Warning: Language, OOC.

This chapter is shorter than the next ones and might be a little confusing but I hope you get what's going on.

FFVII does not belong to me.

Cloud never expected to dream about Bryce so soon. After falling into a deep slumber with Tifa curled by his side, he had finally seen his little boy face to face for the very first time. Surrounded him was just a vast of white, empty void that was almost blinding, but it screamed purity that someone as broken and battle scarred as him seemed to be out of place and unwanted. It was all entirely familiar and he knew who was behind the dream sequence, if he could call it that, it all seemed too real for him. It had an eerie feel to it, but at the same time it made him instantly calm and at peace, no worries, no fears, no nothing, just him and...

The boy.

He stared at Bryce who was just a few feet away from him while the little one was as equally transfixed at him, his beautiful blue eyes blinking.

"Oh, heyyo." He said with his eyes still bugged out of his head while he stared at the spikes of his father. Cloud blinked at his cuteness, he almost couldn't handle it. He slowly approached his son then knelt down to his tiny height, the boy did not budge, but instead, he beamed adorably at the grown man while rocking his body with his heels.

"Hello." Cloud said gently as he studied the face of his three year old son, his eyes landing on the boy's head first. His brown hair was spiked up the same way as his which made him smirk. The eyes was the same shade of his original blues when there were no traces of mako in his system yet. He noticed though, that the nose and lips belonged his mother, Tifa, and Cloud thought that the kid was an absolute beauty to look at. He felt pride and grief at the same time, for he knew this precious moment with his little boy wouldn't last long. He felt deep regret that he didn't get to see him grow into the cutest child he ever laid his eyes upon on.

"The pwetty wady in a pink dwess said that you're my Daddy, are hyu my real Daddy?" The little boy asked suddenly that snapped Cloud of his reverie. He blinked then stared at the boy for a while with his mouth slightly agape before he spoke.

"I uhhh... Well..." He retorted nervously while scratching the back of his head, he didn't actually know how to answer that question without confusing the kid about the situation. He cleared his throat while looking around nervously. He thought he heard a familiar tinkling giggle somewhere and he almost rolled his eyes. You could have kept your mouth shut for a bit, you know? He thought with a smirk while Bryce bobbed his head to the side with his cute face eager, waiting for an answer.

Sorry, I couldn't help it. Then there was another giggle.

That kid is so adorable, Spikey head! He looks just like you! Hah! Look at that hair! A familiar male voice piped then laughed to his heart's content. Cloud chuckled at his two fallen comrades before he turned to look back at his beautiful son, he turned serious before he spoke again.

"Yes," He hesitated for a bit then said, "I'm your Daddy... Bryce." He said with a small smile. The boy gasped with his hands suspended in front of his mouth, his face full of delight.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

He immediately ran towards his Father then wrapped his little arms around the blonde warrior's neck, who caught him immediately. Cloud was so startled to even move, it was overwhelming. His arms were around his son limply before he tightened his hold, he then buried his face on the crook of the boy's little neck before his whole being began shaking uncontrollobly.

He never thought he was one to lose to his emotions because he immediately started crying silently while holding into his precious baby for dear life, never wanting to let go. He had never felt anything more painful than what he was feeling at the moment, not even when his Mother died, not even when his comrades Zack and Aerith met their untimely demise right in front of his eyes, not even when Tifa left him alone for years, the pain of losing this part of him was now really becoming unbearable.

The more he felt the pain, the more his mind slowly slipped away.

"Stay... Stay with Daddy, Bryce." He pleaded weakly.

His friends knew it, they knew that he was losing himself from the grief, that's why at that very second they were both beside him, carefully placing their hands on his shoulders.

"You will meet your son someday." He heard Aerith say.

"Hang in there chocobo head, we know you're stronger than that. Tifa needs you more than ever so you have to pull yourself together." Zack said at once. Bryce giggled at the 'chocobo head' joke.

"Em just 'ere Daddy, see you."

Cloud woke up with a start, his mako infused eyes were widely open with tears falling freely from both corners. It was still dawn, he knew, for the room was still dimly lit and there was a deafening silence. He then felt his head pound with pain which made him grimace and groan. The moment he lifted his hand to hold his head, he felt something shift beside him, he looked over to the direction of Tifa, who to his surprise, was in a sitting position while clutching both sides of her head, she was rocking back and forth, muttering to herself. Cloud immediately bolted to up to her aid then held unto her wrists which took her by surprise.

"No! NO! STOP IT!" She screamed with her eyes wide in fear. Cloud immediately shushed her to calm her down.

"Hey... Shhh... It's okay... No one is going to hurt you Teef..." He said, he felt a stab in his chest when her face displayed a pained expression.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's my fault. You're in pain because of me, I-" She started sobbing while trying to get out of Cloud's grip on her wrists. "You were crying." She exhaled. "Crying... Because of me." She said weakly, when Cloud let her go, she buried her face in her hands in shame while still sobbing, the blonde's face softened immediately then he grabbed her shoulders to give her a hug, for comfort.

"No, no, it's not your fault. Please Teef, I'm here okay? Please don't cry..." He said as he rocked her back and forth. He started humming a lullaby to her and he felt her stiffen to his song. He started laughing while he continued his humming thinking how terrible he must have sounded. Tifa started singing to the familiar tune, with her voice stuffy while she sniffed occassionally. They went on like that for a few minutes before they stopped. Silence surrounded them for a few minutes before Tifa suddenly asked a question.

"What do you think Hell is like?" Tifa asked the blonde warrior, who was still holding into her like his life depended on it. He placed his chin above the top of her head.

"I don't know..." He said, wondering the same thing.

"If I die, I think... I'll go straight to hell." Tifa said then looked up at Cloud with a smirk. He looked down at her to smirk back.

"That makes two of us." He said while still smirking. Tifa beamed before she started laughing,

"You think we'll run into Sephiroth down there?" The martial artist continued. Cloud chuckled then grunted. "It's possible to see him there." Tifa said nonchalantly. "I bet Bryce is ashamed of me for being a murderer, I'm vile and disgusting." She started laughing again while Cloud displayed a blank look.

"No, you're not." He said, you never were... You were provoked and-" He didn't get to finish when he felt Tifa shake under his hold, he pulled away slightly to take a look at her when she started thrashing around his grip. She started an ear splitting scream that was so deafening it made him grimace while attempting to restrain her, his ears ringing severely. Thundering footsteps were heard coming closer to the room and the door burst open to reveal a very worried, red-faced Barret.

"Wha's goin' on 'ere?!" He bellowed then he dived into the two to help with the frantic brunette. The rest of their comrades appeared by the door, all very alarmed at the situation.

"What happened?!" Yuffie yelled while trying to help but Barret's bulky self obstructed her way.

"She... She just started screaming, she was o-okay a while ago." Cloud said, struggling to talk as he still held unto the brunette, he felt Tifa's movements weaken then she suddenly fainted after a few seconds.

It felt like the Planet had stopped moving for all of them when Cloud suddenly let out an anguished sob. He weakly held unto Tifa's limp form with his head down, crying to his heart's content. Yuffie stared wide eyed at the blonde warrior thinking he was finally losing his mind, it was the first time they'd ever seen him lose control like that.

"Cloud... Maybe... You need..." Nanaki, who was one wise creature didn't even have the right words to say.

"Please calm down, lad!" Cait Sith said almost cheerfully.

"Cloud, we need to have Tifa checked, she clearly have severe trauma from her experience." Vincent said hoarsely as he stared at the two devastated forms at the bed. "We'll do our best for her. Reeve will be able to arrange something."

"I really wish that fucker Constance is still alive and well, I would love ta rip the lil' shit ta pieces, that motherfucker!" Barret roared. "Lookit wha' he did ta mah girl!"

"Count me in, that fuckin' lunatic deserves ter die brutally the second time." Cid interjected. "Tifa will be okay, chocobo head."

Cloud calmed down a little from the support he was getting from his friends. He pulled Tifa towards him and held her tighter then ever. The smell of her hair had an effective calming effect on him since the beginning, he kept this position until he knew it was okay for him to talk, slowly rocking Tifa back and forth. He then released a very long, shaky sigh, kind of embarrassed from his little outburst he showed a while ago. He started chuckling earning him knitted eyebrows from his comrades, all of them wondering what was going on with him.

"C-Cloud...?" Yuffie called him out that made him snap his gaze towards the Wutai Princess, who was obviously taken aback by his amused expression.

"Yes?" He asked in an almost taunting manner. "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm fine. I'm good." He looked down at Tifa's sleeping face, beaming. "Look at her, she's so beautiful, isn't she? Like an angel."

Yuffie held her hands to her mouth and started sobbing uncontrollably, unable to move.