A little something I've been writing. It's to tie in with something that's happening in TPL. My take on what might have taken place. As always it's my own interpretation, and everyone has a different perspective. I could actually keep writing this scene, on and on. haahha but anyway, you get the gist.

Also, I'm going to put a number on each of these short stories to signify where they come in the time-line. (but it might take me awhile to format each one) Because I might write some more scenes in different places. It helps with the order of things. I like order!

Hope you enjoy my interpretation of characters and events. Thanks!


"I'm back."

The day Geostigma ended

It was a long eventful life-changing day. Not since along while had Cloud felt able to face the next day.

A night of celebration was on at Seventh Heaven. All the usual customers were present, plus all those who were friends of Clouds. To say the least, the atmosphere was jovial, but considering Edge was saved by a deadly ethereal creature, and a cure for the Geostigma had materialized, it was to be expected.

Cloud sat at the end of the bar with his half- drunk cider. While Barrett and Cid, standing alongside, were approaching ten each. Normal for them. Unusual that Cloud was drinking at all, but for tonight he wanted to blend in. He didn't want to stand out, because he was already feeling like a spectacle.

Everyone took the time to thank him for defeating the monster, everyone in Edge, or so it seemed. People he had never met thanked him. Blushing, he could only nod his acceptance and mumble his own thanks in return. Uncomfortable and embarrassed, was how he ended up in the corner at the end of the bar.

Cloud was also thankful. Thankful he was alive – because he knew, he had died. No doubt about it. He could still recall the terror of the moment the bullet ripped through his chest, and the absolute rage of knowing he was about to leave the planet. Then the explosion that blasted everything including the roof into billowing magical fire. In that instance, he realized he didn't want to go, he wanted to live. He wanted to taste life without the Stigma, and without the burden of regrets. He wasn't sure how he would do it, but he wanted to try. The life-stream gave him a second chance, but it wasn't really that, it was Aeris. Her generous act of forgiveness – to restore his body and life, and give him another chance. So he would know it was alright, because sometimes, with him, words weren't enough.

The last few days were a rollercoaster of emotions, and an extreme physical challenge. He pushed his body into combat feats he hadn't exercised in a long while. But it all came speeding back with the need to fight, and to win. With all the running around, looking for the kids and fighting a summoned monster, and then an incarnation of Sephiroth, he was tired. It couldn't be anything physical though, because he felt renewed after he was revived at the church. No, it must be that his emotional anxieties had gone. It left his body oddly relaxed, something he hadn't experienced in along time either. Right then and there, he couldn't worry about anything – except – one thing…

Tifa spent most of the night behind the bar. She hadn't spoken to him, except to say thanks, like everyone else. Despite his disappointment, he understood, it was painfully clear to him. It didn't help, she was joking and chatting with a young man she hired while Cloud was away. The sight of him getting on with Tifa was beginning to irritate him. But what could he say? He didn't even know where to begin.

Taking his eyes off Tifa, he glanced around the bar. Yuffie was dancing, and Vincent sat at the other end of the bar, alone. But Vincent preferred it that way, in fact, he disliked strangers approaching him. Cloud also knew, Vincent was listening to every word of their conversations. He even spied Reno and Rude sitting with some other similar suited men and women. Turks, Cloud presumed. Things really had changed around Edge if Turks willingly ate and drank with former Avalanche members. Somethings would never cease to amaze him. He touched the packet in his pocket, which Reno handed him earlier. Cloud didn't like to look at it right away, because he guessed what it was. Big wad of gil. Reno said, "For your help. The boss says thanks, and he's good on his word." He left it at that, and Cloud mumbled, "Sure is generous." And Cloud left it at that. There was no way he could thank Rufus, considering he was the one who took the Jenova head in the first place.

Reeve spoke to him earlier as well. After thanking Cloud, he went on about his plans for the life-stream enriched water at the church. WRO would transport it out to towns around the planet and anywhere it was needed. He would also do research on it, to discover how to reproduce it, if possible. Once again, he asked Cloud if he wanted to join the fledgling organization. Reeve had some noble ideas, and there was no better man to head it all up. But, the last thing Cloud needed was to be part of an organization. He sighed with some impatience. "Sorry, it's not for me." His phone was full of messages, Reeve's was among them. Although he wouldn't tell Reeve that.

Marlene and Denzel sat at a booth, drinking coloured juice and eating chips. Marlene was doing all the talking while Denzel listened, quietly. Cloud thought the boy would be more active, maybe he was also tired. Cait sat on the top of the bench chair, his little feet touching Marlene's shoulder, and Nanaki sat on the floor, his snout resting on the table. He appeared to be enjoying whatever Marlene was explaining. Cloud contemplated joining them.

Cid's uneven drawl sounded over the bar, "…that's it, we'll do it. Get some pals, should be a cinch…" He threw back his dark beer.

Barret let loose a growl of cheer. "It'll be a landmark, one of the only ones left in Midgar."

"Yeah, right," Cid nodded eagerly, "Cloud'll help too."

Cloud looked up with a suspicious frown.

"We're fixing up the church." Barrett's eyes shone, and he said as if he needed to explain. "You know Aeris' church."

Tifa also looked doubtful. "Can you afford it?"

"We just need brute strength," Cid flexed his arm, revealing some muscle. "That'll do it."

Barret shrugged. "Dunno. Depends how much it'll cost."

"Maybe think about it in the morning," Cloud knew how much the drink costs Barrett, and it wasn't ever good if he tried to do anything with money if he was drinking. But still it was a good idea.

"She deserves it…" Barret's voice softened, "Anywho all that healing water, and the place is turned into a shithole…"

Cloud took a hard breath. "Yeah," he even caused some of that destruction. "Like I said, we'll see how much it will cost, tomorrow." He would count the money from Rufus, that might help them. He smiled at the irony.

Barrett slapped down his empty glass on the counter. "Hey, Spikey, Tifa said you've been gone for weeks." His voice was only beginning to slur. "Why you walk out? Where ya be'n?"

That question had to come sooner or later, but he was hoping it would never come. He just didn't want to talk to them about it, not when he hadn't spoken to Tifa. But she wasn't talking to him at all. He lowered his brows in irritation. Hadn't Barret walked out on them first, and Marlene?

Yuffie suddenly appeared before them, alert to the conversation. "Yeah, Cloud!" she chimed in, "I've been calling you for daaaays. I thought the worst had happened. You were dead." She crossed her arms and pouted. "You never called me back."

"Nope. Still alive." He sipped his drink, hoping they would suddenly be distracted.

Tifa gave them all a nervous glance, but avoided him as he turned to see her. She dashed away to the kitchen.

"Shit, leave the man alone," Cid barked, "He's got his reasons no matter what you think of them."

"Yeah… thanks, Cid." Cloud shook his head at Cid's disparaging remark. He lowered his voice, because the conversation wasn't getting anywhere and only drawing more attention- of the rumour kind, "I had…"

Marlene walked to the bar and put her bowl on the counter. "Cloud wasn't well." She gave an affirming nod at Barret and Yuffie.

"Really?" Yuffie creased her brow in concern and tapped her lip. "And you didn't tell us? And now you've better? But why couldn't Tifa look after you? I don't get it."

"It's crazy shit!" Barrett cried. "You don't tell anyone where ya are, man."

"But, he's better now. And he's going to stay." Marlene put her hand on Cloud's thigh as if to keep him down on the stool. She gave him a sweet grin. "Besides, if he were here, we might all have got sick too." She turned and skipped back to the booth, and sat grinning at them all.

"Makes shit-all sense to me…" Barrett grumbled.

Cloud noted he had to thank Marlene later. "Yeah, it's true." They would all find out eventually, he had no worries about that, he just didn't want the whole bar to know.

"But, Cloud, you should have told meeeee?" Yuffie whined and thumbed her chest. "You could at least return my call."

"I hadn't got round to it," he ducked his eyes away from her accusing glare.

"Cripes, he's back now." Cid sang out for Tifa, "Another one, Tif- - Cloud's the savior of the town, he can do whatever the f*** he wants."

Cid's comment was met with despondent agreeing grumbles. It was so like them, Cloud chuckled. Despite him disappearing for weeks on end, they still treated him no different to what they always had. He was relaxed in their company, and not since they travelled the planet together had he felt this way. It had been too long. And he didn't feel like much of a savior, he was just doing what he did – the only thing he felt he could do. But now, socializing wasn't something he was good at… and something else he wasn't good at, talking to Tifa.

~7~

The night came to an end, when tiredness won over merriment. Seventh Heaven was closed and everyone left, except those who were staying over. Cloud ended up in the garage showing his bike to Cid. Cid, a whiz with machinery, gave him a lot of unasked for advice, and a lot of ways Cloud could spend even more gil on it. Cloud didn't mind showing him Fenrir, but time was getting on, and he needed to get somethings off his chest, and not with Cid.

Cid eventually left for his ship, but he would be back in the morning for breakfast he said. Cloud sighed, wondering what time that would be exactly.

Inside, the bar was quiet. Barret was the only one there. He sat at a booth with an empty glass.

Cloud said, "You going to sleep there?"

"Yeah…" Barret replied, "When I do."

Cloud checked into the kitchen. No one. He went up the stairs, hoping Tifa hadn't gone to bed already. Despite the light being off in the kids' room, there was a lot of giggles and noisy whispering going on. He bypassed them and continued up. Tifa's door was open but the light was off. He questioned whether he should enter, was it really the right time? And was there ever a right time? Why could he fight monsters, and men on speeding bikes, and yet not be able to enter a room? Darn it. He nudged the door open wider, to test the waters.

But she might be asleep? "Tifa?"

No response came from the bed. He stepped in to see her. A figure was on the bed. Fully clothed, and taking up the whole bed. Yuffie, snoring like a contented purring cat. Cloud scratched his head in consternation. Where was Tifa?

He stuck his head in his room, no-one. He walked back down the steps and stopped at the kids' room. Their chatter continued and he stuck his head in.

"Cloud!" Marlene called out and sprang up from her bed. "Have you come to say goodnight?"

"Yeah, goodnight, Cloud," Denzel pulled the covers back from the other bed and sat up. Despite sitting up, he gave a gaping yawn.

"Goodnight, you kids." Cloud stood in the room. "I'll see you in the morning."

Denzel made a fist pump, and cried, "Alright!"

"Yay!" Marlene's eyes sparkled. "And Tifa said sausages and eggs tomorrow."

"But you have to go to sleep first." Cloud told them, trying to sound firm. "Hey, do you know where Tifa is?"

~7~

Cloud stepped out onto the rooftop courtyard, and into a sultry night breeze. In the dim moonlight he found Tifa. She sat on the ledge with her back against the short supporting wall. He stopped at the sight of her, suddenly reluctant to intrude on her silent reflections. Although he was probably at the center of whatever she was thinking. Whether that was good or bad he was about to find out.

"Marlene said you'd be out here," he spoke softly, trying not to interrupt, but she must have heard him come out…

"It's quiet. After this crazy day I need it," she still hadn't looked at him. "Is everyone settling in?"

"Mostly. Barret's still up. I think Cid went back to his ship, maybe with Nanaki," he said, "I have no idea what happened to Vincent."

Tifa chuckled. "As long as he had a good time."

Cloud nodded. Vincent must have, he stayed for nearly the whole night. He thought better of mentioning the word 'staying' though. "The kids will hopefully sleep, if they stop talking…"

"They're excited." She gazed out at the streets veiled by the night. "Except, Denzel seemed quieter. I thought he would be more lively. I wonder…"

Cloud thought the same, and considering the boy was healed, it seemed strange. "I noticed."

Tifa took a long breath and continued staring out at the street. She muttered, "Maybe I'll talk to him tomorrow…"

"And Yuffie crashed," he paused, contemplating what his remark would convey. "In your bed."

She said with gruff disapproval, "I saw. She's got a bad habit of that. She'll just have to move over."

"You want my bed?"

"No!" She shook her head, and her hair fell around her shoulders. "Where would you sleep?"

Cloud shrugged. "Around." He was used to sleeping anywhere lately. "If you prefer I don't have to stay—"

"Cloud," she gave him a piercing stare, the first look he had really received, "don't say it."

"About staying?"

She shook her head gently. "I never wanted you to leave."

He never wanted to leave either, but stayng was beyond him. He was a confused, emotional wreck, and on light of Sephiroth using the Renmants to return… a chill ran down his spine at what might have been if he weren't healed of the Stigma. Sephiroth's words about wanting to use him affirmed the voice he was hearing. It was worse than he knew. But now the voice was gone as well as the debilitating pain. Even so he wondered if he would always be battling Jenova. Like an illness he would never overcome…

But right now, he had changed, and he could acknowledge the difference. Something else was stronger - he wanted to change. That was something new. He sat on the wall by her feet with his back to the street. The only way through this was with honesty, at least in part, "I'm sorry…"

"I know…" her voice caught in her throat, and she was transfixed by her sneakers, "… and I'm sorry too. It's just, there's a lot of hurt there and I let some of it out, and I probably shouldn't have…"

"That's okay… we've all got hurt…"

"But you had the Stigma, so that didn't help…except…" she scrunched her hand into a fist, and her voice deepened with sorrow, "You gave up comfort and companionship for… to be alone. You would rather have nothing than anything good? I guess I just don't get that."

"For some the good is to good," now he stared down at the ground considering Seventh Heaven and how lucky they were to have it. "I didn't want anything and I couldn't do anything…" his emotions were also out of control with frequent unpredictability. Now he better understood what was occurring inside himself. The voice was gone and he could think for himself again. But that meant dealing with the last few months, when he thought of it, it meant facing fallout from the last few years.

Her voice was a sad whisper, "So you went and slept on a cold hard floor in a ruined building, alone…"

Her pain was startling, but he sensed she needed to express it. It was one of the things he loved about Tifa. She spoke her mind then she was free of it, and was the same Tifa again.

"Did you miss her that much?" her voice trembled.

He responded with unease. Sometimes talking of Aeris provoked Tifa's envy, and at a time like this it could be even worse. "I missed the peace she gave me, and I found it there. The life-stream is strong there and it helped." It dampened the malevolent voice he had been hearing more often.

Her head remained down and she was silent.

"My head wasn't right. I was selfish but didn't know it—"

Tifa peeked at him from under her fringe, her eyes were damp. "I thought you didn't care about us anymore."

He released a soulful sigh. It wasn't like that at all. He was wrapped up in his own pain, he only wanted to not exist anymore. He thought about them every day, and with every thought his resolve got stronger to distance himself. Like a toxic drug that he desired, but was ultimately killing him and everyone else. "I was torturing myself."

"And us too."

He hung his head under the weight of her sincerity. "Yeah…"

Tifa lent forward and her tone had softened. "We can't help but care about you, Cloud. You're one of the family. But— why now? Was it defeating Sephiroth again? Or being healed of Geostigma?"

A tentative smile played on his mouth at the words – family. She still felt the same, and it warmed his heart. But it was both and more. It was dying and having a second chance. It was the fear of losing Tifa. It was Aeris – it was Zack. Even Marlene and Denzel. "I think…" he nodded to himself in affirmation, "I came to my senses."

Tifa managed a half-smile. "Maybe we'll all feel better now the Stigma is gone. I know how awful it is, I've been dealing with it with Denzel. If it weren't for Denzel and Marlene being here, I might have left as well." She gave a low dry chuckle.

He gave her a concerned frown. Where would she even go? Wherever she went, he knew he would find her, eventually. But he was the one to burden her with responsibilities and heartache. "I wonder… will I ever get it right…" he said under his breath.

"No-one's perfect." Tifa wiped her eyes. "Not even you." She attempted a smile.

"No-one's perfect…" he repeated in revelation.

"Right. We'll take it one day at a time. No pressure. But, I do want you to work out where you want to be, and what you really want." Her voice wavered, "And you probably know, I'm really bad at goodbyes."

Who was good at them anyway? He sucked at it. "You think I am?" he didn't even bother saying goodbye when he decided to leave.

"So were you planning on waking me up?" Tifa teased.

He stared at her puzzled, and he flushed, "Aah, probably would have. Maybe." Now that she mentioned it, it may not have been a good start to a conversation.

She laughed at his discomfit. "Looks like I'll be thanking Yuffie instead of grumbling at her."

Cloud thought on their friend for a moment, considering her enterprising nature. "Yeah, and I'll have to thank her for that materia. I wonder how she got it all back?"