A/N: As promised, I wrote a request for,Shade the Hero. Who wanted a one-shot of Cloud's birthday, which is today! Yay! Happy Birthday, Cloud! Ha ha! Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone again. Each chapter I post the more support and reviews this story gets! So THANK YOU all very much! I hope you enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all character rights go and belong to Square Enix! I'm just writing about them, they do not belong to me! :)

Characters: Cloud&Tifa Marlene&Denzel Zack&Aerith (And sight Yuffie&Vincent&Barret&Cid&Shera&Nanaki&Reeve!)

Setting: None...sorry! :P

Rating: T (For Language!)

~To Nibelheim!~

Cloud was in his office, busy with delivery slips and phone calls.

He's been seated in his office, working with his door closed for about three hours.

It was close to midnight, and the children were asleep in their room. However, Tifa, Aerith, and Zack were still awake and in the living room.

Cloud could hear them clearly down the hall.

Zack and Aerith were giggling and chatting loudly, and Tifa would hush them every other minute.

Cloud furrowed his brow, wondering what they could be up to. It was August eighteenth, and the three of them have acted strange for the past few days. Cloud's eyes widened, and stood up abruptly and headed to the living room. Quickly but quietly, to not wake the children.

"What's going on here?" Cloud demanded as soon as he reached the living room.

Tifa and Aerith were seated on the couch, both dressed in their pajamas and sharing Zack's laptop, while Zack himself was surfing channels on the TV, hogging the other couch with his super long legs.

The three of them looked up at Cloud.

"Just relaxing, and trying to keep these two quiet." Tifa replied, smirking at Aerith who just giggled.

Cloud raised a brow, and folded his arms against his chest.

"Sure, what are you three really up too?" He leaned against the wall, studying the three.

A small blush formed on Aerith's cheeks, and Zack just smirked.

"We've already told you Cloud!" Tifa replied, offering him a sweet smile.

"What are you looking at?" Cloud asked, frowning over at Aerith and Zack who were trying to stifle laughs.

"Nothing!" Tifa replied, sending them both a death glare.

Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Aerith?"

"WE'RE PLANNING A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY VACATION TO NIBELHIEM!" Aerith blurted, then quickly covered her mouth.

"Aaaaanndd...Aerith and I are coming!" Zack added.

Tifa sighed.

"Marlene and Denzel are better at keeping secrets and surprises than you two!" She scolded before looking back over to Cloud, who was grinning.

"Nibelhiem...It's been awhile since we've been there."

"And that's why I wanted it to be a surprise! We're leaving tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow? Humph...that is a surprise..."

"Oh no, he doesn't seem too happy about it..." Aerith said.

"Of course he is!" Zack said. "He's just being the same boring Cloud as always!"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Thank you, I was just going to bed."

"Cloud, wait!"

Cloud was just on his way up the stairs when he heard Tifa behind him. He turned around to look down at her.

"Do you not want to go? I can call the Inn we're staying at and cancel our trip if you like, we can always just stay here for your birthday and relax and have a quiet one!" She looked down. "I-I'm sorry, Cloud...It is your birthday. I should have asked you want you wanted to do, not turn around your back and plan it with our friends...I just thought I'd surprise you..."

Cloud cupped Tifa's chin with his hand so that she'd look at him.

"Tifa...it sounds perfect."

Tifa's eyes lit up.

"A-are you sure!? I don't want to force you to go if you don't wan-"

"Tifa." Cloud interrupted her, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I want to go."

"Alright!" Tifa said, setting down the last packed suitcase besides her. "Is everyone ready to go? Our train leaves to Nibelhiem in two and a half hours and it's a good twenty minutes to the train station from here, depending on the traffic!"

"Ready, Tifa!" Denzel and Marlene said together.

They had their little carry-on backpacks with them, that they've packed about a month ago. They've never been to Nibelhiem before, and they were probably looking forward to this trip more than anyone else!

Tifa smiled at her children.

"Alright, you two used the bathroom?"

"Yup!"

"Everything all packed?"

"Yup!"

"Toothbrushes, toys, pillows?"

"Yup! Yup! Yup!"

"Good." Tifa turned to Cloud. "How about you?"

Cloud shrugged. "You should know. You're the one who packed all my stuff."

"Oh! That's right." She smiled, and looked over at Zack and Aerith. "What about you two!?"

Zack laughed.

"Don't worry about us, Tifa!"

"She's Tifa, she worries about everyone." Cloud said, giving his wife a gentle smile.

She returned his smile with her own.

"Okay everybody, let's go!" Tifa said, before slowly bending down to gather their suitcases, but Cloud stopped her.

"You shouldn't be carrying all this extra weight with that little one still inside of you." He pointed at Tifa's swollen belly. "I'll carry them."

Tifa crossed her arms.

"I'm not fragile, you know."

"You're not." Cloud agreed, picking up the two suitcases like they weighed nothing. "But our baby is."

Tifa smiled, and rolled her eyes playfully. "Alright, you win. Now get in the truck everyone, we're off to Nieblhiem! Oh, and Cloud?"

"Hmm?"

"Happy birthday."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Marlene and Denzel shouted.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOO YOU! HAPPY-"

"No singing!" Aerith cried with a giggle.

Cloud just smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Wow, the name is a lot more 'Backwater' than the real place!" Zack said with a laugh, as the six of them headed off the train.

Marlene and Denzel were overjoyed.

Nibelhiem was a completely different environment than Midgar.

It was more, quiet, and smaller.

"So!" Tifa put her hands on their heads. "What do you think?"

"Amazing!" Denzel said. "It's so quiet here!

"Welcome to the country." Cloud said with a chuckle.

"It's beautiful! Look at all the mountains and green hills!" Marlene cried out jumping up and down. "Did you and Cloud really grow up here!?"

"Sure did!" Tifa replied with a smile.

"Is this the Inn we're staying at!? It's so tiny!" Zack said with a laugh.

"Well, you were fine with it last night when we showed you!" Aerith replied, giggling.

"I think it's perfect!" Marlene said, Denzel nodded in agreement.

"Wow, Zack. Even my children behave better than you." Tifa teased, causing everyone to laugh.

Once everyone was settled in, they all went out to eat at a small and cozy restaurant, than took a hike through the small town.

The children pointed out at every Chocobo they saw out in the mountains and wide empty fields and came to a total number of thirty-five.

Zack and Cloud talked about their past with one other, and laughed at inside jokes, while their wives talked about their pregnancies.

It was such a beautiful and relaxing night, a perfect getaway from it all.

The sun setting over the mountains, changing the sky a light purple, with millions of stars was Denzel and Marlene's favorite part.

It was rare and difficult for them to see a star back at home, so this was like a whole new life experience for them.

"Wow, Cloud, how many stars do you think are up there!?" Marlene asked, tugging on his hand.

Cloud looked up at the sky, then back down at her, and grinned.

"Too many to count."

Marlene squealed and laughed as Cloud threw her over his shoulder like she was a pillow.

Zack whistled when he checked his watch.

"Wow, eight-thirty already!"

"Let's head back to the Inn everyone, we can watch the balcony from there!" Tifa suggested.

Everyone was too relaxed to argue.

It was almost nine thirty by the time everyone got back to the Inn.

Tifa and Aerith were sitting on the porch swing, with Marlene on Tifa's lap.

Denzel was sitting on Cloud's lap, who was sitting at the picnic table, and Zack was sitting on the balcony railing. Making Aerith extremely nervous.

"Whoo hoo! What a night! Huh, Cloud!?"

Cloud nodded with a smile.

"Sure has, thank you guys."

Tifa grinned.

"But it's not over yet!" She reached behind her and pulled out a few gift bags, causing Cloud to groan. "What's a birthday without presents!"

"...Tifa..." Cloud said, as Marlene and Denzel got up to receive the presents from Tifa and hand them to Cloud.

"It's from all of us!" Aerith said with a smile.

"You all know how I feel about receiving gifts..." Cloud muttered as he carefully unwrapped the blue one that was from his family.

Zack grinned.

"Yeah! That's why we did it!"

Tifa and Aerith laughed.

Cloud smiled slightly at a framed picture now laying in his hands.

It was of the four of them, washing the Fenrir. Tifa, Denzel, and Marlene were hugging Cloud tightly, they were all covered in mud from head to toe, and wore huge smiles on their faces.

Cloud remembered that warm summer day, everyone was hot and bored, the bar was closed for some reason and he had no deliveries that day. So they all decided to wash up the Fenrir, that soon ended into a huge mud war. Aerith wasn't feeling well, from her morning sickness so Zack came down to see what all the fuss all about and he found the four of them all muddy and laughing, with tears in their eyes and told them to say cheese as he took the picture, but they were all laughing way to hard too say anything.

"Do you love it?" Tifa asked Cloud.

Cloud smiled slightly.

"It's perfect. Thank you."

"Look on the back!" Marlene said.

Cloud turned the picture over to see that each of them had written something.

About time to see that handsome smile of yours again, Cloud! Remember not to frown so much, or you'll get frown lines! See how much happier life can be when you let people in? :)

-With love always, Tifa

That was SO much fun, Cloud! The next time you wash Fenrir, let me know! Okay!?

Oh! And Happy Birthday!

-Love Denzel

I usually hate getting all dirty and smelly! But that day was different! Not only because we were all together as a family, but we got to see you smile and laugh! Tifa loves it when you laugh, so you should laugh more often! Happy Birthday, Cloud! I'm so glad I can call you my Papa!

-Love Marlene

Damn! I've never seen you laugh so hard in my life, Cloud! Don't worry, that's a good thing. You have a wonderful family and a wonderful BFF! (AKA, ME!) Happy Birthday, Pal! Hope it rocked!

-Zack

Goodness, I've never knew you or Tifa could be so loud! You two are always so serious! Even though I was feeling poopy that day, I'm so glad that all of you had so much fun! It's all right to be loud every once in a while you know!

-Always, Aerith

Cloud pulled the two children into a hug, and looked up at Tifa, and his two best friends.

"Thank you everyone, this has been the best birthday I've ever had."

It was now close to midnight, and Cloud was still out on the balcony.

Marlene and Denzel accompanied him, since they were having trouble sleeping.

Denzel was passed out, with his head resting on the picnic table, and Marlene was starting to doze off while she was seated comfortable in Cloud's lap.

Cloud let the sounds of their soft breathing, and the crickets deep in the woods sooth him.

It was nice, to be out of the City, and back to the place where he grew up. Even though the memories here may not have been happy ones, the atmosphere and scenery sure was a view that could never be distasteful.

Cloud jumped slightly as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Being careful not to wake Marlene, he slowly grabbed it out of his pocket and answered it in a soft voice.

"Hello?"

"HEY! HEY! HEY! Spikeeeeeeyyyyyyy! HAPPY DAMN BIRTHDAY!"

A loud voice shouted over from the other line. It was no other than Barret.

Cloud held the phone away from his ear.

Marlene's eyes opened and she giggled softly, while Denzel was still fast asleep.

"So, you decided to tell me now?" Cloud growled, once he set the phone back against his ear.

"We all did!"

Came Yuffie's voice.

"Yeah! We spent about an hour knocking on your door and calling you guys, but you weren't home and never answered your damn phones!" Came the voice of Cid Highwind.

"Yeah, we're at Nibelhiem." Cloud replied. "Zack and Aerith are here with us."

"Oh! Sounds like fun!" Shera cried.

"Well, we won't keep ya, we're just calling to wish you a good one." Came Reeve's voice.

Cloud smiled and looked down at Marlene who was smiling back.

"Yeah, it was. Goodnight everyone."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLOUD!" Everyone shouted.

Cloud chuckled and ended the call, he looked back at Marlene who was still smiling.

"What are you smiling about?" He asked her.

Marlene giggled.

"You!"

She yawned as she used his head as a pillow.

"You know...your eyes aren't so scary anymore..."

Cloud could only smile. Remembering a few years back how Marlene always used to tell Tifa how scary his eyes looked because of the Mako.

"I'm glad." The ex-SOLDIER said, holding the girl closer to him and smiling back at Denzel.

He wasn't glad just because Marlene wasn't scared of him anymore, he was glad that he had a family.

They were with him all along, yes. And he knew that.

He was glad, because now...he could see that.

A/N: Well, there ya have it everyone! I apologize if this was really cheesy, but I had a lot of things going on today and I had to write SOMETHING for Cloud's birthday! XD Please stay tuned and remember to review! :D

AND HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLOUD! :D