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The Problem With The Truth	By : Chococat Category: Final Fantasy Anime > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 679 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Final Fantasy franchise in any form or fashion. I do not make money or profit in any way from it.

Chapter List
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Tifa’s comm unit was buzzing angrily, which woke her up. It was Barret. “What happened?” Checking the time, she saw it was two o’clock in the morning.
“I’m outside your door.”
“Outside my door? Why didn’t you knock?”
“I didn’t want to alarm you.”
Blearily she got up and unlocked the door to let him in. It was pouring outside and he was in his rain gear. Someone else stepped in behind him with two black covered baskets. There were noises that sounded like kittens coming from inside of them. Frowning she leaned down to look in one of them and saw a baby’s crying face. This was a new baby. Turning she saw the other basket had an angry baby as well.
She stood back up to frown at Barrett and the figure who were pushing in large trunks. “What’s the meaning of this?”
Barrett pulled off his wet items. “Edge got taken over by this rebel group.”
She nodded, her eyes sliding over to the individual who’d not moved since they stepped into her house. Who was that? “Yes, it was all over the news. They’re called the Freedom Fighters Republic for Each and Every one. FFREE for short.”
“We got out just in time before they shut everything down. My contacts told me to get out of town swiftly and we did. I remember what happened with Sector 7.”
Yeah, that plate drop had been horrendous. She nodded. “Alright. I’m guessing you’re holing up here for a while.”
“You guessed right. I was able to shift my money to an intercontinental bank so it won’t be encumbered by events.”
“Tell me about the babies and whoever this is standing in front of me.” She pointed to the tall, wide person that hadn’t moved. Barrett hesitated before grimacing.
“You might as well take off your stuff. There’s no hiding now.”
The being pulled back the hood and there stood Cloud Strife.
“Oh hell no! Take him and his sorry ass out of my house!” Tifa pointed to the door.
“Tifa, please! There are no rooms to be had. I’ve been trying to find something the whole time we traveled. Everything is booked up. Even the single room occupancies are taken.”
“It’s the festival season.”
“Oh yeah. Shoot.” He looked at the floor. “Can they at least stay for a few days? It’s pouring out there and the babies have nothing to eat.”
“Why not?”
“They drank it all. Mirage was okay since she eats food but the twins are hungry.”
“Mirage?” She watched as Cloud disrobed to reveal a tiny girl strapped to his chest. She was a red headed little thing and knocked out. Unbelievable. “I’m not happy, Barrett.” She didn’t even want to look at Cloud. He’d been smart enough to say nothing.
“I know and I’m sorry. If we weren’t desperate I wouldn’t have come.”
“Where’s their mother?”
Cloud answered this. “Dead.”
She frowned at his lackluster tone. “Dead?”
“Mira went out on a quick foraging mission that was supposed to last three days. She stumbled into a skunk den by accident and suffocated from the poisonous fumes. This happened two days before we left. I cremated her and then Barrett came running so we packed all the milk we could find and left.”
That had to suck big time. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
He nodded but said nothing else. He didn’t seem too cut up about it but that was Cloud for you.
Okay. “How old are they and what do they drink?”
“They’re almost four months and they drink breastmilk.”
Tifa paused, blinking then shook her head before going to wash her hands. Staring into the mirror she couldn’t believe what she was about to do. Her milk had never stopped flowing even though she’d weaned Ether. She’d taken to bottling it and giving it to him. While he was happy she wasn’t pleased. Her little boy was two and a half now. Wiping off her breasts she went back into the living room.
“Barrett, bring them into my room. Go into the attic and get the Ether’s old crib.”
“What about Mirage?”
“Umm, get Ether’s travel cot. She will be comfortable on that.”
She went to her bedroom and sat on her rocking chair. Barrett placed the carriers down and put down another bag. “This is their stuff.”
She nodded and unzipped the first carrier. Carefully picking up the baby she looked at it. Another redhead. By the color of the clothing she guessed it was a girl. Changing the diaper she knew it was. After getting her reclothed she changed the other one, which was another redheaded girl. Getting comfy she offered her breast to the baby. She nuzzled it before opening her mouth and latching on. Tifa sighed at the familiar feeling and relaxed. When the little girl was done she pulled back. Lifting her she patted her back until she burped. Then Tifa put her down and lifted the other.
She could always finish feeding the first one but the other needed to eat a little something. She sounded pitiful. Noises alerted her to Barrett and Cloud coming into the room with the beds. They set them up next to her bed and she directed them to where the sheets and covers were.
Cloud glanced at her briefly but followed directions. By the time both little girls were asleep everything was done. She placed the twins in the crib and undressed Mirage before putting her in the cot. She cut off the lights and went back to bed.
+
The twins woke her up at four and she blearily fed them before stumbling to the bathroom. Then she stumbled to Denzel’s room. She gently rubbed his back until he woke up. “It’s time to get up.”
“Okay.” He yawned as he sat up and stretched.
“Cloud’s here.”
His eyes widened and he raced out the door to get Marlene. She walked to the kitchen to make coffee. She would need it today. Out the corner of her eye she saw Cloud sitting up, asleep on the couch with one hand behind his head and the other in his pants. The bastard looked extremely virile and sexy so she turned away.
Her two eldest crept up to him and stood watching him. You would think they were young children and not teenagers the way they were acting.
Marlene looked at Denzel. “Should we wake him? You know how grumpy Mommy is when you wake her up.”
Denzel shrugged. “True. Let’s get dressed and see if he’s awake by then.”
They nodded and left. She smiled and went to go get dressed. When she got there another issue presented itself. She had a few bottles of milk but she would need to pump for the twins. While she wasn’t happy it was stupid to think they wouldn’t fly through the supplies at the house. Ether was a thirsty little boy and he’d torn through whatever stores she’d had. There was only enough for half a day for the twins.
She grabbed her pump and packed it into her bag. Then she tapped the travel bed and the crib. They hovered and she pushed them out to where Cloud sat.
“Where are you going?” His voice was raspy with sleep.
She ignored him and went to get Ether ready. She shuffled all of her children out the house, telling Denzel and Marlene Cloud would be there when they got back. Making it to the tavern in good time she prepped breakfast and fed them while her waitstaff got the tavern ready for opening.
She had a set breakfast menu to keep it simple. She merely changed it by day. Today was a baked egg dish, and a baked casserole dish with a side. The other selection was a sandwich on a special roll for those on the move. You had five choices which you could mix and match. That was it.
She found the townspeople liked this aspect of her tavern. You could come and get good solid food. Since the menu was so small it was easy to keep the quality up. She was also able to serve alcohol starting at eight am. It was one of the biggest draws, especially during festivals.
The bus picked up the teens and the morning rush flowed. She was tired but she was experienced. Around eight Barrett and Cloud came to eat. They sat at a table off to the side with Mirage and the twins. They left then came back around one for lunch. She had all sorts of feelings but she kept them to herself.
When they got to the house there was a reckoning. Both Denzel and Marlene approached Cloud as a unit. Denzel was about her height at the grand age of fourteen. Marlene reached his shoulder. She was now thirteen but turning into a forty year old woman every day. Cloud was in her recliner that didn’t recline. The mechanism was broken so it didn’t go back but it was the most comfortable chair in the house.
“Excuse me, Cloud? May we talk to you?” Marlene was ever the spokesperson.
Cloud’s right eyebrow rose. “What would you like to know?”
“Where were you?”
Tifa’s lips twitched.
“I was taking care of business.”
She nodded. “How long are you staying for this time?”
He blinked and Tifa smirked.
“Depends.”
“Why didn’t you call? I speak to Barrett every day. He even talks to Denzel all the time which is surprising. It’s like pulling teeth trying to hold a conversation with him.”
Denzel sucked his teeth. “That’s not true.” His voice was a little squeaky as it transitioned from his childish pitch into what would develop into his adult tone. “I just don’t like talking to you.”
She turned to him. “I don’t know why. It’s not like you have friends.”
“I have lots of friends. They just don’t want to deal with you. I told Jeremy you liked him.”
“You could have saved yourself the trouble. He thinks he’s all that but his body odor says otherwise. Not to mention whenever he talks to me his breath smells like he’s been licking a toilet. How about you tell him good hygiene is available to anyone who practices it. I don’t know what those girls see in him. He must be buying them snacks at the vending machines to keep up the lie. He needs to buy some soap and deodorant instead of all those fancy clothes.” She shook her head. “Even you smell better than him and I’m next to you when you take off your shoes.”
Denzel frowned at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She frowned back. “Don’t tell me you can’t smell that stench? Then again there’s your room…” She made a knowing face before turning back to Cloud. “Back to you. What took you so long to show up?”
Cloud blinked slowly, trying to keep track of Marlene’s flow. “I had to find myself.”
She raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him. “You got so lost it took you three years to find yourself?” She turned to Denzel. “He’s slower than you and that’s saying something.”
Cloud looked taken aback by her comment but Barrett stepped in. “Marlene that wasn’t very nice. You should apologize to Cloud.”
“What for? He’s a liar.”
Tifa had to step in for this. Marlene was being rude. “He’s still an adult. If you would like to discuss your feelings about Cloud we can do it in a respectful manner.”
“Really? Because when you talk to Yuffie you always call him a manipulative rat bastard.”
“That’s me and I grew up with him. I can call him whatever I want.”
Marlene nodded, hearing the warning in her voice. “Fair enough. On that note I’m going to bathe first.” She strolled off jauntily.
Denzel’s eyes widened. “No, you don’t! You’ll be in there for an hour!” He raced after Marlene who took off at a run.
Tifa shook her head as she led Ether to her room to wash. Barret came with Mirage and Cloud brought the twins. Barret looked at her expectantly and rolling her eyes she took the little girl. Then she washed the twins. Barrett cooked dinner and fed everyone. She took the twins to her room and fed them before putting all the younger children to bed.
After she showered she lay down to watch a little tv. The little ones were all asleep. Ether had run around with Mirage all day and they’d had a blast. There was a knock and Barrett poked his head in through the partially open door. “Hey Tifa.”
“Yes Barrett?”
He came in and sat on the edge of the bed. “I just wanted to say thank you for letting us stay.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I figure when the festival ends we’ll find someplace to live.”
That was news to her. “You’re staying?”
“There’s nothing left to go back to in Edge. You guys are all the family I have.” He sighed deeply. “I do have a craft and I have to admit I don’t want to fight anymore.”
She understood that all too well. “Yeah. I like my life now.”
They were quiet for a moment. “Tifa, do you have a blowup bed? We couldn’t find one anywhere.”
“No. I had to throw away the one I had since it got messed up.”
“Okay. We will figure out something.”
“Alright.”
A few hours later she was woken by Cloud. He had a squalling infant in his hands. She sat up and bared a breast before reaching for the child. She fed it before handing her to Cloud who gave her the second child. He sat down, waiting for her to finish. At some point he’d fallen asleep because she turned to give him the little girl and he was out. After tapping him a few times and him not moving she went to settle the little girl. While she wanted to punch him in the head she patted him hard.
“Huh?” He looked around with eyes barely open.
“Move!”
He nodded and crawled into her bed, taking up most of the space. Unbelievable! She grabbed her pillow and went to pull out the sofa bed. Cloud woke her a little while later with a baby in his hands. She really was going to have to learn their names. She lay the baby on the bed and freed her breast. She was flailing her little arm as she ate. Tifa was amused. They were becoming livelier. That trip must have been rough.
Movement had her seeing Cloud re-enter with the other child. When the one on her breast pulled away he reached down to pick her up. His hand softly brushed her breast and her breath caught but he acted like he didn’t touch her. He laid the other baby down gently then turned to burp the first. After that he went into the room. He came back out and retrieved the second child doing the same thing. Then he came out and lifted the cover on the mattress she was laying on.
“What are you doing?”
“Go back to bed.”
+
Tifa watched as Barrett and Cloud walked out with the children. She’d fed Ether and Barrett had offered to take him for a walk. Ether loved Barrett and was excited to go. She sighed inside. It had been a little over a week since they’d invaded her house and life. Barrett’s claim of putting down roots had been serious. At lunch he’d discussed his plans.
“I can modify weapons and I have a degree in tech. I want to open a store upgrading weapons. Cloud is experienced in dealing with Materia as well as having a ridiculously high magic attribute. This should allow us to create a niche market since there is no store like that here, although there are weapon stores.”
“That sounds awesome. Yuffie is a great resource when it comes to the logistics of opening a business. You should talk to her.”
“Okay. I’ll contact her later when I have something on paper and not just words in my head.”
“That makes sense.”
“Yeah. We’ll be back later to help with cleanup.”
“You don’t have to.”
“You feed us for free. It’s the least we could do.” Cloud nodded in agreement.
“Alright then. I’ll see you later.”
She was content that there was a plan in action. Barrett was a crafty dude when he wanted to be.
“Tifa, have you forgotten about me?” A sad voice broke her reverie.
She turned to Paul. “How could I ever forget about one of my favorite customers?”
“There are two large warriors that come in everyday to eat now.”
“Yet they left and you are here with me. Why are you fussing about things that don’t matter?”
Jack piped up. “She’s got a point, there.”
“Well, they’re strangers for one.”
“Paul, festival season starts tomorrow. There are strangers everywhere.”
He made a face as Jack laughed. “You got me there.”
“Plus they have a lot of children with them. They’re peaceful people until you bother them.”
He nodded. “We all are, aren’t we?”
“Indeed.”
The crew arrived right before she closed and clean up was a snap. They even helped with the prep for tomorrow. Since it was the beginning of festival they would have a lot more people to feed so the help came in handy. When they got home, Cloud started dinner and she got the children washed and settled.
She was lounging on her bed when there was a knock on her door. “Come in.”
Cloud stepped in and closed the door behind him. She frowned but said nothing, waiting to see how this would play out. He wore a white t shirt and sweat shorts. His blond hair was wet and almost all of his hair was shorn off. It was like a crew cut. It looked good on him. She was accustomed to the large spikes of hair standing all over his head. This made him look mature and more like the thirty year old man he was.
He put his hands in his pockets and stood on the side of the bed. She stared up at him from her pillows. “I wanted to say thank you for your help. I know we came here unexpectedly but you really did us a solid. You did me a solid to be honest. I know there is tension between us and it’s my fault. Still you took us in even though I know it wasn’t easy. Not only that but you’re feeding my daughters from another woman with the same breasts you fed my son.”
Tifa opened her mouth to say something but he held up a hand.
“I know Ether’s mine. I don’t care about what you say to everyone else. You can’t hide his heritage from me.” His eyes glowed green for a moment before they turned blue again. “There are other things that we should talk about but now is not the time.” His eyes ran over her body then he turned and walked out the door, closing it softly behind him.
Tifa laid there staring at the ceiling. That had been unexpected but she appreciated it. His declaration about Ether had surprised her until his eyes had glowed. She turned over and went to sleep.
+
Sunday rolled around quickly and Tifa was sorting the laundry for washing in the living room since there was so much. She looked up when she heard Mirage’s soft voice. “Daddy, pick up.” Cloud was watching television on the couch.
Cloud’s deep voice was amused when he lifted his shoe. “Pick up my shoe?”
“No. Pick up.” She held her little arms up.
“Pick up the remote?” He lifted the remote for the television.
She looked like an adorable little pixie when she poked her lips out. “Daddy, pick up Raj!”
“Pick up what?’ He raised an eyebrow.
“Raj! Me, Raj!” She pointed to herself.
“Oh! Pick up Mirage?”
She nodded and smiled at him encouragingly. “Yes.”
He picked her up and sat her on his lap. She hugged him. “Good, Daddy.”
He smiled cheekily as he hugged her back playfully and kissed her head. “Thank you.”
Ether, who’d been standing next to Mirage watching the whole thing, stepped in front of Cloud and held out his arms. “Daddy, pick up Ether.”
Tifa’s eyes widened. “Ether-”
Cloud held up a stalling hand in her direction and lifted Ether up with one arm onto his lap. She was impressed because her son was solid and heavy. Ether smiled in satisfaction and hugged him. “Good, Daddy.”
Cloud nodded. “Thank you.”
“Hug?” Ether looked at him expectantly.
Cloud hugged the little boy to him.
“Kiss.” Ether pointed to the top of his head.
A small smile curved Cloud’s lips before he kissed Ether on the head like he’d done Mirage.
Ether nodded and leaned against him contentedly.
Cloud changed the show to something appropriate and they sat peacefully.
+
A few days later Tifa slid past Cloud as he worked the grill. The festival crowd was massive and there was a line outside waiting to get into her spot. The fact that you could get alcohol in the morning had sealed the deal. She’d had to restock her stores within two days. After the first day she’d asked them to come help. Barrett was a great server and Cloud was good in the kitchen. Their addition helped tremendously, and they went home exhausted every night.
Thankfully she’d set up a room for Ether from the very beginning so she was able to put the children in there. It was easy to see them and someone could check on them. Yuffie had taken to stopping by and sitting with them. She found it fun.
Tifa wiped the counter and put the dish into the wash pile. She had a set of dishes currently in the dishwasher. Once the bell dinged she stacked them up for Cloud to use and repacked the machine for another round. Then she washed her hands and started pouring drinks. It was all hands on deck and they were moving at a good clip. She checked the clock and looked at it in disbelief. It was only a little after ten. Breakfast ended at twelve then the lunch menu would start being served.
The takeout section was pumping since a lot of people didn’t want to wait for a seat. That was moving well. Having had an order kiosk had been a great idea of Yuffie’s. So had the machines for bulk cooking. Twenty pieces of bread could be toasted at a time. There were also presses where the order came up. The bread would be put into the press and two people would create the sandwiches. Each order would pop up on a press. This kept down errors on orders. If you added a wrong item it would buzz. Then it would close and cut the sandwich. After that it was only a matter of wrapping and serving. She poured the drinks for inside and outside.
She also had a massive slushy machine with five different flavors. All the slushies were virgin but she freehanded the pours for the alcoholic ones. She would have to consider getting a machine to do it during heavy seasons. She had alcohol blends by number in pitchers to make things easier but she did have a full bar as well with two other bartenders.
She’d hired seasonal help to keep her overhead down but they worked hard. They also got great tips so it worked out. The afternoon sped by and then it was closing time. They shuffled home and ate a light dinner. After that Cloud opened the sofa bed then cussed after he sat down.
“What happened?” Barrett walked over.
“The mechanisms inside are coming out. The damned thing shocked me.”
It was probably because he was so large and heavy. The couch was fine but it seemed the bed portion was trash. Maybe two weeks had passed but it probably couldn’t withstand such largesse over an extended length of time. She walked over and looked at the damage. The thing was sparking and she could see the metallic innards. Feeling frustrated she unplugged it. She had an extended warranty but she wouldn’t be able to get the same one. She’d gotten it for cheap because it had been an abandoned special order item.
Barrett shook his head as he examined the unit. “I could try to jury-rig it but your warranty will be null.”
She huffed in annoyance. “I’ll call the company and see about getting a replacement but who knows when one will come.”
“Alright. The next question is where is he going to sleep? My bed is just big enough for me and the children have twins.”
Tifa ran the places Cloud could sleep through her mind. Since the couch was mechanized the bed was locked into place taking up all the extra floor space. She didn’t want to risk cutting it back on to close it. That might start a fire. If she put it in her backyard it might get damaged in one of the sudden storms this part of the world was prone to. That would nullify her warranty as well. The way Barrett’s room was set up there was no space for him on the floor what with the workbench and storage containers. Marlene’s was out and Denzel’s was shaped weird so even though he had space Cloud was too large to fit laying flat. Her room was full of cribs so her floor was out too.
She sucked her teeth in annoyance.
Well shit.
She was going to have to let him sleep in her bed, which was a Patalog king. She’d gotten it and the frame in a clearance sale since not a lot of people had space for such a big bed. Mentally she beat her head against a wall. It took her a good minute to screw her lips to speak to him. “It appears you’ll be sleeping with me.”
Barrett grimaced but Cloud made no expression at all. He gave her a quick once over before his eyes slid away. What the hell was that about? Huffing she turned and walked to her room. He followed her in with a large suitcase in one hand. Once the door was closed she folded her arms over her chest. “You will remain clothed at all times and keep your dick in your pants.”
He nodded and put his bag down in the corner before he climbed into bed. He’d already washed and changed into his sleep shorts and shirt. She washed then came out in her nightgown, grunting in frustration. He was already asleep on his back and took up so much space it looked like a twin. Her eyes ran over his contours. He was heavily muscled now, more than before. The tight tee shirt snuggled all of that real estate he called a chest. She climbed in and laid down. This was a horrible idea but there was no help for it.
Slowly getting up she went back to her room and climbed into bed. She fell asleep immediately.
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The Problem With The Truth