Disclaimer:
Nope...still don't own the rights...if I did...I wouldn't be sitting here writing this. I'd be sitting on a beach in the Bahamas drinking a Pina Colada...
Author's Note:
Geez...sorry for the slow updates...but here's the next chapter. I'm glad to hear that all of you enjoyed the last chapter. I'm probably gonna end up throwing in little 'quickies' here and there for them just so they can release tension. And as a matter of fact I added a little hanky panky at the end of this extremely long chapter...but I didn't add the detail I did in last chapter...I'm gonna give it a few chapters before I do that again okie day?
Well, on with this chapter...I added a little more about Logan and stuff like that...I'll be getting into what's up with Aeris in a few more chapters... Ciao...
"I wanna wear the blue one!" Logan wailed as he stood in front of his father wearing only his tennis shoes and shorts.
"But don't you like the red one?" Cloud asked, holding it out to him.
Logan grabbed the shirt then threw it to the side. "No!" He screamed. "I want the blue one! I want it! I want it! I want it!" He started jumping up and down while screaming the last three phrases.
"Okay, okay, just don't scream anymore," Cloud said, finally giving in and retrieving the blue shirt that Logan was asking for and it handed it to him.
Logan's mood immediately brightened as he pushed the shirt over his head. He then scampered over to the mirror and ran his hands though his hair before running back to Cloud. "I'm ready."
Cloud looked at his young son's frazzled mane then leaned over and picked him up. "Did you mommy ever spike you hair?"
Logan shook his head. "She always let me do my hair."
"Well, want me to spike it?" Logan nodded and Cloud made his way into the bathroom then sat Logan down on the counter. "Do you want you hair to look like mine?"
Logan nodded again and Cloud got to work making his son look just like him.
"There," Cloud said once he finished, picking Logan up and letting him look in the mirror. "All done."
Logan smiled as he looked up at Cloud. "I look just like you, daddy!"
"Yeah," Cloud said, tugging on one of the spikes. "You wanna go play in the park?"
"Uh-huh."
Aeris was taking a nap so Cloud left a note on the table for her. Cloud had seen the park from the window of the clothing store they were in the other day. From what he could see, there was a large sandbox, swings, slides with monkey bars and jungle gyms. There were benches all around the perimeter of the park so the parents could watch their children at a safe distance. Cloud set Logan down and went to sit at the closest bench. A young woman that was feeding a small baby looked over at him and smiled as he sat. Cloud smiled back.
"Your little boy's very handsome. He looks just like you."
"Thanks," Cloud said, looking over at her. "I thought he'd look more like his mother than anything."
"Oh," she said, giving her baby a spoonful of baby food. "Where is she?"
Cloud looked away for a second before saying the first thing that came into his mind; which wasn't the truth. "She's at home. She wasn't feeling very good this morning but told me to bring Logan to the park. We promised we'd bring him to the park together today but she still wanted him to come play even though she couldn't come." Cloud pulled his walled out of his back pocket and dug out the only picture he had of Tifa. "This is her. Her name's Tifa."
He had taken the picture when they were at the Gold Saucer for a day of relaxation. Him and Tifa had snuck out of their rooms in the middle of the night and she had brought a disposable camera with her. She had given him the camera so she could play the snowboard game and she flashed a smile for the camera after she had won.
"She's very pretty," the woman said, handing the picture back to Cloud. "My name's Vera."
"Cloud Strife." He stuck his hand out to shake hers.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she withdrew her hand and she cocked her head. "The same one that -?"
"Killed Sephiroth and destroyed Meteor? Yeah, that's me."
"And the girl in the picture?" Vera questioned, an inquisitive look in her eyes.
"Tifa Lockheart. She was there too."
"Wow, that is amazing!" She said, her voice excited. "I never thought I'd get the chance to meet any of you!"
"I get that from a lot of people," Cloud said, scratching his head, hoping that this wouldn't turn into an insane fan girl session.
"Well," Vera said, lifting her baby out of his stroller. "I hope all of you have settled down. I'd just like to say thank you for all you've done."
"Hey, it was no problem."
Logan ran up to Cloud and climbed onto his lap. "Daddy, I think I'm in trouble."
Cloud frowned, a bad feeling beginning to brew in the pit of his stomach. "What do you mean?"
"A lady came up to me and looked at me then said, 'You're the boy I saw on TV.' Then she tried to grab me but I ran over here."
Cloud looked away from Logan with wide eyes. His heart began pumping when he saw an elderly lady talking with two burly police officers. "Come on, Logan. We gotta go." Cloud hefted Logan up into his arms and sprinted as fast as he could back to the house. He chanced a glance behind him and breathed a sigh of relief for no one was following him.
He crashed back through the door, startling Aeris, who was still asleep. "What's going on?" She asked groggily as she sat up.
"They're onto us!" Cloud said, breathing heavily as he set Logan on the floor.
"What do you mean?" Aeris retorted, getting up and walking toward Cloud. "Who's onto us?"
"Not Tifa and Reno." Cloud sat to try and catch his breath. "The police. I guess Logan's kidnapping must have gotten out."
"Shit," Aeris cursed as she ran into their bedroom. "Cloud, start getting Logan's things together!"
They had everything that was important packed up and ready to go within a half hour. They left the house immediately and bought two chocobos.
"Where are we gonna go?" Cloud asked, hopping up on his bird and securing Logan in his lap.
Aeris spurred her chocobo forward with Cloud following close behind. "We'll go to a remote place that no one will think to look."
"Where's that?"
"Wutai."
.xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox.
"Hey, Tifa, come look at this," Reno said, from his place on the bed.
"What is it?" I asked, walking out of the bathroom with make-up in hand.
My eyes got wide as a picture of Logan and I appeared on the screen. A male reporter's face came up a few seconds later. "Two year old Logan James Lockheart, who was kidnapped by his father, Cloud Strife, a few days ago was supposedly seen earlier this morning. Police have been searching but so far nothing has been found."
"Dammit!" Reno yelled, throwing the controller onto the bed and running out of the room.
I dropped my make-up in mid-application and took off after him. I struggled running after him with my flimsy flip-flops and I was tempted to take them off so I could run better, but the thought of burning my feet on the hot asphalt wasn't very appealing.
Reno came to a skidding halt next to some large bushes. I kneeled down next to him. "Stay here," he said, looking back at me briefly.
I nodded and watched him slink toward the silent house on the corner of the block. The door was slightly ajar and when he reached it he cautiously pushed it open then slipped inside. I peeked my head over the bush and nervously watched the empty opening that Reno disappeared through. I held my breath, hoping nothing would happen to him. Many long minutes passed when he finally appeared in the doorway. He had a strange look on his face as he leaned heavily against the frame of the door.
My heart was literally in my throat as I ran toward Reno and fell into his arms. "Reno, what is it?" I asked, fearing the worst.
He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. "They're not here."
I felt relief wash over me at hearing Logan wasn't hurt but all at the same time tears were rolling down my face. We were so close.
Reno began to gently rub my back to try and reassure me. He was silent for many long moments before he spoke. "Hey, we'll get him back. Don't worry." Reno's voice began to crack as he finished. I could tell he was trying to hold himself together.
I wiped my eyes and looked up at him. "What are we going to do now? We have no idea where they are now."
"I don't know."
Everything was spinning. I could barely focus my eyes on Reno's face. My stomach started to churn and I almost felt like bending over and hurling my guts onto the grass. I started to cry even harder and soon after my head felt like it would burst. I guess I must have almost fallen over because Reno gripped me tightly then picked me up. My head started to spin as he walked down the road and I quickly lost consciousness.
I woke up what felt like only a few minutes later. My head still hurt a little and as I tried to sit up a dizzy feeling made me stop. I looked over and found Reno staring out the window at a pale evening sky; I had slept much longer than I thought. I took a deep breath and slowly rose from the bed. I gently laid my hand upon Reno's shoulder. He twitched slightly and turned to look at me. "Well, you're finally awake," he said, smirking as he pulled me onto his lap. He kissed me on the forehead. "How you feelin'?"
"I'm still a little lightheaded. What about you?"
"I'm a little tired." He paused to yawn and stare out the window some more. I laid my head on his chest and gazed out the window with him. "Hey, uh, you know that one red lion thing we visited a few months ago?"
I lifted my head off of his chest and frowned. "You mean Red XIII?"
"Yeah, him. Do you think he'd be able to help us?"
"We could try," I said, shrugging my shoulders weakly.
I slid off Reno's lap as he stood. "You go ahead and go to Cosmo Canyon. I need to go back to Costa and pick up a few things."
"How are you gonna get there?"
"Rent a chocobo, of course." He picked up our bags and we walked out of the room. Reno paid the hotel bill then made our way to the chocobo stables. "I'll come to Cosmo as soon as I can, okay?"
"Yeah, be careful," I said, kissing him softly.
"Naturally, babe." He handed some gil to the chocobo handler then mounted the large bird. "You still have all that gil I gave you right?" I nodded. "Then spoil yourself with it. Try not to worry too much about Logan. We'll find him."
"I'll try." He leaned down and planted another farewell kiss on my lips.
"I love you," he said, swiping his fingers across my cheek.
"I love you too," I said, grabbing his fingers as he pulled them away from my face.
He smiled at me before spurring his chocobo toward Costa del Sol. I watched his retreating form until I could no longer see him among the foliage. I paid the handler for holding Seraph then made my way toward the fire colored cliffs of Cosmo Canyon.
Many hours later, I arrived at the great stone steps of the canyon. It had not changed since my last visit, which seemed odd because it seemed as though there were a lot more people since then. I made my way toward the observatory, hoping that Red would be there.
.xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxox.
Cloud and Aeris halted their chocobos on the outskirts of Rocket Town. "How can we get an airship ride here? If Cid knows about the kidnapping and sees me he'll skin me alive."
"Cid won't see us," Aeris replied, waving her arm through the air gracefully.
White light flashed all around them and when it faded, their appearances, clothes and voices had changed from what had been.
"Now we can travel without being discovered. Come."
Aeris and Cloud trotted into town together and bought airship tickets to Wutai. Within the hour they were on their way; Cid had seen them board and never suspected a thing.
.xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxox.
"When was Logan kidnapped?" Red inquired.
"Only a few days ago."
When I found Red and Nairi sleeping peacefully in the observatory I thought about waiting until they woke up to talk to them, but Red sensed my presence immediately. When he saw that Logan wasn't with me, he became worried and wanted to know where he was.
"Are you sure they left Gongaga?"
I nodded. "Absolutely. The house they were living in was empty.
Red nodded and padded over to the counter. He had been provided with a phone that met his species specific needs. It had large buttons and a microphone that he could speak into. It also had a video screen.
"I'll call everyone and tell them to be on the look out. You should go get some sleep." Red began to dial a number.
"Well, I'd really like to wait for Reno."
"Tifa, it is late and you look very tired. If Reno comes in I will tell him you are here."
I opened my mouth to object but Barret's voice blared out of the speaker. "Hey, what up, cat?"
Red rolled his eye. "Please, Barret, let's skip the small talk. I have some bad news."
I climbed the ladder leading to the guest bedroom and tuned out the voices below me. I set my beg next to the bed then gently eased under the cool sheets, falling into a deep, peaceful sleep moments later.
"Hey."
No. More sleep. Go away…
"Hey, bed head, wake up."
I groaned and rolled over, hoping the annoying voice would go away. After many moments of silence, I smiled and snuggled back into the sheets. Just as I was about to doze off once again, the blankets were torn away from me. I sat up groggily and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.
"Finally, I thought I'd never get you up."
I smiled when I saws Reno standing at the foot of my bed with a goofy grin on his face, holding my blankets in his right hand.
I yawned. "When did you get here?"
"A few hours ago." He tossed my blankets onto the bed in heap. "Come on. Red has a plan."
I slowly got out of the bed and followed Reno down into the living room. I smiled when I saw Vincent Valentine standing at the counter, talking with Nanaki. He turned his red blood eyes on me and nodded his head. "Hello Tifa," he said, the talons of his gold claw clinking on the hard wood of the counter.
"Hi, Vincent." I left my greeting at that, knowing any other attempt at conversation would be with silence.
"So, Red tell us about this plan of yours," Reno began, crossing his arms.
"I have notified everyone in Avalanche to keep their eyes open for Cloud and Aeris or anything suspicious. I've asked Vincent here because of his magnificent tracking skills. He's going to go back to Gongaga and see if he can dig something up."
"What about me and Reno?" I asked, a confused look on my face. "What are we going to do?"
"Vincent would prefer to travel alone. Cid, Barret, Yuffie and Reeve are going to keep their eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. I think you two should stay here for a while."
"But," I began, starting to panic slightly. "I just can't stand on the side lines while my son's fate is placed in someone else's hands! Red, what would you do if one of your cubs was kidnapped? Wouldn't you want to find him and make sure he's alright?"
He nodded. "Yes, I would, but if the best way to keep him safe was to sit on the side lines and watch then I would do it. Tifa, I know how you are feeling. You feel because you are Logan's mother that you should be the one to rescue him. Everyone in Avalanche wants to see Logan safely back with you. They will do everything in their power to ensure he is found. Do you trust me?" His lone yellow eye shone with promise.
I bit my lip and turned to look at Reno. "It's gonna be okay, babe," he said reassuringly.
I smiled and brought my eyes back to Red. "Okay," I said, feeling my eyes begin to tear up.
Red nodded, glad he had my approval. "Vincent you may leave whenever you are ready."
Vincent bowed his head then turned on his heel and left the Observatory.
I stood and stared at the door in a stupor. I had just put my son's life in the hands of Vincent Valentine. Yes, I trusted Vincent. I even trusted him with my life. He had come to the team's rescue many times with his unmatched marksman skills and the power of the demons inside him. I just couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding that hung over my shoulders. It almost felt like I had made a dire mistake.
"Tifa," Red said, coming to sit next to me. "Come with me." Reno started to follow us but Red stopped him by swishing his fiery tail in front of him. "Stay here, Reno. Tifa and I will be back soon."
Reno met my eyes briefly before I turned and followed Red out of the Observatory. We walked through the dusty streets for man moments before Red turned to me.
"You know it is almost my cub's birthday right?" He asked simply, seeming to want no more than small talk. I nodded. "Then you must be aware that it is almost Logan's birthday as well."
I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know. I was hoping to have a birthday party for hi. Now I'm not sure what's going to happen."
Red came around in front of me and sat down. He looked into my eyes sternly. "No matter how dark the night, morning always comes. Be strong, Tifa. Just like you told me all those years ago."
I stood shocked as I watched Red start to walk away. I never thought those words would come back and bit me in the butt like they just did. Red stopped and looked back at me.
"Come on, Tifa."
Once I was back at Red's side I kneeled down and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thanks," I said, backing away. "I really needed that."
"Well, that's what friends are for, right?"
I smiled. "Yeah."
Red and I walked back to the Observatory side by side. Reno was waiting outside. I went to him and rested against his chest. Red began to walk inside to join his mate but stopped short. "Tifa, I'd like you to be the guest of honor at the cub's presentation ceremony."
"What is that?" I asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"It's basically their birthday party and you've helped Nairi and I so much with them they think of you and Logan as family. We would be honored if you would do this for us." Red swished his tail back and forth as he sat.
"Well, what should I wear?" I asked, awe struck that Red and Nairi thought so highly of me.
"Preferably Cosmo Canyon ceremonial garb. There is a hut near the Eternal Flame that sells such clothing. The shopkeeper will help you find what you need."
I nodded and Red went inside. "You wanna come?" I asked Reno.
"Sure, I'm game."
We ventured into town and found the shop that Red told us about. Inside there was a variety of headdresses and robes of all different styles and colors. There was also native jewelry made out of polished stone with beads and different ornaments. The shopkeeper greeted us. "Hello, my name is Marlo. How can I help you?"
"Uh, I'm going to be the guest of honor for Nanaki's cub's ceremony."
Marlo's eyes got wide. "Truly?" I nodded. "Then, please, come with me. I have the perfect thing for you to wear."
Reno hung back to look around as Marlo led me into a back room filled with even more extravagant clothing than the front room. He bean running around the room, pulling clothes and jewelry off of shelves and racks. After he thought he colleted enough he grabbed my hand and pulled me behind a large curtain.
"Now, uh, if you don't mind, I need you to undress," he said, holding up a piece of silky fabric that various colors of browns and reds.
I made a weird face before slowly complying. I wasn't very comfortable about undressing in front of someone I didn't even know when my boyfriend was standing right outside. But Cosmo Canyon attire is different than that of the rest of the world and so are its people. Cosmo Canyon natives are neither shy nor pig headed, from what I've heard from Nanaki.
Marlo began to wind the cloth around my waist. "Okay, hold this," he said, pushing the cloth into my hands. He produced a light tan tunic that look like it had gold laced into the fabric. It had a long left sleeve and no sleeve on the right side. He helped me slide the tunic over my head then he wound the rest of the fabric around my bare shoulder. "Do you know when the ceremony is?"
I shook my head. "No, I'll have to ask Nanaki."
"Alright, I will hold these for you until the day of the ceremony. I'll also add your jewelry and headdress," he said, beginning to undrape me.
"Okay," I said, putting my clothes back on. "Thank you."
He nodded and smiled at me before carefully slinking out from behind the curtain. I finished dressing then pushed the curtain back. Reno was waiting for me at the front o the store. He grabbed my hand and held the door open for me.
"Well, how'd it go?" He asked as we walked through the town back to the Observatory.
"He picked out some really pretty fabric for me to wear."
"Oh really?" He said, stopping for a few seconds. "I hope it's easy to take off of you." He placed his hands on my waist then slowly moved them up.
I quickly grabbed his hands and pulled them away from me. "Reno! No here!"
He bounced his eyebrows playfully. "Then how about we go somewhere else?" I grinned then turned around and began to walk away. "Hey! Is that a yes?"
I broke into a full on run and stared laughing so hard I could barely continue running when I heard his distressed 'Hey!' as he began to run after me. I waited at the front door of the Observatory until he caught up to me.
"Playing hard to get, huh?" He asked as he pressed me against the door and kissed me passionately.
"We have to be quiet," I said after he backed away. He reached his hand around me and pushed the door open.
"Are they always here?" He asked as we slowly backed up towards the ladder, planting kiss upon kiss on each other's lips.
"Yeah, Red has to be in case someone needs to see him." My back hit the ladder and I pried Reno off of me so I could climb up it.
Reno and I climbed under the sheets of the bed and continued our heavy make out session. Red turned me over onto my back and got on top of me. I reached up and started undoing the buttons of his shirt. "So," he began, giving me a quick kiss before continuing. "Did you enjoy what we did the other day?"
I nodded and smiled. "I did. You gave me an even more powerful orgasm than Cloud ever did."
His hands ducked beneath my shirt and made quick work of my bra. "Oh, so Spiky is a little inexperienced, huh?" He smirked as he cupped a hand around my breast and began to knead it gently.
I pushed his shirt off his shoulders and drew random patterns on his muscular chest with my nails. "Yeah, just a little. I heard you're supposed to bleed when you have sex the first time but, to me, it felt like I was on my period."
Reno's movements stopped and he is eyes got wide. "You have got to be shiting me." I shook my head. Reno snickered and rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else. "Alright, babe, this is coming off," he said, beginning to pull my shirt over my head.
I lifted my arms so it would be easier to remove. He tossed it to the side and continued his soft, gentle movements.
"Hey, Teef," he said, stopping momentarily.
"Yeah?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair.
"Can I ask you a kinda personal question?" He asked, as he started rubbing his hands over my boobs once again.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Are, uh, your…you know," he stuttered, not sure how he was going to ask the question that was drilling into him. "Are they…uh - "
"Are you trying to ask me if my boobs are real?"
Reno started stuttering and mumbling like sort of idiot that got caught with his pants down around his ankles. His cheeks flushed. "Well, yeah…uh, I was just wondering…"
I started to laugh, which only caused Reno's embarrassed state to grow worse. "Of course they are. I wouldn't have been able to breast feed Logan if they were fake."
Reno laughed nervously. "Sorry, I should have known."
I rolled my eyes. "A lot of people have asked me that actually. Don't worry about it."
Reno took a deep breath and rubbed his face. "Geez, hope I didn't spoil the mood."
"No," I said, pulling him down and pressing his mouth against mine.
Soon our bodies were once again tangled together. Our clothes had been tossed to the far corners of the room and 'being quiet' was soon forgotten as well. As I stared into Reno's eyes it just felt so right to be there with him, giving him my body and, in turn, receiving his as well. After our throws of passion subsided we lay next to each other serenely, falling asleep to the sound of our heavy breathing.
