Chapter 36: One Last Small Detail

April 18, 0008

I lay relaxed in Tobin's arms in the bathtub. It was an overwhelming day for me, so I requested some naked time with him when we got home. Tobin had no objections. Candles were lit around us, and the lights were off.

And yet, he had to know the details of my day.

"Tobin," I began, "there's something I need to tell you."

I have a feeling you'll know what this is. No, I wasn't pregnant, too. In fact, I was half drunk with a beer bottle in my hand as I spoke.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I've been appointed ambassador to the Northern Continent," I announced. "Whose capital just happens to be the oh so lovely Icicle Inn."

"That's great!" he said as he kissed me.

"Everything but the weather," I added.

"Will we have to live there?" he asked.

"Part time," I replied. "But our house up there does have a hot tub. I checked."

An hour went by and more beers were imbibed. At this point, we were both pretty drunk. I was laying on top of him with my butt in the air. No, we weren't having sex, though we both knew we would do the deed sooner or later.

I don't know why, but random things can pop up in my head when I'm drunk.

I passionately kissed my boy deeply on the mouth as he ran his hand up and down my bare back.

Then I blurted it out.

"I won't like it as much as the other new job."

"What other new job?" Tobin asked.

"Aunt," I replied.

"Aunt?!"

I realized I had to spell it out for him.

"Tifa's knocked up," I said. "You're an uncle."

"And she just took office," Tobin observed; he was drunk and didn't take it all in. "How's she going to balance that and being president?"

"Cloud's going to be a stay-at-home dad," I informed him. "The Downings are really going to love this!"

"If they don't get canceled first," Tobin pointed out.

I then pinned him down.

"Women are starting to dominate!" I said as I smiled seductively at him.

My smile then became gentle as I gazed upon the man that I loved.

I gently stroked his hair.

"Thanks for pushing me into marrying you," I said.

"It was your idea at first," he reminded me.

"Tobin, I love you so much," I said.

"I love you, too, Cissnei," he said.

And we kissed.

AND…

I love happy endings.

But I love false endings even more.

This is not the end, of course.

Did you think it was? No way!

Cloud and Tifa aren't even the main characters here! We're about to get to the main part of the story, but first I wanted to explain what happened after that.

Be forewarned: this is a long chapter. But a lot can happen in nine months, so bear with me.

So, anyways, Tifa was pregnant. Nobody noticed at first, but the fact that she had nothing to drink on her twenty-first birthday that May practically gave it away. After that, months began to fall off the calendar as she became visible.

During that time, renovations were made to the Shinra Mansion. A pool was built, along with a steam bath. A new presidential apartment was added on the third floor, complete with an office at the entrance. Cloud was right; the temporary living space was returned to a conservatory. The whole mansion became furnished, and it no longer looked like an over-ground basement.

As for the horrid dungeon….that was walled off.

In June of that year, Tobin and I moved into our part-time ambassador's residence in Icicle Inn. It was at the northern edge of town, and I could look out my window and literally see the frontier. Anyone who stood at that window was the northernmost person in the world. Why was Icicle Inn the capital of the Northern Continent? It was simply at the center, despite the northern half being completely uninhabited.

President Galvon was a reasonable guy to work with, though he was always checking me out. He was married with a son and a daughter, but I guess the heart wants what it wants.

Meanwhile, Tifa's baby bump began showing around July. She insisted on not having any special treatment of any kind. She made a state visit to the Northern Continent in August, and she was just the same as ever.

Amusingly, Cloud and Tifa never had sex during her pregnancy.

"We hit a home run," Tifa would say. "Why run around the bases again?"

She never took any time off. Not in September, not in October, not even in November, when she almost looked like she would explode. There were no medical complications, either.

We did a maternity shoot for Tifa in November. It was the closest thing she ever did to modeling. She was wearing a sweater and maternity slacks the whole time, and opted not to take any in her office. Instead, she posed outdoors among the fallen leaves.

So, it happened on December 9, ironically the first anniversary of their "second chance." She had admitted she hoped the baby would be born that day, making their second chance come full circle, if you will.

The day began as usual. Tifa planned several meetings that day, beginning at nine in the morning. She had awoken at six, but, low and behold, she went into labor at seven.

She showered, dressed, and had the meetings anyway. If there was a woman stronger than Tifa was, I'd definitely like to hear about it.

Since most of those who were meeting with her were close friends, they understood her situation. And for those who she wasn't close with, well, she didn't care.

She wasn't dressed professionally; had a yellow tee shirt on, with a pair of black pajama bottoms; she apologized for her attire, and jokingly referred to herself as the queen bee.

She had to stop the meetings briefly whenever a contraction came. And then, she would go on as if nothing happened. Of course, her contractions became worse throughout the day. There were suggestions that she stop the meetings, but they all fell on deaf ears. Everything was adjourned at five, as it always was.

By six that evening, she was in active labor. She was on the floor of her office, as it was the most secure spot she could think of. She was still in her yellow tee and black pajama bottoms. Calming music was playing in the background. There were only six people left: Elena, Tseng, Tobin, myself, and, of course, Cloud and Tifa. Elena was holding one of Tifa's hands and Cloud the other.

"I don't know how to thank you all," Tifa said between contractions.

"Don't mention it," Elena assured her. "We know what you went through. We're here to the end."

Tifa was about to say something, but then had another contraction.

"I hope this hasn't scared anyone from having kids!" she laughed after it was over.

She hadn't, for the record.

By seven, it became really intense. Now, everyone over the age of nine knows what part of a woman's body a baby comes out of. But Tifa was still in her yellow tee shirt and black pajama pants, because she was, well, Tifa, and wouldn't disrobe in front of anyone but Cloud. One of us ended up raising a legitimate question.

"How are you checking your dilation?" Elena asked.

Tifa flaunted her watch in response. Apparently, it had an app that actually checked it for her (God knows how), so nobody she wasn't comfortable with (which included everyone on the face of the earth but Cloud) would ever lay their eyes on her vajayjay.

She was, by this point, eight centimeters. The watch showed it in yellow, as it had when she hit five. It was green before that, so I figured it would turn red when she hit ten, when she could start pushing.

Although she was anything but comfortable, Tifa wasn't groaning loudly like they do on TV and in the movies. She would take long, deep, heavy breaths, but that was the loudest she got.

"So," Elena began, "did you ever check to see if it's a boy or a girl?"

They had never announced it to anyone.

"I don't care what it is," Tifa laughed. "I just want it out of me!"

"Fair enough," Elena admitted.

Then, her watch showed 9. Just one centimeter to go.

One contraction.

Then another.

"Not…much…longer…." she groaned in the middle of an intense one.

Elena took a look at the black pajama bottoms Tifa was wearing; I knew she was thinking what I was thinking. It was almost time to push.

"Tifa," Elena began, "I don't think pants are the best option at this point."

"I'm okay," Tifa insisted.

Elena then looked at me as if to say: "She's going to give birth in those pants if we don't give her her privacy."

I took the hint.

"I think we'll scram," I announced.

Tobin and I hugged Tifa and wished her good luck. Elena did the same.

As soon as we were gone, Tifa had another intense contraction. She grabbed Cloud's wrist so hard it left a bruise.

"Sorry!" she said as she looked up.

And then, her watch hit 10. It was now red.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I think the pants need to come off!" she laughed. "And get them as far away from me as possible!"

Cloud duly slipped off her pants and panties.

Tifa picked them up, and aimed for the laundry basket.

"She shoots," she playfully said as she hurled them into the basket.

They landed perfectly inside.

"Yes!" she shouted just before another contraction hit.

Cloud attempted remove Tifa's shirt as well, but she grabbed his hand.

"N-no, Cloud," she pleaded. "I want it to catch the sweat."

"No problem," he said.

Tifa, still on her knees, turned to face Cloud and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Cloud," she began, "I think I need to push now. Are you ready for this?"

"One hundred percent," he replied.

In a tender moment, she stroked his spikey hair and kissed him.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you," he replied.

"Okay," she said with a smile. "I'm ready. Let's do this."

Tifa felt another contraction coming. She closed her eyes, and her face became redder.

"Push," Cloud whispered gently.

"I am pushing!" Tifa exclaimed through clenched teeth.

And then, it went as it came.

Tifa looked up at Cloud, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and smiled.

"Everyone's still voting online!" she said as she caught her breath. "Whether it's a boy or a girl."

This continued for a while. There were false alarms for half an hour. Then, they realized the moment was at hand when Tifa finally began to vocalize.

"Oww! Owwww! Owwwwwwww! Oh shit!" Tifa groaned. "I feel her head!"

She grabbed his arm so hard her nails dug in.

"Come on," she pleaded. "Help me breathe!"

She then closed her eyes and clenched her teeth one more time, and buried her head in Cloud's shoulder.

"Holy shiiiiiiiiiiiit!" she cried at the top of her lungs.

And then, she suddenly felt lighter.

Cautiously, Tifa slowly raised herself to Cloud's level.

"C-cloud," she began in a barely-audible whisper. "I think she's out. Can you check?"

She held position upright on her knees as Cloud disappeared behind her. She was afraid to move; she knew doing so would be painful.

And then, she heard a cry.

She realized what it meant.

"Ada!" Tifa exclaimed happily. "You're here!"

And then, she moved slightly, and she stated the obvious.

"Oh, my vagina hurts!"

Duh.

Poor Ada; that was one of the first things she heard. Not to mention the first thing she saw was her mom's bare butt.

Fifteen minutes later, Tifa was still in the same position, having never moved. She was holding her now-blanketed daughter in her arms.

She then looked Cloud in the eyes as she began to cry tears of happiness.

"All the time we were playing together as kids," she began, "I never thought it would lead to this. Cloud, I love you so much!"

"I love you, too," Cloud said. "Both of you."

He then gently kissed her on the mouth.

"You know, I don't care if I'm half naked," Tifa continued. "I wish everyone could see this beautiful moment!"

I was luckier.

I may or may not have implied that I did eventually have kids, though not during this story. Three years after the it ends, when I was thirty, I ended up giving birth in my own office.

I had friends, both male and female, surround me.

I was completely naked; under the circumstances, I didn't care.

I ended up sweating a lot more than Tifa did.

My water broke all over the carpet.

And there was worse, believe me.

December 25, 0008

We spent our first Christmas together that year. We woke up, showered, and put on our pajamas. That was, of course, clean Christmas pajamas.

We exchanged gifts that morning. Tobin had gotten me a gorgeous golden necklace. I got him a new phone.

Cid and Shera had us over for Christmas dinner, along with Barret and Jessie, and Tseng and Elena. It wasn't a party; it was a small gathering for the childless couples.

I wore an ugly red sweater and a pair of slacks that were beyond uncomfortable. Cid was dressed formally, and Shera was in a red spaghetti-strap dress and a pair of boots. She also elected not to wear her glasses, and she bumped into things more times than I could count. Her reason for such attire was understandable; they had been talking about getting engaged since March, and she was quite certain he would pick Christmas to pop the question.

Actually, we were all anticipating that he would do the deed that night. We spent the entire Christmas dinner making small talk, but largely eyeing Cid. He seemed a little uncomfortable, and could probably tell what we were all thinking.

The moment came when we were finished dinner. Cid stood up and tapped his champagne glass with his fork, indicating he wanted to say something.

We all knew this was it.

"Shera," he began, "at first, I thought you were some annoying, needy teenager, and when the launch was aborted, I considered snapping your neck in your sleep."

Shera folded her arms.

Cid was definitely not good with speeches.

"But," he continued, "you've kept me sane ever since I met you. Not to mention you've saved my sorry ass more times than I'm willing to admit to."

He paused.

We all knew he was gearing up for it. Considering Cid isn't the sentimental type, it probably took a lot.

"And I want you to keep doing what you're doing forever," he continued as he pulled a box from his pocket.

He then bent down on one knee, and opened the box.

"Marry me?" he requested.

"Cid! Yes!" exclaimed Shera.

We all cheered as he placed the ring on Shera's finger, kissed her, and lifted her into the air.

We had all seen it coming, but it was a joyous moment nonetheless.

LATER…

Then Tseng and Elena left, and two hours went by.

Jessie was drunk now.

Really drunk. She seemed completely out of it.

Cid was drunk, too, but Shera, being below the drinking age, remained sober.

Barret was the designated driver, so he was sober as well.

Tobin and I were both sober because we hadn't decided who would drive home yet.

"I just booked our wedding," Cid announced, with his speech slurred.

"On your cell phone while drunk?" Shera asked.

"Terra Nova, like you wanted," Cid assured her.

"Do we have a date?" Shera asked.

"August 13," Cid replied.

"0009?" Shera asked.

"0011," Cid clarified. "It was the earliest I could book."

"We have to wait that long?" Shera inquired.

"It's it worth it?" Cid asked.

"Totally," his fiancée replied as she got up out of her seat and kissed him.

With that, she straddled her fiancé and began to make out with him passionately.

Cid began to run his hands over her butt through her dress.

That did it for one of us.

"It's too hot," Jessie said as a poor excuse. "I'm going out for a second."

With that, she got up and went outside.

That second turned into a minute.

Then an hour.

"I'll be back," Barret said as he got up.

He went out the door.

He came back a few seconds later.

"She's gone," he announced.

Shera, who was still making out with Cid, jumped off of him.

"We need to go find her!" she declared.

She then disappeared out the door herself.

"That was unexpected," Cid observed, and passed out immediately thereafter.

Tobin, Barret, and I were the only ones lift.

"We'll help, too," I offered.

Barret shook his head.

"We can track each other's location on our phones," he said. "I'll find her easily."

"You sure?" Tobin asked.

"Positive," Barret replied, as he checked his phone. "I see her right now. Looks like she made it all the way home."

Pay attention to this, because it comes back later.

BACK HOME…

As soon as we got home, Tobin went for the fridge and got us each a six pack of beer. We wanted to get drunk, but only after we were done driving. He took them to the couch and signaled for me to join him on the floor.

I took off my pants and thong and joined him in the common area. Not that we were planning on sex; they were getting way too uncomfortable, and I wanted to feel free. That said, I did sit on the couch to give him a view.

We played a couple of board and card games as we drank, getting drunker and drunker until reality started to fade. He then joined me on the couch and we made out for a bit.

And that was the last thing I remembered before passing out.

If he was horny that night, I feel awfully bad for him.

THE NEXT MORNING….

December 26, 0008

I woke up the next morning at eleven. I realized I was still in my ugly red sweater and still naked from the waist down. I was on the couch still; I figured I had passed out after one champagne too many.

I stood up to feel a huge pounding in my head; I was no doubt hungover. I walked to the kitchen counter to and saw my phone there. I saw a text from Barret, telling us how Jessie was found passed out in a ditch by their house late last night.

I saw on the microwave clock that it was 11:37. I figured I would feel better if I had breakfast, so I made myself some toast. I then put it on a plate and sat down at the table. I would eat, then shower and dress.

And that was when I noticed.

A newspaper was spread on the table, with its front page visible.

The headline read:

SEPHIROTH ESCAPES

BALEN BROTHERS ESCAPE

PETRIFIED REMNANTS MISSING

I immediately stood up in shock and staggered back; I had lost my appetite at this point.

I then felt Tobin's loving hands wrap around my midriff.

"It happened last night," he said solemnly. "Three break-ins in three different places. They're all free, all on the loose, and nobody knows where they are."

I clutched Tobin's hands, and began to shake in fear.

Any one of them could come after any one of us.

None of us were safe anymore.

I turned to face him.

"Hold me," I pleaded.

And he kept his arms around my waist and held me close.

But I could tell he was frightened as well.