Chapter Summary: Meeting family can be tense and stressful, but Tifa finds herself falling under the spell of Cloud's without effort. And Sephiroth is ready to challenge Cloud's decisions regarding his well-being. Is it finally time for Cloud to step back and stop watching over the General so carefully? Or is Sephiroth pushing his recovery too hard and heading for a crash that even the former General of Wutai can't prevent?

Chapter 11: Choices

Heat. The sensation of her blood boiling under her skin as lightly calloused hands stroked sensually down her back to fan over her hips, pulling her closer.

Hard. Everywhere she touched his muscles were rock-hard under velvety skin and wool pullover. Tugging at straps and buckles and zippers in frustration, she whimpered into the mouth devouring hers when she couldn't touch enough of him. His soft laugh made her arch against the hardness rubbing her belly insistently through the fabric of his uniform pants.

Need. Goddess, she did need him. Now, fast and hard. She wanted to be under him, wrapped around him, drowning in him as he filled her. But she couldn't get past the barrier of his clothing and he was laughing at her frantic movements.

"Slow down, my love," he whispered, trapping her hands between their bodies. "Look at me."

Unable to resist the command, she locked her ruby-brown eyes on his and begged, "Please, Cloud!"

He nuzzled the side of her neck, making her shiver with longing as he grazed the skin of her shoulder with his teeth. "Sweet, sweet Tifa," was murmured in her ear as his hands roamed all over her naked body. "It won't be good if we rush. I need to taste you, send you flying. Will you fly with me, Tifa?"

Whatever reply she meant to give became a gasp as his lips moved down to nibble gently on her breasts. His hair was pure spun silk as she slid her hands into the blonde spikes to hold him closer, writhing beneath him as he tormented her with soft laps across her nipples. Wanting, needing more, she pushed his head harder against her until he gave in and sucked a nipple into his mouth, oh so gently trapping it with his teeth and running his tongue around the captured peak.

Soft mewling sounds echoed through the room as her head fell back into the ready cup of his hand. Tifa panted as his movements grew bolder, nearly insensible as he moved from one breast to the next, laving it as thoroughly as the first. Tremors wracked her as his hands slid down her hips to cup beneath her thighs. Gentle pressure parted her legs, opening her fully to his explorations.

But Cloud didn't rush to satisfy her raging needs. Instead he nibbled down her body, pausing to tease her belly button with his tongue. The sensation was ticklish and she squirmed restlessly, fingers still tight in his hair. Laughing, he pried her hands loose and held them at her sides as he leaned forward, capturing her mouth with his.

Sweet blessed Shiva. The things the man could do with his mouth should be banned. Thought escaped her as his tongue tangled with hers, causing soft, breathy moans as he literally made love to her with his kiss. Overloaded with sensual pleasure, Tifa was helpless as his intensely blue eyes held hers without blinking, unwilling to allow her release from the spell he wove with such skill.

But she could still feel him pressed so intimately against her inner thigh, throbbing with need. She wanted to touch him, run her hand down the hardness and marvel at the skin softer than the finest silk stretched so tautly over his member. Wanted to feel it pierce her, fill her, complete her, take her...

Again she pleaded, "Cloud, I need you, please…"

"All in good time, Tifa." He spoke directly against her mouth, making her feel the words as well as hear them. His voice had gone husky, the sound making her breath hitch as he moved down her body with obvious intent. But nothing prepared her for the hot rush as his mouth found the aching nub between her thighs and flicked it lightly with his tongue tip. Too worked up by his teasing, too needy, she shattered. A quavering moan filled the air as she came undone, thrashing at the intensity of the orgasm…

...And Tifa Lockhart sat bolt upright in bed, hand to her mouth as she tried to stifle the scream attempting to escape. Memories assaulted her of making love with Cloud Strife barely an hour ago; her dream had been but a replay of the intimate moments spent in his arms. Desperately shoving away covers, she at last felt the slightly chilled air brush her over-heated skin and sighed in relief.

There was a vague recollection of Cloud teasing her about falling asleep afterwards, and that he was taking a shower and doing some... shopping? Was she remembering that right?

Grimacing slightly, Tifa sat up and put her feet on the floor. There were sore spots in places that made her blush to acknowledge, but the recall was just so sweet she smiled in spite of the mild embarrassment. Nothing she ever imagined could have come close to the reality, Tifa mused. Why did she wait so long before reaching out to him? She could have broken down his resistance if she really tried.

But as the erotic dream faded into the sunlight streaming through her windows, Tifa knew the answer. It was Cloud that needed the time to come to terms with their relationship and what he felt for her. For the first time in his life, he was the one to make the decision of moving forward. It might have been spurred by the actions of a drunken idiot talking trash to her, but the choice had been Cloud's alone.

And by Shiva, what a choice it had been! Tifa was almost grateful that 'Woe-is-me' had chosen her bar to get drunk in.

Stretching, she hissed quietly as a few over-worked muscles twanged a bit painfully. Though Cloud had been careful in the beginning, his movements slow and unhurried, towards the end neither of them had been able to hold back. Months of longing had crashed down upon them, and the sheer need had outweighed caution - which was why she was a little sore.

And it had been well worth it!

Rising from the bed, she padded naked into her bathroom and stood in front of the mirror hanging on the back of the door. There were only a few marks on her skin, evidence of the care taken during their first time together; a slight red spot on the side of her neck that even now was fading, nipples just a bit pinker than usual from his attentions, a couple of faint fingertip bruises on one hip where he had gripped just a little too tightly when he...

Tifa blushed hotly, remembering his face as he achieved his own release. An angel falls had been her hazy thought at the time. He looked nearly ethereal in that moment; head thrown back, mouth slightly open, those glowing blue eyes dark with passion and blind with pleasure. Shivering at the recall, she leaned into the shower and started the water.

A soft knock on the bathroom door had her snatching the shower curtain around her - a futile gesture, since it was crystal clear plastic.

Groaning at her silliness, she released it and grabbed a towel off the rack, knotting it securely in place as she called out, "Come in!" in a voice that sounded a lot braver than she felt.

Then Cloud entered the room and nothing else mattered but the shy smile gracing his fair face.

A moment later she was in his warm embrace, sighing into the kiss he pressed so ardently against her mouth. "Cloud," she breathed out, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into the hard form she had explored so thoroughly earlier. Then she started laughing as she realized her towel was in a heap on the floor and entangling her feet. "Oh, no you don't!" Once again those too-clever hands had defeated whatever material stood between them without her notice. Tifa's wine-brown eyes were twinkling as she twisted away to dart into the shower stall and under the fall of blessed hot water. "I have a dinner to fix. What time is it?"

Cloud leaned against the marble counter top and grinned at her in what could only be called male pride. "It's nearly six." He let her shocked scream echo against the white tiled walls for just a moment before informing her, "I called everyone and changed dinner from 7:00 to 8:30. So Zack and Aerith have been entertaining Godo and Yuffie with a tour of her flower shop and joined Kunsel at the WRO Headquarters to keep them occupied." The humor glowing in those too-blue eyes had her cringing as he admitted, "I told dad you were upset over what that guy said and needed a break to recover, so dinner would be a bit later than planned. At least he had the grace to pretend he believed me." The wry humor of the tone had her snickering despite her hot blush.

But Tifa had forgotten that Aerith, Zack and Kunsel knew Godo and his daughter as well, and soothed her conscious by admitting they needed time with the visitors from Wutai, too. Nodding at him, she began shampooing her hair as Cloud left to head into the bar. She finished her shower and got dressed as quickly as possible, but vanity made Tifa take the time to apply just a hint of make-up before piling her hair loosely on top of her head. Jamming hairpins haphazardly into the mass to anchor it, she headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Before that last encounter with 'Woe-is-me' Tifa had texted a possible menu to Cloud. The cuisine in Wutai was vastly different from what was commonly served in Edge, and she wanted something with a nod toward both. Cloud had suggested hitting the farmer's market to see what might be available.

Perhaps that was what he meant by shopping?

Imagine her surprise at the sight of Cloud and a young female she didn't recognize working side by side at the counter, carefully washing and preparing the vegetables for cooking. Other ingredients were lined up on the table ready for use. The room smelled of herbs and a slight tang of spice, along with the faint whiff of a pleasantly soft floral perfume.

The girl turned upon Tifa's entrance and took a moment to inspect her. Apparently she passed muster, for the young female smiled in welcome and put down her paring knife to skip across the room.

She was lovely, with the golden complexion and dark, exotic eyes of the Wutai. The nearly-black hair was cut in a short, flattering bob that framed her face to the chin, and a black headband kept the dark strands from getting into her eyes. All in all she was a pretty bundle of excitement and nerves as she bounced over and hugged Tifa with unabashed affection.

"So you're the one that has Cloudy so worked up!" she exclaimed, dark eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Apparently so," Tifa said with a smile as she brushed a hand over that silky soft dark hair. "Thank you for helping with dinner. I thought you were with the others, taking a tour of the WRO." Walking over to Cloud, she kissed his cheek and watched him duck his head to hide the blush staining his face. "I'm going to assume you are Yuffie Kisaragi."

"Yep!" the younger female asserted, resuming her place at Cloud's side to continue preparing the food. "And the tour was boring - all these white labs without a speck of dust, conference rooms, offices. I'm a materia seeking ninja, why would offices and cubicles excite me?" She waved the little paring knife around until Cloud's fingers closed on her wrist to gently pin it to the cutting board.

"Stop playing and dice," he told her firmly, causing her to pout. But then he smiled and she realized he was just teasing. So she focused on her task once more.

It was with a smile that Tifa washed her hands and plunged into making dinner. The talk was casual and light, with Yuffie peppering them both with questions about how different life in Edge was from Wutai. About halfway through Zack, Aerith and Kunsel arrived. Godo, it seemed, was finishing his tour with Sephiroth and Reeve. Tifa immediately put them to work. Soon the kitchen was bustling with laughter, clamoring voices, shuffling feet and rattling pots and pans.

Now the conversation veered into amusing stories of antics before, during and after the war. While Cloud was featured in a few of the embarrassing tales of youthful shenanigans, Zack and Kunsel seemed downright devious in the pranks they committed. One involving an Adamantaimai, the bungled Steal of an Adaman Bangle, and a rapidly deflating life jacket had Tifa doubling over laughing.

Somehow it was appropriate that Godo and Sephiroth walked right into the middle of that chaos.

The two men that served as Cloud's fathers -adopted and bio-engineered- could not have been more different in looks and manner had they tried. Sephiroth stood tall and fair and cool in his reserve, while Godo was shorter, darker and almost intimidating with the fierce black brows, mustache and goatee.

In the issuing silence, he stalked up to Cloud and turned him this way and that, looking him over in a way that had the younger man all but stammering from the intense attention.

"Well, you seem healthy despite the fact you've not regained all the weight you've lost," Godo finally admitted, still scowling. "And that bite mark on your neck is fairly fresh, so it didn't come from the battle Sephiroth has so kindly informed me of." A smile was starting to creep over his face as he watched his adopted son turn a livid shade of scarlet in embarrassment. "It seems you left out a few details of that fight and the aftermath during our phone calls. We'll be having a discussion of that later, hmm?"

Yuffie was looking from her father to her brother in avid fascination, but she knew enough to stay out of the conversation.

Zack and Kunsel didn't have that type of restraint and dived right in.

"Bite mark?" Turning to Tifa, Kunsel flashed a grin and asked, "Would you have anything to do with that?" Oh, how those glowing golden sparks in his brown eyes were twinkling.

"Of course not," Tifa lied with a perfectly straight face. "And dinner is ready, so everyone wash up and be seated." She caught the admiration in Sephiroth's eyes for her daring as she opened the oven and pulled out the main entrée.

Dinner was… interesting.

With such a diverse group, the conversation took some alarming twists and turns that kept everyone laughing, snorting, giggling or face-palming - and often all of them at once. Even Seph and Godo were caught off-guard with a few of the exploits of the younger generation, for Denzel and Marlene could match Zack and Kunsel point for point when it came to misbehaving and wild hijinks.

When Tifa ordered the dastardly duo to bed, it was more to keep them from getting ideas from the stories told than actually needing sleep. It took Cloud nearly half an hour to get them settled down, which was unusual. They normally obeyed him better than Tifa, but tonight they were so wired up even he had trouble.

Cloud was just stepping out of their room, soft whispers and giggles floating out behind him, when he met Sephiroth coming up the stairs.

"Perhaps you have a few minutes to speak now?" Seph asked quietly, trying not to distract the children. "The clean-up is progressing in the kitchen. I tried to help, but was told there were too many hands in the room and to get out." That was admitted with quite a bit of amusement. "Godo is in the bar interrogating the bartender about the drunk you tossed out earlier."

The smile that crossed his face was fierce. "Tossed as in literally," Cloud said with pride. The man had called Tifa some names that made him want to rip out his tongue.

"But you should have aimed better," Sephiroth added, frost green eyes twinkling.

"So you heard about that. Would Mr. Amos have anything to do with this knowledge?" Cloud went down a few steps and into the small office Tifa used for ordering or storage. Waving Seph in, he then closed the door and motioned to one of the office chairs.

The streetlights cast a dim glow into the room, making it unnecessary to cut on the overhead light.

Settling himself, Sephiroth laughed, "Ah, yes. He called Reeve's office to make a complaint about the man's verbal attack on her."

The blinding rage Cloud felt nearly choked him. "Is Reeve able to do anything?"

Sephiroth leaned back, his smile cool, "He doesn't have to."

"What have you done, Seph?" The apprehension in Cloud's eyes was amusing as he stared at the General of the WRO.

"Oh, I merely mentioned the altercation to Jaycynda and Starr while I visited Rufus in the infirmary," Seph admitted, that cool, reserved smile still in place. "Both women were understandably upset and determined to do something about it. I have absolute faith in their ability to… handle the situation."

Cloud blew out a breath and said in admiration, "You let the two of them loose on that idiot?" After a slight pause, he grinned maliciously and said, "I am so proud to be your son. That was the most evil retribution possible."

Green eyes twinkling again, Seph leaned forward and commented lightly, "Considering what he said, you and Tifa seem quite… content tonight." The mortified expression on Cloud's face had him laughing hard enough the faint conversation from downstairs paused just a moment to listen. "I'm not going to lecture or pry, but I will state -firmly- that it is about damn time you picked up the pace. Tifa Lockhart is the type of woman every man dreams of and rarely if ever meets."

Sputtering and blushing, all Cloud could do was rub the back of his neck and find great interest in the floor.

Still laughing, Seph leaped from his chair, snatched Cloud upright, and hugged him. "I'm so glad you've found someone that makes you happy, I really am. You've done so much for so many without asking anything for yourself." Pressing a kiss to his temple, Sephiroth then let the embarrassed man go and sat back down. "And now that we have had our 'father and son' moment, I want to ask you something."

Blowing out a breath, Cloud rolled his shoulders to release tension and ruefully commented, "Sure, go right ahead."

"It's… about Lucrecia, Cloud."

Instantly serious, he whipped his head around and stared at Sephiroth, "You have some questions?"

"Yes. I want to go see her. I feel it's been put off long enough. I understand that she might not respond to me…"

Rising to his feet, Cloud stepped up to the back window and stared blindly down at the quiet street beneath him. "I'm… afraid to let you go, Seph. And it has nothing to do with you, really. Vincent." Turning, he pinned Sephiroth with those intensely blue eyes, "It will hurt you if what I fear is true, but it might shatter Vincent. And I'm… too fond of him to think objectively in this matter. So I keep hesitating."

"You see him as my surrogate father, which in turn would make him your grandfather?" Sephiroth guessed, rising to join Cloud at the window.

The silence stretched on for a minute before Cloud spoke again. "I've listened to all the videos Vincent has made. Her voice, the way her words are phrased, the gestures she uses. In many instances they are identical, and I fear the responses are like… a recording. That there is nothing left of her but those deep regrets." Cloud looked up at the man standing beside him and admitted, "If you go and confront her, it might destroy what little of her remains. But in some ways, if what I think is true, it might be kinder. I just don't know."

Plopping back down in his chair, he studied the General of the WRO. "What I do know is it's time for me to step back. You're capable of making your own decisions regarding your life and the direction it takes. Zack was quite clear about it during the meeting." Holding up a hand, he forestalled Sephiroth's response, "And he's right, Seph. You're a big boy and you can handle it."

"Perhaps I can. But I will miss the lectures."

That got a snort from the former general of Wutai.

Laughing softly, Sephiroth idly paced the room, hands clasped behind his back. "I can actually remember when you finally stopped talking when we were in the treaty tent in Wutai. I was so enraged, so totally out of control that I pulled my sword on you. And you just stood there, eyes on mine, nothing showing in your face but pride. You were ready to die to protect the people of Wutai and proud of what your sacrifice would accomplish. It was that loyalty that stayed my hand that day - or more, the realization that by sparing you I would receive that same devotion. It was probably the first time in my life that I knew, without question, someone would believe in me, would trust me to keep my word. Not ShinRa, not Hojo, not even the General that I was. Your loyalty would be to me personally."

He spread his hands and looked at the scars marring the long, elegant fingers. "It wasn't until later that I truly understood that loyalty has been mine for years. All that research, all that painstaking work you laid out for me during the talks was proof of your concern for my mental and physical health. Even before we knew of the genetics, you had already taken on the role of protector and confidant. Working with Jaycynda personally these last few weeks has opened my eyes to how much you care. I've said before that you humble me, Strife. But you also inspire me, so much so that I've begun the process with Rufus. I'm going to get through to him, Cloud. I just know that I can. And I'll confront Lucrecia in that crystal cavern and deal with whatever comes out of it. Vincent won't be alone if what you fear is true. He'll have the both of us to support him, and Cid as well. Goddess help him in on that score."

Thoughts of the profane pilot made Cloud smile. "He lights up a cigarette around me again and Vincent will be minus transportation," he warned as he rose to his feet.

"You wouldn't kill him. Maim and hurt, yes, but you wouldn't actually kill the man."

"Don't be too sure." Pausing, Cloud asked, "Could you do me a favor?"

"What would you like me to do? Get your family and friends out of the bar so you can get your hands all over Tifa again?" Oh, how amused Sephiroth's voice!

It was a wonder Cloud's blush didn't set the room on fire, so hotly did his cheeks burn. Stuttering, he managed to get out, "I wanted you to visit Denzel's school and talk to the class about the aims of the WRO."

"Oops." Sephiroth said lightly, one hand over his mouth while his eyes twinkled merrily. "My mistake. I just assumed… Well." Clearing his throat, he walked over to cuff Cloud upside the head. "That should have been your request. So now I will retreat to the kitchen and lure all those unsuspecting people into a poker game from which they may never recover. You could join us, or sneak off with a certain bar owner, the choice is yours."

Opening the door, he turned and stated, "And don't you dare disappoint me over your decision!"