my heart, like thunder

- chapter two -

Yeah, we've been making a scene
I'll keep on singing while you shake tambourine
Whether we're broke, whether we're living the dream

He starts reading in the afternoon, starting with the journals Gast left behind. Once he starts, he doesn't stop until the sun sets the next day. Eventually he starts pacing as he reads to try and keep his temper, but every once in a while he can't help but stop to throw something or curse a storm at the goddamn idiocy.

"Fucking morons!" The man lifts the book to his forehead and grimaces, gripping it tight with both hands.

Hey, look! We found this weird non-human body in a snowdrift! Let's jump over safe scientific practice and go right to injecting human beings with it without any previous studies or attempts to identify it in any way! One guy thinks its a Cetra? Must be a Cetra! It's the biological science equivalent of when archaeologists dig up old bones, take a look at a skeleton holding a sword and say, "Yup, gotta be a man!"

Fucking morons.

No animal trials. No isolation of the DNA or study of its properties in anything before they jumped right to seeing what it would do in human subjects. Cid doesn't want to think poorly of Aerith's father, but damn… a lot of things would be different if the man had been a little less excited and a little more cautious with his studies.

And Cid felt guilty trying to fly a rocket that had a 50/50 shot of blowing him up… least he was only endangering himself.

By the time he's read everything Gast left behind and has started moving into Hojo's research, he's gone 24 hours without sleep or anything to eat. He still manages to run into the hallway and throw up.

So.

They really don't know how to destroy Jenova. Nobody even considered the possibility they might want to. Contain it, sure, but get rid of it? Shinra wouldn't dare. So there's nothing to go on in the research.

All he has are his own memories of the fights in his previous life, which really aren't much. They beat a lot of Jenova's various bodies, which were really people or animals infected with Jenova and controlled by Sephiroth's will. Will it be as big a problem if Sephiroth doesn't turn? Maybe not. The real issue is he can't really be killed, which means maybe Jenova can't be either?

As much as he thinks he might be just fulfilling his own wishes, he can't help but smirk and consider the obvious option.

Space rocket.

From space she came, and back she can go for all he fuckin' cares – and she can take the black materia with her! … Is that a bad idea? Surely an alien whatever can't activate materia on her own, right?

Eventually Cid's forced to give up after a very long night (and day) of reading, dropping the notebook with a sigh, a shaky hand running through his hair. He's gotta eat. It's late, so that bar oughta be open, right?

It's small, and the crowd gathered are unfriendly, but there's warm food and beer, and that's good enough. Cid actually groans as he bites into the bread roll, dipping it into the overly salted broth. Dinner done, two beers downed, Cid pays his bill and heads out into the snow.

He's about to stumble back to the mansion and collapse into his bedroll when a sound catches his attention. There's no mistaking it; the curses and scuffling are a clear sign of a fight, but the lack of heavy punches or a struggle make him wonder just how much of one it is. Curiosity draws him to turn the opposite way to the mansion, walking half a block, until he sees a set of three small figures tussling in the snow.

Cid only has to watch for a second to see how clearly it isn't kids play fighting. It's two older teens holding the third down to bash him. "Hey!" Cid shouts, loud, and it shocks the kids into looking up. The sight of a grown man and a stranger has them spinning to run away, stumbling through the snow, before Cid can get to 'em.

"Little shits," He cusses, reaching a hand down for the kid. "Come on, up you get. Doin' okay, kid?" Glaring after the runaways, the man turns to look over the remaining teen and his eyes nearly jump outta his face. "Holy shit,"

"W – What?"

Little Cloud Strife looks up at him with big blue eyes and a bloody nose, his fluffy yellow hair even more ridiculous on his tiny, baby face. Cid blinks, helping the kid stand on autopilot.

"Uh – your nose. They got you good." Cid reaches into his jacket for a hanky, digging to find one not covered in oil grease. Once he finds one that's mostly clean, he leans in to gently brush at the kid's face. "That a normal thing around here? They got some kinda beef with you?"

"Some kind."

God, the voice is so squeaky. It's undeniably Cloud's, the same tone and cadence, but a baby's. Cid just wants to pick him up and squeeze. Tuck him in his pocket and walk around.

A sudden burst of memory reminds him of what's waiting for this bright eyed kid. Cid freezes, and he looks at that little round face and suddenly, more than anything, wants to pick him up and run far, far away.

"You okay, mister?" The boy looks concerned; he just got a beating, but he's more worried about a random stranger. Cid's heart aches.

"Fine, just fine. We oughta talk to the mayor bout this, he spoke to me the other day, -"

"Uh, no, that's okay!" The boy flushes, nervous. If it weren't for Cid's knowledge of the man the boy would be, he might dismiss it as embarrassment. But he remembers now, the rough history between Tifa's family and Cloud's.

Sighing, Cid tucks his bloody handkerchief away. "Got a home round here, kid?" The boy nods. "Come on, let me walk you back. Least make sure those shitheads don't come back for a second try."

A small house on the edge of town is home to the Strife family, a mother and son with a father who passed away when the boy was very little. Cid remembers that much from his last life; he also knows that Cloud's memories of the woman who raised him were unfortunately blurred, because of how associated she was with some of the most traumatic memories of the man's life. It's a shame, Cid thinks. Meeting her now, the woman is a clearly a strong spirit.

"What kept you out so late, Cloud?" The figure standing in the door frame calls for him in the thickest southeastern accent Cid's ever heard. People think he's got an accent, they've never heard this woman. "Who's the fella?"

"Hi, ma," Cid glances at the blonde head as he stomps up the steps and towards his mother. "He's a friend. Helped me outta a fight back there."

Ah, hell. Talking to his ma, his own lil' accent comes out so much thicker. Cid's pretty sure he's melting.

"Cid Highwind's the name," He raises a hand in greeting, but doesn't try to approach the steps. He's a stranger, a man ten years older than her son, and he knows how small town folk can be. "Just happened to be headin' back to my place when I saw the two brats holdin' him down. Bigger kids, they often cause trouble?"

"Round here, the nail that sticks out is hammered down," The woman grunts, leaning on her cane. Her free hand comes down on the blonde's head, ruffling the hair hard, but not unkindly. "Folks tend to see my boy as a troublemaker."

"Troublemaker?" Cid chuckles. "Him?" He meets the boys eyes with a smile. "Nah, he's a good kid, I can tell."

The boy blushes and smiles back. Cid looks up suddenly to the woman's displeased expression, which… right. Yeah. Can't be overly friendly with the fourteen year old boy he's not supposed to know.

Clearing his throat, Cid continues. "I was the town punching bag in my day, too. Happens to the best of us, huh? Don't sweat it too bad."

She nods at that, seems to soften a little. "Thanks for caring. More than most folk round here will do."

"No problem." With another shrug, he lifts a hand and waves at the short figure standing behind his mother, like a little chick. "Take care, kid."

"Thanks again." Cloud says quietly. His mother steps back into the front hall, and the door closes, shutting Cid on the outside.

His arm stills midair, eyes dimming. After a long moment, he sighs, shoves his hand into his pocket, and begins the long walk back to the mansion.

Jenova can't stay in Nibelheim.

Maybe it's foolish of him, considering she's a threat to the planet wherever she goes. But the longer Cid remains in the mansion with that thing sitting in the other room, the more antsy he gets. He can't stop thinking of that poor kid, the Cloud who isn't quite Cloud, and all the horrible things that happen to him cause of that thing. The idea of it being in the same town as Cloud, as Tifa, and all these people… nope. She's gotta go.

Which means Cid's gonna have to refine his sled. Thankfully, the mansion has plenty of shit left over to work with, and within a day or so he's gotta real engine set on a sturdier base, with a huge propeller attached to the back, and a handle that'll turn it in different directions case he does face any trouble. The front has a concave bit for the tube, and the back has a raised seat for him to sit on, and all in all it's not the worst thing he's built outta a bunch of trash laying around.

Now he's just gotta get the bitch on the sled.

"Hell, you are gonna give me back problems," He grunts, tugging the alien on the old sled back into the main room. It takes a few hours, but he finally secures his prisoner on the new sled, packs up all his shit, and eats a quick dinner out of his remaining fresh food. Then, he kicks open the front doors, turns the sled, and shoves it out the front steps.

"Look out below!" He shouts with a laugh. Not like anyone's out there, anyway. Least, he didn't think there was, 'cept he's pretty sure he heard somebody… concerned, the man runs out to the porch, to see the town mayor collapsed against the far fence, having clearly leapt outta the way just in time.

"Whoops. Uh, sorry there."

The man looks up with a grimace, and none of the polite concern of last time. "What the hell is that!?"

Right. Explanations. The man clearly wants some, given how he's angrily straightening his jacket and the hat on his head as he storms over towards the steps.

"I believe you gave the impression you were a traveler just stoppin' on his way before heading outta town." The man states dryly. "Given its been more than a week since then, and all this…" He gestures at the sled. "Don't look like you were here to rest!"

He probably looks like a scavenger from the town's point of view, which isn't the worst thing to be, but won't earn him any favors round here. Cid considers a few options and dismisses them all quick, before sighing, and stepping down the stairs.

"You're gonna wanna see what's under that tarp."

The mayor, still angry and disbelieving, follows him a moment later. The expression melts into shock and horror the moment he sees the thing that, for decades, has been hiding in his town.

Cid doesn't tell him the whole story, of course. He tells him his own brief history, a former Shinra employee betrayed by the company, then weaves a yarn about becoming concerned about the selfish and short-sighted behavior of those at the top. How he started researching, taking a look into the projects around the western continent, and stumbled onto some dangerous secrets.

"This thing's the reason your town suffers so much," Cid insists, smacking the side of it. The sound makes Mayor Lockhart jump a little. "How many towns with reactors struggle this much? Sure, it changes the environment, but this mountain don't grow nothin'. All you got is snow and monsters, and that is cause of this."

He's not 100% sure of that, of course; but he's pretty sure. Either way it's not a good idea to keep her here. But he can't tell the man the full story of why, though he's pretty sure his bullshit is working, anyway.

"Then… I thank you, for taking it away." The man mutters quietly. His voice is thin and tense, the hand holding his hat shaking a little. The idea that this creature has been here the whole time, in the town where he's raised his child, is clearly sending him into a spiral. Cid can't blame him. "Where will you go?"

"Back home, up to Rocket Town. We've still got a few flight worthy crafts up there. I'm either sending it up there, or down the bottom of the ocean. We'll see what I can't rig together."

Obviously, he's planning on skyward, but since she did come from there and its possible she might be more dangerous there, the ocean is his second bet.

"Will you be safe?"

Cid blinks. "Aw, hell, I'll be alright. I'm pretty damned good with a spear if I do say so myself." He smiles, but the man doesn't seem convinced. If anything, he looks more concerned, eyeing the man up and down. Cid glances down, examining the dirty clothes he's been wearing on and off for about two weeks – the mansion doesn't exactly have a laundry room.

Sure, he's been better. The early weeks of nicotine withdrawal are the worst, and the insomnia has kept him up most nights. Nausea has made it hard to eat every day, and the headaches are hell. But he's doing better, the worst has passed, and he can handle climbing a mountain, no problem.

The mayor, however, does not look convinced.

"In light of the fact you're doing Nibelheim a great service, let me send some of our own along to assist you. Just in case," He holds up a hand, halting any resistance Cid could give. "With something as important as this, it's always good to have some backup."

He can't argue that, so he doesn't. Cid allows that he could use some help, so he promises to stay in the mansion until the Mayor comes back. The man stalks off with an angry, sure gait, all his country civility gone in the face of such a strange threat to his people. It's an interesting picture, given the man is Tifa's father, and the expressions he made… Cid chuckles as he sits on the front porch. He could see some of Tifa's angrier looks in that face.

He still hasn't seen Tifa around town, and he only saw Cloud the once. Though he's wracked his mind for ideas, he has no clue how he's supposed to stop the kid from joining Shinra. He has no reason to approach him, and he's sure that now, after their brief first meeting and the awkward interaction with his mom, any attempt he made to do so would be read very badly.

He ain't a pervert. But if a 25 year old man decided to just hang around and talk to a local 14 year old… yeah, that's not a good look.

He's still considering ideas for how to get around it when the Mayor returns, looking rather resigned, walking up the path with two teenagers trailing behind him. When Cid looks up and his eyes widen at the sight, for a brief moment, he considers whether there might be a thing such as fate, and if it might be on his side.

Standing, the man grins at the cute kids, at little Tifa Lockhart and Cloud Strife, who are only as tall as Cid's elbows and all long gangly limbs. They're bundled up tight in warmer clothes than normal.

"This your girl?" Cid asks, gesturing at her. Father and daughter both look surprised, though dad's expression softens into a smile.

"Indeed, this is my Tifa," He wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Best fighter in town, spite her age." The girl smiles bashfully under the attention. Her hair is long and pinned up beneath a fluffy hood, and it makes her baby round face look even softer.

"I can see the resemblance," Cid smiles, then turns to Cloud. "Good to see ya again."

"I heard about the scuffle the other day," The mayor does not put an arm around Cloud, but his gaze when he turns to him is not without sympathy. "Unfortunately, some of our boys are keen to start trouble no matter how we tell 'em off,"

Listening to him, Cid doesn't get the sense he's blaming Cloud. He wonders how much of the man's dislike of Cloud is real, and how much is a child's memory of an adult who intimidated him. He smiles softly at the thought, a reminder of his old friends, of the foibles of humanity and how easily we become convinced of what others think of us. As he looks at their little faces, heart aching, he can't help but think it.

Man… he misses Cloud and Tifa.

The Mayor pulls him aside while the kids excitedly hop onto the sled.

"Listen, keep an eye on my girl, will you? Specially round…" He nods at the boy.

Cid pretends to be surprised. "Why, are they…?"

"She'd love that." The man grumbles bitterly. "I don't see the appeal. The worst thing in the world are teenage boys." Suddenly Cid is pretty sure the man would look with this same expression of disdain on any boy Tifa was interested in, whether it was Cloud or not.

"Ah, it's just kids." Cid looks back at 'em. Cloud's sitting as far as possible to one side of the sled, an embarrassed flush on his face, while Tifa has scooted as close as possible to him, nearly leaning on him as she chatters away. "He's shy, so he keeps his distance, and she's used to boys wanting her attention, so he's a challenge she can't say no to. It's harmless. Coupla years, they'll probably be good friends, and no more than that."

In fact, he's sure of it. Unless something in this time travel business has changed some very fundamental parts of his friends personalities, Tifa and Cloud will never be an item. Though, hell. He supposes nothing's impossible.

"Problem is she really wants that attention." The man insists. "Fell off a damn mountain trying to catch his eye once. I don't want her pulling any more stupid stunts for anyone's sake."

Realization dawns and Cid's eyes widen as he nods. So that's how the mayor sees it. Understandable, given the version of the story he heard.

Cid remembers most of the details. Tifa's mother died, and she set out to climb the mountain looking to find her mother's spirit in the heaven that was supposed to be beyond it. Other kids in town followed suit, most of 'em cheering her on while Cloud – shy, intelligent, cautious Cloud – tried to stop her. When it went bad, the other kids blamed Cloud.

Cloud always thought the Mayor kept him away from his daughter because he was being blamed for what happened to Tifa; from the sounds of it, it's the other way around. The Mayor is worried about what stupid shit his attraction crazed, headstrong daughter will pull trying to get Cloud to notice her. Fair. Having known an even older Tifa who was just as headstrong and at times, love crazed, he can understand his concerns.

"If you're that worried, why pick those two?"

"Cause they're our best," The man admits begrudgingly. "His mother was our town's strongest monster hunter in her day. Dragon got her bad a few years ago, she can't walk well anymore, but she's been keeping the boy's training up. And my girl's been learning from a martial artist that's been training on the mountain. Even at their age, nobody else can come close to what they can do, and this…" He nods at the tube on the sled. "Well, I want our best to handle this. ... Just, be careful." The man grips his hat in both hands, tight enough to crinkle the brim.

"Don't worry," Cid claps a hand on his shoulder. "I'll keep an eye on both of 'em."

They head out right away, with Cid sitting on the farthest edge of the sled seat, Tifa in the middle and Cloud on the side. It wasn't really designed for three, so Cid's sitting a little off the end, but it's no trouble. He's happy for the company.

The kids are delighted when they take off into the wilderness, the scant trees and rocky crags surrounding them becoming blurs in the distance as they pass. Tifa laughs in excitement the first time they hop over an outcropping, and the second time Cid's sure he heard both kids giggling.

"Having fun?"

"Yeah!" Tifa cheers.

Cloud, leaning forward to look at Cid, asks, "Did you make this?"

"Sure did!" The man beams. "Threw a few things together that were lying around." They have to shout to be heard over the propeller. "I'm a mechanic at heart 'fore I'm anythin' else!"

Cloud's bright eyes go wide in what looks like adoration, and in that gaze Cid sees the echoes of the man who built his own motorcycle and crafted his own incredible, impossible swords in the years to come. Just you wait kid, He grins to himself. You could build a sword like a damn matryoshka doll if you put your mind to it.

Once the sun sets, they settle in for the night, setting up a much larger tent the Mayor provided for them. There's only one; it's far too cold up here to be concerned about propriety, and that might've been part of the reason for the Mayor's resigned, irritated look when he said goodbye.

"So," Sitting at the campfire eating their canned dinners, Cid looks from one kid to the other. "What's your story?"

Cloud blinks. "What do you mean?"

"Your story, you know," Cid shrugs. "Why you're out here in the first place. Mayor said you two were the best your town's got," Tifa beams and Cloud flushes at the words. "But you started learnin' to fight for a reason right? What's the story?"

"I want to be strong enough to protect the village!" Tifa cheers, flexing her arms. Even at her age, she's already got beefier biceps that Cid's ever had in his life. He can see them through the damn jacket when she flexes. Lowering her arms down, she softens a little. "Dad has a lot to do to take care of everyone, you know? So I wanna take some of that worry off of him."

"That's sweet of ya. You like boxing?"

"It's the best!" She grins again. "It's really satisfying how it feels when you," She punches the air in front of her, "And what you hit goes flying!"

"I bet." Cid can't stop the grin spreading across his face, just imagining this little cheerful thing becoming the powerhouse he knew one day. "What about you, kid?"

"Me?" Cloud looks unhappy with the attention turned to him. Gaze downcast, he shrugs. "I just… I wanna keep a promise."

Tifa sits up, alert. "Really?"

"Well, yeah." Cloud turns to her and nods. "Of course I do."

"A promise you made to somebody?" Cloud nods, turning to Cid. "What about what you want?" The question seems to surprise the kid. "It's all well and good to keep your promises, but if you don't work for what makes you happy, too, it won't turn out good for either of ya." Both kids, sitting up straight, look surprised at his words. Sighing, Cid frowns, trying to think of how to word it better.

"See, I knew a guy… he had big dreams, right? And his best friend growin' up promised she'd do anything to make sure he saw those dreams come true. For years, they worked together on his dreams, all while she gave up whatever dreams she had, what she wanted, to make she he got where he wanted to be. Only… it didn't work out." Voice tight, Cid swallows. He's not looking at the kids as he speaks, anymore.

"The dream died. And the man, he didn't take it well. But his friend still kept to her promise to stay with him, even when he started growing angry all the time, and yellin' at her, doin' nothing but smokin' and drinkin'... he didn't have any dreams anymore, and she was still wasting her whole life takin' care of him."

"But… isn't that a good thing?" Tifa says quietly. At his shocked look, she holds up her hands. "I just mean, didn't he need help?"

"You should never let somebody else mistreat ya, even if they do need help."

"I know!" Tifa insists. "Still, it seems like somebody should have helped them… its no fair that their dream didn't work out."

"It wasn't their dream, though." Cid says. "It was his. She had no dreams of her own, because she gave her life to him. And he wasn't worth it, at all."

"I get it." Cloud slowly nods. "It's important to take care of yourself too, right?" The two kids look at each other. "I have my own dreams. I wanna keep my promise, and I'm doin' that by following my dreams."

"What dreams are those?"

"I'm gonna join SOLDIER." For the first time, the shy expression melts away, and a certain confidence blooms on Cloud's face. "I'm gonna be strong. Like Sephiroth! The best there ever was!"

Aw, fuck. Cid's stomach drops into his feet. "Ah, kid… I dunno." He looks back. "That thing we're traveling with? That's Shinra's. They left it to rot in your village, causing a lot of problems. And I know about it, cause they screwed me, and my village too."

"Dad told us, before we left." Tifa tells him.

"But that's not the same as SOLDIER, or Sephiroth being bad." Cloud insists. "The village has a lot of bad people in it… but I still wanna protect it. So, I'm gonna go to Midgar, and learn to be a SOLDIER, and then I'll protect everyone. And keep my promise." A firm certainty sets itself in Cloud's expression, a hardness in his eyes that shows just how much he believes in this dream.

Fuck.

This is gonna be a lot harder than he thought.

Once they're on the other side of the mountain, the road gets a little rougher. The sled still manages to cross the long plains leading to Rocket Town, but without the snow to smooth it out, it's a bumpy ride. Cid can practically hear his teeth clicking with every bounce, and he's ready to jump off the sled and kiss the ground when he finally sees that rocket rising out of the horizon.

"Whew," The sled slows to a halt and he cuts the engine, slump against the back with a sigh. "We did it. Good job, kids."

They really had been a help. A few monsters came poking around during the trip and they were taken down with ease by the duo before Cid could lift his spear. The one night they camped out, a pack of wolves came round, but Tifa punched one of them and the rest went running.

Now, despite the long and bumpy ride, the kids are jumping off and stripping off their extra layers, full of energy and excitement at the chance to explore some other Podunk town for a change.

Wish I had that energy, Cid thinks fondly, shaking his head.

"Where are we taking it?" Cloud asks.

"Center of town," Cid tells him. "But we can take a break, first. How's lunch sound? Not much round here, but there's a few places to eat. Let's head to the Pirate's Table."

"Pirate's Table?" Tifa gawks. "What kinda place is that?"

"Nothin' like what you're imagining," He chuckles as they start to walk, the two following along on either side of him, little ducklings in his wake. "It's a seafood joint. Ocean's just a few dozen miles north of here, and the fisherman livin' up there come down here to sell their catch. We're the closest thing to a town round here."

"I've never had fish before."

It's Cid's turn to stare in shock at the kids. "Never had…?" He looks from one to the other, both shaking their head. "Well damn, come on then, we're having a fish buffet today! My treat."

The Pirate's Table is a huge restaurant that barely ever fills all its tables. A holdover from the years – not even a year, since Cid's back in time now… - when Shinra was heavily stationed here, and dozens of the companies employees used to spend lunches and dinners in the eateries round town. Now, the huge cafeteria, with nearly fifty tables, is mostly empty space. With the giant marlin hanging on the wall, the decorative fish nets and old fashion ship's wheels, there's something almost comically tragic about the place.

The bell rings as they walk in, and the man behind the counter looks up, startled out of sleep. "Ah, afternoon Cid,"

"Hey, Phil," He waves. "Got room for three?"

The man chuckles dryly. "You know I do. Whatcha lookin' for?"

"Whatcha got?" He sits at the bar, which is now the heart of the ever shrinking restaurant. The kids follow suit, nervously climbing onto stools beside him.

"Can we sit here?" Cloud whispers.

Cid, leaning down, grins and whispers back. "You're fine. He's not gonna serve you alcohol." The boy flushes in embarrassment, as Phil grins and shakes his head.

"You'd be lucky if I served you any, Cid," The man says. "Heard you been cleanin' up your act."

The man straightens up. "Right, tryin' to, at least." It's his turn to feel a bit embarrassed, put on the spot.

"Thought you were headin' outta town?"

"Quick errand brought me back. These two joined me outta Nibelheim; ferrying some cargo for the town." He slows down for effect. "And they've never had any seafood."

"No!" The man goggles, then turns and shouts something quick and fast in the local dialect that neither Cloud nor Tifa can follow, by the looks on their faces. Cid is grinning. "Don't you worry none, I've got you. We'll fix that right quick!"

They spend the next twenty minutes shooting the shit, chatting about what's happened in town since Cid left. (Mostly, nothing.) The kids listen in polite silence, sharing stunned glances at one another every so often. Soon enough, lunch is ready, and it comes out in spades, plates of fried shrimp, broiled shrimp, calamari, brussel sprouts, cornbread, fried tilapia, way more than the three of them can possibly eat.

"Damn, Phil, this is a hell of a spread,"

"Gotta impress em, don't I?" The man, leaning on his hands on the counter, winks at the kids. "Gotta make sure they'll come back sometime."

Chances are they won't; towns like this, the only clientele are the ever shrinking populations of the people who live there. Rocket Town did eventually start doing better, in the years after Meteor… but Cid remembers the Pirate's Table shut down years before that all happened. He doesn't even remember what happened to Phil.

"What's this?"

Cloud holds up a piece of fried dough, and Cid grabs it from him, tossing it into his own mouth.

"That," He says, chewing. "Was a hush puppy."

"… Hush puppy?"

"Yup. Used to give it to dogs, see, throw it in their mouth," He shoves one at Cloud's hand. "Then they'd be busy eatin' it, and they'd hush."

"It's fried cornmeal." Phil smiles at the confusion on Cloud's face. Slowly, the boy tosses one back and chews, a thoughtful look on his face.

"It's okay."

"Okay!?" Cid shouts, reeling back. "Just okay!?" He shares a dramatically shocked look with Phil, and the man puts a hand over his heart.

"I'm hurt. Hurt real deep." Both kids are giggling as the owner begins to slowly collapse to his knees.

"I really like the shrimp though!" Cloud insists with a smile.

"Well, good, least he likes the shrimp."

They take the leftovers home, boxed up in a couple of styrofoam boxes and bags. The kids are thrilled, excited to run out the door and poke around the town, as Cid hangs back and pulls out his wallet. Phil's hand clasps his shoulder.

"Don't worry bout it," Cid looks up in surprise. "On the house." The hand tightens a little, and the man's eyes meet his. "It's hard, doin' what you're doin', but it's the right thing to do." He nods. "You keep doin' right by Shera, and we're square."

Voice tight, Cid just nods, and tucks his wallet away. "… Thanks, Phil."

They walk back to the sled, setting the food on the seat and pushing it through the streets of town. "We're headin' to the rocket," He tells them.

"Why's that?"

"It's protected from radiation, it can handle the pressure of space and extreme gravity… no place safer to keep a dangerous alien life form." He chuckles. "Until I'm sure of how to get rid of it, it'll stay here."

The kids stare in awe at the rocket as they come closer to it, heads reeling back as it rises into the sky. "That's… incredible." Tifa gasps.

"Did it ever fly?"

"No," Cid sighs, as they come to a halt at the base of it. "No, never did fly." Least, not in this reality, and he can't say otherwise without sounding pretty nuts.

"Was it broken?"

"Somethin' like that." He mutters, turning to unpack their load, unbuckling the safety measures and pulling the tarp away. Cloud winces at the strange light that radiates out when its uncovered, and Tifa looks a little nauseous.

Cid unlocks the external doors, rolls out the ramp, and directs the kids to help him push. "There's some space for storage towards the base," He says with a grunt as they pull and push the monster through the entrance.

They push her into the back, using the straps and tarp to make a makeshift tie-down for it. Once its pretty well attached, Cid wipes his hands, and leads the kids back outside, locking the inner and outer doors as they go.

"Thanks for the help, kids," He leans down to grab the ramp and shove it back in. Used to be automatic, before the power had to be shut down to preserve what little electricity the main circuits have. "We'll call it quits for the night. A friend of mine lives around here, we'll ask if we can't crash on the couch."

"It's your house too, Cid."

The man jumps, slamming his head into the doorframe and wincing, a line of furious curses escaping him as he grips the back of his neck. Cid straightens and turns, to see Shera walking up towards the rocket.

"I saw the doors opening and wanted to see who was messing with it, I should've known it would be you, Captain." She smiles. "Of course you're welcome to stay. Who are your friends?"

"Uh," Hand falling from his neck, Cid slowly steps back from the rocket, hitting the last few buttons he needs to shut the outer door and lock it. "This here's Tifa, that's Cloud. Met 'em in Rocket Town. Bit of a story."

"I can imagine." She smiles at the kids, and gestures towards the road. "Come, I'll get you something to eat."

"We've got that handled!" Tifa holds up a bag of leftovers. "Captain brought us to the Pirate's Table!"

"Did he?" Shera turns a smirk at Cid, who flushes.

"Don't start that now," He huffs. "Bad enough you still call me that."

"Why?" Cloud falls into line with Cid, curious eyes looking up at him. "Were you a ship captain once?"

"He was the Captain of that rocket."

Tifa's wide eyes blink as she turns to stare at him. "Seriously!? That's amazing!"

"It's not," Cid grumbles, starting to walk faster. He knows where they're going anyway. Well, he thought he did. It looks like the same old house on the outside, but when he pushes the front door open, the inside is like a new world.

It's… clean. But it's not. Cleaner in the sense that someone gave it a good scrubbing, dusted and mopped and did a hell of a lot of laundry. The wooden floors are actually brown instead of a faded shade of dusty gray, there are no dirty dishes in the sink, and the smell of cigarette smoke is faint, instead of overwhelming.

On the other hand, it is chaotically crowded. The living room windows have been thrown open wide, with a line of planter pots crammed with green growing things, sticks measuring height, and mechanical devices recording some kind of information. The dining room table has been transformed into a desk, laden in paperwork and messy notepads and cups of tea half drunk. Spread across the couch are mechanical tools, wiring, metal plates, soldering kits and computer chips and plenty more.

"Hell," Cid looks around, taking it all in, while he removes his bag and sets it on the nearest seat. "So much for sleepin' on the couch." He chuckles.

"Sorry bout the mess!" Shera rushes in after him, clearly having run to catch up. Instead of her heels she's wearing plain flats, with a skirt and frilly, open sleeve top. Her lab jacket is over the back of a dining chair.

"No worries, not my place now anyhow."

"It is your place, Cid." The woman insists, rushing to pick up the devices on the couch, organizing them somewhat before shoving them onto a nearby flat surface. "You will always have a home here, I promise."

"Sure." He agrees to keep from arguing. Plus, the kids are walking in behind them.

"Is this where you live, Captain?"

"Call me Cid!" Turning to Cloud, he puts an arm around the boy's neck and pulls him into a playful hold, ruffling his hair. The boy looks shocked to be the target of such violent affection, eyes going wide before he reacts naturally, grabbing at Cid's arm and fighting to get free, unable to keep from laughing. "Anymore 'Captains' outta your mouth and there'll be hell to pay!" He lets the boy go and glares at Tifa, who salutes him while fighting a smile.

"Shoes off, set your stuff down… somewhere. I'll take the food." He grabs the bags and heads for the fridge, which he is not surprised to find is mostly lab equipment and experiments of some kind. "You've been workin' hard."

"Oh, not really," She laughs shyly. "The first week after you left, I mostly cleaned house and tided up, did a little organizing. But then, well, I needed something to do." She shrugs, gesturing to the messy room. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

"Me neither," He shrugs. The teapot, thank the gods, is in the same place as always, and Cid fills it and sets it on the stove. "Anybody want tea?" A chorus of answers, mostly positive, come from the living room, so he sets about preparing a few cups while the water boils.

"Cid found an alien in the mako reactor." Tifa tells Shera, which makes the woman's eyes widen.

"He what?"

"He said he found out Shinra had been doing a lot of bad things, so he's trying to fix them." Cloud continues. "The Mayor asked us to help since we're the best fighters in the village."

"So, we tagged along to keep monsters away." Tifa sits on the couch, swinging her lithe legs. "We gotta go back in the morning, though."

"Are you going back too, Cid?"

"Yeah, I gotta go back. More I plan on doin', just wanted to get that thing someplace safer."

"Where was it before?"

The children are more than happy to take over discussing their little town, and the strange, mysterious mansion on its doorstep. He finishes preparing the tea, and brings it over on a tray with sugar and milk in an extra saucer, a few different tea bag flavors sitting on a plate. As he prepares his and sits back down with a sigh, Shera stares at him in shock. He lifts his gaze. "What?"

A bright grin spreads on her face. "Once upon a time, you would have made everyone's tea your preferred way, and if they didn't like it, you'd tell them, drink your damn tea!" She giggles. "Look at you, growing up at last."

"Yeah, yeah," He tries brushing it off, but a furious shame has burst to life in his chest, burning wildly. His face flushes. "We all gotta grow up one day."

The conversation shifts to the strange creature and its previous home, and Cid lets his thoughts drift.

Damn, his head hurts. The tea is helping a little, but it's not enough. The room, the house… it smells so badly of smoke. And that tiny little taste has his head pounding, his fingers itching to reach into his jacket pocket.

"I'm gonna step outside," He says suddenly, leaving the cup behind and heading for the door. "Just need some air." Before anyone can respond, he throws open the front door, walks out and slams it shut behind him, and steps outside -

- and runs right into the man walking up to the porch.

"Whoa!"

Cid stumbles, and the man catches him, big broad hands grabbing his shoulders before he can stumble off the steps. He's nauseous, his head is swimming, and the movement from the bright light inside to the darkness outside has thrown his sense of direction. The other man's grip leads him back to the porch, helping him sit, as Cid covers his eyes with a hand.

"Ah, fuck," The man gasps, wincing.

"You alright? Should I call somebody?"

"No, no, it's nothing just -" Hot shame curdles in his gut. "Nicotine withdrawal. Quit a few weeks ago."

"Damn," The man's hand on his shoulder slips away, but he can still feel the other sitting next to him. The fella must be huge. "Sorry to hear that. My wife used to smoke, til she got sick. If you can keep at quittin', you should."

"Well shit." Cid blinks furiously, then forces open his eyes. "Sorry bout your wife."

"Me, too."

The blonde turns, and nearly jumps in surprise. "Uh – I'm Cid," He manages. They're supposed to be strangers after all, he should introduce himself.

"Barret Wallace," The man, tall and nearly just as muscular as his future self, smiles. The face, so much younger, lacking stubble and scars, is recognizably Barret's; and his arms are both human flesh. The man reaches out for a shake with what was once his metallic replacement, and Cid takes it, shaking it with a surreal out of body sensation running through his head.

"What brings you to my place, Mr. Wallace?"

"A letter I got." He reaches into his pocket, and Cid winces.

"How the hell did you -" He manages to bite his tongue before he finishes. Barret wasn't supposed to know who sent it!

"I wondered if you meant to keep it secret." The man smirks a little. Cid, frustrated and in pain and taken completely by surprise, fumes.

"How'd ya know!?"

The letter, removed from Barret's pocket, is unfolded and set before Cid's eyes. He scans it quick, seeing nothing that gives away his home or his name, from top to bottom.

Then Barret taps the top left corner.

"Stationary." Cid mutters dryly. There it is, in small print on top of the page, his name and official rank in Shinra, and the office he worked in Rocket Town, until about a year ago.

"Asked around for ya, and the locals sent me this way." Barret folds up the letter and tucks it away. "After readin' everything you wrote, and seein' this place for myself, well, I have some questions. If you don't mind?"

"I'm an idiot."

"Dunno about that." Barret claps his shoulder, gently for his size, and stands, while the stairs creak beneath him. "Gotta be pretty smart to build somethin'." He gestures towards the rocket looming behind him.

"Hell, I hardly built it by myself," He sighs and stands. It does feel a little better, standing out in the fresh air. "Whole team of people worked on it. I was just the knucklehead they chose to fly it."

"Would you mind tellin' me?" The man asks. He looks cautious, wanting to hear it but not wanting to be pushy. "I have a feelin' it might be important for me to know."

If it were anyone else, Cid might hesitate. Pulling up those old wounds, when he's already suffered the week from hell and has a raging nicotine headache, but… this is Barret.

And maybe it's not his Barret, who fought at his back and stood by his side in some of the most dangerous, painful moments of his life; but this is Barret. He's got those soft eyes, the same ones he'd later learn to hide behind shades to keep his intimidating look. That kind spirit, those damn huge arms. It's Barret. Cid can't help but smile, eyes a little watery. It's Barret.

"Yeah, alright," He manages, gesturing. "Take a walk with me."

He tells him everything he can. Sidesteps the harder things – time travel, rebirth, all that – and talks about working at Shinra, the rocket, the fallout. The hard year where he let his life nearly fall apart. Picking up the pieces and getting off his ass, deciding to do something about what Shinra's doing instead of staying home moping about it.

"But how'd you know about the offer they made Corel?"

"I know a thing or two. Still have a few connections here and there." He is bullshitting so badly. Hopefully none of this gets back to Shera. "I know they wanna build a reactor there, and they're doing everything they can to undermine the village, too. Targeting leaders and influential people," He nods to Barret. "They ain't gonna stop at building that thing. Anything that challenges their monopoly on Mako is a threat. That includes the town, too."

"Hell, what're we gonna do?" The man scoffs. "We can barely feed our kids, think we're bout to start a revolution?"

"They'll say you're in league with AVALANCHE." Cid says. That seems to take Barret by surprise. "Just a thin excuse, but that's all they need. No one will throw up a fuss about a little mining town. Then, they'll sell the land to somebody else, build a theme park on your graves – or somethin' like that."

Something exactly like that. Golden Saucer was built on the ruins of old Corel, after all.

"Fuck." Barret lifts a hand to his head, gripping his short hair. It falls down his face with a sigh. "The hell we supposed to do, then? If we say no, won't they come gun us down anyway?"

"I dunno." Cid admits. "Honestly… not sure what to do there." He's thought about it, maybe less than he should have with Jenova and Cloud right in front of him as immediate worries. But something has to be done to try and save Corel.

"Come on, let's head back to my place. Another cuppa tea might wake my brain up."

When they return to the house, it's a little more chaotic than they left it.

"Whoa!"

Cid ducks just in time to avoid the device flying at his head; by the sound of the thud and string of curses behind him, Barret didn't. "What the hell!?"

"I am so sorry!" Shera stands with a hand over her mouth in surprise, the controller to the device in her other hand. It's wired to one of those devices she had spread around the room, which no one save Cid would recognize. Sure, it's in its earlier stages, but Cid's pretty sure Shera's well on her way to inventing the solar panel, again.

"The kids – I just wanted to show – I'm so sorry," The woman drops the controller and rushes to the door, where Cid stands with his hands up in surrender, a small smile on his face.

"No worries, I'm fine, it's my friend here," He turns, looking to Barret. "Alright there big guy?"

"Fine, I'm fine!" The man leans down and picks up the little plane that Shera had sent flying. It has a battery pack inside, which Cid will bet was charged with those little panels. The man smiles, all polite country kindness, as he hands the plane back to its owner. "Really, ma'am, don't even worry about it."

"This is Barret Wallace, from Corel." Cid gestures to him. "Sent him a letter bout some business of ours and he came up here to talk shop." Then, he nods at the plane. "This your new project?"

"Oh, well, not really," The woman looks embarrassed, nearly ready to hide the thing behind her skirt.

"It's great!" Tifa hops in place from where she stands next to the messy pile of circuits and charging boards. "She used the sun to power it!"

"The sun?" The incredulous voice is Barret's. Cid smiles, and takes a very pointed step back. It's all the invitation Barret needs to step closer, and examine the work in progress spread across their decor table. Shera follows, trying to distract her guest with offers of tea or something to eat, while the kids yammer on about all the things Shera's been telling them about her work.

"She's trying to make something that can power a car without mako or gasoline." Cloud adds.

"Really, it's nothing, just a toy right now," Shera holds up the plane before setting it swiftly down.

From his place at the sidelines, Cid grins, shutting the front door and leaning back against it.

He had hoped, oh how he had hoped, that she would start this research early. From the looks of it, she's been on it for months, maybe years, given the progress she's made. Shera must've been thinking about the concept long before she made her prototypes in their original life; this time, without Cid around to drag her down, she made leaps and bounds of progress.

"Right now, it's just a bunch of tests, proofs of concept," Shera shrugs, hugging herself. "The materials involved are hard to find, some are really rare and I would need much larger quantities for anything larger than… this." She gestures to the plane.

Barret, ever the green loving, tree hugging fellow, even as a coal miner, looks over all the research with something close to awe in his wide eyes.

"This is… this is incredible." Barret's hand drifts close to the panel before hesitating to touch. "Do you have any idea how this could change things?" He laughs. "No need for Mako, oil, coal, none of it."

"Is that a good thing?" Shera mutters. "Aren't you from Corel, Mr. Wallace?" She looks at Cid, who nods.

"Course it is!" He laughs, then laughs again, bigger and full bodied. Cid, used to the man's incredible joy, isn't shocked, but the other three are a little taken aback by the way the big man throws back his head with joy, shoulders shaking. "This is clean! Burnin' coal is a dirty business, it ain't safe for ya even after you get it outta the ground. My wife, she," The man's eyes are glistening. "She's got lung cancer. Our town's a coal town, everything's run on it, and the smoke's what got her. I thought, if we had Mako, sure Shinra would have a foothold, but people wouldn't get sick. Lesser evil right?"

"But this," He taps the table. "This ain't any kind of evil. No Shinra, no poisoned air. If you can make this work… ma'am, you'd be a hero the world over!" Another laugh, and the man looks about ready to pick the woman up and hug her, but thankfully holds himself back. Cid can barely restrain his own laughter.

Slowly, Shera turns shocked eyes back to look at Cid. "… How did you say you knew each other again?"

Grinning, Cid shrugs. "We're pen pals."

The rest of the night is a long intense conversation between the miner and the researcher about the project, the necessary resources, and how to get them. Cid is happy to sit back and watch, the two kids sitting on either side of him.

"Do you think they'll make it work?"

"Course they will," Cid assures Cloud.

"Shinra won't be happy."

"No," He shakes his head. "They won't. So we're gonna have to be real careful how we do this. But don't worry bout it," He tells Tifa. "Let the grown ups figure that part out."

They head to bed with tentative plans for Shera to join Barret back in Corel, to examine the mines for possible resources; Cid and his teen duo are back to Nibelheim, where he'll finish cleaning up the mansion before heading to Corel himself. With nothing left to find in Nibelheim the town should be pretty safe, and the more immediate danger is to the mining town that Shinra's determined to destroy.

The five of them say goodbye the next morning gathered round Cid's makeshift sled. Barret whistles as they walk up to it.

"You build this?"

"Yup," Cid taps the frame around the propeller, shrugging. "Made the best outta what junk I had. Weren't really prepared to haul nothin' when I went down there."

Barret had heard all about Jenova and Cid's short stay in Nibelheim the night before, and he looks with disdain down at the curved base where the tube had formerly sat. "Damn… what kinda shit have we found ourselves in?"

"A lotta shit." Cid glances to the kids, saying their farewells to Shera. She's packed a few bags, stuffed full with research materials and prototypes. Barret has two of them swung over his own shoulders. "Thanks for doing this."

"Thanks?" Barret chuckles. "You say that like this is a favor. No way. That woman," He grins towards Shera. "She's gonna save the world."

"Yeah," Cid smiles. "Yeah, she is."