Chapter 45: Miranda's Strawberry

April 13, 0004

On the first night of Alfred and the Dragon: The Musical, the play was designated for the younger tier, that of the inmates who would be in Bolton the longest.

They were all reluctant to go, and they had to all be promised all sorts of credits to attended. So they attended, but the seats took longer to fill. They even decided to delay the performance until there were enough in the crowd. Finally, at 8:15, the auditorium couldn't hold anymore people, so they started the play.

Cloud, meanwhile, was in the audience. Now seventeen, he had promised Tifa he would sit front-row center, which he did. But, thirty minutes into performance time, he spotted the menacing drama unfolding on the catwalk above the stage.

There stood a familiar girl with green hair.

It was Lynn, of course, out to get her revenge on Tifa for avoiding being humiliated earlier.

Next to her was a mini-fridge.

There was no mystery to what she was planning.

There was no mystery to the consequences.

"She's going to kill her!" he whispered.

He needed to get up on the catwalk by climbing the ladder. There was, however, one problem: he had no idea where it was.

Cloud sprang up out of his seat and frantically made his way to the first wall he found. He combed the wall until he was halfway through the perimeter. There, he found what he had been looking for.

He checked on Lynn, who still had not pushed the mini-fridge down. He looked at the stage, seeing the dragon costume, which, of course, concealed Tifa.

She could step under Lynn at any moment.

Once she did, she would push the mini-fridge and it would land on Tifa.

And then, it would either crush her skull or break her neck. Either way, she would die.

Cloud realized that every second counted. He began climbing up the ladder as fast as he could. He could stop no matter what; Tifa counted on him.

He reached the top of the catwalk, and then came the second challenge; finding his way through the maze.

He spotted Lynn across the room. He followed the catwalk, hoping it was the right direction.

Finally, he could go no further. He was at a dead end. Lynn was on the next platform over, but there was a ten-foot gap between.

Cloud had no time to look for a way to her platform.

He would have to try and jump.

Taking a deep breath, he took a few steps back.

He charged.

He jumped.

His feet landed on the metal grating with a clang.

Of course, that caught Lynn's attention right away. She spun around, and glared at Cloud, knowing full well why he was there.

"If you come any closer," Lynn warned, "I'll drop it."

Cloud held his position.

He knew that, if he did not come closer, she would still drop it.

He did not have much of a choice, and he did not have much time to think, either.

But he had enough time to realize that Tifa's best chance at survival was if he attempted to apprehend her.

He had to try.

He charged.

Lynn began to push the refrigerator.

"You just don't fucking listen," she sighed.

The refrigerator inched closer to the edge as Lynn pushed it closer to its destination.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

There was no dispute that he would reach Lynn.

But in time?

Cloud continued to run.

Lynn continued to push.

The refrigerator disappeared over the ledge, which Tifa stood directly below.

And it was suspended in the air.

Cloud had caught the door handle.

It was painfully heavy, but he knew he had to pull it up with all his might before Lynn made him drop it.

He yanked it as hard as he could, despite the unbearable pain in his fingers. It landed on the catwalk, safe from dropping on Tifa.

"You son of a bitch!" Lynn hissed as she charged at Cloud.

Cloud saw his chance. He grabbed Lynn, wrapped his arm around her neck, and began to squeeze. It was a technique he had learned when he had unsuccessfully trained for SOLDIER; it rendered the victim helpless but did not kill.

A moment later, Lynn passed out.

TWO HOURS LATER….

Everyone had taken their bows, and Mr. Antonio had let down the curtain, and informed the audience that the show would be performed for only two nights more. He then retreated to his office.

Cloud was sitting there, along with two security guards.

"Matt Lane," Mr. Antonio greeted.

"Hi, Mr. Antonio," Cloud greeted back.

"I heard you had a little incident with Lynn," he said.

"She wanted to drop that weight on Miranda or Julie," Cloud explained. "I didn't mean to strangle her."

"And you're a hero for doing it," Mr. Antonio complimented. "Julie would have had her neck broken for sure. You saved your cousin's life." He paused. "Listen, Matt, I know you're in her because of your relationship with Julie, but, with a strong love like that, you have my blessing."

"Th-thank you," Cloud said.

"You know, Matt," Mr. Antonio began, "I could help appeal to get your sentence reduced. Julie, too."

"I'll pass," Cloud dismissed. "We both need to be made an example of. Letting us off the hook will do a disservice to both us and the community."

"Suit yourself," he said. "By the way, somebody wants to say 'thank you.'"

With a smile, Mr. Antonio opened the door.

There stood Tifa, now sixteen, with her hands on her chest and an emotional look on her face. She had changed into a tee shirt and jeans, and knew what to do next, not caring Mr. Antonio was in the room.

"I love you!" she choked before literally jumping into his arms and pressing her lips against his. "Thanks for saving me!"

Cloud's heart was happy; not only had he saved Tifa, but her love for him was as strong as ever.

THREE DAYS LATER…

April 16, 0004

The play was planned to be performed only two nights more, but, in a rare occurrence, the outside world caught wind of it, so a fourth show, open to the public, was demanded.

The musical was completely sold out in less than an hour. And the audience would not be disappointed.

Despite the title, Rosa/Miranda was the actual star. She was the first to appear in the first scene, wearing a beautiful medieval gown, which opened up with her first musical number.

"My Alfred

Sweet Alfred

Far away from me

Come home now

I'm alone now

It's you I want to see

Let's be together

Regardless whether

What happens in this land

I'll decide to

Be beside you

Holding your precious hand."

As she continued, everyone was awed by Miranda's beautiful voice.

At that point, Alfred/Riggs stepped out onstage, wearing, as expected, shining armor.

Rosa/Miranda ran into his arms, inciting another sweet moment.

"Where have you been, my love?" Rosa/Miranda asked.

"Far away, my dear," Alfred/Riggs replied. "A dragon has been spotted. They say it's Valvada, the most feared dragon of them all!"

That was basically Scene One of the two-act, seven-scenes-per-act musical.

Scene Two shows the village terrified to hear the news of the dragon coming.

Scene Three is when Tifa/Julie/Valvada first appears, in her dragon form, setting fire to some of the village, which was easily controlled by stage hands. Rosa/Miranda was the heroine here, putting out fires and saving a baby from a burning building.

Scene Four was the aftermath of the attack, where Rosa/Miranda, after having behaved herself for the first three nights, decided to let loose once again.

"Beware the dragon, big and green.

The fiercest dragon ever seen.

Her name's Valvada, a fearsome word

She maims the first man, burns the second, and eats the turd."

Mr. Antonio flaunted a furious face.

Scene Five involved a tender moment where Rosa/Miranda and Alfred/Riggs contemplated matrimony, complete with soft, touching music in the background. He eventually proposed, resulting in cheers and a few sniffles from the audience. This was again where Riggs and Miranda were noticeably into their roles.

Scene Six was when Valvada/Julie/Tifa captured Rosa/Miranda. Most of it involved Alfred/Riggs pursuing her. He went with his sidekick, Sancho Panstoff/Milton, so named because of his first appearance in that scene; he had forgotten his pants and had the adventure in his boxers. For mental comfort, Sancho Panstoff/Milton wore another pair of boxers underneath.

Scene Seven was when Alfred/Riggs and Sancho Panstoff/Milton caught up to Valvada/Julie/Tifa. But instead of kissing Rosa/Miranda as he should have, he kissed Valvada/Julie/Tifa. At that point, the dragon costume fell off, and Tifa was seen as a human for the first time.

It surprised everyone, especially Cloud, that Tifa's singing voice was almost as good as Miranda's; she had a pleasant alto sound.

"I once was a girl

With no place in this world

Depressing, to say quite the least

I found the man of my dreams

Or oh so it seemed

Until he had me turned to a beast

I quickly grew mean

All giant and green

And went out and burned folks alive

And then with your kiss

I turned back into this

And now we have the rest of our lives!"

Act Two basically involved poor Rosa trying to win Alfred back. It started out funny, but got sadder and sadder as Rosa/Miranda began to pine for Alfred/Riggs. What touched everyone's heart was the last song; another duet with Rosa/Miranda and Alfred/Riggs. It ended with Rosa/Miranda resting her head on Alfred/Riggs' chest, with him rocking her gently.

That prompted a huge applause from the audience.

But, as one final twist, Alfred/Riggs married both Rosa/Miranda and Valvada/Julie/Tifa. And that was how the musical ended.

Thus followed a huge applause, and Miranda got a standing ovation. She was almost moved to tears.

She actually felt like a princess.

Another emotional moment came a few minutes later, when Riggs peeked out from behind the curtain, and saw his parents and sister in the audience.

Students/inmates were forbidden from interacting with any visitors, but knowing they were okay was enough for him. He was nineteen years old; just two years away from release.

He then felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

It was Miranda's.

"They're waiting for you," she said softly with a smile.

THE NEXT DAY….

April 17, 0004

Hand in hand, Cloud and Tifa stepped off the elevator, and slowly made their way to the latter's dorm room.

"Well," Tifa said with a smile, "we're here."

She then unlocked the door and led her love inside.

"Where's Miranda?" Cloud asked, noticing the room was empty.

"She spotted Riggs going into the natatorium," Tifa replied. "She decided to surprise him."

"They really took that love story arc seriously," he observed. "You think they feel that way about each other in real life?"

"Riggs does for sure," she answered. "Miranda's a little more ambiguous. I think she does, deep down, but she has trouble expressing it."

She paused.

"But this girl knows how she feels about you."

She stepped back, smiled, and put her hand on her hip, allowing Cloud to check her out.

He could tell she was dressed for the occasion; she wore a pair of skinny jeans and a white crop top that showed about half and inch of skin. She was in full make-up, but she had no plans of going out that evening.

"Pick me up," she commanded.

Cloud picked Tifa up.

Tifa wrapped her legs around Cloud's torso and pressed her lips against his. She had positioned them so he would get a view of her butt in the mirror, and she had hoped he noticed.

They continued in that way before Cloud set her down.

Tifa then pushed him over to the couch, sat him down, climbed up, and straddled him.

Before he could say anything, she silenced him with a deep kiss, pressing her tongue against his.

Minutes fell off the clock as they continued to make out. As they had over a year before, they kept their hands above each other's waists, and over each other's clothes.

But, after an hour, something different happened this time. Tifa sorely felt the urge to grip Cloud's shirt and take it off.

She still did not feel ready for sex yet, but, somehow, she wanted it more….intimate.

Why not? Tifa thought to herself as she wrestled her tongue against his. We're still young, but not too young to be a little steamy.

She lowered her hands to the bottom of his shirt.

This is fine, she thought. Guys with their shirts off was K-rated. They even went shirtless in public.

And before Tifa could change her mind, she pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

This clearly caught Cloud by surprise.

"Kiss me," she whispered as she placed her hands on his now-bare shoulders.

He kissed her.

They continued to make out, with Tifa running her hands up, down, and all over Cloud's bare back. Sparks were flying everywhere, and Tifa soon realized what had gone wrong with her move.

She wanted even more.

She wanted to make it even steamier.

She felt the urge to remove something of hers as well, or, better yet, have Cloud remove it for her.

She leaned forward, preparing to whisper in his ear. It would be a request for him to take her pants off.

Why not? Tifa again thought to herself. A girl in a tee shirt and panties is K-rated; T-rated at the worst. Besides, it's not that different from when I wore a tee shirt and bikini bottoms on that date a couple of years ago.

Then it hit her.

But what if he takes my panties off, too? she thought to herself.

It was something she had failed to consider.

But then, her thoughts were interrupted as she felt her shirt rising.

Cloud was in the process of taking it off.

Once again, Tifa's discreet instinct took over.

"Wait!" she pleaded, as she quickly pulled her shirt back down.

And, immediately, she was embarrassed.

"You okay?" asked the perplexed Cloud.

"I'm sorry," Tifa quickly replied as tears already began to well up in her eyes. "I'm only sixteen. I don't think I'm ready."

"It's okay," Cloud whispered as he held her close and brushed her tears away. "You need to be ready. I can wait."

"But, still, I sent you mixed signals," she sobbed. "I'm such an asshole."

"You're not," he assured her. "I have more quirks anyway."

Tifa sighed.

"I haven't forgotten we got married," she said. "But it's been seven years since Sephiroth turned us into children. I don't know if I am the same person. I'm certainly more feminine, that's for sure."

"We waited this long," Cloud said. "Would a little longer kill us?"

"No," Tifa replied. "I guess not."

She wanted to kick herself. While she was not ready, she had had a feeling in the back of her head that she might have been; she had turned out to be wrong.

"Let me hold you," Cloud offered.

The old Tifa was, of course, a strong and independent woman, and never would have accepted such an offer.

But this time, she accepted.

LATER…

Riggs was swimming in the smaller natatorium pool when he heard a splash behind him. Turning around, he saw nothing, so he turned around again.

He then heard another, closer splash, and felt two hands on his bare shoulders.

"Surprise!" called a familiar voice.

Riggs turned around to see Miranda wringing out her long, black hair. She was wearing a black and purple one piece, and already had goosebumps on her arms.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked in surprise.

"You were in here," she replied honestly. "I saw you go in. Plus, I wanted to give Cloud and Tifa some alone time."

With that, she dunked herself under the water. A few seconds later, she emerged again, and started to float on her back.

"Did you hear the reviews?" she asked.

Riggs shook his head.

"We're famous!" Miranda announced happily. "We've gone viral! Everyone in the world knows who we are!"

"What about Tifa?" Riggs asked, remembering she needed to hide her identity.

"She's not famous," Miranda replied. "But Julie Lane is, for sure."

Of course, she sorely wanted to thank Riggs for twisting her arm into auditioning, but she stopped herself right before she did; she wanted to save that for the end of the night.

They swam together for an hour.

Then, the lights suddenly shut off.

"What the….?" exclaimed Riggs in surprise.

"Oops!" Miranda giggled. "I forgot these lights shut off at ten!"

"We should probably get out of here, then?" Riggs suggested.

"Unless you want to hit your head," Miranda warned him. "I noticed you didn't bring a towel."

"Don't you have a towel?" Riggs asked.

"The walk will dry me off," she replied as she climbed out of the pool.

Riggs climbed out himself and followed her out of the natatorium and into the great outdoors.

Both of them left a trail of water and footprints on the sidewalk.

The warm breeze quickly began to dry Miranda off, following with Riggs as well as he continued to trail behind.

Riggs would not admit it, but he was enjoying the show. Her one-piece really flattered her body, especially as the cool night air took effect. He felt somewhat guilty about checking out his friend, but he realized it did not matter to her as long as she did not notice.

She led him halfway to the dorms before she spotted the arena. She immediately led him to the door.

"Where are we going?" Riggs asked curiously.

"Short cut," Miranda replied.

"Through the arena?" he asked.

"The dorms are just on the other side," she answered as she opened the door and stepped inside.

The turnstile was there, but Miranda simply pushed her way through. Riggs, still unsure of what was happening, continued to follow.

In the next room, the two best friends beheld something they had seen when going to campus hockey games.

"The ice rink!" Miranda pointed out.

"The lights are still on," Riggs noticed.

"It's open twenty-four hours," Miranda informed him. "Up for a skate? It's open to all unless there's a hockey game or a figure skating competition."

"In our bathing suits?" Riggs asked skeptically.

"I've never done it before, have you?" Miranda replied with a smile. "Come on! There's no law against it!"

She immediately ran for the shelf full of ice skates, and selected a pair her size.

"Won't you be cold?" Riggs asked.

"Only if I fall on my butt," Miranda replied. "Whereupon my best friend will help me up."

Riggs nodded as he got a pair for himself.

Meanwhile, Miranda had made her way over to what appeared to be a power junction box.

She threw the switch.

Unlike the outdoor ice rink at the county fair, the one at Bolton had a disco ball that rotated, strobe lights, and slow music in the background.

"Okay!" she said with a smile. "I'm ready!"

She made her way onto the ice. Riggs followed. They began making their laps.

While Miranda was an excellent skater, the same could not be said about Riggs; he had not skated since he was seven.

After a few laps, Miranda noticed she kept passing him.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Riggs answered sheepishly. "It's been a while."

Miranda smiled at her friend.

"You know," she began, "I still haven't forgotten how you helped me ski those years ago. It's only fair I return the favor."

"You don't have to," Riggs assured her, attempting not to blush.

"Come on!" she playfully commanded with a smile.

Then, she did something Riggs had not seen coming.

She took his hand in hers.

Riggs was speechless. It sent tingles through his body. The feeling of her hand on his was a new sensation, and the smile on her face suggested that she was enjoying it as much as he was.

Whether it was a sign of romantic affection or a helping hand seemed quite ambiguous, although the fact that she let go several laps later would suggest the latter.

Still, he could not be certain.

They continued to make laps for half an hour. Then the cold got the best of one of them.

"Okay," she said. "I've got goosebumps on my legs. I think it's time to go."

Riggs and Miranda put their skates back and continued back to Miranda's dorm.

They left the arena through the back exit, and saw the dorms right in front of them.

Riggs had figured the night had come to an end.

And then, Miranda suddenly sat down on a bench. She patted the spot next to her, signaling for Riggs to sit down next to her, which he did.

"Can I tell you a story?" Miranda requested. "One my dad used to tell me all the time?"

"Shoot," Riggs permitted.

"It was about a guy on a walk in the woods," Miranda began. "He's on a walk when a tiger suddenly jumps out from the foliage and starts to chase him. The poor man runs like hell, but the tiger keeps gaining on him and gaining on him. He looks back on the tiger in fear, and doesn't see where he's going, and suddenly runs off a cliff. He grabs on a small branch that's growing out of the cliff side. He looks up and sees the tiger. He looks down and, low and behold, sees another tiger. And then, to make things even worse, a squirrel runs out of a hole in the cliff and starts to chew on the branch. So at this point, he knows he's screwed. But then, he spots a strawberry growing out of the branch. He picks the strawberry and eats it. And you'll never guess what happens then."

"What?" Riggs asked in anticipation. "What happens.

"He finds it perfectly sweet and delicious," Miranda finished.

There was a long silence. Riggs was expecting Miranda to say more, but she did not.

"That's it?" she finally asked.

Miranda quickly nodded with a smile.

"Yeah."

"But what happens to the guy?" was his inevitable next question.

"He dies," Miranda bluntly answered. "Obviously."

"Wow," he said. "That's kind of a downer."

"Not really," she dismissed. "He made the most of a dire situation."

At that point, Miranda stood up.

Riggs seized the opportunity to check her legs out more, so he looked down.

He saw droplets hitting the ground, and wondered if it was beginning to rain.

He then looked up again, and saw that the droplets were coming from Miranda's eyes; she was crying.

Riggs quickly sprang to his feet.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You twisted my arm into auditioning for that musical," she sobbed. "I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for you. And now I'm a star."

Riggs was silent. He knew he needed to think of a careful response.

"Thank you for pushing me into doing this," she choked with a smile. "You gave me my strawberry."

"Miranda…." Riggs began.

But he was at a loss for words.

Miranda placed her hand on Riggs' bare shoulder.

"You're my best friend, Riggs," she informed him as she continued to cry.

"You're mine, too," he admitted.

"I don't ever want you to forget that," she continued. "Long after I'm gone, and you've gone away from this place, I still want you to remember."

"I promise I will," Riggs assured her.

"Good," she said as she wrapped her arms around her friend and hugged him close. "Because I'll never forgive you if you don't!"

MEANWHILE…..

Unknown to Miranda and Riggs, Milton had seen the whole thing from his dorm window.

"He likes her," he said. "It's so obvious."

"I know," Cloud, who had since returned, replied.

"You think she likes him?" Milton asked.

"Damned if I know," Cloud answered.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Milton continued. "She's going to die sooner or later."

"They've been saying that for years," Cloud pointed out. "She's still here."

"You're from the future," Milton pointed out. "Have you seen Miranda anywhere? Or heard from her?"

Cloud shook his head.

"Hence, she dies," Milton continued. "Don't shoot the messenger; it's simple, deductive logic."

"I suppose you're right," he sighed. "I guess, by this point, it's a question of when."

"Unless you can change history somehow," Milton added. "I kind of forgot. Your being here changes the timeline."

"She has a fatal heart condition. We can't even cure that in 0011," Cloud explained. "There isn't a loophole."

Three hours later, Milton had fallen asleep, but Cloud lay with his eyes wide open.

Miranda deserves better, he thought to himself.

And then, Cloud sprang up in bed.

"The fuck?" asked Milton, groggily.

"I think I found a loophole!"