Chapter Summary: Overtired by an insanely busy night at the bar, Tifa suffers from a nightmare of her father's death. Imagine her surprise when she's awakened from it by... Cloud Strife. After all the excitement is over and the kids are in bed, she asks for one thing from Cloud. A truth, a single fact about him that almost no one else knows...

Chapter 2: Nightmare

Tifa was tired. So tired it was hard to think clearly. Everything was honed down to routine now; pass out beers, pick up empty bottles, take gil, scrub the tables clean and sweep the floor - then do it all over again.

How many beers have I served tonight? she wondered as she lugged the busboy behind the counter yet again. How many times have I rewashed these same glasses as the night wears on and on? And just how far have these aching feet walked as I keep delivering drinks and clearing tables?

She wasn't sure, but she did know one thing. She was too darn exhausted to try and figure any of it out. This would be the last time she let both of her part-time bartenders -and both waitresses as well- try to take the same night off.

"Last call!" she informed the room at large, grateful the bustling crowd was down to a couple of strangers and a few regulars. Even though it was thirty minutes to the normal closing time, no one complained. After paying their tabs, those remaining wrapped up warmly and straggled out into the cold night air.

Locking the door behind them, Tifa leaned on it for just a minute. It was so tempting to just go to bed and do the cleanup in the morning. But she summoned what will power she had and jumped in. Once the bar was cleared and cleaned, Tifa stumbled upstairs.

A quick stop in the kids' room calmed some of the buzz of fatigue. Marlene and Denzel slept peacefully, cocooned in blankets right up to their ears. Kissing each on the forehead, she took a moment to just breathe in the scent of the room - crayons and pencils and books, along with that sweet smell so unique to children.

Feeling somewhat restored, she took a shower instead of just falling into bed. But toweling her hair from dripping to damp, slipping into her standard night clothes of loose black sweat pants and a worn, comfortable old t-shirt; all was done on auto-pilot without a single thought. Then she slid onto the mattress, where with one deep sigh she drifted off to sleep...

...And found herself hiding as deeply as possible under a mound of trash and discards. All around her, the slums of Midgar stood in shadows, full of sound - the strange shriek of cooling metal as night fell, the patter of running feet as people fled the area, the harsh metallic roar of some monster after its prey...

Tonight, that was her. Tifa was being hunted.

Standing over her, but not to protect, was her father. He was laughing in a manner that had the hairs on her arms standing straight up. And he was talking out of his head, words that made little sense and that she just couldn't take in. "It's time, Tifa. Your mother's been alone too long now, and she's calling for us. She needs us. Why don't you understand that? You need to come out, need to stop hiding. There will be a bit of pain, and then we'll be together again. So come out now, pet. It's time to face the truth. Your mother shouldn't be alone anymore. If I had understood sooner, we wouldn't be in this awful place to begin with."

But Tifa didn't reach out for the hand he offered. Something told her he wasn't right in the head, that whatever he planned was horribly wrong. The monsters weren't the way to her mother - of that she was sure. Though only eight, the look in her father's eyes was... off - too bright, too vague... too vicious. There was madness showing, and she was too young to understand what he wasn't saying. But she didn't trust his intentions and stayed hidden.

As another roar sounded, much closer this time, Tifa thought she heard Barret's voice hollering for her. Tough, stubborn Barret: a huge bear of a man with the heart of a marshmallow. She had met him her very first day in the slums, and he'd looked after her ever since in a way her own father hadn't.

If he was coming everything would be all right...

With a snarled oath, her father reached into her meager shelter and tried to grab her wrist. To pull her out, she knew. So she curled tighter, jamming herself as far back into her hidey-hole as she could. Another shout confirmed to her that Barret also knew something was wrong. And he was coming for her, running through the ruins of the slums with his rough voice echoing, the occasional sound of a gunshot letting her know more monsters were beginning to gather.

Then it happened, just as her father had intended - with one exception. The creature lunged out of the darkness, slavering mouth gaping then snapping shut on the cowering form in front of her. There was a cry, and a strange crackling yet hideously wet -crunch- as a rain of blood spattered over the discarded heaps of trash.

Tifa was drenched in it, almost suffocated by the horrible, metallic stench of it.

The screams tore out of her, even as the sound of gunfire -Barret's gun-arm, a numb part of her mind tried to comfort- rang in the darkness, causing the monster to roar in pain...

...And Tifa sat bolt upright in bed, still screaming of her father's death so many years ago.

She knew what his plan had been back then; to lure his innocent daughter into the warrens of the slums and leave her as monster bait. His wife's sudden death -and the decline in their fortune that caused him to relocate to the slums of Midgar- had meddled with his mind, stripping him of sanity. His belief that he could only see his wife again if he died had taken a choke-hold, as well as his determination to take Tifa on the journey with him.

That it would be murder was never a concern of his. It was only a means to his end.

As her surroundings finally began to penetrate, Tifa became aware she was not alone.

Someone was sitting on the bedside, warm hand resting comfortingly on her shoulder. The voice speaking was low and quiet and ever so slightly husky, "Hush now, everything's okay, Tifa. It was just a nightmare, that's all." The scent of the stranger surrounded her as an arm slipped around her shoulders; the smell was of thunder and lightning blown in by the wind just before a storm. And the heat of his body - hot enough it was as though he were fevered.

The shock and horror of the nightmare had her burrowing into him without a thought, hands tangling desperately into the cable knit sweater covering his chest as her breath wheezed out. His hand stroked up and down her back, giving comfort and warming her chilled skin. Tifa leaned into him for a long moment before sanity finally prevailed.

Turning her head, her eyes met those of General Strife.

And her first thought was, his eyes really do glow in the dark.

The second was shock: Cloud Strife was in her bedroom, sitting on her bed, holding her as though he had every right to be in so intimate a situation - like he was her lover. Try as she might, Tifa couldn't figure out how in the world he was even inside the building; the bar had closed hours before and she knew -knew- she had locked the door afterwards.

But there wasn't time for the fury at his familiarity to overcome the tattered remnants of the nightmare, because he'd already released her and was rising, striding to the other side of the room. For the first time she became aware of the pounding of little fists on her bedroom door. Then Strife opened it and both children piled through, running straight to her and hurling themselves onto the bed to huddle close.

Tifa caught a very brief glimpse of Zack's concerned face before he retreated back downstairs.

"Tifa," Denzel gasped, all but wrapping himself around her neck. "I didn't know what to do!" That confession came out on a wail. "You were screaming and I couldn't wake you and someone was pounding on the door downstairs and shouting did we need help and Marlene threw it open even though we know we're not supposed to and Cloud came running in with his sword in his hand and before I could tell him what was wrong he heard you screaming and he tossed his sword to Zack and told us to stay right there and for Zack to watch the door..." Taking in a huge breath, Denzel continued before she could insert a word, "And we were so scared but Zack sat us down and said Cloud would take care of you and we weren't to worry and that everything was going to be all right..."

He was crying, the tears leaving red tracks down his soft cheeks.

Marlene gave a watery snuffle and wormed her way deeper under Tifa's arm with the muffled whisper of, "So scared..."

"Denzel," Cloud said gently, "I told you she would be fine. It was just a nightmare. They're horrible and they can really scare you. But then you wake up and it's over." He walked to the side of the bed then knelt and opened his arms to the boy. And to Tifa's shock Denzel pounced right into them, clinging as tightly as his skinny frame allowed. Huge sobs wracked his thin shoulders as Cloud gathered him in and rested his cheek again the crown of his head.

A gentle hand stroked over his hair as the crying lessened, then Cloud tilted Denzel's head up and said firmly, "Bed. You need your sleep."

"Tifa..." Denzel started, turning those dark blue puppy eyes toward her.

"Oh, no." Gathering her courage, she untangled herself from the sheets and blankets and lifted Marlene into her arms. "General Strife is right, you need your sleep. And you toss and turn too much to sleep with me." Aiming a finger at him, she warned, "We've been through this before, mister. Now off you go."

"Will you tuck me in?" That Denzel would actually ask the General dumbfounded her.

That General dumbfounded her even more by smiling and saying, "Sure. Come on, it's this way, right?"

And he let the child lead him out into the hallway and down the stairs. From the bar came the sound of Zack's voice, and Cloud answered him in a reassuring kind of way.

With Marlene's head heavy on her shoulder, Tifa followed them into the children's room.

And as she tucked the little girl in, Cloud did so with Denzel. But she had a lot more luck with Marlene than Cloud did with the hyper boy. Every couple of seconds Denzel would pop up chattering out a question; Cloud would put his hand on the child's forehead and gently ease him back down, all the while suppressing his smile - although she could see the corners of his mouth twitch in amusement. This maneuver was repeated several times until Denzel realized Cloud apparently had the patience to do this indefinitely and finally gave up.

There was still a bit of persuasion needed to calm them down, but the stress of the situation had exhausted them, and in minutes they were sleeping peacefully.

Wearily, Tifa leaned on the wall outside the kids' room as Cloud quietly shut the door. "Thank you so much for your help, General Strife," she managed around a yawn that threatened to crack her jaw. Goddess, she was so tired...

"My name is Cloud, Tifa," he said mildly, imitating her pose on the opposite wall. "I don't hold military rank anymore. And you're welcome; I'm just sorry you had such a dream."

And in the dimness of the hall, she could see that his eyes did, in fact, have a faint glow. But it was more like the light's reflection from a cat's eye than anything else. And that glowing blue gaze was fixed on her with such intensity it was a little unnerving. "I am, too," she found herself muttering as she looked away, rubbing at her temple slightly. "It's been a little rough tonight."

He nodded, "I've had many nightmares myself. They're never pleasant, and not as easily forgotten as I implied to Denzel. Will you be all right now? I need to send Zack back on patrol if he isn't required here."

It was mortifying to realize they left patrol to come running to her rescue just because she had a stupid dream. "Of course! I'm so sorry! I..." Overcome, Tifa sagged against the wall. The exhaustion from a busy night at the bar, the nightmare, Cloud's unsettling presence, the children's upset; it all came crashing down, nearly tumbling her to the floor.

Since he wasn't an idiot, Cloud could all but see the weight of everything pulling her down. "Wait here just a moment, okay?" The sharp command in his voice had her straightening up automatically, but he was already down the stairs and out of sight.

So she waited, head resting against the wall, eyes closed. Seeing Cloud, being held by him, watching him tuck her son into bed, talking to him this intimately was yet another shock. Had it really been two months ago she let them play poker in the bar? Backtracking as far as her tired mind allowed, she realized it was true.

And she had spent that entire time wondering if she would ever learn the truth behind his abilities, his skills. There were a lot of stories and legends about the former General of Wutai. But she wanted to know about the sixteen-year-old teenager who had braved the wrath of Sephiroth when he became the defender of the island continent. She yearned to understand more about the twenty-one-year-old man who now served under his former enemy without any apparent hesitation or regrets.

And she really desired to know more about the SOLDIER who ran to help when someone started screaming, no matter the reason for the screams.

There was a quiet murmur of voices in the background, then footsteps and the closing of a door. Moments later Cloud was back, once again leaning on the opposite wall. There was a faint, startlingly sweet smile on his face as he repeated the words he said to Denzel, "Bed. You need your sleep."

And Tifa couldn't resist echoing her son's request as well, "Will you tuck me in?"

In a finger snap his mood became cool, almost as reserved as Sephiroth at his worst. It felt like an invisible wall had slammed down between them so she could no longer feel his warmth. "If you would like," he offered quietly, but nothing in his eyes revealed his intentions.

Knowing she had said something wrong, but not knowing what, she waved a hand and assured him, "I'm sorry, Cloud. I was only joking by repeating what Denzel said. I'm fine now." Forcing her body to respond, she straightened and gestured to the bar downstairs. "I'll lock up after you. Thank you so much for your help, and drinks for you and Zack will be free tonight if you come in."

Wordlessly Cloud turned and headed down the steps. Tifa followed, and realized she wasn't quite as tired as she thought. Because she noticed for the first time that Cloud was in the WRO uniform, not his casual clothing with the dust-skirt shrouding his left side. It really called attention to the width of his shoulders and chest, and how his frame tapered down to the narrow waist, slim hips and surprisingly long legs considering his height...

And Goddess did the man have an excellent butt...

Smiling to herself, she watched as he picked up his sword and attached it to the magnetized stud in the middle of his back. As he reached for the doorknob, Tifa made up her mind and touched his shoulder. "I would like to apologize."

Cloud's pale blonde eyebrows drew together in confusion even as he withdrew his hand from the knob and faced her. "Apologize for what, Tifa?" he asked, clearly puzzled by her words.

"I said something upstairs that upset you. I'm sorry for it." Apologizes were never easy, but Tifa believed in being fair. Whatever she had said or done had put a barrier between them and she didn't like it. The warmth and humor of his personality was so appealing she felt bereft without them.

It was starling to see him close his eyes and hang his head just a bit, like a young boy about to be scolded. When those shockingly blue eyes opened again, she was close enough to clearly see the green mako stain that encircled his pupils. And that beloved warmth was back, showing in the humor of his expression even if it was a bit rueful.

"You didn't upset me." One hand rose and ever-so-gently touched her hair, tenderly stroking it back from her face. "You tempted me, whether you meant to or not, and I don't deal well with that." His hand fell and he stepped back slightly, putting more distance between them.

"Tempted?" she repeated.

As he had touched her first, she daringly reached up and stroked his pale blonde hair. It stood, as always, in a disorderly shock of spikes. But to her surprise it was cool and soft and incredibly silky. But she felt the slight shudder that ran through him, saw him swallow nervously as he took another step back.

So, it hadn't been rejection at her teasing question that made him defensive upstairs.

It was certainly something to think about.

"Would this have anything to do with that long story we haven't gotten around to sharing?" she found herself asking. Her heart was beating so fast it was hard to hear her own thoughts against the pounding. It was a good thing he couldn't hear that fast rhythm, or the way her breathing had changed from fluid to ragged.

This man was much too powerful for his own good.

He nodded, "Yes, it does. I..." His words trailed off as though his voice had failed him. Tifa watched him square those broad shoulders as he continued, "I'm attracted to you, Tifa. I can admit that." Then he shook his head when she would have come closer, "I'm not what you think. There is so much of my life I've not had control of that it haunts me. There are things in my past, horrible things. And the worse is that not all the questions of why have been answered yet."

Touched that he would even try to explain, and reeling from his confession that he was attracted to her, Tifa found herself asking him, "Will you tell me one thing about you? Just one thing that almost no one else knows?" Please, give me something to make me understand better why I'm so drawn to you, she thought almost desperately.

It was unusual for any man to fascinate her so completely, and Cloud had occupied her thoughts for months. Years, really, if you counted the research done during the war when all she felt for the enemy of ShinRa was admiration.

The intensity of his gaze this time was almost stunning. It seemed to bore into her, probing her reasons for asking such a question. For just a second she saw the General of Wutai; calculating, dissecting, searching for even the slightest nuance that would ensure victory. But she could see him make a decision as his head came up fully.

"All right. I trust you, Tifa. You are loyal to your friends and family, and it shows. Just one thing." Stepping up to her, he placed gentle hands on her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.

The scent and warmth of him once more surrounded her. Before she could stop herself, Tifa stood on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss on his lips. "You don't have to, you know. You can tell me no."

A faint blush showed on his cheeks, and Cloud had to clear his throat before he could speak again. But he saw the twinkle in her eyes and his mouth quirked at the corners in one of those smiles more felt than seen. "I don't think any man with a pulse could tell you no, Tifa." Taking a deep breath, he admitted quietly, "And you may not wish to see me again once I tell you the truth."

"Then kiss me now," she commanded, frightened by the thought of never laying eyes on him again, even if she couldn't yet understand why he was so important to her.

Cloud swallowed hard, then stepped closer and slid his arms around her waist to pull her flush against his body. Lowering his head, he brushed his lips to hers, obviously intending to keep it light. But desire said otherwise. Moaning softly, he deepened the kiss, making both their heads spin as tongues eagerly entwined to caress and tease gently.

That brief second taste of him brought on such need to have more that it shocked her to the core. Her hands quivered with the urge to slide up his chest and tangle into his hair, and the bitter battle wasn't won easily.

Fortunately for her it only lasted a moment, and then he was pulling back, flushed clear to his hairline. Even the tips of his ears were tinted pink from his embarrassment.

Fighting to get her breath back, Tifa said firmly, "You can't stand there and tell me you're innocent."

An incredulous snort had her relaxing. "Hardly," he assured her. "I'm just not... good at this. Zack teases me all the time, and I'm not about to repeat any of Kunsel's jokes about how I can conquer my shyness." And a hand rose to rub at the back of his neck.

It was a gesture she had seen before, and that he would be so nervous with her was surprising.

Chuckling over it, Tifa laid her head on his chest and listened in wonder to the thundering beat of his heart. Had she done that? Made his heart gallop so wildly? Blushing a little herself, she asked, "And what dire truth were you about to impart?"

"Step back, Tifa. I can't tell you when my senses are reeling from your scent." At her questioning look, he smiled and explained, "The senses of a SOLDIER are highly elevated by the mako injections. Sight, smell, hearing - all are greatly magnified by the technique." Without thinking, she put a hand to her chest and he nodded. "Yes, I can hear your heart pounding."

"Well," she said, stepping away reluctantly. Tifa was astonished by how forward she was with Cloud. It just wasn't like her to be so daring, but she didn't seem to have any inhibitions whenever she was near him.

He stared at her for a moment, and then swore quietly, "I am attracted to you. But I'll understand if you don't want me to come around anymore. I don't want you nervous in my presence." When her gaze didn't waver, he reached out and softly touched her cheek, "Only a chosen few know of this, Tifa Lockhart. To all intents and purposes, I am Sephiroth's son."

Before she could truly comprehend his words he was gone, the door clicking quietly shut behind him, leaving Tifa standing shocked and once more dumbfounded. Her mouth dropped open even as her eyes went wide as dinner plates. Reaching out, she slapped a hand on the wall to stop herself from swaying.

He was Sephiroth's son?!

Be careful of what you wish for, she thought numbly. Because suddenly that one truth she so desperately wanted opened an entire world of questions...