To the Morrow, for the Past

Chapter 5 – Teach Him -

Zack grew by leaps and bounds. It seemed like no time passed at all between milestones. One day he could do nothing but cry, eat and sleep, and the next he was rolling over, grabbing things, putting everything in his mouth. Growing teeth.

Of course, he had to let everyone know about the growing teeth. Cloud could appreciate that it was probably a painful process, but he was just getting used to being able to sleep at night again. Then Zack decided that he absolutely must grow teeth now. The first one to come in had been at the front and had been oddly adorable. Less adorable, was the constant fussing, the crying and apparent irritation at everything. Not only that, but he managed to chew through or break every teething toy Cloud had found for him, eventually settling for gnawing on Vincent's gauntlet.

With a grimace, Cloud wondered how the child could stand to be biting down on metal, but it seemed to keep him happy and quiet. Vincent was amused by the whole thing, and had even offered to stay for a while to help – even if that was the only thing that he felt he could do.

"You know," Cid's voice was laced with amusement as he watched Vincent with the baby. "My ma used to rub whiskey on my gums. Said it put me right to sleep."

"That's because you were drunk, Cid." For some reason, it didn't surprise him that Cid's enjoyment of alcohol had started so young. Somehow it seemed fitting.

"Hey, if it keeps 'em quiet." Cid shrugged, standing with a sigh and a grumble. "Didn't hurt me." He was still annoyed at Cloud's no smoking rule. Tifa had liked the idea enough that she had implemented it across the bar. Patrons would be told to go outside if they lit up, and very few actually protested. Maybe being the only bar in the city did have its advantages. If someone was banned, they'd have to travel all the way to Kalm for another drink, so people tended to respect the rules, even when they disagreed with them.

As Cid let himself out onto the street, Cloud poured a cup of tea and brought it out for Vincent. "Thanks." He said to the ex-Turk. "He seems to really like your arm..."

Vincent shrugged and manoeuvred himself so that he could hold Zack and drink his tea at the same time. The young boy seemed to be all but glued to the golden metal, his teeth slowly working against it. Cloud grimaced a little at the drool that was slowly forming a coat over the gauntlet.

"It's not surprising that he goes through the teething toys so quickly." Vincent said after a long sip of tea. "He's enhanced. Stronger than other children. Those toys were not designed for somebody like him."

"I've been thinking about that." Cloud sipped at his own drink, "The SOLDIER program started decades ago. I'd have thought that some of them would've had kids by now." Why weren't there more enhanced children around? The Mako showers affected SOLDIER's at a genetic level, it would make sense that the enhancement would be passed to future generations.

"You weren't aware?" Vincent put his cup down and gently smoothed down Zack's hair. It was starting to get long now. "The SOLDIER process results in sterility. SOLDIER's can't have biological children."

Okay. Cloud had not known about that. Would that mean that he couldn't have kids? Not that it really mattered. Cloud didn't exactly have plans to have more children. He already had Zack and Denzel, but the fact that something so biologically imperative had been stripped from him without his consent sent a spike of anger through him. Just one more reason to hate Hojo. He wondered if those who had made it into SOLDIER got told before they were injected. Probably not.

"Yeah. I didn't know that." He said quietly. "I suppose it's a good thing. I mean, SOLDIER's were made with inert Jenova cells. It probably wouldn't be good for the planet to have generations of new Jenova cells created. Not to mention that there would probably be mutations somewhere in the bloodline."

Zack made a disgruntled sound and opened his mouth. He turned to Cloud and pouted. Cloud knew that look. Zack was getting hungry. "I'll make him his bottle." He said, standing. "I'll be right back."

The trips to the church were becoming more frequent again. Zack seemed to really like it there, and it always settled him down when he was particularly fussy. His eyes were always wide and looking around, his head still tilted to the side every now and then. Cloud had wondered if he could feel her presence like he could, or if there was just something special about this place. It was probably the sound of the wind moving through the broken building.

Settling down next to the flowers, Cloud placed Zack beside him. The boy reached forward to gently stroke a petal and made a happy sound. He was nearly nine months old now, and a lot more active. In the last few weeks, he'd learned how to crawl and loved to move. Cloud was sure that he'd never had so many frights in his life. It seemed like Zack was always close to injuring himself and Cloud had taken to hovering over him at all time, just in case.

This had amused Tifa no end. She watched as Cloud fretted and as Zack seemed to take it as a challenge.

Now, at the church, Cloud made sure to keep a strong grip on the back of Zack's shirt. He'd contemplated a leash, but hadn't yet found one that would fit the boy, or one that Zack couldn't break out of easily. Cloud now understood what Tifa had been meaning when she'd asked who else could keep up with an enhanced toddler. Zack was already quite strong, he could break sturdy toys without meaning to and Cloud had no doubt that an unenhanced adult would have some problems. Especially when they used their super speed while crawling.

But for once, Zack seemed perfectly content just to sit still and stroke the flowers. He was amazingly careful with them, almost as if he understood how precious and delicate they were. If only he could treat his toys like that.

"You like the flowers, huh?" Cloud asked, ruffling a hand through the boys hair. Zack looked up at him with a grumpy look before once again becoming entranced by the flowers. He was quiet, occasionally his attention would wander from the flowers and he would look around, like he was hearing something.

"What is it?" Cloud asked quietly, still curious. Maybe Zack really could hear something. He had enhanced senses, maybe he was picking up on something too quiet for even Cloud. He didn't expect an answer. Zack would babble incoherently at times, but still hadn't made any sounds resembling words.

So perhaps Cloud could be forgiven for the complete shock he felt when Zack opened his mouth and simply said, "Song" in a quiet, contemplative voice.

Cloud stared at him for a moment, and Zack looked up at him, a massive grin on his face as if he'd just realized that he spoke. "Song!" He repeated excitedly, clapping his hands together. "Song! Song!"

Zack's grin was infectious and Cloud felt it spread on his face. He scooped up the boy and swung him up, bringing him down to rest against his chest. "You can hear a song?" He asked and Zack nodded.

"Song!"

"Who's singing?" Maybe it was pushing it a little, but Cloud was somewhat hoping for another word. He'd read somewhere that some children didn't speak until they felt they knew enough words. Cloud had somewhat expected that from Zack.

Alas, that didn't seem to be the case, as Zack appeared to be content with repeating the same word over and over. Still, it didn't matter to Cloud, he was elated and oddly proud of the boy for completing such a simple task.

He found himself spinning and bouncing Zack, grinning up at him. Zack giggled and just kept on saying "Song!" Over and over.

– – – –

The charm of Zack learning his first word quickly faded. Now that he knew how to 'speak', Zack was loathed to be quiet. In this regard, he reminded Cloud of his namesake. The hyperactive man had seemed to dislike quiet and had felt the need to fill it in any way possible.

This Zack, however, just seemed to be showing off. Every time he saw someone new, or someone he hadn't seen in the last ten minutes, he would shout his word. Tifa was still finding it amusing, even after a week, but Cloud was starting to get a little annoyed with the repetition. If nothing else, being a parent had taught him patience.

So, every evening, he would sit down with Zack and repeat simple words to him in an effort to extend his vocabulary. It took a little while, but Cloud finally managed to teach the boy a few basic words.

"Da!" Zack crawled up to Cloud as he left his room an lifted his arms. Obligingly, Cloud lifted him up and held him. "Eat?" Zack flailed his arm towards the table. Cloud wasn't sure if it was a demand for Cloud to eat, or Zack telling him he was hungry. Or maybe even both.

"Are you hungry Zack?" Cloud asked, shifting the child to his hip.

"No! Eat!"

"You want me to eat something?" Making his way towards the kitchen, he felt the boy nod against his chest, his hair tickling Cloud's chin. "Okay. I'll have something to eat. What should I have?" Even though he knew that Zack didn't know many words, he still found himself talking to him as if he would answer. According to the books Tifa had bought him, this was a good way to encourage children to learn.

"Eat!"

Tifa was already in the kitchen, preparing some breakfast for the older children. "Morning Cloud." She said, smiling down at Zack. "Good morning, Zack." She added. "Where's Marlene?"

"I think Zack escaped her." He was getting very fast at crawling. And very sneaky. Cloud had a vague suspicion that Vincent had been teaching Zack the ways of the Turk.

Laughing, Tifa plated some eggs and bacon and handed it to Cloud. She dropped a kiss on Zack's forehead and ushered them to a table.

"Eat!" Zack demanded again, tugging on Cloud's shirt as he was placed in his high chair.

"Why are you so insistent that I eat?" He asked as he reached for a fork.

"Song!"

"You want to go back to the church?" This was becoming a regular request now. Cloud had always known that Zack liked spending time there, but he hadn't realized how much Zack liked it there until the boy had learned how to ask to go.

"Song!" Zack grinned.

"Hey Zack," Denzel said from the other side of the table, "Why don't you say Church?"

There was quiet for a moment. Cloud had been trying to teach him that word for a while, but Zack hadn't been interested. Now though, he was giving Denzel a look that was almost thoughtful. He moved his mouth silently for a moment before letting out a slow sound.

"Tutch" He tried. "Tutch!"

"Nearly," Denzel encouraged, forgetting about his food in his excitement. "Try chu-"

Cloud watched as Denzel tried to teach the baby, wondering how his life had come to this. Less than a year ago, he was a seasoned warrior, battling for the fate of the planet. Now... Now he was a father and a care giver. He had a family. This was not something he'd ever envisioned for himself. But it was nice.

"Tutch!"

"Okay," Cloud said with a soft chuckle. "We'll go to the church after breakfast. Now, you should eat something too, Zack."

– – – –

Time flew by at a ridiculous pace and suddenly Cloud found himself at a celebration. It was January 21st, the anniversary of Meteorfall, and, Zack's first birthday.

Without a specific date, Cloud had kept a note of how old Zack was by counting the weeks. It was probably a coincidence that his 50th week with Cloud (his 52nd week alive) had fallen on the week of the celebrations

Tifa had suggested that they use that date as Zack's birthday. It was hard to forget, and it seemed somewhat fitting, in a bitter sweet way. Without any real reason to object, or any better ideas, Cloud had agreed.

AVALANCHE was gathered together on the bridge of Shera. They were heading to Kalm for the town's yearly party. Yuffie had insisted that they get out of Edge and let Zack see more of the world, even if it was only out to Kalm. She had also insisted that he get to ride in the airship.

Zack was fascinated. He squirmed to be put down, but Cloud held on tight, knowing what kind of trouble the boy could cause and just how quickly he could move.

"We're nearly there now, Zack." Cloud muttered as he struggled with a flailing toddler. "I'll let you down when we get there."

"Vi-kent!" Vincent raised an eyebrow at Zack's attempt at his name and stepped forward.

"You father is right." He had never spoken down to the boy, always speaking to him as he would the others. "It's dangerous for you to wander around the ship. You could hurt yourself."

Zack pouted and tried to cross his arms and glare at Vincent, who simply let out a small chuckle. After a moment, Zack turned his head, looking around.

"Nanki!" He tried, but Nanaki shook his head. "Barret?" The man had been overjoyed when Zack had learned his name, and that spark of pride was still on his face, even as he shook his head with a rue smile.

"Cid?" Zack's tone spoke of the man being his last hope.

"Sorry kid," The pilot also shook his head. "You gotta listen to your dad."

Amusement was shared among the friends, even when Marlene stepped up. "If you promise not to squirm, I'll hold you and we can go to the window." She offered. Zack thought about it for a moment before nodding and reaching his arms out towards her.

Cloud handed him over, watching them carefully. He knew that Marlene wouldn't put the boy in danger, but Zack was quickly growing into his strength. It wouldn't be long now before he could over power the young girl, or even Denzel. Hopefully Zack wouldn't realise that for a long time yet. Luckily, AVALANCHE members were a lot stronger than the average person. It was doubtful he could escape them so easily.

They landed in Kalm and true to his word, Cloud asked Marlene to put Zack down when they disembarked. He watched as she kept a hold of his hands while he took a few steps. He was still clumsy, and unable to walk unassisted, but when he had help, he absolutely loved to try.

Striding ahead a little, Cloud held out a hand to stop Marlene. She stopped and waited, watching him as he crouched down on the soft grass. "Zack," Cloud got the boy's attention and smiled, "Marlene's going to let go. Why don't you try walking to me?"

Zack looked at him for a moment, then up at Marlene before taking a hesitant step forward. His foot found the ground, and he grinned, giggling happily. Marlene let him go and- and Zack fell flat on his face. There was a pause, then the tears came as he sat up, followed by the wailing.

With a sympathetic, and amused smile, Cloud moved forward, gently taking the boy by his shoulders. "It's okay Zack." He said in a quiet, reassuring voice, "You'll get there." Reaching a hand up, he ruffled Zack's silver locks before picking him up and holding him to his chest. Zack quickly calmed under the attention of his father. The sword strapped to Cloud's back distracted him, turning the sobs to sniffles. He reached out but his arms weren't long enough for him to actually touch it.

Cloud had decided that while he was comfortable to leave the sword behind around Edge, going out of the city without one was a bad idea. Also, without a weapon, he felt somewhat naked and vulnerable. So even though Zack was still curious, and still put everything in his mouth, it was worth the risk.

Cloud shifted Zack slightly so that he was even further away from the sword, just to be safe.

"Come on then," He said, loud enough for his friends to hear him. "Let's go enjoy the festival." And with that, he headed into the town proper.

The festival was lively, hundreds, if not thousands of people were in the town, enjoying the music and food. A parade of brightly clothed people moved through the main street, throwing small pieces of wrapped candy into the crowd.

AVALANCHE had split up, each person finding their own things to explore, leaving Cloud with the children. He navigated his way to a small food booth and sat the children down, Zack on his knee. He let the children order their own food (Zack seemed to really enjoy some sort of fried bean, which was soft enough for him to eat comfortably). Once the children were happily eating, Cloud let his attention wander, taking all the sights and sounds. He'd been hesitant to bring Zack here, there were a lot of people and his paranoia insisted that it would be the perfect place for an attack.

But there were in a time of peace. For the first time in over fifty years, there were no war or animosity between nations, no battles or fights to be won. A near apocalypse seemed to be what was needed for everyone to get along. Still, Cloud and his companions were somewhat famous, and if word got around that they were there, there was always a chance that they could be targeted.

"Hey Cloud?" Denzel looked at his caretaker, then around their immediate area before ducking his head under the table. "Where's Zack?"

Where's...? Cloud looked down at his lap and gave a start. Zack wasn't there. A frantic look around, and still no sign of him. "Zack!" Cloud was panicking, his heart beating fast in his chest and his breath coming out in short, rapid gasps. "ZACK!" In a second he was on his feet, "Marlene, Denzel, go find Tifa. She said she was going to look at the alcohol store." Without checking that the children were doing as they were told, he sped off, his enhanced speed and senses scanning the crowd even as he pushed through it.