Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This story is mine, as are Jake and Mikayla. Big hugs to everybody who continues to read this story! You guys are awesome. Enjoy the chapter.
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122 – Shock to the System
Tifa had faced death a ridiculous number of times, but this time felt different. It wasn't that it was unexpected, because she had been on the business end of a surprise attack before. It wasn't even that it was in the middle of Radiant Garden, because she'd fought Heartless in almost every sector of the world at some point. She had always handled it, had an instinct for it. That's what war did to people. But, when the stranger grabbed her in the middle of the store and jammed the barrel of a pistol against her neck, her body seemed to freeze in place.
"Everybody down!" The man was yelling, dragging her backwards as a human shield. "Close the doors. Get on the floor!" He ordered.
Panic erupted across the store and several people fled through the exits. The man lifted the gun and fired one warning shot into the ceiling, repeating his command to lock down the doors and get on the floor. The remaining civilians, now hostages, shakily complied, and he released Tifa, shoving her away slightly as he paced toward the registers.
Tifa staggered once and regained her balance, feeling her heart lodged in her throat and her lungs constricted.
"Hey." Someone touched her elbow and she jerked, turning to see Jake Alms there, white as a sheet. "You okay?"
She gaped and rubbed the spot on her neck where the gun had poked her. She cleared her throat and said hoarsely, "Fine."
The stranger was yelling at the employees, having them empty the registers into a trash bag. Tifa shook herself and looked to the civilians hunkered on the floor, some crying and some in shock. Someone outside would have heard the warning shot, and the people who had escaped would be calling the authorities. She looked back to the criminal, unsure what his plan was and unable to quell that deep-seated terror that was swimming unwelcome through her stomach.
The man with the gun turned and saw Tifa and Jake still on their feet. He gruffly aimed the pistol at them again. "I said GET DOWN!"
Tifa lifted her hands in an attempt to pacify him, but her knees were locked. "We're not threatening you. What are you planning to do with us?"
"Shut up, bitch." He barked, looking wild. "And get down on the ground or I'll put you on the ground myself."
He wasn't bluffing, and even if he was, she didn't trust his uncontrolled flailing.
"Okay," She started to kneel. "But the police will be showing up any second now, not to mention this is the middle of Radiant Garden. You're not going to get away easi—"
"I SAID SHUT UP!" The man advanced in two quick strides, pulling the hammer back on his pistol as he aimed it at her face.
"No!" Jake suddenly slid between Tifa and the gunman. "Don't. She—she's a mother." He had his hands raised, but his body was shaking visibly all over. "She has a child. She's a mother. Please." He repeated in a mantra.
Tifa reached up and grabbed a handful of the back of Jake's shirt. "Jake, stop."
"You want to play hero, little boy?" The man sneered. "You need to just—"
A red dot of light appeared on the man's chest. Everyone immediately noticed it, and the gunman looked down at the spot before following its trajectory out the window.
"This is Radiant Garden police department." A voice came over a megaphone. "Lower your weapon and release the hostages."
"Shit." The man muttered, but kept his gun trained on Jake's chest. "Fuckin' police." He glared back at the other hostages and then to Jake and Tifa. "Damn piece of—"
Three things happened simultaneously then. A gunshot exploded across the store. Jake collapsed to his knees. The gunman jerked sideways and toppled to the floor. As the glass from the broken window scattered across the floor from the sniper's shot, Tifa scrambled to her feet and saw the bleeding hole in the gunman's chest and the red stain spreading on the store floor. She hastily moved around so that she was facing Jake. He was doubled over, arms wrapped around his torso, head bowed, and shaking violently.
"Jake." She grasped his shoulders. "Jake, look at me. Hey." She pulled him upright and shuffled his arms away from his chest. "Let me see…Jake."
There was no wound, no blood, she found. He wasn't hit. She exhaled in relief and cupped his face in her hands, coaxing him into looking at her. He seemed to be in shock.
"You're okay." She told him. "You're fine. You're all right. You're okay."
Police were rushing into the store now, ushering out the hostages, and making sure that the gunman had been alone in his attempt. The criminal was dead from the single shot to the chest. Tifa let them escort her out of the store after she managed to get Jake on his feet. Once outside, the distant wails of sirens announced oncoming ambulances to tend to the traumatized victims.
Tifa noticed that her hands were still shaking, and when someone suggested that she sit down, she didn't fight them. What had happened to her in there? She should have dropped that guy like a rock and immobilized him. Instead, she had frozen, her mind had been completely blank except for what Jake had pleaded to the man: she was a mother. She couldn't leave her daughter motherless. That could have easily happened today.
As that realization sank in, Tifa lifted her hands to her face and tried to pull herself together. Her hands continued to tremble.
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123 – Count Your Blessings
A large, curious crowd had gathered around the crime scene when Leon arrived. Yuffie had been across the street from the store when the first shot was fired, and she had called him immediately after seeing Tifa through the window. He had rushed to the scene minutes later, as the police were carting out the body bag and medics were tending to the released hostages.
Tifa was sitting on a low wall away from the commotion, eyes downcast, despondent. He beelined toward her.
"Tifa." He blurted as he reached her.
She started slightly, lifting her head and meeting his eyes. As soon as she did, the despondence shattered and she squinted as she stood. "Hey."
"Thank God." He swept her up in his arms and held her close.
He felt her tremble lightly against him, and he rubbed his hands across her back. "Are you okay?" He asked, keeping his voice level.
"Fine." She straightened as they withdrew from the embrace. "It's…I'm fine." She lifted a hand to the side of her head, nonplussed.
"I heard there was just one gunman, and he only fired a warning shot." He said, keeping his hands gently at her elbows.
She nodded corroboratively, meeting his gaze again. "I froze."
He blinked. "What?"
"I…solid. I froze solid, Leon. We've been fighting in this war for over ten years. I've had every conceivable weapon aimed at me, and I froze." She looked confused and upset. "If it hadn't been for Jake, that man would have shot me and I would have done nothing about it."
Pain cramped through Leon's chest at her words, but he shoved it down.
"But he didn't shoot at you. You're okay. We'll figure everything else out later." When she gave a vague nod, he coaxed her into a gentler embrace.
Looking over her head, he spotted Jake Alms giving a statement to the police, a shock blanket around his shoulders and a paper bag in his hands. He was pale and looked like he was between hyperventilating and being sick. Seeing the cocky young man so shaken was odd. Leon never forgot that Jake wasn't part of the militarized Alliance, but it was still strange to suddenly remember that Jake was 100 percent civilian.
"Where—" Tifa straightened again, regaining herself. "Where's Mikayla?"
"Aerith has her." He answered swiftly. "She's at Cloud's apartment."
Relief crashed through Tifa's features, and she exhaled. "Okay."
She wasn't just rattled. She had been deeply shaken by the events of the afternoon, Leon realized. She was right; she had been subjected to immeasurable levels of warfare against the darkness. A lone man with a gun shouldn't have affected her like this. Then again, Leon had seen her in action against immeasurable forms of warfare, he knew what she was capable of, but he felt almost as shaken at the idea of someone aiming a gun at her. And it was for the same reason that Tifa looked so relieved now.
Mikayla.
He and Tifa weren't just taking their futures in their hands now every time they were in danger. They were bargaining with Mikayla's future. Suddenly, with every mission, every off-world assignment, every patrol shift, there was a chance that Mikayla might be motherless or fatherless. That put a lump in his throat. If that had hit Tifa in that moment, then it was no wonder that she had been immobilized by it. The thought was terrifying.
Tifa suddenly sighed, looking exhausted. "Let's pick her up and go home."
Leon bobbed his head once and then paused. "You need sleep."
She snorted ruefully and rubbed her forehead.
He gave her a once-over. "No, you really need sleep, Tifa." A beat passed, and he glanced toward the police and back to Tifa. "Why don't we go home, and let Aerith keep an eye on Mikayla tonight?"
Tifa's head shot up. "But…no…we—"
"I know, we haven't spent a night away from her yet." He grasped her shoulders. "But you need to get a solid night's sleep. Aerith already volunteered, she has a supply bag, and it's Aerith: Mikayla will be fine without us for one night." He looked to Tifa sincerely, "Are you okay with this?"
Tifa looked far from okay with it, but she also seemed to acknowledge that she was in no condition to argue. "All right. ONE night. I want her home immediately in the morning. Where is she staying? Are you sure Aerith has the right supplies?"
"Yes." Leon guided her away from the crowd. "She was at Cloud's earlier; I assume she's staying there tonight."
Tifa snapped off several more questions as they navigated through the people, and Leon answered as concisely as he could. He made a note to suggest that she take a sleep aid before going to bed. He knew a night away from Mikayla would be stressful for them both, but given the strain of the day, it would be better for all three of them to get an unbroken night of rest.
On the way out, he made eye contact with Jake Alms, whom Yuffie had stationed herself beside almost protectively. Jake looked concerned. Leon gave the man a level nod of thanks, which Jake awkwardly mimicked. Leon wasn't sure what Jake had done in there, but if it had kept Tifa and himself alive, then Leon could only be grateful.
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124 – Keeper
"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I know. We do. Yeah. Uh huh. Yeah. Yes. I know." Cloud was saying into his phone with growing impatience.
Aerith beamed at the little makeshift crib that she had created. It was secure and it was comfortable, and Mikayla had taken quite easily to it, as the baby was currently snoozing away. Aerith felt all giddy inside as she looked down at the little girl, though that giddiness was tempered by how Leon and Tifa were holding up, considering that Cloud had been on the phone with Leon for nearly twenty minutes, repeating the same words over and over again.
"We do. Yes. Yeah. I know. I KNOW. Dude." Cloud eventually snapped, making eye contact with Aerith. "We have it under control. Go to bed, man." He instructed, then, "Of course I'm keeping my phone on. Fine." He finally hung up.
Aerith offered a small smile, sitting up. "Everything okay?"
"Tifa's sleeping." Cloud replied, tossing his phone on the couch. "He said she's having a rough time of it. He didn't sound too good either, to be honest."
Aerith frowned, "You think they're okay? Should we—"
"We're watching Mikayla." He said. "That's what they need us to do right now. They're adults; they'll be fine in the morning." He grimaced. "Which I promised to call them first thing in the morning and take her home."
"Oh." Aerith swatted at his murky attitude. "Don't even pretend you're annoyed."
"When she starts crying at 3 am, I won't be pretending." He declared.
"Then I'LL get up and take care of her." Aerith puffed out her chest.
"Deal." He offered a hand and she shook it as though sealing a contract.
Aerith stretched lightly in her seat, and Cloud stood.
"I'm going to take a shower and go to bed." He announced, looking down at the sleeping Mikayla. "Do whatever you want."
From anybody else, that would have sounded callous and off-putting, but Aerith had learned to decipher between what Cloud meant and how it sounded. He was so painfully cautious of sounding too affectionate or presumptive that he tended to wind up with his foot in his mouth. She let it slide, but as he left the room, her eyes drifted back to Mikayla.
"Uncle Cloud's a little strange sometimes." She advised the sleeping baby. "But he's a keeper, I think." She smiled. "I know."
Aerith spent another hour making sure that the little crib was as safe and secure as possible and that the infant was comfortable. When she finally stood and stretched the kinks out of her shoulders and knees, she was reminded how late it actually was. Stifling a yawn, she made her way into the bedroom of the apartment.
She had spent the night with Cloud several times since their relationship grew serious. She had a drawer here at his apartment and everything. Likewise, he had stayed over at her apartment too, though Rinoa gave Aerith a playfully hard time about it, often teasing that the two of them should just get their own apartment.
That thought cartwheeled into Aerith's mind as she climbed into bed with Cloud. He was splayed out on his stomach, already lost to the world, and she tutted lightly to herself as she got comfortable. She wound up lying on her back and staring at the ceiling. The thought had crossed her mind a few times: the idea of her and Cloud living together. She spent enough time here that it almost made more sense than living with Rinoa. Not to mention that Aerith and Rinoa, while they got along perfectly well, weren't really compatible as roommates and didn't hang out socially. There was also the fact that Piper the cat hated everyone, with a specific loathing for Rinoa, but he tolerated Cloud to the point of almost being affectionate.
"Are you awake?" Aerith whispered, just loud enough to catch a conscious ear.
A beat passed. Cloud grunted half heartedly.
Aerith turned to look at him and could only see the back of his head, his hair half dry from the shower and slightly poofy. She fidgeted a little.
"I think we should move in together." She exhaled in a whispered rush.
Another beat passed.
" 'kay." Was his grunted, semi-conscious response.
Aerith blinked at him. "Are you sure you're awake?"
"…'kay." He grunted again.
She sighed and pulled the blanket up to her chin. The two of them, sharing a bed and watching a baby. That almost sounded like they were grown ups. Yuffie was right: it felt like they weren't old enough for this. Then again, Aerith wasn't sure when they had been old enough for anything. Most of their teenage years had been stolen from them by the Heartless. They had never had time for reckless abandon or teenage rebellion; they had been too preoccupied with staying alive.
Now here they were, adults, doing adult things and having adult lives, and it made her feel giddy. Beside her, Cloud's breathing had deepened and evened out, signaling that he had completely fallen asleep at that point. She snorted to herself. He would have no recollection of her earlier question, which was probably a good thing.
Maybe she'd ask him again tomorrow when he had his faculties…and he could freak out fully. Or…who knew…maybe he'd still be on board with it. She smiled to herself and started to get more comfortable. Her eyelids had just began to close when Mikayla's crying broke the silence. Aerith opened her eyes. It was going to be a long night.
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Preview for next week: The morning after he agreed to keep an eye on Mikayla with Aerith for the night, Cloud awoke, meandered out into his living room, and found something unexpected.