Change Comes Fast Chapter Eleven

A/N: I'm going to design this chapter a little differently. The first time jump sequences will be for Tifa. The second will be for Zack. They will be the same jumps, but there will be different events that happen.

Usual disclaimers are in effect. Enjoy!

A year later…

Tifa smiled as she cuddled her baby against her side. The year had been a long one, especially with Yuffie showing up at the inn unannounced one day. Tifa had been six months pregnant, and Yuffie rushed through the back door, which was connected to the kitchen, in tears and in search of Natalia. When Yuffie had spotted Tifa, she paused and paled. Tifa had smiled tentatively. Yuffie hugged her tightly and wouldn't let go.

Ever since that night, and learning that the Wutai diplomats had been evacuated from Midgar, Yuffie lived in the inn. She had experienced birth with Tifa, and had to catch a fainting Bernard. Natalia took good care of them, and Tifa knew the woman was silently relieved that her son was home permanently.

Tifa heard a small giggle and gazed down at the baby. Sporting Zack's blue eyes, and Tifa's hair color, the child was a cute one.

"Let me take her so that you can get the meal cooked," Yuffie's voice called out. Tifa nodded and handed the baby girl to Yuffie. The baby giggled at Yuffie. Yuffie made silent faces at the little girl and the little one gurgled at her. "When is she going to get blessed into the Wutai?"

"When her godfather decides to be her godfather," Tifa retorted. Yuffie chuckled at the sour expression. Tifa had asked Yuffie to be the godmother, and Bernard to be the godfather. It was custom with the Wutai that the children get blessed into the village, and because Yuffie was going to be the godmother, this blessing was extra special.

"Little Tasia doesn't have to worry about anything," Yuffie retorted. She snuggled the girl close to her. Tifa chuckled at Yuffie's nickname.

"Anastasia will be spoiled, won't she?" Tifa asked as she cooked. Yuffie nodded and Tasia giggled in response. "We better get his answer then."

Four years later…

A little girl with long spiky brown hair raced around the inn's kitchen. Natalia came in from the long hallway and crossed her arms at the young sprite. Tasia grinned up at her and Natalia shook her head. The child's expression soured into a guilty expression.

"Why, Tasia?" Natalia asked. Tifa watched her child bow her head down and looked at Natalia. Natalia held a hand up to Tifa before she could intervene.

"I thought he wanted to have fun," Tasia explained in a quiet voice. Natalia grinned at the guilty expression and Tifa sent her a questioning look.

"That doesn't mean you have the privilege of taking Victor's toy cars and putting them in places he can't reach," Natalia scolded her. Tasia nodded solemnly and Tifa tried to not laugh at the expression. Instead, she dried her hands and knelt in front of Tasia.

"My baby girl," she said. Tasia looked up at her and Tifa saw her daughter's eyes redden and tears fall down the young child's cheeks. "Sweetie, go find all of his cars and return them to his parents. Then apologize for making trouble." Tasia hugged her mother tightly before she ran off to do just that.

"The godparents are getting retribution?" Tifa asked Natalia. The older woman nodded and grinned.

"The little stinker snuck into their room last night and moved all of Victor's toys," Natalia confided. Tifa finally laughed and sat on the floor. Natalia joined her and they laughed until they cried.

"Yuffie's expecting her second child," Natalia told Tifa. Tifa grinned. She put her head against one of the counters.

"Did you ever expect them to marry each other?" she asked Natalia. Natalia nodded.

"You should have seen them when they were younger," Natalia confided. She smiled at the memory. "Yuffie would follow Bernard around all the time. He would get aggravated, and she would cry. He'd apologize and tolerate her following him. When he left, she followed him. When he joined SOLDIER, she became the Wutai diplomat. And when he left Midgar, she followed him back here. It was inevitable."

Tifa smiled sadly at Natalia. Natalia returned the same expression.

"I dream about him sometimes," Tifa confided. She looked at the kitchen door and sighed sadly. "I imagine he's doing well with his life."

"You heard, didn't you?" Natalia asked her. Tifa nodded and a single tear escaped her eye. She quickly wiped it away and laughed.

"It's his right to marry again. He believes I'm dead, so why shouldn't he be allowed his happiness?" Tifa asked Natalia. Natalia hugged the Tifa. "At least it wasn't Olivia."

"That girl died a poor death, though," Natalia told her. Tifa nodded guiltily. "And I know the one responsible visits every once in a while."

"Genesis likes to cause Sephiroth trouble, but he wanted to get that one problem out of the way," Tifa informed her. "If he hadn't done it, Sephiroth would have. Or Angeal."

"He and Zelda married, didn't they?" Natalia asked. Tifa nodded. She got up off the floor and looked at her magazine. SOLDIER Magazine came in once a month, usually for Bernard, but everyone else looked at it. The front cover picture was Zack and Cissnei embraced in their wedding gear. Cissnei wasn't in her normal suit, but a simple wedding gown and Zack wore a tux. They gazed happily at each other. The picture brought a heavy weight into Tifa's stomach every time she looked at it.

"They look happy," Tifa said as she showed Natalia the magazine. Natalia nodded and looked at Tifa as the girl started cleaning the dishes.

"Mommy! Uncle Bernard is a meanie!" Tasia's voice shouted. Tifa chuckled and ran after her child. Natalia stood in the kitchen. She listened as Tifa's footsteps hurried up the stairs and shook her head.

Ten years later…

"Ugh!" Tasia groaned as she stomped into the kitchen. She threw her bags into the living room and sat on one of the stools in the kitchen. Her mother was peeling potatoes and smiling as she waited for her daughter's outburst. "Victor is a dweeb, Mom!"

"What happened now, sweetheart?" Tifa asked absently. Her daughter's lips pursed and her blue eyes flashed. Tifa stopped peeling and raised an eyebrow.

"We were walking home from school and his little dweeb friends dared him that he couldn't flip a cup in the middle of the alleyway. When he did, they told him it was a fluke, and dared him to punch me," Tasia informed her. Tifa closed her eyes and groaned. "Mom, I couldn't help it! I was standing next to Dmitri, and my instincts kicked in!"

"What happened to Victor, Tasia?" Tifa demanded softly. Tasia's face tensed and she took a deep breath in.

"He broke his arm," she told her mother. Tifa closed her eyes and shook her head. Tasia sighed. "Mom, I didn't mean it!"

"It'll be all right, sweetie," Tifa told her. She saw Bernard coming toward the door chuckling. "I think Uncle Bernard finds it funny." Tasia's eyes flew to the door and Bernard came in. he went over to Tasia and gave her a noogy.

"That's my goddaughter!" he bellowed. Tasia grinned at him and shoved him away. Bernard lifted her off the seat and started to make his way toward the door. With a shrieking teenager in one of his arms, he looked at Tifa and grinned. "We'll be back by supper."

Tifa shook her head as Bernard dragged her daughter off to their daily training practice.

Two years later…

"Mom, I want to do it!" Tasia cried. Tifa shook her head violently.

"I will not allow you to join the army!" Tifa yelled. Tasia frowned and Tifa saw the determination in her daughter's eyes. "We are in a dispute with Shinra! I will not lose you!"

"Dmitri and Yuri already joined!" Tasia yelled in return. Tifa's eyes narrowed as her daughter slammed her hand on the counter. "I'm the strongest warrior this village has! Uncle Bernard taught me everything I know, Mom! I'll be fine!"

"I will not lose you!" Tifa yelled at her. Tasia backed up and shook her head.

"What are you afraid of, Mom?" Tasia taunted. Tifa narrowed her eyes and looked at her daughter coldly.

"You don't know the travesties of war," she whispered. "You don't know what it's like to wake up and know if you're going to live or die. You don't know what it's like to have every instincts straining toward survival."

"Neither do you!" Tasia cried. Tifa stiffened. "You've never left Wutai, Mom! At least Aunt Yuffie knows what else is out there!"

Tifa slapped her daughter. Tasia gasped in pain but Tifa continued toward her. Instincts Tifa never knew she would need kicked in as her daughter tried to punch her. Tifa deflected the blow easily and threw her daughter out the opened back door. She marched toward her daughter and leaned down at the surprised child.

"If you couldn't deflect me, how will you survive against SOLDIER?" Tifa growled. Tasia paled as her mother stood. Tifa began walking away when she heard her daughter charge her. Stepping to the side, Tifa saw Tasia run into the house. Tifa took a couple of steps back and braced herself. Tasia came charging again and Tifa took her head on.

Tifa threw her daughter to the ground again. Tasia groaned as Tifa pulled her up and shoved her away. Tifa looked at her daughter sadly.

"If you want to join the army, then do it," Tifa told her. "You're of age. Don't expect me to come rescue you if you get into trouble."

Tifa walked back into the house and slammed the door behind her. Glancing at the two male figures in the doorway, Tifa smiled in relief. The redheaded one stepped forward and bowed. Tifa bowed in return. Bernard, now with white streaks in his black hair, stood forward as well.

"You wanted these just in case she did join," Bernard said as he held out papers to her. "You've been reinstated effective immediately. Your squad is prepared and you have a talented major watching your back."

"I guess I thank you then, Major Bernard," Tifa said. Bernard chuckled and shrugged. Tifa looked at Genesis. "If you're here, it means they're close."

"Yes," Genesis stated grimly. He smiled at her. "She's beautiful."

"She's as stubborn as her father," Tifa admitted. Bernard snorted and Tifa glared at him.

"More like her mother, Tifa," Bernard joked. Tifa punched him in the shoulder and Bernard grinned at her. Tifa looked down at her paperwork and smiled happily at the names.

"Do they know who their new commander is?" she asked him. Bernard shook his head.

"It will all end here, you know that, don't you?" Genesis asked softly. Tifa nodded.

Zack's Time Jumps

One year later…

Some days he was aware and others he wasn't. Everyone associated with her outside SOLDIER and Aerith were gone. His memory of her was starting to become blurry. The harder he tried to remember her laugh or smile, the quicker it went away. The pain in his chest became a dull ache. It never went away, but it didn't worsen either.

He escaped into his work. His grief was channeled into his work, and his new squad. Cissnei was a part of it, as well as Rude and Reno. He was extremely grateful to Cissnei. She didn't give him a pitying look. She talked to him normally. There was no air of fake sympathy from her.

Olivia had gone missing about six months ago. Not that Zack noticed much, but he knew his majors were gone. Bernard abruptly retired and didn't tell anyone where he was going. Zelda became a housewife. She married Angeal six months after Tifa's funeral, and she was pregnant for her first child. Angeal was ecstatic and stopped anyone who didn't know he was going to be a father and tell them about the story.

Sephiroth and Aerith gave birth to a strong son about the same time Angeal and Zelda got married. The child had a mix between Sephiroth's amber eyes and Aerith's green ones. He had Aerith's hair color, but Sephiroth's temperament. The child only smiled for his parents and no one else. That was definitely Sephiroth's kid.

For the millionth time, Zack wondered what his child would have looked like if he and Tifa had had one.

Four years later…

It was the second best day of Zack's life. The woman who drew him out of his depression had finally married him. Cissnei smiled at him tenderly and he gave her the same look. Her patience was what finally made him propose.

She brought him back, even if it was only half way. She knew a part of him was dead, but Cissnei never pressured him to be something he wasn't.

"I'm patient, Zack," she told him that night. He nodded and looked down at her pajama-clothed body. Zack grinned and raised his eyebrows suggestively down at her. Cissnei laughed lightly and brought his head down to hers.

When they were done, Zack stared at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander. He imagined her. If she were still alive, she would be running her own kitchen by now. Suddenly the sound of small feet came into his mind.

Tifa was smiling down at a little girl. The little girl had huge blue eyes and brown curls. She grinned a toothy grin back at Tifa.

"I love my sweetie," Tifa whispered as she knelt down to the child. The girl nodded and hugged Tifa close.

"I love you, Mommy," the child's sweet voice whispered back.

Zack let one tear slip down his cheek before wiping it away. Cissnei snuggled more closely to him and he grinned down at her. Suddenly he saw young children with his hair and Cissnei's eyes.

Ten years later…

Groaning, Zack slammed the alarm clock down. He felt Cissnei snuggle up to him and she started to stretch.

"We only have five minutes of peace, you know that," she said as she kissed him lightly. Zack grinned down at her and nodded. Before they could take it further, three children ran into their room. An eight-year-old boy with Zack's eyes and Cissnei's hair stood in the back as twins crawled up onto their parents' bed. The twins just turned five, and both girls had Zack's hair and Cissnei's eyes.

"Daddy! Time to wake up!" they both cried. Cissnei laughed as she took both of the girls with her.

"Celia and Leila, my sweet babies, how are you this morning?" she smiled as the two children began reciting their dreams to her. The daughters had Zack's habit of talking a lot, but the boy was just like Cissnei.

Zack groaned and rubbed his eyes as he rolled out of bed to see his son. He smiled and rubbed his son's hair. They went out to the kitchen. Zack began preparing breakfast silently as he waited for his son to speak.

"Dad, I had a strange dream last night," his son stated. Zack raised an eyebrow. "That strange woman was in it again."

"What was it about this time, Jem?" Zack asked him. Jem looked down at the counter and then at his father.

"She was standing in her normal kitchen, but this time she was really sad. Her hazel eyes were really bright this time," Jem admitted. "All she was doing was fixing a mix of something and crying."

Ever since Jem turned five, he had dreams about a woman who looked a lot like Tifa. Zack, even in his happiness, still wondered. She was a part of him, even if she was dead.

Two years later…

"Zack, I can't do this anymore," Cissnei told him. It was dark in their penthouse, and Cissnei stood by the door with three suitcases packed. She had taken their daughters, but surprisingly not their son. "I can't compete with a dead woman anymore."

Zack stood as she left their home. Sinking to the floor, he looked up at the ceiling and laughed bitterly.

"Even in the afterlife, you plague me," Zack groaned. Jem's footsteps came toward him and his son knelt down beside him. Zack looked at the boy. Jem grinned roughly and lightly punched his father's arm.

"We'll get through this, old man," Jem stated firmly. Zack looked at his son in confusion. Jem grinned again. "She's waiting for you, Dad." Zack laughed bitterly again.

"Son, the woman you're dreaming of is dead. She's been dead for a long time," Zack muttered. Jem looked at his father belligerently.

"No, she's not," Jem stated firmly. Zack looked at his son's convinced expression. "Take me with you on your next weekend."

"No," Zack told him. Grinning, Jem shook his head.

"Yes," Jem repeated. Zack sighed and nodded. Jem grinned and looked at the floor. "When you see her, can you promise not to cry?"

Zack raised an eyebrow at his son. "Fine." He pulled himself up and then pulled his son up.

"We're going on mission tomorrow, so get a good's night rest," Zack told him and shooed him toward his bedroom. Getting a blanket, Zack crawled onto the couch and closed his eyes.

The image he had before he fell asleep was a smiling Tifa, who looked a little older but still the more beautiful to him.

A/N: Next chapter, Zack and Tifa meet up. I couldn't let him end up alone and unhappy, but I couldn't let him not be available for her either.

And this gives me a chance to use a love triangle, though I don't know if I'm going to yet or not.

I hope you liked it! But I'm going to warn you that it might be a while before I update again, but I will be writing it as much as I can.

Until next time!