I'm so sorry this is late! I need to keep better track of what day it is. And remember that I'm updating a story again. Oh dear.

Chapter 6 - Security

Despite the day's activities, Cloud slept lightly. Sometime around midnight, a noise at the door to his hut woke him enough so his reflexes reached for his sword. A moment later, the rest of him awoke enough to analyze the sound. Something small and shuffling. Probably not a hedgehog pie, those bounced too much.

A small body clung to the edge of his blanket. "Umm?"

One of the kids. Cloud frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I... I was wondering if I could sleep with you."

His frown deepened. "Why?"

The kid twisted the blanket in her hands. By now Cloud's eyes had adjusted and he could identify his visitor as Nelly. "I'm scared."

Cloud reached over with his left hand to pull the blanket up. At this point he also realized that he was still holding his sword. He managed to prop it against the block of concrete holding back the wall of trash while making room for Nelly.

She curled up under his arm, her head tucked into his shoulder and one hand fisted into his shirt. It felt strange and oddly comfortable.

*7*7*

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

Barret made several noises more appropriate to a dog with a breathing problem before finally collecting his senses. "Marlene? Wha'sa ma'er?"

"Cloud's gone! I went outside and he wasn't there!"

"Mebbe he's sleepin'. Like I was tryin' to."

Marlene shook her head hard enough to lift her hair into a ring around her head. "Cloud's always up now. He and Zack play-fight and see who can squat the most and hunt monsters and all sorts of things before breakfast. But he's not outside now and it's almost morning time. Daddy! What if something happened to him?"

"Cloud can take care of himself." Barret rubbed his human hand over his face, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. But for his little girl he sat up. "Fine. Le's find the spiky assed ba- bum."

"Daddy, you were going to call Cloud a bastard. That's not nice!"

He sighed. "I know, sweetie. Le's jes' get this over with."

Thankfully for all involved, Barret thought to check the hole in the wall that Cloud had claimed as sleeping quarters. Not so thankfully for Cloud, Barret found the scene inside hilarious.

At some point in the night, every one of the children under the age of ten (besides, of course, Marlene) had found their way onto Cloud's mat. Now all Cloud could do was blink owlishly from under a tangled blanket of tiny limbs.

"Daddy! Quiet!" Marlene tugged on Barret's pant leg, completely failing to either reduce her adopted father's laughing bellows or keep her own volume under control.

"Uuuhhh. What smells like feet?" Amy's answer came when Thorn kicked her in the face.

Of course, Amy yelled, which woke up Alan. Alan started crying, which woke up everyone else. Everyone else got in each other's way trying to untangle themselves. For once, Cloud was rather grateful for the modifications done to his body. If he had normal muscle density, he suspected that the numerous knees, elbows, and other body parts jabbing into his stomach would have hurt.

Eventually, the kids managed to stop squirming at random and at least one of the older kids got Alan to stop crying and keep him from getting trampled. Cloud sat up and the kids ran (or were carried) out the door chattering about breakfast. By this time, Barret had started breathing normally.

"See, Marlene. Nothin' to worry 'bout. Never would'a fig'red ya'd get pinned by a bunch'a munchkins."

Cloud glowered at Barret. "I didn't want to wake them."

"I think it's cute!" Marlene nodded for emphasis. "Oh! We gotta wake up Owen and Cole and... and Lynnet! And Ran!" She counted the older kids off on her fingers. "Then we can eat together! Daddy! Go make breakfast!"

"I'm goin'. I'm goin'. Y're gonna make one hell of a wife one day." He continued to mutter about how fast kids grow up as he lumbered off in the direction of Elmyra's house.

Marlene looked at Cloud like she expected him to come with her. He ducked out of the alleged doorway and she grabbed his hand.

Halfway to Cole's room, Cloud remembered what he and Barret had argued about earlier. "Marlene, do you think the kids need someone to watch them?"

She stopped and stared up at him as if trying to get the answer out of his face. "Alan does. He needs to take a nap after lunch or he gets really cranky. But he doesn't always like to so he cries a lot. I don't need to take naps any more because I'm four!" She held up the four fingers of her left hand, her right being inside Cloud's left. "Alan's only three." She hesitated a moment before curling in her pinky finger.

"I see." Cloud looked up at the church, only looking down again when Marlene tugged on his hand.

"Cloud, you can go help those people. There are lots of us and Cole and Owain are old. You wouldn't know what to do with Alan when he's cranky, anyway."

"Uh, thanks."

"You're welcome!" Marlene tugged on his hand, urging him to continue on their mission.

*7*7*

High atop one of sector five's water towers, two of ShinRa's best Turks kept a watchful eye on the warehouse district. Or goofed off, it was hard to tell. Suddenly, Reno flipped onto his stomach from gazing through his binoculars upside down.

"Hey, Rude, I think I've got the answer to our break-in problem."

Rude grunted and motioned for Reno to hand over the binoculars. He grunted again once he spotted the individual Reno pointed out.

"I bet the Chief would like to talk to him."

"Convincing him might be tough."

"We helped each other out before. Besides, we're Turks."

Even with his shades on, Rude didn't look convinced. As usual, Reno took little notice and slid down the ladder to what passed for ground on the plate.

Their target had been nearly a mile down the track between the plates when Reno first spotted him. By the time the Turks reached the loading dock next to the water tower he had turned the corner into the train station.

At that moment the target saw them and made an abrupt right-angle turn toward the barrier walls at the edge of the plate. One good jump and they'd lose him.

"Hey! Hold up! We just wanna talk!"

He stopped, but stood as if he could bolt in any direction. Reno resisted the urge to put his hands in his pockets as he strolled forward, keeping his hands in plain sight while trying to keep a casual air.

Once both Turks were within comfortable talking distance, Reno went straight to a point.

"So I'm guessing that was your work at the warehouse, right? Ya know, there are easier ways to get in a building."

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

Reno put on his best surprised-hurt face. "I can't give some advice to a friend?"

"We're not friends."

"Okay, but we don't have to be enemies. What about all the times we helped each other?"

"Once."

Now it was Reno's turn to frown. "Man, this would be way easier with Zack. Guy knows when to put aside differences. We're just trying to protect ShinRa property. Letting people wander around unsupervised in the warehouses kinda runs counter to that."

"ShinRa's gone."

A grin spread unbidden across Reno's face. "That brings us to the other thing we'd like to talk to you about."

Rude adjusted his shades. "At headquarters."

"Not interested."

"Hey!" Reno took a step forward. "You don't even know what we're going to say."

"I'm not working for ShinRa."

"So call it doing us a favor. At least hear us out."

Cloud seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking his head. "I already made a promise to the people of Edge."

Reno started to protest but Rude beat him to it. "If you change your mind, you know where to find us."

Cloud marched past without so much as a nod. Shaking his head, Reno watched him leave.

"What'd you say the odds are that he'll show up?"

Rude thought for a moment. "Ten to one against."

Reno grinned. "Hey, I don't mind betting on a long shot."

That first scene is one that I've been waiting to write since I first came up with the idea for the sequel. It's just too cute.

And, yes, Cloud is asking a four-year-old for parenting advice. He seems to treat children the same way he treats adults and probably expects the same level of self-awareness from both.

If anyone is wondering why Cloud's acting this way toward Reno and Rude, remember that Cloud wasn't around when they 'helped' at Junon and that the business on the Gelnika was more a truce than anything. Now, if Cissnei had approached Cloud for help, that would be a different story.