"Be quiet, Denzel! You'll wake them up."
"It was your idea to come in here, Marlene."
"I just wanted to see if it's really him!"
"Seeing is supposed to be a quiet activity," Zack said groggily, opening sky blue eyes to study the two small intruders who had crept into the room.
"You woke him up, Denzel!"
"Me?" Denzel squawked indignantly, "Who started talking first?"
"You're both rather noisy."
Stirring slowly, Callandra rolled over to examine the source of the childish voices. The first was a little girl with large hazel eyes. She wore a pink ribbon in her hair and her soft features suggested a sweet nature. The blue-eyed boy watched her suspiciously, hovering protectively at the girl's side. It made her sad. Someone that young shouldn't know enough to be so suspicious and wary.
Zack cast a concerned glance at Callandra but though her eyes were red, she seemed calm and rather amused. He supposed she was glad for the distraction. We need to talk but I won't push. I have to remember that I promised not to push. Sitting up, the brunette lifted a brow in inquiry, and rested his arm on a raised knee. "Marlene and Denzel I presume? Cloud told me about you."
"Are you really Zack?" The brown-eyed little girl asked. "I heard Cloud and Tifa talking and they said you were up here. But," she frowned, "I thought you were in the Lifestream. Cloud always looks sad when he talks about you."
"It's complicated," Zack said quietly, "But I'm here now, right?"
"Who are you?" Denzel asked Callandra abruptly, "Your eyes . . . they're just like when I had the stigma."
"I know," Callandra smiled softly, "But you don't have to be afraid of me."
"You're not sick are you?" Marlene asked, taking a couple steps towards Callandra.
Slowly, Callandra sat up, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "No, I'm not sick."
"Cid says you're just like Sephiroth," Denzel accused.
Callandra flinched and Zack scowled, fingers twitching with the desire to wring Cid's fat neck. "Callie . . ."
"Cid's mouth is bigger than his brain." All eyes turned to Cloud who stood in the doorway holding a pile of neatly folded clothes. He frowned at both children. "What are you two doing in here anyway? I hope you didn't wake Zack and Callandra up."
"I'm sorry, Cloud," Marlene said, biting her lip, "We heard you and Tifa talking and we just wanted to see. We didn't mean to wake them up."
Denzel nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry too, Cloud."
"It's not me you should be apologizing to," Cloud scolded gently.
"It was really no problem," Callie said quietly eyes averted, "I don't mind."
"Go easy on them, Spiky," Zack added, "If I'd been told there was some dead guy sleeping upstairs I'd probably want to take a look too."
"All right," Cloud sighed, "Go downstairs and do your homework."
"Okay!" Marlene gave the blonde a quick hug before taking Denzel's hand and dragging him from the room.
Cloud gave Zack and Callie an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it," Zack dismissed, "They're cute kids."
A small, fond smile lit Cloud's eyes. "They're great. A little too curious for their own good but they're good kids. Here." The swordsman tossed Zack's clean uniform at him and crossed the room to hand Callie her repaired clothes.
"Tifa did the best she could with it since the shirt was all torn up. She said she had to take the hem on the shirt up a bit or something like that," Cloud explained.
"I'm sure it's fine," the redhead assured, "Definitely better than I could have done." Hesitantly, she raised her head and met his gaze. For a moment, their eyes locked as they tentatively appraised each other.
Cloud smiled gently after several moments. "Tifa also said you could use her bathroom if you wanted to shower before dinner. She said to make yourself at home."
"Thank you," Callie returned the smile shyly and Zack looked away to hide his grin.
"What about me?" he whined a moment later, "I need to clean up too!"
"There's a shower through that door," Cloud said, pointing to the door in question, "Don't make a mess."
"Gee, Spiky," Zack pouted, "I just feel the love. Jerk."
A small giggle escaped Callie's mouth and the two men shared a pleased look. Cloud still wasn't completely sure about her but there was a deep pain in her eyes that he could understand. She knew what loss felt like . . . especially when you blamed yourself.
Callie sighed and glanced between the two men. She saw how they watched her and the gentle concern was easy to detect in Zack's eyes. It had been a long time since she'd had someone to worry about her. "I-I want to tell you about everything I just don't know how," she blurted.
Sharing another look with his friend, Zack tentatively reached out to take Callandra's hand. "There's no rush," he said, "I'm glad you want to tell us but remember that you don't have to. And especially not until you're ready. Anyway, dinner will be ready soon and we both need to relax. We can talk tonight if you'd like."
Quickly, she nodded. Perhaps by this evening she could find the words she'd need.
"C'mon," Cloud said, kindly, "I'll show you were Tifa's room is so you can clean up."
Clutching her clothes to her chest, she stood to follow the blonde. Callie paused at the door and cast one last glance at Zack and received a reassuring smile. Looking away, she followed Cloud down the hall.
The female SOLDIER was unused to feeling so exposed. The morning's meltdown had left her feeling shy and uncertain. She hated it. I haven't let anyone see this much of me since before Sephiroth . . . She shook the thought away.
Cloud paused and opened one of the doors. "There you go. Dinner's in an hour."
"Thanks," Callie said.
"You're welcome."
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Once Callandra disappeared into Tifa's room, Cloud returned to the guest room to wait for Zack to get out of the shower.
Twenty minutes later, Zack emerged dressed only in his uniform pants and still barefoot. He paused briefly in drying his hair when he saw Cloud sitting on the bed waiting for him. "What's up?"
Cloud stared at him incredulously. "What's not up? I mean, you are back from the dead, Zack. Plus, you seem to have made a very interesting friend."
"She's not a bad person, Cloud," Zack said earnestly, "I can feel it."
"I never knew Sephiroth had a . . . lover," Cloud scratched his neck.
"Neither did I," Zack admitted, "Angeal never said anything about it. Neither did Sephiroth, of course."
"Can we trust her?" Cloud asked, "After all, all of Avalanche had a hand in killing Sephiroth."
Zack sighed and tossed the towel onto a chair. "I haven't known her long but I think that if Callie hated you or wanted to hurt any of you that she wouldn't hide it. I – I think she's confused but I don't think she's going to do anything." He ran a hand through his mostly dry spikes. "What do you think? I mean she saved my life and all."
"I think she's got some issues but," Cloud chuckled, "I'm not one to talk."
"Cloud," Zack said hesitantly, "I know he's your friend but if that loudmouth . . ."
"I'll talk to Cid," Cloud said, "He's not a bad guy, Zack. Kinda gruff but he's a good friend."
"Humph." Zack pulled his shirt over his head and started to do up all his belts and buckles. "Is he as good of a pilot as he says he is?" he asked as he pulled on his socks and then his boots.
"The best," Cloud confirmed, "Give him a chance. Please."
"Okay, okay," Zack sighed, "As long as he doesn't upset Callandra I'll chill out."
"Thanks," Cloud arched an eyebrow, "You're pretty protective aren't you?"
Zack looked away. "She saved my life, Cloud. And . . . she knew Angeal. When she talks about him . . . she loved him as much as I did. I guess I feel I owe it to him."
"Come on," Cloud stood, "Let's head down. Callandra can make her way down when she's ready."
Nodding, Zack paused and rested his hand on Cloud's shoulder. "I missed you, Spiky."
"I missed you too," Cloud seemed almost shy. It was so easy to fall into the old pattern of easy camaraderie. True, Cloud was close with the members of Avalanche but he'd never thought he'd have this sense of complete lightheartedness again.
Grinning widely, the first class placed an arm around the blonde's shoulder and tugged him through the door. "Let's go see what's for dinner. I'm starved."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Callandra stepped eagerly into the shower sighing as the hot water caressed aching muscles. Her hand was nearly flawless again; even the faint red lines marring the skin would fade away in the next few hours.
Grabbing Tifa's shampoo, Callie was pleased by the gentle floral scent that filled the air as she vigorously rubbed a generous amount into her hair. Normally, she preferred citrus scents but now she was glad of the soothing effect of cherry blossoms in the air. Her fingers worked to scrub away the dirt and blood clinging to her fiery locks.
Callie was badly shaken by her emotional outburst. She had worked so hard to suppress it all and in minutes, one loud-mouthed pilot had shattered all that precious composure. It was both frightening and irritating. She tilted her head back rinsing her hair before reapplying the shampoo.
Her thoughts turned to the spiky haired brunette who had dropped so abruptly into her life. Zack's so full of life but he carries himself with Angeal's pride and honor. He also had the prettiest blue eyes she'd even seen.
At last, Callandra stepped out of the shower wrapping one fluffy towel around her nude body and twisting another around her thick hair. She used Tifa's blow dryer and then slipped into her mended uniform. She'd lost a couple of inches off the bottom of the shirt and it was no longer a turtleneck but a plunging v-neck but she moved this way and that and was satisfied when nothing inappropriate was exposed. If she hadn't known what the shirt had looked like before her tumble down the cliff she would never have known it was altered.
Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was nearly time for dinner. She found that she didn't wish to face Cid, as his eyes were too sharp and knowing. It frightened her how easily he had voiced the thoughts that had run through her head for years. It infuriated her. I am not going to allow one redneck pilot to intimidate me. I might as well just lie down and die if I do.
Squaring her shoulders, she opened the door to Tifa's room and stepped into the hall. There were no sounds coming from the guest bedroom so she assumed that Zack had gone downstairs. She descended the stairs slowly and found everyone minus Tifa, Cid, and the children already lounging around the room.
Vincent and Yuffie watched her warily, and for that, she could not blame them, but there was no hatred in their eyes, no judgment, and that realization reassured her a bit. Instead, the two seemed to be assessing her and Callie appreciated the chance to be judged for herself and not on her various . . . associations.
"Hey," Zack grinned, "You're just in time."
Moving across to room to where Zack stood with Cloud, Vincent and Yuffie something occurred to her. "Isn't this a bar? I would have thought you would have opened by now."
"Tifa and I decided that a reunion with an old friend was a good enough to reason to close for one night," Cloud replied. He let out a startled squawk a moment later when Zack glomped him and ruffled his hair.
"Aw, I love you too man," Zack teased.
"You're a dork," Cloud said ducking out of Zack's hold and giving the other man a playful shove. Yuffie laughed and Vincent smirked at their antics.
Jade green eyes locked abruptly with ruby red. Holy shit, I can feel the power coming off him.
"You can sense them," Vincent's tone was guarded.
Startled, it took her a moment to respond. "Yes," she admitted, "I can sense their power but don't think that I'll judge you for it." She chuckled wryly, "It's not like I have any room to talk."
"So," Yuffie chirped from her seat on the bar, "What are you guys going to do now? Gonna stick around a while?"
Callandra shrugged uncertainly and Zack looked at Cloud.
"You're welcome as long as you like," Cloud said.
"I appreciate it, buddy," Zack said, "But at some point I need to go see my parents. Gaia, what they must have gone through." His mind flashed back to his last meeting with Cissnei. She'd promised to look after his parents. He hoped they were well. "Go with me?" Zack asked, "It's gonna be weird just showing up after all these years. I – I guess I don't know what to say to them."
"Just tell them the truth," Callie suggested softly, "After all this time how can you give them anything less?"
"I guess you're right. What about you?" Zack asked, "Will you go too?"
She was touched that the ex-SOLDER wished her to accompany him on such a personal matter. "If you'd like me to."
"Count me in," Cloud added, "We might even be able to get Cid to fly us there." The blonde shook his head when Callie seemed hesitant. "Don't worry about Cid. Everything will be fine."
Well, there it is. I have more written but it's still kinda rough so I decided to hold off. Plus I need to get Second Chances updated soon. I'm nearly done with school so hopefully after this week I'll have more free time. Please, don't forget to review. I need to know what my readers are thinking so I can write a better story.
Shade the bat: It was a near thing but Cloud kept some of his manly pride. LOL.
KajiMori: Thanks so much!!
Amberblood: It was supposed to be a surprise. I put in very, very subtle hints but it was definitely supposed to blindside the reader. Guess it worked huh? LOL. But yeah, if you missed the clues don't feel bad because you'd have to be looking for them to find them. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!