Hello! This is practically a record breaker in time, given how I've been lately :) I had lots of fun writing this, and I hope you enjoy reading it!

Time to Have Fun

After the wedding, Cloud retreated to change into some non-soaked clothes (along with the majority of his groomsmen) while Tifa went back to change into a nice knee-length reception dress. When the pair walked out of the old church, they were greeted with a welcoming applause from the guests under the white tent. Tifa smiled and ducked her head sheepishly before glancing up into the eyes of a smiling Cloud. He pulled her hand close and wrapped his arm around her waist before walking under the tent.

Yuffie threw her arms around the pair as soon as they stepped onto the white cloth covering the ground. "I'm so happy for you stupid lovebirds! Took ya long enough!" she beamed, "So, Spike. How'd you like the work I did on your bride's lovely face?" the ninja added smugly.

Cloud nodded, "She looks amazing, Yuffie. Thank you."

Tifa smirked, "If only she could have fixed you up enough to ease your nerves, huh?"

It was Cloud's turn to duck his head sheepishly.

Yuffie burst into laughter and punched Cloud in the shoulder playfully as Barret clambered over, towing Cid and Vincent behind him. Reeve, Nanaki, Shera, and Shelke followed at their own pace.

"Yo! Spike!" Barret dropped Cid and Vincent and Cloud ducked, narrowly avoiding a fierce noogie. Barret laughed before turning to Tifa and grinning, "Nice to meet ya, Mrs. Spike."

"Oh, jeez, Barret," Tifa rolled here eyes and accepted the offered bear hug.

Barret let go and held Tifa by the shoulders, looking her in the eye, "You better keep that man o' yours in check, y'hear?"

"Whoops," Cloud tripped and dug the toe of his shoe into Barret's shin.

"Ow! Why you little punk bastard! Like hell you tripped!"

Cloud shrugged. "There was a snag in the rug."

Vincent stepped between Cloud and Barret and addressed the newlyweds, "I'd like to extend my congratulations."

Tifa smiled, "Thank you, Vincent."

Reeve stepped up, "Yes. It's good to see more of our little group of rebels settling down. At this point, I'd say Yuffie and I are really the only ones left to find a partner. Unless Vincent is looking for someone? Or Yuffie is betrothed?"

Yuffie cringed, "Are you kidding me?! I've sent away every one of my suitors in tears, pretty boy. None of them could hack being my husband."

Vincent shook hid head silently. "I don't think I'm exactly a woman's idea of a perfect match."

"Psh," Tifa waved her hand, "Nonsense. I'm sure you could find a nice girl if you looked, Vincent. And Yuffie…be nicer. But lets go talk to some of our guests. I feel like we're neglecting them," she said with a laugh.

After mingling, dancing, tricking Cloud into taking Tifa's garter off of Yuffie, and throwing the bouquet (into the arms of the petite girl with short dark hair that Cloud noticed earlier), Cloud and Tifa cut their wedding cake and didn't partake in the tradition of smashing it in each other's faces. The gathered crowd clapped and Cloud and Tifa began cutting up the wedding and groom's cakes. After they had cut enough pieces to last everyone and had saved the second tier for their anniversary, a quiet voice made herself heard.

"Cloud."

The blond in question turned towards the voice and blinked at the aging woman standing before him and Tifa. "Yes?"

Tifa gasped, "I saw you at the wedding! You gave the organist my song!" she smiled, "Thank you so much, Mrs…?"

The woman blinked and scratched her neck, "…Strife."

Cloud's eyes widened.

Tifa blinked. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"My name is Lucinda Strife."

Cloud's pale skin drained stark white, "Mom?"

Mrs. Strife's face crinkled and she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Cloud tightly, "My boy! I'm so proud of you!" she sobbed. Cloud slowly wrapped his arms around his mother and looked over at an equally dumbfounded Tifa. The more Tifa looked, the more she came to recognize this woman as Cloud's mom. She had the same light hair, if a bit grayer, the same face with more wrinkles, and the same light, almost golden, brown eyes. But she died when Nibelheim was…

"Mom?"

Mrs. Strife leaned back and wiped her eyes, "Yes? I'm sorry. This must look very strange."

"How did you escape? Why…"

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you come find me sooner?"

Mrs. Strife's eyes fell. "I know it must be hard for you to accept this. But unless you must know right this minute, and I assure you, if we leave now we will be gone a while, then you should enjoy your party if I won't lay too heavily on your mind. I'm sorry I did this now, but it was too hard for me to know you were finally here and not come and see you. I'm sorry."

Cloud's eyes softened in a way Tifa hadn't seen in years, "It's alright, Mom. Tifa, do you mind if we talk about this later?"

Tifa shook her head, "Of course not! It's so good to finally see you again, Mrs. Strife," Tifa smiled as memories of her lost childhood were brought to the surface.

Cloud's mother laughed softly, "Given the circumstances Tifa, you could call me 'Mom' as well if you'd like."

Tifa laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear, "It'll take a bit of getting used to, Mrs. Strife…"

After everyone had cleared out and had wished their last congratulations to Cloud and Tifa, Cloud introduced his mother to AVALANCHE, who were all almost half as shocked as Cloud and Tifa had been by her appearance.

"Whoa! It's like I'm meeting a celebrity or something that you've only heard about in myths!" Yuffie gawked. She looked over at Cloud, "This kinda messes up your 'emotionally constipated because of tragic past' persona, though."

"What! I am not emotionally…blocked." Cloud crossed his arms.

Cid chortled, "Suuuure. Okay, buddy. Last time you cried?"

Cloud scowled. "Last time you cried?"

"I asked first."

Cloud's nose twitched, "Today. You bastard."

"Awwwwwww."

"Shut up! You know what. Time for you to go home. Tifa? Mom? You ready to leave?"

The two women looked at each other and smiled before following Cloud away from their laughing friends.

"I thought you said we were leaving!" Barret laughed.

"You are. Right after you clean this up," Cloud tossed over his shoulder and gestured lazily to the reception setup.

The three Strifes sat in the kitchen of the Seventh Heaven while the oldest of them explained what had happened to her and where she had been this whole time.

When Sephiroth attacked all those years ago, Mrs. Strife had gotten the few people she could carry into her Chocobo's buggy, most of those being children from the town, and fled before the fires got too high. She would have looked more for Tifa, but there was no time and Poken was becoming hard to control for the smoke.

"Poken was still alive?" Cloud interrupted, "That bird was older than me. I can't believe you let me name him, though."

"You were a little boy and refused anything else I suggested. So Poken stuck."

Tifa laughed, "I had always wondered why Poken had such a strange name."

"Anyways. So I fled with who I could and headed toward the nearest town, but ShinRa intercepted me and questioned why I had so many people in the back of my wagon. When I explained that General Sephiroth had attacked Nibelheim and asked for help, the troops denied the claim and took everyone into custody and questioned as to why we were really on the run. When we didn't change our story, they stamped all of us as AVALANCHE sympathizers and jailed us. I don't know what they did with the children, and I hope they weren't subject to the same things the adults were made to endure."

"How bad was it in the prison?" Tifa's brow furrowed in worry.

Mrs. Strife shook her head. "They sent us back to Nibelheim."

Cloud jumped to his feet, "No!"

Mrs. Strife looked at Cloud worriedly, "Don't worry honey, i-"

"They can't have sent you back to those monsters! Tell me you escaped before Hojo or any of his demented assistants got their hands on you. Please!"

"It happened long ago Cloud…" her eyes focused as she realized, "Why do you know what I'm talking about?!"

Cloud looked his mother in the eye and Tifa saw a small part of his heart break at realizing his mother had been put through a similar hell as his own, he looked down, his eyes a mix of sadness, hatred, and the shadow of fear, "Hojo got me, too. I was one of the infantrymen there with Zack and Sephiroth. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you, Mom. I didn't know. I thought you died in the fire when the house was empty."

Tifa gently took Cloud's elbow and sat him back down.

Mrs. Strife reached across the table and put her hand on Cloud's, "I thought the mako in your eyes was from SOLDIER…"

Cloud shook his head, "I never made it into SOLDIER. I'm glad you survived."

"And I you, sweetie. Tifa? Did you…?"

Tifa shook her head, "Master Zangan got me out of the Reactor before Hojo came through. He brought me to Midgar to be treated for the injuries Sephiroth gave me."

"I'm glad you're alright."

"Thank you."

There was a brief moment of silence while everyone at the table mourned their and each other's pasts.

"Well. Like I said, that's all long behind us now, right?" Mrs. Strife said matter-of-factly, "This is supposed to be a cheerful night! I've finally found you two, and you've just been married! Tonight is no night to mourn what cannot be changed!"

Tifa smiled, more than willing to return to the cheer of earlier that day, "Right!"

Cloud shrugged, "I suppose so. There's never any point in arguing with you two."

Mrs. Strife smiled, "Good you remember that."

"Do you need a place to sleep, Mrs. Strife? We have two extra beds if you don't have a place for the night."

"What, do you think I got into town yesterday? I'll be fine on my own, but thank you for the offer, dear."

Tifa nodded.

Cloud stood, "Do either of you want something to eat? We've got lots of leftovers from the reception."

"That would be lovely, Cloud. Thank you. And you'll have to make sure I meet your friends again in the next few days. They seem like wonderful people, and I have to thank them for keeping you in line."

"Mother…"

"You know I don't like being called that."

"I know."

Okay, addressing Zell being in the last chapter. I put it in just for fun and because I put in a lot of other Final Fantasy characters. But I feel the need for an explanation because Zell was in the story as a baby, and obviously 16 years haven't passed. Explanation iiiiis~ (initiates drumroll) FF8 has a time witch as the final boss! Something got screwy with that time compression, I guess :)

Love you, and thanks for reading!