdy after-wedding party there that evening.

Because of the large crowd, he'd had to make an emergency supply run earlier that evening, which is when Alicia had shown up at the back door. By the time he got back, the kitchen was empty, and Marlene and Denzel didn't say much more than 'good-night' after that. Cloud wanted to find out how things had gone with Denzel and Alicia, but the bar was too busy, so their talk had to be put off.

He looked at the display and saw an unfamiliar number, but waited to answer until he was in the relative quiet of the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Cloud?" A soft, female voice questioned.

"Yes…?"

"Can you come get me?" It was the shaky voice of a girl, but he didn't recognize it. There was still a lot of background noise from the bar.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"It's…it's Lexi."

"Lexi! Yeah, I can come get you. Where are you?"

"I'm uh…I'm…" she sniffled loudly. "I'm next door to my…h-house."

"Sure," he said softly. "Is everything ok?"

"No. I'm…just come get me, please."

"Ok, Lex. I'll be there in a few minutes." The call was abruptly cut off. Cloud frowned and walked back out to the bar. "Tifa. I'm going to pick up Lexi. I'll be back in a few minutes," he called over the noise.

Tifa gave him exactly two seconds of acknowledgement before going back to serving. Yuffie was there, too, but they really needed all three of them helping that night, and she knew Cloud wouldn't have left them unless it was important.

The speed of his ride across town reflected his concern about Lexi. She had never called him directly before, and since her default state was cheerful and sweet, he knew it had to be something bad to shake her up so much. As he flew through the streets of Edge on Fenrir, he only grew more worried. He had picked up on the faint smell of smoke, and it was getting stronger and stronger.

His suspicions were confirmed when he turned on to Lexi's block. The city's two salvaged fire trucks were involved in a battle with the giant blaze that used to be Lexi's house. The old wood had probably been consumed like a box of tinder. It was pretty much a lost cause, but they were trying to prevent the fire from jumping to the neighbors' houses.

Cloud skidded to a stop at the roadblocks, then put down his kickstand and ran past them, ignoring the policeman calling out to him. There was an ambulance a few houses down from Lexi's and that's where he was headed. As he expected, she sat in the open back door with a blanket around her shoulders. Her face was tear-stained and marked with soot. An EMT and a police officer were with her, neither of them having much luck getting a response from the girl.

"Lexi!" he called out as soon as he got close enough. She seemed to come out of her fog, jumping up and throwing her arms around Cloud's neck.

He held on to her protectively, focusing on the two officials whose attention had switched to him. "Cloud," one of them said, looking relieved. "We can't get a word out of her. We were trying to decide if we had to lock her up tonight or if there was some way we could secure her at Doc Marten's."

"Neither," he said calmly. "I'm bringing her home with me."

The two men glanced at each other. "Cloud, you can't just—"

"I'm not asking your permission," he said, his voice lowering dangerously. "You can talk to her tomorrow if you need a statement."

"But we—"

"She's clearly in shock right now and can't tell you anything."

It was only partially true. She was definitely in shock, but she was actually saying quite a lot. With her face pressed against his chest, the two men didn't seem to be able to hear her over the crackle of the flames and the hiss of the high-powered hoses.

"It's my fault, Cloud, I killed my mom, she's dead and I killed her, gods punish me, I killed her, my mom's dead..."

She was repeating the same basic admissions in a loop, and Cloud wasn't going to give the officials a chance to hear it. "I'm taking custody of her for now," he said firmly. "I'll make sure she doesn't go anywhere."

Without waiting for any further arguments, he scooped her up and walked quickly back to Fenrir. The men looked like they wanted to do something, but neither of them were stupid enough to try to stop Cloud Strife when he was on a mission.

She still had her arms locked around his neck, mumbling in an endless stream. "Shh. Be quiet, Lexi. We'll sort this out at home," he said, lowering his head next to her ear.

She didn't stop speaking or make any acknowledgement of his words, and he was getting increasingly worried about her state of mind. When they reached his bike, he put her on the seat in front of him and wrapped one arm around her middle. Fenrir's style was such that he needed to lean forward to control the turns, and it was really not ideal to have her sitting there, but he wasn't sure if she could be trusted to hold on to him.

The hum of the engine seemed to calm her as they drove, and he felt her start to relax against him. By the time they reached Seventh Heaven, she was no longer claiming responsibility for her mother's death. She was much more docile, responding to his instructions to stand up and walk forward, but showing no more signs of emotional distress.

Cloud brought her in through the kitchen, guiding her gently to a chair at the little kitchen table before striding quickly out to the bar area. It seemed that the wedding party had left, and the mess they had left behind was considerable. There were a few other customers, but it was calm enough that Cloud didn't feel guilty about grabbing Tifa's hand and pulling her into the kitchen, ignoring Yuffie's loud protests.

"What's going on? I shouldn't leave Yuffie—" Tifa stopped speaking abruptly when she saw the pale girl sitting at the table, staring at nothing. She approached Lexi and squatted in front of her chair, picking up her limp hands. "Hi, sweetie. Are you ok? Can you tell me what happened?"

Lexi didn't respond. "There was a fire at her house," Cloud said quietly. "It sounds like her mom died."

Tifa looked up at him. "Were the police there?" He nodded. "And they let you take her?" she asked, surprised.

Cloud shrugged. "I didn't really give them a choice. She kept telling me that it was her fault and I didn't want them to hear it."

Tifa pursed her lips and looked back at Lexi. "Come on upstairs, sweetheart. You can sleep in Cloud's office for tonight, ok? We'll figure everything out tomorrow."

Lexi stood and trailed along behind Tifa. Cloud watched them disappear up the stairs. He was worried about her future. Edge had gained another orphan, but the mysterious circumstances of her mother's death, coupled with the fact that Lexi had already been tested for the Jenova cells, meant that she wasn't likely to be placed with a family. They were going to have to make sure that she understood what was at stake before she talked to the police.

Denzel was really trying hard to be discreet, but he couldn't stop staring at Lexi at the breakfast table. She was extremely withdrawn, pale and silent. The guilt was weighing heavily on Denzel. He knew he shouldn't have said those things to her the day before. The thing was, Lexi was practically family. There was no reason to make her feel guilty for spending time there. He had just been hurt and reeling from Alicia's confession, but he shouldn't have aimed his vitriol at Lexi.

She was normally so cheerful and bounced back so easily. He couldn't imagine how much he must have hurt her. He had to say something. He couldn't leave it like this. "Lexi, can we talk for a minute?"

Lexi's big brown eyes slowly lifted from her plate. "Ok," she said softly.

Denzel glanced around at their other companions at the table. "Maybe in the kitchen?" he suggested.

"Sure," Lexi said, her expression unchanged.

Cloud and Tifa looked at each other like they were going to protest, but neither of them rose to stop him. Denzel passed through the swinging door and held it open for Lexi behind him. She followed him over to the island and stared at him impassively.

Denzel nervously ran his hands through his hair and looked at Lexi's ashen face. "I just…um, I wanted to apologize. For yesterday. I…like seeing you here. So does everyone else."

Lexi just stared at him blankly. "Thank you," she said softly. "But I'm not sure where I'll end up now."

"What are you talking about?" Denzel asked. "Nothing's changed. I didn't mean what I said, Lexi. I know technically you live with your mom, but you can spend as much time here as you want."

"What you…said?" Lexi echoed. "Oh." She seemed to be replaying the scene in her mind. "No, Denzel. You were right," she said. Her face and voice remained flat and expressionless. Denzel was really starting to get worried.

"Lex—" he started, but was interrupted by the appearance of Tifa popping through the swinging door.

"Lexi," she said. "A detective is here to speak with you." She approached Lexi and held her hands gently. "Remember what we talked about, ok? Are you ready?"

Lexi nodded and followed Tifa back out to the bar area. Denzel trailed behind them and saw a familiar rotund man with a bulbous nose, covered with the broken blood vessels of a long-time alcoholic.

"Hello, Alexis," the detective said calmly. "I'm Special Detective Marks, in charge of juvenile investigations." Lexi nodded, although she surely remembered him as well. He was the detective who had grilled them at length when they were arrested for the debacle in the school gym. "I just need to ask you a few questions about the fire last night," he said.

Denzel sucked in a sharp breath. Lexi had been in a fire the night before? Why had no one told them? He hung back a bit from the core group. The detective stood across from Lexi; Cloud and Tifa stood to the side, giving him space, but quite obviously hovering protectively. Marlene and Jesse sat at the table still, watching everything with wide eyes.

The detective pulled out a notebook and clicked the button at the end of his pen. He tapped it noisily against the paper as he read the details. "According to the reports, the emergency call came in at 9:43 p.m. last night. You were the one who placed that call, correct?" Lexi nodded. "Do you have any idea what time the fire started?

"Sometime after 8:30," she said, emotionless. "Probably close to 9:00."

"And where were you during this time?" he asked, scribbling down her words.

"I was on a walk," she said.

"I see. Now, Alexis, you've previously been confirmed to be carrying an active Jenova gene. I assume that you're aware of this and have possibly discovered some unusual abilities," he said conversationally. At her hesitant nod, he gave her an encouraging smile. "Can you tell me how that ability works?"

"Nothing to do with fire," Cloud interjected. All eyes went to him, but he addressed Lexi directly. "He's trying to prove you caused the fire with your abilities," he said, eyes flashing.

"Excuse me," the detective said irritably. Cloud scowled but didn't say anything else. The detective looked back at Lexi and his voice turned gentle again. "Alexis, have you heard of Hubble House? It's a place for children who are victims of the Jenova activation."

Cloud scoffed derisively. "It's a prison for kids with dangerous abilities," he said, staring down the detective. Their standoff only lasted for a few seconds before Lexi broke in.

"I'm dangerous," she said softly. "I killed my mother." Cloud's eyes widened and he took a step toward Lexi, but Tifa stopped him with a hand on his wrist.

"Lexi, it wasn't your fault," Cloud said forcefully, as if he could change her answer simply by force of will.

"Yes it was," Lexi said, still calm and detached. "I did to her what I did to you, Cloud. So either she started the fire herself, or it was an accident and she couldn't move."

"You don't know that for sure," he said desperately. "Your mom had some kind of emotional issues, didn't she?"

"That's enough," the detective snapped. "I'm sorry, Cloud, but I'm afraid this nullifies your exception. I have to bring her to Hubble House."

Cloud stepped between the detective and Lexi with a hard expression. "No. You don't."

"She's obviously traumatized and distraught," Tifa jumped in. "She doesn't know what she's saying."

But Lexi put her hand on Cloud's arm and stepped around him. "I know what I'm saying. I need to be locked up where I can't hurt anyone else."

"I do, too!" Denzel blurted out, stepping forward. Everyone in the room turned toward him, eyes widened in shock.

"Denzel, stop!" Tifa begged. "You learned to control it. There's no reason—"

"I hurt someone yesterday," he said. "If you're going to put Lexi in there, I deserve to be there, too."

Cloud looked like the world was falling apart around him. "No. No, no, no, Denzel. Don't do this. Please don't do this."

Tifa's eyes glistened with tears. "Detective, please, let us talk to them. They're obviously not—"

"They are both well old enough to speak for themselves," the detective said harshly. "I am placing them under arrest, and you both need to step aside before I'm forced to call for backup."

Cloud's eyes flared brighter. "Go ahead," he said coldly, stepping up to the detective.

"Cloud, stop!" Tifa cried, pulling at his arm fruitlessly. "The kids…" His eyes dimmed and he looked over his shoulder. Marlene and Jesse sat at the table, looking both scared and excited. No matter how upset he was, Cloud wasn't going to kill a bunch of police officers, and he definitely wouldn't endanger the others. "We'll find a way to get them out," she coaxed him. "We have to let him take them for now."

Denzel had gotten very good at reading Cloud's eyes, and what he saw then made him regret his impulsive move. There was anger, frustration, and pain, all of which he expected, but then there was the one that would always be the warrior's downfall: helplessness. Cloud would always be driven to fix things. He always had a plan, or at least an idea, and he wouldn't rest until he had done everything he could do to help. If he had made some kind of arrangement to keep them out, then he had most certainly thought of the possibility of them being put in there. He had to have thought through what would happen, what he would have to do to fix it.

That look in his eyes meant that he had no idea how to get them out. His plan had been to keep them out, and Lexi and Denzel had just stomped all over that. But Denzel couldn't just sit back and let them take Lexi. He kept thinking about the drunkard in their holding cell and the way she had been terrified by all the people around them. She wouldn't survive in that place by herself, at least not without coming back a different person. He just thought that maybe if he went with her, he could make sure that Lexi would still be Lexi.

It had never occurred to Denzel how the place would change him.

Marlene was pretty sure that Cloud was about to combust. They had just watched Lexi and Denzel being led out of the house in handcuffs, and the tension Cloud was holding in his body reminded her of a compressed spring.

"I thought she understood," Tifa said, staring at the door that had closed behind them. "When we talked to Lexi this morning, I thought she understood that she couldn't say that stuff to the detective."

"She acted like it," Cloud said grimly. "She just agreed with everything we said."

Tifa turned around to face Cloud. She looked so lost. "Why would she do that? Why does she want to be sent away?"

"Guilt," Cloud said flatly. If anyone could understand that, he could, and the guilt he felt now was all his own. "But why did Denzel? Who did he hurt?" No one in the room seemed to know. His hands flexed restlessly. "I need to go make some calls," he said, turning away and walking from the room.

Tifa finally seemed to realize that Marlene and Jesse were still sitting at the table. A strained smile came across her face. "You two need to be getting off to school, don't you? Forget the dishes. I'll take care of them today."

"Tifa—" Marlene said hesitantly. She had known the woman for as long as she could remember, and she knew how Tifa operated. Tifa would take care of everyone else, pretending to be fine while she cracked and crumbled inside.

"Go on now, you'll be late for school," she said, collecting the dishes from the table. Only the tremble of the dishes clattering together betrayed her mental state.

"But Tifa—" Marlene said again.

"Just go!" Tifa snapped, then dropped her head, looking instantly sorry. "Just go. Please. Go to school, Marlene. We can talk about it when you get home," she added more gently.

Jesse was waiting nervously by the door with his backpack. When Marlene joined him, he held open the door for her and they walked together in silence. After about a block, Jesse finally spoke. "Do you think they'll be ok in that place?"

Marlene shrugged. "I don't know much about it, but I'm sure Cloud and Tifa will find a way to get them out. They already taught Denzel and Lexi how to manage their anger. There's no reason for them to be in there." She said it with the conviction she felt in her heart, but a tiny part of her couldn't help wondering: why? Why had they said those things to the detective? What if they couldn't control it as well as they thought they could?

Jesse patted her shoulder awkwardly. "We'll figure something out. And I'll...you know...look out for you until they get out."

"Welcome to Hubble House," Mrs. Joya said warmly. "You'll…Lexi? Ah, I knew there was something special about you, the way you took care of those people in the town hall." She pulled the girl into her ample bosom, wrapping her in a hug. She released Lexi, but kept an arm around her shoulder. "And who is your friend?" she asked, scrutinizing Denzel.

Lexi still hadn't shown any sign of emotion, and her response was just as flat. "This is Denzel. He's Marlene's brother."

"Ahh, Marlene! Such a darling girl!" To his surprise, she pulled Denzel into a smothering hug. "How is she doing, dear?"

"Uhh…fine," Denzel said awkwardly, his face muffled by her chest.

"Good. Lovely. Well, girls' dorms are in the east wing, boys' dorms in the west," she said releasing him to point in each direction as she spoke. "You can get settled in just a bit, after you sign the papers and get changed into your uniforms."

"Uniforms?" Denzel asked cautiously.

"Yes. Everyone wears the same clothes in Hubble House. Individuality can only hinder our goal here."

"And…what exactly is the goal here?" Denzel asked.

"To learn to control our emotions, of course" Mrs. Joya said. "At the same time, it's necessary to learn exactly how the alien cells work. Come now," she said, placing a hand on each of their backs and leading them to a door marked OFFICE. She opened the door to reveal a mousy-looking man behind a large desk. "Jasper, we have two new residents," she said pleasantly. "Could you kindly get them set up?"

Jasper looked them up and down. "Welcome," he said dryly as Ms. Joya excused herself from the office. "First we have some paperwork for you to sign, and then you can get settled." He slid a piece of paper across the desk to each of them. Denzel began scanning the text immediately. It was written in legalese with a bunch of big words, but essentially boiled down to them agreeing to be admitted into Hubble House for an indeterminate amount of time, to participate in activities designed to suppress their criminal instincts (whatever that meant), and to agree to be studied by scientists, in exchange for avoiding charges and prison time for their crimes.

It was this last part that gave Denzel pause. It was impossible not to think of Professor Hojo. Denzel knew how the slimy scientist had "studied" his test subjects back in the day, and the lasting damage it had done to Cloud. Lexi didn't even read it. She just signed it and dropped the pen. Denzel looked up at her. "Lexi—"

"There's no need to talk," Jasper said sharply. "Either sign the papers or be turned over to the authorities."

With one last, long look at subdued girl, Denzel took a deep breath and scribbled his name at the bottom. Jasper snatched the papers back and slid them into file folders with their names across the tabs. "Very good. Uniforms." He opened one of the desk drawers and shuffled through it until he found the sizes he needed. He turned around and handed them to a man and a woman, both pristinely suited in navy blue, who materialized from behind him. The man was strongly built, with a bald head and precisely trimmed goatee, and for some reason he wore sunglasses inside. The woman was pretty and petite, with light blonde hair, but Denzel got the distinct impression that she was a woman whom it would be a mistake to cross.

The bald man looked at Denzel, or at least he thought he was looking at him, as he intoned, "Follow me, please." He turned stiffly and walked in the direction from which he'd come. Denzel followed hesitantly, feeling somehow unnerved by the absolute lack of feeling that emanated from the man.

They entered a separate room at the rear of the office. The bald man held the folded clothes in his hands and stared straight ahead like he was in formation. It was a little creepy.

"Uh…" Denzel wasn't quite sure what was expected of him. "Am I supposed to change, or…?"

The man nodded stiffly. "Remove everything on your person and put them in the bag on the table. All of your belongings will be kept safe for you here at the office."

Denzel hesitated again. "Are you…going to stand there and watch me?"

"Mm," he acknowledged with another deadpan nod. "Unless my assistance is required."

"No, that's ok, I got it," Denzel said hurriedly. He wasn't thrilled about this strange man staring at him while he changed, but it was infinitely better than having him help.

Denzel pulled his long-sleeved shirt over his head and then reached for the clothing, but was stopped with a sharp "No." His hand stopped in mid-air at the command. "Remove everything first."

"I have to strip down before I can put on the uniform?" Denzel squeaked.

"Yes. Remove everything."

With a shaky breath, Denzel began unbuttoning his pants. He was really uncomfortable exposing himself while he changed, but the man's tone left no room for negotiation. When he was stripped down to his boxers, he looked up pleadingly, but there was still no response from his guard. He held the clothes as tightly as ever in front of his statuesque figure.

Denzel sighed and pulled off his shorts, standing uncomfortably and shielding himself as well as he could. "Spread your arms and legs and turn around," the man said in the same commanding tone.

"What? Are you serious?" Denzel sputtered, eyes wide. They were treating him like some kind of criminal! The brows lowered menacingly behind the dark shades. Denzel swallowed hard and did as he was told. He remembered what Cloud had called this place – a prison for kids with dangerous abilities.

Finally satisfied that Denzel wasn't hiding anything in any orifices, the intimidating man held out a pile of clothing: white briefs, light blue pants with an elastic waistband, a matching v-neck shirt, and white socks. Gratefully, Denzel took the clothes and quickly pulled them on. As soon as he was comfortably decent, the stoic man spoke his first surprising sentence. "Aren't you…Strife's kid?"

Denzel nodded hesitantly, wondering if it would end up being a good thing or a bad thing. It was hard to tell from the man's demeanor. Cloud didn't have a lot of enemies, but there were some who thought the reluctant hero should have more of a public persona, and some, like Jamison, who just plain didn't like him. But the man only nodded and continued staring straight ahead.

When the teen was finally presentable, the man opened the door, leaving the bag with his belongings on the table. Denzel walked ahead of the man at his gesture and met Lexi back at the desk, standing solemnly in her matching blue uniform. The distance in her eyes was beginning to scare him.

As if on cue, Ms. Joya swept back through the office door, clasping her hands together. "Ah, wonderful. It seems all the paperwork is in order?" She raised an eyebrow to Jasper, who nodded. "Good. Your beds are also prepared. You will find a footlocker containing several changes of uniform, as well as a copy of the house rules. Go on up the stairs and get settled in. You will need to be back here in 30 minutes for dinner."

Tifa looked over the students in her advanced class. She was carrying on, like always, but her students must have noticed her shortened temper and frayed nerves. After snapping at them several times, she caught them casting surreptitious glances at her when they thought she wasn't looking. Taking a breath, she mentally scolded herself for allowing her personal issues to interfere with her students' learning.

Alicia was missing again, the third class in a row. As Tifa walked along the line of her students, correcting or complimenting them as she passed, she stopped behind Lora, one of the girls who had come in with Alicia during the first lesson.

"Hey, Lora?" The pixie girl stopped and turned to face her teacher. "Is Alicia sick? I haven't seen her in a while."

Lora paused, looking uncomfortable. "Actually, she said she got kicked out."

"Kicked out?" Tifa's face tightened again. "Stay and talk to me after class, please."

Cloud wasn't getting anywhere with any of his contacts. He'd learned that Denzel and Lexi had voluntarily signed themselves in to Hubble House, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He paced along the office floor, desperately searching his mind for someone else he could call. There must be someone, somewhere who owed him a favor and had the power to do something about it.

The office door burst open, startling him from his stewing. Tifa stood in the doorway, her dark eyes burning with fury. "What gives you the right to kick out my students?" she demanded.

Cloud was too shocked to answer right away. Tifa stormed up to him and jabbed a finger in his chest. "How dare you tell Alicia she couldn't come back."

"I—"

"How could you do that?"

"Tifa, you know what happened."

"Yes, I know," she said furiously. "I just assumed you were able to handle a 16 year old girl with a crush!"

He winced and shifted his posture. "I can, I just—"

"Or did you think I couldn't handle it?" she plowed on. "Do you think I'm so insecure that I can't deal with a younger, prettier girl coming on to you?"

He smiled hesitantly. "Tif, she's not—"

"Well, hell, maybe I need to be more worried about our relationship than I thought, Cloud. I didn't realize we were so unstable."

"Tifa, stop!" He finally grabbed her arms, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "I didn't do it for me or you, ok? I did it for Denzel."

Her lip trembled for a split second, but then she covered it up with a scowl and pushed away his hands. "Well Denzel's not here anymore, is he? So there's no reason she can't be my student. Fix this, Cloud." She stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

Sighing, Cloud sank down onto the cot and put his head in his hands. He knew Tifa was trying not to fall apart. He knew this was her way of coping, of trying to control something when her life was spinning out of control. Personally, he thought they were all better off without that girl in their lives, but if it would help Tifa feel more in control, he would do it for her. He certainly wasn't doing anything else useful for his family.

An hour later, Fenrir's motor halted in front of the extravagant house. Cloud pulled down his goggles and stared up at the monstrosity. The steps were set in an elegant semi-circle that rose up to an excessively large front door, surrounded by angled windows that allowed only a distorted glimpse of the foyer. Bright lights chased away the shadows around the door, but instead of looking welcoming, it gave off a cold and impersonal feeling.

Then again, maybe it was just his feelings about his task being projected onto the house. Denzel's feelings aside, dealing with Alicia was uncomfortable for Cloud. He wasn't good with subtleties, and he always felt off-balance around the girl, never sure of what she might be implying. It was a problem he'd just have to deal with, though. Tifa was more important.

He braced himself and walked up the front steps, knocking on the door with three sharp raps. Heavy footsteps echoed from inside the house, and seconds later, the door was pulled open by the bear man. His similarity to the animal was even more startling this time because he wore no shirt. All of the hair fluttered as one in the current of the door opening, and for a moment, Cloud completely forgot why he was there.

Then the hair settled and he refocused his mind. "Is Alicia here?"

The bear man glanced over his shoulder. Alicia had called him Ricky, he finally recalled. "She's in my pool. What do you want with her?"

Cloud crossed his arms, feeling somehow defensive. "I'm here about her martial arts lessons."

Ricky seemed to be sizing him up. "I thought some chick was teaching her."

Some chick? "Yes, Master Tifa is the teacher."

Ricky grinned, suddenly at ease. "Alright, come on back. You can talk to Ali." Cloud followed behind him, mesmerized by the flowing back hair. The man continued talking as they walked through a sparkling house, their footsteps echoing off shiny hardwood floors and vaulted ceilings. "Tifa, you said? I know a Tifa. She's a bartender, though. Smokin' hot one, too. Too bad it's not her," he chortled, glancing over his shoulder at Cloud. "I'd take up karate myself if I could watch that woman doin' the moves. Like boom-ba-boom, ya know?" He laughed garishly.

Cloud clenched his teeth and kept silent. It wasn't like he didn't know that men who came to the bar thought about Tifa that way, but it was entirely different to listen to a guy make lewd comments about the woman he loved to his face. Ricky didn't seem to notice his lack of response.

They reached a sliding glass door and stepped outside onto smooth stone. "Yo, Ali!" Ricky yelled across the patio. "Get yer butt over here!"

Cloud watched the teenager swim with smooth strokes across the length of the pool and pull herself out at the ladder. She was wearing a tiny bikini, but covered herself with a robe as soon as her feet touched stone. She tied it tightly before squeezing the excess water from sleek dark hair. Something was different about the girl, but Cloud couldn't quite place it.

She didn't look up until she reached them, and a look of shock crossed her face. "Cloud?" Her glance flickered between the two men.

"Your name is Cloud?" bear-man said, snickering. "Like that guy that supposedly saves the city all the time?"

Cloud smiled tightly. "Yep. Just like that guy."

Ricky's stopped his chuckling with an effort. "Wow, man, I'm sorry. Parents can be so cruel."

"What are you doing here, Cloud?" Alicia interrupted, saving him from the growing temptation to turn Ricky into a floating bear rug.

"Oh, right. I just came to tell you that if you still want to take classes from Master Tifa, you're welcome there."

Her eyes asked a million questions, but her mouth released none. Instead, she said, "I'd like that. Thank you."

"Sure," Cloud said, ignoring the confusion on Ricky's face. "The next advanced class is 7:30 on Friday."

Alicia's lips quirked into a familiar, confident grin. "I know."

"Right. Ok. I guess I'll see you then," he said uncomfortably. It would have been much easier to have this conversation in the doorway.

"Hey, I'll see you out, Fluffy," Ricky offered jovially.

"That's ok, Fuzzy. I can find it myself," Cloud responded, patting the big man on the shoulder.

Denzel wiggled his bare toes against the cement floor nervously. He was wearing one of those ugly medical gowns that open in the back, waiting for the doctor to show up. The basement was drafty and the gown was breezy, deepening his feeling of unease.

When the door finally opened, he fully expected to see a nightmare personified, but the man who entered was young, with wavy brown hair and soft gray eyes. His smile was disarming. "Hi Denzel," he said, holding out his hand. "I'm Dr. Chiro, but you can call me Chuck."

For a moment, Denzel wasn't sure if this was actually the scientist who would be studying them. This had to be the receptionist or something. But no, he had called himself "Dr. Chiro" and had the bleached white lab coat to prove it. "Have a seat," Chuck said, gesturing toward the elevated, cushioned table at the center of the room. "Man, they always keep it so cold in here, and then they put you kids in those flimsy little gowns. I can get you a warm blanket if you'd like."

Denzel nodded gratefully and climbed up on the table. He was feeling so much better about this whole thing already. The scientist seemed like a normal guy, and the exam that followed wasn't the least bit invasive.

"Ok," Chuck said, clapping his hands together and falling into a rolling desk chair. "Everything looks good and healthy. Let's talk about your ability. What can you do, Denzel?"

It seemed weird to be talking about this so casually with a stranger, but Chuck had a way of making everything sound completely normal. "Well," Denzel said hesitantly, "I…draw things. Things that I see in my head."

"Ok, you draw things," Chuck said, his warm gray eyes crinkling at the corners. "What kinds of things show up in your head?"

"Mostly…" he licked his lips hesitantly, "things that haven't happened yet."

He waited for Chuck to freak out, but the scientist just looked thoughtful. "Ok, so future visions. What can you do with these pictures? Can you draw something different than what you see in your head to make it happen?"

Denzel blinked. "I—I've never tried. I just always draw what I see."

"That's ok," Chuck said cheerfully. "That's what we're here to discover. I have you penciled in for 9 a.m. tomorrow for surgery, so no eating after midnight tonight—"

"Wait, surgery? What surgery?" His imagination went back to tortured screams and mako tanks.

"Nothing major," Chuck assured him. "You probably won't feel any different when you wake up. I'm just going to replace a tiny piece of your skull with a synthetic material that's a little more permeable. That way, we'll be able to access the part of your brain affected by the Jenova cells. I'll put you to sleep and you won't feel a thing. Ok? See you in the morning." With another warm smile, he was gone.

Cloud sat up in bed, waiting for Tifa. She was just locking up the bar and should have been up fifteen minutes ago, but she must have gotten sidetracked with something downstairs. He waited another ten minutes before going down to check on her.

The downstairs was pitch black. He took a quick look through the rooms, but didn't bother turning any lights on. He didn't need them, but Tifa did, so there wasn't much chance of her being down there in the dark. After a check to make sure the doors were locked, he padded back up the dark stairs. The bathroom was empty. His office was empty. Marlene was sound asleep in her bed.

He stared at Denzel's closed door. Cloud hadn't been in there since Denzel had been carted off to Hubble House, and he would have avoided it forever if he could have, but he had a sinking feeling he'd find Tifa there. Finally twisting the knob and pushing the door open to the darkened room, he forgot all about looking for Tifa.

The room was trashed. Shredded paper and photographs were scattered all over the floor. There was evidence of trinkets smashed against walls and a giant hole in the side of his dresser. Cloud sank down next to the dresser and ran his fingers over the smashed wood. Denzel had said that he hurt someone, and honestly, Cloud had thought it was a lie. He assumed that Denzel thought it would somehow prevent Lexi from being taken away, or maybe he'd just been worried about her going there by herself, but it looked like he had actually lost his temper in a bad way. Did he actually hurt someone, then? Who? And what could have triggered this kind of anger, if seeing Alicia and Cloud in that kind of compromising position didn't do it?

He sighed heavily as he stood. Those answers would have to wait until he saw Denzel again. Then his eyes caught a reflection from the light in the hall, bouncing off of shiny dark hair. Tifa was lying in Denzel's bed, hugging his pillow. "Tifa?" He didn't know if she'd turned on the light to see the mess, but surely her eyes must have adjusted to the dark enough to see something. "Teef, what are you doing in here?"

Tifa stared straight ahead. A bundle of his flannel sheet was clenched in her fist. She didn't look at him when she answered. "I miss flannel sheets. I never use them anymore because you get so damn hot at night." Her voice was accusatory, as if he had forcibly removed flannel sheets from her life. He didn't even know she'd used them before. It was just the kind of thing Tifa would think of. She knew his body was like a furnace, so she put cool sheets on her bed when they started sharing it.

Cloud sat back on his heels, studying her worriedly. "Ok. We can get some. Just come to bed."

She pulled the fistful of sheets to her face and inhaled deeply. "It still smells like him."

He pushed some hair back from her face. She was as still as a statue. "Why don't you pull off the top sheet and wrap up in it? You can cuddle with it and sleep in your own bed." She didn't respond. "Come on, Teef," he said, gently pulling her arm.

She jerked her arm back. "Leave me alone, Cloud! Just let me sleep here."

Cloud stood and looked down at her, swallowing back the hurt from her reaction. "Ok. If you're sure that's what you want..." She didn't respond or look at him. He walked slowly to the door and turned around in the doorway, blocking the hallway light with his silhouette. "Goodnight, Tifa. I...I love you."

Silence.

He closed the door.