Chapter 50: One Magical Night

April 25, 0004

The prom was held in the campus gym. It was large enough to hold the entire population, since the bleachers were completely retractable.

Cloud and Tifa were one of the first to arrive. They began to dance, and began to irk some other attendees, as they were, at least as far as they were concerned, the Lane cousins. There was no rule on the books against going to the prom with a relative, so nobody stopped them at the door.

Cloud, of course, made sure he applied the cologne. He applied to his neck, and left it on the night table.

He saw no harm in leaving it there.

What's it going to do, just get up and walk away? he thought to himself before leaving.

Miranda and Riggs arrived shortly afterward.

Riggs had picked Miranda up from her dorm, and was speechless when he saw her in her prom dress.

He almost did not recognize her, and his heart skipped a beat.

Of course, he knew the reason they were going together, and he knew he had to be mindful of it.

You're just friends, he reminded himself. Don't expect anything remotely romantic tonight.

But if it happens, it happens.

When they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of nearly a hundred couples dancing. Miranda began scanning the room, looking for Cloud and Tifa. When she finally spotted them, she led Riggs over to a spot that was several yards away.

Miranda observed them carefully. She wanted to keep an eye on them, but she did not want to make it too obvious. She noticed that Tifa had worn the dress that Miranda had suggested, along with a diamond necklace and a pair of earrings to match.

Those could only have come from the boat, Miranda deduced.

For a moment longer, Riggs stood awkwardly.

Then, Miranda turned, and spelled it out for him.

"This is the prom," she reminded him. "You're supposed to dance with me."

Riggs was somewhat confused.

But we're just-

"Hand on my waist," Miranda commanded as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

Riggs complied and placed his hands on Miranda's waist. He was somewhat nervous, as he had never touched her (or any other girl) there before, though he found the dancing very easy. He rotated her, keeping an eye on the other dancers. He spotted Milton and Amy several yards away as well. Even Lynn had found a date; she had the shortest dress there.

"You can look at me, you know," Miranda suddenly said. "I won't bite."

Riggs made eye contact with the smiling Miranda. She really was a beautiful girl, and he felt lucky to have her as his prom date.

If only he could somehow tell her how he really felt.

And then, it hit him that just looking at her might get awkward as well. So he thought of something to say.

"How are Cloud and Tifa?

"They're dancing," Miranda replied. "She's not putting his hand on her butt, though. That's concerning."

"I thought that cologne would work on anybody," he said.

"Tifa's not just anybody," Miranda pointed out.

LATER…

Cloud, Tifa, Miranda, Riggs, Amy, and Milton were all seated at a round table. They had decided to take a break from dancing, and enjoy their complimentary steak and chicken dinners.

Miranda was careful-very careful-not to sit next to Cloud, as she knew that one whiff of the cologne could set her off as well.

Amy, meanwhile, remained ever-so suspicious of the so-called cousins. She tried to think of something to say that might get them to blow their cover, but could not.

Miranda kept an eye on Tifa, hoping for signs that the "effects" were getting to her. So far, there were no signs of anything.

She's a tough one, Miranda thought.

LATER…

After one more hour of dancing, Tifa turned to Cloud.

"What to get some fresh air?" she asked.

Cloud nodded.

The two made their way, hand in hand, out of the door to the second floor balcony.

When they got outside, a beautiful sight beheld them. Almost the entire campus was visible here, including the small isthmus that led to the free world.

Tifa led Cloud to the bannister, and placed her hands on it. She lowered her head.

Cloud looked at her, and noticed she was crying.

"Tifa?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

Tifa raised her head, and made eye contact with Cloud. She was crying, but smiling at the same time.

They were tears of happiness.

"I don't believe it!" she laughed as she dried her tears. "We went to the prom together!"

Cloud placed his arm around her and pulled her to him; he realized how special this night was to her.

"Can I confess something?" she asked as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Go ahead," he permitted.

"Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of going to the prom with you," Tifa began. "But when all that stuff happened, involving Sephiroth and the Nibelheim Reactor, that dream was crushed. And even after we were together, I still longed for that experience."

She paused, and dried more tears from her eyes.

"And now, we've finally had a second chance at it!"

Cloud turned Tifa to face him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her softly.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you," he whispered back.

She kissed him softly again. Then she rested her head on his shoulder.

And it was that move that cemented the rest of the night.

"Where did you get this cologne from?!" she laughed. "It smells incredible!"

Cloud shrugged.

Tifa smiled.

"It doesn't matter, anyway," she said with a smile before kissing him again.

And then, she pushed her tongue into his mouth, and began to kiss him passionately.

Cloud was absorbed in the kiss; he did not notice Tifa gently reach for his right hand and move it downward.

When the kiss was broken, he noticed.

His hand was resting on her butt through her dress.

It only meant one thing when she did that.

Miranda, who was peaking from the doorway, noticed it, too.

"Mission accomplished!" she whispered.

Cloud, meanwhile, was speechless. It had been seven years since she had done that, but he had not forgotten the significance.

"Tifa…." he began, in a whisper.

Tifa simply stroked his spikey hair with her free hand and smiled.

"I put your hand there for a reason, Cloud," she said softly. "I'm ready."

Cloud nodded.

"But first, let's finish the prom," she said. "The one we went to."

Miranda, meanwhile walked back over to Riggs and smiled.

"She put his hand on her butt!" she whispered triumphantly with a smile.

Riggs smiled back.

"I guess our work is done here," he said. "Shall I take you home?"

Miranda gave Riggs a funny look.

"The prom's not over for two more hours," she said. "I'd like to enjoy it."

Riggs was baffled; he had though Miranda was not interested in the prom, and that she only went to make sure Cloud and Tifa took the next step.

"Enjoy it?" he asked.

"With you, silly," she said as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "Waist!"

Riggs took Miranda's waist once more, and began to dance again.

LATER…

Eventually, the prom did end.

Riggs, being the gentleman that he was, waked Miranda back to her dorm room. The walk was not long, and, when they got there, they noticed Tifa was nowhere to be seen, for obvious reasons.

"For a moment," Miranda began, "I thought I was going to get sexiled!"

"Well," said Riggs, "we did it."

Miranda turned to face her friend.

"I'm glad I went anyway," she said. "I could be a normal seventeen-year-old girl tonight. I never thought I'd ever go to a prom. Ever since my diagnosis. I'll admit I was originally going to make sure Cloud and Tifa took the next step tonight, but…."

"But…."

Miranda looked sincerely at Riggs. Her eyes were wet.

And then, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"You gave me another strawberry," she said as tears started rolling down her cheeks. "You're not only my best friend, Riggs. You're my hero."

Riggs hugged his friend back; he had to count his blessings.

"You're my heroine," he replied.

"Don't inject me," she quipped.

They broke the hug, and smiled at each other.

"You know," she said, "you are a great dancer."

With that, Miranda turned and disappeared into her dorm room.

Riggs stayed in the hallway for a few more moments.

This is probably the closest we'll ever get, he sadly realized.

MEANWHILE….

Tifa was practically marching Cloud through the woods until they arrived at their destination.

Down the stone stairs they went. Tifa paid no heed to the fact that she had heels on. She was determined. She was a woman on a mission.

They reached the cave at the bottom, and, soon, their boat came into view.

It was then that she finally turned to face him.

"Well," she said with a smile, "here we are."

Before Cloud could say anything, she kissed him deeply on the mouth. She then, once again, placed his hand on her butt through her dress.

"After being best friends forever, you know I'm a blunt woman," she said. "We've been dating again for long enough. I'm ready to take the next step again."

She then kissed him again and squeezed his hand, which, in turn, squeezed her butt.

"So…you want to be husband and wife again?" Cloud asked after they broke the kiss.

It did almost seem too good to be true.

"We've never stopped being husband and wife," she insisted as she led him onto the boat.

"But when we were first turned back into children…." he began.

Tifa looked at her love with empathy, and lovingly placed her hand on his cheek.

"Cloud," she replied, "I had the brain of a nine-year-old. But that was seven years ago. We've grown up."

The two lovers kissed again.

"We haven't seen each other naked in seven years," he pointed out.

"Too long," she said.

"So you're okay with me seeing your vagina again?" Cloud asked.

"Yes," Tifa replied before kissing him on the mouth.

"You're okay with me seeing your butt again?" Cloud then asked.

"Yes," Tifa replied before kissing him again, this time on the neck. "Are you okay feeling my skin on yours again?"

"Yes."

"Good," she replied less than a second before throwing her arms around him. "Now carry me inside."

Cloud picked Tifa up and carried her inside.

Once inside, he switched on the light, put her down, whereupon she kissed him deeply once more.

"Take off my panties," she commanded.

"Yes ma'am!" he happily complied.

He reached under her dress and slipped them off, and noticed she had been wearing a thong.

"Just being feminine," she said briefly before pushing him to one of the seats and placing him down, and straddled him right afterward.

Cloud pressed his tongue against Tifa's, gripping her butt roughly as he did so.

"Squeeze my ass!" she commanded.

Cloud squeezed it, causing Tifa to let out one of the sexiest sounds he had ever heard her make.

"Fuck!" she whispered loudly.

And then, the moment came. Cloud slid both straps of her dress to the side at once, causing it to drop to her midriff and reveal her perfect breasts to him.

Tifa planted another hungry kiss on her lover's mouth.

"Grab my tits," she commanded.

Cloud did as he was told, and Tifa flung her head back in ecstasy; the feeling of his hands on her breasts was a welcome one she had sorely missed.

Cloud rolled up Tifa's dress, exposing her lower half as well.

"Kiss me!" she commanded

He kissed her.

He then removed her dress entirely, leaving her in nothing but her heels.

"Get your pants off!" Tifa demanded.

Before Cloud could do anything, she unzipped them, and yanked them off herself, along with his boxers.

And she planted a long, hard kiss on his mouth.

MEANWHILE….

Milton, well aware of where Cloud was, took Amy back to his dorm. He cautiously opened the door and led her inside.

It was then that Amy shut the door and turned to him.

Now to get some info out of him, she thought.

"So Milton," she began, "where do you think Matt and Julie are?"

"Probably breaking the law," he laughed.

"They're only breaking the law if they're actually the Lane cousins," Amy pointed out.

"This again, Milton sighed.

And to think I would actually get lucky with her.

"I want to know who Matt and Julie really are," she said. "I think you know."

"I don't," Milton insisted.

"Tell me," Amy pleaded.

"I don't know," he insisted.

Looks like I need to bribe him.

"I'll let you touch my boob," she said in a seductive tone of voice.

"I said I don't know!" Milton repeated.

"I'll let you touch my butt," she said in the same tone of voice.

"Really, I have no idea!" he lied.

"I'll have sex with you," she offered as she pushed one of her dress straps aside.

This was too tempting.

"I…."

And then, all of a sudden, Amy grimaced.

"You're sweaty," she observed. "And shaking. You're nervous. You're lying."

"I'm not," Milton insisted.

Then, Amy gave him an annoyed look.

"You're sweating and it's making you stink!" Amy snapped.

"Sorry," Milton said sarcastically.

"Put some cologne on!" she commanded.

"I don't have any cologne!" he defended. "I don't wear it!"

"Really?" Amy inquired skeptically. "Then what's that?"

She pointed to the cologne that was sitting on the night table.

"I don't know," he replied sheepishly.

"You don't know," she echoed as she marched over and yanked the cologne off the night table.

Milton had not noticed the cologne there before.

"Hold still," she commanded as she sprayed the cologne around the base of Milton's neck. She then applied it to his forearms. "There now! That's how you properly spray that. Or don't you know that, either?"

Milton silently nodded.

"Now," she began. "I…know…."

She stopped there.

Something was off.

She was beginning to have a….feeling.

"You okay?" Milton asked.

"What the hell's….happening?" she asked, both to Milton and herself.

She had smelled the cologne.

She was now paying the consequences.

Milton was confused.

And then, Amy displayed a look on her face that almost seemed angry.

"Was that a trick?!" she demanded.

"Once again," Milton said, "I have no idea what you're talking about.

"You scheming bastard!" she hissed as she marched over to the counter and bent over.

"Scheming bastard?!" he muttered to himself.

"That….cologne!" she yelled. "You got me…..so…..fucking…..horny!"

"Amy," Milton defended, "I really didn't-"

"TAKE……MY…….DRESS…..OFF…..NOW!!!" she growled.

"Amy…" he began.

"NOW!!!" she hollered.

Milton stood up, made his way over to Amy, and slipped off her dress, leaving her as naked as the day she was born.

"GET IT AWAY FROM ME!" Amy shouted.

He kicked Amy's discarded dress across the room.

Amy then turned to look at Milton; she had the fiercest, most primal look on her face that was barely human.

"GET OVER HERE!!"

Milton quickly stripped naked and complied.

MEANWHILE….

Cloud and Tifa sat on the bow of their boat, outside the cabin. They were side by side, naked, and holding each others' hands.

Tifa smiled at her love, stroking his messy, spikey hair with her free hand.

"This was one magical night," she said.

The two kissed, still taking in the fact that they had just re-consummated their relationship.

For a while, they sat next to each other silently.

Then, all of a sudden, Tifa stood up, and made her way to the front of the ship, putting her hands along the railing.

Cloud spent a few moments eyeing her beautiful, bare butt. Then, realizing she had something on her mind, stood up, and made his way next to her.

"We're fully together again," she said as she took his left hand in her right. "And still not whole."

Cloud noticed their bare fingers.

Their bare ring fingers.

"Our wedding bands," Cloud said.

"And our daughter," Tifa added.

Cloud lowered his head. Throughout the past seven years, the fact that they were parents, despite their misadventures, never led their minds. He longed to see their daughter again.

But they both knew it was a sacrifice they had to make.

Tifa realized there was nothing that could be done about that, and decided to lighten the mood.

"You know what's funny?" she began.

"What?" Cloud asked.

"We can leave right now," Tifa replied. "All we have to do is sail a few yards through the tunnel and off to freedom. It's nighttime, and nobody will see us leave. And we're not children anymore. Nobody would think twice if they saw us roaming around in the streets on our own."

She then turned to face Cloud, looking at him directly in the eyes.

"But then I think of the friends we made. Miranda, Riggs, Milton…..I can't leave them behind. I don't know about you, but I'd miss them terribly. I'm suddenly in no hurry to leave."

"Neither am I," Cloud admitted.

It was true; they really had nowhere else to go. Besides, they would risk messing with history if they left. While Bolton was a prison for many, to them, it was a safe haven.

"I'm happy to be Matt Lane right now," he said.

"And I'm happy to be Julie Lane," she said with a smile before kissing him. "Dance with me."

Cloud laughed; it was the first time she had randomly asked that in a long time.

He placed his hands on her bare hips and began to rock her.

Tifa smiled and placed her hands on his shoulders. She then noticed he was checking her out below the waist.

"Sorry!" he apologized as he quickly made eye-contact.

"You can look!" she laughed.

They kissed again.

MEANWHILE…..

Milton held the naked Amy in his arms, with the mirror giving him an almost perfect view of her almost perfect backside.

"That….was incredible!" she purred before kissing him.

"You can say that again," he sighed.

"You're off the hook, by the way," she said.

Milton knew exactly what that meant; she would no longer ask him about the true identity of the Lane cousins.

"Hell," she continued, "I think I owe you."

"I think I got everything I needed!" he said.

Amy giggled before giving him a serious look.

"Do you want to know what I did to get in here?" she offered.

Milton was surprised she would tell him; he did indeed wonder.

"You can't tell anybody, or about tonight," she warned him. "And tomorrow morning, everything's reset."

"Deal," Milton agreed.

"Nothing," Amy replied. "I'm not actually an inmate here. I'm a paid resident intern. When I'm twenty-one, I'll become an instructor here."

"Wow," he said.

Amy smiled again.

"I saw what you did to get in here," she continued. "Wow."

THE NEXT MORNING…

April 26, 0004

Tifa was the first to stir. The light from the mouth of the cave roused her as she opened her beautiful, chestnut eyes.

It was Cloud's chest she was sleeping on, and she could hear his heart beat. For a long time, she lay content as she was. She felt a breeze on her body, reminding her that she was naked.

Just like her honeymoon, she woke up grateful it was not a dream.

Tifa looked up just in time to see Cloud's beautiful, blue eyes open, and she smiled lovingly at him. Her eyes immediately became moist, with tears welling up as she gently stroked his hair. After seven years, they were naked together again, and the feeling of his skin on hers was another thing she had sorely missed.

"Good morning, baby," she whispered before kissing him and hugging him tightly, the tears quickly escaping and rolling down her cheeks. "I missed waking up next to you so much!"

"Me, too," he replied as he held her by her waist.

They soon sat up to face each other.

Tifa took both of Cloud's hands into hers; she had feared that would never happen again. Once again, she became emotional, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"We're not kids anymore," she continued to whisper through her sniffles. "I want every morning to be like this!"

"So would I," he replied as he kissed her.

"I know we have roommates," Tifa said, "but do you think we can sneak down here every now and then?"

"How about every week?" he said slyly.

Tifa laughed and wrapped her arms around him, rocking him gently and planting kisses on his shoulders.

"Love your skin on me," she whispered. "Love your skin on me."

She had said it many times before.

But now, it had been so long that it almost seemed new again.

Cloud held onto Tifa and rocked her back, running his hand gently up and down her bare back.

"Okay," she said as she got up and turned around. "I'm ready for a shower."

LATER….

Cloud returned to his dorm to find Milton sitting up in bed. He was naked, though his lower half was covered by the sheets.

"What happened here?" Cloud casually asked.

"Amy used me," Milton replied.

He then smiled.

"And I don't give a shit."

LATER….

Tifa arrived back in her dorm at noon.

Miranda turned and smiled.

"You did it, didn't you," she deduced.

She knew that was somewhat rude, but she could not resist.

Tifa simply smiled and nodded.

"Woot!" Miranda shouted. "You're almost back to normal now!"

Tifa smiled, happy to have a friend who cared.

Her smile faded from her face when she began to wonder how much longer she would have her.

That, of course, brought up the elephant in the room.

She then wondered about her offer to be dipped in the Lifestream.

It was the one loose end from the weekend that she had not yet tied up.

Tifa sat on her bed, and cracked her knuckles.

She felt she needed to ask her friend about her decision, or she would burst.

"So Miranda," Tifa began. "Have you thought about what I said?"

"You mean about being dipped in the fissure?" Miranda asked.

Tifa nodded.

Miranda sighed.

"I read about those fissures," Miranda said. "They only appear every several hundred years. And they disappear once too many people have used them."

Tifa felt her stomach tighten. She had heard those reports herself, but she had been hoping Miranda had not.

"I'm sorry," Miranda began. "I can't do it. I know it will save my life, but…"

"But?" Tifa echoed.

"I can't mess with history," Miranda replied. "I don't belong alive past a certain point. What if I somehow stop you from saving the Planet from Meteor? What if I stop your friend Zack from stopping the Geostigma Pandemic? What if I use up the energy and someone else who needed to get dipped couldn't do it? I'd be dooming them."

"We don't know that," Tifa insisted in a shaky voice as her lips began to quiver.

"We can't take the chance," Miranda said sadly. "We can't take the chance. If I wasn't risking changing history, I might take you up on it. But my destiny is my destiny. And believe me, I know I'm not there in your present."

Tears were streaming down Tifa's face.

"We can't lose you," she softly protested.

Miranda, feeling empathy, made her way over to her friend and brushed her tears aside.

"Look," she began. "There's more to saving someone than stopping them from dying. You helped me live. People are still talking about my acting gig. I'll always be remembered because of you. After all, I won't really be dead until I'm forgotten, right?"

Tifa nodded, but did not feel too much better. Miranda had the opportunity to avoid her death, and she was turning it down.

She was dooming herself.

Miranda then hugged her friend.

"You made me immortal," she assured her. "Long after I'm gone, everyone here will remember me. Especially you."