Silmeria - Happy reading.

Disclaimer - I claim no rights to Final Fantasy VII

Chapter Nineteen: Lord Alpha Zachary Fair

The steak looked beautiful. It was seared to perfection and the smell drifted into Cloud's nose causing his mouth to water. Unfortunately, Serenity's previous warning about poison and slitting throats in bathtubs ruined his appetite. So, he sat at the table next to Zack staring at the mouthwatering plate of food with a broken heart.

"What's wrong?" Zack looked down at the untouched plate of food and then at Cloud's disheartened features. "Do you not like steak and potatoes? Your Nibel, right? You eat nothing but meat and vegetables during the winter-"

"Ah." Cloud pushed the plate away with a grimace. Too bad. It looked really good. "I'm not hungry. I'm sorry-"

"Did Serenity threaten you?" Zack questioned with a mild frown. He set the fork down and turned his complete attention to his Guide, who, at this point, was becoming rather flustered. "She gave you the whole "I'm going to silt your throat in the bathtub" speech? Followed by, "I'm going to poison your food." speech?"

"She's a rather frightening woman," Cloud confessed, neither agreeing or disagreeing with Zack's questioning. "I know that she's doing it to protect you-"

"And that protection should now extend to you as well, Cloud." Zack interrupted his attempt to protect Serenity's character. "I won't have her threatening you. I won't have you so afraid that you can't eat. Serenity's services will no longer be needed-"

"Zack," Cloud whispered, rising from his seat and placing a caring hand on Zack's shoulder. "That's enough. You don't need to fire or place people for wanting to protect you. You're the Alpha of Midgar and it's your character and person that must be protected at all cost. To them, I am nothing but an intruder who has stolen your senses." Cloud smiled to ease the insult and continued. "I understand their feelings and the pressure that comes with serving your House. I hope that I can make them understand that I'm not here to hurt you, but to be with you and stand by your side."

"Regardless of the pressures that come with serving this House, I won't stand for this behavior. I have made my intentions known to the Council and this Household and for Serenity to blatantly disregard them is insulting to me."

"She has served House Fair since you were but a babe, Zack," Cloud stated, allowing his Nibel accent to slip as his frustrations began to mound. "You can't dismiss her when she's only doing her best to protect you and make sure you remain alive and whole for not only yourself but for Midgar as well. I'm sure you realize how much of a political vacuum it would create if you were killed?"

Zack's face darkened at the very thought. The image of his people and his territory being bought and sold off to the highest bidder caused his stomach to roll. He couldn't bear the image of it, let alone allow it to come to be.

"I'm sorry," Cloud whispered when the silence dragged on for what he thought too long, not realizing that the words had taken Zack to rather frightening place. "I just want what's best for you and taking away those close to you isn't it."

"You're wrong." Zack swallowed back the rush of memories: of those involving his mother, father, and grandfather. All of them drenched in blood and darkness. "It's those that are closest to you that causes the most despair. It's those that are close that drive blades in your back and heart." Zack stood from his seat and approached Cloud with dark eyes that sent shivers down the Guide's spine.

"You know nothing of betrayal. Of watching those whom you loved dearly have their throat silt while you sit at the dinner table and watch it bleed into the tablecloth. Of watching servants die because they couldn't pour wine or whiskey correctly." Zack watched with a dark sense of satisfaction as he watched Cloud's face lose its color. "I will deal with Serenity as I see fit. I will not tolerate those parading around and doing whatever they please-"

"If that is the way you see your people then you want nothing more than a gilded cage." Cloud snapped, his face flushing with anger. "You know of hurt and despair. Of darkness and blood. And if you know how it feels then why would you impose it upon others? Why would you give them the same fear that you felt?"

"I don't." Zack snarled, moving forward and it was well within Cloud's personal space and the sudden movement forced Cloud a step backward. "I would never think of my people as birds in a gilded cage. The love that I carry for them is on a scale of the Goddess herself and the fact that you sit and insinuate that I don't-" Zack took a deep, shuddering breath before turning away and allowing his shoulders to slump. "I...think it's best that we separated for the night and gathered our thoughts. Have a pleasant night, Cloud."

"Zack-" Cloud reached forward, his heart twisting when Zack avoided his touch and moved out of the room, all but slamming the door behind him. The sound caused Cloud to flinch and pinched his lips and fought back the utter despair he felt at the action and the words that were tossed back and forth. He didn't mean it. He didn't mean to imply that Zack didn't love his people and it was just-

Cloud shook his head, clearing his head of such thoughts. Maybe Zack was right? Maybe it was best if they separated for the night.

And he knew just the place.

Seventh Heaven was closed by the time Cloud had made it, but that didn't stop him from climbing up the rickety stairs and opening the door, wincing when it creaked open and Tifa's stern voice was quick to follow.

"Sorry." Tifa's impatient voice snapped from behind the bar. "We're closed."

"Tifa?" Cloud called back, shivering when a burst of cold wind flowed down his back. In all of the arguing, he had forgotten that it was nearing winter and the nights were steadily growing colder. The light jacket wasn't to do for much longer.

"Cloud?" Tifa echoed back in disbelief and not a moment later, Tifa's curious face appeared in the doorway. "What are you doing here? It's freezing and it's late." she looked around, reddish brown eyes narrowing. "Where's Zack?"

"We-" Cloud shook his head, throat tightening. He could barely get the words out when Tifa had all but shoved him inside and locked the door behind them. "We had an argument. It didn't end well." he shrugged off his coat and folded it in his arms, not knowing where to put it considering that all of the chairs were folded and put away for the night. How late was it?

"And he kicked you out?" Tifa pressed with a small, disapproving frown. "With Rosso on the loose?"

"No." Cloud was quick to reassure, to defend. "I left of my own free will."

"Ah." Tifa led him further inside. "Let me guess: You said something that got him angered. He ran off to his apartments and you came here, am I right?"

"...right." Cloud flushed at their obvious behavior, but then again, Tifa knew Zack a lot better than he did, after all. "I said a lot of things that hurt him and I want to apologize-"

"Don't," Tifa warned swiftly. "You have to let Zack come to you and talk to you about it. If you press then it's only going to make it worse."

"I don't see how it's going to make it worse than it already is, Tifa." Cloud smiled weakly at the thought. "I don't want to sit and wait for him to come to me. I was in the wrong and I want to apologize."

"Even if I told you that it's not a good idea?"

"Even so," Cloud responded. "If we're going to be together then I'm not going to wait for him to get his feelings together when we have an argument. Is that a habit?"

"Unfortunately," Tifa murmured. "A leftover from Xavier's Days. His grandfather was never one to apologize even when he was at fault. Alpha's are never supposed to apologize for their actions. He thinks it's weak and unfortunately, that thought process was passed along to Zack."

"He can't possibly still think that can he?" Cloud murmured. "Not after all this time...?"

"Cloud." Tifa began with a pitying smile. "I don't think you understand the influence Xavier held over Zack after his parents died. It..." Tifa shook her head as if the words were stuck in her throat. "Xavier was all the family Zack had left after his parents were killed and even though Zack knew his actions were deplorable, he stayed by his grandfather's side because he didn't want to be alone. He watched that man kill people for the most mundane reasons and he did nothing."

"All because he didn't want to be alone."

"Zack was a child back then." Tifa murmured. "He was frightened of his own grandfather taking his life and he did what he could to survive. Even I don't know the full extent of his actions while he was under his grandfather's thumb and I doubt anyone will."

"I can't imagine," Cloud stated, reaching up and grasping his heart. "How much Zack suffered, but Tifa, Xavier is gone-"

"He might be gone." Tifa cut in swiftly. "But, the nightmare he induced over this city isn't, Cloud. The scars that man left behind are still healing. The Minerva Memorial is proof of that. The names that are etched in her shield are proof of that man's depravity. It's a constant slap in Zack's face that he failed to rally his people in time. It's a constant reminder that he let go on for so long."

"It's not his fault, Tifa." Cloud protested, the sudden urge to defend Zack making his head and heart at war with one another.

"It's not?" Tifa teased with a vicious smile. "But, didn't you just say that now that Xavier's gone that Zack shouldn't have to worry-"

"I was wrong, okay?" Cloud snapped, lowering his head, wishing Tifa couldn't see the flush that decorated his cheeks. "I was wrong. I know that it isn't easy to get over something like what he went through." Cloud swallowed, forcing the words to come out. He couldn't back down now. "I know to a certain extent what he's going through. I know about the pain and loneliness and I never figured Zack would let something like that affect him." Cloud twisted his hands in an anxious gesture that caused Tifa to soften and she watched as Cloud paced the empty bar.

"When I first met him, he looked so brave and courageous and it was like the world's problems couldn't touch him. Of course, I heard about Xavier's Days, but when I arrived, I saw none of that. I didn't see the despair and destruction that was whispered and written about. I didn't see the blood that caked the walls and streets. I didn't see the bodies lining the streets."

"Neither did I." Tifa agreed with a soft, hollow laugh. "Until I saw Minerva's Shield. It was when I saw that Her and Her Shield that I could see the blood caking the walls, the bodies lining the streets and the destruction that Xavier caused that I finally saw Zack's sadness and his rage." Tifa stepped closer to Cloud, placing a hand on his shoulder and forcing him to look into her eyes. "I want you to realize something, Cloud."

"W-What?"

"Midgar's clean, but to the people who suffered and lived through Xavier's Day don't see it as such. I have elderly men and women come into my bar drink themselves into oblivion so that the blood and bodies can go away. They aren't immune to the nightmare so what makes you think Zack is?"

Cloud's lips thinned at Tifa's words and stepped back, brushing off her comforting touch. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve Zack's attention after what he said. How could have been so selfish and harsh? Tifa was right. He didn't understand what Zack was going through. Didn't he understand how horrible it was to live under such a horrid man's thumb for so long and to have his Guide throw it in his face?

"I..." Cloud turned towards the door. He needed to go back and apologize. He needed to see Zack. "I need to go."

"No." Tifa soothed, reaching for him again, and smiling when he weakly-and unsuccessfully tried to fight her off. "Come to bed and let him cool off and in the morning, I'll take you home."

"But-"

"Come on." Tifa murmured, guiding him upstairs. "It's fine." Tifa didn't allow another protest as she led him upstairs and away from the cold bar.

And away from the still form of Rosso the Crimson in the dark windows.