Hiya!

So... I know I'm supposed to be updating my other stuff (like Near To You, and my long-neglected In Our Own World), but this idea kinda jumped out at me, especially after re-watching ACC and after writing too many CloTi snugglies (Tam, that's your fault). And since sekiharatae was looking for more CloTi fics in her holiday wishlist on LJ, I'm contributing to the pile of presents for her. Unfortunately no, this isn't smut.

And so, consider this my holiday present to all of you wonderful people who love all things CloTi. But most especially, this is for Tae and kitsune13 (thanks for looking this over, Tam! *hugs* ^_^)

Happy Holidays!

Summary: In which Cloud has an actual conversation... with someone who's not quite there yet.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Hey, there, little fella.

Whoa, stop squirming, kid. You'll wake your Mom up.

Remember what happened last time? Your Mom was craving homemade chocolate cupcakes, and I had to get up at two in the morning to make some. Your Mom said they were good, but you could tell from her face that she was trying not to gag. If that happens again, you're the one who's gonna have to ingest those things and you don't want that, do you...?

C'mon, kid, settle down.

Okay, what did Tifa say she did whenever you act up? Oh, yeah... she said she.. talks to you? Okay, let's try that. Talk...? talk... talk... Well, here's the thing, kid. I'm not much of a talker, everybody who knows anything about me will tell you that, so you'll just have to forgive Dad, okay?

So...

I guess I should start by saying I'm glad you're in there. I've never really told your Mom this, but I've been wanting you here since I was five and she was a tiny little thing playing in her old backyard. You would have liked her then. A lot. I sure did.

She says that she thinks you'll be a boy and that you'll look like me. I wouldn't mind, but personally, I'm hoping you'll be a girl and look just like her. If you could see her now, I'd bet you'd want to look like her too.

I wish you could see her now. She's so beautiful... She's got the softest, darkest hair I've ever seen and it shines when it catches the sun. And her eyes... her eyes always sparkle whenever she laughs. And when she smiles... she's the most beautiful thing in the whole Planet.

You'll love her, I know. Everyone does. Not as much as I do, though.

You'll love your brother and sister, too. They can't wait for you to get here. Marlene wants you to be a girl, so she can have someone to play dress-up and dolls with. Denzel wants you to be a boy, so he'll have someone to play monster-hunters with. But I'm sure they'll be a great brother and sister either way.

You have a lot of aunts and uncles, by the way... There's your Uncle Barret - he likes to think of your Mom as his little girl, but everyone knows your Mom's the one who's in charge. She can have a pretty scary as- I mean, butt-kicking-bartender face...

There's your Aunt Yuffie - she can be an annoying ninja and a pain in the butt sometimes, but she's okay. We're gonna have to hide your toys away from her though, or she might steal 'em...

There's your Uncle Vincent - he doesn't say much, and we'll have to ban that claw hand of his if he tries to carry you, but he's okay too. He's got a few issues - who doesn't? I used to have a lot of them too - but he's over them, I think. Saved me out of a tight spot about a couple of years ago, your Uncle Vince did. Handy guy to know...

There's your Uncle Cid and your Aunt Shera - he cusses a lot and he smokes (habits he'll have to get rid of, if he wants to stay your Uncle), but he's good man. Personally, I think being married to your Aunt Shera's made him soft, but your Mom won't let me say that to his face. Too bad...

There's your Uncle Red - he's a tad too formal, and of course there's the fact that he's got four legs and a fire tail, but he's pretty cool. You'll learn a lot of things from him...

There's your Uncle Reeve - he's weird (no idea why anyone would want to walk around carrying a talking stuffed cat), but he's smart, like I'm hoping you will be too...

And of course, there's your Uncle Zack and your Aunt Aerith - you won't meet them when you get here, but they're very special to me and your Mom... Your Uncle Zack was my best friend, and your Aunt Aerith was special to me, too. She was one of your Mom's best friends. They're in the Lifestream now.

It used to be really hard for me to talk about them. There was a time when your Dad forgot himself and your Uncle Zack. It was your Mom who helped me remember who I was. And when your Aunt Aerith died, your Dad felt as if her death was his fault. It was part of the reason why I left... That was a while back ago, long before you got in your Mom's tummy. I-I hurt your Mom, then, and I'm not proud of what I did.

I was... scared. It's not an excuse, just the truth. A lot of things happened and it scared me. It was your Mom who helped me be strong again. Strong enough to fight against nightmares and guilt and Geostigma and him.

Strong enough even to tell your Mom how I felt about her. Strong enough to stay.

Strong enough to let you have a chance to live.

... Whoa, was that a kick? Hey, that was pretty good! You wait till you get here. We'll get your Mom to teach you how to kick butt. I'll teach you how to use a sword, too. But we won't tell your Mom. It'll be our secret.

I just hope you won't have to use it... People will tell you that your Dad's a hero, that I saved the world. Twice. But it's not really true. I'm no hero. I didn't save the world because I wanted to be a hero - that might have been my reason when I was five, but when I was actually doing it, I had a lot of reasons and being a hero wasn't a big one.

Your Mom was a big part of the reason. She was fighting too, and I wanted to keep her and your aunts and uncles safe... If-If I have to save the world again, I'll have a new reason this time. I'll have you to keep safe, too.

I'll save the world again, a hundred times over, if it means you'll grow up safe and happy.

Tell you what. When I was fifteen, I made your Mom a promise: that I'd be her hero and rescue her whenever she's in a bind. Now, I'll make you a promise too...

I promise you: I'll always be there for you. Whatever happens in the future, I'll always find a way to be with you and watch over you. You and your Mom and your brother and sister. I'll be there for you. I know what it's like to not have a Dad, and I never want you to feel the way I did when I was a kid.

So I promise, you'll always have me.

I promise.

...

...

...

...

Through the sheen of tears blurring her vision, Tifa smiled at the bright spikes settled on her stomach.

She'd woken up to Cloud running his hands soothingly over her swollen middle, murmuring softly to their baby in his low, comforting voice. And she'd stayed awake since, trying not to move as she listened to Cloud talking to their baby. He'd been awkward at first, but gradually his tone had settled into the mellow rumbling she'd always found soothing.

Apparently, the baby did, too. To Tifa's amazement, several seconds into their one-sided conversation, the baby inside Tifa had quieted -almost as if it, like Tifa, had been listening to Cloud's every word.

Maybe it was the hormones, which had been on a constant high since the start of the pregnancy, but when Cloud had started describing her to their baby, the tears had started falling and they had fallen faster when Cloud told the baby about Zack and Aerith. When Cloud made the promise to their baby, that did it. If she hadn't already been completely and totally in love with him, that would have done it.

With a soft, tender smile, she laid her hand on the top of his head where it was resting over her middle, fingers stroking gently.

It was a rare moment when Cloud was caught by surprise. It happened only when he let his guard down and it was only ever Tifa who could do that to him. Now was one of those times.

He lifted his head from her stomach and turned to her with guilty eyes, embarrassed at being caught -like a little kid who'd done something wrong. Except he hadn't. He'd done something warm and wonderful and adorable and it made her want to melt and hug him all at the same time. Smiling, she took his hand where it was spread over her stomach and tugged at him so that his face was level with hers.

"The baby loves the sound of your voice," she murmured, kissing him softly on the lips. "I can't blame him. Or her."

Cloud smiled back, still slightly embarrassed but pleased. His arms wound around her, baby bump and all. Tifa touched his cheek gently, her smile growing wider. "He'll love you too, I'm sure of it. Looks like he already does."

"Or she."

Tifa laughed and nodded. "Or she."

Cloud smiled and ducked his head to place a kiss on her shoulder. Against her skin, he murmured an endearment, a declaration and a promise all in one.

"I love you."

Wine-colored eyes sparkled with tenderness and certainty, the smile in them warming the darkness. "I love you."

His hand wandered down to her stomach again, moving carefully over the warm bump that was their baby. Ducking his head further, Cloud slid down and placed another gentler kiss on the smooth, stretched skin.

"I love you too, kid."

THE END