Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Alone….

Author's Note: I just found this fic I made that I wrote a while back. I forgot about this fic. So, I decided to post it today. I decided to write this after reading The Case of Tifa. It was interesting to know how Tifa wanted to surround herself with her friends so she could cope with her sins. I wondered what happens if Tifa was alone. So here it is. Enjoy! ^_^

"It's raining…"

Looking out through 7th Heaven's window, Marlene sat on her knees on one of the soft, black booth chairs, gazing at the dreadful weather. It was pouring heavily, slowly forming puddles in the cemented street way. Marlene gave a little sigh, her mood matching the weather. It was definitely not a good day. Slowly, she turned around to see a boy leaning against the table. His eyes too fell to the weather and he too wore an expression that matched her own. "Can you believe this, Denzel?" Marlene whined as she slumped in her seat. "It's raining…"

"So much for the adventure of the lifetime," Denzel said angrily as he sat on one of the chairs across from Marlene.

"Mmm…"

They both looked at each other and gave depressing sighs.

"Marlene! Denzel! Breakfast!" a voice called, interrupting their moment of grief. Coming out of the kitchen, Tifa Lockhart came with a smile on her face, placing two large platters of scrambled eggs and hotcakes. She placed the on a table that was near the bar. Turning to get the rest of the breakfast, Tifa halted when she noticed the two children looking out the window. Blowing her bangs away from her eyes, she fully turned her body to the two and crossed her arms above her chest. "Are you guys planning to eat the window for breakfast?"

Both Marlene and Denzel literally spun in their seats, surprised looks in their eyes. "Tifa! I'm sorry…I didn't know you were there," Marlene stated with a guilty look in her eyes.

"Yeah, sorry," Denel said, scratching his hair.

Tifa simply nodded her head.

"But…what was it you said again?" Denzel dared asked. Tifa immediately gave him a scorned look.

"Denzel!"

"What?" said a shocked Denzel who immediately put up his hands in defense, expecting Tifa to grab hold of his tiny pinna.

"Sometimes I wonder if you guys ever listen. I swear that you listen through one ear and let it out the other." Denzel wondered what she means until his eyes immediately looked at the table. His dampened mood immediately brightened at the sight and aroma.

"Food!"

Tifa sighed as she watched the two cute monstrosities scurried their way to the table. "Kids, they're a hand-full these days, right Cloud?" Her brown-red eyes turned their attention to a young man sitting on one of the barstools, his blonde, spiky, chocobo-like hair standing out. His attention was focused on a newspaper as he scanned it with most attentiveness. He didn't seem to comprehend what Tifa said.

"That applies to him too," Tifa muttered.

She walked over to him, standing close behind him. Slowly, she leaned over to his ear. "Yuffie's here."

Immediately, as if struck by lightning, Cloud dropped the paper and spun around, a bewildered look passed through his eyes. "W-wha…?!"

"Welcome back," Tifa smiled. Cloud, at first, didn't understand what was going on. He expected to hear Yuffie's annoying voice until he saw Tifa. She pointed where the children where. Again, he didn't understand until he saw the food on the table.

The little family dug into their breakfast as usual, savoring Tifa's excellent cooking. However, the little heartened chatter that was usually apparent on this table was absent. Both Tifa and Cloud exchanged looks as they watched the kids eating their food without a word to say. Usually, they do have something to say. "Marlene…Denzel...is everything okay?" Tifa asked as she placed her fork down.

Marlene was the first to break away from her depressed state. She shook her head with a disappointed look in her eyes. "The trip to Gold Saucer might be cancelled."

"Oh, Marlene! I'm sorry to hear that," Tifa said sympathetically. She knew how much this trip meant to them. They never ventured far without the watchful eye of Cloud and herself. The trip to Gold Saucer was a field trip for the entire school, thanks to an unknown contributor who paid for the entire trip. This was the only time that Cloud and Tifa's supervision was not needed as a lot of the parents volunteered and their teachers would be there. So, they were well taken care of. She remembered lividly how both children had their eyes glued onto the calendar every single day and watched the weather as if their lives dependant on it. They made sure they packed the necessary things and made sure they were good kids by helping out with the chores, even though they were already good kids. It was no wonder they would react with such disappointment.

Denzel gave a hefty sigh. "And I promised to take Marlene to the Chocobo races too…"

Cloud set his half finished cup of coffee onto the table. Slowly, he stood up. "There's nothing to worry about. The trips not cancelled."

"What?!" Both kids exclaimed as they stood from their seats.

"Cloud, really?! Is it true?!" Denzel asked, hope laced in his voice.

The blue eyed warrior nodded his head. "Says in the newspaper the weather is clear over there."

"Did you hear that Denzel?!"

Denzel nodded his head. "Let's go to school. We gotta make sure." After woofing down the last of bites of their breakfast steadfastly, they ran up the stairs to get ready, their amiable voices heard from upstairs.

Tifa smiled and looked up. "So that's why you were so concentrated on the newspaper. You were making sure that they would go on the trip."

"It's nothing…really. I just happened to come across the weather page. That's all." Cloud took a glance at the window to see that the rain lightened up a bit. Tifa looked his profile as he continued to gaze at the window. A sad look passed her features as she averted her eyes away from Cloud to her empty plate.

"So…they want you to deliver something all the way in Icicle Town, huh?" Tifa asked knowingly. Cloud turned to her, nodding his head while he looked at the ground, as if he was a child who just stole something from the cookie jar. "So, you won't be home…for one week, huh?" Just about the same time the kids will be gone.

"Something like that." Both said nothing after that. Tifa watched curiously as he stood there as stiff as board. It seems like he was going to ask something vital. Slowly, he turned to Tifa.

"Tifa."

"Hmm?" She knew him too well. His eyes were shifting a bit, looking anywhere but her eyes. He seemed nervous.

"Tifa…I-"

"We're ready, Tifa!" Their moment was interrupted by the two children, all prepped up and ready to go to school and to the hopeful adventure of the lifetime.

"All right, get your coats. I'll be ready in just a minute." She turned her attention back to Cloud. "So, you were saying?"

"Never mind. It's not a big deal." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'll see you later."

"Mm…you be careful too, Cloud."

Night fell fairly quickly as Tifa noted when she stared at the sky through her kitchen window. She was in the middle of washing today's dishes from the not-so-busy day in 7th Heaven. Evidently, the entire area was quiet as a mouse. She cringed at the sight of the unusually dark sky. She couldn't see the luminescent moon or her favorite twinkling stars. It seemed the dreary clouds enhanced the night's darkness. She turned away from her view of the outside and fixed her gaze on her unfinished chores.

Because of the weather, there weren't a lot of customers throughout the day. At most, 2 to 3 people would come from time to time to grab a quick drink or a meal to go. She thought that maybe her customers decided to stay wherever they where at until the rain stops. She felt kind of lonely without the customers around so she had to close early. Thinking of the lonely place made her shiver and placed the dish on the rack.

After a while, Tifa placed the last dish onto the dishing rack. She let a satisfying sigh and stretched her arms to the ceiling. It took her 2 hours to clean up the entire bar. She relaxed her arms and surveyed the area. She had to hand it to herself. She did a pretty good job cleaning up the place alone. Usually, she had her special helpers here to help, but today was an exception. Tifa's satisfied smile disappeared and she let out a sigh. She looked out the window and thought about her two precious children.

Earlier, it was a hectic time when she ushered them quickly to the school bus. The weather was dreadful. They were worried that the school might cancel the trip. Out of sheer luck, the school continued the trip as planned as the weather on the other side was clear and sunny. Since they had no car, she had to walk with them to school, sharing an umbrella that was large enough to hold three people. They managed to reach school on time, unscathed from the weather and slippery floors. The school was loading all the students into the bus. She gave them some parental advise, like "staying close together," or "make sure to have a sweater with you," or "Denzel, protect Marlene," and so forth. She had to give up her umbrella for their sake and rush back home to take a warm shower, change into her clothes, and open the bar.

Cloud gave them his best wishes to the two before he left for work. He couldn't see them off with her because he had a lot deliveries lined up today. He seemed a bit in a hurry when he scurried off to work. He also seemed a bit reluctant. She wasn't sure why.

So, here she was, in her bar on a dreadful, rainy night, alone and with no one to talk to. The quietness in the bar made her shiver a bit. She was used to having this place noisy with the sounds of clanking dishes and the customers talking amongst each other. This quietness made her feel suddenly uneasy. Tifa hurriedly went upstairs to Cloud's room, where their only phone in the house was placed on top of Cloud's cluttered desk. She grabbed the phone and dialed a number. She placed the headset on her ear and waited for a response.

"Ossu!" a light, hyperactive voice was heard on the other side. "Hee! Yuffie here! Sorry, can't talk right now! Busy stealing other people's materia! Urm…leave a message after the beep!!! Bye-B's!"

Before Tifa could hear the beep, she hung up the phone. It was unusual that Yuffie didn't respond. With a sigh, she picked up the phone again and dialed another number.

"I'm !##$ing busy! Leave a #$in' message! Geez! Shera! Where's my--!" the beep of the voice message turned on but she hung it up. She should really talk to Cid to change his voice message. This voice message was 3 years old and he didn't even bother changing it. This was before Cid forgave Shera, so it's not accurate now since the two were happily engaged. For the third time, Tifa picked up the phone and dialed another number.

"Sorry, I'll call you back as soon as I am able…" Silence was heard from the other side for a moment. "If you hear this, rely this message to Yuffie: Stop calling me." Again, she hung up before she heard the beep. Looks like Vincent was still trying to avoid Yuffie and her endless calls. That's Yuffie for you: an hyperactive, persistent, stubborn, loud mouth, Ninja princess of Wutai. Ninjas are supposed to be quiet, patient, and calm, right?

A thought occurred to her. She remembered one time when Vincent's cell phone rang when Cloud, Vincent, and her were asked to apprehend these thieves that were stealing from innocent people in Bone Village. The ringtone gave a dead giveaway that they were there. The one who called happened to be Yuffie. Maybe that was why Vincent asked Yuffie never to call him or maybe because he has not figured out how to put his phone on silent.

Tifa was deciding to call Nanaki or Reeve, but she knew Nanaki couldn't use a phone unless someone with fingers was with him. Since he was exploring the entire world with his new mate, there was no possible way. Reeve was too busy to answer his phone as he was in the middle of an investigation with WRO somewhere near the Forgotten City. So she called another person, hoping he would answer.

"Yo! Barret here! Can't talk right now! Busy mining the oil rigs! Leave a message! If it's Marlene, daddy's gonna call ya right away darlin! Later!"

Was today ignore "Tifa" day? She couldn't believe all her friends were not answering their phones. Maybe they couldn't be reached because of the reception. With the rain going on, that would be a definite probability. Tifa sighed and decided to check up on Denzel and Marlene. She gave them her cell phone just in case if there was an emergency and they would either call her or Cloud. She dialed her number and only heard her voice message after the fifth ring. Instead of hanging up, she left a message.

"Hey guys, it's Tifa. I just want to see how you guys are doing. I hope you guys are having fun. Be sure to pay attention to whatever the teacher says. And be sure to wear a sweater when it gets cold, especially you Marlene since you're sensitive to cold weather. Everything is fine over here, if you're wondering. I'm fine, so don't worry. Have fun and be careful." She hung up the phone and gave a depressing sigh. This was not working at all. She could feel the chill running up her spine again. Deciding whether to call him or not, she decided to. He never made his own voice message and relied on the automated voice mail to take care of it. So, she called and waited for a response. Again, his automated voice mail came on. She knew he was busy, but she wanted to give a try.

"Cloud, it's me," she said, hoping the desperation of someone to talk didn't appear in her voice. "Just…checking to see how you are…with the rain…and all that. Umm…yeah…the bar's not busy so I closed up early. I was wondering if, if it's not any trouble, you can get some ingredients…like green onions, potatoes…you know, ingredients for the soup I'm. I think you know what it is. You'll be probably catch a cold once you come back, knowing you and your stubbornness to bring an umbrella." Tifa was definitely desperate to talk to someone. She knew she had these ingredients at home, but luckily, Cloud was dense with fruits and vegetables. She drummed her fingers on her desk, thinking of what else to talk about. "Well…umm…I called everyone just now. I guess the rain really did numbers on the reception. I hope Marlene and Denzel are doing all right out there. I hope YOU'RE doing all right too. Don't push yourself. Rest when you need it. And…" She paused again. She was running out think of things to say. "Well…I'll see you later then. Be careful out there, Cloud." With that, she hung up the phone.

Silence finally pervaded the room with the exception of the rain pattering down on the house. Thunder struck as the room momentarily lit. Tifa's hand was still on the handset. Her hands began to tremble. It seemed the night was growing darker. Slowly, she folded her arms across her trembling body. The room suddenly felt cold to her without the presence of someone. By now, the kids would be in their rooms, playing. She would hear them running around, making all these noises that made her feel comfortable. She would hear the bar filled with talking people with some shouts from time to time from the drunken states of some of her customers. And she would hear Cloud's Fenrir by now, pulling up to his usual parking place on the side of the bar. She missed those sounds dreadfully. She missed the warmth.

Tifa hated being alone in such a dreadful day. It greatly reminded her of the days when her mother passed away. When her mother passed away, she felt suddenly cold and alone. She felt like no one would be there for her like her mother was there for her. She felt like her whole world was ending the moment she felt that coldness and quietness. Everything about the cold and darkness reminded her of her dark past and sad memories. Thoughts about her dearly departed friends would come to her mind. Thoughts about her guilt would return. She felt as if ghosts of her past were looking at her scornfully, hating her for what she did. She needed to escape. She needed to feel the warmth again.

"I need to turn on the lights," Tifa said shakily as she went over to Cloud's desk to turn on the light. The light wasn't turning on. Desperately, she went over to the switch next to the door, but it wasn't turning on the lights. Tifa walked over to the phone, hoping to call Cloud again and hoping to hear his voice. But, the phone didn't have a ring dial. Panicking, she went to the hallway and tried to turn on the lights there, but they weren't turning on. She went to the kids' room and tried to turn on the lights. But, there wasn't any lights. She went to her room and tried to turn on her music from her small radio set on her desk, her lights in her room and bathroom, and her lamp on the nightstand next to her bed, but nothing turned on.

"N-no way," she cried hopelessly as she leaned against the wall. Why wasn't the lights turning on? She looked at her digital clock to find that the red light wasn't on. The power wasn't working. Again, Tifa wounded her arms across her shaky body. She couldn't stand this. She needed someone. She needed to see light. She needed to feel warmth. Tifa ran from her room and went back to Cloud's room. His room was somewhat lighter and she felt a little at ease. But it still didn't make her feel comfortable.

Tifa's body began to shake again. She wounded her arms around herself again, trying to prevent herself from shaking. She wasn't this weak. She would never show this side to her to anyone. But, right now, she couldn't stand being alone. There was no one here to comfort her. There was no one here to talk to. There was no one here to make her feel warm. She felt utterly, hopelessly helpless.

"Someone," she whispered to herself shakily. In the midst of her anxiety, she thought she heard a sound of a motorcycle outside. She thought she heard right after that the sound of a door opening and the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. But, she thought it was a dream. No one was home. No one would come at such a dreary night. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she felt every fiber of her body wanting to collapse on the floor. The loneliness was overbearing.

Before a single tear shimmered off her face, a pair of warm arms suddenly wrapped around her waist. The moment of turmoil suddenly broke as reality came back into her mind. The once darkened room was not as dark as she thought. The cold room wasn't as cold anymore. Even though the arms that wrapped around her waist were slightly damp from the rain, they were still warm and comforting.

"Tifa…"

The voice…she knew that cool, calm voice so well.

"It's okay…I'm here…"

She smiled at the sound of his concerned voice as she placed her hands above his and leaned against his front. She felt his chin lean against her shoulders. "Cloud," she said. "How did you…?"

"Shh," he simply responded, tightening his hold around her. This simple gesture made her blush a bit. Considering this was Cloud, he was not the type to show his feelings. Of course, there was the occasional hug and kiss on the cheek, but he never showed his feelings. He was a novice when it comes to that. But, seeing this side of Cloud, comforting her, it made her feel safe.

"Cloud," she called again. She still wondered how he knew.

As if he read her mind, he responded, "I cancelled the trip to Icicle Village. It was too late." Tifa nodded her head. That would make sense.

"Besides," he continued, giving her gentle kiss on her cheek. "You hate being alone. You always have. Ever since your mom passed away."

Tifa's eyes widened. How did he know? Then again, he had been admiring her from the shadows and kept a careful eye on her. He experienced her hate for loneliness too when they were chasing Sephiroth. So, it's no surprise that he did what he did. A smile passed her features once more. "So the reason you were in a hurry this morning…because you knew I would be alone."

"Something like that…"

"Hm, I see," she said, leaning towards him. "Thank you, Cloud."

Cloud nodded his head. A companionable silence fell between them, letting the moment sip in. Cloud continued to hug from behind. She leaned her head against the crook of his neck, feeling sleepy all of a sudden.

"Tifa…"

"Hmm?" she responded sleepily.

"Green Onions…"

"Hm? What about it?"

"What's that?"

Tifa was surprised. So she hit him on the arm in response. Way to break the moment. "Cloud…!"

Cloud can be a kid sometimes. Well, at least she's not alone.

Author's Note: That's right, way to break the romantic feel Cloud, hehe. I wasn't sure how to end this story. I assumed Cloud is still in the process of learning his vegetables and fruits. So I decided to end it with that. I hope you guys like it! ^_^