It was late morning by the time they made it out of Seventh Heaven. The day was crisp and clear, and they occasionally shielded their eyes from the bright sun as they made their way to the center of the city. They relished the warm breeze on their bare arms, appreciating the fact that this was most likely one of the last nice days of the year.

The fresh air and sunlight were making Marlene and Denzel slightly giddy. They ran way ahead of Cloud and Tifa, stopping only when they had to cross a street. Then they'd wait at the curb, bouncing anxiously on their toes until Cloud and Tifa caught up. The two children would then grab the adult's hands, pulling them across the street and letting go as soon as they were across to run ahead again.

"And you thought they'd get tired walking all the way into town..." Cloud said amusedly to Tifa as the children skidded to halt in front of yet another intersection.

Tifa smiled as Denzel motioned them to hurry up before joining Marlene in spinning around the street sign.

"Where does all that energy come from?" Cloud asked, eyes following them as they spun around and around.

Tifa pulled her eyes away from the kids and gave Cloud a sly smile.

"Maybe they get it from all that chocolate pie they eat." she teased.

"Hey!" Cloud rebutted, playfully defensive. "You know how those two can be... I'm powerless when theywant something that bad."

"Last time I checked..." Tifa began, laughing at him, "You were eating the pie too."

Cloud laughed and scratched the back of his head, a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Yea well... You know me." he said, a sheepish smile on his face. "Never could resist your cooking."

Tifa rolled her eyes as his flattery, but smiled at the compliment nevertheless. As they approached Marlene and Denzel, the children got impatient, and abandoned their street sign to run at them, tugging Cloud and Tifa forward eagerly.

"We're almost there aren't we Cloud?" Denzel asked, the sunlight making his freckles stand out brightly.

"Almost." Cloud replied, digging his heels into the ground and putting an arm out in front of Tifa so the kids wouldn't drag them into oncoming traffic.

"If we manage to make it there alive." Tifa joked, pulling Marlene back up on the curb. "Look before you walk out onto a busy street!"

"Yes Tifa..." the children replied, still bouncing eagerly.

The cars cleared, and the children diligently looked both ways, and smiled up at Tifa for approval before dragging Cloud and Tifa across the street.

The city center was visible just ahead. Barely a block ahead, they could see a multitude of people swarming around the jagged whole that used to be a monument to those who had died in the meteor incident. It seemed there was some sort of organized reconstruction going on. The side walks got more and more crowded as they got closer, and Cloud and Tifa kept a tight grip on the children, craning their necks to see what was going on.

They had barely reached the edge of the circle when Marlene and Denzel tugged them to a stop, eyes looking up beseechingly. Their mouths were already curled up in excited smiles.

"Oh alright..." Tifa told them, laughing at their excitement.

Tifa motioned to Cloud, and he dug a few crumpled gil out his pocket, pressing it into their waiting hands. They made to run off, but Tifa grabbed their sleeves.

"Just to the candy store!" she told them. "Cloud and I will come get you there in about a half hour okay? So don't leave!"

She released them, and they ran off hand-in-hand, shouting goodbyes to Cloud and Tifa. Cloud watched Tifa, as her eyes followed the retreating children until they disappeared around the corner.

"Worried about them?" Cloud asked her quietly.

Tifa seemed to shake herself out of a daze, and she smiled at him, shaking her head.

"I more worried for the shop owner..." she joked softly. "I wouldn't want to have those two as costumers if I owned a candy shop."

Cloud laughed quietly at her reply, and they walked into the crowd. People were hard at work, shoveling up rubble, and even laying down new cement in one place. Cloud and Tifa looked about curiously, trying to figure out who was in charge. Cloud eyes narrowed on the large lettering on the truck next to him. He nudged Tifa gently and pointed to it.

"W.R.O." Tifa read slowly.

"World Restoration Organization." Cloud told her. "Reeve's men."

Tifa nodded, comprehension dawning on her face.

"Right..." she said slowly, looking around. "Are... Rufus and the Turks part of it?"

Cloud shrugged.

"I don't know." he replied. "It wasn't until a couple days ago that we even knew Rufus was living."

Tifa was looking around at the uniformed men with a slight frown on her face. Cloud noticed that her eyes lingered on the sturdy guns at their hips.

"I don't think Shinra has anything to do with the W.R.O." he told Tifa, leading her farther into the circle. "Besides, Rufus didn't seem to have anything up his sleeve when I spoke with him."

Tifa nodded, but still seemed skeptical. She was still scanning over the many men and women dressed in W.R.O uniforms. Cloud tugged her hand gently, causing her to break her gaze.

"You still want to see if they need help?" he asked her.

She smiled and nodded.

"Who do we ask though?" she said, looking over the many uniformed figures again, trying to figure out who seemed to be in charge.

Cloud laughed weakly, his eyes searching similarly.

"That's a good question..." he murmured, eyes narrowed.

Everyone was so intent at work that they didn't even notice Cloud and Tifa. The W.R.O worked quickly and efficiently; nearly all the rubble had been cleared from the hole in the center, and cement was already being laid down in its place. Cloud and Tifa took an unconscious step closer to each other, feeling slightly overwhelmed and out of place with all the scrupulously organization workers.

"They don't seem to need help do they?" Tifa said meekly.

Cloud shook his head silently in response to her question. He was surprised how many people were in the W.R.O; last he had heard from Reeve, over a month ago, they were really struggling to get members. He was about to suggest to Tifa that they find Marlene and Denzel and go somewhere else, when a voice spoke up amusedly from behind him.

"Do these two belong to you?" a man's voice asked.

Cloud and Tifa turned around, and Reeve was smiling broadly at them, his hands clapped down gently but firmly on Marlene and Denzel's shoulders.

"Reeve!" Cloud and Tifa said in unison, surprised smiles on their faces.

The children darted away from Reeve and latched themselves onto Cloud and Tifa, lips trembling dramatically.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked quickly, peering down into their fiercely pouting faces.

Tifa untangled herself gently from the children and bent down so she was on eye level with them. She seemed to be trying to figure out whether something was seriously wrong or not. She glanced up at Reeve, and seemed to relax a bit when she saw a smile twitching at the corner's of his mouth. Tifa's eyes turned back to the kids and she smiled encouragingly.

"What happened?" she asked.

Cloud peered over her shoulder, eyes flicking between Marlene and Denzel's distressed faces. They looked up at Cloud and Tifa and sighed forlornly.

"The candy shop..." Marlene said despairingly.

They fell into a mopey silence again.

"What about the candy shop?" Tifa prompted gently. "Did it close?"

Marlene shook her head sadly.

"It's gone!" Denzel lamented, sagging his shoulders.

Tifa and Cloud straightened and exchanged confused looks.

"Gone?" Cloud asked, looking at the two inconsolable children.

They didn't respond. Cloud and Tifa turned to Reeve. He was miserably failing to conceal his smile.

"It was destroyed in the attack a couple days ago." Reeve clarified, smile disappearing as he thought about the damage. "But we're helping all the businesses that were destroyed rebuild."

Marlene and Denzel perked up a bit at this, but still stared mournfully at the wad of money in their hands that they couldn't spend on candy any longer. Reeve smiled at Cloud and Tifa.

"You know..." he said slowly, winking at them. "Word has it, there's a new candy shop just down there."

The two children looked up hopefully at Reeve, and their eyes shot down the street that his finger was pointing at. His words had an immediate impact on them; all the sudden, their shoulders were no longer sagging, and the cheerful energy was back in their eyes. Marlene latched her fingers around Tifa's arm.

"Tifa can we go? Please?" she begged.

Denzel smiled up eagerly at Cloud and Tifa.

"Of course you can go..." Tifa told them, exchanging smiles with Cloud.

The kids let out an excited squeal, and took off, running down the street.

"Hey!" Tifa shouted after them. "Wait a minute!"

Tifa sighed when they didn't turn, and made to follow them, but Cloud stopped her.

"I'll make sure they get there alright." he told her, laughing.

He gave Reeve an apologetic smile.

"I'll be back in a few." he told Reeve and Tifa, before taking off after the children.

Reeve watched Tifa as her eyes followed Cloud around the corner, a soft smile on her face. He cleared his throat gently, and she jumped slightly. Reeve tried not to chuckle.

"So Tifa..." Reeve began slowly. "How have things been lately?"

Tifa smiled.

"Well... we've had a bit of a rough week." she said, motioning to the damage around her. "But we're doing alright now... How about you?"

Reeve shrugged.

"I've been okay... Are Cloud and the kids doing alright? I supposed those two keep you and Cloud pretty busy." he said, eyes sparkling with amusement. "They seemed very... energetic."

Tifa nodded, laughing.

"I found them searching through the rubble for candy." Reeve informed Tifa, joining in her laughter. "When I stepped in, they had just decided that they would have to 'borrow' shovels in order to find the candy."

Tifa continued laughing, but cringed slightly.

"Sorry about that..." she said. "They were just really disappointed... it's had been awhile since I've been able to take them out because of... you know... the Geostigma and all."

Their laughter died off as they approached a more somber topic. Reeve cleared his throat. He sounded a little uncomfortable.

"So Denzel's better now?" he asked, sounding unsure if he was treading on a sensitive topic or not.

Tifa nodded quickly, producing a smile. Her smile, Reeve noticed, was joy-filled, but underneath it, he could tell that there was a lot of unforgotten pain and fear.

"It's completely cured." she told Reeve. "You don't seem that surprised though. Have you spoken with somebody since yesterday?"

"Barret called after he got back to Corel last night." he told Tifa. "It's all pretty hard to believe, huh?"

"Yea..." Tifa said, trying not to think about Sephiroth, the three brothers, and Bahumut, reminding herself it was all better now.

"There are still some people still infected." Reeve said, and Tifa shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Yea, I thought there might be." she replied. "I hope they get to the church in time."

Reeve looked around at the multitude of W.R.O workers and smiled at their diligence.

"That's another thing we're working on." he said proudly. "The W.R.O is trying to round up those infected, so they can get the cure quickly."

Tifa nodded interestedly at this, but lowered her head slightly. They fell into a silence that felt slightly awkward. Tifa didn't seem to want to meet Reeve's eyes. He cleared his throat.

"So..." he began, trying to ease the odd tension. "Are you and Cloud interested in joining up?"

Tifa's head shot up, her face surprised. Reeve smiled at her, but she didn't return the gesture.

"I don't know Reeve..." she said doubtfully. "I admire what you're doing and all but..."

Reeve cocked his head curiously at her.

"But?" he prompted, confused at her reluctance.

Tifa looked away. Reeve could tell that she was bursting to say something, but wasn't sure whether or not to say it. He felt slightly apprehensive. He knew Tifa to be a fairly easy-going woman, but when she made up her mind about something, she could be incredibly difficult.

"It's just that..." she began carefully. "Are you sure that 'restoration' is the W.R.O's only goal?"

Reeve eyes narrowed sharply at her. She met his gaze unflinchingly, but after a minute, sighed and placed an apologetic hand on his forearm.

"I'm sorry Reeve." she said quietly. "I dont' really want to get into an argument with you."

He shook his head.

"It's fine Tifa... we can talk about this without arguing." he assured her. "I just... What did you mean by that?"

Tifa was quiet for a minute, but when she spoke up again, their was a fierce glint in her eyes.

"I was just wondering," she began succintly, "why all the men and women here are armed?"

She looked up at Reeve, face troubled. When he didn't respond, she continued.

"If restoration is all you're planning to do, then weapons wouldn't be necessary would they?" she questioned, fixing him with a searching gaze.

Reeve sighed tiredly and shook his head. Tifa was waiting for his response expectantly.

"What you've got to understand Tifa..." Reeve said slowly. "Is that all we want, is to put the world back on its feet. But that doesn't just involve fixing up cities and curing those with Geostigma... the survivors of meteor need protection too."

Tifa's eyes narrowed at the word protection.

"Protection from what?" she asked Reeve suspiciously.

"You know what the monster situation is Tifa." he said tiredly. "And there are still people who are proving to be a danger to others."

Tifa nodded, but her face was closed off, and Reeve knew she still had her doubts. He hadn't proved to be the most trustworthy person in the past, and it hurt him to think those thoughts might be running through Tifa's mind now.

"Listen Tifa..." he said lowly. "We're just trying to make life easier for people. They need protection, they need help... a lot of people still need hope. We're just trying to give it to them, that's all."

Tifa turned away again. She didn't mean to make Reeve feel like she was accusing him of anything but... She felt her throat involuntarily tighten. That's what Shinra used to tell us... "Mako Reactors, they'll make your life easier!" Tifa thought, swallowing angrily. They seemed to have our best intentions at heart in the beginning too... "The SOLIDERS are here for your protection!" And look how that turned out... She closed her eyes, and she saw a flash of her hometown burning.

"Tifa?" Reeve asked cautiously.

Tifa put a hand to her forehead, silently rebuking herself for getting herself so worked up.

"Listen Tifa, let's just talk about something else okay?" Reeve asked, sounding upset. "I'm sorry I asked you to join W.R.O."

Tifa faced him again, and summoned a weak smile.

"It's alright Reeve... I'm sorry too." she apologized slowly. "Just old grudges... old scars... you understand, right?"

They nodded solemnly at each other and fell into an uncomfortable silence, watching the repairs progress. That was the way Cloud found them when he returned several minutes later.

"The kids are on the bench over there," he said, pointing to where the kids were happily holding bulging bags of candy. "Sorry it took so long but-"

Cloud stopped mid-sentence as he caught Tifa's eyes. It barely took him a second to realize something had upset her. His eyes flicked over to Reeve; he was upset about something too. The atmosphere was suddenly so uncomfortable that Cloud wondered why he hadn't noticed it immediately.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

Reeve and Tifa looked at their feet. Cloud gave them bewildered looks.

"Tifa and I had a little um... disagreement... about the W.R.O." Reeve told Cloud, somewhat nervously before turning to Tifa. "I'm really sorry about that Tifa. I didn't mean to upset you or anything-"

Tifa cut him off quickly.

"No Reeve, don't worry about it." she told him, smiling honestly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry for getting so worked up."

Cloud scratched his head, still looking confused about the entire situation. He opened his mouth to ask Tifa about it, but she began speaking again before he could.

"Anyways Reeve..." she said, sounding more cheerful. "We came out here to help, so if there's anything we can do... Marlene and Denzel will help too if you can find something for us to do."

Reeve nodded and began explaining the work layout to them. While his back was turned, Cloud gave Tifa an inquiring look, but she shook her head, mouthing "Later". He nodded, and turned back to Reeve.


Late that night, Cloud, Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel arrived back home. They were exhausted, but happily so, because the day, for the most part, had been a good one. At the end of the day, all the rubble had been cleared out and the hole had been closed up completely with cement. There were plans for another monument to be erected in the old one's place after the cement dried.

Marlene was riding on Cloud's back asleep, and Denzel was standing between Cloud and Tifa. His was trying to prove he could stay awake longer than Marlene, but every now and then his head would nod against Cloud or Tifa's arm as Cloud unlocked the front door.

The door swung open with a click, and they all walked in, glad to be home. Cloud bent down, and Tifa gently took Marlene off his back, scooping the sleeping girl up in her arms and taking her upstairs to her bed. Cloud and Denzel watched them leave, Denzel yawning widely.

"Don't you think you better get up to bed too?" Cloud whispered, clapping a hand on Denzel's shoulder.

Denzel nodded sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"We can have a lot more fun now that I'm better, can't we Cloud?" Denzel asked, voice slurred with sleep.

Cloud nodded, and Denzel smiled blearily.

"Goodnight Denzel." Cloud told him, giving him a gentle push towards the stairs.

"Goodnight." Denzel yawned, heading up to his room.

Cloud waited until he heard the bedroom door shut, and headed into the living room. He collapsed on the sofa, waiting for Tifa to come back down. The day had been fun, except for when he returned from the candy shop to find Tifa so upset. Reeve said they had a disagreement...

"Hey..." a soft voice whispered.

Tifa sighed as she sunk into the sofa. She hadn't had the chance to rest all day. Her eyes closed in relaxation for a minute, but when she opened them, Cloud was watching her intently. She knew what he was wondering.

"Well?" he asked quietly. "What were you and Reeve arguing about today?"

Tifa sighed and quickly recounted their conversation, cheek resting against the soft cushion of the sofa. Cloud listened silently, watching Tifa's face in the dim light of the living room. There was a brief silence when she finished. Tifa closed her eyes and gave a shaky sigh.

"It's not that I'm mad at Reeve..." she said softly. "He just doesn't understand what I'm getting at, that's all. You understand don't you Cloud?"

She opened her eyes and met his gaze for a minute. The look in her eyes was so trusting, that even if he didn't understand, he wouldn't have been able to tell her no.

"I understand..." he told her softly. "It's not that you believe that the W.R.O will end up like Shinra necessarily... but there are similarities. After all, Shinra did start out with good intentions. If you round up a large, strongly-supported group, give them weapons, give them power... sometimes they can lose sight of their goal. That's what you're afraid of isn't it?"

Tifa nodded, and attempted a weak, tired smile.

"And I don't really have a good history with governments do I?" she joked softly. "I guess it will just take me awhile to trust anything new."

Cloud laughed softly and she continued.

"But it's not just that..." Tifa said, tone becoming more somber. "If the W.R.O becomes more like an army..."

She sighed.

"It's not that I'm afraid of fighting... we've done that before haven't we?" she asked softly. "But I don't want that for Marlene and Denzel. I don't want them to have to struggle like we did. I don't want to them to experience loss like we did. I want them to have a happy childhood... I can't even think about my childhood without seeing flames."

Cloud closed his eyes briefly, and fire flashed across his eyes... his mother, his hometown, his Tifa... As much as for his own comfort as for hers, he reached and and grabbed her hand. Her hand squeezed back tightly.

"I'll talk to Reeve tomorrow, okay Tifa?" he promised quietly. "I'll make him understand... If he doesn't understand what he's risking now, he will by the time I'm through with him. We won't have another Shinra, I promise."

Tifa smiled at him, and he pulled them both to their feet so they could head up to bed. Before Tifa went into her room, Cloud gently brushed her hair off her face so he could plant a gentle kiss on her brow. She smiled at him sleepily, her fingers lingering his hand before she shut the door behind her. Don't worry... he thought, staring at her closed door. I don't intend to see you or the kids in pain ever again...I could never let anything hurt something so precious.

Author's Note: I'll probably have some stuff from Dirge of Cerebus in this. By stuff, I mean some Reeve, W.R.O., Cait Sith, Underground Soldiers, Vincent... It will still be centered around Cloud, Tifa, Marlene,and Denzelthough.Dirge of Cerebus takes place a year after Advent Children I think... I don't really know that much about it, so feel free to share anything you know and what you think.