Title: Child's Death I
Fandom: Final Fantasy: Advent Children
Characters: Tifa, Cloud, Vincent, Marlene
Prompt: 003 - Ends
Word Count: 1508
Date finished: 06/12/2006
Rating: PG
Summary: Cloud and Tifa have lost something very precious to them. Cloud's point of view.
Author's Notes: I don't have a clue where it came from. But here it is.
Disclaimer: Characters are owned by Square Enix and Sony Pictures as far as I know.

Then she moved, looked up at him, and tears glittered in her eyes. She held the small bundle in her arms, pressed to her chest so gently. "What should we name him?"

The child was dark haired, but his eyes weren't open, so Cloud didn't know what color they were. "Zack?" he offered.

The tears multiplied, and one slid down her cheek. "No," she said. "No, we'll save that for the one that lives."

His knees buckled and he collapsed to his knees on the floor, looking up at her. Why hadn't they said anything? "Lives?" he asked, his voice choked.

"They say he won't survive the night," she whispered.

His shoulders slumped. "Oh."

They finally named the child Sec; Cloud had found a chair and pulled it close to the bed, to be closer to her. He even had a short chance to hold his son - barely five minutes, but it was enough - before he gave him back to Tifa. She would feel this loss more than he would, and she needed all the time to hold the child as she could get.

Sec was gone before midnight, a little light snuffed out in the darkness. Cloud only knew when Tifa's breath hitched, then she began to cry for real, a soft keening he'd never heard from her. He leaned forward and put his arm around her shoulders, and her dark head rested against his, shaking him with her sobs.

The doctor, who had been standing outside the door in their hallway, stepped in so quietly Cloud didn't realize he was there until he spoke. "Tifa," he said gently. "Let me have him."

Her grip on the small body tightened for a moment, then she kissed the top of his head, and gave him up. Then she collapsed against Cloud.

The doctor touched his shoulder. "See if you can get her to sleep a little," he said gently. "She needs it."

Cloud nodded and simply held onto her; his own tears wet her hair, but he wasn't sure if he was weeping for the lost child, or for the pain Tifa was feeling. They clung to each other for what seemed like forever, but finally, Tifa's grip weakened, and her sobs evened out. Carefully, Cloud lay her down, easing pillows out from behind her so she was lying down. Then he left the room to find the doctor.

He was in the living room, waiting. There was no sign of the dead child, and Cloud could only guess the nurse had taken it away. "What…" he started, and found he couldn't go on. He swallowed and tried again. "Why did he die?"

The doctor took a deep breath. "I don't know," he said, and gestured for Cloud to sit down. "I have a guess, however."

Cloud sat down, somewhat afraid to hear what the doctor had to say.

"I believe it had something to do with the treatments you got as a SOLDIER. Most of the babies of former SOLDIERS are weak at first, but many pull out of it. But sometimes…." He shook his head.

Cloud was too exhausted - too used to his past causing so many problems - to even be angry. "Thank you," he said, and leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees.

The doctor stood and left him there. Cloud didn't move, couldn't move, was simply too numb to even think of….

"You should sleep as well."

The low voice was unexpected, but not unwelcome. "I know."

Then a hand was firm around his arm, helping him to his feet, and he managed to follow where he was led, the tattered hem of Vincent's red cloak swirling in and out of his suddenly blurred vision. "What do I do now?"

"Sleep," Vincent said firmly, guiding him into the bedroom where Tifa lay, still sleeping, but he could see tears glistening on her cheeks. "Sleep, and recover - and worry about the future later."

Cloud lay down on the bed carefully, so he wouldn't jar Tifa, and was asleep in an instant.

Vincent returned to the family room, pulled his cloak around him, and sank down in the chair. He hadn't seen Cloud like that in a long time - if ever. The last time he might have been, over his mother's death, there was Sephiroth to distract him, and Vincent hadn't been there at that time, anyway.

And now?

No distractions at all. But Vincent had never been one - even as a Turk - to worry too much about the future. He closed his eyes and waited for dawn.

Marlene was the first one up. She stood before him, smiling. "Why are you here?" she asked when he looked at her.

Vincent took a deep breath. "Tifa and Cloud are… sleeping," he said, and her smile faltered.

"But… the baby?" she asked softly.

Vincent took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Marlene," he said. "The child did not make it through the night."

Tears filled her eyes, and she stumbled forward to crash into him, curled up in his lap, and cried.

He held her until her sobs eased, and she sighed softly. "How's Tifa?"

"She's sleeping," he repeated patiently, and she gave a funny little laugh and lifted her head.

"Your voice echoes," she said.

He smiled at her, then looked up at a movement in the doorway.

Cloud stood there, looking oddly vulnerable in a blue t-shirt and loose blue pj bottoms. His hair was matted on one side, and dark smudges ringed his eyes. "Morning. Marlene, Tifa wants to see you. Be careful, okay?"

Marlene scrambled out of Vincent's lap and squeezed past Cloud. He turned to watch her go, then walked into the kitchen. Vincent got up and followed, leaning against the wall as Cloud began to put together a light breakfast, assembling it on a tray.

He stopped suddenly and braced himself against the table, head bowed. He stood there for a very long time, still as he'd been in the pool in the church. When he straightened, he squared his shoulders, lifted the tray he'd put everything on, and turned around to carry it to Tifa.

He looked even worse. His eyes were red-rimmed, now, and tears had marked his cheeks. Vincent stepped back from this display of obvious grief, and Cloud walked slowly past, moving like an old man. Vincent could only watch him go.

Slowly, Cloud and Tifa picked their lives back up. Once they seemed to be doing well enough, Vincent left again, much thanked and very appreciated. Cloud spent most of his time helping Tifa at the bar, taking over when it got too much for her. But slowly, that happened less and less often.

And when she'd made it through a whole week without his help, he asked to speak with her.

It was after lunch, about an hour before Seventh Heaven was to open for the day. Denzel and Marlene were at school; the apartment was quiet.

Tifa nestled next to him on the couch, and he just held her for a moment. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked.

"Have you spoken to Doctor Merari?" he asked slowly.

"Not since…. No."

He took a deep breath. "He said the most likely reason Sec didn't survive was because… of the treatments I received as a SOLDIER."

She drew away from him. "But you were never in…." Her voice trailed away as her eyes met his Mako-blue ones. "Oh."

Cloud had told few others outside of AVALANCHE what had happened. He was just as happy that everyone thought he had been in SOLDIER; it explained his eyes and other abnormalities well enough. He nodded. "I want you to know, Tifa. It might always be like that." He swallowed. "He said that the children are often weak at first, but some are like Sec." Her eyes didn't waver. "We both know that isn't exactly how it was, that I don't even know…."

"Why are you telling me this?" she interrupted.

"So you know," he said evenly, hoping that she couldn't see how nervous he was. "So you are prepared. So you can decide what you want to do, if you want to have more children." He paused. "If you want to have them with me."

"What do you want?" she asked. She sounded almost wary of what he might say.

He took a deep breath and reached for her hands. "I want you to be happy," he said simply. "I'd have given almost anything to spare you the last few weeks."

Her hands tightened in his, and he fell silent, but he didn't look away from her, half afraid of seeing rejection, half afraid of seeing her acceptance.

And she smiled. It wasn't a big smile, but he felt his spirit lift. "Thank you," she said, and hugged him.

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