Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, or any of its characters, or any of the other nifty details.

A/N: This is set immediately following the events of Advent Children, and shall – if all goes according to plan – include some Dirge of Cerberus as it progresses. The prologue is a first person p.o.v. by Aerith, and then it takes you into the rest of the story, which will be third p.o.v. Tifacentric. Enjoy.

All Things New

Prologue & Chapter One: Now

They were all together again.

It was past Marlene and Denzel's bedtime, and she was slumped with her head resting on her hands against the table the group was circled, her choice of seat being Barret's lap. The boy was sandwiched between Cloud and Tifa so it was only a matter of picking which way to lean when his eyes started closing of their own will. No one had the heart to tell them to go upstairs, and no one wanted to leave the table to take them.

Except maybe Vincent, who lurked in the corner and kept darting a crimson glance toward the doorway, ready to slip back into the shadows of life. He was the reason I kept the rain at a steady drizzle. It was just enough, along with the others begging him, to force him to remain indoors. He could stand to stay one night with the old team.

Tifa, ever the hostess, had kept the alcohol flowing freely, and it was evident by the flush in Cid's cheeks and the way his cigarette fell from his mouth half the time that he'd benefited from the generosity. Barret had enough to drown a normal person but it barely seemed to affect him, and Yuffie was giggling about anything and everything and had almost met the floor with her face after falling out of her chair a time or two. The rest abstained, though it didn't matter in the atmosphere of jovial cheer and true relief they all basked in.

They were finally happy, all of them. It was worth everything to see that. To see the way they could laugh without feeling guilty, the way the children had played until they lost their breath without any pain. The way his lips barely curved in a smile that had already filled his eyes.

Maybe they would finally be okay.

In the rain, they would still remember me. And when more flowers bloom in that old church that I know he would never let them tear down as they try to rebuild Midgar, they'll remember. Hopefully, the memories would be calming, and free of any regret this time around.

I'll still be watching. I can see the anger welling just beneath the surface of the ruins. If they need me, I'll always be here. I did everything for them, and would do it all again. But for now, let them have fun. Let them have peace. Let them have love.

For now, let me just watch.

Tifa was the first one awake, just as the sun was peeking through the shades of her bedroom window. There wouldn't be any chores to be done, no groceries delivered, and there was no reason to be up so early but old habits die hard. As bare feet met the cold floor, she sorted the events of the day before in her mind. Had it all really happened? Was it all really over?

But the lump shifting in the bed behind her reminded her, rather unkindly with an elbow in her side, that Yuffie was there which meant everyone else was there too. They'd done it. Or Cloud had done it.

Cloud…

He'd actually seemed happy for the first time in a long time. She could only hope it would last.

Which her closet didn't seem to be doing. Its door hung ajar while its belly bulged with a sack full of dirty laundry she hadn't gotten around to putting in the wash. With a stifled mental groan of protest, she padded her way over to drag it out. Now was as good a time as any to stuff it into the machine in the back downstairs. Breakfast needed to be started while she was at it.

Whatever minor fear she'd have of waking everyone, it was banished when Barret and Cid's snoring from the spare room echoed down the hallway. It was truly a wonder anyone had managed to sleep at all, but she supposed they really were all that tired. Living with guilt could do that to a person.

She couldn't resist her maternal instinct to look in on Marlene and Denzel. Both of them were still curled into their beds, the latter finally looking like he'd gotten a peaceful slumber. It was enough to bring a smile to Tifa's face.

Cloud's room was next, and though a fleeting urge passed through her mind to check on him too, she stopped herself. Instead, her hand merely rested against the doorframe, as if she might hear his breathing or feel his heartbeat to assure herself that he was there through the wood. He needed rest most of all.

Hoisting that bag to avoid tripping down the stairs, a peek into the living room proved Nanaki was sleeping on the rug, so the only one missing was Vincent. That wasn't a surprise. He'd wanted to leave as soon as Cait did, when Cid had landed that new ship of his, but they hadn't let him.

It just meant one less mouth to feed this morning, she told herself. Life could actually begin now, for all of them. Maybe it was fitting that it would start with something as simple as laundry and omelettes.

The detergent was almost empty as she settled it upside down over the open washer, leaving it to empty into the already filling contraption when she bustled back to the kitchen to heat a skillet. Eggs were plentiful compared to fresh vegetables, and she had already flipped the first batch of omelettes when a bristle on the back of her neck told her she wasn't alone. The spatula clattered to the floor the moment her eyes lifted to find themselves meeting another pair in the shadows.

But they were a glowing scarlet.

"Vincent! Gaia, you scared me," she muttered, bending to retrieve the lost utensil. She hadn't bothered changing out of the long-sleeved tee and boxers she slept in, figuring it wasn't a big deal since the team had seen her in worse. Now, suddenly, face to face with Vincent standing in his cloak and straight as a board, she felt sorely underdressed. "I thought you'd left."

"I did."

Just as she was about to ask why he bothered to come back since most of them had been sure he'd hightail and leave for good the moment he got a chance, a cellphone was lofted before her vision, grasped in his right hand. "Wh—" she faltered. She must have been sleepier than she thought to be this disoriented. "What is that?"

"A phone."

"I know that. What is it for? I thought you were kidding when you asked where the phone salesman was…" She'd since recovered a little by tossing the spatula in the sink and retrieving another from where they hung along the wall, saving her eggs from a crispy doom.

"Only call in an emergency."

A piece of paper was now shoved in front of her, clearly for her to take. On it was a hastily scrawled phone number, which she narrowed her eyes at. "You bought yourself a phone?" she asked incredulously, afterward realizing her voice was a bit loud in her disbelief. The only reason she noticed was because he gave her a look.

"Tell the others you know how to contact me."

So that's what this was about. If they knew she had a way to reach him, they wouldn't go looking for him. They wouldn't bother him. Tifa knew he would consider it being bothered.

"I'll give them your—" She was silenced by another look. Gaia, but he knew how to send chills down a person's spine with that gaze.

"Just tell them you can contact me."

Even that slight inflection was barely detectable, but it added another piece to the puzzle. She'd always been something of the glue that held the group together, and anyone who needed him would be able to contact her without problem. This way, he knew someone who wouldn't abuse the privilege had the knowledge.

Her mouth was open to reluctantly comply when she suddenly noticed that her feet were cold. And wet. A glance to the floor proved she was standing in a rather sudsy river, streaming from the laundry room. Barely managing to bite back a curse, her eyes flew up to the crimson-cloaked man, trying to determine if he'd noticed the mess and not told her.

Apparently the look was accusatory, as he replied with a simple, "I didn't want to interrupt."

"Vincent, my kitchen is flooding!" she growled in protest, sliding past him to rummage through the corner supply closet for a mop.

"I didn't know it wasn't supposed to."

He was insufferable, and while the entire thing might have been comical under any other circumstances, right now she was in her sleep clothes with her feet wet, her kitchen a pool, her washing machine churning even more suds out to fill the back room, and she couldn't find the mop. "Vincent, you—"

"What's going on?"

She bumped her head on the rail when she jumped, only belatedly remembering to keep her fist clenched around the handle of the mop as she scrambled out of the closet. Cloud was fully dressed already too, and if she felt awkward before with Vincent, she was doubly so now.

"Uh…Vincent…" But when she swiveled a glance his way to do nothing short of blame him for this mess, he was gone. Vanished without even leaving the back door unlatched. "He's gone," she finished lamely, trying to cough out a nervous laugh to cover her embarrassment.

Cloud just stared at her blankly, probably wondering if that bump to her head had caused brain damage. She was wondering that too.

"Alright," he finally acknowledged, slowly, almost warily, gaze trailing from hers to the sudsy floor. "That doesn't explain why you're cleaning the floor with the washing machine, Tifa."

With another nervous laugh she pushed past him – and none too gently – to slam the washer door shut, tossing the dripping bottle of detergent into a trashcan nearby as she attacked the ground with the mop. "I got distracted trying to start breakfast," she managed cheerily, one wrist absently brushing a lock of dark hair from her eyes. That scrap of paper burned a hole in her pocket like a lie waiting to be told, but she quickly shoved that thought from her mind and took some small measure of comfort from attacking the floor again.

"Let me do that." Before she could protest, he took the mop from her hands and began carefully cleaning the spill. He was too nice to say she looked like she might snap the handle in half with how hard she was scrubbing. "Go take care of breakfast. More people will be upset about burned eggs than a sudsy washroom floor."

Was that amusement she'd seen in his eyes? It couldn't be. Gaia, but she must really be tired after all.

But she didn't protest since he was right. She was already cringing at the thought of the bellowing that would ensue if there wasn't enough food to feed the small army that would be trooping downstairs soon. When everything was in hand, and Cloud had agreed to shout if something spontaneously caught flames, she headed upstairs to corral the herd, as it were.

"Rise and shine!" she called as she pounded on the door to the spare room. As she swung it open, she dodged a pillow aimed right for her head in response. "Hey, now, don't make me get my gloves." But her laughter was only greeted by more grumbles and she opted to leave the door open so the scent of the food wafting upstairs could pry them from bed.

The children were a bit easier to wake since they were used to her schedule, and Denzel seemed to spring out of bed with the new energy he had after spending so long with Geostigma. Herding them toward the bathroom to wash up, however, she found the door shut and locked.

"Yuffie?"

"Just a minute!" was the shrill response, followed by a suspicious clatter.

"You two go wash your hands downstairs, okay?" Tifa quietly instructed, giving both kids a gentle nudge in the right direction before turning back to the closed door. "You better not be stealing my shampoo or something silly, Yuffie. Not if you ever want to sleep in this place again."

Instead of grumbles, the comment was met by giggles muffled through the door, and after a rumble of the stairs creaking under Barret's weight and Cid's unsteady, hungover lurching, she headed back to the kitchen to finish up. Cloud had since mopped the entire floor and stowed away the cleaning supplies, and was now the perfect audience for the children's idle, excited chatter. He looked incredibly overwhelmed but there wasn't much Tifa could do; she was busy keeping Barret from trying to dig into the heaped stack of flat egg pancakes too early.

She'd succeeded in that endeavor just as Yuffie came bounding down the stairs and practically twirled into a seat at the bar, laughing when Cid complained about the way she jostled him when she "sat" down. He was more than happy to remain slumped over the counter, avoiding light as much as possible. Tifa shot the ninja a look when she caught her trying to pick the poor pilot's pocket.

Nanaki decided to join the little party last, just as the hostess was setting out dishes with all the ingredients necessary for everyone to make their own omelettes. There was tomato, cheese, ham, bacon, bell pepper, onion, to name a few. She'd spared nothing from her cupboards and fridge for this occasion. While the others helped themselves, she collected a plate of what Nanaki requested, kneeling to set it in front of him.

"He's gone, isn't he?"

Her smile slipped but only a little, hopefully not enough for Nanaki to notice. "Vincent left this morning."

His shaggy head was dipped in an accepting nod, though it wasn't as simple with the others.

"Vincent left without saying goodbye?" This from Marlene. No one really knew why but she'd taken a liking to the recluse.

" 'Course that asshole'd leave too early," came Cid's hoarse reply.

The pilot was silenced by a sound thwack on the back by Barret. "Watch your mouth in front of my girl. Valentine's one of them that's always leaving. We're all used to it by now," he mumbled between mouthfuls.

Who he hoped to reassure with these statements was a mystery. In fact, his words had the opposite effect. Tifa could almost feel the tension in the air surrounding Cloud. After all, the blonde-haired hero was the other one who was "always leaving" before all of this. Though Barret hadn't said it, it was there. Even the children could tell with the way they suddenly looked at Cloud as if to make sure he wasn't already on his way out the door.

Cloud cleared his throat. "I'm sure he'll be back when he's ready."

That was all it took for the others to strike up the idle chatter again, most of them talking with their mouth full, or already digging in for more. Barret was wow-ing Marlene with stories of the oilfields while Yuffie complained that oil was one of the grossest substances on the planet, to which Cid was asking both of them to shut up, or at least not talk directly in his ears. Denzel was begging Cloud to take him for a ride on his bike when the roads weren't so slick. Tifa picked at her food and watched with the faintest smile on her lips as her friends talked around her. Remembering her duties, she stooped to ask Nanaki if he wanted anything more.

"No, thank you, Tifa." A pause in that low rumble of a voice, then gently, "You realize, this is your life now."

She'd nodded in response, straightening again to find her chestnut eyes drifting over to Cloud. Was he ready to be back now, unlike Vincent? Was he ready to live life now?

As if he felt her eyes on him, he met her gaze, and offered a small upward tilt of one corner of his mouth in a smile. When he looked like that, she could believe he was.

This was her life now. She could live like this. She could be happy.