"It's the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable."
-- Malcolm Gladwell
-. Wait For It .-
Chapter V: Tipping Point
Yesterday
7th Heaven, for the first time in its brief history, was completely and utterly spotless.
Not only clean spotless, but structurally spotless as well. All the closets had been cleared of junk. The chaos of the garage had been arranged onto shelves or hooks or in these handy stackable boxes one of the new hardware stores sold. They had even made a family day project of refurbishing Cloud's office, painting the walls a pale blue and crafting a large desk unit for his books and delivery related materials.
The customers as well hadn't been able to resist commenting about the small yet striking changes made to the public space. Every day there was something new or enhanced. One time, the dreary photographs on the walls were suddenly colorful and the walls a pristine off-white. On another day, the stools, chairs and booths were upholstered with a soft, dark blue fabric and matching curtains were pulled back from the windows. The rusted metal door was replaced with a gleaming, dark wood and glass one. Even the bar top itself all of a sudden became a thick and sparkling slab of granite.
Though this certainly must have drained the small family's savings (materials were still hard to come by) additional profits from the new customer base of youths and people wanting a full, cozy meal as opposed to one drink lessened the blow a little. And besides, Tifa was an expert bargain hunter and Cloud an experienced haggler. Every single gil spent had been stretch as far as it could go, and they picked up anything, anything, that had a chance of convincing the adoption inspector of the bar's relative wholesomeness.
Ten minutes before the scheduled interview time, with one last spritz of lemon scented cleanser wiped off the already gleaming kitchen table, it was as good as it was gonna get.
"Everything that I could possibly do is done, and I'm still so nervous," Tifa admitted to him before handing over his paper bagged lunch. Cloud nodded in thanks before turning to store it into one of Fenrir's many hidden compartments.
"You'll do fine. The place looks great."
"Thanks to you!" Half the items used to makeover the bar would have been but a far off fantasy if he hadn't been so dedicated. When the misleadingly inexpensive fabric supplier wanted to charge her an obscene amount for shipping, Cloud had taken the day off required to drive to Fort Condor and picked it up himself. When she wanted new photography for the frames, he had taken a camera with him on all his deliveries and made frequent stops to capture any scenic shots he thought she'd find appealing. When it seemed like the job of painting the bar would have been just too immense a task, Cloud had somehow convinced about ten of Edge's orphans and their guardians to help out as a sort of unconventional play-date party. Denzel and Marlene got to interact with some of their future classmates and Tifa got to question other citizens about their forays into the adoption process.
In the end, it had all come together beautifully. And the bar was finally a place she no longer dreaded giving the inspector a tour of.
The downside of course was that as helpful as all these upgrades were for her business, the Strife Delivery Service was suffering because of it. His answering machine was nearly constantly full of disgruntled messages from clients. Things weren't being picked up on time, perishables arrived spoiled and, basically, everyone was disappointed in the extreme decline of service standards.
But it was okay. Cause from today onward he would be back on the top of his game. Today, the insanity stopped.
"What time do you think you'll be home?" she asked, watching appreciatively as he bent over to inspect a suspicious looking rut in the back tire.
"Before supper I hope."
"Hmmm. Really?" Words continued to lazily spill past her lips even though she wasn't really paying attention. Those new cargo pants she had bought him really did fit well. A little too well. "I thought Tuesdays you went to Mideel? That's always been at least eleven hours there and back."
"That client dropped me."
At this, Tifa blinked. Her eyes travelling back up to his head and fixing them there.
She had had no idea.
Her heart began hammering madly in her ears, her mouth wordlessly opening and closing as she considered what she could possibly say to fix this. I'm sorry wasn't good enough and I'll make it up to you just wasn't going to be legitimately possible. The Mideel client had been his biggest.
"Don't worry about it," he insisted, sensing her guilt. Having deemed the rut ignorable for now, he moved to retrieve his goggles from the peg by the door. "I hated that job. It was too long a drive through too thickly infested plains only to have the guy yell at me no matter how quickly I got there. I was planning to quit anyway once my contract was up in a few weeks."
"But-"
"But nothing. Tifa," he positioned himself directly in front of her, knees bent so that they could be at eye level. Intense blue-green boring into demure red-brown. "I'm not taking any more jobs that keep me away for more than eight hours. I don't want to and we don't need to. If we need more gil, we'll continue work on the bar. With Marlene and Denzel starting school soon, we can expand the menu too. Or I'll take that job at the WRO."
"No. No way." Tifa animatedly shook her head. No matter how desperate they got, she'd never let him take a semi-desk job knowing how much he'd despise it.
"It's nine to five, it has benefits and it keeps me in the city. It's just work and it's an option."
"A worst, worst, WORST case scenario option, right? Like, if I broke all my fingers and couldn't mix drinks and nobody in the world needed anything delivered ever again and the kids both needed crazy amounts of expensive dental enhancements?"
Cloud's lips pressed together in a thin, teasing line and she knew to drop the subject before it got any more ridiculous. Besides, it wouldn't get to that point. They may not be the richest family in Edge, but they were better off than most. And with the general standards of living slowly creeping up thanks to the WRO's tax spending, she thought it safe to assume that things would be getting better for them even if they did cut their shared hours a bit.
Also, as shameful as it was to admit it, the idea of Cloud having a fixed, daytime schedule was tempting indeed. For it would evaporate a large chunk of those few grievances she had regarding their current setup together. No more prepared dinner plates to be left in the refrigerator. No more having to watch the children's smiles light up then falter every time the sound of a motorcycle engine revved on past. No more lying awake and reluctantly tense until she confirmed his footsteps in the hall followed by the click of his bedroom door closing.
Having him there to tuck in the children. Having him there to help close up the bar. Having there, always, to say goodnight.
Tempting indeed.
A small grin began to make its way onto her lips as they stared at one another, one which Cloud couldn't help but mirror.
Things were coming together. Finally.
Just this last piece.
They had to get this last piece…
"You better get the kids ready," he reminded her, his eyes glancing at the wall clock above her head before straightening up to his full height. "She'll be here any minute."
"Yes. Right. They should be dressed by now." Quickly, in a failed attempt to hide her blush, Tifa spun and headed for the garage door exit, hoping to get a few moments alone to calm down before facing the inspector. Her mind had suddenly become a very dangerous place to be lingering with him around and she was desperate for a diversion.
"Wait a sec," he called, causing her to stop-short after barely passing the threshold. "I forgot. I have something for you."
Not yet daring to turn around, she listened with growing apprehension to the mechanical whir of one of the compartments being opened on Fenrir. All too soon he was stepping up behind her and she was forced to slowly face him, keeping her head low for modesty's sake.
"Here."
In his hand, one of the few parts of him she could see, was one single, perfect, pale-yellow lily. Conveniently the exact same shade of the silk dress she now wore for the occasion.
For several tense seconds, she could do nothing more than stare at it, her mind having mysteriously melted into some sort of warm sludge. An effect that was, though pleasurable, also completely paralyzing.
"For luck," he murmured in hasty explanation, his tone betraying his own embarrassment as he lifted the deadweight of her hand and curled her fingers around the flower's stem. "And...in case you forget."
Many people could have read many different things in that simple message. The flower could have served as a token of how nurturing she was; the sunlight that allowed things and people to blossom in her presence. It could have been a symbol of their ethereal guardians, Aerith and Zack, ensuring that everything would turn out alright in the end.
But, most likely she fathomed, it was reminder that no matter what, even if things today went horribly, horrendously wrong…she would always, always, have him.
For what was a delicate little flower to do without those telltale formations in the sky to give it rain, sustenance and life?
Cloud...
It would wither and die of course.
"...Don't go," she heard herself whisper, eyes still glued to the gift.
Cloud stiffened.
"What?"
"Don't go!" The cry was more loud and resolute this time, her pathetically shiny and wide eyes finally lifting to meet his. "I can't-I can't do this alone. Please."
"Tifa…"
Somewhere deep within the house, the doorbell rang, causing both of their breath to get stuck in their throats.
He considered her for the few seconds they had to make a decision. With the ribbons in her hair, the flowing dress and those big, watery brown eyes, she really did look like a frightened little girl, clutching the flower to her chest as tightly as if it were life preserver. He knew instantly that there wasn't any other alternative.
Regardless of the customers he would lose, regardless of the fact that he was the one family member dressed like a grease stained hobo, he re-hooked his goggles back on their peg before sidestepping Tifa and entering the house.
Before turning to join him, she reached up and tucked the flower into the side of her hair. She had a feeling she was going to need all the luck she could get.
--
Their inspector's name was Shelinda Sharpe and from the moment they opened the door, both Tifa and Cloud knew they were in for an interesting experience.
She was the kind of woman that automatically made you uncomfortable, peering at you from over horn rimmed spectacles, her mouth, smeared with dark lipstick, set in an unwavering scowl.
Tifa tried to be hospitable. Offering beverages, attempting to coax out some polite chit-chat, but the woman seemed more interested in surveying the structural integrity of the bar floors than actually having to talk outside the standard list of questions. When she went upstairs to see the children in their room, the first thing she did was run her finger along the bookshelves, checking her white glove for dust residue before scribbling something down on her clipboard.
And the children had tried to convince her that such a thorough cleaning was pointless. Ha! At least they were sure to pass the sanitation portion of the screening process. If only that section…
Shelinda then asked the adults to wait out in the hall while she interrogated the kids. Her voice was a nearly robotic monotone that asked preposterous, though they guessed necessary, personal questions (as Marlene later informed them) that had nothing to do with their general health and happiness. Just if they had ever been touched by either of the grown-ups in a way that made them uncomfortable? Or did the obviously mako-enhanced male ever get violent, even if it was just with a pillow or the wall (Denzel cleverly restrained himself from boasting about how cool Cloud's sword fighting skills were)?
Afterwards, she sat with them in silence for a whole five minutes longer, reminding them that it was their last chance for the truth over and over. Besides becoming increasingly uncomfortable under her scrutiny, they remained quiet. Up until Marlene, who had long since become bored, offered to let the woman play with her dolls. On that note, she exited.
Finally, it was her turn. And as Shelinda fixed her with those cold black eyes from across the table, Tifa was eternally grateful that Cloud had chosen to stay by her side. His little finger, hidden in the shadows of the booth, positioned itself to just barely overlap hers that were clenched into the cushioning. It was all the reassurance she needed.
"Do you own this establishment?"
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"A little over two years."
"And in that time, what is your average annual income?"
"Around 40,000. But increasing as of late. We also trade items for service here, so the income alone isn't really a proper-"
"Not relevant. How long have these children been in your care?"
"Um. Marlene was originally taken in by a friend, Barrett. Since she was one."
"I didn't ask about your friend. I asked about you. How long have YOU been taking care of them?"
"Oh! Umm…I-I've been watching her for about three years. Denzel for a year and a half."
"Do you frequently drink, smoke or consume any sort of recreational narcotic?"
"What? No. Never!"Cloud cleared his throat and gave her hand a small tap. Reminding her that it was always better to be honest than caught in a lie. Especially since Shelinda was already eyeing the long row of liquor bottles behind the bar. "Well, the occasional glass of wine or aperitif. But I don't think that can be categorized as 'frequen-"
"Do you now or have you ever had a criminal record?"
Tifa winced. She had both expecting and completely avoiding the possibility of this question. She glanced at Cloud for support, but he could only give a twitch of his lips.
"I was arrested by Shinra forces two years ago," she admitted with a staggering sigh. "More than once. But not for anything nefarious or silly. I was part of AVALACHE and the rebellion to stop them from stealing from the planet. I was helping Reeve, the now Commissioner of the WRO."
If this shocked Shelinda, she made no outward show of it. Just kept scribbling on her clipboard like she had with every other question she had asked, her lips forever fixed in that same indecipherable scowl.
"Do note that we will have your medical records seized as well. Now is the time to tell me of any unappealing facts I may find in there."
At this, Tifa really did freeze-up. She suddenly remembered one of the main reasons why she had chosen to leave Cloud out of this process. To avoid awkwardness. To avoid anything having to change in their comfortable, safe relationship.
She debated leaving it at that. Letting Shelinda find out on her own, and insisting to herself that such a stupid detail wouldn't cost her the kids. It wasn't like she was pretending to not having a fatal and/or contagious disease or anything. But then she felt Cloud tap her fingers again. This time as just an incentive to speak but reminding her that he had always been an advocate of the truth. And besides, she figured he deserved to know and that it wasn't everyday such a subject came up in conversation.
She took a deep, deliberate breath.
"At sixteen, I fell down some stairs. You'll find the details in my file at the Rocket Town clinic where I was brought." There was no point in elaborating the scene itself. Cloud knew exactly what she was talking about. "I had twelve broken bones and heavy internal bleeding. After surgery they told me that there had been some…damage. I would probably be unable to conceive in the future."
Everything, even the sound of the pen scratching on paper, stopped then, enveloping the room in a tense, heavy silence. Cloud's finger, still resting across her knuckles, suddenly felt that much heavier.
"Interesting…"
It was the first comment Shelinda had made regarding any of her answers. Tifa figured that there was probably some well-known psychological reasoning that made women like her want to adopt and she was suddenly "figured-out" in the eyes of the inspector.
Whatever. At sixteen, the consequence to taking on Sephiroth hadn't been so much traumatic as it had been relieving. Revenge, not children, had been her only desire, her goal in life. But that was a long time ago…
"Anything else?" Tifa prompted when the woman's silence had gone on just a little longer than what was deemed comfortable.
Shelinda swiftly clicked her pen closed, signally the end of the interview on that rather awkward note. She was halfway out of her seat when Cloud's hand shot out from under the table to grasp her bicep. It was the first direct interaction he had had with her this entire time and Tifa nearly felt her heart stop, thinking he may have ruined their chances.
"That's it?" he asked in a voice that was unexpectedly passionate. "No…hint of the results?"
The inspector grinned while delicately picking the restraining fingers away from her.
"Relax," she prompted, surprisingly impervious to the attack. Cloud instantly fell back in his seat, embarrassed by his reaction. "This is the thirty-eighth home I've visited this month and it is by far the most qualified."
"Qualified?" Tifa's eyebrows shot upwards, daring to hope.
"Yes. Qualified. You'd be amazed by how many applicants had obvious addictions, or fetishes or disreputable businesses going on below the surface." Her eyes scanned the floor of the bar one final time. As if looking for a secret dungeon hatchway. Tifa didn't want to know how many homes she had visited that actually had secret dungeon hatchways.
"So…I'm accepted? That's it? I can add Marlene and Denzel to my census information as my children?"
Shelinda smiled. It was both a reassuring and unsettling expression on her. "It's not fully my decision in the end, but I'd say you're a shoe-in. If only by comparison."
Veiled with an insult or not, Tifa felt her heart soaring to the sky. It had worked. All their hard work had paid off! The final piece was falling into place…
Her very first instinct was to throw herself into Cloud's arms and squeeze until he had to beg for breath. But not now. Later. The second the door closed behind the terse yet now considered saintly woman. Tifa could hardly wait to tell the kids and begin celebrating. Maybe with a trip to the ice cream stand. Maybe with a meal of only their favorites. Maybe, with him, later, by opening that rare bottle of wine she kept in the back of the pantry and skirting their usual duties in exchange for a film, or some music or just casual conversation. All options that were equally tempting and that she could hardly wait to put into action.
"That's all then?" In the martial artists' glimmering eyes, Shelinda couldn't get out of there fast enough. "We'll get official notice in the mail, I know. So thanks! I'm sure you have many other places to visit today, right?"
"Yes. Yes. I just need your confirmations." The pen was clicked into action once more as the inspector stood and flipped through her clipboard documents. "Now Mr. and Mrs. Lofthart, if you could just sign here…"
"Oh no," Tifa laughed, moving to stand as well. "We're not-" she was going to say married but then another issue occurred to her, stopping her short.
"Lockhart," she corrected, straining to get a look at the documents in her hands. "I'm Tifa Lockhart. L-O-C-K…"
"Tifa?" she repeated with a cringe, as if she had never heard the name before. Then her mouth began to form a small o of surprise. "Oh dear."
Never had such terrifying words ever been spoken.
"What? What's wrong?"
Shelinda shuffled through her many papers, comparing data between them as Tifa and Cloud shared an anxious glance. Finally, she let out a careless sigh.
"That would explain a lot. I thought this place was a little strange looking for an apparent doctor's office. And your income rather low."
"Ms. Sharpe…" Tifa pressed through tight lips, fists clenching at her sides. "Could you please get to the point?"
"Yes. Well there's obviously been some kind of mix up. Probably some silly intern working on two files at once typed it in wrong." She chuckled a little, as if relieved for some reason. "Marlene and Denzel's information had been filed under a couple named 'Lofthart'. Married six years and highly esteemed benefactors of the WRO."
"What!?" both the ex-AVALANCHE members barked in unison.
Shelinda merely waved their cares away. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure they'll give priority to re-arranging things since the Loftharts are such important patrons. You'll just have to re-submit the application. I'll have a new copy mailed to you by tomorrow."
"But-but it took months to get this appointment!" Tifa reminded the woman, her tone bordering on frantic. "And the census is due! They're going to start enforcing the custody law before anyone even looks at the papers!"
"I'll red tag it for you. But the children just may have to spend a weeks at the orphanage until you get approved. If you get approved." She scanned Tifa up and down, her expression suddenly laced with obvious distaste. "I take this to be a bar, correct?"
"…yes."
"And you applied as a single parent?"
Tifa held her chin up high. "Yes."
"Then who are you?" Shelinda turned her attention to Cloud. "The three drink minimum?"
Cloud instantly had his hands pressed onto her Tifa's shoulders from behind, forcing her still as her knees reflexively bent, preparing for a roundhouse kick to the jaw. As unprofessional as she was being, nothing good could come out of attacking a WRO representative. Besides, he fully intended to take it up with her supervisor later.
"This was your screw up," he reminded the woman, having every appearance of being calm and collected. All except for the menacing glow in his dark blue eyes. "Seeing as such, Tifa should at least be granted an extension. The same courtesy you're sure to extend to the Loftharts."
"The best I can do is tag it for priority sequencing. Honestly. Everything else is the committee's job." Something in her tone seemed to state that it was in fact far from the best she could do, but merely the easiest. "I just make sure there's been no abuse and the homes aren't dens of woe. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other business to attend to."
The pen was clicked closed and the clipboard officially returned to her oversized purse. Beneath his hands, he could feel Tifa begin to tremble as they watched her walk away. Whether out of anger or sorrow or defeat, he didn't know.
That couldn't be the end of it. It simply couldn't…
"Surely there's some way we can-"
But she was already gone, the only response being the slamming of their gleaming, new front door.
As if the sound were a trigger, Tifa became limp beneath his fingers and fell to the floor. Unlike most women in her position, she didn't cry, didn't scream, didn't do anything.
Just sat there in the middle of the bar, her yellow dress fanned around her elegantly, though still stained in certain places from popcorn buttered fingers, with her hands clasped together. As if she were praying for a sign, a miracle.
"Tifa?"
Cloud's eyes shifted toward the staircase, where two sets of anxious eyes peered at them from around the bend. Obviously having been spying on the scene.
He gestured with a nod of his head that it was okay to come forth and they did so at a sprint, instantly diving towards her with arms and hearts wide open. Denzel on his knees pressing against her back with his arms around her neck and Marlene in her lap, hands on her waist.
"It's okay Tifa," stuttered the boy, his voice broken and low. "We know you tried your hardest."
"Y-Yeah," added the little girl, already blatantly crying. "No-no matter where I go…You're my mom. A-always."
Slowly, shakily, her arms began to rise. One hand cautiously squeezing the smaller ones on her collarbone and the other stroking the head of long, glossy hair settled on her thigh.
She didn't say anything. She didn't dare to risk it. For there were no possible comforting words to give. And she didn't have the strength or the will to pretend otherwise.
Luckily, she didn't need to.
"Everything's going to be fine. Don't worry."
Three pairs of teary eyes shot up to regard Cloud, having just put up the 'CLOSED' sign in the window, and who now had his phone in his hand, dialing.
"We'll all help fill in the application. I'll get the gang over to write character references. We'll get a petition going to ensure that this doesn't happen to anyone again. I'll deliver both in person to the WRO and make sure it gets processed immediately and under my supervision. If Reeve doesn't want a full mutiny on his hands, he'll back this up. These mistakes are his responsibility."
He brought the phone up to his ears just as an obscenely loud "HEY CLOUDDDD!!" burst through the speaker, echoing throughout the entire bar, causing them all to wince.
"Yuffie. Can you come into the bar by tomorrow evening? We need you for something."
"OHHH. "SOMETHING" EH? SOMETHING INOLVING OUR LITTLE SHOPPING TRIP?" Tifa could hear the teasing in her voice and her curiosity was instantly piqued. Since when had Cloud and Yuffie gone shopping together? "SOME…SPECIAL EVENT PERHAPS? I DIDN'T THINK YOU HAD THE-"
"Just…get here." He snapped the phone shut and tossed it to Tifa. She fumbled with the catch, her hands still shaky but at least no longer immobile. "You call the others, I'll start the petition."
With his expression set to determination, he marched to the stairway, pausing once to look back at her prostrate form settled on the floor - yellow lily still in her hair, the kids still latched on, as if for dear life.
"I won't let them break us," he assured all three before disappearing into his office.
Neither Tifa, nor Marlene, nor Denzel, despite the rather egregious odds, doubted him one bit.
Author's Note: Updates are fun. Review please! Feel free to ask questions as I do reply/would like to know if people have things to critique. Thank you all.